Hybrid Saga 01 - Hybrid Read Online Free Page B

best hope she’d had of getting passage out of here thus far, so she continued to beseech upon what she hoped was the man’s good nature.
    “Can’t do it for nothing,” the old pilot replied, shaking his head apologetically, while at the same time trying to walk away. “I’m sorry.”
    Stopping him, Elora continued to plead. “I told you, we don’t have any money, but . . . we can work for our passage.”
    The pilot shook his head. “I don’t have any work for a woman and a small boy.” He scratched his head, letting out a long breath. “A refugee freighter just landed in the ring. If you don’t have any money, why don’t you just try it?”
    “We came in on that freighter,” she began quickly. “It broke down. The pilot said something about the drive unit failing.”
    “The cooling unit,” Ethan interrupted from behind her.
    Both Elora and the pilot stopped to glance back at her younger brother.
    “He said the drive was overheating,” Ethan continued, sounding a bit annoyed. “That means the cooling unit broke down.”
    “Whatever,” Elora said, returning her attention to the old pilot. “The freighter broke down and the pilot said it wasn’t worth the credits to get it repaired, so he cut his losses and bought his way out of here on another transport.”
    “Well, I’m sure someone here will send for another freighter sooner or later,” the pilot remarked, starting to sound a bit annoyed. “They won’t want a station full of refugees for too long. It’s not good for business.”
    “I already asked the dock operator about that,” Elora explained. “He said it could be weeks or months before another freighter arrives.”
    “Well, there you go,” he concluded. “Problem solved. When it comes, you can get your ride with them.”
    “We can’t wait that long!” she exclaimed. She didn’t care to spend another minute in this cesspool, let alone weeks or even months. They had no credits to get them by and this didn’t seem like the kind of place that dispensed good will towards those in need. “We spent all of our credits on the first freighter, anyhow. We won’t have anything to pay another pilot, even if one does show up.”
    “I’m sorry,” the old pilot apologized, as he turned to walk away. “There’s nothing I can do for you. I have to go.”
    Seeing her only chance for a ride slipping away, Elora stayed right alongside the man, continuing to plead with him. She refused to accept the growing probability that they were most likely going to be stranded on this rock for quite some time.
     
    *     *     *
     
    Ethan watched from a short distance away as his sister continued to follow the older looking pilot she had been pleading their case to. He knew he should follow as well, staying close to Elora, or risk yet another scolding, but his curiosity remained with the stranger who he had seen entering the tavern. The tavern that he was now standing directly in front of, while considering whether or not he should enter or follow his sister’s fairly simple request of him and return to her.
    It didn’t take him long to make his decision, never having been one to let any itch go unscratched. Elora was busy bargaining with that pilot anyway. He would be back before she even noticed he was gone. He was sure of it.
    With a final glance back at his sister, Ethan turned and made his way through the doorway of the tavern, remaining hidden a bit in the shadows of the establishment’s entryway. His nose immediately scrunched up as the smell of the place reached him. The tavern reeked of too many unbathed men sitting together in one confined space for too long. That, combined with the thick clouds of smoke filling the air, made his eyes water. He tried to ignore his discomfort and scanned the musty room for signs of his quarry, seeing mostly groups of men engaged in card games of varying sorts, yelling and laughing. Others sat in dark corners, speaking in hushed tones. All looked