Page 50 of Solan

A message alert pinged on Vegas’s tablet. She hurried over and checked it. Boros expects you in his quarters within the hour. Vegas cursed and placed the tablet down.

“Problem?”

“Just Diadora threatening me. Same old same old. She can go screw herself. I am not meeting with Boros. She’ll have to pay him back his money and hope he’s not too angry. Although, I wouldn’t mind watching the two of them fight it out. I reckon they’d be a good match.” Vegas hurried into her bathroom. She shoved cosmetics into a bag, grabbed a few more items of clothing, and then zipped up the holdall. “Okay. I’m ready.”

“This looks promising,” Heather said. “It’s a Lillip ship.”

“I like the Lillips. They’re a friendly bunch.”

“Their planet will be suitable for us,” Heather said. “There’s breathable air and clean water.”

“And it’s not too crowded.”

“The transport leaves in half an hour,” Heather said.

“Bring up the cameras on the docking bay. Let’s see where the ship is.” She tapped her fingers against her thigh as Heather brought up live camera feed on the screen.

“What do you think?”

“It’s our best bet,” Vegas said. “We’ll have to be careful no one sees us going on board. We’ve got to walk past several ships. Who’s the ship’s captain?”

“Captain Lolo. Do you know him?”

“No. He’s not here to have a match through My Single Alien. He must be piloting the ship. That might make things tricky.”

“We can sweet talk him,” Heather said. “We can offer him a discounted match if he’s interested.”

“Do you want to offer yourself?”

Heather’s nose wrinkled. “I like Lillips well enough, but I prefer my aliens a little less... squirty.”

Lillips had a gross habit of squirting secretions when they became excited. It wasn’t all that different from when a guy ejaculated all over your face. It was rarely welcomed, had a funky smell, and a glue-like consistency.

“Let’s start by simply asking,” Vegas said. “If that doesn’t work, we can try money.”

“And if that doesn’t work?”

“Wait until their backs are turned and sneak in. What’s the worst they can do when they find us on board?”

“Bring us back here. No, throw us into space. No, wait! Sell us to an alien who likes human flesh.”

Vegas waved her hands in the air. “You can still stay here. It’s not too late to change your mind.”

“I’m coming with you.”

Vegas strode to the door with Heather. “I’ll find Captain Lolo and see if he’s receptive to having a couple of extra hands on board.”

“He should be in the docking bay. He’ll be doing pre-flight checks before take-off.”

“You grab what you need,” Vegas said. “I’ll meet you there.”

“Don’t leave without me. I can’t face Diadora on my own.”

“Of course I won’t. Just hurry.” Vegas hugged Heather before they separated and walked along different corridors.

This had to work. They needed to get off the space station quickly. Vegas had no clue where Boros was. She didn’t care, so long as he stayed out of her way. She figured Diadora would be in touch with him to let him know about the planned meet up. Vegas would not be there. By the time Diadora and Boros figured out what was going on, she would be far away in deep space. They’d have a hard time getting her back then.

But what about Solan? He had challenged Boros because of her. He was going to fight for something that wasn’t even his. It seemed so stupidly romantic.