Poisoned Pawn by Jaleta Clegg Read Free Book Online Page B

and pulled out a froth of flame colored fabric that danced on every breath of air. She thrust it into my arms.
    “Jasyn, I’m all wet and covered with mud. Is this partha silk?” I couldn’t help shaking out the dress and holding it up. Strands of silk in shades of orange, red and gold twined around my hands. “We can’t afford this.”
    “Good imitation, and yes, we can. That credit chip you gave me had over two thousand credits on it. But, and it’s a big one, they’re only good at the store here. The prices were unbelievably low.”
    “Then let’s buy something we can trade.” I fondled the strips of silk while I talked. Even as an imitation, the fabric soothed and caressed me with every touch.
    Jasyn shook her head. “You have to have a special trading license to do that. With just our ship, we can’t possibly afford the fees. We’d never be able to haul enough cargo. So I spent the credit on personal items, including shipsuits for Clark. And underwear for you.” She pulled a pair of lacy green panties from a box.
    “I’d rather die than wear those.”
    She laughed. “Clark said you’d say that.”
    “Those are his? That explains a lot about him.”
    She set the panties on top of a box and pursed her lips. “That would explain things, but no, these aren’t his. Or yours. I bought them after he left.” She opened a different box, rummaging through the contents.
    “I caught him in the cockpit doing something on the com. He was very evasive when I asked about it. I can’t figure out what he was doing there, besides digging through personal files. Who would he pass messages to here? Dru’Ott isn’t a hotbed of criminal activity. Or Patrol.”
    “Maybe he’s exactly what he says he is—a pilot down on his luck looking for a solid berth. Why do you have to suspect everyone, Dace?” She lifted a frosted white tray from the box. Multicolored pieces of crystal rattled inside.
    “Survival habit. What’s that?”
    “A game. Yulan Crystals. Clark said it was a good strategy game. I got this for you.” She opened yet another box and pulled out a wooden instrument with a rounded base, long neck, and multiple strings. “It’s called a lute. There’s an instruction vid for it.”
    I draped the silk dress across a chair as she pushed the lute my way. My finger caught on the strings as I took it, creating a mellow tone. “Why do I need this?”
    “You need a hobby, Dace. Fixing the ship and building secret compartments are fine for a while, but you really need something else to keep you busy.”
    “Like you and your nail file?”
    “It won’t kill you to take care of yourself, Dace.” She opened several more boxes, removing various items of clothing and jewelry.
    “I do, Jasyn.”
    “You know what I mean.” She pushed a pile of clothing into my arms, draping the flaming silk dress over the top. “It won’t hurt to wear something other than shipsuits sometimes.”
    “But I like shipsuits.”
    “You’re going to wear that dress. Look, I’ve got one to match.” She held a dress against her, all blues and purples. The imitation partha silk danced on every breath of air. “You should see the outfit I got for Clark.”
    “I’m not sure I want to. When am I going to wear the dress, Jasyn? When I’m fixing the engines?” I ducked into my cabin to avoid her angry retort.
     

 
Chapter Six
     
    We lifted off Dru’Ott an hour before sunrise. Jasyn put away her purchases while I did preflight with Clark. The ship was fully loaded and wallowed as we lifted. I’d never filled the cargo bays completely with heavy merchandise. I goosed the engines once we cleared atmosphere and shut down the maglev drive.
    “I’m going to have to check the maglev field,” I said as Jasyn entered our course. “It should have had enough power to lift us.”
    “Have you checked our mass readings?” Jasyn tapped a final set of keys. “We’re over the limits. Those crates were heavy and they filled both