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WELL, THAT WENT BETTER than expected. Ruhger considered the meeting on his way back to Alpha shuttle. Porter and the rest of the crew were upfront and mostly owned up to their mistakes, concentrating on improvements. Porter was a professional. Fisk, not so much. The man could not resist making snarky comments or interjecting uselessly. Wonder how he’d made it into a leadership position in the first place? Probably knew someone important. Or maybe he’d made a save, looked like a hero to some high-ranker or a politician. Wouldn’t be the first or last time someone did something heroic and got rewarded with a position beyond their real capabilities.
Ruhger stuck his head into the dining hall. No one there. Good. His crew should be working, not talking. He pulled up the crew message file. Al-Haytham brought an entire lab and they were setting it up in Cargo Bay Three. Excellent.
He looked up crew locations. The Scholar was in Alpha shuttle, the Phazeers in Security, Chief was unknown—the Clobbered Turkey must have very good shielding—Grant and Loreli were in Cargo Bay Three. Interesting. Cooking was a type of chemistry...
Ruhger entered the crew quarters, securing the hatchway behind him carefully, then up to Alpha shuttle. “Scholar?” he asked as he secured the Alpha shuttle hatch.
She turned to look at him. “Yes, Captain?”
“Everything normal?”
“Of course. No issues.”
“Excellent. I’m going to work out, then I’ll relieve you.”
She shrugged and turned away. He stared at her back for a moment, wondering what was going through her head, then shook his own and grabbed his workout gear, changing in the sani-mod. Maybe he should move into crew quarters now that the Scholar was invading his home so often. Changing in the tiny sani-mod wasn’t the easiest thing to do. But moving was a huge hassle and the crew compartments weren’t much bigger. No, eventually, they’d get the Scholar another shuttle and...wait a minute.
They wouldn’t get the Scholar a shuttle, the Scholar would buy a shuttle. Or Gov Human could give her one. The Scholar wasn’t a crew member, wasn’t his responsibility.
Ruhger huffed. He could tell himself that until Lightwave was nothing but space junk, burning into a sun, but deep down, he knew better.
She was everything.
#
SAREE WATCHED THE DINING hall in her holo, hidden away in the kitchen. Everyone critical to solving this problem sat at the dining table—Lightwave’s entire crew, Chief Porter, Doc, Los, Al-Kindi, Al-Haytham, and the Familia representatives, including Borgia. Why was he here? Saree’s nose wrinkled. Other than to stink up the room.
She watched Chief discreetly manipulate his holo. In response, Loreli’s blindingly white, billowing caftan shifted and plastered against her left side, waving in the breeze on her right, caught in the air blowing from Captain Ruhger’s end of the table toward Borgia. Most at the table smiled and nodded gratefully at Chief—even the female Familia researcher, Zola. A grunt of satisfaction from Chief and he sat back. Saree was happy to be in the kitchen, where gale-force winds weren’t necessary to clear the air of Borgia’s reeking cologne.
Arnault spoke first. “Captain Ruhger, our efforts have borne fruit. Luca?”
Luca nodded, darting a nervous glance at Chief Porter. “With the poison and antidote samples, and the data from your medico station—which is surprisingly good—this was a relatively simple problem. We’ve developed a broad spectrum antidote and more specific antidotes tailored to the three of you. We are ready to administer them.”
Doc said, with obviously false cheer, “Not going to detail the possible side effects, Luca?”
Glares from all four Familia got a smirk in return.
Captain Ruhger almost growled. “What are they?” he demanded.
Doc chuckled and said, “Let me take this one. That way, you’ll get the full picture.” He smirked at the Familia researchers, and outright glared at Arnault. “First of all, we did the research and developed the antidote.”
“You couldn’t have done it without us,” Borgia exclaimed, flinging a hand upward in a dramatic gesture.
Doc leveled an impatient look at him. “It wouldn’t have been solved so quickly or thoroughly without the research team.” He smirked. “But we also wouldn’t have to go back and clean up your sabotage.”
Luca said, “We did no such thing!” Luca and Zola’s expressions displayed offense and worry.
“No, you did not,” Al-Haytham said. He tossed his chin toward Borgia. “But that one did. And he would not have known how without your help. Chief Porter?”
Chief Porter stared at Borgia. “Los infiltrated your net, found all your notes and has vid of your actions.”
Borgia stood, knocking his chair to the floor. “All lies! Fakes!” He raised his arm and Doc stunned him, sending him thudding to the floor, his head narrowly missing the chair.
Arnault stood and Doc turned the stunner on him. Luca and Zola both pulled laser pistols, but they gripped them so tightly their knuckles were white. “We will be leaving now,” Arnault said calmly. “We do not appreciate your precipitous actions.”
Doc chuckled. “Precipitous, huh? Since Borgia is an assassin, my actions were not at all rash or impulsive.” He shook his head. “You must believe we are idiots.”
Chief Porter said, “I suggest you drop the weapons or die.”
Arnault glanced at the hatch where Pits stood, laser rifle aimed at his head, and sighed. “Fine. We will take our companion and depart. You have what you wanted.” He holstered his weapon, as did Luca and Zola. Their faces showed their relief; they didn’t appear comfortable bearing weapons.
“I suggest you keep Artiste Borgia close to home, Gentle Arnault. He is persona non grata in human space,” Chief Porter said. “Use of deadly force authorized and recommended.”
Arnault nodded sharply. “Captain Ruhger, you will be hearing from us. A debt is owed.” Luca and Zola grabbed Borgia under the arms, dragging him away.
“We owe you nothing,” the Captain stated. “We held to the agreed terms. You did not. Any attempt on us by Familia will be met with force.”
Porter said, “Gov Human agrees with Lightwave. We would have found this antidote without you and your sabotage means you reneged on the deal. There is no debt.”
Pits stepped back, out of the dining hall hatch, only the tip of her rifle barrel visible. Arnault paused. “Be careful, Captain. You are one, we are many. You owe a debt.” He disappeared out the hatch.
Still in the kitchen, Saree brought Lightwave’s command and control, and the undocking protocols. Good thing this didn’t require DNA or she’d be sprinting to Alpha shuttle.
“Why did you let them go?” Katryn asked angrily.
“Because Gov Human has no desire to start a war with Familia.” Porter’s face was tired, her tone cynical and impatient. “They have their uses and they’re a known entity. Often, the devil you know is better than the one you don’t. Keeping those four is far more trouble than we can handle—they’d need full bio containment—and killing them would start a war.”
“She’s right,” Grant said. “There’s no choice here.”
“But Gov Human needs to back us against Familia,” Tyron interjected. “We do not owe a debt, not at all, but if Familia chooses to say otherwise, we can’t prevail alone. Gov Human better make it clear we are a fold too far.”
Porter nodded slowly. “I will make that clear in my report. In the meantime, Doc, you do have what they need?” She nodded at Captain Ruhger.
“Yes, Al-Haytham’s team recreated the true antidote. But there are side effects. The antidote itself is very difficult on the patient. Each one must be in a medfloat when the antidote is administered. There is a significant risk of stroke, heart attack...”
“Lightwave, Animoso. Ready to depart.”
Saree opened comms. “Stand by, Animoso.” She initiated the undocking procedure.
“Safe folds, Animoso.”
“Thank you, Lightwave. If you wish the same, a debt is owed.”
Saree swept off the comms, not bothering to answer. She had nothing to add and it was useless to object. She entered the dining hall.
“No, Ruhger, you need to go first,” Tyron said. “You’re the Captain.”
“But Katryn is worst off,” he objected.
Doc held up a hand. “Katryn also has the greatest risk of side effects and will be in the medfloat longer. I’d prefer Ruhger, Tyron, then Katryn. That way, the treatment of the best cases can inform the worst, and be fully targeted for maximum effectiveness.” He smiled ironically. “And my attentions are targeted as well.”
Al-Haytham said, “We have another medfloat and some of our research staff can assist.”
Doc nodded thoughtfully. “Excellent. We can take Ruhger and Tryon at the same time, then Katryn.”
“Chief, will that approach leave you too short-handed?” Porter asked.
“I’m not comfortable with both out of commission at the same time,” the Captain said.
Porter said, “We can assist with defense.”
They all turned to Captain Ruhger. Grim-faced, he said, “No thanks. I’ll go first, Tyron next, then Katryn. Chief Bhoher is in command until I recover. Saraa is primary pilot, Grant second. Loreli, you’ve got defense, while Katryn has all security. When Katryn is treated, Tyron will take security, and I’ll back him if necessary. Questions?”
The crew was silent.
Doc said, “We’ll let you know when we’re ready.” He turned to Al-Haytham. “Let’s move Lightwave’s medfloat into the lab with yours, Al-Haytham, just in case.”
“Excellent idea.” The two of them and Al-Kindi left, discussing treatment plans.
Chief said, “All right. Let’s make contingency plans. I don’t want to leave Arriagada, but if we have to, we’ll need to move fast.”
“Just like usual,” Loreli said. “Good thing we’re both quick and smart!”
Saree headed for Alpha shuttle, to plan whatever folds they decided to make. But she couldn’t help think that none of them were as fast as Hal.
#
RUHGER CHECKED THE medico bay again. Katryn was unchanged, Tyron sitting at her side, holding her hand. He and Tyron endured the treatment without any real problems, but Katryn’s brain swelled. Doc and the research team worked miracles and got it under control, but Katryn hadn’t woken yet. It wasn’t a bad sign, Doc said. Not yet.
Meanwhile, they had to deal with Phalanx Eagle’s next salvo. Ruhger read the message again but it hadn’t changed. They wanted to meet in Mensa, a ridiculous proposition. The Mensians had closed their system to every other species and showed no signs of opening it back up. PE couldn’t have much clout with them. No human did. And sneaking into Mensa was likely to end in destruction for all of them. No, they’d made the right decision. Just stay here until PE gave them a sensible location.
He rubbed the armrest of his desk chair, and let his attention wander back to the Scholar. She wasn’t happy about the decision. If they did end up in Mensa, how would she react? Her shuttle was almost certainly destroyed or captured. What about Hal? If he still survived, where did he go? Where would he go? Ruhger didn’t want him living in Lightwave’s net, and Katryn would be furious at the mere suggestion.
If she ever woke up.
They weren’t likely to keep Hal out, though. Hal was tricky and he’d already infiltrated them thoroughly. What if he wanted to stay in Mensa? If he survived, it was probably in their net, and the resources of a space station or an entire planet were much greater than a shuttle or a small folder. He might like having so much memory and processing power. If he overcame his morality programming or his mission programming, it was a distinct possibility.
If Hal remained loyal, they had to find a location for him. Maybe they should buy some memory modules first? Something mobile with an interface? Suns, Gov Human should supply the Scholar with a new shuttle and she could purchase additional memory modules. Even if her old shuttle survived, it would be extremely risky to fly it. Who knows what the Mensians did to it? Booby-traps, make it a self-propelled weapon, a surprise weapon? Hal was good, but he wasn’t perfect. Ruhger would never let the Scholar’s shuttle dock on Lightwave. Which set them up for another Lightwave vs clutch discussion. The leadership and authority battles were escalating, and the Scholar’s despair over Hal and Nari seemed to be increasing. Or maybe it was the other way around, her emotions causing her to strive for control over something, anything?
Ruhger huffed. Too many possibilities, too many problems. Too many dangers. And he couldn’t share Hal with Porter, which handicapped their planning. He could, however, push her to lobby for a new shuttle for the Scholar—again.
And... “Scholar,” he said before he could think better of it, “has Gov Human or the Time Guild replied to your request for a new shuttle? If you’re successful, you should ask for some extra memory and processing modules. Living beings grow, and often, struggle causes them to grow quickly.”
She spun the pilot’s seat around, the mechanism squealing at an ear-piercing level. Stopping it abruptly, she jumped to her feet, shooting a resentful glare at the noisy chair.
Ruhger stifled a chuckle.
“When are you going to replace that thing?”
“When it dumps me on the plas. We don’t have credits for nice-to-haves, only necessities.” He shrugged. “There’s another chair right there.”
The Scholar glared. “Stupid thing might dump me first. Then what?”
“You work in a float chair or zero gravity until your tailbone heals.” He held up a hand before she could retort. “There’s a reason I asked the question. I’ve been thinking about the issue. You do realize that even if your shuttle survived, there’s no way we could check every inch of it? And that’s what it would take to ensure there weren’t any surprises.”
The Scholar glared. “But what about Hal?” Ice frosted her words.
“We move him. If your shuttle exists, which I doubt, we can pull the memory and main processors and move those, but otherwise? No. Too dangerous.” Ruhger thought about the shuttle a little more. “Do you know where the Time Guild interface is, physically? And what about the partitioned part of Hal that he can’t see? Where is that?”
The Scholar stared at him, tension coiling her entire body tight. “The Time Guild interface is built into my e-torc. I...don’t know where the Sa’sa hardware is. But most Sa’sa hardware has failsafes built in.” She was tapping on her thighs, her fingers flying, agitated.
“The Mensians have pretty good net skills. We should have blown it up before we left.”
“Hal lives there!” she yelled. “I’m not blowing up my best friend!” The Scholar ran for the hatch. “You’re a monster! A rad-blasted black hole!” The hatch closed behind her, but not before he heard a sob.
Oh, by the seven suns of Saga. That blew up right in his face. How had he misjudged her reaction so badly? Generally, he was good at this kind of thing. Not as good as Tyron, but decent. The Scholar completely overreacted. Ruhger considered her again. She wasn’t sleeping well, dark circles under her eyes deepening every day. If Katryn wasn’t in the medfloat, he’d strap the Scholar into the thing. That would go over well.
Ruhger huffed a sigh and pulled up navigation. Unsurprisingly, the Scholar had already planned a number of folds to Mensa. Some of them were pretty creative—and dangerously close to celestial objects. He had to double and triple check each one of these folds. The Scholar wasn’t thinking straight.
It wasn’t worth taking the chance. He pushed the calculations away and started from scratch. It wouldn’t take him much time to do everything himself and it would be a lot safer. He’d get Tyron and Chief to check his math, just in case his medical issues affected him as much as the Scholar’s emotions affected her. Ruhger shook his head. She had to get some sleep—and perspective.
#
SAREE SLAMMED INTO her tiny compartment and flung herself on the messy bed, pounding her fists in fury. How dare he threaten Hal! She picked her pillow and slammed it into the bed, over and over and over, until her arms ached. What kind of failsafes did the Sa’sa built into her shuttle? Hal might not be able to see them. What if the shuttle self-destructed before Hal got clear? Saree collapsed on the sheets. She sniffled but was too dehydrated for tears.
She sniffed harder and recoiled at the body odor. When was the last time she changed her sheets? She couldn’t remember—all the days ran together and she spent nights tossing and turning, unable to sleep. Saree flipped over on her back and stared at the overhead. Had she really screamed at the Captain like a madwoman? Or a teenage girl? She blinked, considering. And now she felt like death warmed-over. She closed her eyes in despair.
Hal would have warned her she wasn’t sleeping enough. She’d grown to rely on his insights, not checking in with herself, not doing her nightly meditations, not taking care of herself properly. There was no excuse for such behavior. As she’d told Hal, time after time, adults had to monitor themselves. And she had to more than most. She had much greater responsibilities than the vast majority of humans. Thank all the suns she’d melted down with the Captain, rather than some stranger.
Saree sighed and pushed to her feet. She changed her bedding, took a shower and put on a fresh shipsuit. Then she went in search of Al-Kindi. Hopefully, he had another dose of whatever it was the Bhamja Machi people had given her. Then she’d get some real sleep and wake up an adult again.