Star Child

Fifteen - Prodigy

"¡Eres un bastardo tramposo!"

Carlos's words and the clatter of a metal chair hitting the floor drew Kade from his hideout in the lounge room. He stepped into the room to find Carlos ranting in Spanish, his hands waving wildly around. Seated at the table, with a smug grin on his face, was Landon.

Kade squinted his eyes and found Monopoly spread out on the table between them. Some of the pieces were toppled over on the board.

"You're just shit at the game!" retorted Landon, his eyes glittering with success as he leaned back in his seat.

"You cheat and you know it, pendejo!" Carlos swiped the board clean with his hand. He turned to glare at Kade, who stood in the doorway with an amused expression.

The Latino knew better than to play Monopoly against Landon. He won every time. He understood the tactics of the game better than anyone; the lot buying, the houses and hotels, and how to trap a person in bankruptcy. Every move he made was calculated. It was a talent the blond brought into his job working with Kade as a bounty hunter.

"Carlos, come on, man." Kade entered the bright white room, his boots thumping across the black metal floor. He clapped the taller man on the shoulder and shook it, "You just need to accept that you'll never win. It's pointless, amigo."

He jerked away from Kade with a scoff and stormed out of the room, hurling more insults and complaints in Spanish. A door slammed shut down the hall, abruptly cutting off his words. Kade turned to watch a snickering Landon clean up the mess.

The game room had picked up more use as of late. Ever since they left that forest planet where they found the remains of Ashaki Sawyer's ship, they had sat in its orbit without a destination.

The room wasn't very large, just a basic white room. The walls were lined with storage units on one side and on the opposite was a plush couch and entertainment screen. In the center were three square tables grouped in a triangle with four basic metal chairs. Scuff marks marred the floor from years of use. Along the back wall was a rectangular window that showed the abyss of space, a nice contrast to the flurry of activity that was usually within the room.

Most ships like the Oculos had a common room similar to this, but the Oculos was one of the few Kade had seen to repurpose it with gaming consoles and tables for board games. Landon would camp out on one of the tables with the game setup, waiting to lay waste to his next opponent. He had even bested Charles! Even the Synthetic was surprised by his human opponent's victory. It seemed today, Carlos had been coaxed into his trap, but loss after loss was too much for him to stand against Landon, sitting in his makeshift throne like the fuckmaster General.

Carlos had reached his limit.

Poor bastard, Kade snorted.

"Landon, Landon, Landon." He clicked his tongue as he approached Landon. The man was just finishing returning the last few pieces of the game to the box.

He shrugged, a grin on his cleanly shaven face. "It's not my fault he won't learn his lesson. He should know by now that I'm the King of this game."

"Yo, ladies," Dennis strode in with his tablet at the ready. "I think I found something that'll help our search."

Whatever it was, after a few quick taps on the device, he projected it onto the entertainment screen. Tables of data appeared in one corner while a red blinking dot zoomed in on a star chart until it showed a planet in a yet-to-be explored system. Below the blinking dot, a square of information popped up. Kade focused on the featured picture. It was of a black woman with honey brown eyes. Under the picture was the name 'Ashaki Sawyer' and a birthdate and current age—one hundred and six.