Amber

"Don't fidget," Ryrik warned as we approached Conii's compound.

The plan was easy enough. I'd simply blend in with the staff for a big event at one of Conii's clubs. It was a backdoor gathering for the who's who of the Thodos III underworld.

"I can hardly breathe in this vest," I remarked as our steps slowed down at the back entrance. We looked out and saw the place heavily guarded, with odd faces peppered against the entrance.

"It looks like Conii recruited every unattached gangster this side of the Underground," Ryrik said with an undertone in his voice that sounded like a warning. "That's Simmy Gahil, the Dargun wild card who went rogue."

He pointed to an unnaturally small green alien with a toothy grin and an unhinged expression.

"Look out for him," he said, setting his arms around my shoulders from behind. "He's unpredictable."

There was no time for goodbyes. Any time we spent here could give us away. So I didn't take it personally when I felt him push me into the throng of girls, waiting for screening by Conii's goons.

As much as I wanted to turn around, I had no choice but to replace the cold dread of our departure with an inner resilience to carry out my mission. The girls around me shivered in their overly tight shorts and boots.

"It's freezing here," one said.

"This corridor has no heating." a more seasoned girl informed us. "They use some kind of heat sensor as part of the security, looking for percomms, hidden trackers, that kind of thing."

I looked down at the still-red pinprick. Tiny as it was, it made me uneasy. Before me in line, girls were scanned one by one with an x-ray gun. Each girl stood in a pop-up holobooth.

Fuck. How the hell was I supposed to get through that? With a 360-degree wall of nano-tech sensors, I was as good as dead before I had even started.

"You!" a Nazok yelled into my ear. Somehow it was my turn. "You're up. Step into the booth."

As soon as I stepped into the area, my lungs felt tight with anticipation. I remembered Sakkar's advice to get my hands as high as possible. It was my only hope.

I threw my arms into the air for the inspection. The booth around me turned red, initiating the scan for nano-tech of any kind. I watched the Nazok run the x-ray scanner along my body, but looking up, I saw the tip of my finger barely an inch over the holo-booth.

I grit my teeth as his hands patted me down, ignoring the squeeze of my ass. It wasn't the first time this particular asshole had made an excuse to grope me. Did that mean he recognized me?

"You're new here. Pretty cute for a human," he whispered into my ear. "Come find me sometime."

An odd sense of relief swept over me. He didn't know who I was, just had a thing for human girls, no matter who they were.

"Move on," his partner said as soon as the light on the scanner turned green, and I took advantage of the moment to scamper away.

While I breathed a little easier, I knew the real work had just begun. I thought of the plan I worked on with Ryrik. Step one, enter with the catering staff. Step two, grab something to serve and blend in.

The catering manager stood in the middle of the prep area, ready for us ‘caterers' to pass out food to the guests. She was a Mondion woman and looked a little confused when her eyes met my face. It was a look many aliens had given me in my lifetime, but I knew I had to work it to my advantage.

"Are you new?" she asked, stopping me with a percomm the size of a clipboard.

"Yes," I blushed, fiddling with my hair in a mock bimbo voice. "I'm filling in for Tiffany." It was a long shot, but I'd never worked anywhere that didn't have a Tiffany.

"That's right. She called in sick." I kept my face dumb and ditzy but deep down, I knew the trick would work. "Okay, well, just fill in wherever. It's pretty basic. Fill glasses. Come back to the kitchen when your tray is empty."

"Okay, got it."

"Oh, one thing, though. Downstairs is off-limits. Conii's orders."

Bingo. The words off-limits sent bells ringing in my brain. If anywhere nearby housed the good stuff, it would be there. I had to get down there, no matter what.

"New girl," the manager called to me, holding a silver tray. "Take this out. Follow Sheila, she'll show you the ropes."

She shoved the silver tray laden with finger food that made my tummy growl as we stepped through the double doors into Conii's party. I'd seen the place like this a dozen times before. It was the not-so-secret secret of the Thodos underworld, and I figured it was the best time for me to blend in without being noticed.

The club was full, everyone was there to win big in the off-book poker games Conii illegally housed. I knew it was just a feather in her cap, a way to play tough with the other big players on the station. But it still meant I was in the room with some of the most dangerous people Thodos had to offer.

"Hey, sweet cheeks." A gruff voice sent chills down my spine as I heard him call in my direction. "Bring some of that over ‘ere!"

I had no idea if he meant the food or me. Steeling my nerves, I stepped into my character.

"Hey, handsome," I said, presenting the tray. Face to face, I saw he was the short Dargun Ryrik had warned me of. Part of my plan involved a stooge. He was a risk, not a good choice for the next maneuver, but he presented himself first and I had no time to lose.

"What we got here?" he said, light filling his eyes with a menacing glare. As I suspected, he had no interest in the food, which he made clear when he took the tray from me and kissed my neck.

It was gross and slimy, but I'd had worse. "Say, big fella, what about we take this somewhere a little more private?"

He stood back, looking half-serious at me. I needed him to trust me. Not for long, not forever, but just long enough to get me down to Conii's basement. It was time to do the unthinkable, to commit to this character and dive in.

I grabbed his hand and placed it on my breast. "What are we waiting for?"

It worked like a charm. Drunk on the idea of an easy lay with an attractive human, Simmy walked me toward the back stairs. He led me down to the bottommost landing where a keypad entry stood between us and Conii's secrets.

He snaked his hands around my waist and into a false sense of security. The second the door opened, I lifted my foot up in the air.

"Help me take my boots off?" I purred.

He pulled the thigh-high boot off with a grunt.

I took it from him.

And when he lowered his head to get the next one, I used the one I had to clock him across the face.

"Fuck me," were the last words I heard him say as he fell over and passed out.

"Sorry, buddy," I said, replacing my boot. "Not tonight." Redressed and ready, I stepped into the hallways, looking for the base of Conii's operation.

I stepped into the first open door I found. It was full of random-looking items. Fur coats, diamonds, and high-end dog collars. Then it hit me. These were the items stolen from Mrs. Perkins"s house. Conii must have sent her goons when the old woman was at the groomer. These items were either waiting for sale or already the property of someone else.

My outfit for this operation had one limitation. No pockets. No pockets meant no percomm and no way to photograph evidence. I needed something concrete to connect Conii to the burglary. I stared down at a dog collar encrusted with diamonds in the signature neon green of the diamonds of Io.

"Looks like you're coming with me," I said. Slipping the collar around my calf, I tucked it into the top part of my boot. I needed to keep looking.

I partially opened the door, looking out to see if the coast was clear. I didn't hear anyone and stepped into the hallway and the next room. My heart froze when I saw that I had walked straight into a security room, full of monitors.

Pulse pounding in my ears, I slid to the side to hide behind a rack of equipment, hoping that the stupid boots wouldn't click against the floor.

But the two Quilthar thugs were engrossed in one of the screens before them. A quick glance showed me why.

On a slender table in the middle of the room, a Darthian danced, translucent veils flying off her body, each one snatched in mid-air by the watching crowd.

The scene was silent on the monitor, but you felt the erotic energy, even through the screen.

"Sucks we're stuck down here watching the party on screens."

"That's the job, man."

While they were distracted, I took a chance to scope out the rest of the complex. What else was Conii watching?

Common areas and hallways flicked by, the screens rotating through images of guests obviously having a good time, servers scurrying through the passageways, the kitchen, and back again in a dizzying blur.

Every so often, a closed door filled the screen, dark gray metal dull and heavy, its only decoration a single number. "Forty-three," I murmured. What did mean?

There was no time to figure it out. Watch the patterns, learn where the cameras are, what order the guards are watching everything.

It was just gathering information. I could do this. Fists balled so tightly my nails pressed into my palms, I slowed my breathing, making myself calm down and pay attention.

Long minutes ticked by as I forced the pattern into my memory, until a sudden movement from the guards snapped me to attention.

"Show me lock screen fifteen," one of the men said. As he pushed the button and the room came up on the screen, I saw my target at last. Conii's main office. Couldn't miss it. Fur rug on the floor. Oversized synth fireplace. What I was looking for had to be there if nowhere else.

When both men started arguing about which caterer was the hottest, I knew it was my moment. Once I was outside the door, I had to move carefully before either of them saw me on the screens.

As soon as I entered Conii's office, I grabbed the largest poker I could and set it inside the synth flame. In seconds, it became bright blue. Once it was ready, I walked it to where I knew the hidden camera hung and mashed it into the tech until it showed no more signs of life.

"Okay, Amber," I told myself, running to the desk and rummaging through the drawers. "You've got less time than you think."

One drawer wouldn't open, but the poker made a great lever, prying it open.

And there they were. Data crystals. Dozens of them. I stopped for a moment, thinking.

They could be nothing more than a list of birthdays of her guards, letters to old friends.

But this was Conii we were talking about. There had to be something we could use. Ryrik could sort through them later.

Ripping the sleeve from my top, I rolled the chips inside and stuffed them down my boot. Not exactly comfortable, but there wasn't time to think of anything else.Time was running out. Even as distracted as the guards were by the… livelier aspects of the party, they'd notice the broken camera soon enough.

I just needed to stay calm, keep moving, and hope my luck held out.

Dammit.

That was too much to ask for, wasn't it?

Walking back to the stairwell, I found a guard waiting for me at the top, eyes narrowed. And not just a guard. The Nazok who had been so eager to ‘scan me' at the entrance.

"This area is off-limits," he said, hands on his hips.

"You mean down here?" I shrugged, playing as dumb as I could. "I was just looking for the bathroom."

"Well, we're going to have to see—" the guard began.

"Hey there," I said, cutting him off. "Have you been working out?"

"What?" he asked, clearly confused.

"I mean, I'm sorry," I said, looking embarrassed. "Did I say that outloud? I guess you caught me."

"Caught you?"

"Well, you said to come find you," I said, slowly using my finger to trace a pattern on his left bicep. "And I guess I wasn't sure where to go looking."

A vein jumped in his throat. "This isn't the place. But later… I'll find you." His hand slid down my thigh, and I tensed as he came far too close to the top of my boot. "Make an excuse to stay after the party."

Pushing him away slightly, I forced myself to giggle instead of run.

"Oh wow," I gushed. "I'm not usually so forward. I'm going to go hide under a pillow for a while till my heart slows down."

"See you soon," he called as I walked quickly away, a smile breaking out from my face.