Outrageous Fortune-Errant Freight Book One

Chapter 26

John and Jagati's return to the Errant was both less crowded and less eventful than their journey out.

John supposed he should be thankful Tariq was no longer an enemy, but the calculator still weighed heavy on his mind, and he knew they'd not seen the last of Mary and Colin.

And what of their contact?

The mysterious Galileo, who may or may not have ties to Eitan, but who'd definitely been willing to use a child to achieve his ends.

Judging by his actions, the man was both determined and ruthless.

A treacherous combination, as John had long ago discovered.

As the tram came to its rocking halt, he looked up to find they'd reached the airfield. At his side, Jagati rose, slung her rifle, once again safe in its carryall, over one shoulder, and they made their way to the door.

Outside the tram, half a dozen travelers waited to board for the return trip.

Among them stood a pair of aeronauts, both wearing the Tenjin Corp patch on their leather flight jackets, in the midst of a heated discussion.

"I'm tellin' you, Ken," one of the two was saying, "all them sensitives are Force users. Just like in the ancient texts."

"Stories, Johnny," his companion replied. "Those is all stories. And if I'm in for a full night of you spoutin' myths, I'll keep my starbucks and you can whistle down Goodyear Lane for someone to buy you a drink."

Jagati watched the squabbling pair board the tram and shook her head, recalling the ancient texts in question. "They're bad enough in reality," she muttered, catching up with John.

"What?" John looked up, surprised. "Who?"

She jerked her chin at the pair behind them. "Sensitives. Galileo. Barth Vader."

"Darth," John corrected absently. "And Galileo's just one sensitive out of many." As he spoke, his eyes slid over the airfield, almost deserted by now. "Eitan has never shown himself to be anything but honorable."

Her shoulders hunched, but she didn't give in. "Exception that proves the rule."

His gaze slid sideways. "That's a remarkably Earthbound point of view."

"I'm just saying, a bomb is a bomb, whether or not the crystal-det has sparked."

"Very well." He turned his attention back to their route. "So for the sake of the argument you clearly wish to have, supposing you're right and Eitan is an exception. Where does that leave--" he cut himself off, shook his head, and increased his pace.

"What?" she asked, speeding up along with him, giving a small mountain of crates they passed a beady eye.

"Nothing."

"You keep saying it's nothing when—"

"When it's nothing worth discussing," he cut in. "Anyway, if it's all the same, I'd as soon continue to believe the best of humanity—including sensitives."

With that he turned and continued toward their berth.

Jagati followed, steaming.

She did not, however, deny herself a triumphant moment of smug when, on arriving at the base of the Errant's gangplank, they found the cargo bay door—the one they'd left secured—wide open.

"So much for the best in humanity," she said, slapping him on the shoulder before heading up the gangplank and pulling her rifle from its cover.

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