Of Smoke and Stardust [[COMPLETE]]]

CHAPTER 16-PARKER

The collar of Parker's jacket was too tight—too hot. Or maybe it was just Alya. He couldn't keep his eyes from gravitating toward her. With smoky eyes, raven black hair and perfect curves; she looked like a movie star, straight out of a movie screen.

When Parker had first seen her, in the tiny chamber of Mellowmont, he thought red lipstick would suit her lips best. He wasn't wrong. For a stupid moment, he thought of her lipstick smearing on his own lips, his neck, his shirt collar, then.... He really needed to not let his mind go any further.

If he could just kiss the red off her lips, so they wouldn't distract him...but then, even the way she stood was enticing. Perfectly poised, like a trained soldier, but there was something so powerful about her body and the way she held it; the confidence and strength.

Parker scowled inwardly at the thought, and shook his head to clear it. There were too many other things to think about besides how gorgeous Alya was. Like the tab hidden under his mattress back in his room, loaded with intormation he loaded from the high secure servers.

While everyone else was getting dolled up, he had snuck out, charmed the pants off a sweet little secretary, and 'borrowed' her tab, along with her ID password, and comm number 'if he felt like a late night fling.' He couldn't just barge into the control room and connect to the main database to get the information he needed without having a shit storm of questions. So he went back into his room and connected to the main server through one of the interweb jacks. Most people staying in a high class room would just use it to surf the net and watch movies, but Ela had taught him and Jayden how to use comms for more than streaming videos, she had taught them how to get through the back doors of servers and cover their tracks. It took less than the time he spent flirting to download the needed files. But before he could get a chance to look through them, Captain Zion had, once again, butted in and comm-ed him to get his ass down to the banquet.

His stomach twisted with anxiousness. He hated the thought of the tab just sitting there, waiting for him to read all those files, while he was stuck at a fancy party with the same rich people that he was fighting for freedom against two years ago. If he went missing, they'd get suspicious and go looking for him. He had no choice but to wait for everyone to go to bed.

Just a little bit longer. He comforted himself. Just a few hours and you'll have all the information you need.

They entered the banquet hall and the brightness of the crystal—everything—almost blinded him. It was amazing, in a disgustingly overzealous type of show-off way. Exactly what a politician would put together.

Brilliant chandeliers hung from the smart-glass ceiling, with shimmering glass and crystal gems hanging down low. They threw off dancing rainbows whenever the light hit it just right, sometimes changing into the false impression of a starry night. The people at the banquet were no different. They wore so many jewels and expensive accessories, Parker's fingers got itchy thinking about the amount of credits he could get on the market. Richly colored gowns and low cut dresses that clung to flesh, with a mix of men in fancy tuxes and suits flashed past him. Some couples were already on the dance floor, swaying with the soft music, the whispers of a thousand conversations filled the atmosphere.

The stewards wore all the same grey uniforms, drab, and unnoticeable. They did a good job of weaving through the crowd undetected. They carried trays of champagne flutes and o'dourves. When one passed by, Parker reached for a flute, but Zion batted Parker's hand away and shook his head.

"Not while on duty." Zion growled, giving him a withering look. "Remember what I said before?"

Parker took in a deep breath. He remembered not to blow his cover, but he'd seen plenty of security staff grabbing more than a few free drinks. "Aye, aye, Cap-i-tain." He saluted.