“Are you done dogfighting up there, Captain?” Mica asked over the comm.
“Yes, thank you for your help. Are you sure you want to leave my ship to take an engineering job down on Perun?”
“More sure than ever.”
“You wound me, Mica. Nobody else will appreciate you the way I do.”
“If that’s not a lie, it’s an awfully depressing truth.”
Alisa looked at Alejandro. “I’m not sure if I was just insulted or not.”
“Alliance,” he muttered, gazing at the view screen as they flew down toward the city-lit continent on the dark third of the planet.
She brushed away the insults, implied and perceived, and focused on getting them down to land. She had no idea if reaching Karundula Space Base would provide any measure of safety. Someone was after Alejandro and his orb, a mafia outfit wanted her security officer dead, and Leonidas had the kind of reward on his head that could buy a person a small island. Even Yumi, Alisa recalled, had cast a few nervous backward glances over her shoulder when she had first boarded the Nomad back on Dustor. How in all three hells had she ended up with so much trouble on board? She and Mica might be the only ones here that nobody wanted dead, at least not badly enough to do something about it. And Mica was threatening to leave her.
Alisa should have felt exhilarated after escaping an uncertain fate with that Fang, but it was bleakness that rode down to the planet in her heart.
Chapter 3
Alisa trotted down the metal steps into the cargo area, anticipation and trepidation warring for prominence in her mind. She worried about stepping foot on the planet and about the trouble that her crew and passengers were carrying with them. But she also felt nearly giddy as she pictured walking up to her sister-in-law’s apartment, smiling brightly, and saying she was there to pick up her daughter.
It had been so long since she had seen Jelena in person, well over a year since her last leave and her last time visiting. And more than four years since she, Jelena, and Jonah had lived together as a family. The video chats had helped to keep Alisa up to date on the goings on back home, but it had been nine or ten months since the last one, and Alisa worried that Jelena would feel she had been abandoned. Alisa hoped they could make up for lost time in the future. They could travel among the stars together, share in Jelena’s studies, play games, and find the ingredients to make chocolates by hand, as they had often done before the war. Alisa had done similar things with her own mother when growing up on the Star Nomad. Sometimes, it had been a lonely life for a girl, but there had been interesting passengers now and then, and she had played with other children when they’d been in dock or planet-side for a few days. Alisa had many good memories of those days and hoped Jelena wouldn’t begrudge her new future, that she would learn to appreciate it.
Alejandro turned toward Alisa as she reached the bottom of the steps. He stood by the hatch, a satchel slung over his shoulder but not his duffel bag.
“You’re not taking everything with you?” Alisa asked.
He hadn’t left that orb in his cabin, had he? She couldn’t believe that, not when she was fairly certain he slept with the thing. He must have it in the satchel. She did not feel it, though, not the way she had on that pirate ship, when it had lain on the table, the four interlocking pieces glowing like miniature suns and raising the hair on her arms as it pulsed with some strange power she could only guess about.
“Not unless you’re denying me further use of the ship,” Alejandro said mildly.
“No, the cabin’s yours until we leave. But if you’re still here then, I’ll have to charge you for the next leg of our journey.” Alisa smiled, not expecting him to take her up on the offer. He’d been waiting weeks, if not months, to come to Perun.
But he tilted his head curiously. “Where are you going next?”
“I had Arkadius in mind.” The seat of the Tri-Sun Alliance government and a planet as populated as this one. No place for an imperial loyalist.
“Arkadius is reputed to have an excellent library,” he mused.
“Uh, yes, and the Floating Gardens of Scinko Terra too. One of the thirty-seven wonders of the system.” Or so the tourism pamphlets promised. Alisa was fairly certain it was the orgies that happened in the heated pools that rested on those floating terraces that made the place popular.
“I’ve seen the wonders. I haven’t seen all of the libraries.”
“Is that where you’re heading here? To the library?” Since they were in the capital, she assumed he would go to the university’s Staton Hall Library. It boasted forty levels filled with books and computer terminals stuffed with data from centuries past, some of the systems dedicated to reading formats that had long ago been forgotten, information that nobody had bothered scanning and modernizing.
“Perhaps,” Alejandro said noncommittally and smiled.
The lack of trust went both ways around here. Not that she could blame him. Whether the war had ended or not, she was Alliance, and he was imperial.
“Make sure to stop at the Black Bomber on the first floor. They put adreno-shots in their espresso. The students love it. It makes your hair stand on end.”
Much as his orb did. She didn’t mention that.
“When I was a surgeon, I occasionally had to perform emergency heart procedures on people who drank too many drinks like that,” he said.
“Students will go to great lengths to buy themselves more time to study,” Alisa said.
“I suppose open-heart surgery would pass for a medical bye. How long do you plan to remain here?”
“On Perun? Assuming the imperials don’t kick me out, a few days probably.” In addition to collecting her daughter, she needed to find cargo and buy supplies for the ship. She was well aware of the paucity of her funds and how she had to pay Beck with them as well as keeping the Nomad in the sky. She would soon have another mouth to feed, as well, but she smiled, not thinking of Jelena as a burden.
Clanks sounded on the steps, Beck tramping down in his full combat armor, including the helmet, with two rifles slung over his back in addition to the built-in weaponry of his suit. Oh, yes. The authorities were going to let him walk off the ship and into the world without any trouble whatsoever.
Leonidas appeared on the walkway and came down the steps after him. He wasn’t wearing his armor, carrying only his destroyer in a hip holster, the weapon barely noticeable under his old military jacket. Apparently, he wasn’t worried about people shooting at him as he walked off the ship. Did he even know about the bounty? Alisa wagered a lot of loyal imperial subjects would be happy to turn on one of their own for two hundred thousand tindarks.
Interestingly, Leonidas had not packed up and also was not carrying his belongings. Was he still considering her job offer? Alisa had the impression that he had business here on the planet, but not surprisingly, he hadn’t spoken of it.
Mica and Yumi walked down the steps after him. The chickens penned in the corner of the voluminous hold squawked with excitement at Yumi’s appearance, even though she did not head toward their feedbag. She wore her dress and boots, but not a purse or anything that might suggest she intended to go out.
Was it odd that none of Alisa’s passengers were in a hurry to leave? Given all the danger they had been in during the last two weeks, she would have expected them to bolt as soon as the hatch door opened.
“Not going out?” Alisa asked as Yumi strolled up with Mica.
“Not currently,” Yumi said. “Mica and I are going to scour the planetary network and hunt for jobs.”
“You’re not going to take my offer of a job as science officer, eh?” Too bad. It had crossed Alisa’s mind that Yumi might be talked into tutoring her daughter. Oh, she might not be the best influence on a young girl with her interest in psychedelics, but so far, she had proven knowledgeable and useful, and she kept to her cabin when she was pursuing non-academic hobbies.
“I don’t think so,” Yumi said. “You hardly need a science officer o
n a freighter going back and forth in the shipping lanes out there. Though I must admit that traveling with you thus far has been stimulating.”
“Likewise. I’ll figure out a way to pay your salary if you change your mind.”
“Thank you. I’ll see what the job market is like here. It’s a populous planet, I understand, so teachers should be in demand.”
“You’ve never been?”
“No,” Yumi said. “I grew up in a small village on the northern continent of Arkadius. I’ve traveled to many places to further my education and explore, but I’ve rarely been drawn to the great metropolises. I hope to find something in a smaller country here on Perun.”
“Not me,” Mica said. “I want a job in the city here. I imagine they’re rebuilding, so there should be chances to put a stamp on the infrastructure of the capital that could last for centuries to come.”
“You’re not staying with the ship?” Leonidas asked Mica.
Alisa wondered if his interest—or was that concern—stemmed from the fact that he was seriously considering her job offer. She had made it before learning about that warrant. Should she revoke it? Having a wanted man on the ship where she intended to bring her daughter would not be a good idea.
“Jelena first,” she murmured to herself. She could worry about the rest later.
Leonidas looked to her, his brow creased. She had forgotten about his enhanced hearing.
“Mica doesn’t think keeping the Nomad in the air is intellectually stimulating enough,” Alisa said, “so I’ll be looking for a new engineer while I’m here.”
“Oh?” Leonidas asked. “Your ship is attacked regularly. It seems that an engineer would find a great deal to stimulate her here.”
“I’m hoping those days have come to an end,” Alisa said, glancing at Beck and Alejandro and thinking of the Fang. Maybe her hopes were delusional.
Alisa hit the button to open the big cargo hatch and lower the ramp. They had been cleared to land, the air traffic controller making no comment about the battle up in orbit, and she assumed that meant they were cleared to depart the ship, too, but she watched warily as the ramp lowered. She would not be surprised to find an armed escort waiting for them.
The blue sky that came into view made her heart sing, even if it was hazy with pollution. Dustor’s sky had been red and usually full of storm clouds or sand as the wind scoured the surface of the planet. Before that, she had been in space for a year. It was good to see a bright sky again, the sky of one of the few planets in the system that hadn’t required terraforming to be habitable to the occupants of Earth’s early colony ships.
The hordes of people striding through the concourse, hurrying along the moving sidewalks or crossing on hover bridges, didn’t set Alisa at ease the way the sky did, but she expected them. Perun, its capital city included, had been bombed during the last year of the war, but it could not have put much of a dent in the population on a planet that housed billions. The capital city alone held more than ten million people. Somewhere in the crowd, someone or something with a loud mechanical voice promised specials on everything from fresh lettuce to grav boosters at the ZipZipMart on the third level of the embarkation station.
“Captain,” Yumi said, “if you happen to see any chicken feed while you’re out, I could use some. And also some compost for the potted plants and mushroom logs I started in my cabin.”
“You’re sure you’re leaving?” Alisa asked.
Yumi smiled, her cheeks dimpling. “Not entirely.”
“I’ll fetch your feed and compost,” Beck said, smiling at Yumi. How a man managed a shy smile while wearing all that imposing combat armor, Alisa did not know, but he did it.
“Thank you,” Yumi said.
Alejandro flicked his hand in a farewell and strode down the ramp. Alisa supposed it was cowardly, but she watched to see if anyone would leap out to apprehend him before venturing out herself.
The crowds of people did not take any notice of him as he glided into the stream. His gray robe did not stand out among the eclectic attire of the cosmopolitan populace.
“You going to look for cargo, Captain?” Beck asked, stepping up to her side.
“Eventually, yes. I have a personal matter to attend to first.”
“I’ll come with you.” He patted the strap of one of his rifles.
Alisa blinked in surprise. “Thank you, but that’s not necessary. You don’t even need to leave the ship if you wish.” She kept from pointing out that it might be a good idea if he didn’t leave the ship. She did not pay attention to mafia happenings and did not know if the White Dragon had a base here, but she would not be surprised. The news often mentioned that some of the big mafia empires spanned the entire system.
“Might be dangerous out there for you, and you hired me to protect you.”
“I hired you to protect the ship,” Alisa said as Leonidas stepped up to the top of the ramp. His brow was creased as he watched Alejandro’s back as the older man disappeared into the crowd. Had he expected to be invited along? “From pirates trying to force their way aboard and steal my cargo.”
“If you get mauled or kidnapped while walking along the street, who’s going to get us a cargo?” Beck asked.
“I suppose that’s a valid point.” Alisa had never worried about being mauled or kidnapped in the years she had lived here before, but that had been when she had been an imperial subject with no allegiance—at least nothing on paper—to the budding Underground Alliance. Besides, she had no idea if the empire had managed to maintain the police force that had once patrolled the city and protected its people. She didn’t even know if they were still calling themselves an empire. Could a single planet be considered an empire? When the emperor himself was dead?
“I need to pick up some spices for my marinades too,” Beck said, “and some fresh meat. The bear’s about gone.”
“Ah.” Alisa hadn’t planned on a shopping side trip, at least not for minutia such as spices and chicken feed, but she supposed they could stop on the way back. Maybe Jelena would enjoy the Pan-System Market. “I accept the offer of your company then.”
“Gracious, Captain.”
“Someone needs to carry the chicken feed.”
“Easy enough.” Beck pretended to flex his armored biceps.
“Keep an eye on the ship,” Alisa told Mica with a wave, but paused before she started down the ramp. She turned and trotted over to Mica. “You said you’ll be on the computer, right? Looking for employment?”
“Yes.” Mica squinted at her.
Alisa leaned close, keeping enhanced cyborg hearing in mind this time. “Look up a Colonel Hieronymus Adler, will you?” she whispered. “Find out anything you can. There’s a warrant out for him, and I’d like to know why.”
“Is that our cyborg?” Mica murmured, eyeing Leonidas over Alisa’s shoulder.
He stood at the top of the ramp, looking out at the crowd, and did not appear to be concerned about their conversation.
Alisa nodded.
“Did he become a cyborg out of bitterness that his parents gave him the name Hieronymus?” Mica asked.
“Possibly so.” Alisa waved again before joining Beck.
They headed down the ramp. To her surprise, Leonidas followed them.
“You’re not coming with us, are you, mech?” Beck frowned over his shoulder.
Alisa winced. Even if she had called Leonidas “cyborg” for the first week she had known him, she’d come to think of him as a regular person, and she wished Beck would stop calling him by that name.
“Just heading in the same direction.” Leonidas nodded toward a sign for a transit station at the end of the concourse, not obviously offended.
“You’re probably going somewhere more interesting than we are,” Alisa said, fishing a bit. She doubted he would tell her anything, but she was surprised that he wasn’t heading off to the library with Alejandro.
“Doubtful,” Leonidas said.
So much for fishing.
/>
At the transit station, they ran into trouble when Alisa tried to pay with her four-year-old swipe card. She was not surprised when it was rejected, as she’d suspected her bank account might have become a victim of the war, but there wasn’t a human operator to talk to, nor would the robot at the turnstile accept the physical currency that Alejandro had paid his passage with.
After observing for a moment, Leonidas stepped forward and waved the palm of his hand at the currency scanner. A blue light flashed, reading the subcutaneous chip that most imperial subjects possessed. Because of her itinerant youth and her mother’s fear of being on the grid, Alisa had never gotten one.
“Three,” Leonidas said, paying for fares for all of them. “Looks like I’m joining you, after all,” he said dryly.
“For someone who was squatting in a junked freighter when we first met, you’re certainly bursting with cash,” Alisa said, then wished she had thanked him instead. Why did she have such a hard time doing that?
“Only on this planet,” he said, his blue eyes growing a touch stormy as he pushed through the turnstile.
She shouldn’t have reminded him that his government and his way of life were gone. She wondered again if he knew about the bounty out for him. Should she tell him?
“Think he’ll buy us some chocolate-covered peanuts on the train?” Beck said brightly, apparently not worried about Leonidas’s problems.
“Maybe if you stop calling him mech,” she said, following Leonidas to the floatalator leading up to the elevated boardwalk.
“Not sure peanuts are worth that.”
• • • • •
Alisa got off the train a stop early, wanting to walk past the apartment building her family had once lived in. Maybe she shouldn’t have, since her sister-in-law had warned her that it had been destroyed—the bombing had been what resulted in Jonah’s death—but a morbid need to see the area for herself filled her. Besides, it wasn’t that far from her destination, and the afternoon was young. Jelena would probably still be at school.