In the little over a week that he’d known Debra, several things had made Will very curious about her background. She seemed to know a lot of people who perhaps weren’t the most reputable. First was the informant who’d provided the information about the security at Purlance’s palace and likely sold them out. Then there was this collector they were flying to meet on Thadeus Seven who seemed to have no issue with purchasing stolen goods.
However, it was her coolness under pressure and the way she could handle a blaster that really stood out to Will. That seemed to indicate she’d had some sort of military training. On their way to Watelen Prime he’d made several attempts to get her to talk about herself, but each time she changed the subject.
Will sat at the controls of the ship, his wounds completely healed thanks to Debra. She’d been familiar every item in the medikit and how to use it. Yet another mystery for Will to ponder.
Thinking about it now, asking her about how she’d learn to use the medical equipment would have been a great way to learn more about her. Unfortunately, at the time he was too busy feeling embarrassed about having to take off his shirt and pants so she could treat him. However, he’d gotten the impression that she hadn’t been embarrassed in the least.
“How’s it going?” asked Debra as she climbed up the ladder from the crew quarters.
“Good. No sign of any other ships in the area and the ship seems to be holding together. Should reach our destination in about 36 hours.”
Debra settled in her chair and the two of them sat there in silence for a while.
Will turned on the autopilot and leaned back in his chair. “I was impressed with the way you handled a blaster,” he said, trying to sound nonchalant. “Where’d you get your training?”
Debra spun the chair to face him, her face red.
“Perhaps I should give you a copy of my resume or maybe a list of references? Will that make you happy?” she snapped.
Will shook his head. “No. It’s just I’m used to knowing the background of the people I work with.”
She stood up and bent over putting her face inches from his. “You want background, I’ll give you background. I’ve made a lot of mistakes and have done a lot of things I’m not proud of. If that doesn’t satisfy your requirements then drop me off at the next planet.” Finishing, she hurried down the ladder.
Will closed his eyes and shook his head. Why was he so hung up on knowing more about her? She’d never given him a reason to doubt her. Plus she could have gone with Purlance, but chose to join him in the dungeon instead.
He got up and climbed down the ladder. Reaching Debra’s door, he knocked. “Can we talk?”
The door slid open and Debra stood there, her eyes red and her face wet. She gestured at a chair and sat on the edge of her bed. Will walked over to the chair and sat down. It took him a few minutes to find the right words.
“I’m sorry,” he said in a soft voice. “Whatever is in your past doesn’t matter. It’s the now that matters and you’re the best partner I’ve ever had. I wouldn’t want to lose you.”
Debra wiped her eyes and gave a small smile. “Thanks. No one’s ever said anything like that to me before.”
“Well perhaps they should have.”
Will stood up and began walking to the door.
“Will?”
He stopped and turned around. “Yes.”
Debra was leaning slightly back on her bed and stared at him as she seemed to be considering something. Finally, she got up. “Just wanted to thank you again.”
He smiled. “You’re welcome.”
As they entered orbit around Thadeus Seven, they received a radio transmission. All it contained were a set of landing coordinates and a warning not to bring weapons. Will tried to scan the area, but there was some sort of distortion field which blocked the sensors.
“Not crazy about going in blind or unarmed,” complained Will.
Debra nodded. “Me either, but this collector is supposed to value their privacy.”
“You’re sure they can be trusted?”
“I know several people who’ve dealt with them and they never had any issues.”
“Okay then,” said Will, pulling back on the control stick. “Let’s go.”
As ship descended through the atmosphere, it was enveloped in a thick white fog preventing a view of the surface until they were only a few thousand feet off the ground. As they broke though, the viewscreen showed a large landing area completely surrounded by forest.
Out of habit, Will had strapped on his blaster and was fortunate Debra had noticed. She placed the crystal in a small suitcase which she kept a tight grasp on. A blast of hot humid air hit them as they stepped outside. Clouds covered the entire sky only allowing a dull grey light to filter through. The forests around the landing site stretched as far as the eye could see. Coming from them could be heard the squawks of birds and the growls of larger animals.
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A vehicle had now come out of the forest and parked near the ship. Will pressed a button and the gantry began its descent to the ground. As Will and Debra stepped off the gantry, young red-haired woman got out of the vehicle and walked towards them.
She wore a plain white dress and her red hair fell down her back to her waist. She bowed before Will and Debra. “Welcome,” she said. “Lord Lestron is awaiting you.”
The vehicle they got into was similar to a car, but the wheels extended the entire with width giving them the appearance of tank threads. Once they were all inside, the vehicle raced into the forest along what could be best described as a tunnel through the trees. Bright lights mounted to the top of the vehicle illuminated the way through the dark forest.
They drove for at least a half an hour before coming to a stop. The young woman got out and opened the back door for the Will and Debra to get out. All they could see around them were more trees.
“Follow me,” called the young woman holding up a light heading off into the dark forest.
Having no choice, they followed, but the voice in Will’s head was loudly telling him he’d make a mistake not bringing a blaster. From the look on Debra’s face, he knew she was thinking the same thing. The sounds coming from the forest around them only deepened Will’s concern.
The woman led them along a path which grew wider as they continued along it. Turning a corner, the trees suddenly gave way revealing a large stone building. It was painted white making it almost appear to be glowing against the backdrop of the dark forest surrounding it. It rose nearly to the height of the trees with large windows distributed along its upper floors. The only opening on the first floor appeared to be a large metal door.
The woman walked to the door and when she placed her hand on it, it slid sideways into the wall. Bright light emanated from the opening. She stepped to the side of the door and turned to Will and Debra. “Please enter.”
They looked at each other for a moment. However, they’d come this far so they couldn’t back out now. They walked past the young woman and stepped inside. However, as soon as they did, the door slid shut behind them. Will and Debra spun around. The door was perfectly smooth with no buttons and any other obvious means to open it.
“Please don’t be concerned,” said a woman’s voice behind them. “No harm will come to you here.”
Turning they saw a woman who was dressed the same as the women who’d brought them, but she was slightly taller and had short blond hair.
The woman bowed. “I’m Cintrel. Please come this way.”
She led them up a large staircase which took them to a wide hallway. They passed a number of doors before she came to a stop before one of them.
“Please wait in here,” she said opening the door. “Lord Lestron will be with you shortly.”
After they stepped inside, Cintrel closed to door behind then. Will couldn’t be sure, but thought he heard the click of a lock. He was tempted to try the door but thought better of it.
The room was large with floor to ceiling book cases filling two of the walls, each one full of books. The other walls contained paintings and shelves which held gems, jewelry, and other articles. A large desk sat in the middle of the room with several large comfortable chairs sitting in front of it. However, Will and Debra didn’t make immediate use of them as they wandered around the room admiring its many treasures.
“Beautiful, aren’t they?” said a man’s voice.
At the door stood a middle aged man. He was of medium height with specks of grey in his dark hair and beard. He wore a dressing robe and slippers. He walked over to one of the shelves and picked up a silver knife.
“You’ll be interested in this, Captain Power,” he said, holding it up. “This is supposed to be the knife used to assassinate Krell the Cruel.”
Will walked over to take a closer look. “Learned about him in school. He’d conquered twenty planets before one of his sons killed him.”
Lestron nodded. “And within ten years, his empire was no more.” He put the knife back on the shelf and walked over to Debra who was admiring a fine piece of jewelry which sat inside a glass box.
“That’s the Cursed Necklace of Constance.”
“Why is it cursed?”
“Because whoever wears it dies,” explained Lord Lestron. “However, it’s not anything mystical. The necklace contains a mechanism which injects a fast acting poison when pressed against the skin. It’s said King Rither used it to dispose of wives who displeased him.”
Lestron walked over to the desk. “Perhaps we should get down to business.”
Will and Debra took a seat in the chairs in front of the desk with Debra placing the case holding the crystal on her lap.
Lestron sat down at the desk. “To be honest, Captain Power, I’d always wanted to meet you. However, I never expected it would be under these circumstances considering your reputation.”
Will felt his face turning red. “I never expected to be in this situation either.”
“No need to feel embarrassed. It is certainly for the best that you relieved King Purlance of the Strelian Crystal. However, I am curious as to why your home planet now considers you a criminal.”
“He’s no criminal,” answered Debra in a forceful tone. “President Grandle ordered Will to act against ones of Earth’s closest allies and he refused.”
Lestron nodded. “Throughout history, blindly following orders has been used as an excuse for some terrible actions. It’s admirable that you had the conviction to stand up for what is right.”
“I couldn’t have done it without Debra.”
Lestron sat there thinking for a moment before nodding to himself. “Now let’s have a look at the Strelian Crystal.”
Debra placed the suitcase on the desk and opened it. Lestron picked up the crystal and examined it, the dull green glow lighting his face. “Wonderful,” he exclaimed. “I’ll give you three hundred thousand credits for it.”
Will looked over at Debra as he had no idea if that was a fair price. The look on her face told him it was. “Done,” he said.
“Excellent,” beamed Lestron. He opened a desk drawer and pulled out a satchel which he handed to Will. “Three hundred thousand credits.”
Will opened it and couldn’t help but smile. He’d never seen so much money.
“Thank you,” said Will, as he and Debra got up to leave.
“I understand you ship needs repairs.”
Will nodded. “Yes, it’s taken quite a beating lately. We plan on heading over to the planet’s ship yards when we’re done here.”
Lestron got up. “No need for that. I’ve got complete repair facilities here. You and Debra can stay here as my guests while the repairs are done. I’d very much like to hear more about your adventures and there’s a few other things I’d like to discuss.”
The voice in the back of Will’s head was practically screaming, “Get out!” And after what happened with Purlance, he wasn’t about to ignore it again.
“We greatly appreciate the offer, but need to be going,” answered Will as he and Debra got to their feet
The smile faded from Lestron’s face. “I’ll send for Cintrel to escort you back to your ship.”
He pressed a button on his desk. “Our guests are ready to leave.”
The woman who’d escorted them to the room opened the door holding a blaster.
“I’m sorry Captain Power, but we really must insist that you and Debra stay.”