HISAKO

Nov Tero Station, Nov 15, 3269

The air was thick with pheromones, some of them natural, most of them coming off Dooley’s newest concoction. He called it Chill and swore there wasn’t a single drop of alcohol in it. Everyone had one in hand. It smelled like sandcat shit.

Vee beckoned me to a corner of Terry’s Place that I was developing territorial feelings about. It was just far enough away from the bar to have an intimate conversation. It was our spot.

“You want one?” She tapped the tumbler in front of her. It looked worse than it smelled.

“I’ll just get a beer.” I elbowed my way back through the artificially mellow crowd. By the time I returned to the table, Vee was consulting her reader.

“Project?” I said.

“Itinerary. We only have a couple of free days once we finish unloading. I want to get in as much as I can.”

“Are you going to see your family?”

“They’ll try to convince me to stay, but their hearts won’t be in it.” She rubbed the side of her neck. “I’ll be happier and make more money on the Hajj.”

I scanned her to-do list. “You can really do all that here?”

“It won’t be cheap, but we can get a deal if we both go in on it.”

I lost interest in follow up questions when Adem stepped up and slid his reader toward me. “We got trouble,” he said. “Take a look.”

The picture’s resolution was fuzzy, like I was seeing the subject through a veil. “Looks like a worm-drive projector.”

“Try again.” He pointed. “Look at the power transfer and output. Based on what I saw before I erased everything, I think it’s a squeezer.”

Uh oh. “Where did you get this?”

“Primary airlock scanner. Rakin just went through it with a crate he pulled out of that pod of his.”

“He built a squeezer?” My head was swimming. I’d studied the worm-drive for months and was still years away from being able to build one. How had Rakin gotten ahead of me?

“He didn’t build anything.” Adem’s face was pale. “Someone pulled it off the Hadfield for him.”

“While you were– How?”

“Mateo. He had the time and access. He was in the workspace the night I found out about the files. I bet he gave Rakin access to them, too.”

“But how did Rakin know–”

“I called the captain, but she’s in a meeting with the partners. No interruptions.”

“What’s going on?” The alarm in our voices finally got through Vee’s artificial mellow. She was struggling to focus.

“Bad things. Sober up.” I grabbed Vee’s reader. “The next elevator car to the surface closes up in fifteen minutes. Can we make it?”

“You should stay here,” he said. “If Rakin grabs you, he’ll have the whole package.”

He might have said more, but I was moving too fast to hear it. I pushed through the place harder than was polite, relying on Dooley’s cocktail to keep anyone from protesting. Adem followed me out the door.

“Do you know your way around the station?” I said.

“Well enough.”

We jogged to the primary airlock and waited impatiently to be cycled through. Once we were in the station proper, we broke into a run, ignoring the questions launched by the members of the crew on guard outside.

“It’s not far!” Adem said.

His breath was slow and steady. Mine was not. My heart hammered and before we had gone more than one hundred meters I had a stitch in my side. I began to wish I’d made exercise more of a priority.

“Are you alright?” Adem said.

I waved him on. “Go. I’ll catch up.”

I lost sight of him around the next corner.

I was sucking air and down to a fast stumble by the time I caught up. Adem had his hands raised to chest level, facing Rakin and two armed men. The gunsels switched their focus to me, then back to Adem before making an unspoken agreement to divide their efforts.

Rakin beckoned me closer. “Perfect timing! We can all go down to the surface together.”

“I’m not going anywhere with you,” I said, gasping for air.

“You have everything you need already, Uncle,” Adem said. “You can let us go back to the ship.”

“You underestimate your value.” He spread his hands. “One weapons expert and one guarantee of Maneera Sadiq’s good behavior. Dr. Sasaki and the device will disappear into the black market in a couple of days, and you and my sister can go back to playing peddler.”

Adem slid his right foot forward. “It’s going to be difficult to make deals after we report you to the Traders’ Union. They aren’t partial to thieves.”

Rakin laughed. “The Union is doomed. It can only last as long as their ships do, and we both know that won’t be long. Then it will be every planet for itself, and I plan to be comfortable on mine.” He nodded to the thug on his right, a tall man with a scarred face. “Shall we?”

There was a popping sound, and the other gunsel fell screaming, a flechette embedded in his chest and a surge of electricity overpowering his nervous system. Adem lunged, twisting the pistol out of the other man’s hand and bringing him to the deck in a brutal arm lock.

There was a rush of footsteps behind us. Vee picked up the stunned thug’s weapon and pointed it at the man Adem was grappling with. “That’s enough!”

Adem released his hold and rolled to his feet. The gunsel stayed where he was. His shoulder didn’t look right.

“What are you doing?” Rakin’s cheeks shook with rage. “You have no authority!”

Odessa put her arm around her android’s waist. “Reg, if he moves, zap him, too.” She raised her voice. “I did as your mother said and scanned the ship. Rakin has listening devices and cameras everywhere.”

Adem woke the comm on his collar. “Rakin Sadiq, I formally accuse you of illegal trading practices and misappropriating assets of Hajj shareholders. In accordance with the Traders’ Union Bylaws, your property and accounts will be locked down until a hearing is held.” He paused. “The nearsmart confirms. It’s registered the complaint with the station.” He smiled. “Now we have the authority.”

Rakin reached toward his jacket pocket.

“Don’t do it, Rakin,” Vee said. “I grew up here. You don’t want to find out how good I am with one of these.”

Rakin’s hand froze. “My heart. The shock. I just need my medicine.”

“Bullshit. Keep your hands where I can see them.”

Adem picked the second pistol up off the ground and handed it to me. “Do you know how to use this?” he whispered.

“Not at all.” My breath was coming easier now, and the pistol didn’t wobble too much as I pointed it at the ground near Rakin’s feet.

Adem moved away a few steps and used his comm again. His face was grim when he returned.

“Station security is on the way, and I just spoke to the captain.” He looked steadily at Rakin. “You’re bound, Uncle. Assets frozen. It doesn’t look good. Mom’s sending some people to pick up the crate and anything else you might have on you. Don’t expect them to be gentle.”

“Then what?” I said.

“If he doesn’t contest the charges, we let him go here, minus his shares, anything he’s taken, and any property he might have on the ship.”

“I can’t go to Nov Tero,” Rakin growled. “Not now.”

“You could ask for asylum on the station,” Vee said. “Get protective custody in return for giving up some of your old friends to the authorities.”

Rakin’s fists purpled at his side.

“Option three, then,” Adem said. “Uncle, I am authorized to escort you back aboard to await a hearing before the Traders’ Union Board of Directors, held at that body’s earliest convenience. Is that acceptable?”

“Yes, damn it.”

“One more thing,” Adem said. “If you’re coming back aboard, Mom says you’ll be staying in the freezer.”