do. But this is a job for someone who knows what they're doing, not me.'
'Tell me then who betrayed us to the Valahgua,' Draycos countered. 'Was it the Chitac Nomads? Was it the human who then met with us for the actual purchase? Was it the Triost Mining Group? Was it your Internes government itself?'
Jack spread his hands helplessly. 'I don't know.'
'Nor do I,' Draycos said. 'Until I do, I cannot afford to trust anyone else.'
Jack sighed. 'Uncle Virge? Help me out here, will you?'
'Unfortunately, he's got a point, Jack lad,' Uncle Virge said. 'I vote we go along with him.'
Jack made a face. At least until Draycos had helped clear him of the phony theft charge? Was that when Uncle Virge's vote would suddenly change?
Probably. He'd noticed a lot of conniving and persuasion coming out of the Essenay's computer since Uncle Virgil's death. Could the old scoundrel have somehow imprinted it with more than just his speech patterns? 'Fine,' he said with a sigh. 'If that's the way you want it, I'll play along.'
Draycos bowed his head again. 'In the name of my people, I thank you, Jack Morgan.'
'Your people are welcome,' Jack said, yawning. 'And just call me Jack, okay? Go ahead and change course, Uncle Virge.'
'Computing now,' Uncle Virge said. 'Do you want me to increase speed, too?'
'Might as well,' Jack said. 'Not much point in saving fuel if I'm going to wind up in prison anyway. Come on, Draycos, let's catch some sleep. You can have Uncle Virgil's old cabin if you want.'
'Thank you,' Draycos said. He stood up and stretched catlike, his head and forelegs close to the floor, his tail high up in the air. 'I would prefer to stay with you.'
'Oh—right,' Jack said. He'd almost forgotten the dragon's need to stay close to his host. The whole idea still made his skin crawl a little. 'Well, come on then. It's been a long day.'
Jack woke suddenly from a dream where a giant gold boulder had rolled down a hill made of smoky dirt and was doing its best to crush him. He opened his eyes, and in the faint light from the display screen he got a glimpse of Draycos's tail as the dragon disappeared silently out his cabin door. 'Uncle Virge?' he murmured, glancing at the clock. He'd been asleep for only three hours.
'I'm on him lad,' his uncle's voice came back softly. 'He's headed for the cockpit.'
Jack felt his stomach tighten. Was Draycos planning to hijack the ship? 'What's he doing?'
There was a short silence. 'Nothing,' Uncle Virge said at last. 'He looked over the control settings, checked the monitor station, then left. Now he's headed for the galley.'
In succession, the dragon visited the galley, the dayroom, Uncle Virgil's old cabin, and the food/water storeroom. Nowhere did he so much as touch anything. He headed into the corridor leading to the aft section of the ship, sniffing at each of the storage lockers along the way, then looked around the small cargo hold.
It wasn't until Draycos was in the engine room that Jack finally caught on. 'He's doing a check of the ship,' he told Uncle Virge. 'Looking around for anything that might be wrong.'
'What, he doesn't trust me?' Uncle Virge asked, sounding rather offended. 'Besides, how would he know if anything was wrong?'
'Don't be so touchy,' Jack scolded mildly. 'It's probably just natural caution.'
'Humph,' Uncle Virge said. 'Still, I suppose that as long as he doesn't fiddle with anything...'
'That's the spirit,' Jack said, rolling onto his other side and pulling up the blanket again. 'I'm going back to sleep. Wake me if we hit anything.'
'Trust me, you'd know,' Uncle Virge said dryly.
'Good night, Uncle Virge.'
But he didn't fall asleep right away. This thing with Draycos was like the dogs he'd read about once who would prowl around their masters' houses several times a night making sure everything was all right.
Jack had never owned a pet before, but he'd always wondered what it would be like. Maybe this was his chance to find out.
But no. Draycos wasn't a pet. He was a thinking, talking, very independent creature on an important mission. Jack had better not start thinking of him like a trained dog instead of the K'da warrior that he was.
He smiled lopsidedly in the darkness. Not a problem. If today was anything to go by, Draycos would be sure to remind him about that at least once an hour.
A subtle reflection flicked across the bulkhead a few inches in front of his face. 'Everything all right?' he called.
'As best as I can tell,' Draycos replied. 'I am sorry to have awakened you.'
'That's okay,' Jack said, rolling over again to face the dragon. 'You coming back aboard?'
Draycos seemed to study him. 'I can stay away awhile longer, if you'd prefer.'
'It's up to you,' Jack told him, trying not to let his relief show in his voice. This whole thing was still very new, and he wasn't very comfortable with it. The longer the dragon was able to keep his distance, the better.
'Then I will sleep here for the present,' Draycos said.
'Okay.'
For a few minutes the room was silent. Draycos lay down on the deck in the middle of the room, facing the
