To See the Sun by Kelly Jensen

Author:Kelly Jensen [Jensen, Kelly]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Riptide Publishing
Published: 2018-08-10T18:30:00+00:00

Orfeo caught up with Bram late in the day. When Maia rolled her eyes, Bram glanced over his shoulder to see him striding up to the bar as if he owned the place.

“Orfeo.”

“Abraham. Where’s your bride?”

“My what?”

Orfeo gestured around his thick crop of black hair. “Curls, big eyes, too pretty to be on Alkirak.”

“You mean Gael.”

Orfeo’s face split in a wolfish grin.

“He’s around,” Bram said. Checking on Aavi, despite Maia’s assurances that she would be fine.

“Listen to you, getting all defensive.”

“What do you want, Orfeo?”

“Got your ping.”

Oh, right.

Raising her eyebrows, Maia gave them a “be nice” look and retreated to the other side of the bar.

Bram pulled the sample cases out of his thigh pocket. “I need to get these tested.”

Settling onto the stool next to him, Orfeo picked up one of the cases. “This from that deposit you found?”

“Yeah.”

“And you want me to help you identify it.”

“I know Muedini has a small lab in town.”

“It’s pretty basic. You’d get a better result from Orbital.” Orfeo cracked open the sample case and shook the slim tube of deep-yellow crystal into his palm. “Could be trellacite, except I haven’t seen any this dark.”

“Me neither.”

Orfeo glanced up at him. “Why are you giving me this?”

“Because I have a favor to ask.”

“Now we’re getting somewhere.”

“We’re not getting anywhere.”

With a wry smile, Orfeo held the crystal sample up to the light and squinted at it. “So how are things going with the little mister?”

“Why are you always disparaging my choices, Orfeo?”

Orfeo peered around the crystal at him, smile dropping away. “Because you were the best foreman I had, and you’re wasting your talents digging around in that hole you call a farm.”

“It’s my life. How’s that deal with Cliver working out?”

Orfeo’s eyes darkened, briefly. Then his expression shifted into something unreadable. “You missed the shuttle on that one, Abraham.”

It’d be just like Orfeo to overstate the situation, particularly if the investment hadn’t worked out, as Maia’s concern seemed to indicate. But Bram held his tongue—Orfeo wouldn’t appreciate any questions. Bram gestured to the sample. “Maybe I’ll catch the next one.”

“Humph.” Orfeo slid the sample back inside the case. “I’m going to assume you ran a visual through the Muedini database?”

“Took me three weeks, but yeah.”

“Satellite coverage not so good over at Henderson?”

“You know it’s not.”

“How’re Gael and Aavi adjusting to all that isolation?”

“Can we stay on topic here?”

“Is it difficult to believe I’m interested?”

Bram pushed out a sigh. “It’s Aavi I want to talk to you about.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Gael rescued her from a pretty rough situation. She was a slave.” Not too badly used, by all accounts, but the idea she’d soon have been used for purposes other than carrying things continually vexed Bram. Children should never be used, for any purpose.

“Slavery is illegal,” Orfeo said.

“Not on Zhemosen, it’s not.”

Orfeo’s eyebrows drew down.

“I want to make sure no one is looking for her,” Bram continued. “Discreetly.”

“I’ll see what I can do. But why are you asking me?”

Because I don’t have anyone else to ask. “You wanted to be in the loop.

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