Read Shadower for Free Online Page A

have a whole lot of medical aids, either. So I did the best I could with what I have."
    He could almost hear the disapproval in McKnight's long silence. His partner could be such an old man at times. "And what was that?" McKnight finally asked.
    "Sulfomagtrite."
    "Blazing hells! Remind me to stock your ship with some medical supplies."
    "Hey, it woke her up! And it should take care of any risk of infection."
    McKnight released a frustrated sigh. "Assuming the patient survived the treatment."
    "She did just fine. She appears to be of sturdy stock." Sabin decided to move the discussion away from Moriah. "How did it go on your end?"
    "Another false alarm. But I did hear some interesting rumors about an illegal shipment of iridon up for grabs. Seems it was hijacked while leaving a mine in the Verante constellation."
    Sabin gave a low whistle. "Do you think Dansan's behind it?"
    "Wouldn't surprise me. But I also heard Galen might be after the shipment. Could be a way to track him down."
    "Thanks for the lead," Sabin said, already mentally sorting through his list of informants. Someone should be able to secure information on where the shipment was last seen and where it was headed. He glanced at his chronometer and tensed, realizing almost three-quarters of an hour had elapsed since he'd left Moriah alone. "Look, I've got to go take care of some business."
    "You might give the lady a chance to recuperate first."
    Even his partner had to insert sexual innuendos into the situation. "I'm real amused, old man. I'll contact you in two ship cycles, usual time." He disconnected and headed for the corridor. "Be right back, Radd. I've got to check on the lady."
    "Uh, Sabin, she's gone."
    He whirled to face Radd, whose round, innocent-looking eyes stared back. "What?"
    "I heard the hatch tone about half an hour ago, while you were inside the casing."
    "Why didn't you tell me?"
    ”I didn't know she was a prisoner. Ya didn't lock her in the brig, like ya usually do with criminals."
    "This whole day has been wonderful," Sabin muttered, heading toward the corridor. "I'll be back."
    He should just let Moriah go. As far as he knew, she wasn't wanted anywhere, and it wasn't illegal for a lone female to traipse around Calt, so he couldn't detain her. But as he thought about her resilient spirit and laser-sharp intelligence, he knew he couldn't allow her to be devoured by Calt's degenerates.
    He'd put her gun in his vault, so she had no defense. She might know how to fight, but without a weapon, she didn't stand a chance on a planet where no shred of decency existed. He couldn't let such beauty and vitality be destroyed. After checking his cabin and the rest of the ship and verifying she had indeed slipped away, he strapped on extra weapons and headed back to Giza's. Maybe she'd returned there.
    He came up empty-handed. He didn't see her anywhere between his ship and the bar, and Thorne informed him she'd only returned long enough to learn the person she'd been waiting for had come and gone. Sabin checked the rest of the settlement without success. He searched though the landing pads, but knew he had little chance of finding her without knowing what pad her ship was on.
    Concern and regret accompanied him as he headed back to his ship. He hoped Moriah had escaped the planet safely, although he would have enjoyed more mental sparring with her. He wouldn't have minded exploring the sensual side of her nature, either, a thought he quickly pushed aside. It was time to get back to business, and to catching Galen.
    Radd was outside adjusting the ship thrusters when Sabin returned. "Did ya find her?"
    "No. She must have left the planet."
    "Sorry about that." Radd lifted a thruster flap and scowled. "Awful lot of rust under here."
    "The whole damn ship's nothing but rust. At least I'll have my new one inside of a lunar cycle." Sabin thought about the ship he'd finally been able to commission, after seasons of hunting down wanted felons, transporting them to