Rogue Stars

by C Gockel et al.

  “Okay. Why?”

  “Why? Let me count the ways….”

  “Sure. Still, I’d be willing to bet there’s one thing always jumping to the front of your mind. One niggling incongruity which sets off all the others.”

  He chuckled. The mind of an engineer at work, using structured failure analysis on every problem. The chuckle faded as he realized Will was, as usual, correct. “Okay. For starters, Candela. The assassin. Putting aside the fact he fits the profile of exactly zero assassins in history, which is another issue altogether, he made no effort to conceal his identity during the attack. Arguably he even flaunted it, leaving his fingerprints and DNA on half a dozen hands and practically mugging for the camera. So then—” he broke off when the waiter appeared with their lunch.

  After taking a bite of the fried halibut he continued. “So then why did he work so hard to slip away unnoticed and elude the pursuit, only to commit suicide immediately thereafter?”

  Will paused the spoon filled with chili just shy of his mouth. “Because he didn’t want to spend the next year in an Alliance prison cell, paraded out every so often in shackles for the media and otherwise awaiting his execution?”

  “Admittedly, a good reason. But he could have accomplished the same objective by stopping and pointing a weapon at one of the agents pursuing him, or attacking one. If he intended to die anyway, why was it so important he get away first?”

  Will nodded intently; the matter had gained his attention now. “And if he intended to die anyway, why was it so important the world know he committed the murder?”

  “Exactly.” Richard ran a hand along his jaw. “There’s something else. Alex showed up at Headquarters the other day with a Senecan intelligence agent.”

  Will’s eyes shot up. An odd shadow passed through them; it was gone after a blink, though his brow had furrowed in surprise. “Are you serious?”

  “Quite. We arrested him, she broke him out of detention, they’ve disappeared off-planet…it’s a long story. But the most disconcerting part is, he claimed to be here to ask for our help. He and Alex believe the assassination was not sanctioned by any Senecan authority, nor the Palluda attack by any Alliance one—something I think Miriam is beginning to suspect as well. They insist the entire war is a setup perpetrated by someone else, though God knows who that might be.”

  “Damn.” Will sank deeper in his chair. “Is there any chance they’re right?”

  “I…have to concede it’s not outside the realm of possibility. Given all the questions surrounding these events, perhaps more than possible.”

  Will delivered a look across the table. Firm, almost challenging. “What are you going to do about it?”

  “Ha.” He swallowed. “Alex asked me for the autopsy reports on Santiagar. She seemed to think if the Senecans were able to examine the details they may be able to prove Candela wasn’t the assassin.”

  “I’m guessing you didn’t give them to her.”

  “I couldn’t. It would be a violation of the Military Code and my professional responsibility and arguably treason. A senior Alliance military officer passing classified files to a Senecan spy? I’d be dishonorably discharged, not to mention probably spend the rest of my life in prison.”

  “But Richard…what if they’re right? Millions of people are going to die in this war, it’s inevitable. What if you can prevent that from happening?”

  He met Will’s gaze and found it animated by a startling intensity. “What are you suggesting I do? Simply hand over the files and hope for the best?”

  “Let me do it.”

  “What?”

  “Give me the files. I’ll send Alex a message—from the company even, something official-sounding related to her loft—and encrypt the files inside it. She’s a smart girl, she’ll figure it out. Or her spy friend will.”

  He reached over and grasped Richard’s hand in his. “Look. I realize if it all goes off the rails you could still be implicated. But at least it will provide you some protection by putting a layer between you and the Senecans.”

  “Will, why would you do this? Why get involved?”

  “Because I want to believe Alex is right. I want to believe this war is a mistake neither side intended. Call me crazy, but I want peace. I don’t think the Senecans are bad guys—not en masse. And if there is an opportunity for us to save all those lives, I want to help make it happen.”

  A heavy breath fell from Richard’s lips, until it felt like his lungs, his entire body, had become an empty void. He’d been a lowly major in the First Crux War, responsible for only a handful of soldiers and insulated from the weighty decisions which came with power. Now there was a chance, albeit a slim one, the fate of millions rested in his hands.

  His eyes rose to find his husband’s staring at him with affection, but also conviction. He nodded. “Give me two hours.”

  63 Romane

  Independent Colony

  They had barely made it back upstairs in time for the approach and landing on Romane, on account of the unexpectedly extended and amazing shower.

  Mia stepped through the hangar bay door seconds after Alex opened the hatch and they disembarked. He was certain she had been waiting outside and timed her entry appropriately. She wore a flattering yet conservative black pantsuit complemented by a silver top, her long black hair sleek and straight over one shoulder.

  It still sometimes amazed him how thoroughly she had transformed herself from a scruffy street rat hacker and thief to a wealthy, respected businesswoman. He had meant it twelve years ago when he told her she showed potential beyond her circumstances, but the extent to which it had turned out to be true surprised even him.

  She met them halfway and planted a quick kiss on the cheek. “Caleb, it’s been too long.” She had retreated before he could respond and was greeting Alex with an impressively genuine smile and extended hand. “Mia Requelme. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

  Alex accepted the proffered hand somewhat coolly, though he suspected it was no different from how she greeted most strangers. “Alex Solovy. Thank you for indulging us, and on such short notice.”

  Mia sighed in feigned drama. “I’ve learned by now with Caleb—it’s always short notice. But it’s no trouble. Very nice ship you have there. One of a kind, I’d wager.”

  “I’d like to think so.”

  “I’ve seen a lot of expensive ships pass through here. I suspect you are correct.” She gestured to several control panels along the wall. “If you’ll follow me, you can review our standard procedures and the special services we offer. I understand security is of utmost concern.”

  “It is.”

  Mia had clearly already surmised the ship was Alex’s baby, the extra measures he’d requested were on her account and when it came to the ship she was the one in charge. The ability to size up a customer and their proclivities in a matter of seconds was no doubt one reason she had done so well for herself.

  Satisfied things were on track to proceed relatively smoothly, he looked at Mia as they crossed the spacious bay together. The Class I bays were the largest and best-equipped offered, not merely by her but by anyone on Romane, and every aspect of it shone. “I don’t suppose you happened to bring my pack I left here?”

  “Please. It’s in my office.”

  Alex had dived into the information at the control center, quite intently so. He drew to her side and leaned in close. “The pack contains some personal weapons and tools—I’ve sort of scattered extras across the galaxy, I’m afraid. Once I grab it, I am going to go buy some clothes, because I’m sure you are beyond ready to see me in anything other than this shirt. It’s been a decent shirt, but I’m considering burning it.”

  She gave him a vague nod in response, her focus still on the details of the hangar bay. He looked over his shoulder. “Mia, after we run by your office can you come back and get Alex set up with what she needs?”

  Her expression veered dangerously close to a smirk. “I’d be happy to do so.”<
br />
  He leaned in yet closer, squeezed Alex’s hand and placed a delicate kiss at the base of her ear. It was important to him she feel comfortable in the situation, and know he was here for her and only her. “I’ll be back soon.”

  Her eyes cut up at him with a distracted glance. “Okay. Have fun.”

  Mia spun around as soon as the door to her office closed to stare at him in disbelief and perhaps dismay. “Caleb, darling, what have you gotten yourself into?”

  He crouched down beside the pack on the floor and unzipped it. He wasn’t afraid she had removed anything, but he needed to remind himself of its contents. “I haven’t the faintest idea what you’re referring to, Mia darling.”

  “Miriam Solovy’s daughter? Are you kidding me? I appreciate that you’re adventurous, but I didn’t think you were insane.”

  He chuckled darkly while he rummaged through the pack. “How the hell do you know who her mother is?”

  She glared at him as if insulted. “I’m paid very well to stay current on many details regarding the power players in this little galaxy of ours. And your girlfriend’s mother is one of them. You do realize you’re at war against the Alliance now, right?”

  He shrugged, zipped up the pack and stood. “Your point?”

  She stepped forward and grasped his hands in hers. “I have a soft spot for you, Caleb. I always have. I don’t want to see you get hurt.”

  He smiled. “They’ve already arrested me. What else can they do?”

  She didn’t. “They can kill you, for one.”

  “I’m much too good to let that happen. Don’t worry. We’ll be fine.”

  “We?” She dropped his hands and took a step back. “Oh my god, you’re in love with her.”

  He exhaled harshly—more harshly than he had intended. “Don’t be absurd. I—”

  “You are, you’re completely in love with her. I can’t believe I didn’t spot it immediately.” She laughed. “I never thought I’d see the day, Caleb Marano in love. She really must be something.”

  “Just stop, okay? You don’t know what you’re talking about.” She definitely did not know what she was talking about. How could she?

  She nodded dramatically, eyes wide in mocking. “Of course, my mistake. Whatever you say.”

  “Mia….”

  “No, I concede the point. You’re not in love. Silly of me to even suggest it. Now I’d better get out to the bay lest your girlfriend start suspecting we’re in here being bad.”

  He reached out and grabbed her arm as she turned to go. “Wait. We’re renting a ship to take to Seneca, and odds are we’ll be there a few days. There’s something else I need you to do for me while we’re gone. I’ll pay you whatever you need for it.”

  “Caleb, you know I never charge you.”

  “You haven’t heard what it is yet.”

  Mia returned, sans Caleb, after several minutes.

  She was rather beautiful, Alex thought. Objectively speaking. Of average height but with exquisite bone structure, her olive skin complimented vaguely Asian features. She carried herself with studied confidence, yet her eyes carried a hint of…Alex wasn’t sure. Roughness? Grittiness? Though she gave a flawless impression of it, the woman had not been born into wealth. Of that much Alex was certain.

  “How’s everything look?”

  “Excellent. You have a very sophisticated facility here. I must admit I’m impressed. But can we go over the additional security measures?”

  “Absolutely.” Mia opened a new display in one of the panels. “A cam monitors the door from the outside, which only I—and now you and Caleb—can access. As you see, this is the sole entrance to the bay except for airborne entry, but while the bay is occupied the force field is one-way. Your handprint here and this door becomes operable solely by you and I.”

  “And Caleb?”

  “Not until he gets back here with his handprint.”

  “Right. Can it be DNA-coded as well?”

  Mia raised an eyebrow but didn’t otherwise balk at the request. “It can.” Her fingertips manipulated the information on the screen, and a small drawer slid out from beneath the shelf. It held a brushed magnesium encoder.

  Alex recognized its purpose and pressed her palm to it. A faint tingle against her index finger indicated the extraction of her DNA signature.

  She glanced over at Mia, who was already pulling in the signature and configuring the door security. “So how did you meet Caleb?”

  The woman’s head tilted away as a guarded expression swept across her face.

  “I don’t mean to pry. If it’s personal—”

  “Sorry, gut reaction. My past isn’t a topic I make a habit of discussing. But hell, why not. It’s certainly been long enough.” She added a small smile. “In short, he saved me. I was in the forced employ of the Triene cartel on Pandora, where I had run after I got tired of my father and brother using me as a mule to fence stolen goods—most notably when the last ‘customer’ got it in his head to relieve me of both the goods and my life.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “It’s fine. I stabbed him. I assume he died, but who knows. Unfortunately, I ended up in a situation which was little better. One day Caleb approached me seeking help to get inside the Triene compound. I agreed, and he gave me a ticket off-planet and some credits to get on my feet. He took the whole operation down, then checked up on me a while later. We became friends of a sort.”

  “Then more than friends.”

  “Ha…told you, did he?” She rolled her eyes and muttered something Alex couldn’t make out under her breath. “Don’t worry, it’s all far in the past. But he is my friend, and I owe him my life. So…be gentle with him.”

  “I hardly think Caleb needs anyone to be gentle with him.”

  “You might be surprised.” She transitioned the display to a new menu. “Here, we can also add a plasma cage around the docking area.” A tap and a field shimmered to life in a box two meters beyond the frame of the ship. “And now I’m linking it to you as well. You can activate and deactivate it from here.”

  Mia paused, the corners of her mouth twitching. “What about you? How did you meet him?”

  Alex cleared her throat awkwardly. “I, uh, shot down his ship and stranded him on a hostile planet…then rescued him from it.”

  “Nice!” Mia laughed; it was surprisingly rich and sultry. “That explains it.”

  “Explains what?”

  “Why he’s so taken with you. Other than the obvious of course.”

  She felt a bit flustered. Gabbing like teenagers about a guy wasn’t an activity she commonly engaged in, or had honestly ever done—at least not with anyone other than Kennedy and even then only after several glasses of wine. “What do you mean?”

  Mia leaned against the shelf, crossing her arms over her chest and relaxing her bearing. “There’s something you need to understand about Caleb. He spends a lot of his time—professionally—manipulating people. Finding their weaknesses and exploiting them. He’s quite skilled at it, and it’s kind of affected his opinion of people in general. It’s not that he doesn’t appreciate them—I suspect he’s rather fond of humanity as a rule—but it of necessity puts him somewhat apart and above most of them.”

  She chuckled, seemingly to herself. “Very few individuals truly impress him, and the ones who do are unfailingly strong, independent and resourceful. And should someone actually get the better of him, well he’d be smitten for sure.”

  “Smitten?”

  A mysterious grin grew on Mia’s lips, as if she knew a secret and intended on keeping it. Okay, that was annoying. “Smitten.” She pushed off the shelf and focused back on the display. “Any particular name you want the rental under?”

  “I’m sorry?”

  “Caleb said you’d be wanting the records doctored. I can choose a name at random, or one of the many corps, but I thought I’d give you the option.”

  Ever the spy…but he was right. A false name would make the ship more se
cure, especially should her hijinks at the detention center garner attention. “It’s an excellent idea, but I’ll let you choose. I’m not much with the spy games.”

  “Stick with him, and you will be.”

  “Everything go okay with Mia?”

  “Hmm? Yeah, it went fine.” She was preoccupied when she glanced up at him, but she had to smile at the new clothes. He wore charcoal casual slacks and a deep navy shirt unbuttoned over a tee of matching hue. The bag in his hand indicated there were more where these came from.

  She wouldn’t have thought it possible, but the choice of color made his eyes appear an even richer blue. “I like.”

  He dropped the bag on the floor and joined her on the couch. “Good. Something going on?”

  “I’m not sure.” She sent the message she had been staring at to an aural. “This came in a few minutes ago.”

  Ms. Solovy,

  With respect to the proposed renovations to your residence, we have attached draft plans based on your specifications. Please review the changes and additions. We hope they meet with your approval.

  Regards,

  — W. C. Sutton Construction, Inc.

  “W. C. Sutton is Will’s firm…but I’m not doing any renovations to the loft.”

  “Who’s Will?”

  “Richard’s husband. Might as well take a look at the plans.” The attachment opened to display, as advertised, a blueprint of the layout of her loft. A series of alterations were marked in green. They included the addition of marble flooring to the entrance and dining area, an extension of the kitchen another meter and a half, new windows and an additional closet on the back wall of the elevated sleeping area.

  “This is weird. I’ve never discussed the possibility of working on the loft with him. His expertise is large commercial projects, anyway.”

  “What’s up with the windows? They look odd.”

  She zoomed in on the specs running along the side of the aural. “It says they’re beveled…which is absurd. Who would put in beveled windows? They would totally obscure the view—and the view is the entire point of the windows.”