Galactic Gale

Chapter Twenty-Six

Wonderland

Leaving the Rapid to find Retch, the man's arms wide and a silly grin on his handsome face, was not what Kael had envisioned. He had thought an armed squad of thugs or mercenaries would greet them, not the man himself with only Galzan at his side. And Retch – Retch was practically glowing despite the threats he had given them last time they had met.

There would be no period of rest, Kael realised with a heavy heart. As he moved aside to let Ry and Cyre out the door, all Kael could think about was the sleep he had lost thanks to endless arguments between Valour and the rest of the crew. Amara's stunt with the Watch had given Ry plenty of jokes to drum up about Valour and the old admiral had not taken kindly to them.

"Welcome to Paradise!" Retch cheered. He dropped his arms and fashioned the button on his expensive jacket, eyes dancing across each member of the Rapid's crew. "Don't look so down. Tell me what you think of the place."

What Kael thought of the place would not be polite to tell his host. The walls of the hanger had been draped in silk cloths, half-covering the metal structures, and the floor was painted a vibrant shade of red. The lights were almost blinding. Everything sparkled. It was too flashy for Kael's tastes. He doubted even Nona would enjoy being here.

"Very exquisite," Ry pipped up.

Retch strutted closer; shoulders thrown back. "I bought this joint from an ex-friend. Had it renovated from head to toe. I needed a spot big enough for my cruiser. It's so hard to find stations for those big, big ships these days."

Faulting his wealth was one of the many ways Retch bothered Kael. The man might have built his crew from the bottom up, having come from the slums of Ramerela himself and now was one of the richest individuals in space, but that did not give him the right to show off. Not in Kael's mind, anyway. From Amara and Cyre's expressions he couldn't tell if they felt the same.

Kael's family fortune was worth ten times what Retch had. He would have loved to have flashed his golden credit card, bragged about his palace upbringing and royal luxuries just to see how Retch would react.

But these people beside him – Kael's closest friends and crewmates – meant more to Kael than competing with Retch. Their trust and respect were worth more than any number of credits or fancy ships. Kael would not risk insulting them for a planet's worth of gold.

"These are the two we found in the crash. They claim to be messengers from Dechry." Alex pushed Meldrom and Don forward with her shoulders, nudging them into the light for Retch to see.

"Derchy? That old collection of losers?" Flinching, Retch stroked his chin then waved a hand. "Have these two worms secured." He turned to Alex and his face twisted in disgust. "You thought I had business with Derchy?"

"They had a nice ship," Alex snapped.

Galzan snared back at Meldrom when she bared her teeth and took the woman's green arm in her claw-like fingers. The second prisoner was seen to by Valour and with Ry and Cyre's help, Meldrom and Don were escorted out of the shipping bay.

Neither of the two from the crash had said anything worthwhile to Amara. Kael, along with Valour who had acted as a translator, had joined Amara, Alex and Cyre in questioning the pair one at a time. Meldrom had merely cursed them. Don had mentioned only that they had been traveling in a larger group.

"Come," Retch said, his initial annoyance suddenly replaced by joy. "Let's not linger in the hanger. This place is for ships and messy mechanics. I've got a special place for guests."