Fallen Empire 2: Honor's Flight Read Free Page A

treachery in his mind.
    Alisa punched a couple of buttons to alter their course—not away from the planet, not yet, but along a lateral trajectory that would not take them any closer. Then she rose to open the hatch. Like most of the doors and controls on the old ship, everything had to be done manually. She unlocked it and slid it open. Leonidas and Yumi, one of the passengers who had paid in advance for a ride to Perun, stood in the corridor.
    “Any chance you can dress up in your red armor and get us an invitation down to the planet?” Alisa asked Leonidas, not ready to give up yet.
    Even without his combat armor, Leonidas was intimidating: tall, broad-shouldered, and brawny. His bulging arm muscles were on display in the sleeveless vest that he wore today. As Alisa had noted before, he looked entirely human, albeit extremely fit and developed for a human, but she’d seen him hurl big men twenty meters across a shuttle bay and drop from great heights to land easily on his feet. There was no doubt as to what he was.
    His gaze flicked toward the ships on the view screen. “The doctor’s name might be more likely to gain you entrance. I’m not anybody anymore.”
    Uh huh. And that was why someone had a ridiculously large bounty out for him.
    “You didn’t try giving them my name already, did you?” Leonidas added.
    “No, I gave them my name, and they didn’t like it,” Alisa said. “Given what a fine name it is, I couldn’t imagine anyone else’s performing better.”
    He frowned down at her, probably not sure if that was pure sarcasm or if there was a useful answer in there.
    “I see you haven’t learned to appreciate my humor yet,” Alisa said.
    “Was that what that was? Humor?”
    Yumi snickered softly, her dark eyes twinkling. Those eyes looked a little odd, the pupils dilated, and Alisa wondered what she had been smoking, chewing on, or snorting this time.
    “I’ll work on my jokes,” Alisa said. “Would you mind asking the doctor if he’ll come up here and talk to the imperials?” She stopped herself from saying that she would get him herself if his brawny bigness were not blocking the corridor. She didn’t truly want to annoy him. It was her reflex to be snarky to the enemy—better than letting the enemy see one’s fears and weaknesses. But somewhere between the T-belt and here, she had stopped thinking of him as an enemy. She hoped that was not a mistake.
    Leonidas lifted a hand and headed toward the passenger cabins.
    “Same offer goes for you, Yumi,” Alisa said.
    “Pardon?”
    “If you have any sway on Perun and can get us down there…” Alisa extended her palm toward the ships filling the view screen.
    “Ah. I don’t think the empire has reason to dislike me, but unless they’re in need of science teachers, I’m not certain what value I would have in their eyes.”
    “You do have that flock of chickens in the cargo hold.”
    “You think there’s a chicken shortage on Perun?” She smiled, pushing a long braid of black hair behind her shoulder.
    “It does have a large population with cities stretching for hundreds of miles along the coasts. I wouldn’t be surprised if food became a problem for them eventually.”
    “A problem my ten chickens can doubtlessly help them with.”
    “I’ve heard chickens like to make more chickens.”
    “Not with the way that Tommy is demolishing their eggs in the mornings.”
    Beck lifted his hands. “You said they were free for all. And I’ve shared my large omelets.”
    The comm light flashed on the console again. Even though Alisa had altered her course, the imperial ships were shadowing her. She expected another threat, or for someone to point out that flying parallel to a planet was not the same as flying away from a planet.
    Leonidas returned. “The doctor says he’ll request that they let us through, but he wishes to communicate from the privacy of his cabin.”
    “Does he,” Alisa murmured, wondering what secretive things