Chapter 26Camila

Chapter 26

Camila

They were circling Reka 5, and Cami felt like absolute shit.

Her freedom was right there, but she couldn't even celebrate because her heart was a mess. Berus had been ignoring her since he woke up, and the only explanation she had managed to come up with was that there was a new training simulator game, and it was so good that he and Dex had been in there for days, barely coming out to eat and sleep.

Which was bullshit. He was actively avoiding her.

She'd read too much into their time together, that's all. The mission was over. They'd boinked like bunnies, and he'd gotten her out of his system. It had been nothing more than a fling. Wasn't that what it was at the beginning for her as well?

It hurt like hell, but Cami could only blame herself. It was her own damn fault for getting so attached so quickly.

Cami tried to put on a brave smile as she faced Ulrek. The captain had wanted a word with her privately.

"We promised to get you to Reka 5, and we have. By the end of the day, you'll be registered as a new colonist. You will have your own ID number and credit tab. You will be a free human."

"Thank you. I don't know how I can ever repay you all. Not just for getting me here, but for everything else too. I'm sorry I judged you when we first met."

Ulrek shrugged. The human gesture looked both strange on him and oddly perfect. "I'm used to it. But there is a way you can repay us, if you wish. No pressure, but the Revenge is running on a skeleton crew and has been for years. We're missing someone who knows their way around the galley. Someone who'd be up for tackling the food production labs. You've shown interest, and you cook better than the rest of us."

"No offense, but from what I hear from Roxy and Dex that's not difficult."

Ulrek chuckled. "You might be right about that. Anyway, I'm hereby offering you a contract on board the ship. I can't guarantee it will be a safe job. We do still have large bounties on our heads, most of us. But I offer a competitive compensation package and bonus hazard pay. You can study remotely for the certifications you will require for the job."

Freedom and a job? And Delaney and Roxy were here! But… So was Berus. She wasn't sure she could handle being pointedly ignored for the next year, or however long a contract lasted.

"I see your hesitation. This will be, of course, after you register as a new colonist on Reka 5. We won't take that away from you. You will be given two years to find a job before you can apply for full citizenship, but they will fast-track that if you are immediately self-sufficient, such as with…say…a job on the New Horizon ?"

That did sweeten the deal, but Cami wasn't sure she could make that decision right now, not while the hurt was still so raw and fresh.

Ulrek held up a hand before she could reply. "I will send the offer to your contact code once you receive one on Reka 5. There's no need to decide immediately. The offer will remain open until we find a better candidate. Please do think about it, though."

"Thank you."

"Now: let's get you settled on Reka 5."

***

Camila stared into the mirror at the stranger who looked back at her. This wasn't the same person the Dominion had taken from Earth so long ago. Hell, she wasn't even the same person who'd hidden in the storage compartment of the luxurious stolen transport as Rehden snuck them out of the city.

This Cami was much braver. She'd snuck through countless hostile ports and into the outer planets. She had been hunted by bounty hunters and survived in an alien jungle for days.

She'd been through more than she'd ever have thought possible and had even taken out Rehden with his own blaster. She'd made friends with the dreaded Ulrek, formerly of the Stellar Fortune , now of the Revenge/New Horizon. Heck—she'd made friends with his entire crew!

She'd managed to Survive Another Day many, many times. And now, she was Reka 5's newest colonist. Cami didn't know what the future held for her, but with this new outlook, feeling stronger than ever, she knew she could face it.

She was brave. Just like Berus had said.

The thought of him traveling far away from her out to the stars had her stomach roiling.

Brave, her ass! Such a fucking lie. She hadn't been brave enough to confront Berus the entire time he'd hidden from her. And now, she'd never know why things never worked out between them. He hadn't even come out to say goodbye when they dropped her off.

She didn't know for sure if he was just actively trying to avoid her, or if it was something else. And she never would know now because she was still a chicken shit coward at heart. The worst part was that she'd given up a great job on board a ship with some great people because of it.

If she'd taken the job, she'd have been able to bypass the whole ordeal of finding a job here on Reka 5. And it would have been with her friends, too! Delaney and Roxy were amazing, and the rest of the crew was great.

Also—fuck. Ulrek hadn't been exaggerating when he said he paid well. Her salary would have gotten her set up right away. The more she thought about it, the more she realized she'd seriously fucked up.

She should've taken the job offer, Berus and his perfectly chiseled, muscular, ghosting ass be damned. Let him hide. Just because he was being immature about it didn't mean she had to be. She wished she could go back just a few hours and tell Ulrek hell yes she'd take the job.

It wasn't too late. Ulrek had said the offer stood as long as there was no better candidate; Cami could join the ship the next time they were back in Reka 5. But she didn't want to wait. It felt like she had put her life on hold for years already. She'd lost so much time to the Dominion; she wanted to start living now!

She also needed some closure with Berus, even if it was as simple as "hey, that was nice, but I'm not looking for anything permanent." She could live with that; they could be crewmates. She didn't care if she had to corner him in the training room to get that closure. Let him be uncomfortable about it. Cami was more mature than that. She hoped.

The worst part was that there was a tiny part of her that secretly hoped being on board the New Horizon would give Berus and her another chance. She shoved the thought to the back of her head.

She might end up regretting joining up, but she wasn't going to let fear of awkwardness with a guy dictate her life. Not when it meant earning enough credits to get her set up.

Yeah, she'd totally made the wrong choice.

She dug out the sheet of paper Delaney had given her with all her information, including her contact. There was no way to get in touch with her from her room since she didn't have her own comm yet—that wasn't provided to new colonists—but Cami had seen some public terminals out in the shared living spaces. She hurried down the hall, and sure enough, a few older model terminals sat at a long desk there.

She logged in using her new ID and punched in the code Delaney had given her, hoping the New Horizon hadn't left yet. No reply. Delaney must be busy. She tried Roxy's number, but it wasn't Roxy who picked up. It was Nibbles. All she heard was the sound of the little beast nibbling on the comm and purring.

Fuck.

She made her way to the housing office and found Angie, the cheerful blonde who was mated to the two colony directors, talking with a male human. He didn't look like a colonist, new or otherwise. He was wearing a uniform, and with more weapons strapped onto him than one person could ever use, he was giving off big wild west space cowboy energy.

Angie saw her and waved her over. "How are you settling in?"

"Good, thanks. But I need some help. Is the New Horizon still docked?"

"Oh, they left like an hour ago."

"Fuck!"

The mention of the New Horizon had the man turning to Cami, looking interested.

"What's wrong?" Angie asked. "I can call Delaney."

"I just did. She's not picking up, and Nibbles is picking up for Roxy."

"Aww! That Nibbles is so cute, but RIP her comm. What's wrong?" she asked again. "Did you forget something on the ship?"

"You could say that. I forgot to accept a job offer."

Angie's mouth went into a surprised O shape. "That's kind of important. I'll call her again. Maybe she was just busy before."

As she did, the man turned to her and stuck out a hand. "Howdy. Name's Trenton. Trenton Walker."

Cami gaped at the man. "Trenton Walker?" She repeated in awe. " The Trenton Walker?"

She was standing in front of a legend! He was the galaxy's first human captain, and stories of his crew of humans and their stolen Dominion vessels made it even into the inner planets.

"At your service, ma'am. If you need to get up to the New Horizon , I can take you. If they just left, they can't be too far, and I've got a brand-new space worthy private shuttle."

"But…wait…aren't you and Captain Ul…I mean, Uzzar…" Cami didn't quite know how to ask the question.

The first ship Trenton Walker had ever stolen was the Stellar Fortune , Ulrek's ship. Wouldn't they still have a beef with each other?

Trenton looked around the housing office, but they were alone. He, like Angie, was in on the secret too, though the regular folks of Reka 5 had no idea Uzzar was Ulrek.

"We've put the past behind us. If you're worried about endangering the crew of the New Horizon , or me, that won't happen. There is nothing now but mutual respect and friendly competition."

Angie waved to get their attention, then turned her screen around; Delaney was on it.

"I decided to take the job after all," Cami blurted out.

"I knew you'd come around!" Delaney said, grinning. "But we just left. You'll have to wait until—"

"I can bring her up," Trenton offered.

Ulrek appeared behind Delaney on the screen. He wasn't in disguise, and he did indeed seem perfectly happy to be talking to Trenton. "We aren't far, Trenton. I will send you our route. If that new shuttle of yours really is as fast as people say, you should have no problem catching up." Then to Cami, he added, "I'm glad one of you isn't as stubborn as the other."

What did he mean by that? But Cami didn't get a chance to ask because the comm had ended.

"Come on, girl. Let's get you reunited with your crew."