Chapter 18

Zeke smiled at his newly found cousin.

“I should be back in two weeks or less. I’ll call you, so we can meet up, Dusty. Sorry about lighting out on you.”

He turned to Dallas and put his hands on his brother’s shoulders, “Are you and Sabrina set?”

Dallas smiled, “Yep! Her dad is chuffed that she has a commission already. He seemed to like me, too, even though we are the competition.”

Zeke hugged Dallas tight and then let go. He turned to Paul, who just stepped into his arms.

“I’m set, Zeke. Thanks for being my big brother.”

Zeke stepped back but didn’t let go of Paul’s shoulders. “You have fun at Magicians School. Kyle and Lee both said to call if you needed help. They also said to remind you, ‘That is what family is for’.”

“I put some play money in your account, and I’ll really miss you. It’s a lot further to come to visit. Don’t worry about Mum or Frank, and I’ll keep an eye on Dallas. We both know he is the wild one.”

Paul and Dallas burst into laughter, and then they both hugged Zeke together. Zeke finally got them to let go.

“I have to go. Dusty, but we will catch up.” With that said, he strode off Bella.

Zeke was having a hard time seeing as he let the tears fall. Letting go of his brothers was harder than he thought. He was sure Paul would find whatever it was that he was seeking. He wasn’t going to be alone a long way from home, with Lee and her huge family keeping tabs on him.

Frank could still be a problem for Dallas. However, Dallas wasn’t a little boy anymore, and he had Sabrina, her dad, and his mother to back him up if Zeke wasn’t around. Zeke could see how much Dallas had matured and settled down after a year away from their toxic home.

As for himself? For now, he had plenty to keep himself occupied. He already knew that the Usekh he wore would extend his life for an exceptionally long time to come. It did bother him that if he fell in love with a mundane, he would outlive them.

The good thing was that he now knew he wasn’t the only wizard out in the universe. Lee had commented in their last chat that love would find him when he was ready. Oddly, he found that statement reassuring.

Not that he planned to settle down for many years.

As he entered Freya, a message from Dusty popped up on his Pedz.

It said that his ship was no longer impounded, and the suppliers were filling the tanks. An official document was attached. Zeke read it.

It stated that he wasn’t under any suspicion by the SSPF. It also thanked him for aiding them in apprehending four wanted criminals on the Armstrong SS and ten on the Morpheus SS. Earth date, December 2097. A commendation as an upstanding citizen was being sent.

Zeke chuckled. He knew that if anyone did a criminal check on him, that would be the first document they saw. He would bet that Dusty and Colonel Howe would both get pinged if someone was checking on him.

It was an hour before he was notified that the refuelling was complete and paid for from his account. He had been busy adding air to his hidden rooms and ensuring Freya and Hercules were ship-shape.

He was glad he had the stores from Bella.

Zeke contacted Station Control and requested permission to leave.

“Good morning, Captain Walker. Our system shows that you are clear of debt to the Station, have no outstanding warrants and have taken on sufficient fuel and water for your flight plan. However, we do have a request.”

“What’s up, Control?”

“A VIP passenger has urgently requested transport to Morpheus.”

Zeke frowned, “Normally, I’d say yes, but I’m not going straight to Morpheus.”

“Do you have a deviation to your flight plan, Captain?”

“No, I’m meeting my employee’s freighter in Earth’s orbit. The plan clearly states, ‘Earth’s orbit then on to Morpheus’.”

“Please, hold.”

Zeke sighed and waited several minutes for Control to get back to him.

A new, gruff voice asked, “Captain Walker, can you explain your unusual flight plan?”

“Do you know who Senior Detective Dusty Carmichael is?” Zeke asked in return.

After a pause, the voice replied carefully, “Yes.”

“Good. Please contact her and ask her if your question is any of your legal business. I have filed a legitimate flight plan and was told you have no reason to detain me. As a freighter, I do not have to take passengers. This is also a maiden flight. I could lose my licence due to negligence if anything happened to said passenger.”

“Please hold, Captain,” the original voice said.

Then the comm went silent.

Five minutes later, Zeke’s ear comm chimed.

Grunting in frustration, he responded, “Yes?”

He heard Dusty’s giggle. “You are a shit-stirrer. I had to explain to Brigadier Santos that while you have a contract with UNSEC, you don’t work for them. And, since you are registered as a Mars citizen, and your ship is also registered on Mars, you don’t come under his jurisdiction to demand you take him anywhere.”

“Why on Earth would he want to get on my ship? He probably has his own, and it would be more luxurious than mine.”