“What part of no don’t you understand?” Minka planted her hands on her hips. This was the best reason to be out of Central Command. She didn’t have to take irresponsible orders from the likes of Reyne Jallomy, even if he was a major.

“The part that doesn’t apply to me. Stop wasting time, Shokat. The hagiographic simulator is fixed. Are you ready to fly or not? Put us on. Take something else off if you have to. But I’m not listening to any more of your crap.”

“And I’m not listening to any more of yours. Go back to Central Command. Fly your cargo yourself. I won’t risk my ship and my crew with an unauthorized flight for you. So get out of here.” She turned to the ship.

Jallomy clenched his jaw. “Stop right there,” he said, his voice low and lethal. “You do not have a bargaining position here.”

Minka glanced back. He brandished a personal weapon at them, and she realized that she hadn’t even known he was carrying. She must be losing it.

“The other shoe, Anjali,” she said, struggling to control her anger and fear. And where was her weapon when she needed it? Locked in their business drawer, that’s where.

“What I was just saying. Give them an inch, and they goose-step all over you.”

The major looked at her coldly, his weapon leveled at Minka’s chest. “So, we have a deal.”

“I can’t believe I ever slept with you.” She took the wrench she was still holding and hurled it toward the far wall. It missed the major’s head by inches and smashed into the metal bulkhead, leaving a dent and falling to the floor with a clatter.

The major stared at Minka in fury and disbelief.

“Oops,” Minka said. “Slipped.”

Anjali closed her eyes.

Minka, her back straight, her chin up, looked into the major’s eyes.

A shadow crossed the threshold and went directly into the small storeroom to the right.

“Minka, come see, you would not believe the shuttle that’s outside! It must be for a general at least, if not for the Imperial Potentate himself,” a man’s voice said with a laugh. “Anjali, sweetikins, I found those weird, I don’t know, substances you wanted, and the magnetic gloves, but I could not find the oxygen reduction catalyst at the junkyard, so I just broke down and ordered one. I’m sorry. Take it out of my next paycheck.”

Tex was back. The gang was all here.

Tex had been moving around putting things away as he talked; they could hear doors open and cupboards close. Now he entered the hangar space.

“So what’s going on? Why’s everybody so quiet? Well, hello, tall, dark and awesome.”

The major looked at the slim man who’d come to stand next to Minka and who paid no attention whatsoever to the weapon pointed at her. 

Minka turned to the newcomer. “Tex, this is Major Reyne Jallomy, who will be accompanying some Central Command cargo to Keltainen once we figure out what has to come off the ship to accommodate his ridiculous, outrageous and unethical, if not illegal, demands. Major, this is Tex Arcana, our ace mechanic.”

Tex waggled his fingers at the major. “Fantastic! Three’s company, four’s a party.”

“Tex!”Anjali shrieked, now taking a good look at him. “You’re wearing my boots!”

Minka looked down. Even in the dim and dusty light of the dingy hangar in late afternoon, the fringed, pink boots on Tex’s feet glowed like a seventeenth-century sunset.

“Oh my God,” the major said, shouldering his weapon.

“Girlfriend! We’ll have such a good time!” Tex said, beaming.