Against That Time

by Edward McKeown

  “You have shown no reluctance to risk your life for Jaelle, or for me. Or do you imagine that I have forgotten your reckless charge across the asteroid, in an unarmored suit, when I malfunctioned before the Thieves Guild?”

  “No,” I said, warmed by pride. “That was the day I started to live again. It was preceded by many failures.”

  “You make too much of math. Plusses and minuses added together and the result is coward or hero? The universe is not so simple. I know you better than you perhaps know yourself. I do not harbor these doubts. But there is more to this latest misadventure. Something else has changed to bring this on.”

  I told her about my midnight conversation with Jaelle.

  “Are you sure that the fact Jaelle must have her children with a male of her own species is not the central factor?”

  I winced. “For someone who didn’t know anything about biological lifeforms, other than how to kill them two years ago, you’re getting goddamn perceptive.”

  “A consort arrangement is not exclusive, by definition; it binds two beings of different species.”

  “My girlfriend may have cat-ears and a tail, but the idea that she is getting pregnant by someone else is hard to take.”

  “Did this never occur to you before?”

  I sighed again. “No. I didn’t realize how important it was for Jaelle to have children while she was young.”

  “She promised to return. Do you not trust her word?”

  And there it was. “I don’t know. Once she’s back among other Nekoans and with children of her own, the idea of living with a disgraced pilot and an ancient android may not seem so appealing. The thought of her leaving me…”

  Maauro looked away and we stood silent for a few minutes. I realized as time dragged on that I had upset her, though no trace showed on the youthful face.

  “Maauro?”

  She ignored me.

  “What is it? Please talk to me.”

  “I respect your pain. I know you fear losing Jaelle and that she is networked with you in a way I cannot be.” She turned toward me and now I could see hurt in her eyes. “But I am still here. Am I nothing? Does my presence have no value? Do I offer you no comfort? Am I not reason enough not to risk your life in these stupid—”

  I reached both my arms around her and hugged her hard. Perhaps not a smart move with a deadly android but, she did not object. We stood like this for minutes, silently.

  “I’m sorry,” I said, my voice, husky. “I took you for granted, didn’t I?”

  Maauro nodded, her hair soft against my neck.

  “Whatever happens to, or with me, never doubt what I said to you back on the Artifact. I do love you, Maauro.”

  “Then we will remain networked whether Jaelle returns or not?”

  “We will remain networked while I live, though it may be another reason for Jaelle not to return.”

  “I do not understand. She and I are networked too. There is no reason for her to feel sexual jealousy toward me. Appearance aside, I am essentially neuter.”

  I grinned at her. “From the conversation of the last few minutes I would say you were pretty female. Jealously need not be sexual; I think she’s unsure of which one of you I have stronger feelings for.”

  Mauro tipped her head up. “Which one—”

  “Nope,” I said raising a hand quickly. “The Confederate charter on sapient rights states that I need not testify against myself.” Besides, I thought, what if I don’t know?

  She raised an eyebrow. “As you have returned to speaking nonsense, I assume the serious part of our conversation is over.”

  “Yes. It’s late. I’m cold and tired.”

  “Very well, but we will discuss these matters again.”

  “Maauro, you really are female.”

  The chewing out I received from Jaelle on her return quickly eclipsed the one I’d received earlier from Maauro and at points looked like it was going to involve actual teeth. Maauro showed neither discretion nor mercy in relaying the details of my unfortunate encounter with the Ribisan to both Jaelle and Dusko on the grounds they needed “intel” on our new enemy. I really couldn’t contest the wisdom of that, especially given my current low stock level with the rest of the team.

  I learned that while Nekoans yowl in frustration, which happened repeatedly before Jaelle advised that she needed to take a walk to cool off and would see me at home later to continue “the discussion.” I had a feeling that there would be little talking by me during that conversation.

  Surprisingly, it was Dusko who found a few kind words for me, just after Maauro left to do some checking on her various spy taps around the city.

  “Good thinking about using your com to simulate a bomb,” he said, as he rose, heading for the door. “I wouldn’t have come up with that.”

  “You would be entitled to add,” I said, “that you wouldn’t have been stupid enough to have walked straight into a trap like that and that you told me so.”

  He shrugged. “You’re young yet. The young make mistakes. The lucky young live to learn from them. I’m the one who kept attacking Maauro despite her annihilating team after team of Guild until I ended up as her captive.” He turned to the door then hesitated. “I don’t suppose that I ever thanked you for dumping me into that ejection pod the day Maauro decided to kill me.”

  I looked back. “Not necessary. To be brutally honest, and I think you’re entitled to that from me, I did it to save her from the sin of murder.”

  Dusko nodded. “Understood. Still, for what it is worth…”

  I grimaced. “Maybe next time I should listen to your advice.”

  “Maybe next time you will.” He slipped out

  In the morning life had returned to something like normal. Jaelle and I had quickly shelved the trauma of the day before after she extracted a heartfelt promise never to do anything that stupid again and further, to take Maauro with me on anything that smacked of danger. Her own rivalry with the android quickly disappeared when matters of our security surfaced.

  When we returned to the office, Maauro and Dusko were already there, winding down our other business operations or subcontracting them out. Since money was not an issue, through the Confederacy’s largesse, we were able to keep customers and business partners happy with liberal doses of government cash.

  The desk com chimed for our attention, interrupting our planning session. The screen lit with the message. “Incoming encrypted call – no video.”

  Maauro looked at Jaelle. “Please answer.”

  She keyed the com but kept the screen off on our side as well. “Lost Planet Expeditions, Jaelle Tekala speaking.”

  “Hello Jaelle. This is Candace Deveraux, doubtless Wrik and Maauro mentioned me to you.”

  “Doubtless.”

  “I hope to make your acquaintance in person, before you all leave.”

  “What can I do for you, Agent Deveraux?”

  “You can call me Candace if you like. I don’t stand on ceremony. Are Wrik and Mauro there?”

  She looked at me and I shook my head. “Not at the moment.”

  A derisive laugh came from the screen. “Honey I never ask a question I don’t already know the answer to. Anyway tell them, when you, ahem, see them, that I received some interesting information from the PBI.”

  My stomach did a flip. The Planetary Bureau of Investigation handled interspecies cases.

  “Seems the Ribisan legation just reported a missing person, a merchant with an unpronounceable name. He arrived about a month ago and was supposed to exit according to his visa three days ago. He’s disappeared.

  “Why tell us?” Jaelle asked.

  “Don’t play with me, Catgirl. I’m not stupid and neither are you. PBI knows that he was last seen down at the docks in one of the powered exoskeletons that he was here marketing. Seems there
was some sort of to-do there. Huge amount of property damage, small fires, oddly enough none of the security systems detected or recorded a damn thing.”

  “How unfortunate,” Jaelle said. “Perhaps his exoskeleton went out of control.”

  “Hmmn, good one. Then maybe it marched him into the depths of the ocean where he will be found millions of years from now by very confused archeologists. Say hi to Wrik and Maauro for me.”

  “Will do,” Jaelle said as the line clicked off.

  “Interesting,” Maauro said, “and perhaps helpful.”

  I looked at her. “How do you mean?”

  “The attack on you was not random. It indicated an awareness of our operation and personnel. Presumably the Ribisans had become aware of us and launched countermeasures.”

  “How has that changed?” Jaelle said, as she crawled up the table and curled her legs and tail under her.

  “If the Ribisan government had sent a mission against us, they would not have contacted the police and called attention to their missing operative. This seems to indicate that there are factions among the Ribisans and that the government is not the faction determined to kill us. Some other party is moving, but it is unlikely they can project power this far. This relatively clumsy attempt, with only one operative, indicates this. Likely we will not be attacked again until we arrive at their system.”

  “Good,” Dusko said. “I’d hate to be killed close to home when there is a chance to die a miserable death on a gas giant.”

  “It does mean that it would be worthwhile to adopt protective camouflage when we travel. Not all of our enemies may know or recognize us,” Maauro added.

  Dusko stretched out in a chair, resting his feet on a low table. The sun slanted into the room, but the light just reflected off his pupilless blue eyes without bothering him. I had to narrow my eyes against the glare. Maauro noticed and sent some computerized command to the windows, which polarized. I smiled at her.

  “So,” Dusko said, ”we have a client who thinks we are working for him, the Confederacy who thinks we are working for them, and, of course, we are all dancing to Maauro’s tune.”

  Maauro threw him a cool glance but I noticed that she didn’t correct him. “We need to come up with a plan to obtain access to the site of the expedition. Candace’s data crystal places the location of the Ribisan joint venture in the fifth planet of the Cimbar system. It is over 500 light-years from Star-Central.”

  I whistled.

  Maauro looked at me in fascination. “That was wonderful, Wrik. Do it again.”

  Jaelle smothered a laugh as Dusko sighed. I obligingly whistled again.

  “Five hundred lights is a long hop,” I added.

  “Yes,” Maauro replied, then she whistled. It was a perfect reproduction, only longer. “Interesting. Why do you this?”

  “It called whistling. It can indicate surprise or be used to signal for attention.”

  “Thank you, Wrik.” Maauro smiled at me. “It pleases me to learn from you.”

  For some reason I was suddenly too choked up to speak and simply nodded and looked away, hoping no one noticed.

  Her new skill mastered, Maauro returned to the business at hand. “There is a route that involves three small star jumps from Central to an express route that takes us out of the Confederacy proper and into Ribisan territory. Cimer is one of the border worlds, doubtless why it was selected.”

  “So do we warm up Stardust and set out?” Jaelle asked, showing more enthusiasm than usual for one of Maauro’s ventures. Her ears were even twitching.

  “I believe we need covers and to use more than one vessel,” Maauro said. “The Ribisans have blocked or simply ignored Confed inquiries, which have not been hard pressed. They would not find it difficult to believe that Confed might redirect a courier or scoutship to look into the matter, under guise of taking in some diplomatic or trade communications, perhaps even an inspection of the human habitation sections. Candace can probably provide us with genuine diplomatic documents.”

  “With what crew?” I asked, not liking the idea of splitting up.

  “Only you and me,” Maauro said. “I trust Confed Intelligence no more than you do. Couriers have small crews anyway, but we can simulate some additional crewmembers easily so long as we are not boarded, something the Ribisans would not dare with a Confed warship, even a small one. Once in orbit, Wrik should be able to get access to the Ribisan installation.”

  “To what purpose? They’ll be watching every step I make once I land,” I asked.

  “You would come down first. I would drop in a modified escape capsule and join you surreptitiously. I have not met a computer system in this time that I could not back-hack and conceal myself from.”

  “What do you have in mind for us?” Jaelle asked.

  “You would arrive after us, as a Guild runner seeking contacts in Ribisan space.”

  A frown spread over Dusko’s face. “Unwise. While I was not well known beyond Kandalor before I met you, your hijinks have made me quite a black reputation in the Guild. That, combined with the disappearance of Madam Ferlan and her ship, has elevated my profile. My continued survival is testimony to the fact that I am in Maauro’s shadow, where none care to seek for me.”

  “True,” Maauro conceded, “but yours will not be the face they’ll see. Rather it will be a new and more attractive one.”

  “Ah, that would be me,” Jaelle said

  Dusko looked at her. “I think Jaelle is likely the smartest of our biological team, but apt as she is, I do not see her as passing for Guild on sustained exposure. I can try training her up.”

  “Risky in the time we have,” I said.

  “And unnecessary,” Mauro added. “While we will train to the limit possible, Jaelle’s safety requires that she carry Dusko’s brain with her.”

  “Oh, and how do you propose we do that?” Dusko said with asperity.

  “I thought I could remove it, trim the unnecessary parts and implant it in Jaelle.”

  We stared at her.

  “Was my attempt at humor unsuccessful?” she said finally.

  We all released a whoosh of pent-up breath and nervous laughter.

  Maauro gave me a wink.

  “Very funny,” Dusko said.

  “Since you would clearly prefer another method,” Maauro continued, “I have labored to produce a device which will allow for mental communication over distance. Not telepathy, but the devices can pick up mental emanations, condense and transmit them, head to head. The communicator chips have limited range and power. If I made them stronger, they would be detectable and the emanations might be injurious to your health. The effective range of these in normal atmosphere is thousands of kilometers. In a gas giant, it could be far less and highly variable. Do not count on them.”

  Maauro opened a panel in her chest and pulled out a container from which she extracted three small gelatin pills. These she placed on the desktop. Jaelle walked over to the dispenser and drew three cold soft drinks.

  “Will I be able to talk to Wrik?” she asked, placing drinks in front of us.

  “Not directly, yours is paired with Dusko, as you are operating separately, as Wrik must be to mine. I can speak to all three of you as a central nexus.”

  “Why can’t we all communicate?” Dusko said, looking narrowly at her.

  “Again, the devices need to be small and low-powered and, in part, forgive me, it is due to the limitations of your biological brains.”

  “Oh,” he said.

  “You can only process data from the device as fast as you can think and talk. A multiple channel would require a more powerful implant and if two of you spoke at once it would likely scramble your brain, possibly resulting in personality confusion. With my quantum logic brain, I can handle all four channels simultaneously and operate.”

  Jaelle sighed.
“Kit-sister in the middle again.”

  “Sorry,” Maauro said, but Jaelle waved it away with a smile.

  We looked at the pills, then downed them with the soft drinks. Maauro said the capsules would dissolve quickly and the organic net would travel imperceptibly through our blood streams to our brains. I wasn’t sure I believed the imperceptible part.

  “Guess, I’d better start on the liftoff arrangements,” Dusko said, turning back to his computer screen.

  “What do you say to lunch?” I asked Jaelle.

  She smiled her lazy smile. “What I usually say: yum.”

  Jaelle, who lived very in the moment, had let go of her anger at my idiotic encounter with the Ribisan. I’d been busily engaged in giving her reasons to forget about it. Maauro, as if sensing I needed more time and space with Jaelle, had made herself scarce, so I did not have to check with her about lunch. She could also handle all the logistics for our upcoming voyage far faster without our “help.”

  Jaelle and I visited the Sundowner, our favorite café, in a tower overlooking the river. When we returned to the shop it was to find the hallways filled with crates and containers. Maauro had been busy.

  Jaelle’s ears wiggled again. “Well I have affairs of my own and our cover business to resolve, and that means using the people I put on standby to run our operations for an exorbitant bill.”

  “I’ll just add it to Candace’s tab,” I said.

  “That woman frightens me.”

  “I think that’s a very sensible reaction. She probably frightens the Guild as well. But she’s a factor in our lives from now on.”

  “Because of Maauro,” Jaelle said.

  “Jaelle,” I said gently. “With the exception of Dusko, we’d all be long dead without Maauro.”

  “Yes, I know. Maybe it’s selfish, but it may simply be that I’m not cut out for this life we are leading with her.”

  “Didn’t I find you on an expedition into the deepest darkest part of Kandalor, searching for an ancient race and pursued by the Guild?”