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SAREE CHECKED THE STATION map on her e-torc displayed her location correctly without transmitting it back to some central server. She didn’t want to get lost on her way back to Beta shuttle, nor did she want to make it easy for anyone to find her. As they walked, the wide passageways narrowed, the floors showed wear and tear, and the walls were scuffed, probably from poorly maintained cleaning bots. The air grew a little stuffy and smelled of whatever was cooking in nearby compartments. Saree’s feet ached from the stupid high heels, and she almost twisted her ankles half a dozen times on the poorly-mated plas tiles. At least the man she’d tagged earlier was nowhere to be seen.
They finally reached a hatchway with the moniker “Last Call” displayed in flickering letters and followed Fisk inside. Saree stepped in and to the side, surveying the long, narrow, dimly lit compartment. A bar with a human bartender stood to her right, most of the seats taken, a few high tables in front of her, half of them full, and some sort of gaming room farther in. Soothing instrumental music played quietly, the chatter of beings louder.
Fisk went straight to the bar. “John, I brought some friends. First round is on me. Float Ale, please.” He turned to them and grinned. “The station brewery is pretty good.”
They all ordered, mostly beers. Saree said, “Just water for me, please. Too much dancing!”
John nodded and placed a sealed bottle in front of her. Saree downed half of it immediately, and followed Fisk to a larger table, closer to the game room. Pits and Los moved off, greeting others. Saree gratefully eased into a chair, her feet throbbing.
Fisk scanned them, speculatively. “Any of you familiar with the Old Earth game of pool? Or darts?”
“A little,” Tyron said.
Katryn shook her head. “No.”
“I’ve played both once or twice, with varied rules,” the Captain said.
“Well, come on, you’ll all be good at this.” Picking up his beer, he walked to the back.
Saree leaned over close to Captain Ruhger. “I’m just going to stay here, see if anyone approaches me.”
He huffed, somehow conveying “you’ve got to be kidding me” along with “good luck,” and followed Fisk.
Saree drank some more water and fiddled with the bottle, glancing at her holo occasionally.
“Hey, pretty lady, want to get out of here?” a human male voice slurred behind her.
Blast. She’d thought the obvious drunk was headed to the sani-mod. No such luck. Saree spun on her seat. His alcohol and marijuana-laden breath sent her reeling back. “No. I don’t.” With her new enhanced body, she’d learned to be blunt, rather than polite.
“Oh, come on, you’re too pretty to sit here all alone.”
Saree slid back, blinking away tears. “I’m not alone. Go away.”
The man opened his mouth but nothing except a squeak emitted.
“The Gentle said ‘no,’ and no means no.” The human woman behind the drunk was the epitome of average. Brown hair, brown eyes, unremarkable face, medium height, she would blend into any crowd. Until you looked closer. The woman was in excellent physical condition, her arms, shoulders and legs striated with muscles; the perfect operative. She hauled the man back from Saree, and sent him stumbling forward with a firm push on his lower back. He sent a chair clattering to the decking and caught himself on the next table, fortunately empty. “Go hit the sani-mod and take some sober-ups. You’re pitiful.” The woman turned back to Saree and nodded. The drunk shot her a nasty look but did as she suggested.
Interesting approach technique, if that’s what it was. “Thank you, Gentle...? I appreciate you handling that for me.” Saree shrugged. “I was about to do something similar, but you saved me the trouble. I’m Saraa.” She bowed, still seated. “Join me; I’ll buy you a drink.”
The woman smiled at her. “Oh, it’s no trouble. I enjoy manhandling idiots.”
Saree laughed. “I enjoy watching.” She put a hand above her eyes and made a show of looking around. “Are there more?”
The woman laughed. “Not at the moment, but I’m betting you’ll attract some. I’m Jane, Jane Wei.”
“Nice to meet you, Jane.” Could you find a more anonymous human name? “I’m sure you can tell from the clothes, but I’m with that group back there.” She tossed her chin at the crew.
“Yeah, those don’t exactly fit in this dive.” Jane laughed.
Saree shrugged. “We didn’t start here. And a couple of our crew designed these.” She swept a hand down her body. She shrugged again. “What can you do? If they get upset, life is miserable for everyone. What’re you drinking?” She brought up the bar’s ordering interface on her holo.
“Float Lager.” Jane nodded. “Thanks, I’ll get the next one.”
“Sure.” Saree closed the menu. “So, Jane Wei, what do you do? You a regular?”
“Nah, but I know bars like this one on stations across the universe. I’m a courier pilot. I fold anywhere and everywhere.”
“You have a Mermillod folder?” Jealousy hit her hard.
Jane smiled smugly. “I do. Took me a lot of years to build up the credits, but I bought it. Still paying off the loan, but faster than I thought. How about you?”
“Small shuttle transport folder backup pilot and odd-job jockey. We’re out of Nexus.”
Jane chuckled. “Like everybody else. Including me.”
“Yep.” Saree popped the ‘p’ and grinned.
“Why are you piloting? Looking like that, you could be a core model, an actress, almost anything.”
Saree shuddered. “No thanks. All those people, staring, judging? Yuck.”
“Yeah, I wouldn’t like it either.”
“Besides, body mods are easy if expensive. I think about modding away from this all the time.” Saree swept a hand down her body. “But it’s my body. I shouldn’t have to change for fools.” She deliberately wobbled a little on her seat and grabbed the table edge. “Wearing these shoes makes me a fool. Never again!”
“There’s a little kiosk around the corner selling cheap shoes,” Jane said. “We can go get some real quick and be back before they know you’re gone.”
Subtle, Jane. Saree held back her incredulous stare. “I’ll make the boys get me some. They’re the ones who dragged me here. I’m not leaving this chair,” she whined.
Captain Ruhger stumbled up to the table, clamping a hand on Jane’s shoulder to catch himself. “Sorry, Gentle.” He shifted his grip to the table. “Ooh, you’re pretty. What’s your name?”
“Jane.” She glared at Ruhger. “I’m not interested.”
“Ruhger. I am, but okay.” He shrugged. “Saraa, let’s go; I’ve had enough.”
She looked up through her lashes at him. “But I’m having fun. And my feet hurt.”
He huffed. “No problem.” The Captain pulled her out of her chair, holding her cradled in his massive arms. Tyron and Katryn joined them. “Let’s go.” He wobbled his way out of the bar, Tyron stabilizing him. Saree and Katryn laughed and giggled.
After they’d reached a better part of the station, Saree whispered, “You can put me down now.”
“No need. You’re light.”
“No, I’m not. And I can walk.”
“You’re my cover. You’re too drunk to walk.”
“I’m going to get you for this,” she hissed.
He huffed. “Fine. Stumble around on those stupid shoes.” He dropped her legs.
When she wobbled on the heels, Saree squeaked and gripped his shoulders. “Rad-blaster.”
“You insisted.” He kept an arm around her waist until she was steady.
Saree snorted. “Gee, thanks.” She pulled away and started walking. They didn’t have far to go. “I’m never wearing shoes like these ever again. They’re torture.”
“No kidding,” Katryn said. “My platforms boots are better than yours, but they’re still horrible.”
Chief said, “Trouble. Get going.”
They picked up the pace, Saree’s toes screaming. Oof. I hate Loreli! Ruhger put an arm around her again and half-carried her.
A map appeared in her holo. The four of them were blue dots, at least seven red dots behind them. She reached up and snagged the stunner from her hair while she minced along on her tiptoes.
“You’re a hundred meters from a security post,” Chief said. “Faster.”
“Sorry, Scho—araa,” the Captain said. He pulled her up and over his shoulder and sprinted down the passageway.
Saree looked over at Katryn and Tyron. Katryn was over Tyron’s shoulder, but her upper body wasn’t flopping uselessly. No, Katryn looked like a dancer, her hips on Tyron’s shoulders, her upper body raised. Her hands gripped a stunner, ready to fire. Katryn must have abs of steel. Abruptly, she relaxed against Tyron’s back.
Saree’s body swung slightly as they rounded a corner. Ah, Katryn must be watching Tyron’s path in front of him, so she can time her shots. Saree put her hands on Ruhger’s waist to hold herself in place, wishing she had Katryn’s impressive control. Ruhger’s muscles flexed and bunched as he ran. If someone else was carrying Ruhger, he could certainly copy Katryn’s move.
They turned another corner and Katryn popped back up. Saree wanted to do the same, but wasn’t sure if it would throw off Ruhger’s stride. She also wasn’t sure she had the ability.
Katryn collapsed again, and they careened around another corner. Then they slowed.
Tyron laughed loudly. “Fine, you win. You’re faster.”
“Told you so,” the Captain fired back.
They kept moving along at a fast pace. Saree smiled and waved at the security bot that zipped up beside her. It zipped away. The red dots in her holo stopped and turned around.
They made it back to Beta shuttle’s airlock. The Captain put her back on her feet at the airlock.
“Sorry about that, but speed was more important than your dignity.” He waved her to go in front of him through the airlock hatches.
“Not a problem. These shoes are terrible for running.” Saree dropped into the first seat she came to and toed the stupid things off. “Never again.” Released from the torture devices, her feet throbbed.
Katryn plopped down next to her. “Fashion is for sand fleas.”
The airlock sealed with a hiss.
Chief’s face looked down on them from the vid screen. “Grant, Loreli and Doc are in some expensive party suite with a bunch of high-credit beings. I just heard Doc say he likes to watch, so he’s on guard while the rest of them do things I don’t want to know about. I messaged him about the attempt.” He grimaced. “I’ve got their vital signs up, but I’ve muted the vid and lowered the volume. If they’re stunned or drugged, we’ll see it. If they scream, we’ll hear it.”
“Chief, I’m sure there will be lots of screaming,” Tyron said with a disbelieving chuckle.
“Well, yes, but at least I won’t have to listen to most of it. I’m not a voyeur.”
Saree rubbed her feet. Slowly, sensation returned and the pain lessened.
“So far, everybody in the suite checks out,” Chief said. “Too many credits, not enough common sense. But I don’t know who was chasing you.” He yawned, loudly.
“Chief, get some sleep. I’ve got the watch,” Captain Ruhger said. “I’ll figure out who those people were, and why they felt safe coming after us on a station full of Gov Human. The rest of you can sleep too.”
“I could use some shut-eye,” Chief said. “Lightwave is buttoned up tight, the meteor shields, sensors and alarms are at max.”
“I got it, Chief,” Captain Ruhger said.
“Sure you don’t need help?” Tyron asked before Saree could.
“No. Antlia is well-regulated. I’ll wake you in a couple hours.”
“Sounds like a plan.” Tyron handed Katryn and Saree blankets.
Saree took it and lowered the observer chair into its acceleration couch configuration, yawning. She snuggled under the blanket and closed her eyes. She’d worry about everything tomorrow.
#
RUHGER LOOKED BACK at his sleeping crew. Dead to the universe. Good; he could get rid of this stupid outfit. He peeled it off and gratefully pulled on the spare coverall he kept in Beta shuttle. Sighing, he picked the blue costume up off the decking and threw it in the auto-cleanser. He’d rather recycle it, but Loreli would throw a fit.
He sat in the pilot’s seat and brought up the vid Chief saved of the beings chasing them. Pulling up Katryn’s facial recognition program, Ruhger pasted each face in, got up and started his morning y’ga. While it wasn’t all that late on ship time, the after-effects of bar-hopping made him sleepy, despite avoiding excess. He probably wasn’t recovered enough from the Brain Drain antidote to indulge at all, but Doc said they were okay for one or two alcoholic beverages.
Refreshed and semi-alert, Ruhger sat down and rubbed the arm rest while he scanned surveillance and security for the shuttle and folder. Completion notices pinged from the facial recognition program, but Ruhger made himself wait until the program completed. The first identification he brought up had him biting off a curse. Phalanx Eagle. Of course. Who else would be stupid enough to come after them on a station full of Gov Human? Half of the brain trust were already in Antlia Security custody for threatening beings with lethal weapons, the others had warrants. Ruhger dug a little farther and found notice of a shuttle lock-down, but he was sure they had another shuttle or they stole one or they went outside for a pickup. They’d be long gone.
Or would they? Were they after Loreli and Grant? Ruhger brought up the vid and hastily shut it back down, shuddering. He didn’t need to see that. Still, he should warn them. Ruhger sent an urgent message to Doc, Grant and Loreli; Doc acknowledged it right away. Relief let Ruhger’s shoulders relax, but he put on his boots and weapons just in case they needed an assist. Chief had already mapped the fastest route to the compartment the three of them were in, with alternates, including an excursion through Pump House Below. Ruhger shuddered. Below here might be fairly benign, but dealing with a station Below was never easy.
He went back to the facial recognition and set it to tracing the PE members still on the station. A being had to be desperate to sign on with PE. There was no teamwork, no loyalty at all. Wreck lived up to his name.
Ruhger kept plugging away at surveillance and the vids coming from the remotes Katryn and Tyron deployed during their tour of the station’s bars. Sure enough, a shuttle left the station about ten minutes after their altercation, flying to a folder named Speedfold Five. Wait a minute, that name sounds familiar. He racked his memory. Unfortunately, his memory was suspect and fuzzy after his bout with Brain Drain and the antidotes. Would he ever get back to normal? How much had he lost? He plugged the name into Lightwave’s search function.
Ah! Ruhger sat straight up. A folder named Speedfold picked up “Lady” Vulten after she abducted the Scholar. Despite his happiness at remembering the incident, an icy tendril of dread slithered down Ruhger’s spine. Was Speedfold a Phalanx Eagle cover? Was PE that close all along? Thank the seven suns of Saga no one on Lightwave had communicated directly with Speedfold—the only voices they’d heard were Vulten’s, Schultz’s and the Scholar’s. Or maybe Speedfold was another Galactica flunky, another set of tools like PE. Either way, it would explain why they wanted the Scholar. Galactica already suspected her. They’d had a closer escape than any of them realized.
Galactica must suspect the Scholar is the human Clocker, but it must not be positive, or it would put a lot more resources into her capture. With Galactica’s processing power and reach, tracking her down would be relatively simple. But if it was tracking her actively, had they made things worse by folding to Sa’sa? Just traveling there had to raise questions. Ruhger snort-laughed. At the time, there wasn’t much choice. Hal’s behavior was dangerous and there were too many questions the Scholar needed answered. He huffed. He’d be happier without the answers they’d gotten. They should have just ditched the Scholar and her shuttle, folding on to blissfully ignorant lives.
Ruhger carefully ignored how much he’d missed the Scholar during the long, dark year without her.
He crafted a message for Chief Porter and sent it off. Maybe they already knew about Speedfold and didn’t bother to share. But if Gov Human didn’t know, Ruhger wasn’t going to be the one getting beings killed just so he could one-up Gov Human. He didn’t play power games with lives for a thrill or imaginary points. He didn’t play games at all.
#
“JANE WEI IS FAMILIA? And they paid PE for the attempt on the station? Are you sure?” Katryn asked.
Chief Porter frowned at her. “If I said it, we’re sure.”
Suns, this woman is arrogant. Ruhger watched, ready to intervene, but more than happy to let his crew throw spears at the pararescue leadership.
“Why would Familia think they could get away with trying something like this here?” Katryn asked, even more impatiently.
Porter sighed. “I told you Gov Human liked the devil it knew, didn’t I? Look, I’m too low-ranking to know for sure, but I believe Familia has ties to high-ranking people in Gov Human, both civilians and military. It’s a mutually beneficial relationship.”
“Until it isn’t,” Tyron said.
Porter nodded. “Until it isn’t. And Gov Human will have to make it clear that you are all off-limits. The tricky part will be making it clear without telling them why. Which will also make it more difficult to get the word out and believed by everyone in Gov Human. Telling some of them, ‘it’s beyond your clearance level’ is a red flag; it just makes them dig in their heels or try harder to find out why. It would be better to somehow satisfy their claimed debt.”
“I don’t understand why they’d take this kind of brute-force approach at all. Usually Familia wants an action in exchange for a debt,” Tyron said. “Preferably an illegal action that ties the being closer, makes it harder to escape their grasp, like a murder for hire.”
“We also don’t know which of you they were after. Do they know who Saree/Saraa really is?” Porter asked.
“Or do they know she’s part of the crew, less critical since she’s a backup pilot, so safer to capture as leverage?” Katryn postulated.
“Or maybe she was the easiest to approach in the bar, a starting point,” Ruhger said. “Just a confirmation they’d found the right target.”
Porter shrugged. “These are all possibilities. Whatever the reason, you need to leave Antlia. Get out of Dodge.”
“Out of where?” Al-Kindi asked. The Scholar whispered something to him and he nodded.
Porter scowled. “Leave. Message us when you find a good place to hide for a while. Change your identities a couple of times.”
“And abandon my Nari?” Al-Kindi said, his voice low and menacing.
“We can’t rescue Nari if you’re all dead, or captured, now can we?” Fisk said.
“I will not abandon her. If I die, I will have done all I can. My family will not give up searching for her. We will be thorns in Gov Human’s side until she is retrieved or we are all dead.” Al-Kindi smiled, but there was no humor. “There is nothing to fear in death if we have done our best. Allah will reward us.”
“Wouldn’t you rather live?” Porter asked.
“Not without my Nari.”
“You realize your family doesn’t have that much clout?”
“Perhaps not.” Al-Kindi smiled again, with the same lack of humor. “But we are persistent. Gov Human will quickly tire of our constant, continuing demands to anyone and everyone we can possibly reach at even the worst of times.”
Ruhger huffed in amusement. The black hole of Gov Human meets the white light of Circinus—who will win? But there was a better way. “I believe it is time to leave. I’m not at all sure we’ll be in touch. You have proven to be more of a hindrance than a help.”
“That’s not a wise decision on your part, Captain,” Porter said.
“It’s the only decision you’ve left us with. Stay here, be a target for everyone with Gov Human’s help, or leave and avoid everyone.” He glowered at her. “What would you do?”
Porter sighed and grimaced. “Off the record? Yeah, I’d leave. Disappear. But I don’t think your chances of retrieving Nari Al-Kindi are good on your own, and if you stay in Circinus, we’ll find you. As will others.”
“And Gov Human will give us even less support, because our need for it can’t be explained to the bureaucracy,” Grant said.
Porter nodded, her expression grim.
“Well, Chief Porter, you’ve given us much to consider. Thanks for your help.” Ruhger sneered the last word, just in case it wasn’t clear how little he appreciated Gov Human’s incompetence. “We’re ready for your departure.”
Chief Porter and Fisk stood. “Safe folds, Captain. If we meet again, I hope it’s under better circumstances.” They strode from the chow hall. Fisk shot a look back at them, but Ruhger didn’t know what the look meant.
“Safe folds, Chief, Fisk,” he said.
They waited for Clobbered Turkey’s departure, Tyron and Katryn zapping the bugs and trackers they’d left. Chief had a remote out on the hull, removing more trackers.
Katryn said, “If we’re really going to go dark, then we need a dead system and time to remove the Gov Human comms. And search the net for other gifts they may have left.”
“I need to talk with my family, find out the latest information,” Al-Kindi said. “We can achieve both, if you’re willing to trust me.”
Ruhger said, “Dark doesn’t come with fold comms.”
Al-Kindi nodded. “No, it doesn’t. But I know the perfect place. And I’ve received permission to use it. Are you willing to fold to coordinates you know nothing about?”
Ruhger considered Al-Kindi’s desire for Nari’s return and the possibility of betrayal. “If you swear those coordinates aren’t a one-way trip for us into Phalanx Eagle’s or some other entity’s capture, yes.”
Al-Kindi’s expression darkened.
“Remembering Lightwave’s crew is my clutch,” the Scholar said, “Al-Kindi has already made his stance clear.”
Al-Kindi said, “I have said so. But I swear I will not betray Lightwave’s crew or Saree of Jericho to retrieve my Nari. I understand the balance of the universe and will not upset it for my own personal happiness or the betterment of my family or Nari’s family. Is that good enough or do you need blood?”
“That is sufficient,” Ruhger said. “Thank you for understanding my paranoia.” He bowed his head low, but Al-Kindi’s expression remained unhappy.
“Ruhger,” Tyron said, “we need a dead system first for scanning and quarantine. Then we can fold to Al-Kindi’s location.”
“Agreed.” They had to remove the Gov Human comms or they’d be found immediately. “Scholar, fold us back to...” Ruhger came up blank. “Wherever you think is a good choice. Your command.”
The Scholar’s expression cycled through surprise, thoughtfulness, and finally, a little pride. Good. Learning to command was critical to holding her own as a clutch leader. And since her success was critical to their future, it was vital she succeeded. Triumphed, even. And she needed something else to think about, concentrate on, something other than Hal.
Ruhger glanced at the rest of the crew. Most of them showed surprise, but their faces cleared as they thought through his reasoning. All except Katryn, who scowled. He caught Tyron’s eyes and tossed his chin toward Katryn. Tyron frowned at him, but nodded, acknowledging the continuing problem.
The Scholar said, “Thank you, Captain. I’ll plan our next fold. I’d appreciate it if you’d second me for command and flight.”
Ruhger said, “Of course. Let me know when you are ready.” He forced himself to leave the chow hall and go to the ready room. He’d give the crew time to talk amongst themselves and the Scholar time to plan their folds, no matter how difficult it was for him to let go.