Chapter One

I stared in dismay at the spot where Uncle Ax had stood seconds ago. The sense of abandonment was overwhelming. My entire body began to shake, and I wanted to scream, ‘how can you leave me with a total stranger?' Earth wasn't my home. It was just another alien world. Except for her green eyes, Narcisa Dragos looked nothing like my mother. I had watched Earth vids, and she did resemble one of those kindly old females who baked cookies. But somehow, I knew it was a masquerade and she was far from harmless.

Shutting the door, my grandmother examined me from head to toe. "Is he your father?"

"No, my uncle. He said it was too dangerous for me to stay with him."

"Is that true?"

"Yes."

"Come sit by the fire, child."

I nodded numbly. Bypassing the green couch with a multi-colored, knitted blanket draped over the back, I sat on a wooden rocking chair. The first thing I noticed was the pictures of smiling children covering the walls. The second was the bag of knitting positioned on the end table. They were props in whatever con she was running.

A Cheshire-cat smile formed on my grandmother's mouth. "You are very observant for one so young."

"I was raised on Gliese."

"Tell me about yourself," Grandmother commanded.

What did I say? You have my mother's green eyes. Sorry I was dumped on you without any warning. I'm a good thief. I don't eat much. With a shrug, I stared down at my worn boots and said nothing.

"How old are you?"

"Twelve. Almost thirteen."

"Is that laser pistol real?"

"It is. I took down a Coletti battle commander with it." I smirked. "He thought I was harmless."

"Your young, angelic appearance is very beneficial for a thief. What were you stealing?"

"Five million in Ditrim crystals."

"Were you successful?"

I grimaced. "Not completely. The battle commander jammed the transporter beam before Uncle Ax was finished. With the Shadow Thieves Guild after us, finding a fence will be difficult."

"Is Crom responsible for your mother's death?" Grandmother's voice was low, bitter, and crackling with suppressed rage.

A sob broke from me. "He fed them to the Rui trees." I wiped at the tears suddenly running down my cheeks and snarled, "No matter how long it takes, I will kill him."

"Crom is mine to kill. Why is he hunting you?"

Did I tell her about the bounty? No. She was a stranger, and I wasn't sure I could trust her. "He wants to use my psychic abilities."

Her eyes narrowed in speculation. "Which are?"

"I can disrupt power sources with a single touch."

"A useful talent. I can understand Crom's interest. What else did Kismet teach you?"

If I didn't want to end up alone on an alien planet, I needed to make myself useful. "How to run a con. How to pickpockets. How to use a weapon."

"Good. Good." Grandmother touched the comm-link on her wrist. "Enzo, I have Kismet's daughter with me."

A deep male voice exclaimed, "Daughter? Are you sure?"

"I am."

Huh? Grandmother's comm-link had a scanner on it.

"I'll be there within the hour."

My stomach rumbled hungrily. The food processor on Uncle Ax's ship had broken and all he had to give me was a stale survival bar.

Grandmother frowned. "When was the last time you ate?"

"Yesterday, the food processor broke and Uncle Ax isn't a good mechanic." My gaze fixed on a picture with my mother in it. She seemed happy and carefree. Gliese had taken so much from her. It suddenly hit me. I had no pictures of my parents. Not one, and all I owned was in my small backpack.

"I have a pot of minestrone on the stove. Would you like some?"

I jumped to my feet. "Yes, please. Minestrone is my favorite."

"It was your mother's favorite too." She walked into a small kitchen with a black metal stove, an ancient refrigerator I had only seen on Earth vids, and a white table with four chairs. "Sit."

Pulling out a chair, I sat, and watched eagerly as she ladled soup into a bowl. I was so hungry. Crom had refused to pay Father for his last job, and we had been on half-rations for two moons now. I was sure it was the only reason they allowed me to help Uncle Ax steal the crystals. My twenty-percent would have fed us for a year.

Grandmother placed the bowl in front of me. "Would you like a glass of milk too?"

"Milk? I've never had milk." Cradling the bowl to my chest, I started eating as fast as I could.

Grandmother stared at me for a long moment. "Never?"

"We only drank rainwater."

"I see." Grandmother opened the refrigerator and took out a bottle. "Where did you live?"

I licked the bowl clean. Goddess, it tasted so good. "In shantytown."

A strange expression flashed across Grandmother's face. "The slums by the spaceport?" She set a glass of white liquid on the table.

I nodded. "Can I have more soup, please?"

"Yes, child, you can." She ran a gentle hand over my hair. "Drink your milk."

I took a cautious sip and smiled. Yum! I could get used to living on Earth.

"Save room for dessert," Grandmother warned as I practically inhaled the soup.

"Dessert?"

"Chocolate chip cookies."

I smiled eagerly. Mother always stole food from the ships we looted. Sometimes she found chocolate, and she would ration it out for birthdays.

The front door swung open and in walked a short, rotund male with thinning gray hair. At first glance, he looked harmless, but the expression in his cold, green eyes said otherwise. My warrior's bracelet flashed a warning. His ivory cane held a sword, and a laser pistol and several knives were on his gun belt.

Grandmother put a plate of chocolate chip cookies in front of me. "You can have two."

"Thank you." I kept a wary eye on the old male. He was a killer.

The old male snapped, "Do you have any proof that she is Kismet's daughter?"

My shoulders sagged. He was going to kick me out. It was getting dark and finding a safe place to sleep wouldn't be easy. I discreetly stuffed cookies in my pockets. At least I had a full belly.

"I ran a scan on her hair. Her DNA matches Kismet's."

I frowned. She had? When?

"And who is the father?"

"His name was Jabaan. He was a half-Coletti, half-Farin thief," I interjected sadly.

The old male sneered, "Coletti!"

I grabbed my backpack. "Thank you for the meal." I headed for the door.

"Where are you going?" The old male stepped in front of me.

I glared at him. "I'm leaving. You don't want me here."

"You are a Coletti spy." He pulled his weapon.

Grandmother snapped, "Enough, Enzo! She's my granddaughter, and your niece. Kismet was murdered by the Shadow Thieves Guild, and I will have my vengeance."

The color drained from Enzo's face. "Murdered? How?"

"Crom fed them to the Rui trees." I shuddered as I remembered their screams before Uncle Ax rushed in and stopped the vid. I had never seen him that angry. After he stopped yelling, he hugged me so tightly I could barely breathe. "They loved you. Never forget that." And I wouldn't. A single tear ran down my cheek.

Enzo's eyes hardened. "Why did he execute them?"

I sank down on the couch. "It was my fault. I was mad at Crom's goons and shut down the power on their ship. Someone must have seen me." I started sobbing.

To my surprise, Uncle Enzo sat next to me and wrapped an arm around my shoulders. "None of this is your fault."

"It… Is… If they had… Given me to Crom… Would still…Be alive," I wept.

Grandmother sat on the other side of me. "Hush, child. It's a well-known fact when Crom finds psychic children, he kills the parents."

The front door flew open and a heavily armed male wearing bloody battle armor stalked in. His gaze locked on me. "Are you Zadie?"

I stiffened and reached for my laser pistol.

"No, child." Grandmother's hand closed around my gun. "He's your cousin Rocco."

Uncle Enzo shot to his feet. "What happened?"

"The Shadow Thieves attacked the warehouse." Rocco's gaze fixed on me. "They're looking for a young female with silver hair."

Grandmother frowned. "How many men did we lose?"

"None. We outnumbered the fools. I kept one of the Shadow Thieves' hunters alive to question him. He said she can disrupt power sources with a single touch." Rocco stared down at me. "Is that true?"

"Yes."

Rocco threw his head back and roared with laughter. "Our prayers have been answered. Zadie shuts down the prison's power and weapon systems, and we attack. Our men will be freed before Central Command can react."

"You have to get me inside the prison before I can shut the power down," I warned.

"That's not what the hunter said."

I shot back, "The Shadow Thieves are liars."

Rocco leaned down until we were almost nose-to-nose. "If you're lying to us, I can always claim the million-credit bounty on you."

I glared at him.

"Million-credit bounty? On one small child?" Uncle Enzo exclaimed.

"Think about it. Zadie is a weapon the Shadow Thieves can use to take down planetary defense systems or break into any bank, jewelry store or even Central Command's armory," Grandmother said thoughtfully.

I rolled my eyes and tried again, "You don't understand. You must get me inside the planetary defense satellite, and I would have to touch the power source to shut it down." Did anyone listen to me? Nope. They just kept arguing about which business to hit first. Ugh. I pulled a cookie out of my pocket and took a bite. Oh Goddess, mother was right. Earth had the best chocolate. I ate two more.

Grandmother gave me the stink eye. "Did you eat all the cookies?"

"No." I patted my pockets. "I still have some."

"Enough! The first thing we need to do is a test run," Uncle Enzo bellowed.

Rocco threw his hands up in disgust. "We are running out of time. General Jones is getting ready to ship our fighters to the Vesta penal colony."

"Elite Jewelers just received a shipment of emeralds," Grandmother inserted. "Their security is top-of-the-line, and they have armed security on the premises. If Zadie can switch off their systems, she should be able to crash Central Command's."

"I agree," Rocca replied.

A wave of weariness rolled over me. Leaning back against the couch, I closed my eyes and let their voices drift over me.