Soldiers of the Stars

Chapter 31: The Promise

IXTLAR GAR AIRFIELD - TORNAI CITY

(CT-8628) WEAVE

     I rolled the pack of chewstims between my fingers as I approached the two clones sitting behind a desk in the middle of the airfield. Uneasiness roiled in my stomach as I abandoned all sense of reason. Yet, an adventurous giddiness seized my foolish heart as an instinctive impulse propelled me forward. I equally dreaded and anticipated how this conversation would go. When grounded, Contrail proved himself as unpredictable as a squadron of Awihas. Thankfully, Shifty offered me some tips.

     First, Contrail operated out on the LZ rather than in a hangar, so the noise and frequencies from the fighters running drills overhead could disrupt any recorded transmission. That way, if a trooper was caught with contraband, there wouldn't be enough evidence to convict Contrail. Secondly, he took advantage of the roaring engines to hide any additional conditions he might list, leaving his victims tied up in the fine print. Thirdly, no one knew exactly how he delivered the goods. They just appear. I reckon that's why he dragged Highbeam's covert skills into his operation. And finally, if you didn't have something worth his time, he wouldn't make a deal with you.

     "So, you've come to turn us in?" Contrail leaned back in his chair, folding his arms behind his head and propping his feet on the desk. "Guess I should've seen this day coming. Welp, Highbeam, I guess it's over. Pack it up," he said nonchalantly as he turned his head slightly towards Highbeam beside him, who read an article on vintage ships on his datapad.

     "Hmmm," Highbeam replied without peeling his eyes away from his reading.

     "I'm not here to stop your scheme." I side-eyed him.

     Swallow your pride, Weave.

     "I-I need something." Don't say it. Don't say it. "Something I'm told you can get me."

     Contrail's mouth moved, but I couldn't hear him over the sound of a fighter flying low overhead. "What?!" I shouted as the whistle from the ARC 170s turned into a long ringing that echoed in my ears.

     Contrail looked skyward at the interruption. Thankfully, he waited for the ringing in my ears to subside. "What are you after? T'bac?" he asked dismissively. "It's a filthy habit. I don't want to see you let yourself go."

     "I don't want t'bac."

     "Mags? Periodicals?" He scrambled through one of the drawers. He snapped his head up, narrowing his eyes suggestively as a devilish grin stretched across his features. "Por–"

     "I just need a communicator!" I interrupted, heat rushing to my face. "A holoprojector, a commlink, a datapad, anything. Just as long as it operates through a private channel."

     Contrail froze. Highbeam looked up from his reading. "Jumping in with two feet, I see? Always knew there was a rebel in ya, Weave."

     "That's risky," Contrail frowned.

     I crossed my arms, not even bothering to hide my smug grin. "So you can't do it?"

     "I can do it," he retorted, furrowing his brows. "But if you get caught, I can't help you. Are you sure you want to jeopardize everything you've worked for?"

     I cocked an eyebrow, channeling the false confidence Contrail mastered. "I wouldn't be out here otherwise."

     Contrail shrugged it off. "Who are you trying to contact?"

     "Do I have to disclose that information to you? I thought you operated in a no-questions-asked kind of way."

     Contrail leaned forward, propping his elbows onto his knees. "Usually I don't, but you are asking to communicate off the GAR's radar, and that is dangerous. We'll need to go over some protocol before you're cleared for lift-off."