The Fringe Wars

3.13

"Took you long enough to make it back here," Sixx said as Reyne approached.

They embraced in a bear hug.

Reyne stepped back. "It's good to see you."

Reyne could see the stress and fatigue behind his friend's features. "I heard about the Myr trip. I'm sorry that you didn't find what you were looking for."

Sixx waved him off. "It's been eleven years. What should I expect?"

"You should expect answers," Reyne said. "Any husband deserves that."

He blew out a breath. "The deeper I go, the more of it mess it becomes. I finally found a servant who recognized Qelle's picture. She said she'd seen her a few months back at the Smithton flower market." He held out a hand as though he wanted to make a fist. "Then later that same day, I came across another servant who not only recognized Qelle's picture but also said she knew her, and that Qelle had been dead for six years." He shook his head. "I don't know what to do. All I know is that until I'm positive Qelle is gone, I can't quit looking for her."

"We," Reyne said. "We won't quit looking for her."

Boden came up. "Ah, look what the cat dragged in."

Reyne couldn't tell which man looked more tired: the thief who'd had his wife stolen from him, or the recovering drug addict who'd spent time in a sweet soy den.

Sixx didn't make a witty comeback. Instead, he looked over Boden's shoulder. "Where's Throttle?"

No answer came.

Sixx's eyes narrowed as he looked from Reyne to Boden. Boden lowered his head and walked off without a word. Sixx turned back to Reyne. "What happened?"

"We believe droms picked her up at the docks in Devil Town."

Sixx took a step back like he'd been shot, and then paced in a small circle. Reyne knew exactly how his friend felt. Sixx had been a part of the crew since Throttle had been a child. He'd been a big brother to her, and would take her loss as hard, if not harder, than Reyne was taking it.

Sixx stopped. "Is she still alive?" His voice cracked.

"I think so," Reyne said, and then added a hard, "Yes. Nothing's been on the news." They both knew what Reyne had meant by that statement. Throttle was part of an infamous crew. If the CUF had her, she'd be publicly executed. That they had seen no news of an execution gave Reyne hope. "Vym's sent out for word on her whereabouts. We'll find her."

Sixx furled his brow, unconvinced.

"We'll find her," Reyne repeated, harder.

"We'll find her. We'll find both of them." Sixx clapped Reyne on the shoulder, and the pair began to walk slowly to the hangar Boden was entering.

When they reached the hangar door, Reyne inhaled deeply, for the first time noticing the fresh Terran air. "When this is all said and done, we're going to take a very long vacation somewhere very far from any sort of trouble."

Sixx grunted. "Don't forget, I still have that biome kit. I plan to find myself a nice little moon somewhere and set up a nice little terraformed ranch for myself when this is all done."

Reyne smirked. "You'd go crazy on a moon by yourself with nothing to steal."

He shrugged. "Maybe I'm ready to try something else."

With that, he held the door open for Reyne and then followed the captain inside.

It'd been a year since Reyne had been at Seda Faulk's personal retreat. That a single person could own something most colonies couldn't afford hinted at the massive fortune the man had attained from his business enterprises. Easily the richest of all colonists, Seda's wealth surpassed that of many citizens. Without Seda's support for the Fringe Liberation Campaign, the CUF would've quashed the rebellion within the first weeks. As it stood, Seda had given the fringe a fighting chance.