Chapter 5

Chigs tried not to wrinkle his nose as the tacky holo-reflective paint on his face, beard, and hair finished drying. The stuff smelled metallic and made his beard itch, but was better than the lingering scent of sweat and stale cologne in the onboard locker room. "Why do I need the paint again?"

"The projector needs a reflective surface to work properly," Joy said. She was helping Emmy paw through the contents of several abandoned lockers, looking for human clothing for his disguise. They would've programmed some clothes, but Tovik had recently attempted to upgrade the Icarus's fashion replicators and accidentally knocked the system offline.

"This pigment will match the skin color programmed for your face," said Emilryde as he rubbed a brown paste over Chigs's hands. "Like the holo-paint, should stay on for almost a week. You'll need to use a solvent to remove it completely."

"Thanks." Chigs knew little about Emilryde except that he was an enayshuan, most likely royalty given the dust tattoos gleaming across his dark skin. At least the guy seemed confident in his disguise work. Chigs wondered how he'd ended up in the slave pens on Enays, but didn't want to pry. "Are you sure my beard and hair aren't a problem?"

Joy came over and looped a chain with a small silver pendant around Chigs's throat. "Why don't we try it out?"

A faint shimmering field enveloped Chigs, and he heard Emmy gasp. When he looked in the mirror, his dark beard and long braids had vanished, replaced by short-cropped sandy brown hair and a clean-shaven jawline. Chigs turned his head from side to side, fingers going to his beard—his reflection stroked the empty space below his chin. If he didn't know better, he'd think he was staring into the face of a human stranger.

Joy whistled in satisfaction. "Wow. Tovik outdid himself. As long as Chigs stays out of trouble, he'll blend right in."

"Just keep your hands off the beard," Emilryde added. "Or people might wonder what's up."

"Also, the projector's charge only lasts a couple of days," Joy said. "You'll need to charge it periodically."

He nodded and dropped his hand. Remembering not to touch his beard was going to be difficult.

Emmy stepped forward, eyes full of approval, and held up a pair of dark slacks and a yellow shirt made of loose, lightweight fabric. "These should fit. All you need now is a convincing backstory to go along with your disguise."

"How about posing as newlyweds on a romantic getaway?" Twerp piped up from where she'd been quietly observing, her robotic voice full of enthusiasm.

Chigs rolled his eyes. "That's the worst cover story I've ever heard."

Emmy tapped her chin thoughtfully, a wicked gleam filling her eyes. "Not really. Dafari might believe I came back to show off my new man. Especially one as big as you are."

"Ha! Yes!" Joy chortled. "Boy, do I miss undercover work." She eyed Chigs again. "But you didn't start life as a newlywed. You need more history."

He'd been thinking about that all night, worried about his storytelling abilities. "My parents were farmers on Denaida-daru, so I know a bit about that. What if I come from an agricultural colony?"

"How about Jarboa?" offered Joy. "It's small and outside Syndicorp space."

"Jarboa. Got it." Chigs nodded.

"That's a great idea," Emmy said. "Dafari has no interest in outback colonies or agriculture."

Happy she approved, he continued. "I left home to join the troopers and became a decorated officer. I once led a daring rescue mission to save hostages from an outlaw group."

Joy raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Maybe we should leave out any association with the troopers."

"I think it's okay," Emmy said. "Dafari was never one to pay attention to military operations, so I don't think he'll ask questions. And it's a good explanation of how Chigs ended up leaving the colony." She winked at him. "Plus, he knows I've always had a thing for soldiers. We'll say we met right after you ended your tour of duty."

Even though he knew they were discussing a fictional past, there was something about the way she looked at him that made him feel like he really was a hero. He held onto that feeling, knowing it would help sell his disguise even more convincingly. He winked back. "And I for smart women."

She flushed and turned back to the lockers, muttering something about finding the right sized shoes.

"All right, then," Joy conceded with a grin. "Farmer-turned-hero it is. Just remember to keep that charm in check, Chigs, or you'll have girls hanging all over you."

He frowned, turning away from Emmy. "But I am supposed to be married."

Emmy and Joy both laughed. "To some women, that will make you even more attractive," said Emmy.

"You will also need a story about how you met and fell in love." Twerp sighed and clasped her metal appendages together in front of her. "Humans always ask couples questions like ‘how did you meet?' and ‘when did you know they were the one?' Oh!" She rocked back and forth on her treads. "What if you were childhood sweethearts torn apart by feuding families, only to reunite years later?"

"That won't fit the cover story, Twerp," Emmy pointed out. "Dafari knows I grew up on Candigas, and we're saying Chigs grew up farming on Jarboa."

"Oh." Twerp's mechanical arms fell to her sides with a double clank.

"We met at a space station bar," Chigs said firmly. "One glance across the crowded room and—bam!—I knew she was the one for me."

Emmy smiled sadly. "I suppose I did frequent quite a few seedy saloons after Dafari and I ended things."

A flare of protectiveness rose in Chigs's chest at the thought of Emmy drowning her sorrows at a bar, especially sorrows over some idiot who let her go.

"What about cute nicknames for each other?" Twerp asked hopefully. "Humans in love are always using pet names."

Chigs immediately knew what he wanted to call Emmy. "How about piayagaq? It means ‘little finger.' My father used to call my mother that because she had him wrapped around hers."

"That's sweet," Emmy said, one hand over her heart.

"Yeah, but it's also a mouthful." Joy laughed. "Maybe he should use something a little more human? Sweetheart or honey would be good."

Face heating, Chigs nodded. He was supposed to be disguised as a human, after all, and his affection for Emmy wouldn't be real.

Emmy blinked up at him, an odd expression on her face. "What about peanut? It sounds sort of like pia… pia… what you said."

"Peanut," Chigs repeated before breaking into a grin. "I like it."

The sound of the door opening drew their attention, and Attie, Doug's mate, entered, smiling brightly. She paused and surveyed Chigs with raised blond brows. "Wow. Is that you, Chigs?" When he nodded, she continued. "Well done. Doug forged an identification chip for you. You're now Charles Montague. And he booked a reservation in the honeymoon suite at the Starlight Resort on Aleigh."

"Honeymoon suite?" Chigs asked, gaping. Their cover needed to look authentic, but he hadn't thought about them spending time alone in a room together.

Emmy looked as uncomfortable as he felt. "Makes sense since we're posing as newlyweds." She began nervously picking up discarded clothing and stuffing it back into lockers. "And nobody will know what we do—uh, don't do—in the privacy of our own suite."

"Honeymoon." Emilryde crossed his arms and scoffed. "How strange to put so much value on the sexual act that you make a whole ritual out of it."

"It's not about sex as much as it is about intimacy," Emmy said, her face now bright pink.

"And humans aren't the only species with an isolation ritual for new couples," Chigs added, feeling an instinctive need to defend Emmy's culture.

"Fair point," Emilryde conceded.

Kashatok poked his head into the room. "We'll be at the drop point soon," he announced. His eyes widened as they fell on Chigs. "Assirpaa! Chigs?"

Chigs grinned, standing taller as he looked in the mirror at the reflection of his human-looking self. "Call me Charles."

With an appreciative whistle, Kashatok gestured toward the hallway behind him. "The shuttle's ready whenever you are. Should only take you a few hours to reach Whylon Station."

"I'm ready." Chigs glanced toward Emmy. "You?"

She nodded. "I just need to grab my bag from my room."

As they moved to leave, Emilryde called out, "Have fun on your honeymoon!"

"Very funny," Chigs muttered, rolling his eyes. But he had an odd feeling this mission was going to test his restraint in ways he hadn't anticipated.

* * *

Chigs piloted the shuttle away from the Icarus toward the pinprick of light that was Whylon space station. From there, they'd catch a commercial transport to Aleigh, solidifying their cover as newlyweds on honeymoon.

In the co-pilot seat beside him, Emmy studied her datapad intently, listing off facts about Jarboa they should both know by heart. They'd decided that their fictional life together would be on his home planet once they'd finished their honeymoon, but that Chigs—now Charles—hadn't been back there in many cycles, which gave them an out if there were any discrepancies in their story.

"If we run into anyone I know on Aleigh, we need to look comfortable and natural with each other, like we've been together for a while. We, um…" Emmy scrunched up her nose in that way she had, which he found disturbingly charming. "We're going to have to hold hands a lot."

"Easy enough." He reached over and gently clasped her small hand in his large one. Her skin was soft, and a jolt of electricity raced through him as her fingers entwined with his. Chigs's hearts raced at the sensation, and he wondered if Emmy felt it too. "No one can tear us apart now. We're going to see the galaxy together, just the two of us."

Emmy smirked. "Joy's right about you being a charmer."

He grinned back, liking the compliment, and gave her hand a squeeze. "Only for you, peanut."

Her smirk transformed into a wistful smile, and she gently pulled her hand free to lean forward and look out the view screen. "There's the station."

He wanted to ask her what made her look sad, but was forced to focus on piloting the shuttle as the multi-colored lights of Whylon Station resolved into a fortress of spires and turrets. The station had been continuously added to and remodeled over the centuries, resulting in a veritable maze—both inside and out. He'd only been on the station once in passing, but he'd studied the docking schematics so that he could easily find the secure landing slip Doug had arranged for them.

He maneuvered through traffic and threaded his way between the spires, keeping an eye out for any Syndicorp ships. The Cartel controlled Whylon, but the station was technically inside Syndicorp space, and was often used as neutral ground for dealings between both entities.

He maneuvered the shuttle into place and engaged the docking clamps. Rising from his seat, he shouldered their bags, missing the weight of a pulse pistol on his hip. Emmy had insisted a weapon would draw attention worn out in the open, so he'd packed the gun, but he'd kept a combat knife stashed in his boot. Whylon Station could be a dangerous place.

As the airlock cycled open, Emmy looped one arm through his, her voice barely audible above the hiss of stabilizing air pressure. "Ready for showtime?"

"Ready," Chigs agreed, squeezing her arm against his side.

Together, they stepped out into the bustling spaceport. Various species of travelers from across the galaxy hurried along the corridors, striding, slithering, or floating in hover carts. Most were traders, but a few tourists used the station as a jump point for more remote regions of the galaxy. The residents on Whylon trended toward seedy, and Chigs wrapped a protective arm around Emmy's shoulders, pulling her close as they dodged a pair of long-clawed rakwiji stalking through the crowd. He felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise as the scaled beings drew closer and had a moment of worry that his disguise had been compromised until one of them grabbed a frail-looking finofan by the shoulder and shoved him against the wall.

Shouting erupted behind them as Chigs urged Emmy along. They passed several shop keepers hawking their wares, and Emmy's steps faltered when she caught sight of a mannequin in a brilliant red dress. "Oh, wow. That's gorgeous."

"I'll buy you something pretty when we reach Aleigh," he said, loud enough for people around to hear as he pulled her away.

She seemed to shake herself back into reality, her pace increasing to match his until they were forced to pause and wait for a long line of six-legged yanipa-nimayu carrying heavy loads on their backs to cross the corridor. The surrounding crowd grumbled at the delay, but Emmy leaned into him and smiled sweetly, looking into his eyes. The top of her curly head barely reached his collarbone, and he gratefully inhaled her sweet fragrance above the pungent scent of foreign spices and alien bodies filling the station. She was doing a damn good job playing the part of a new bride, and he had to remind himself her affection was an act. Though, to be fair, he was equally surprised about how easy he found it to play the part of a smitten groom; his hearts were racing like he really was in love.

The last of the yanipa-nimayu passed by, and Emmy stiffened as a voice called out. "Emmy?"