“And the first thing you did was somehow hack my ship's communications to say hello,” Aiden said flatly.
Elyssa nodded, somewhat smugly Lana thought. “Don't bother trying to figure out how, either.”
“Actually, I-” Ali began, before cutting off at Aiden's irritated look.
The plain woman gave the companion a long, thoughtful glance before turning her attention back to Aiden. “In any case, the main point I'm trying to make is that your secret's safe with me. Us Stags are a dying breed. We need to look out for each other, huh?”
Well, at least Lana now knew the woman was not only an old friend of the captain's, although of dubious friendliness, but had also been a Stag. Maybe if she listened long enough, she might be able to figure out what the void was actually going on here.
Aiden glanced around the bridge, looking a bit uncomfortable. “That's awfully generous of you, considering the . . . circumstances of our parting.”
Elyssa laughed again, more coldly this time. “You mean when I told you I wanted off your suicide ship, and you as much as called me a coward and a traitor and told me you had half a mind to refuse my “request?” She waved airily. “Water under the bridge, Thorne.”
It certainly didn't look that way to Lana. Although at least she'd learned that Elyssa had been part of Aiden's crew at some point. And, like Lana herself was often tempted to do, or at least had been before beginning her relationship with Dax, the woman had decided she didn't want any part of the man's endless war against the Deeks and had left.
The captain also seemed to have his doubts about his old crew member putting the past behind her. “Is it?”
“It is.” The plain woman leaned forward, so abruptly that Lana jumped slightly again. “You don't trust me. I'd say that hurts my feelings, even after I deserted your hopeless cause, but to be honest I don't have much trust left in me, either. A bit for old friends, though.”
“Is this where you segue into finally telling us what you want?” Barix asked dryly.
“Yes, actually.” Elyssa gave the Ishivi a cool look before turning back to Aiden. “Trust, Captain. Since parting ways with you I've, ah, pursued opportunities similar to the prizes we took in our old privateering days, but using other mediums.”
“Such as hacking?” Belix asked bluntly. She didn't seem to like the woman, at all. “You've become an allnet pirate?”
Elyssa's lips curled downwards, expression becoming stern. “Discipline seems to have become lax on our old ship, Captain. Please tell your crew to keep quiet, because believe it or not my time has become very precious. Seeing as how I'm doing you a favor, more than one in fact, I believe I'm due a little courtesy.”
The elfin woman looked furious at the slight, but Aiden sharply motioned her to silence and turned back to the main display. “My apologies, Elyssa. Continue.”
To Lana's confusion, in spite of the fact that the plain woman had just complained about wasting time, she took an uncomfortably long time to respond, simply lounging back on nothing in her starry void.
It was almost a minute, just as Aiden finally stirred as if about to speak, before Elyssa finally continued as if there'd been no interruption. “I've become a facilitator of sorts . . . information brokering, influence peddling, coordinating between various groups, the like. I've got my hands in a staggering number of ventures, but rarely in any direct way. And it's just one such venture that made me see you, my old ship and crew conveniently located where I need you, and think you'd be perfect for it.”
The woman leaned back, which looked even more precarious since she wasn't sitting on anything, and clasped her hands over one knee. “The thing is, I've been presented an opportunity my resources are not in place to exploit. One too lucrative to risk contracting out to just anyone. You've got a ship capable of completing the task, and it's easily within the capabilities of you and your excellent crew. On top of that, you're on the run from a lot of very angry Deeks, in desperate need of a friend.”
She smiled thinly. “So what do you say we make some chits together, for old time's sake? I imagine I could offer you a payment that'll satisfy even your high standards, easily twice what you'd make off a nice fat cargo freighter. And in the bargain, you get to strike a blow against our mutual enemy that'll sting far more than anything you've been doing lately.”
“I'd need details, of course,” Aiden replied warily.
His workstation abruptly beeped, confirmation of an information transfer. Which, as far as Lana knew, should've been impossible with the ship closed off to external communications. The captain once again shot an irritated look at Ali, who returned another one of chagrin, before glancing down at whatever it was Elyssa had sent him.
Then his eyes widened. “I'd like time to look this over, and to speak to my crew.”
“Of course,” the plain woman replied, lips curling up slightly as if he'd already agreed. “You're probably safe to head for a farther out rift jump point in that system, which should buy you an extra hour or so as long as you don't draw attention to yourselves. You have until then to let me know your answer.” Her smile hardened, becoming almost cruel. “And while you're busy acquainting yourself with the incredibly generous offer I've provided you, I need to go neutralize an informant before he backstabs me and tries to sell information about you to anyone else.”
Her face vanished from the display, which returned to a view of the system around them.
* * * * *
As soon as Elyssa was gone, or at least Lana hoped she was, she leaned closer to Dax. “What exactly was that all about? Who was that, aside from one
