Chapter 6

As the Star Shadow cruised through hyperspace, Talak, Kalen, and Alliyanna gathered in the tiny, cramped galley to discuss their next move. The adrenaline from their close call on Glimansh was starting to wear off, replaced by a gnawing uncertainty about what lay ahead.

“We need to be more careful,” Talak said, running a hand through his hair. “That was too close. If Alliyanna’s disguise had failed while we were still planetside...”

Alliyanna nodded, her disguise now entirely faded. “I’m sorry my cover started slipping. I’ll work on making it more secure for our next stop.”

“Don’t be too hard on yourself,” Kalen reassured her. “Your negotiation skills more than made up for it. We made an incredible profit thanks to you.”

Talak agreed. “He’s right. Six hundred thirty-five thousand credits is far beyond what I expected. You’ve got quite the talent for trade.”

Alliyanna smiled ruefully. “My father insisted I learn the intricacies of trade. He said a ruler needs to understand economics as well as politics. I never thought I’d be using those skills quite like this, though.”

“Well, I’m glad you did,” Talak said. “That extra profit gives us more options moving forward.”

Kalen nodded gravely. “Agreed. But we also can’t keep running forever. We need a long-term plan.”

Alliyanna spoke up. “I’ve been thinking about that. My father and Duke Birsha won’t stop looking for me. But what if we could find a way to make them stop wanting to stop us.”

Alliyanna leaned forward, her eyes bright with determination. “What if we could find a way to make the marriage alliance unnecessary? If we could help Oranth prosper without Duke Birsha’s support, my father wouldn’t need to force this union.”

Talak and Kalen exchanged surprised glances. “That’s ... ambitious,” Talak said carefully. “How would we even begin to do that?”

“With trade,” Alliyanna replied confidently. “We’ve already proven we can turn a significant profit. What if we used our skills to establish new trade routes and partnerships that benefit Oranth directly? We could funnel resources and wealth back to my home planet, strengthening its position.”

Kalen nodded slowly, considering the idea. “It’s risky, but it could work. We’d need to be careful not to draw too much attention to ourselves or Oranth.

“That might get your father to stop sending his men after us, but it would not stop Birsha,” Talak commented. “The duke will continue to hound us and try to get you into his grasp.” Talak continued. “What we need to do is make it too expensive or too dangerous for him to continue going after you. I don’t have a plan for that yet, but I think we should work on it. Also, I think it’s time to get some sleep. Our next planetfall will be in three weeks. So it’s going to be a bit of a long leg in hyperspace. We can continue this line of thinking and come up with a more detailed plan during this leg and, with some luck, find a way to implement it.

Talak woke up earlier than he usually did and was making his way to the galley. What he saw made him stop. He hid behind a nearby stanchion on the bulkhead next to him. He stared at Alliyanna; she was dressed in just her panties and tee shirt, and they were wet, and she wasn’t wearing a bra. She had been cleaning all morning and getting breakfast ready. So, to keep her outer garments from getting wet, she removed them and folded them neatly on the nearby table. She was cleaning the deck in the galley, and it appeared to Talak that she had cleaned the entire galley already. She was humming a little tune while pushing the mop around the deck. The lack of clothing clearly showed her figure, and she was very attractive, sexy even. Talak had not thought of her in this way since she mostly wore ill-fitting, loose, bulky clothes, that being the type of clothing that was available onboard. But seeing her in just her underwear had made an impression on him. He quietly backed away from the galley and made his way back towards his cabin. But stopped. and then turned around and made considerable noise as to announce his approach. he stepped into the galley and discovered she was now wearing a long-oversized tee shirt that she must have had nearby. So, she was fully covered and unaware that she’d already exposed herself to Talak.

Secretly, she wanted to show her body off to the man who had rescued her, but she figured that it would not be a smart thing to do. She hadn’t asked, and he hadn’t volunteered any information about a spouse, lover, or romantic companion of any kind. She hoped she would be found to be attractive to him. But she was afraid that he would only see her as a child. She was legally of age, but he was a grown man. She was aware she was developing feelings of some kind toward him. Still, he hadn’t sent a sign that he had similar feelings for her, so she just tried not to think about his handsome face, muscular physique, and calming presence. But it wasn’t working.

Talak had not seen her as anything other than someone who needed his help and protection. He was not a romantic, and it was not that he couldn’t show and receive love; he could. He wasn’t looking for that kind of situation. He had a lover and wife; she died over ten years ago. Since then, he has stayed away from romantic entanglements. And women in general. His occupation didn’t encourage long-term relationships, and marriage was not something he thought he was ever going to be interested in again. But he had to admit, seeing her dressed like that had stirred something deep within him. Her beauty transfixed him, and some lustful thoughts came to the front of his mind. He could not act upon them, and that would be unprofessional. He would pretend nothing happened and continue as usual.

Kalen walked into the galley, his shift at the bridge over. He was going to get some breakfast and then get some sleep. He nearly walked into Talak, who was not moving. Just at that moment, Alliyanna raised her head from her mopping and saw both men; she was glad she had donned the oversized tee shirt when she heard a loud noise earlier. “Good morning, guys. Breakfast is ready, and I’ve cleaned the galley, so let’s eat.” Both men greeted her and sat down at the small table, and she served them a simple breakfast of eggs and bacon with coffee. “Hey, you’re getting better. These eggs taste delicious this morning.”

Kalen took a bite of his food and looked at Talak in shock. The eggs were still runny and tasted awful, as always. It was good that Alliyanna was a baroness and could afford to hire a cook because she couldn’t cook well at all.

Has anyone been able to expand on the plan to get the duke off our backs?

Talak and Kalen exchanged a glance, both thinking about how to tactfully respond to Alliyanna’s question about the plan while choking down her barely edible eggs.

“Well,” Talak began carefully, “we’ve been giving it some thought. The key is finding a way to make pursuing you no longer worthwhile for the duke.”

Kalen nodded in agreement. “Right. We need to either make it too costly or too dangerous for him to keep chasing us.”

Alliyanna’s brow furrowed as she considered this. “But how? The duke has vast resources at his disposal.”