“You’re making me nervous.” Asger eyed Casmir, sweat already starting to bead on his forehead. “You’re not going to turn into an anarchist, are you?”
“Rache already has that job. I do think I need to be an agent for change.”
“What are you going to do?”
If anyone else had been talking this way, Asger wouldn’t have thought much of it, but Casmir had already proven he had a knack for making things happen on a large scale. Asger wasn’t sure whether to admire that or be afraid of it.
“I don’t know yet, but don’t you think we should live in a nation where people aren’t trying to kill other people, and where good and honorable men and women are rewarded instead of punished?”
“I think… if I agree with you, I’m going to lose a lot more than my pertundo.”
Casmir lifted a shoulder. “Maybe you’ll get something greater in return.”
More likely, he would get killed.
Disturbed by the conversation and wanting to end it, Asger rose and turned on a wall display. Maybe they should check the local news before they arrived at Stardust Palace.
He found a report, an android anchor showing footage and reading news, but it wasn’t for Stardust Palace or even System Stymphalia. Asger recognized the skyline of Zamek City. Spaceships he didn’t recognize—they were definitely not Kingdom models—were flying down from the clouds and dropping bombs.
Dread and helplessness filled his heavy limbs, and he heard Casmir stopping his treadmill.
“I thought we’d have more time,” Asger whispered.
Casmir stared at the display, equal parts fear and determination on his face. “Now more than ever, we have to do something that can make a difference.”
“We will.” Maybe it was the tequila talking, but Asger needed to believe that.
8
Stardust Palace Station was inside an asteroid, making it look, at least from the outside, undeserving of such a lofty name. Casmir hoped there were a few spires, towers, and turrets on the inside. Even drab gray Drachen Castle back home had impressive towers and turrets. Though he supposed such things were impractical in space, where the omnipresent threat of radiation was more likely to kill the residents than a roving horde of bandits or an army with siege equipment.
“I’ve been here before,” Bonita said from the pilot’s pod where she was guiding the Dragon into one of the large entrance tunnels toward what was probably a large cylindrical can spinning inside, providing gravity for its residents. “There were bowls of mints in the spacers’ lounge.”
“Thus meriting a rave review?” Casmir sat in the co-pilot’s seat since Qin wasn’t around, his stomach surprisingly calm as they swerved left and right, up and down, to navigate a tunnel that must have been designed with defense in mind. They passed more than one missile platform along the way. Almost as good as an old-fashioned turret with arrow slits.
“When you’ve been the places I’ve been, little luxuries like that make an impression.”
Casmir braced himself as Bonita took a turn like a teenage boy racing an air bike. The grin that stole across her face promised she still knew how to enjoy herself at the helm. But as they flew into a straight portion of the tunnel, she must have remembered Casmir’s tendencies, for she squinted over at him.
“You’re not going to throw up, are you?”
“I don’t think so.” He glanced back, noticing Kim using the various holds and jambs to pull herself into navigation. “My stomach has been surprisingly calm since I recovered from the Plague. Maybe I wore it out with the countless times I emptied its contents on Xolas Moon. Much to the chagrin of my companions.”
“The immune booster might have some lingering effects,” Kim suggested.
“Oh?”
“If memory serves, one of its actions is to help your liver, kidneys, and lymphatic system in detoxifying, metabolizing, and clearing endogenous and exogenous substances from the body. Histamine—we’ve discussed its role in motion sickness before—should be included.”
“Are you saying I’m less likely to vomit and to sneeze at grass and pollen?”
“I’m not sure how long it will last, but yes.”
“I hope this palace has a park. I want to walk shirtless through a flower garden and rub pollen all over myself.”
Bonita gave him a weird look.
“Because I usually can’t do that,” Casmir explained. “Sniffles and hives.”
“You made me wonder if you and Qin share a common ancestor,” Bonita said.
“Because she likes to go shirtless in gardens?”
“She likes gardens. And grass and nature and climbing trees. I’m not sure how much of her clothing she removes during the experience.”
The comm beeped, saving Casmir from speculating on cats in his ancestry. “Is that the station? Should we hide under the console?”
Kim arched her eyebrows.
Bonita frowned at the comm panel. “Actually, it’s the Osprey.”
“Ugh,” Casmir said. “We should definitely hide under the console.”
“Just lean out of the video pickup.” Bonita waved for Kim to scoot to the side, then reached for the comm. “It may be Bjarke again. Though it may not, I suppose. Are you here if they ask?”
“Asger and I are here, due to comm troubles and a failure in the environmental system of the shuttle we were riding in. It was kind of you to rescue us.”
“You want me to lie to your captain?” Bonita’s concern seemed feigned.
Casmir doubted she had his difficulties with deceit, especially to some communications officer she didn’t know, but he felt compelled to set her mind at ease. “They’re not lies. The shuttle truly has those problems.”
“Now,” Kim murmured, squeezing behind Casmir’s pod.
Bonita answered the comm. “This is Captain Lopez.”
“Captain Lopez, this is Captain Ishii. If Sir Asger is aboard your ship, I need to speak with him at once.”
Bonita surprised Casmir by not adding a please to what seemed like an unfinished sentence from Ishii—Kim would have. Bonita only smiled at Ishii’s face on the display as she tapped the ship’s internal comm. “Asger, a jilted lover you left behind needs you.”
“A jilted shuttle owner, maybe,” Ishii grumbled, only mildly apoplectic at Bonita’s irreverence.
Asger stepped into navigation, the addition of a fourth large person making it claustrophobic. Kim eyed the space under the console, maybe wishing she’d chosen that spot.
“Asger here, Captain.”
“Care to explain why the expensive shuttle I lent you just docked in my bay without anyone in it?” Ishii asked.
“We thought it might be easier to gain access to Stardust Palace in a civilian vessel. It seems Prince Jorg irritated the sultan, and Kingdom subjects are not welcome there.”
Ishii’s brow wrinkled in confusion. Had nobody reported the local news to him? “That doesn’t mean you get to ditch my shuttle and send it back empty through mercenary-infested waters. If some thug with a railgun had taken pot shots at it, I would have made sure the Fleet billed you.”
“My apologies, Captain, but it developed some malfunctions, and we weren’t able to comm you for permission.” Asger didn’t look at Casmir, but his jaw tightened, and Casmir guessed he was annoyed at having to bend the truth.
“Sorry,” Casmir whispered to him, wishing he’d taken the comm, even if Ishii had specifically requested Asger.
“Yes, my mechanics saw the malfunctions,” Ishii said. “It looks like someone let a rat loose under the console.”
“A rat?” Casmir mouthed in indignation. He’d been careful to make all of the malfunctions appear to be plausible signs of wear and tear. Admittedly, he’d replaced a shiny new cable with a frayed one, but there hadn’t been teeth marks in it.
“Perhaps you should have all of your shuttles fumigated before they see further use. We’ll continue the mission as planned. Asger out.” He reached for the comm, but Ish
ii snapped at him to wait.
“You don’t get to hang up on me, Asger. I want to talk to Scholar Sato.”
Asger hesitated, glancing at Casmir and Kim for the first time.
“I know she’s there,” Ishii said. “And Romano has figured it out too.”
Kim closed her eyes. Casmir wanted to give her a hug. He was used to being in trouble by now, but Kim had been the perfect student all through school and the perfect law-abiding Kingdom subject back home. She wouldn’t even consider littering—he’d seen her run a block to pick up an escaped wrapper caught in the wind. And now, she was defying Prince Jorg.
“I’m here,” Kim said.
Asger stepped out into the corridor to make room for her in front of the camera. He bumped into Zee, who’d also come up to navigation at some point. If anyone else came up here, the ship might tip over.
“Prince Jorg’s people commed,” Ishii said, “to ask if you need any special equipment or accommodations. What do you want me to tell them? Are you going to work on his bioweapon on Stardust Palace?”
Kim stared at the display just above Ishii’s head. Casmir couldn’t tell if she was contemplating her answer or didn’t intend to answer. Her face was always hard to read, and it was as opaque as Rache’s mask now.
“If I can honestly tell him that,” Ishii said, “I might not be in shit too deep to swim in over misplacing you.”
Kim blew out a slow breath. “I’ve contacted a Scholar Sunflyer there who runs a laboratory full of sophisticated research computers and equipment. It’s… similar to what I have at work and definitely better than anything on a military vessel.”
Similar to? Casmir asked her via his chip.
She’s a mycologist. It’s a mushroom lab.
Casmir tried to imagine weaponized mushrooms, which resulted in his mind’s eye visualizing a rocket exploding in the atmosphere over a planet and spewing out shiitakes.
“I’ll work on… something there,” Kim finished aloud.
Ishii rolled his eyes. “Wonderful. Is Dabrowski still going to build crushers, or is he also choosing to screw up his future? Further.”
Casmir leaned into view—there was little point in pretending he wasn’t present. “If I can figure out how to get permission and the materials to do so, I will definitely work on crushers. Even if I can’t get permission, I’m sure I can find a way to build at least one.”
After all, he’d built Zee during a long night-shift on Forseti Station.
“One? Jorg wants an army.”
“I understand that, but building an army would require lengthy access to a dedicated manufacturing facility and millions of crowns’ worth of resources. Not to mention weeks if not months to complete.”
“Casmir, if the prince says to make an army, you make an army. Not excuses.”
“I am a veritable army of one,” Zee said from the hatchway.
Ishii squinted over Casmir’s shoulder at him. “Does your crusher have more personality than it used to?”
“Zee has the ability to learn from those around him.”
“Casmir assures me it’s a feature, not a bug,” Kim said.
Ishii didn’t look amused. “Look, you two. You’re not in my chain of command, and I’m not going to order you not to fuck up, but this may be your last chance to make up for past transgressions and improve your standing in the king’s eyes. If we can come sailing back into System Lion as heroes, with powerful weapons to deploy to drive out the invaders, I’m sure much will be forgiven. Casmir.”
“Why’d you say my name specifically?”
“You puked in the combat armor I lent you after promising you wouldn’t.”
“I had the Great Plague.”
“And you have a lot more that needs forgiving than Scholar Sato.” Ishii cut the channel.
“Up until I made this choice, what had I done that needs forgiveness?” Kim asked.
“You talk to Rache and spend time in enclosed places with him,” Casmir said.
Bonita raised her eyebrows, but she’d remained silent for the comm call and seemed inclined to stay that way.
“You’re the one who gave him underwear,” Kim said.
“It was more of a re-gifting than a giving.” Casmir smiled, but it didn’t last. “Do you think Royal Intelligence knows about that gift? And dinner?”
“They probably know about everything.”
“I’m screwed.”
“Are you really going to build crushers for Jorg?”
“I’m still waiting for the invoice to catch up with me for the materials I used on Forseti Station to build Zee.”
Kim didn’t smile.
Casmir sighed. “As I was telling Asger last night, there’s no way I can sneak into the manufacturing facility here and make use of it for months without permission. I’m going to have to get an audience with the sultan.”
“The ruler of the station and owner of legions of mining ships and entire asteroid belts?” Bonita asked. “You think he’ll take a meeting with you?”
“Why wouldn’t he? I’m delightful.”
“As am I,” Zee said.
“I wonder where Zee is getting his personality,” Bonita said.
“It’s a mystery,” Kim grumbled.
It was the most colorful shuttle bay Casmir had ever seen. Technically, it was a bay for entire ships, since there were yachts and freighters even larger than the Dragon docked inside under warm yellow lighting that shone on artistically arranged silks draped on the walls and wrapping columns and arches. Cheerful glowing orbs in pale greens, blues, and purples floated above the ships, and illusionary coconut palms and tamarind trees rose up in the rear of the cavernous bay. Or maybe they were real. They appeared to be protected behind a Glasnax wall. Maybe Casmir would get that chance to rub pollen on himself here.
Robot loaders rolled up as soon as Bonita opened her cargo hatch.
“Do you want help doing… whatever it is you’re doing?” Qin asked as Casmir, Kim, and Asger prepared to slip out of the hold.
“No,” Kim said.
Casmir shook his head. “You’ll be better off if you pretend you don’t know us Kingdom types.”
“That’s a given.” Bonita leaned against the hatchway behind them. “Comm soon if you’re going to need a ride out of here. We’re not staying to see the sights.”
“Are you sure?” Casmir pointed to the palms, their leaves being rustled by some breeze blowing from who knew where. “They have trees. And you mentioned those mints.”
“We’re only staying long enough to line up the next cargo. Unless there’s an appealing bounty to hunt down.”
“Probably just mine.” Casmir grimaced. “I’d forgotten I’ll have to worry about that.”
“I am here to protect you, Casmir Dabrowski.” Zee strode out onto the ramp.
One of the robot loaders had been rolling up, but it stopped when he stepped in its way. “Move aside, traveler,” a computerized voice said from its speaker box. The robot didn’t have a head or anything close.
Zee gave it a baleful look.
“Thank you, Zee,” Casmir said. “And thank you for the ride, Laser. If you get a cargo, we’d appreciate it if you let us know where you’re going next.” He looked at Kim. “Just in case things don’t work out here.”
Kim’s expression was bleak.
Asger had already descended the ramp and was eyeing their surroundings. Before Casmir, Kim, and Zee caught up with him, he strode toward an exit with an interactive directory next to it. Casmir had already downloaded the publicly available map of Stardust Palace, which showed a public half of the station, and a private half reserved for the royal family and its staff and friends. But he hurried after Asger, also wanting a look, specifically at the levels containing the manufacturing facilities.
Numerous robots and androids passed in and out of the bay, loading and unloading cargo, but there were few people in the area now. Bonita had pre-paid her docking fee, and nobody had come out to search or ins
pect her ship. Casmir had worried about being caught and questioned, so he was relieved it hadn’t come to pass.
Asger touched a box deep within the blued-out section of the directory labeled private. “That’s Princess Nalini’s suite.”
“Are you sure you don’t want help getting in?” Casmir patted his tool satchel. “Or maybe we could use one of the doors those robots are taking freight through and sneak around. Ah, wait. Never mind.” He touched his chip where he’d downloaded the map. “This is the only corridor that leads toward the palace half of the station without going up and through numerous secured areas.”
Even though he had his own mission, Casmir felt compelled to go along and assist Asger if he wished, if only to keep him from using his pertundo to hew down doors that a little electronic hacking could open. Currently, that pertundo was crammed into a large rucksack on his back, along with, Casmir guessed from the bag’s lumpy bulk, his telltale liquid armor and purple cloak. Clad in brown trousers, a beige tunic, and a long brown duster he might have found in a guest closet in the Dragon, Asger was trying to go incognito.
“We better split up.” Asger looked at Kim and Casmir, both of whom wore nondescript galaxy suits. Casmir didn’t think anything about them would stand out… until they spoke and revealed their Kingdom accents. It was also possible someone would recognize Zee as looking like one of the Kingdom crushers that had been in the news a couple of months earlier. “Then if one of us gets caught, it won’t impinge on the others’ missions.”
Asger waved at a sensor next to the directory, but the door didn’t open. Ah, maybe there would be an inspection, after all, before anyone was allowed to leave the bay.
I have a thought, Kim, Casmir messaged her chip as he slipped his hand into his tool satchel and eyed the door’s control panel.
I’m afraid to ask.
Don’t worry. I’ll tell you. Friends share.
Wonderful.
Planet Killer (Star Kingdom Book 6) Page 10
