The Yuthara Pact

Chapter 3: Betrayal (Part 1/2)

Space travel can be grueling. Traveling faster than the speed of light for long periods takes a toll on the body, not only physically, but mentally. There is a certain, inescapable hum that fills your mind and soul full of anxiety. The vibration, too, is enough to leave you shaken for hours.

But Ethrosor was used to it. Sometimes, if felt like he spent more time in light speed than out of it. His days of becoming mentally dazed and foggy after light speed were far behind him. Caara, to her credit, seemed similarly unfazed. But their bodies, ripped through the galaxy at ten times the speed of light for more than a week, were still worn when they eventually pulled into a Kilik docking port nearest to his apartment. They would still have to take a shuttle to his apartment, but the journey would not be too long.

He would have to report to the council in the morning. They arrived on the planet not long after midnight. Both extremely tired, they needed sleep as soon as possible. Caara fell asleep just a few minutes after they came in, but Ethrosor spent a grueling fifteen minutes removing his armor before he could go to sleep. He was lucky he had not fully installed his armor; removing it would have taken far longer. Finished, he walked into his room and saw Caara asleep on his bed.

"Figures," he mumbled.

Looking around, he realized there was nowhere else to sleep. He had never acquired much furniture or things of comfort for his apartment. This place was just a pit stop for him, mostly. His ship was his real home. Ethrosor walked over to Caara, shoved her to the edge of the bed, and jumped in with her. If she didn't like it she would have to deal with it, but she didn't even stir.

Ethrosor jolted awake, hearing a loud ringing coming from his holo-caller. Jumping out of bed, he glanced at Caara, still fast asleep despite the ringing. He was struck by her beauty. Had he really spent the night in bed with a beautiful woman? It seemed a waste; he had been too exhausted to enjoy it.

It was the council on the holo-caller, and they were demanding a status report on Zor Magifron.

"I'll be there in thirty minutes to give you a full report on the contract. If there is nothing else I will see you then."

For once there was not anything for Uurias to add and he let him disconnect. Glancing at his armor, Ethrosor shook his head. He didn't have time for that. He dressed in normal clothing and put on his gun holsters. The clothing light and airy, he felt almost naked compared to when he wore his armor. He also updated his data-drive to present information to the council. When Caara awoke, Ethrosor was already preparing to leave. He had just finished upgrading his data-drive and was placing it in his hip pocket.

"I have to go meet with the council. I'll be gone for a few hours at most. Stay here, if you like. When I get back, we can talk about what to do with you. A woman with your skills, you may have a job with the Yuthara Pact."

"I don't want to work for the core worlds. You're not taking your armor?"

"No time." Caara stared at him with a frown, but nodded.

"Be careful, Ethrosor."

He took the first shuttle to the capitol building. The council chambers were bright with the morning light over Kilik, and the hall seemed to radiate with a majestic glow. All fifteen councilmen were present in the council chambers awaiting the news from their cataloger. The information he retrieved on both the person known as Zor and data he extracted from Zor's ship was worth at least another 10,000 marks, so his total should be close to 30,000 marks, more than many people made in a year on Kilik. Ethrosor took his place at his usual seat at the council table and inserted his data-drive in the provided slot. As before, holo-maps appeared in front of each council member and charted through details of his latest exploits.