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New Manhattan HOSH, Visitor Quarters
Tessa made sure her leather duster was securely fastened before she and Magnus left their quarters the next morning. The jacket wouldn't stop a direct blaster hit at close range, but it would have stopped the disruptor dart if she'd had it buttoned up.
"Are you sure this is necessary?" Magnus asked.
"Quickest way to lure Atah out of hiding is to be out in public."
"Luring her out is also a fast way to end up dead, not a position I'd enjoy being in myself," Magnus said. Nevertheless, he double-checked his own protective clothing – a reinforced telvar vest that looked and felt like silk but had much greater deflection capabilities - and followed her out the door.
Like other HOSH Tessa had visited, New Manhattan was a massive cylinder composed of individual levels arranged in a tall stack. Here, the upper ten levels were each divided into three sections. A thin outer ring hosted military quarters and defensive works. Inside that were residential areas, with public spaces for business and leisure situated around the central hub.
They’d divided the bottom two levels into two unequal regions. One for commercial transport, and a larger section for military operations.
Government offices were spaced throughout the HOSH, with services available on all levels. The most unusual thing about the settlement involved levels eleven through thirteen. The crew had retrofitted those areas to accommodate a new mission.
The governor, in a trim business tunic and pants, led Tessa and Magnus into HOSH level eleven and gestured to their surroundings.
"We've turned these areas into manufacturing districts. After we left the fleet, lower population density left us with a lot of unused space. So, we refitted those areas to accommodate factories and businesses."
"What do you make?" Tessa asked. "I mean, how much raw material can you generate with only one dome?"
"Our dome had both agriculture and animal husbandry sides. We don't have a wide variety, but there are sheep and alpacas, along with Angora rabbits. Of course, we had to start small, but over time we hope to create a profitable trade in textiles."
"Renewable resources," Magnus said. "Smart."
"We like to think so," Ursula said. "But really, there wasn't much choice. We had to find a way to create a continuing business model from the resources available to us. It only made sense to find a renewable way forward, or we would quickly have run out of the little we had."
"Still, taking the long view requires patience," Tessa said. "Not something humans were famous for in my – Back on Earth."
"Ancient history, Dr. Graham. I assure you, we've learned better since then." Ursula pointed out a large room with automated looms, each one attended by a craftsperson. "As you can see, we've already begun our textiles venture. We have designers working in offices along the perimeter. The designs are then fed into the computer, which converts them into the finished product via these looms."
Tessa stepped closer to examine the pattern being created on the closest machine. It depicted a rainforest scene. Brightly colored birds flitted through sun dappled trees while jaguars slipped along the forest floor. "Your designers are very talented."
"Thank you. I think so too. But this isn't the finished product. We've embedded optical fibers in the weave, and when we activate this tapestry, the animals in it will actually move."
"That's amazing," Magnus said. "I've got at least three contacts who would be interested in something like this."
A flash of red near the OPT caught Tessa's attention, but when she looked, there were only workers hurrying from one place to another, and not a red-head in sight. "How many people do you have working here?" she asked.
"In this facility? Probably around two hundred. There are ten sections on each of the three levels, each employing somewhere between one hundred and three hundred citizens."
"So, around ten thousand employed on these three levels total?" Magnus said.
"Approximately, yes," Ursula said. "We have about thirty thousand total population."
"How many of those are children? I heard there were some issues with fertility rates at Fleet," Tessa said.
"There were, yes. In fact, the methods used to ‘fix’ the problem were part of the reason we left."
"I heard about that, too. Might interest you to know that those methods aren't in use anymore," Tessa said. "But you said 'were?' How did you resolve the issue?"
"That problem seems to be solving itself. Our birth rate has risen slowly, but steadily, over the past two years. We are, of course, happy with that, but you can see why it makes it even more imperative that the New Earth project succeed." Ursula gave Tessa a covert glance. "I did some research on you after our meeting yesterday. It seems we – the entire human race, actually – owe you a debt."
Tessa kept her eyes trained on the facility, watching as a worker adjusted something on one of the looms. "No one owes me anything. I did what needed to be done. That's all."
"Nevertheless, I feel I must apologize for the attack you suffered a few days ago. It is bad enough that any guest of New Manhattan should suffer such a thing, but for it to have happened to you..." Ursula trailed off, shaking her head. "I hope we can make amends somehow."
Tessa cleared her throat awkwardly. "There's no need for amends. That was...uh... What happened wasn't your fault. I –"
The OPT doors swept open and Emil zoomed out. "Excuse me, Dr. Graham. So sorry to interrupt, but I have that information you asked for."
"Yes, thank you Emil. If you'll excuse me, Governor." With a warning glance at Magnus, Tessa followed the floating android out of Ursula's hearing. "Spill," she said when they were a safe distance away.
"It took me forever to find, but someone hacked into the communications network from a module on the fourteenth level," Emil said, his digital eyes wide. “The message was sent from there so it would look like it came from New Manhattan.”
"What's on level fourteen?" Tessa asked.
"Maintenance, mostly. But we also use it as a sort of space port. Merchants and visiting dignitaries park there. You must remember. That's where they put the Oracle when you arrived."
"I didn't think about what level they put us on. I was just glad they gave us a parking space."
Emil emitted an electronic chuckle. "Are you kidding? You came here from Simoi territory. Of all the people the Governor's been trying to make trade agreements with, she wants that one the most."
"Why?" Tessa's breath caught. Did Ursula know who Gaia was? Had she made the connection?
Thing was, with HiveZ gone, if they were really gone, there was no reason not to tell humans about Earth. Would they want to go home, if home were suddenly a possibility?
But Emil was still speaking. "Of course! The Simoi tribes are one of the most powerful trade federations in the known universe. They have access to goods you literally cannot get anywhere else. Landing an agreement with them could ensure New Earth's success."
A weird mixture of relief and disappointment washed through Tessa. She wasn't sure which one to pay attention to. Disappointment that Ursula didn't know, yet, who Gaia was and what that might mean for the humans here, or relief that Tessa could put off deciding whether or not to tell her.
"So, the message came from level fourteen. Were you able to figure out which ship?" she asked.
"Not a ship. Someone hacked the terminal directly, but I can’t tell who. At least, not yet." If he hadn't been an android, she would have been certain he was disappointed. Somewhere nearby, an office door whooshed open and closed as he continued. "Whoever sent it put it through some highly convoluted digital gymnastics. I'm still tracking it, though. I'll find the source even– Look out!"
The droid zoomed straight for her head, and Tessa ducked instinctively. Emil's high-pitched, electronic shriek ripped through the air, ending abruptly as the frozen droid crashed to the ground, his digital gaze blank and fixed.
Tessa dropped into a defensive crouch and spun, scanning the room for threats as her hands morphed into blasters.
A second flash of light and an abrupt drop in air temperature sent her rolling to the left as the next round slammed into the floor where she'd been standing.
"Tessa!" Magnus ran toward her. Workers stopped scurrying to watch, but suddenly, there was nothing to see. The next shot didn't come.
"Shut the area down," Tessa yelled. "Secure the OPTs. No one leaves this section!" But she knew it was already too late. Atah knew she'd lost the advantage. She wasn't going to hang around to get caught.
Security shut down the OPTs and began a canvas of every person in the compartment.
Tessa walked over to the fallen 'droid and crouched down next to him.
"You all right?" Magnus asked as he drew close. Ursula and her secret service agents were right behind him.
"I'm fine," Tessa said. "But I think our friend here won’t be creeping anyone else out for a while, or ever, maybe."
"We'll take him to the maintenance sector. They may be able to repair him," Ursula said as she took in the damage. "If not, they’ll try to retrieve his data files. That might give us a clue as to who is attacking you."
A short, dark-haired woman in a neat uniform hurried up to converse with Ursula. "This is Detective Karyn MacWilliams," Ursula said. "She'll investigate and get back to me...erm...us with what she finds."
The woman gave Tessa a terse jerk of her chin in acknowledgement. "We have cameras set up. Shouldn't take long to figure out who did this." She glanced keenly at Magnus, and Tessa had to restrain herself from rolling her eyes.
"I know who's doing this. So does Magnus," she said.
Karyn raised one dark brow. "Oh yes, the mysterious Atah Totepe, assassin extraordinaire." She shook her head. "But if it is her, she doesn't seem all that good at her job. She's missed twice."
Tessa opened her mouth around a sharp retort, but Ursula cleared her throat.
"Either way, I think it will be best to cut this tour short."
A security team moved to encircle and guide the small group away from the detective and into a waiting OPT. A few minutes later, Ursula led the way into her offices on the HOSH's top level.
"After considering the situation, I think it might be advantageous to change our itinerary. I had planned to show you another manufacturing center today, but perhaps a light luncheon would be–"
"I understand," Tessa said. "In fact, it might be safer for everyone if we left New Manhattan altogether."
Ursula's mouth dropped open. "What? No, that isn't what I meant at all. Let me arrange for tighter security, and I'm sure we can continue your visit safely."
"Governor Thompson, I appreciate your hospitality. And believe me – I don’t blame you for anything that’s happened," Tessa said. "But having me here is clearly not in anyone's best interest. What happened to Emil could just as easily have happened to one of your people. A weaver? One of your aides? You?"
With each example, Ursula's skin turned a whiter shade of pale.
"I'm not willing to risk anyone else's life," Tessa continued. "Are you?"
"You are a diplomatic emissary from one of the most powerful entities in the universe. It is our duty to–"
"I am a private person here on my own business," Tessa said.
A tinge of color rose in Ursula's cheeks. "So... Gaia really didn’t send you?"
"She knows I'm here, and why." With an effort, Tessa kept her voice pleasant. "But I never claimed this was a diplomatic mission. In fact, I made my reasons for coming to New Manhattan quite clear."
"But surely you can see the benefits of a trade agreement between us and the Simoi. Given recent events, I understand your concerns over security, but–"
"Like I said, I know you aren't to blame for the attacks on me."
"Well, of course, but–"
Tessa frowned. "Who told you Gaia sent me?"
The governor fidgeted with the fringed hem of her tunic. "I– had heard that some of the Simoi tribes are against intergalactic trade alliances. It would make sense if the Crown didn't want them to know until–"
"Heard from who?" Tessa stood and leaned forward, bracing both hands on the desk. "Who told you all this?"
Ursula pressed back against her gel chair. "One of our junior diplomats. While you were...ill...she received a message through back channels, a contact on Mega-One, giving your status as Queen Gaia's ambassador, but that the visit couldn't be seen publicly as a trade mission."
"And you didn't mention this when we asked who sent us the message?"
"There was no message! This only came through after you were already here. Then your people, Gaia's people, reached out to us! I thought all that, that..." She waved her hands vaguely. "The stuff about HiveZ and everything was just a subterfuge - you know a polite little fiction – so that everyone had plausible deniability if the other Simoi heard about it."
"The threat of mass murder was a polite fiction?" Tessa stared at the woman in disbelief.
"Believe me, I've spent my entire adult life in government, and I've seen worse excuses." Ursula's expression hardened. "Besides, it isn't as if your victory over the hive was news to us."
Tessa sat down slowly. "You knew who I was before I got here?"
"Of course we did. And your connection to Gaia."
"How?"
"You mean besides the governmental memos?" Ursula gave her a tentative smile. "Most of us have friends, relatives even, in other settlements. The U.S. Fleet may be spread out – some would say scattered – but we still watch out for each other."
Tessa eyed the other woman warily. "And what about Gaia's connection to Earth? Are you aware of that, too?"
Ursula's expression went diplomatically blank. "Because of her position as head of the Simoi tribal alliance, a diplomatic and trade relationship with her is desirable. Any rumors of other..." She paused, searching for a suitably innocuous word. "Associations, are of little interest to us."
"Even if they can provide you with a way home?" Tessa asked.
"We are home, Dr. Graham. One of our own choosing and soon, our own making."
Silence fell between them, until finally, Tessa cleared her throat. "And you're prepared to make that decision for everyone on New Manhattan?"
A flicker of doubt showed in Ursula's eyes, and was quickly squashed. "There is no decision to be made."
"But if there were–"
"IF there were, I would publicize the information and allow our citizens to come to their own conclusions."
Tessa pushed to her feet. "Good to know. Thank you for your hospitality."
Rising hastily, Ursula moved around her desk to intercept Tessa on her way to the door. "But, you can't... Wait, please." Tessa stopped and Ursula rushed on. "What will you tell Queen Gaia?"
Magnus moved smoothly between them. "I will be happy to tell Her Grace of the good work you are doing here and make introductions if and when the opportunity arises."
He passed a hand over the palm plate and the door swept open, allowing Tessa to walk through with him right behind her. Ursula was still staring after them when the portal closed.
Tessa and Magnus walked down the main hall together toward the OPT.
“Someone sent a fake message,” Magnus said. “Gotta wonder why.”
“To keep me in one place. It’s harder to hit a moving target.”
“You think the Governor is in on it?” Magnus glanced at her, unable to conceal his shock. “Wouldn’t be the first time a politician dipped her toe into muddy water, but Ursula doesn’t seem the type.”
Tessa shook her head. “I agree. But you have to admit, there’s no better way to keep me here than to enlist the unwitting aid of New Manhattan’s governing body.”
“About what you said to Ursula back there.” They reached the OPT and, once inside, Magnus turned to her. "Would I be right in thinking the Earth still exists, and it's habitable?"
Tessa didn't look at him. "Let's say you wouldn't be wrong."
"Do Val and Alex know this?"
Still staring straight ahead, Tessa replied. "They do."
"Jordan?"
"Subject never came up."
"It never.... You mean you never trusted him enough to tell him. Why?"
Finally, she faced him. "You sure are asking a lot of questions for someone who has never expressed any interest in Earth in all the time I've known you."
"First off, we haven't known each other that long. Second, I had no idea it was even a possibility. Until about five minutes ago, I thought Earth was some kind of mirage. A ghost story or a myth people told to their kids around the dinner table."
The OPT slowed and Tessa faced front again. "Well, now you know different."
As the doors opened, a flicker of movement caught Tessa's eye, and she flinched back as a searing white bolt flashed in front of her eyes to bury itself in the OPT wall.
"Look out!" Magnus yelled, shoving her aside. Off-balance, Tessa's eyes widened as two more bolts missed her by centimeters.
Magnus launched himself through the opening, and blaster fire scored a jagged red line across his hip as he crashed into the hallway.
With normal vision, all Tessa could make out was a dim outline, only discernible when the assassin moved. Atah and her camouflage, Tessa thought.
"Stay out of this, Magnus!" their assailant shouted.
Homing in on the sound, Tessa hurtled through the door as it closed, bouncing it back into its slot. She landed hard on something that was softer than the floor. Cloth slipped under her hands, and she knotted her fists into fabric she could barely see. Adjusting her sight with an infrared overlay, she watched a female form bloom into red and blue swirls under her.
Another blast of white slammed into her side, just above her hip line, and ice spread over the duster's surface.
"You bitch!" Tessa shouted, grappling with her attacker. Another shot went wide, impacting the closest wall and sending icy tentacles a full meter outward in all directions.
Grabbing the cloth, Tessa pulled hard, ripping the garment down one side, and was rewarded with the sight of a pale green tunic.
Atah swung around and fired. The shot slammed into Tessa's chest. The duster protected her, but the impact shoved Tessa backward onto Magnus's still form.
Tessa jumped to her feet, but Atah was already rounding the far corner, and it suddenly registered that Magnus hadn't moved or made a sound since hurtling out of the OPT.
She dropped to his side and gently rolled him onto his back. A lump on his forehead explained his silence. "Magnus?" Checking his vital signs, she let loose a relieved sigh when she found his pulse strong and steady.
Footsteps pounded along the corridor, and she let her hands morph into blasters, only to hastily revert when she looked up and saw Ursula's security people running toward her.
"Get me a medilev," she yelled, and two guards peeled off, rushing back the way they'd come. Seconds later, they were back, guiding the floating stretcher between them. The guards lifted Magnus onto it, and she followed them to the closest medical facility.
She stood apart, refusing to leave the room, but far enough so that she wasn't in the way as they treated him.
An hour later, the doctor assured her that most of his injuries were minor. "Blaster burn on his hip, but we sealed it with newskin, so it shouldn't even scar. The biggest worry is the concussion, but he's got a healthy nanocyte load to repair the damage. We're already seeing improvement." The man, white-haired with a lined, compassionate face, patted her arm. "You can stay with him until he wakes up." He left the room, greeting the security team as he walked out.
Tessa settled into the chair beside Magnus's bed and took his hand in hers. "Don't worry. Atah will pay for this," she whispered. "I'll make sure of it."
