Introduction
Over a thousand years in the future, mankind has made massive progress in space exploration and colonization.Several galaxies andsolar systems have beenmapped,terraformed,andnow colonized. Humanpopulationhasexpandedtofill thoseplanetsandmoons.
As people will always do, no matter how muchspace is betweenthem, theyfind reasons to fight with each other. Planets eventually formed confederations with other, like-minded planets, giving birthtotheAllianceConfederationandtheConglomerationConfederation.Theyarethetwodominant powersintheuniverse,andfor now theyareatpeace,tenuousthoughitmaybe.
In an effort to solidify peace and friendly relations, the Intergalactic Police Force (IPF) was created to maintain law and order throughout the universe. Both confederations, as well as some neutral planets, signed the Intergalactic Police Force Agreement, which gives the IPF power to conduct lawful investigations on any planet that has signed the agreement, as well as anywhere in openspace, regardless of jurisdiction. The IPF is tasked withbeinga nonpartisanentityresponsible for upholdinguniversal lawsthatall partiesagreedto.
Mercenaries and privateers have flourished in the open environment of space. Mercenary crews hire themselves out to whoever has the most money, and will do any job, whether legal or illegal. Privateers preyonspaceships, capturingthemand thenstrippingthemof anythingvaluable. Manyof thesepeoplecall EsmunahomebecauseitisoneoftheplanetsthatrefusedtosigntheIPFAgreement, andthereforefallsoutsideofIPFjurisdiction.
Regardless of confederation, planetary citizenship, or profession, most people are just trying to make the best out of their circumstances. Some are seekingto change their lives for the better, while others are merely trying to survive. Some are looking for love, while some are running from it. Whatever their lifecircumstances,mostpeoplearejusttryingtofollow their hearts.
The screwdriver inmyhands, the onlypitiful excuse for a weaponIhad managed to find, fell to the floor whenI saw her slumped body. I grabbed mybagfromits home bythe door and ranacross the hall, slapping the lights on as I stumbled into her room. The room was trashed. Books and papers were throwneverywhere.Chairs were upturned.Her collectionofminiature windmills was scattered acrossthefloor.
Mina lay in the middle of it, blood soaking her green pajamas and pooling on the floor underneath her. Black hair, lightly peppered with gray, fanned out on the floor. I looked at her eyes, buttheywereclosed.Mystomachturned,andIdroppedtomykneesbesideher.“Mina!”
Her chest moved and she tilted her head towards me, blinking slowly. “Cass. Get out of here. Theywantyou.”
Her words were like a laser to my chest, but I pushed the pain away. “They’re gone, Mina. You’resafenow.I’mgoingtohelpyou.”
Igentlybeganpokingather,tryingtodeterminewherethewoundwaslocated.Mostoftheblood appeared to originate from her abdominal area. I quickly unlocked the mechanism on my bag and withdrew aknife,slicingthroughher shirt.
Bloodbubbledupfromaspotonher leftside.Mymindstuttered.
Blood…so much blood…she’s going to die. Nothing you can do will save her.
She’s going to die because of you, just like your grandpa.
Blood. Life pumping out of her veins. Death, death…she’s going to die.
Thoughts collided in my brain as panic resurfaced. I knew if I gave into a panic attack, I wouldn’tbeabletohelpher.Isuckedinasmuchair asIcouldandtriedtoquell thethoughts.
Ileanedover andsurveyedthejaggedlacerationinher side.
Blood dripping, plopping, pooling. The fragmented voices in my head kept replaying the same phrasesover andover again.Bloodanddeath.Alwaysdeath.
More panic threatened to consume me. I glanced up at Mina’s face. She looked so pale and fragile. I knew she would die unless I could control my thoughts and administer first aid. I couldn’t losemyselfnow.Icouldn’tletthethoughtswin.
Focus, Cass. You can do this. I closed myeyes brieflyand tried to shut mythoughts downwith all thewillpower Icouldmuster.
Copper, tastes like copper, smells like copper. Copper: solid malleable metal, atomic number twenty-nine, atomic weight 63.55, thirty-five isotopes.
I flailed around mentally for several moments, but I couldn’t prevent the voices from talking. Instead, I tried to channel them, mentally retrieving the medical knowledge I had garnered over the years. Focusing on the problem before me and on the knowledge that would save her life brought enoughclaritytofunction,despitetheinterferingthoughts.
With some shaky semblance of control restored, I peered at the wound closely, determined to
ChapterOne
Cassia
pretend this was simplya mental exercise instead ofa crisis. “Lacerationto the lower leftlatissimus dorsi, approximatelythree inches deep,” I muttered to myself. Bad, bad, bad! I glanced at the blood onthe floor, estimatingthe volume. “Appears to have nicked anartery.” She’s going to die! I placed two fingers onher neck. “Pulse is weak. Systolic pressure is dropping. Signs ofhypovolemia setting in.”
She’s going to bleed out all over the floor!
LieutenantHenryGrahamsuddenlyappeared inthe doorway, wearingonlya pair ofsweatpants, andholdinghisgunwithbothhands.“Doc?”
“Inhere.”Idugaroundinmybag,retrievingtwovialsandasyringe.
I couldn’t allow her to die. Not Mina. Not one of the few people on this orbiting hunk of metal whocaredaboutme.Shewasmyclosestfriend,despitebeingalmosttwentyyearsmysenior.
Henrywasbesidemeinasecond.Heletoutalow curse.“Weneedtogether tomedbay.”
“No time. She will be dead in approximately three minutes. Medical would have been alerted whenthe shots wentoff.” Four shots to be exact. Atleast, thatwas the number Ihad counted once the intruder inmyroomhadrunfromme.
Itriedtostabthesyringeintothefirstvial,butmysweaty,bloodyhandsmadeitdifficulttogrip.
Slippery hands all covered in blood. All the blood is your fault, your fault, always your fault! Your hands create death and destruction, no good, nothing good, just pain.
Panic started to intrude back into my mind. I snarled something unintelligible and wiped my hands onmypants before successfullyjammingthe syringe intothe vial.Ifilleditwithapproximately twomillilitersofthesolutionandinjectedMinadirectlyabovethewound.
“Whatisthat?”
Swipinga hand across myforehead, Ididn’tbother to answer. Igrabbed the second vial, which contained a powder, and popped the cap off. I carefully tapped out the powder directly into her woundandheldmybreath.
The seconds ticked past as I waited to see if it would work. My fingers were shaking, and my heartwasstill pounding.Icouldn’tloseMina.Ijustcouldn’t.
Tick.
Tick.
Tick.
Finally, the blood flow slowed. My lungs relaxed, and I breathed again. “Good. It’s working.” “Whatdidyougiveher?”
I leaned over to check Mina’s face for signs of improvement. She had lost consciousness. Her face was still pale, but her pulse was stronger. “Nanobots in a special solution, designed for rapid cell growth. My own blend. They should facilitate accelerated cell regeneration and will repair almost any damage. The powder is a chemical that forms a temporary web across the perforated artery.Itwill inhibitthebloodlossuntil thenanobotshavehadtimetorepair thedamage.”
My nerves were still on edge, and I sat back slowly, trying to calm down, trying to reassure myselfthatMinawouldsurvive.Iclosedmyeyesandfocusedoninhalingandexhaling.
“Areyouokay?Whathappened?”
“There was anintruder. Likelymore thanone.” Iswallowed. “Iwoke up and heard noises inthe main roomof my quarters. They were searching, probably for my notes. He came into my bedroom and tried to attackme. He didn’tmanage to hurtme. The alarmsounded and he ran. Icame outto the hallwayand saw Mina…” I couldn’t bringmyself to sayanythingmore and Henryreached over and gavemyarmasqueeze.
“Everythingisgoingtobeokay,Doc.”
Shouts echoeddownthehall,andsuddenlytherewere people everywhere.Soldiers came inand beganmethodicallysearchingrooms and callingbackand forthto eachother. Medics moved Mina to a stretcher andcheckedher over.Henrytookmyarmandmovedme tothe side ofthe room,outofthe way.
Myeyes didn’tleave Mina. Ihad to be sure she was still breathing. Ididn’tknow whatIwould do if I lost her. She wasn’t my mother, but she had cared for me like I was her own child. She had beenafriendandmentor for thelastseveral years.
The medics lifted the stretcher and started for the door. A lieutenant I didn’t know stopped us fromfollowingthemto askfor the details of the situation. Henryand I recited what little knowledge we had. Neither of us knew how someone managed to breakinto the militarybase, whichseemed to be the lieutenant’s main query. I didn’t care how they got on the base, or even if they had been apprehended.IjustcaredthatMinawassafe.
Whenthe lieutenantwas finallysatisfied, Iturned and eyed the door. “Ineed to make sure Mina isokay.”
Henry rubbed his forehead and pushed chestnut brown hair from his eyes. “I’m coming with you.”
Ifrownedathim.“Shouldn’tyoucheckinwithCommander Adams?”
“He’ll findme.I’mnotleavingyoualone.”
There was a firmness inhis voice meant to deter further discussion, and I recognized his logic. Henry had been the head of my security detail for almost a month now and he took his job very seriously. Up until now, I hadn’t believed I needed a security detail. Yes, there had been other attempts at stealing some of my research, but I had never been personally in jeopardy before. It seemedthecommander’sorderstoincreasemysecurityhadprovenprudentafter all.
“Verywell.” Inodded to him, turned, and marched towards medical bay. The alarms had woken everyone up, and personnel crowded the hallways. Many of themseemed confused by the alarms. I didn’tstoptoconversewithanyofthem.MinawastheonlythingIcouldconcentrateon.
Henryfollowed rightonmyheels after tuckinghis guninto his waistband. Eventhoughmymind was focused on Mina, I was grateful that Henry was there. Knowing he was there and more than capable of handling any issues reassured me. The threats may have been gone, but my mind hadn’t caughtuptothattruthyet.
As I stepped through the doors into the medical bay, I could hear the staff bellowing back and forthtoeachother.Urgencypermeatedtheair,andIrealizedthatMinawasn’ttheonlycritical patient theyhad. Ihad heard shots buthadn’tthoughtaboutwhatthatimplied. Others musthave beeninjured intheattack.
Isnaggedthearmofapassingnurse.“WhereisMinaLarimore?”
The nurse barelypaused. “She’s beingscanned rightnow. You’ll have to waituntil the doctor is readytospeaktoyou.”
She pulled awayfromme and disappeared downthe hallway. Henrytookmyelbow and steered me to a chair. Isatdownand tooka slow, deep breath. Ireached up to move hair outofmyface and noticedthatmyhandwascoveredinblood.Mina’sblood.
My stomach churned violently, and I bolted frommy seat. I barely reached the trash receptacle before vomiting. My body jerked, and tears leaked from the corners of my eyes as I expelled the contents of mydinner fromthe night before. Henrypatted mybackuntil I was finished and retrieved somewater for me.IaccepteditsilentlyanddrankdownasmuchasIcouldmanage.
Icollapsed backinto myseatand pressed mythumb againstthe biometric lockonmymessenger bag.Thefabricwasspeciallymodifiedwithnanobotstobestronger thanconcreteifsomeonewereto try and break into it. The scanner recognized me, and the top seam appeared. I pulled some wipes fromthebagandscrubbedatmyhands.Iwantedtospeakbutcouldn’tfor several minutesasItriedto erasetheevidenceofMina’sblood.Inever realizedhow harditwastoscrubbloodfromskinbefore.
“Theywereafter me.”
Henrysighed.“Thisisn’tyour fault,Cassia.”
I closed my eyes and leaned my head against the wall. My limbs buzzed as the remaining adrenaline slowlyfaded. Weariness tookits place and thankfullymythoughts quieted. “The blame is inconsequential. Mina nearly died. They…they hurt her.” I swallowed back more bile, trying to breathethroughthenausea.“Nothingismorevaluablethansomeone’slife.”
“Cassia!”
Iturnedmyheadtosee Leroyhustlingtowards me.His white hair was stickingup fromhis head and his browneyes were puffy. Pillow creases lined his pudgyface, and a deep scowl darkened his features.
His eyes observed everything from my bloody hands to Henry’s presence to my worried face. “Whatthe devil happened? Iwentto checkonyouwhenIheard all the alarms, and theywouldn’tlet menear your room.Saidtherehadbeenanincidentandthatyouwerehere.”
Ibreathedindeeplytogather mycourage yetagain.“There were intruders.Theywere searching myroomandMina’sroomaswell.”Ipressedtheheel ofmyhandintomyeyes.“Theystabbedher.”
Leroydroppedhardintothechair besideme.“What?Issheokay?”
“Thedoctorsareassessingher condition.”
Leroypressedhislipstogether.“Areyouokay?”
Inodded. “Yes. Iamuninjured. Idon’tunderstand the motivationbehind the attack. Iftheywere after myresearch,thenwhysearchour roomsandnotthelab?”
“You don’t keep notes there, Cass. Mina does, but they are locked up. The lab has far heavier securitythanthebarracks.”
I felt helpless and frustrated. “No one should have knowledge of our research. I thought this projectwasclassified?”
Leroy gave Henry a look I couldn’t interpret. Then he sighed. “There was a security breach. I didn’ttell youbecauseIdidn’twantyoutoworry,especiallywhenwecouldn’tdoanythingaboutit.”
“Explainsecuritybreach.”
“Someone sent out messages about our research. We haven’t been able to determine who received them or who sent them, but we were able to crack the encryption and read the messages. Specificdetailsaboutthemissileswerementioned,aswell asyour nameandMina’s.”
I sat up straight and took another couple moments to process his words. Mina and I had been collaborating on these missiles for six weeks now. We were the only engineers on this project because Commander Adams wanted to keep it secretive. Leroy was the only other member of our team, eventhoughhe wasn’t a scientist. He was aninformationanalyst who Commander Adams had hired to tutor me incomputer science and technologyand had since beenretained as a lab assistant. He was responsible for inputting all the data into the computer and constructing models as well as runningsimulations.
“So, an unidentified person on base disclosed the details of our highly classified project to personsunknown.”Ididn’tphraseitasaquestion,butLeroynodded.
“Yes.Andthere’sanynumber ofpeoplewhowouldkill togettheir handsonyour missile.”
Now Ijustfeltnumb.Isighed.“Andyouwereawareofthis,lieutenant?”
Henrynodded. “We’ve beenworkingontrackingdownwhoever sent the message and where it went,butsofar wehaven’thadanyluck.”
“Andneither ofyoudecidedtoinformme?”
Bothmenlookeddownatthefloor.Leroyrubbedthebackofhis neck.“Wedidn’twanttoworry you.Youhaveyour handsfull rightnow.”
“Youdidn’tthinkthatIcouldbeuseful inhelpingyoufindtheperpetrator?”
Henrypressedhis lips together butsaidnothing.Itriedtounderstandwhatemotionthatsignified but failed. Leroy spoke, pulling my attention back to him. “Cassia, you are the smartest person I’ve ever known. Butjustbecause youcancreate a time machine outofspare parts doesn’tmeanyoucan help us with this. We have learned as much as we could fromtracking this person digitally and the lieutenanthasmovedintolookingatpersonnel.Dealingwithpeopleisn’texactlyyour forte.”
“That is an inaccurate assessment of my capabilities. I cannot create a time machine, and certainlynotoutofspare parts. The technologydoes notyetexist.” Ifrowned whenLeroygave me a flatlook.“Granted,youarecorrectaboutmylackofsocial aptitude,”Iceded.
That was an understatement, I suppose. Even though I could understand the most complicated mathematical theory, I did not understand people. Even at twenty-two I felt completely out of my depthwhenIhadtobesocial.Havingtwodoctorates andaplethoraofprofessional accomplishments didn’tmakeupfor beingsociallyawkward.
Henryspoke, pullingme outofmythoughts. “It’s anexpression, Cass. We know youcan’tcreate a time machine.” He looked from me to Leroy and back again. “It was a figure of speech. We had thingsunder control.”
“Obviouslynot.Minaalmostdied.Thatisnot under control. ”
Mytone was sharper thanIintended, and Henrywinced, lookingaway. Ifelta pangofguilt, but mywordswereaccurate,andIrefusedtoretractthem.
“Strayer!"
Myhead jerked up to see Base Commander Adams stompingtowards us. He always seemed to stompor stride.Thoughheonlystompedwhenhewasupset,thatseemedtobehisdefaultmood.
He came to a stop infrontofme witha scowl onhis face. The wrinkles around his eyes and on his forehead were pronounced fromyears of wearing that scowl. His face was hard, with a square jaw andchiseledcheekbones.His eyes were sharpandmahoganybrown.He hadnohair tosoftenhis features either. His posture was always stiff and controlled. I don’t think anyone was ever confused aboutwhowasinchargewiththecommander around.
“Areyouinjured?”Hebarked.
Ishookmyhead.“No,sir.”
Hiseyesdriftedtotheclosedexamroomdoor.“AndMs.Larimore?”
“Theyare scanningher now, but I administered nanobots as soonas we found her, and she was improvingbeforetheytookher here.”
“Good.” He looked downatmyhands, whichstill had patches ofblood onthem, and his scowl softened.Heglancedbetweenthethreeofus.“Hasanyonebriefedyouonwhathappened?”
WhenIjustshookmyhead, he sighed. “Ihave mybestpeople lookinginto it, butfromwhatI’ve gathered so far, a four-man team infiltrated the base and headed straight for the crew’s quarters. Cameras wentdownall over the base. Thatleads me to suspecttheyhad inside help. I’mnotsure yet what extent they went to in order to go unnoticed. I assume you know most of what happened next. Theywenttoyour roomandMs.Larimore’sroom.Iwouldventuretoguesstheywereeither after you
or some ofyour research. Whenthe alarms wentoff, theymade a breakfor it, shootingthree officers onthewayout.Twoareincritical condition,andoneisdead.”
I swallowed, feeling ill again. I closed my eyes briefly, feeling my body sag. It was too much death.Justtoomuch.
Commander Adams cleared his throat, and I straightened myself up againas he gave me a hard look.“Doyouthinktheysucceededingettinganyinformation?”
“No, sir. Idon’tkeep writtennotes pertainingto the project. Mina’s notes are locked securelyin thelab.”
“Good.” He looked backto Henry. “Iwantyouto stickwiththe doctor and keep her safe. Iwant someone withher everysecond. I’ve got everyone else workingonhow someone got onto the base, butiftheyare after this project, as Isuspecttheyare, Cassia will be their number one target, and she isnow your priority.Your onlypriority.Understood?”
“Yes,sir.”Henrynodded.
Commander Adams looked back to me, his face softening just a touch. “I know how much you dislike having a security detail but considering what happened tonight I hope that you will be compliant. You’ll be leaving for Eremus tomorrow. That still leaves an opportunity for them to try again.ItisimperativethatwegetyouonashiptoEremustofinishyour research.”
I didn’t like the wayhe was talking, but I wasn’t goingto argue withthe securitydetail now. “I understand.”
Adoctor appeared and eyed me for a moment before lookingat the commander. “Ms. Larimore isrestingnow.”
Commander Adamsnodded.“Good.How isshe?”
The doctor sniffed. I didn’t know his name. I wasn’t sure I had seen himbefore. I didn’t know very many people on the base since I usually kept to my lab. “The nanobots have effectively done their job. They have repaired her artery, so the chance of her bleeding out has lessened. The scan revealed some inner trauma and a couple fractured ribs, butwithconsistentcare she will make a full recovery.”
My relief was so acute that my limbs went slack, and I almost slid out of the chair. I hadn’t realized how anxious and stressed I had been, waiting to hear the doctor’s prognosis. Yes, I thought my treatment had been effective, but I was not a medical doctor. It was calming to hear from a professional thatshewouldsurvive.
Commander Adams nodded. “Excellent news. Keep me updated.” His gaze moved back to me. “Strayer,awordinprivate.”
Ifollowedhimawayfromtheothers,uncertainwhathewasgoingtosay.
Once we were alone, some of his harshness evaporated. “Listen, Cass, I’m sorry about this. I take it personallywhensomeone tries to breakinto mymilitarybase and especiallywhentheytryto hurtmyscientists.”
“Idon’tblame you.” Iwasn’tsure whatelse to say. He seldomever dropped his militaryfaçade aroundme.
“You’ve been on this base since you were ten years old. Youngest person I’ve ever had to be responsible for. I always think of you as that ten-year-old. As long as you are on base, I won’t let anyoneelsenear you.”
Inodded.“Thankyou.I’mnottenanymorebutIappreciatethatyoucareandwanttoshieldme.” He nodded back, and the gruffness returned to his visage. “Now, go get some rest. Leroy can escortyouwhileIhavethelieutenantgetasecuritydetail setupfor you.”
“Yes, sir.” I attempted to smile at him, but I think I failed. We returned to the others, and then LeroyandIlefttogotohis quarters uponLevel 5.Ididn’twanttogobacktomyroom.Ididn’twant toseeMina’sroom.
Oncewesteppedintohisroom,Imadeabeelinefor thebathroom.“I’mgoingtotakeashower.” I closed the door behind me and stripped down, glaring at the blood that covered my pajamas. I tossed theminto the trash and stepped over to the shower, cranking the hot water on. I waited for a moment for it to heat up before steppingin. I grabbed some soap and lathered up, tryingto scrub the bloodandfear offmyskin.
All the adrenaline was gone now, and I just felt tired and afraid. Tremors ranthroughmyhands for several minutes, making it hard to rinse my hair. Tears mingled with the water. I hated crying. It wasuseless.Evenknowingthatitwaspointless,Icouldn’tstopit.
Steppingoutoftheshower,Igrabbedatowel withanunsteadyhand.Itookamomenttomentally force all my emotions into a box and locked it tight, shoving it to the back of my mind. There were still thingsIneededtodo.Icouldn’taffordanother panicattack. Idressed swiftlyinthe spare outfitIkeptinmybag, feelingbetter inmyownclothes instead of the emblematic white civilianuniform.Myblackpants andloose,redtopwere far more comfortable. I brushed my hair, letting the long, honey-brown strands glide slowly through the brush. The movementwas soothing. Igathered itup into a ponytail and debated aboutlettingithangdown. Mina wasalwaystryingtoconvincemethatitwastooprettytopull upall thetime.
You’ll be lucky if Mina ever talks to you again. If death didn’t follow you everywhere, things would be better for everyone. Blood and death surround you.
Gritting my teeth, I worked to bring my emotions under control. My thoughts were starting to splinter again, the precursor to a panic attack. My mind would spiral out of control, and my hands wouldshake.Ihatedall ofitandwisheddesperatelythatIcouldsilencethevoices.
I had suffered from panic attacks since I was eight, but they were getting better. Unless I was afraid. Fear was the worsttrigger. Mostlyonlystressful situations tended to trigger the attacks now. I had worked hard to develop tricks to keep the panic at bay, but sometimes it would sneakup onme, andIwouldbestucktryingtopull itbacktoalevel Icouldmanage.
Rightnow, Icouldn’tletthe panic take over. Ibreathed throughmynose while countingslowly, falling into the old technique to calm my nerves. Familiar fear pricked at the edges of my mind, brought onbythe thoughts hurlingaround inmyhead. Itooka moment to blockout the voices and to replace themwithcoherentthoughts. Iwas notgoingto panic rightnow. Iwas safe now. There were other thingsIneededtodorather thanpanic.
Slowlymymind settled, and Iswallowed before leavingthe bathroom. Leroyhad his tablet out and was sittingat the small table inthe kitchenette. He watched me for a moment, perhaps assessing mywell-being,beforelookingbackdownathistablet.
“Whattimeisit?”Iasked.
“Almostsix.Wantsomebreakfast?”
Iclosedmyeyesbriefly.“Icouldeat.”
Leroyset his tablet downand went to workinthe little kitchenette, whippingup some eggs. Isat downand tried to thinkthroughthe new situationIfound myselfin. Mybrainwas the besttool Ihad, andIintendedtouseit.
“So, there are no leads as to who instigated this attack or who received the message about my project?”
“No.”Leroystirredtheeggs inthepancarefully.“There’s nowaytofigureoutwhoreceivedthe
message. I’ve tried everything. As for who is responsible for this attack, it’s too early to know anything.Commander Adamshasateamonit.Ifthereisanythingtofind,they’ll findit.”
“He mentioned the possibility of there being inside help.” I chewed on my lip for a moment. “Thatisunsettling.”
Leroy poured a glass of milk and handed it to me. “If there is a traitor on base, and all the evidence points to thatbeingthe case, thenthatbodes verybadlyfor you. Especiallyiftheywantthat missile. Once they realize that everything is in your head, they are going to want you. And since you’releavingfor Eremustomorrow,thatdoesn’tleavethemalotoftime.”
I took a long drink. “They must know that the base will increase security. It will be virtually impossible to infiltrate againand extractme. Idoubttheywill tryanythingonbase againunless there ismorethanonespy.Eventhenitwouldbeneedlesslydangerous.Itwouldbefar easier tokidnapme onceIdepartfromthebase.”
Leroyhad a severe frownonhis face as he dished up the eggs and passed me the plate. “Thatis unfortunatelytrue.How aretheyplanningongettingyoutoEremusagain?”
“Standardtransportteam.Commander Adamsdidn’tgivemeanydetails.”
“It’salongtriptoo.Almosttendays.Alotcanhappenintendays.”
Itookabiteandchewedthoughtfully.“DoyouthinktheConglomerationcouldbebehindthis?”
“It’s a distinct possibility. Theywould logicallyhave the most to gainbystealingyour missile. But they aren’t the only suspects. There are plenty of companies in the private sector who would benefitfromyour designssotheycouldmanufactureandsell their own.”
My suspicions leaned very heavily towards the Conglomeration, despite Leroy’s words. The confederationwas powerful and had abundant resources. Since I worked for the Alliance, I was, by definition, the Conglomeration’s enemy. Bothconfederations had beensquabblingwitheachother for years.Officiallytheywereatpeace,butmanydoubtedthattheywouldremainatpeacefor long.
If peace did dissolve and war ensued, then the whole universe would be in chaos. Most inhabited planets, with a few small exceptions, were part of one confederation or the other. The effects would be disastrous and felt in every solar system. There were rumors of a possible peace summitbeingsetupfor worldleaders inbothconfederations totryandhashoutsome differences and makepeaceamorepermanentsolution.Iwasskeptical astotheeffectivenessofsuchasummit.
Itookanother sip ofmilk. “Do youthinkit’s possible thatthe Conglomerationhas learned ofmy real identityandareafter CassiopeiaNightinsteadofour project?”
The thought scared me, bringingbackhorrible memories I wanted desperatelyto forget. I could still remember that night whenmyfamilywas attacked. The screamingand the whiningoflasers and the poppingof projectile bullets. Myfather was a senator of highrankingonNovus Terra, myhome planet, and my mother was a famous artist. We’d had a good security team, but it still hadn’t been enoughtokeeptheConglomerationfromkillingmygrandfather.
Iwas tenwhenithappened. Ihadn’trealized how muchattentionmytalents had drawnand none of us could have anticipated that the Conglomeration would consider my talents so valuable. After that horrific night, I had made a deal with the Alliance and relocated to the military base above Arcadia Prime where the government funded myeducationand then, once I was old enough, I began working for them. I became Cassia Strayer instead of Cassiopeia Night, to protect myself and my family.
Leroypausedfor amomentbutshookhis head.“Idon’tthinkso.Your identityis far moresecure than this project, which is saying something. We haven’t had any word that your identity has been compromised,butweknow thatinformationaboutthisprojecthasbeenleaked.”
I chewed onmyfood thoughtfully. “That is a sound argument. This missile would revolutionize just about everything concerning military engagements in space. Having a missile that is uninhibited byaforcefieldwouldtipanyviolentencounter infavor ofwhoever possessesthattechnology.”
A new mineral called quarim had been discovered on the planet Eremus. The mineral was special in that it could disrupt the properties of other materials around it, particularly those of an electromagneticorigin.Idevelopedahypothesisthatatypical forcefield,liketheonescurrentlyused by spaceships to shield against enemy weapons, could not repel the mineral. A sample had been collected and brought to me upon request, and I had run several tests on it until I managed to prove that mytheoryheld validity. But there was more to creatinga missile that could breakthroughforce fieldsthanjustprovingitwaspossible.Becausequarimwasalreadyrareandhardtoproduce,refine, andship,Commander AdamswassendingmetoEremuspersonallytoconductteststhereandironout anexactformula.
“Exactly,” Leroyconcurred. “The Conglomerationwould be far more interested inyour missile thantheywouldbeinalittlegirl whohasbeendeadfor over adecade.”
My fears mostly put to rest, my thoughts returned to my upcoming journey. “Whether it is the Conglomeration or someone fromthe private sector, there is a high probability that they will attack meonmyvoyagetoEremus.”
Leroy grumbled something under his breath but nodded. “If they want it badly enough, and we both know they do, they’ll try to get it from you any way they can. Things will be even more dangerous if there is another spyonbase somewhere. Anofficial trip will have records and a flight planonfile.”
I finished off the eggs and Leroy took the plate fromme. I tapped a finger against the tabletop. “Thisisnotgood.Idon’twanttoleavehereunprotected.”
“Truthfully, I don’t think you should go at all. It’s too dangerous. We can talk to Commander Adams.He’ll understand.”
“Idon’twanttobetooafraidtogoanywhere.”Icrossedmyarmsandtriednottofeel afraidjust sittingthere.“IwanttofinishthisprojectandIdon’twanttohideonbaseforever.”
Leroysat downacross fromme and stared at me for a longtime. Finally, he grabbed his tablet witha sigh. “You’ve gotthatstubbornlookonyour face. Youaren’tgoingto be talked outofthis are you?”
“No. However, I don’t want to go infoolishlywithout a plan. I can’t protect myself, but surely thereisawaytohavesomeprotection.”
“Youcouldhirepersonal security.”
Atfirst, Iwas skeptical, butthe more Iconsidered the idea the more itmade sense. Ihad plenty of money, so that wouldn’t be a hindrance. And personal security wouldn’t have a loyalty to one confederationor another;theywouldonlybeloyal tome.
“How do I go about hiring private security? I highly doubt the commander will allow me to bringmyownteamofpeopleor allow metotravel outsideofamilitaryescort.”
“I don’t know how to convince Commander Adams to allow youto have a bodyguard, but I’ve beenlookingat possible candidates for yousince we discovered that informationabout your project hadbeenleaked.” He hesitated.“Itwouldhave tobe someone fromArcadia Prime.There aren’tvery manyoptionsonsuchshortnotice.”
At first, I was surprised that he had already considered the matter, but I shouldn’t have been. Leroyhadprovenhow muchhevaluedmypersonal safetyinthepast.Ithinkhethoughtthatitwas his dutytolookoutfor me.“Tell mewhatyoudohave.”
“Thereareafew mercenariesthatIcouldperhapsarrangeameetingwithtonight.” Iflinched.“I’mnotsureItrustmercenaries.”
“They aren’t the best option in my opinion. There are two private security firms that I can contact, but I’ve been digging into them, and it looks like they’ve had dealings with the Conglomeration before.” He shook his head. “I don’t think you could trust them. They could easily sell youout. Plus, ifwe go witha well-knowncompany, thenthatincreases the chances thatsomeone will findoutwhoyou’vehiredtohelpyou.Notanideal situation.”
Frustrationwelledupinme.“Arethereanygoodcandidates?”
“Notreally. There is one thatIthinkcould be your bestchance.” Again, he hesitated. “Butit’s a longshotandit’sdangerous.”
“Simplybreathingisdangerous.Whoisit?”
“You’veheardoftheassassincalled‘theWraith’?”
Iblinked athimfor a longmoment. Ofcourse Ihad heard ofhim. Ididn’tallocate too muchtime to listening to the news, but with a father in politics and living on a military base, I liked to keep abreastofeventsinthegalaxy.
“You want me to hire him?” My voice squeaked slightly on the last word, my calm façade shattering. “The assassinwho has more thanthirtyconfirmed kills and several more speculated? The assassinwhokilledIgnacioRutgers,presidentofAncora,the verycenter ofthe Conglomeration? The assassin who is so lethal and stealthy that no one has ever seen him? That’s how he acquired his name. He’s like a ghost. He’s dangerous. Nobodyevenknows whathe looks like or how old he is or anyinformation.Youwantmetohire him to protect me?”
Leroysighed.“IhaveacontactdowninViennewhosays theWraithis thereandnotcurrentlyon a job. Rumor has it that he has military experience and training, and he openly despises the Conglomeration. Who better to protect you than someone who can figure out exactly how the enemy would tryto get to you? He’s verygood at killingpeople, so it follows that he should be competent enoughto protectyou.” He reached across the table and tookmyhand. “Cassia, none ofthis is ideal, but my contact says that he’s had face to face dealings with the Wraith and that he is fair and has a code of honor. He doesn’t go back on his word. You need someone to protect you. None of these soldiersherecandothat.Please,justmeetwithhim.”
Seconds ticked as I tried to think, processing my options. The truth was that I had few. Resignation settled in my bones. If Leroy thought this was my best option, then I would trust him. “How preciselyamI supposed to meet withhimdownonArcadia? It’s not like they’ll permit me to leave the base. Not now. Especially if they find out why. And I can’t show up to meet him with a squadronofsoldiers.”
“Shuttles leave the base everyhour. Icanprograma temporaryidentityto getyouaccess to one. The problem comes in with your tracking chip. I can buy you some time but eventually they will realize that you are missing. Then they are going to send someone to retrieve you.” He released my hand to go back to typing on his tablet. “If we time it properly, we can get you to a meeting with enoughtimefor youtohopefullycometoanagreementbeforetheyfindyou.”
Theideaofmeetingwithanassassinmademeuncomfortable,butitwasn’tlikeIcouldthinkofa better option.“Contacthim.Setupatimeandplacetomeet.”
Leroynoddedandbegantyping.“Iwill.It’ll havetobesoon.Butthesooner wegetyousecurity, thesooner you’ll beonyour waytoEremus.Thingswill bealotsafer onceyou’replanet-side.” Icouldn’tagreemore.
The bar was crowded whenIstepped throughthe doors. Rowdypatrons gathered around holotables, playinganynumber ofgames frombilliards to poker to luckynines. All the seats atthe bar were full, mostly of men, watching the vidscreens and drinking all varieties of alcohol. Call girls circled potential clientswithbrightsmilesandflirtatiouslaughter.
Inoted the presence ofthe few mercenaries Ioccasionallypaid to watchmybackwhile meeting new clients. Three sets of eyes followed me as I moved through the room. If this potential client turned out to be a setup, thenI would have some backup. Not that I would entirelytrust anyof them, but they would do just about anything for money. None of them knew who I really was anyway, so there was no reason for themto betray me. Being an assassin meant that even if they did betray me, theywouldn’tlivelongenoughtoreaptherewardsanyway.
Arcadia Prime wasn’tmyhome, butIdid spend a significantamountoftime there, and Ialmost always setup meetings withpotential clients inthe shadier end oftownsimplybecause Ihad backup, and I knew the neighborhood well. Plus, only someone who was serious would dare venture to a sketchybar likethisone.Itwasaroughneighborhood,whichsuitedmyneedsjustfine.
The clientIwas meetingtonighthadbeenvague inher message.She simplysaidthatshe wished to hire me and wanted to meet. Tonight. Had to be tonight. Thatwas the partthathad me nervous. IfI hadn’t been itching for a new job, I might have ignored the message. But I was bored and curious. ThisCassiopeiahadsoundedurgent.
Cassiopeia had to be a code name in case the message was ever traced but I found myself wondering, whythatname? Itwasn’tcommon. Obviously, itwas a woman. And whydid she wantto hire me? I wasn’t often approached by women, except for the occasional request to murder their husbands.VeryinfrequentlyI’dgeta requesttotake downanabuser ofsome kind,andthose were the jobs I looked forward to the most. But nothing in her brief message gave me any indication of her particular situation.
Pushing my musings aside, I peered through the smoky haze that seemed to be permanently suspendedintheair andlookedattheoccupantsoftheboothsalongthebackwall.That’swhereIhad told Cassiopeia to be. One booth was occupied by three ladies who were obviously drunk and dangerously close to passing out. The next booth was occupied by two men who were being propositioned by one of the call girls. The next booth had one woman, a glass of water sitting untouchedather elbow.Bingo.
Iapproached slowly, takingmytime to studymynew potential client. Long, leanlegs were clad inblackpants. Aloose-fitting, scoop neck, red shirtthatcomplimented her skintone covered the rest of her. Tanned skin covered her forearms and shoulders. Honey wheat hair was pulled back and reached down to the middle of her back in waves. Her face was turned down to her lap where she wasfiddlingwithatablet.
Ihesitatedjustfor a momentbefore approachingher.She wasn’twhatIhadexpected.She didn’t
ChapterTwo Steel
looklike someone who belonged ina place like this, butshe also didn’tlooklike the kind ofperson who had buckets of money either. Usually those were the two extremes I encountered. Rich-looking people generally wanted me to take out competition or rich husbands. People from the slums generallywantedrevenge.Butofcourse,therewerealwaysexceptions.
Regardless, my instincts were on high alert. This didn’t feel right, or at least this didn’t feel normal. Something was off. A setup maybe? I should turn around and walk out I should just go before she notices me.
ButIdidn’t.Itookanother steptowardsher,evenasmymindsaidnotto.
Curiosity.Onedayitwouldkill me.
“Cassiopeia,Ipresume?”
Myvoicestartledher,andsheflinched,her headsnappingup.Eyes thecolor ofemeralds locked onto mine and something inside me jolted, as though she had shocked me. Those eyes sat in an oval face withhigh, wide cheekbones, a prominent chin, and a small, pinched nose. Her features were an oddmixtureofdelicateandsturdy.
Sherecoveredfromher surprisequicklyandnodded,her faceandpostureturningrigidandcold. “Yes.Thankyoufor coming.”
I slid into the boothacross fromher and forced a relaxed demeanor. I put onmysignature hard lookas Igazed at her face intently, tryingto figure out who she was and whyIwas here. Whatever I mighthavebeenfeelingor thinking,Iwasn’tgoingtoshow it.
“Youwishtohireme?”Iaskedbluntly.
Cassiopeia blinked but seemed relieved by my to-the-point attitude. “Yes. Immediately if possible.”
Iwas quietfor a moment, studyingher. “How does someone like youcome to need the services ofsomeonelikeme?”
“It’s a lengthy story.” She bit her lip. My eyes zeroed in on her mouth and she quickly set her facebackintoamaskofstone.
She wasn’tvolunteeringmuchinformation. Her face remained closed and aloofevenas Iletthe secondsstretch,hopingshewouldstarttalkingsimplytofill thesilence.Whenshedidn’t,Ileanedmy elbows on the table and tilted my head at her, though I didn’t relax my face. “Who is it exactly you wantmetotakecareof?”
Fingers twirled around inthe condensationonthe side ofher water glass, buther gaze never left mine.She didn’tseemintimidatedbyme.Much.“Well,there’s the predicament.Iwishtohire youfor anatypical assignment.”
Here it comes. She’s up to something.
“I don’t want to hire youto…take care of someone.” She cleared her throat slightly. “I wishto employyouasmypersonal bodyguard.”
Itwas myturntoblink. “Bodyguard?” The word slippedoutbefore Icouldstop it.Ihadn’tdone anythinglike thatinyears.Mymindturnedimmediatelytowhomightbe threateningher andwhy.The only possibilities I came up with set me on edge. I already didn’t like where this conversation was going.
Cassiopeia nodded. Her voice hadn’t changed with anything she had said so far, and she continued withthatsame matter-of-facttone. “Iamtravelingto Eremus tomorrow and there are those who want to prevent my arrival. They attacked the base Arcadia Prime’s orbiting military base today and nearly killed a very dear friend of mine. I believe their objective was to obtain my research, and inlieuofthat, their aimwas to abductme. Myprojectis classified, and no one should
havehadknowledgeofit,butyetsomeonedid.”
She must be a military contractor of some sort for her to work directly on base. The base was supposed to be one of the most secure places on Arcadia Prime. Or in this case, orbiting Arcadia Prime. Top secret experiments, training, and intelligence gathering were rumored to be the main functionsofthebase.Supposedly.“Research?”
“I am a scientist and mechanical engineer. My current project is extremely coveted by certain interested parties. Particularly the Conglomeration. They have bountiful resources and the most to gainbyacquiringmyresearchandseemthemostlikelyculpritsfor today’sincident.”
Mymind spunina thousand differentdirections. The Conglomeration? Whatdid theyhave to do withthis? I had no love for themand did the best I could to poke at themwhenever possible. But it seemedunlikelyfor themtobeafter her research.Shedidn’tlooklikeascientist.Far toopretty.
“WhyEremus?”
“Iamunder contractwiththeAllianceandneedtocompletethe myprojectthere.”
There were too manypieces missing. Isatbackand gave her a skeptical look, some ofmyhard edge disappearing. Whywould someone withmilitaryconnections wantto hire anassassin? And for protectionnoless.“Youarewiththemilitary.Whyaren’ttheytakingyoutoEremus?”
“Theyareescortingmetheretomorrow morning,butIhavesufficientreasontosuspectthatthere is a spy among them. Today’s attack is ample evidence. This morning a team of four individuals infiltratedthebase.Wedon’tknow whosentthemor how theygotonbase.Theyshotandinjuredtwo menand killed a third, inadditionto stabbinga veryclose friend of mine. I do not believe I will be safe traveling with a military escort alone. I anticipate that my spaceship will be assailed along the way,andIwill betakenprisoner,ifnotkilled.”
I rubbed my jaw. I should just get up and leave. This wasn’t my kind of job. Not even in the slightest.Instead,Iasked,“WhatisityouthinkIcandothatyour escortcannot?”
“The likelihood ofmyship beingassaulted is exceptionallyhigh, and whenthathappens, Iwant someonetherewhoseonlyloyaltyis tome.Assumingwecanevadecapture,youcanescortmesafely toEremusviaadifferentroute.Onethatwill,optimistically,goundetected.”
“I’mnotabodyguard.”
Her tablet chirped and she frowned down at it before looking back up at me. “My options are exceptionally limited, and your expertise would prove invaluable. You can evaluate threats, assess situations, read people, and fight if necessary. Your vocation should lend itself to assessing how, if youweretryingtokidnapme,youwouldgoaboutitandwhatcountermeasuresshouldbetaken.”
Her voice had started to waver slightly. Her demeanor had been detached up to that point. Losingher confidence?“Whatmakesyouthinktheywouldevenletmegowithyou?”
“Well, Idon’tintend to tell themwho youare, for starters, butIwill notgive themthe optionto decline. I’ll handle that.” Her tone was brisk, which made me doubt that she had a surefire way of guaranteeingmeaccess.
For several moments Idebated whether Ibelieved her storyor not. Her eyes seemed honest, but her storysoundedfar-fetched.She was obviouslyomittingcertainparts,probablybecause she wasn’t allowed to discuss her “project”, and because she didn’twantto scare me away. Whatdid this attack look like? People were injured, including someone she cared about, and my instincts said she was trulyafraid.Buttherewasnowaytoprovethatshewasbeinghonestaboutanyofit.Instinctsweren’t enoughfor metoacceptsuchashadyjob.
No. I couldn’t take this job. It just wasn’t a good idea. I set my face and narrowed my eyes. “Listen,Cassiopeia ”
“Call meCassia.Or Dr.Strayer.”
Mymindstumbledover thefactthatshehadgivenmeher real name.WhyinHadeshadshedone that? Did she truly not know even the basics of how to navigate the criminal world? My fingers tightened. She was going to get herself killed. If there was one thing she could have done that made me evenslightlybelieve her story, itwas givingme her name. She was far too innocentfor this to be aploy.“Cassia,I’mnotabodyguard.That’snotwhatIdo.”
Her tablet bleeped again, and her stone mask cracked. She seemed nervous now and glanced towards the door. “Please. Ifyoudon’thelp me thenIhave no further alternatives. Ineed protection. I’mascientistandengineer,notafighter.Ihaven’tevenbeenoff-worldintwelveyears.”
Myheart twisted. If all that was true, thenshe was definitelyina bad situation. But myresolve remained.Iletnosympathyshow onmyface.“No.”
Shevisiblyflinched.“Icanpayyou.Whatever your feeis,I’ll doubleit.”
Thatwasasteepprice.Iliftedaneyebrow.“Areyousureyoucanmakethatpromise?Youdon’t evenknow whatmyfeeis.”
“Ihaveplentyofmoney.Justplease,helpme.”
Thepleadinglookinher eyes hadmereconsideringmorethanthepromiseofmoney.Shelooked frightened and vulnerable. She reallydid need someone to lookout for her. But that someone wasn’t me.
“Sorry,you’ll havetofindsomeoneelse.”
“Thereisnooneelse.”
Despair filled her voice. I almost relented then, but there was a slow hushcomingover the bar that drew my attention. My head snapped towards the door. Three soldiers in uniform strode in, eyeingthe place. Myfrowndeepened. Ihad a feelingthis had somethingto do withthe womansitting acrossfromme.
Sure enough, the soldier in the lead spotted her right off and stalked across the room towards her, not bothering with anyone else. Across from me, Cassia’s shoulders slumped in defeat. She reached across the table and grabbed my hand in both of hers. They were warm and surprisingly strong,withsmall calluses.“Please,reconsider.Please.”
Before I could speak, the leader of the three came to a stop at the booth. “Doc. Care to tell me whatyouaredoingdownhere,withoutanescort,withoutsomuchasawordthatyouwereleaving?”
Cassia’s hands dropped backto her lap, and she tooka deep breath, bracingherself. She looked upandmetthesoldier’seyes.“Henry.Ithoughtyouwereoffshiftuntil tonight.”
Henrygaveher ahardlook.“Yeah,Iwas,beforetheyinformedmethatmychargedisappeared.” Her stonefacewasback.Shesimplynodded.“Sorrytoworryyou,lieutenant.”
He heaved a long-suffering sigh. “You did more than worry me.” His eyes assessed me for a longmomentbeforeflickeringbacktoCassia.“Everythingokay,Doc?”
Her eyes held mine for several moments until I looked away. I refused to let downmyguard or to relaxmyface. She pressed her lips together ina flatline. “Isuppose itis ofno consequence now, Henry.”
The soldier shifted the weightonhis feetbutdidn’tmove. Ilooked backup to see himglaringat me.Obviously,thesoldier wasn’tfondofmypresence.“Isthisguybotheringyou?”
“No.” Cassia sighedandslidoutofthe booth,tossingthe strapofa bagacross her shoulder.She wastaller thanIexpected,probablyfivefootnine.“ItseemsIwastheonebotheringhim.”
The hurt inher voice made me flinch. Henry’s glare onlyintensified. Either he had feelings for the doctor, or else he was taking his job very seriously. “Time to head back.” Henry took Cassia
gently by the armand escorted her towards the door. She turned to give me one more pleading look beforereachingthedoor anddisappearingoutofsight.
I glanced at the other two soldiers. Theyhad stood there quietly, but the one onthe left, a short manwiththickmusclesandbuzzedhair,seemednervous.Sweatbeadeddownthesideofhisfaceand his fingers tapped onhis gun. His comrade kept glancingat him, as thoughtryingto calmhimdown. He seemed more annoyed bythe other man’s nervousness thananything. He had shiftyeyes that kept strayingtooneofthecall girls.
Once Henry had Cassia out the door, the other two followed close behind, but I caught them noddingtoeachother beforeleaving.
My heart sank and I sighed. Either those two were lovers, or they were about to do something illegal.Likemaybekidnapanengineer.
Stupid curiosity.
Withasigh,Istoodupandheadedfor thedoor.
Iwasgoingtoregretthis.
“Whatwereyoudoinginthere,Doc?Doyouevenknow whatkindofaplaceyouwerein?”
Irefrained fromsighing, butbarely. Icouldn’tblame Henryfor beingupset. Truthfully, the place had made me uncomfortable, but there was no alternative. I had to at least try. But clearly that had beenfruitless.
“I’msorry, Henry.” And I was sorry. For wastinghis time and worryinghim, if not for actually leavingthebase.“Ididn’tmeantoworryyou.TherewasjustsomethingIneededtodo.”
Notthatitmattered inthe end. The Wraithhad turned me down. Iwouldn’tbe gettinghelp from him. Whichmeant I had no one else to relyonexcept whatever teamCommander Adams decided to send withme. And thatdidn’texactlyinspire confidence. NotthatIdistrusted the commander, buthe wasn’tgoingwithme,anditwasblatantlyobviousthatthereweresomeleaksinsecurity.
ThoughHenrygave me anexasperated and disappointed look, Icould see the worryunderneath it. Reading body language and facial expressions was a weakness of mine, but those emotions were familiar enough that I could recognize them on most people at this point. Seems I exasperated and worriedmanyofthepeopleinmylife.
Henrysighed,seeminglynotacceptingmyanswer for whyIhadrunawayfromthe base,without authorization, and met up with a strange man in a very unsafe location. And I could see why. He rubbed his forehead as we made for the space dock. I didn’t recognize the other two soldiers accompanyinghim, buttheyflanked us closelywhile we navigated the tightstreets. “Ididn’ttake you for stupid, Doc. This was a bad idea. Whywould youcome here now ofall times? You’ve never left thebaseunauthorizedbefore.”
I frowned, unsure of what he meant. “My IQ is considerably higher than yours, so I can assure you that I’m far from stupid.” I looked away, feeling guilty for running off and causing him more trouble.
Henryrolledhiseyes.“Weall know you’resmart.”
I flinched at his tone. Obviously, I had said something else I shouldn’t have. I had a knack for sayingthewrongthingatthewrongmoment.Minawouldoftentell methatIneededtobemoreaware ofwhatIwassayingandhow otherswouldperceiveit.
“Lieutenant.”
The officer on my left, a short, sweaty man with a heavy Spirian accent, stopped and pointed downanalleyway.“Thisway.Shortcut.”
Henryfrowned.“What?”
“He’s right,” the other one piped up. “It’s a quicker way. I grew up in this neighborhood.” Withoutwaitingfor Henrytogivehisokay,thetwostarteddownthealley.
Henryjustsighed againand gestured for me to follow them. Iturned downthe alleyway, butmy mindwasbackinthebar andonthemysteriousmanIhadjustmet.
Whatever I had been expecting, I got the opposite. I think I had been expecting someone older,
ChapterThree Cassia
but the Wraithhad beenyoung, perhaps twenty-sixor so. His blackhair was pulled backinto a knot and small locks fell into amber eyes. He was dressed in black cargo pants and a dark blue t-shirt. Steel-toed boots adorned his feet. He was fit and muscular from what I had observed of his movements. I had struggled not to show how much his presence intimidated me. Few people intimidated me, butthe Wraithwas onthatlist. Perhaps itwas because Iknew he killed people for a living.
I had expected his voice to be rough, but it was smooth and deep, rumbling pleasantly. But his voice hadn’tdetracted fromhis imposingair, or his hard, unreadable face, and Ifound myselftonguetied and distracted for the first few moments. That almost never happened. Usually, I didn’t pay attention to a person’s appearance, but there was something particular about himthat made me take notice.
But all thoughts about his appearance ground to a halt when he turned me down. He wouldn’t helpme.Now Iwasforcedtorelyonmyselfalone.Thiswasnotgoingtoendwell.
Enough. What’s done is done. You need to focus on the present right now.
Henry was stiff beside me as we walked, and I eyed him for a moment. “I’m sorry if I said somethingoffensive.” I looked downat the ground, notingthe old-fashioned cobblestones. This must bethetown'shistorical district.Whywereweinthehistorical district?
“Youdon’thave to apologize, Doc. IfI’mnotused to your ways bynow, thenanyoffense is my ownfault.”
I looked up, studying my surroundings intently. I had looked at a map before leaving Leroy’s quarters. “Ifrequentlysaythings thatIdon’tintend to be supercilious or insulting, buttheytend to be receivedthatwayoften.Ishouldprobablyapologizetoyoutentimesaday.”
We left the bar and turned right onto Hardman Avenue, and then left onto Tiers Boulevard. We walked approximately one-sixth of a mile before turning down this alley
Henry brought me out of my thoughts with an elbow to my arm. “Nah, I kinda like your arrogance.” He smiledatme,andIventuredthathe was tryingtomake me feel better.“Ilike working withyou.Youdon’tneedtoapologizefor beingdifferentthanme.”
Normally, Iwould have flushed atthe praise and focused myefforts onnotbehavingawkwardly for the restofthe night, butsomethingelse was more imperative. Like the factthat we were goingin thewrongdirection.
Mystepsslowed.“Henry.Wearewalkingthewrongway.”
The other two inmyescort heard me and stopped to lookbackat us. Henrylooked fromme to them,andhishanddroppedtohisgun.
Iheard the distinctive whine ofa laser, butneither myeyes nor brainseemed to understand what was happening. Ilooked fromthe laser inthe shorter man’s hands to Henry. His gunclattered against theground,andIsaw himteeter backward.
All mythoughts deserted me. Ireached for himinstinctivelyas he dropped backward. Isnagged the material ofhis shirt, buthis weightcarried me downwithhim. The smell ofburntfleshfilled my nose, chokingme. Mybodyflailed as Ipulled myselfup and grabbed atHenry, desperate to see ifhe was okay. I grasped at his chest and face, turning him towards me, trying to see where he was hit. “Henry!”
Thebolthadcaughthiminthechest.Hiseyeswerewideopen,butunseeing.Ishovedmyfingers againstthepulsepointinhisneck.“Henry,no!” Nopulse.
Awave ofnausea washed over me. Iswallowed hard, notwantingto vomitfor the second time
thatday. The sound ofstone crunchingunderfootdrew myattentionbackto the two soldiers who had justkilledmyfriend,stallingall thoughtsofvomit.
Thoughts, whispers, danced at the edges of my mind, clouding my judgment. I wanted to hurt someone.Iwantedtorunaway.
More death, more blood, see? I told you. You cause only death.
Burning, like a candle, like a welding torch, like a fire, burn, burning Eyes open, but empty No more Henry.
No more Henry.
Theshortonehadhisweapontrainedonme.“Standup,Dr.Strayer,niceandslow.”
“You killed Henry.” I spoke slowly, my brain refusing to acknowledge what my eyes were seeing. I slowly stood back up. It felt like the world was tilting under my feet, making me doubt my balance.MyeyesrefusedtoleaveHenry’sfaceandhisemptyeyes,asthoughIcouldwill himbackto lifewiththeforceofmygaze.Icouldn’tacceptthefactthathewasdead.Itfeltimpossible.
The one holding the gun smiled at me. “We’re going to go for a walk now.” He motioned over hisshoulder withhisgun.“Thisway.Walktowardsus,niceandslow.”
Fear, sickening, head-spinning. Adrenaline, pumping through your veins, making you strong and fast and afraid. Pounding, pounding, pounding of your heart. You are afraid because they are going to hurt you, more blood, more death.
I struggled for a moment to think, to just think, about something useful, and not the incoherent ramblingsinmyhead.NotthinkaboutHenry.Thinkaboutthesituation,aboutthegun,aboutthealley.
Two men were about to kidnap me. That much was obvious. They wanted me for my research. Theyneededmealive.
My eyes dropped down to his gun. They were six feet from me but weren’t making a move towardsme.Perhapstheythoughtthatthethreatofagunwouldbeenoughtoswayme.
“You’rekidnappingme.”
Althoughitwasn’taquestion,thetall onenodded.“TheConglomerationis payingaprettypenny for you.Now,let’sgo,”hebarked.
I slowlytooka step awayfromHenry, but not towards them. “If youare goingto sell me to the Conglomeration, thenit’s for myresearch. Researchthat’s onlyinmybrain,” I tapped myhead. “So, ifthat’swhatyouneedthenyoucan’tshootme.”
Withoutwaitingfor a response,Ispunonmyheel andtookoffinthe opposite direction,running, pushingmylegsasfastastheywouldgo.Thealleywaywasdimlylit,andtrashanddebrislitteredthe way. Ilaunched myselfover a crate Ididn’tsee until itwas almosttoo late, and onlythendid Iriska glanceover myshoulder.
Both men were swearing and running after me. The tall one, whose long legs lent him an advantage,wasgainingonme.Atleasttheyweren’tpointingtheir gunsatmeanymore.
I focused ahead of me just as a figure stepped into the light directlyinfront of me. I locked my feetagainstthe ground, grindingalmostto a stop, butIhad too muchmomentumand Iplowed into the body. It was like hitting a rock. The body didn’t yield. I wind-milled my arms, trying to keep my balance.
Hands clamped down on my shoulders, and I moved to break the hold, but I looked up and stoppedshort.Amber eyes,as flintyandhardas stone,metmine.“Hideanddon’tcomeoutuntil Itell youto.”
I swallowed and nodded, trying to untangle myself from him. He pushed me to the side, and I nearly landed on my backside, but somehow kept my footing. I threw myself towards the wall and
behind a dumpster. Before I had moved more than a foot, the Wraith had disappeared into the shadows,andlaser beamssprayedacrossthealleyway.
Myheartlurched, and Icurled up into a ball, as small as Icould, and tucked myselfclose to the corner of the wall and the dumpster. I threw my arms over my head and sucked in deep breaths throughmynose.
I squeezed my eyes tightly shut, and white lights burst around the edges of my sight. The white against the darkthrew me off. Mycontrol slipped, and voices crowded inagain; this time theywere intense and overwhelming. Ipressed myhands againstmyears and foughtbacka scream. “Hydrogen, helium, lithium, beryllium, boron, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, fluorine…” I listed off the elements rapidlyandworriedthatIwouldbefinishedtoosoon.
By the time I reached plutonium, my mind had calmed enough for me to realize that the noises hadceased.IbreathedinasdeeplyasIcouldandthenliftedmyhead.
Afootscrapedagainstrock.
Sense returned with a new dose of adrenaline. I planted my back against the wall and pressed my thumb to the lock on my messenger bag. I stuffed my hand inside and immediately pulled out my stunner.Ipointeditoutinfrontofmewithsurprisinglysteadyhands.
It was completelystill for several longmoments before a head popped around the corner ofthe dumpster. I locked onto it immediately but desisted from firing at the last second. Not that I would havehithimanyway,ashisheadhadalreadydisappeared.“Whoa,easythere.It’sjustme.”
I drew a ragged breath and pushed myself to my feet. I stepped around the dumpster and faced the assassin. He looked me over with those hard eyes, and then nodded at the stunner in my hand. “Good.Youshouldhavethatwithyouatall times.”
“Agreed.”Ilookedbackdownthealley.Twobodieslitteredthealleyway.“Aretheydead?” “Yes.”
“Good.”Iswallowedandstartedtowalktowardsthem.
He caught my armand pulled me back. “Leave them. I already checked themover. They didn’t haveanythingonthem.”
Igavehimaperplexedlook.“IwasgoingtoHenry.Wecan’tabandonhim…hisbody…here.” “No.” He shookhis head and started pullingme inthe opposite direction. “Whoever those two were taking you to will certainly be here soon. I doubt they would have tried to kidnap you here withoutsomebackupnotfar away.Youaren’tsafehere.”
Itriedtoyankmyarmfree,buthedidn’treleaseit.“Ican’tleavehimhere.Notlikethis.Hewas myfriend.”
“Andhe’dhavewantedyoutoleave.Tostaysafe.Notstayhereandcryover him.”
Part of me wanted to dispute that, to make himgo back, but logically I knew he was correct. I knew it wasn’t safe here. So, I looked back to where I could barely see Henry’s body, silently apologized,andthenturnedtofollow myassassin.
Your assassin?
Inwardly I flinched at the mocking voice. I barely knew this man, didn’t even know his name, and already I was being forward, lumping us into a category, a group, and he hadn’t even officially acceptedmycontract.
This wasn’tthe appropriate time to discuss that. He tookoffata fastjog, and Ipushed myselfto matchhis pace.Wemadeittothemouthofthealleyquicklyandheturnedright,backtowards thebar, awayfromthespaceport.
“Wherearewegoing?”
His eyes examined everythingaround us. Hopefullyonthe lookoutfor danger. “Myhotel. Ineed tograbmythings.”
I tried to maintainevenbreathing, glad that I consistentlyranfor exercise. Runninghad always been calming and helped me keep the inclement thoughts quiet. “I presume that means you assent to beingmybodyguard?”
Hesnortedbutdidn’tanswer.Iwasn’tsurehow tointerpretthat.
Regardless of his intentions, he had saved me, and appeared to be helping me. So, I didn’t say anythingelse as we jogged downseveral more streets. The pace was swift, and Iwas soonbreathing hard,butIrefusedtofall behind.
We finallycame to a stop ata medium-sized hotel. He strode brisklyinside, and we rode the lift to the fourthfloor, and he slashed a keycard throughthe lock. The door hissed open, and he gestured for metoenter.
The roomwas cleanand tidy. Aduffle bagsat onthe double-sized bed, and a takeout container satonthesmall table.Ifnotfor thatIwouldn’thaverealizedsomeonewasoccupyingtheroom.
He shut the door and went immediately to the duffle, pulled out a tablet, and began typing furiously.Istoodclosetothedoor andputmyhandsonmyhipstoopenmylungsandpreventcramps. Iwasstill breathingarduously.
“Yousaidyouliveuponthemilitarybase?”
Inodded,notbotheringwithwords.
“Andyouareonyour waytoEremustomorrow?Withamilitaryescort?”
Another nod. “And someone in the Conglomeration doesn’t want you to make it to your destination. I’mguessingyouare importantenoughfor themto dispatchsome significantresources to gettoyou.”Hisfingerspausedfor amoment.“Or,morespecifically,somethinginyour head.”
Thosedidn’treallyseemlikequestions,soinsteadofsayinganythingIjustdroppedontothebed and leaned back. He could draw his ownconclusions. Iwas comingdownoffthe adrenaline, and my bodywasalreadyweakfromnotsleepingproperly.Iwasdrained.
Mytoeswentnumb.Isighedandbeganflexingthem.
He frowned atme butsaid nothingaboutme lyingdown. “I’mgoingto getincontactwitha few peoplewhomightknow somethingaboutConglomerationplans.Maybewe’ll getlucky.”
I closed my eyes and tried to center my mind, to focus on what needed to be done next. “So, what’s our strategy? We need to return to base. Commander Adams must be informed of what happened,andsomeonewill havetobesentfor thebodies.”
Henry.
No. Don’t think about Henry. Don’t think about him. It’s too much.
Ahandlatchedonmyarm,andmyeyesflew open.“Standup.”
Iobeyed, and the Wraithplanted himselfinmyspace, staringme rightinthe eye. “Listen, Ineed to know everything about what’s going on if I’mgoing to protect you. Is there anything that you are keepingfromme?Anytricksor surprisesthatIshouldbeawareof?”
“I’mnot tryingto hide anything.” I licked mylips, nervous at his proximity. I’msure it was his objectivetointimidateme,andhesucceeded.
Hiseyeswenttomymouthandthenbacktomyeyes.“Whatisthisprojectofyours?”
“I’m not permitted to speak about anything to do with my military contract. Base Commander Adams’specificorders.”
Hiseyebrow lifted.“Areyouafraidofhim?”
“Truthfully?Yes.He’sintimidating.Andlarge.”
Hishandsopenedashegesturedtohimself.“I’mlarge.AmIintimidating?”
I folded myarms across mychest, unsure of myfootinginthis conversation. “He seemed much bigger whenIwasten,”Iequivocated.
“You’veknownhimsinceyouwereten?”
Inodded.“I’vebeenonthebasesincethen.”
He was silent for several longmoments. I thinkhe knew that I had avoided his question, but he didn’tpressit.“You’regoingtohavetotell mewhatyou’vecreatedeventually.”
Ishrugged.“Itislikely,butIwishtotrustyoufirst.”
“Youdon’ttrustme?Ijustsavedyour life.”
“You are an assassin,” I said matter-of-factly. “Trust will take time. I don’t even know your name.”
He gave me a look, thoughIhad no notionofwhatitmeant, and moved away, grabbed his duffle bag, and hoisted itonto his shoulders. He turned and headed backfor the door. “It’s LiamSteel. Most peoplecall meSteel.Likethemetal.”
“Alloy.” The word slipped out without conscious thought. Steel stopped and looked over his shoulder.
“What?”
Ugh. Can’t I just think before I speak?
Too late for thatnow. “Steel is more accuratelycategorized as analloy, notstrictlya metal. Iron andcarbon.”
His eyebrow lifted again. Then he shook his head and opened the door. “Definitely a scientist. Let’sgo,Dr.Strayer.Weneedtogetyoutoyour basebeforeyour escortleaveswithoutyou.”
“Logicallytheywouldn’tleavewithoutmesinceIamtheir assignment.”
Steel pausedinthehallwayandgavemeastrangelook.“Notmuchfor sarcasm,areyou?”
My right leg protested moving any more than necessary, but I resolved to ignore it. “Not in the least.Ihaveadifficulttimegraspingsarcasmor humor or subtletyor figurativespeech.”
“Alrightthen.”
“Iappreciatestraightforwardness,precisewords,andclear instructionswhenever possible.” “Dulynoted.” He startedwalkingagain.“We are goingtogodownandgeta hovercabandhopa shuttle back to your base. You are going to explain to your commander whatever it is that you’ve come up with about who I am and why I’ll be tagging along with you to Eremus, and all about the attack.Thenwegetyouoff-planetassoonaspossible.Soundlikeagoodenoughplanfor now?”
I was secretly glad that he had already thought all that out because I hadn’t thought beyond gettingsomeonetomoveHenry’sbodyoutofthealley.Ididn’tlikeleavinghimthere.
“Icouldcall andletthecommander know what’sgoingon.”
Steel shookhis head. “Notifthere is a spyonbase. Iwould betthere’s more thanjustthose two in the alley. It’s possible that someone could track the connection and find us before we reach the base.Thatwouldbeunpleasant.Wewill betheresoonenough.”
His argument was rational, so I dropped the subject. We exited the hotel and hailed a cab. We climbed inside, and the hovercab flew into one ofthe air traffic streams. We weren’ttoo far fromthe spaceport.Itriedtorelaxbutfailedmiserably.
“Hey.”Steel tappedmyleg.“Stopbeingsoworried.I’mhere,andyou’regoingtobefine.We’ll bebackonbasesoon,andIwill makesurethatyoumakeittoEremussafely.Okay?”
I knew that he couldn’t really promise me that, and even though I had hired him to be my bodyguard and to protect me, he was still just one man against all the resources of the
Conglomeration.Andyet,hiswordsstill reassuredmeandeasedsomeofmyfears. “Okay.I’mholdingyoutothat.”
“Iaimtoplease.”
“Unauthorizedpersonnel.”
Cassia huffed, rolling her eyes. I looked back down at the security scanner and sighed. I could understandwhyIwouldn’tbegrantedimmediateaccesstoboardtheshuttletothebase,butthiswasa complicationwedidn’tneed.Wewereprobablygoingtorunintothisissuealot.
Without saying anything, Cassia briskly typed a few things on her tablet. Then she looked back upatme.“Thatshouldfixit.Tryagain.”
I stepped back and reentered the scanner. This time there was a light chime and the force field dropped,allowingmetoboardtheshuttle.
“How didyoudothat?”
Sheslippedher tabletbackintoher bag.“Ihelpeddesignthesystem.”
Ipaused, havingno idea whatto sayto that. She helped designthe securitysystem? Iswear she surprisedmemoreandmoreeveryminute.Shehadtobeagenius.
Idroppedintooneoftheshuttle’s almost comfortableseatsandtappedafinger againstthehiltof thekniferestingonmybelt.Thisnighthadcertainlyturnedoutunexpectedly.
Once she sat downnext to me, she rubbed her face for a moment before pullingher tablet back out. An automated voice announced that we would be taking off momentarily. This was a small, unpiloted shuttle, and we were the only two aboard. The shuttle shuddered briefly as it launched. I lookedoutone ofthe portwindows toensure we were headinginthe rightdirection,whichwe were. Good.
Then I looked back at the scientist. Her fingers danced across the screen. She was holding up remarkablywell, consideringthat someone had just killed her friend right infront ofher and tried to kidnap her. She was made of tougher stuff thanshe appeared to be, mentallyand physically. I hadn’t thoughtshe’d be able to keep pace withme as we ranbackto the hotel, butshe had. Yes, Ihadn’trun as fastas Icould have, butIhad assumed Iwould need to stop to lether rest. Ihadn’tneeded to. She wasoutofbreath,butshemadeitall thewaytothehotel.
Her eyes narrowed inconcentrationas she did…whatever it was she was doingonthat thing. I had decent knowledge of computers and technology, but it looked like she was working with the actual programming.Imightknow mywayaroundanoperatingsystem,butIhadnoidea how towork withcomputer code.
Shestuckher computer outtome.“Putyour handonthere.”
Iliftedaneyebrow ather commandingtone.“Why?”
“It’s one thingto bypass shuttle security, butonce we reachthe base, youwill have to getpasta netconnected computer and live soldiers. Ineed to scanyouto change your biometric informationto getyouonbase.”
Frowning,Iplacedmyhandonthescreen.“Youcanaccessmyrecord?”
“Yes, and Icanalter itso thatyoucangetthroughsecurity. Ifthere is anythingsuspicious onthe
ChapterFour Steel
record, theywon’tletyouin. It’s nota permanentfix, butIcanupload the informationchange into the base’s system.” She tookthe computer backand started typingagain, and thena file popped up onthe three-dimensional display.“Ah,thereyouare.”
I leaned into her to read it. It listed my name and basic description before listing my active record. “Enlisted in the army on Capella Luna at age seventeen; served on two tours before being honorably discharged at age twenty-two.” Cassia spoke softly, scrolling down slightly. Beneath that was the list of where I served mytours, duration, trainingdetails, evenrecommendations fromsome ofmysuperiors.Noneofmyspecial operationsworkwaslisted.
Cassia stabbed at the image below it, which was in red. “Warrant for questioning in several murders on Viridis, Novus Terra, and Ancora. Warrant for arrest for theft of a class three vehicle. Consideredextremelydangerous.Arrestonsight.”
Sothat’sall theinformationtheyhadonme.Hmm.Well,thatwasgoodtoknow.
Cassia scratched her head for a moment. The reportwentonto listknownassociates, knownor suspected addresses, an employment record, omitting my illegal employment of course, and some other notes that had beenadded alongthe way. I didn’t make it downto readingthembefore Cassia slashedher handthroughitandthentypedfuriously.
“So,you’regoingtoeraseall ofthat?”
She turned her head to glance at me briefly, brushing her hair across my forearm for barely a second.“Yes.They’dnever letyouonbasewiththatkindofrecord.”
The shuttle dipped slightly, and Cassia grumbled something. “Two minutes until docking. Ineed tohurry.”
The words on the record began to shift and reorder themselves. The red words disappeared, takingall mywarrantswiththem.Mymilitaryrecordremaineduntouched.
“There.” She tilted the computer towards me. She had added insome fake employmentrecords. Currentlyithadmeworkingatapersonal securityfirm.“Isthisacceptable?”
“Andthisonlyshowsuponthebase?”
Cassia nodded as the shuttle shuddered again, and a voice announced that we would be able to exitshortly.Cassiadroppedher computer backintoher bag.“That’sall Icanaccesshere.”
An idea began to form in the back of my mind. “Can you change my record on the net permanently?Wipeitoutacrossthegalaxy?”
Her forehead furrowed. “Yes. If I access the base’s mainframe, I can alter the record permanently.”
I grinned and rubbed my hands together. “If you change my record and remove those warrants, I’ll cutmyfeeinhalf.Doesthatsoundfair?”
“Moneyisnotaconcernfor me.”
“Well,ifyoudon’tchange myrecordfor me,thenI’mnotsure I’mgoingtobe able tohelpyou.” I hated playing dirty, but having my record changed was too valuable to pass up. I had hired a professional to wipe myrecord a year or so ago, buthe had failed and beencaught. Atleasthe'd had enoughsense to keep quietaboutme. Butitwas moneywasted, and no results. Ihad a suspicionthat thisgirl coulddoitandnoonewouldbethewiser.
The shuttle finished its dockingprocedure, and several beeps sounded inthe small room. Cassia unfastenedher restraintandstoodup.“Whatdoyoumean?”
“What if we’re caught off-world and enforcers find us? I’ll be arrested and you’ll be held for questioning.How longdoyouthinkitwouldtaketheConglomerationtogettoyouthen?”
She glared atme for a momentas she slungher bagacross her shoulder, adjustingthe strap. She
knew Iwasmanipulatingher.“Idonotintendfor ustobeanywherenear enforcers.” Ishrugged.“Thingshappen.”
“Idonotfeel comfortablebreakingthelaw.”
Someone certainly has a good girl streak.
I decided to bluff her. I shrugged and leaned backinmyseat, turningmyvoice hard. “Thenyou needtofindyourselfanother bodyguard.I’ll ridethisshuttlebackdowntoArcadiaPrime.”
Panic edged into her eyes, and she swallowed hard. Her bodyremained still as stone, as though rooted to the floor, for several longseconds. Her eyes shone withfear as she stared atme. Imentally punched myself for beingsucha jerkto her, but this was important. I didn’t know this scientist and I refusedtofeel guiltyfor usingher.Well,Itriednottofeel guilty.
Finally, she sether jaw and stalked over to me and whenshe spoke her voice was cold. “Iwill change your record and I will pay you half of your usual fee. You will be my bodyguard and accompanymetoEremus,andtherewill benofurther addendumstothiscontract.Agreed?”
Smart.Ismiledandheldoutmyhand.“Agreed.”
Sheshookitfirmlybeforeturningtowardsthedoor.“Let’sgo.”
I unsnapped the restraint and followed her to the door, which slid open as we approached. We headed down the hall and into the main security room. All passengers had to check in with security before they were allowed into the base. There was nowhere else to even go except through the securitydoor. Ihadn’tspentmuchtime onmilitaryspace bases, since mostofmymilitarycareer had beenontheground,butIwasatleastfamiliar withhow securityfunctioned.
Cassia approached the terminal, whichhad a scanner and weapons detector. I frowned. Should haverealizedthat.How wasIgoingtogetall myweaponspastsecurity?
I touched Cassia’s elbow and nodded at the detector while I put my free hand on my bag. She blinkedatme,obviouslynotunderstanding.Indeed,subtletywas nother strongsuit.Iformedmyhand intoagunandjerkedittwicebeforetappingmybagagain.
This time she understood. Her eyes flickered to the detector, and then she put her hand on her ownbagand smiled.She walked throughthe detector withoutitbuzzing. Ifrownedather onthe other side, but she just stood close to the detector and motioned me through. I stepped through, steeling myselffor theinevitablealarms.
Nothing.Silence.
I lifted an eyebrow at the doctor, but she said nothing. She simply approached the desk. A soldier sat behind it; buzzed hair and thinglasses beingthe onlythings that stood out about him. Six armed men manned the two doors that led to the base. That seemed like a lot of security, but if the basehadjustbeenattacked,asCassiahadsaid,thenperhapstheaddedsecuritymadesense.
The soldier lookedalmostannoyedas Cassia stoppedinfrontofhim. “I’mDr.Strayer,returning fromArcadiaPrimewithaguest,LiamSteel.”
The soldier, I gathered that he was a corporal from his uniform, leaned back in his chair and eyed her for a moment before shaking his head. “You’re cleared to return, but there are no guests allowedatthistime.Basepersonnel only.BaseCommander Adams’orders.”
Cassiafrowned.“What?Why?”
“Withthe recentsecuritybreach, the Commander is placinga temporarylockdownonthe base.” The corporal adjusted his glasses. “Especially since someone managed to gain clearance to go planet-sidewithoutlegitimateauthorization.”
ThecensoredtonemadeCassiablush.Thenher shoulders stiffened,andher tonefrostedover.“I ambringing my guest with me onto the base. I’mnot going in without him, and I’mnot leaving. So,
thereisnoother option.”
The corporal shook his head. “Orders are orders. He can return on a shuttle to the planet’s surfaceuntil tomorrow atnoon.”
“Unacceptable.Call thecommander.Hewill allow it.”
“I’mnot bothering the commander when he was just down here, not an hour ago, reprimanding mefor allowingacertainscientisttoleavewithoutpermission,eventhoughthecomputer saidthatthe scientisthadclearance.”
Cassiascoffed,pulledher comlinkfromher pocket,andthumbedit.“Commander Adams.”
The corporal rolled his eyes. Iglared athimfrombehind Cassia. He caughtmylookand wilted slightly.
After several seconds, Commander Adams answered the call. “Dr. Strayer, it’s about time I heard fromyou!” Avoice barked fromthe com. The corporal flinched, but Cassia didn’t react as he kept talking. “I want youinmyoffice immediately! Are youbackonbase? What the devil were you thinking? Youshouldhave alreadycalledme bynow.ItoldLieutenantGrahamtohave youcall me as soonasyouwereatthespaceport.”
“Henry’sdead.”Her voicewaveredslightly.
Therewas amomentofshockedsilence.Thecorporal’s jaw droppedopenbeforeheslammedit shut.Thecommander sworeunder hisbreath.“Whereareyou?Areyouokay?”
“I’m fine. I’m at the security checkpoint where a Corporal” she leaned forward to read his nametag “Estepis denyingmyguestaccess.Themanwhojustsavedmylife.Saidsomethingabout anorder fromyouprohibitingaccess.”
Something crashed on the commander’s end, and I swear he growled. I could see why Cassia wouldbeintimidatedbytheman.“Nooutsidepersonnel,Strayer.Youshouldknow better thananyone how risky that is at this point. Just get in here and tell me what in the name of blue grass happened downthere!”
Her face never changed nor did she back down or seem cowed by his words. “Listen, commander, I’mnot setting foot on this base without this man. So, either you tell the corporal to let himinor wearebothturningaroundandleaving.It’suptoyou.”
“Don’tbefoolish!Itisn’tsafeoutthere.”
“And it obviouslyisn’t safe inhere either.” She sighed, turned around, and started backfor the shuttle.“I’mgettingbackontheshuttle.”
“Strayer!” He made a strangled noise. “Icould order mymento detainyouand force youto stay here.Youknow that.”
Her gaze flickered to the soldiers along the wall. “I think my new bodyguard might take that moveasthreatening.”Her eyesflickeredtomine.“Idon’tthinkanyonewantstoseehimagitated."
Ihoped she was bluffingbecause Iwas notina positionto take onsixarmed guards, letalone a military base. But I put on a poker face, turning my features into granite, and slipped into a fighting stance.Justincase.
Thankfully, she must have intrigued the commander. “Bodyguard? What the…Corporal Estep!” Hisvoiceboomedacrosstheroomandthecorporal flinched.
“Yes,sir?”
“Lethimin!I’msickofarguing. Strayer, yougetyour backside inmyoffice immediately, is that understood?”
Cassiasmiledfaintly,thoughher tonestill never wavered.“Yes,sir.”
“Andthatbodyguardbetter sticktoyoulikeglue.”
