Read Voyage of the Sanguine Shadow 1: Shadow Galactic for Free Online

to the small of his back.  “What’s going on?”
    Zerki puffed her cheeks.  “It’s… complicated.” 
She glanced toward the tall woman.  “I’ll explain it all, if you’ll let me, but
I need to do it aboard my starship.  We don’t have a lot of time.”
    Takeo raised his brow.  “Your starship?”
    “My hauler, the Sanguine Shadow .  She’s a
registered merchant navy starship.  Nothing dangerous.”
    “I don’t think so.”
    “Please.  It’s the least you can do for me.  I
saved your lives.”  Zerki pulled back her hood, letting her blonde locks tumble
to her shoulders.  Her pale blue eyes glinted.
    “I’m sorry,” grumbled Takeo, “but this whole thing
feels staged.”
    “It was not staged, I assure you of that.”
    Gavin stepped close.  “Zerki?”
    The captain nodded.
    “Thanks for saving our lives, sincerely, but this
really is a bad time.  You can see what happened to my truck, and I have no
idea how I’m supposed to explain this to the insurance company.  Sorry, but we
have to say no.”
    “I’ll buy you a new one,” Zerki countered.  “Free
and clear.  Just hear me out.  That’s all I’m asking.”
    Gavin brightened.  “Free and clear?”
    Again, Zerki nodded.
    Gavin rested his hand on Takeo’s shoulder.  “Let’s
hear her out.”
    Taryn nodded.  “I’m OK with that.”
    Takeo rolled his eyes.  “Fine.  But I need to be
back home by tomorrow night.”
    Zerki smiled and nodded.  “That won’t be a
problem.”  She hurried along the street with Gavin, Taryn, Takeo and her crew
in tow.
    Chris the bouncer watched them go.
    The group made their way quickly along the street
to a public landing bay that had not yet opened for business.  Parked near the
arrival center, hunched and turtle-like in appearance, a sizable shuttle
awaited them.  Its engines quietly hummed, and its landing lights shone
brightly.
    Unseen by the captain or her crew, Fogg took the
form of a haze and glided swiftly past them.  He slipped through the door at
the end of the boarding ramp and scanned the vessel.  A moment later, he
settled in amongst the tools and collapsed, becoming an atom wrench.
    After they were all aboard, the captain struck a
large, red dome-shaped button mounted to the wall just inside the cargo area. 
Warning lights spun, and a loud beeping sound filled the air as the ramp pulled
up, locked into place, and the shuttle lifted off.  “Please show Taryn and Takeo
to their quarters,” she said, and D’Arro led his charges away.  They vanished
through a bulkhead at the far end, along with most of the crew.  Zerki and the
tall woman remained with Gavin.  “Right this way,” she said and crossed the bay
to a bulkhead opposite the one Taryn and Takeo had gone through.
    She gestured for Gavin to enter, and she guided
him along the hallway to a door that slid aside at his approach.  She nodded,
and he stepped through.  “Make yourself comfortable.  I have to check in with my
crew real quick, and I’ll be back after that.”
    “Thanks, I’ll try.  Nice to meet you.”
    Zerki smiled.  “You too.  Thanks for coming.”  The
door slid closed. 
    Gavin took stock of his surroundings.  “This isn’t
so bad,” he muttered.  Across from him, a double bunk bed had been bolted to
the wall.  A hideaway latrine was jammed open, and a florescent tube hung at a
defeated angle over a boxy wash basin positioned a few paces away.  “Actually,
that’s kind of depressing.”
    Exhaling audibly, he plopped down on the lower
bunk and retrieved his phone.  No service .  He supposed they must
already be off planet.
    ·· • ··
    The tall woman followed her captain to the
shuttle’s cockpit.  The door slid away as they drew close, and they were
greeted with a vista of stars.  The lanky man hunched forward over the pilot’s
console and silently raised his hand in acknowledgment of their arrival.  “Hey,
Krane,” said the tall woman as she stepped in at the