Page 57 of On a Rogue Planet
Malin huffed out a breath. “They aren’t bad guys.”
“They aren’t good guys, either,” Zayn said.
“True.” Malin raised an eyebrow. “But people say the same about you three.”
The men grumbled under their breath.
Malin turned to Xander. “I’ve kept in touch with Dare, Justyn, and Rynan. They sometimes send me salvage. If I ask, I’m sure they’ll help. If they don’t know where Technis is, then they’ll know someone who does. Someone far more likely to talk to them then us.”
Xander felt a surge of adrenaline. The trail wasn’t cold. And he had Malin to thank for that. “Can you call them?”
“I can try, but they aren’t easy to track down. They stay at Galaxy’s Edge when they aren’t on a convoy, but they don’t have a permanent base there.”
Damn. Xander prayed these other Phoenix brothers were taking some down time.
“If they’re out in uncharted space…”
Malin didn’t have to finish that thought. If the Phoenix cousins weren’t at Galaxy’s Edge, there would be no way to contact them.
“Dare is a convoy master,” Malin said. “He’s leader of the Phoenix convoy. He’s…pretty intense.”
“Intense?”
“Uh, scary. I think scary is a prerequisite of being in charge of leading people into the unknown.”
“And the others?”
“Rynan runs security for the convoy. He’s pretty solid.” She pulled a face. “Justyn is a bit of a wildcard. Sometimes he works the convoy with his brothers, sometimes he just does his own thing.”
Dathan snorted. “You mean he smuggles back all kinds of shit from uncharted space. Exotic foods, tech, artifacts, weapons, you name it.”
She shrugged. “Well…yeah.”
“Guy’s name is always on the Anti-Smuggling Patrol wanted lists,” Dathan said. “He’s always trying to outrun the patrols and pissing them off in the process.”
Malin grinned. “He does have a flair for pissing off the authorities.” She tilted her head. “Sort of like you guys.”
“Shut up.” Dathan mock scowled at her. “We arenothinglike those degenerates.”
“I think there’s an old Earth saying about a pot and a kettle.” She tapped her chin, lost in thought, then shook her head. “It escapes me right now, but I think it’d fit this situation.”
“How long will it take to get to Galaxy’s Edge?” Xander asked.
“Thirty-six hours at interstellar speed,” Zayn answered. “I’ve had the dubious pleasure of visiting there previously.”
“When can we leave?”
The brothers shared a look. Dathan shrugged. “It’s your e-creds, CenSec.”
“Then we leave now.”
Zayn stood. “I’ll fuel up the ship.” He flicked a glance at Dathan. “And smooth out the numerous technical glitches from your rough treatment of my girl.”
Dathan grinned. “You’re talking about your ship, right? Not your wife.”
Xander watched Eos and Ria roll their eyes at each other.
Malin stepped in front of Xander, nabbing his attention. “I’ll try and contact Dare.”
