Beyond the Shadows Read Online Free PDF Page A

It started clicking and buzzing again.
    “She’s our guest, and so is her cat, so no more static discharges, understood?” Cyrus rubbed his forehead then surveyed the room, before looking up at Tuz still hanging from the ceiling by his tail. “Can you get him down?”
    “Come on, Tuz.” Yara reached for Tuz with the blanket again, and this time he dropped into her arms. She wrapped him up tight, smoothing his fur as she tucked his head under her chin. “What is all this?” she asked, looking at the cases.
    “Trinkets,” Cyrus dismissed as he crossed the quarters to the galley. People didn’t keep trinkets in special hidden compartments. He poured himself a drink into a dented cup and downed it before turning around. He flicked a lazy gesture at the bot on the pillow. “Bug, meet Yara. Yara, Bug.”
    The disc held on tighter to the pillow as his eye sank down in a strange glare and the glowing aura of light around him turned mostly pink. He let out a grinding noise.
    “That’s rude, Bug.” Cyrus walked over to the disc and stroked a finger around the front edge of the thing.
    “That’s A.I., isn’t it?” Yara had a sinking feeling. Most artificial intelligence was illegal. To make matters worse, this one looked like Yeshulen tech. The Yeshulen weren’t exactly on good terms with the Union. They had a nasty tendency to fire on ships without provocation. The Union didn’t trade with them.
    “Yeah, he’s artificial. Intelligent is still up for debate.”
    Electricity arched out of the bot and into Cyrus’s hand.
    “Ow, damn it.” Cyrus glared at the bot, then rubbed his hand as he turned back to Yara.
    “So, are you going to tell me about the cases?” she asked, taking a closer look at a handcrafted vessel with intricate inlaid pictures of people gathering some sort of harvest and offering it to what looked like star gods.
    “I thought you preferred not to talk.” He retreated to the control center and focused on the viewscreen, like nothing had happened. Oh, great, now he wanted to be quiet.
    Yara placed Tuz on the bunk and ordered him to stay. He hissed at her and crouched, keeping his eyes fixed on Bug.
    “Leave it,” she commanded. Her cat remained still, but Yara could see the tension in his shoulders and his puffy fur.
    She had a bone to pick with the captain. She entered the control center and perched in the copilot’s seat.
    He tilted his head to look at her, but his expression was a mask of indifference. She knew better than to believe it this time.
    “Are you a shadow trader?”
    He leaned back in his chair with that infuriating look in his eye, like he wanted to toy with her again. “How do you want me to answer that?”
    “With the truth,” she stated. She kept her gaze locked with his, even though it made her uncomfortable. She had the feeling he could read her too easily. And there was something about the expression in his eyes that disarmed her. It was the challenge, the sheer defiance. An excited thrill of awareness tickled near her heart.
    “That’s not in my best interest,” he responded, his lips turning up in the corner in his enigmatic grin. “If I am a shadow trader, I’m not going to hear the end of it for the next four days, and then I’m sure you’ll try to arrest me when we reach Gansai. If I’m not a shadow trader, you’ll be disappointed.”
    “Disappointed?” She had to hear his explanation for this one.
    “You want to think the worst of me.” He turned his attention back to the viewscreen and tapped on the console. “That’s the way Azralen elitists are.”
    “You’re damn right.” She felt her irritation rise and the sudden need to defend herself.
    “Yeah, well, don’t be surprised if I surpass your expectations.” He stood and left the control center. Ignoring her, he opened one of the storage lockers, removed a black case, and crossed the quarters into the cargo bay.
    Tuz laid his ears back and growled but kept his stare fixed on Bug. The