Kaur returned a few minutes later, still wearing the scowl. Kaau li knew better than to pry, but having him angry did not bode well for the conversation she was about to begin. The stolen handset was a last resort only. She would rather exit the Wraith with Kaur’s permission, and of her own free will. And then she would never return.
“Trouble, my love?” she asked quietly.
“A cyborg has malfunctioned.”
“Malfunctioned?” she asked with curiosity. Cyborgs were mostly humans, with free will.
“He tried to leave,” he said. “Someone caught him stealing a long-range shuttle.”
Kaau li shuddered slightly and gripped her cloak more tightly. “Why would he do that?”
Kaur looked up at her. “It doesn’t matter why. The fact that he tried to leave and turn traitor is enough.”
The cold in the room seeped into Kaau li’s bones. “What will happen to him?” She heard herself ask the question even though she didn’t really want the answer.
“He will be dealt with. Have you seen my arena?”
What did the cyborg have to do with an arena? Kaau li almost asked, but then decided she didn’t want to know. “No, I haven’t,” she asked with feigned curiosity.
“Then today will be an experience you will not forget.”
He had never spoken a truer word.
But maybe “dealing with” the cyborg was an answer to Kaau li’s problems. If Kaur was caught up in doling out punishment, she could take advantage of the distraction. Her mouth went dry as she imagined being on the receiving end of whatever punishment happened in the “arena,” and her stomach churned with pity for the cyborg.
“I do have a request,” she finally said with a boldness she did not feel.
“Oh?” He raised an eyebrow, intrigued.
She almost didn’t say it. If she didn’t, if she stayed, Kaur would give her a position of power on his ship. He’d made that clear in the past. But Kaau li didn’t want to be a pirate, and she shuddered at raising a child inside the bloodthirsty ranks of Kaur’s men. Or bringing up a son or daughter to be like Kaur. No, Kaau li wanted to remain a smuggler, in charge of her own life. And to keep her baby far away from this ruthless killer.
“You are keeping me in suspense, Kali,” he said quietly, a hint of annoyance in his voice.
“I apologize,” she said, pulling herself away from her terrible thoughts. “But I have had an opportunity.”
He didn’t bat an eye, but steadily gazed at her.
“It is small compared to your great empire, Kaur, but I believe it is a means to keeping my ship and crew busy for many years.”
More silence. Kaur loved his silences. They made lesser humans squirm in their seats.
Despite her fear, Kaau li was not a lesser human, so the silence didn’t bother her. She took a deep breath and plunged on. “My only regret is that it will take me so far from you—the other side of the empire.”
“I do not recognize the Emperor Arthos,” he said dismissively, “nor his semblance of a government. He is an imbecile.”
“Yes, I only use it as a frame of reference. Nothing more.”
“And what is this job?”
“Near the planet Ares. I have found a previously overlooked trade there.”
“What trade?”
Kaau li smiled. “I’m not sure I should tell you, my love. What if you swoop in and grab my corner of the market?”
Kaur scoffed. “I would grab more than a corner. What is it?”
Kaau li knew better than to make him ask a third time. “Arthenium.”
“Arthenium,” he said skeptically. He knew as well as she that the arthenium market had long ago been controlled by mega-corporations. Discovered in the Nilurian Belt shortly after humans built the first hyperdrive, the strong, flexible metal was used in everything from weapons to ship-building to farm equipment.
“Specifically arthenium dust,” she added.
“Humans have been using arthenium for centuries.”
“Not for sophisticated computer drives.”
“Because it’s too heavy. Everyone knows this.”
Kaau li gave herself a moment to look smug. Then she said, “Nevertheless, someone has found a way around that. And the results will be the most sophisticated artificial intelligence in the galaxy.”
“We have enough AIs,” Kaur said, frowning. “I do not like them, never have. For once, this is something I agree with Arthos about. AI should be kept in check, as it has for centuries. What is your part in all this?”
Kaau li shrugged. “Transporting the dust to the people who want it. They are willing to pay. Especially because they don’t want to attract the notice of the empire.”
That got Kaur’s attention. He leaned forward again, his interest piqued. Anything that subverted the empire automatically became a cause he could rally around.
If pirates ever rallied around anything.
The best part was that it was all true. Although Kaau li was using the job as an excuse to get as far away from Kaur as possible, she wanted this opportunity. It would make her enough money to retire within five years. A perfect situation, especially with a child on the way.
“What do they want with artificial intelligence, I wonder?” Kaur murmured, lost in thought.
“I don’t know. And a good smuggler doesn’t ask.”
Kaur frowned. “You would help supply manufacturers with the means to creating the most powerful AI in the galaxy, and not question why? They could be creating an army of intelligent androids.”
He really is paranoid, she thought. “I doubt it. Next to you, they are a small operation. It will be years before they reach any kind of mass production.”
Kaur reached out and grabbed her hand. His grip was surprisingly fierce, but Kaau li resisted the urge to wince.
“I must show you something,” he said suddenly.
Curious, but wary of the look in Kaur’s eye, Kaau li allowed him to pull her to her feet.
“What is it?” she asked.
Kaur smiled. “You will see.”
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