“We are very interested in this job, and I can assure you we’ll be fully operational in a week’s time,” Matt said quickly.
He had absolutely no idea how they were going to achieve that, but this opportunity was too good to pass on, especially after such a positive response from the branch head. This contract would award them that much-needed respectability, and a solid source of income for the foreseeable future, even if it meant working harder than usual. They would just have to figure something out on the fly.
“Is this right, Antonia?” Dr. Yang asked, turning to Tony.
“Yes,” Tony said without hesitation, even though she was perfectly aware of how screwed up they were. It kind of warmed Matt’s heart she would back him up like that without any actual ground to stand on. “If Captain Spears says we’ll be ready to fly on time, then we will be.”
“All right,” Dr. Yang said. Judging by her expression, their assurances weren’t doing a great deal for her. But apparently, Tony still had some credibility with her former colleague, because she continued: “Why don’t you go ahead and submit your bid. The board will have to review everything, of course, but in the meantime, I’d like to invite you, Antonia, and your colleagues to a reception tonight. The branch will be welcoming guests from Onor, who are collaborating with the IMA on the Sota Research Center. They’ll also be presenting a short seminar on the joint diagnostic nanosensors project. I expect they will be vetting most of the logistic solutions for the center now that they’re here, so it might not be a bad idea to introduce yourselves in an informal setting first.”
“Thank you. We appreciate the opportunity,” Tony said, glancing uneasily at Matt. “Captain?”
“We’ll be there,” Matt hastened to say. “Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
“THAT WENT PRETTY well,” Matt said brightly once they were ushered out of the offices back into the waiting area.
“Terrific,” Tony muttered darkly.
“Come on, we’ve as good as got the job,” Matt argued. “You heard what she said. We were impressive. You can’t ask for more than that.”
“Sure, it’s impressive when the genius crunches the numbers,” Tony said, nodding to Ryce. “But that only works in theory. How in hell are you planning on being up and running in a week? We’re fucking broke!”
“Would you two keep your voices down?” Ryce said with a touch of exasperation, glancing around to make sure no one was listening in. “There’s hardly any point in me doing the math if our integrity is compromised.”
“I’m not saying it’ll be easy,” Matt said to Tony, dropping his voice to a whisper. “But I haven’t given up yet. I’ll do everything I can, and if nothing works out, I’m gonna withdraw the bid before they even make the decision. Are you cool with that?”
She nodded, but he could tell she was still angry with him. Which she had every right to be. But now wasn’t the time to turn on each other; not when they had to scramble to save their ship.
“I’m not thrilled about going to this function tonight,” Tony added as they headed toward the exit and into the station corridor. “Dr. Yang might be friendly and doing me a courtesy by inviting us, but I’m not looking forward to meeting any of the others.”
“I don’t think I should be going either,” Ryce chimed in unexpectedly.
“Why?” Matt turned to him in surprise. He’d hated social events with a burning passion ever since he was a little kid forced into attending his grandmother’s elaborate soirees, but in this case, he was willing to bite the bullet if it helped their business connections.
“You won’t curry any favors with the Onoreans by bringing along a half-breed.”
“Don’t be absurd. And if any of them dares call you names, I’ll punch them in the face.”
Onoreans were notorious both for practicing preimplantation genetic modification on their progeny and for maintaining a seclusive society which the Federation only put up with because of their advanced biomedical technologies. Even putting aside the abhorrent nature of Ryce’s conception that made his Onorean birth mother give him up for adoption as a baby, he would have to be seen as a sort of abomination by his people, who engineered their offspring down to the last gene. The randomness of his parentage interfering with their careful selection must have been as off-putting as any genetic mistake they could have created in a lab, but it wasn’t as if that particular aspect of his biography had to be advertised upon introduction.
Ryce’s smile was crooked.
“Picking a fight would rather defeat the purpose of sucking up to them, wouldn’t it?”
“Still, this reception thing is a solid opportunity,” Matt insisted. The prospect of wading through the formal niceties alone was less than appealing. “You never know who else might be attending. We could easily score another job by getting to know the right people, even if this one’s a flop. It’s all about making that good impression, remember?”
“Fine.” Ryce sighed, turning off his commlink and putting it in the trouser pocket of his fatigues. “If you want me to, I’ll be there.”
“Thank you.” Matt turned to Tony. “What do you say? Can we close ranks on this one?”
“I guess,” she said grumpily. “At least there’ll be free food.”
“I promised Val I’d go make a sweep of the local junkyard after the meeting,” Ryce said, changing the subject. “See if we can at least score a decent secondhand power converter, just for the time being. If we manage to install it in the next few days, we could conceivably last a few months until we get our first payment from the IMA, and then we can splurge on a new one.”
“If the thing holds for a few months,” Matt said. It was actually a good plan, one that would allow them to accept the job if they ended up winning the tender and give them some wiggle room. But used spare parts were too unreliable, in his opinion, especially when their lives depended on them. His upgrades to the ship’s systems had always been top-notch, and it rankled that he’d have to settle for the unknown with such a vital piece of equipment, even temporarily.
“We can at least try.” Ryce’s calm voice was usually comforting, but now, Matt couldn’t help but feel slightly annoyed, as if Ryce was being condescending on purpose.
He knew it had nothing to do with Ryce’s tone; it was simply repressed fear. Fear that Ryce was going to just up and leave, because, realistically, Matt had nothing to offer him that would entice him to stay. Nothing but himself, but he realized perfectly well that whatever Ryce had said last night about being here because of him, he simply wasn’t good enough.
When Matt failed to offer a response, Ryce nodded, as if that concluded the discussion, and strode off toward the elevators.
Chapter Six
MATT HAD TO admit that his crew cleaned up nicely. Granted, none of them possessed anything remotely close to formal attire. Even so, the three of them looked rather dashing—and, as transportation providers, it was hardly expected they be decked out in finery anyway.
Ryce, in Matt’s humble opinion, looked particularly good this evening, out of his usual fatigues and wearing slim-fit black trousers and a simple crisp white shirt that showed off his lean physique. This tiny hint of sensuality gave him the appearance of being approachable, less austere, and Matt had a hard time tearing his gaze away and focusing on the rest of the room.
Val had declined Matt’s offer to join them this evening—which, considering both his scruffy appearance and his bad mood, was perhaps for the best. Knowing him, Matt was sure that spending time in the engine room would work much better toward lifting his spirits than boredom at some stuffy reception.
The event, which was held at the station’s conference center, was much more modest and professionally geared than Matt’s grandmother’s famously fancy parties, but Matt still felt out of his element. There were dozens of people there, most of them IMA employees and Freeport officials, with a few civilians thrown into the mix. As far as he could tell, they were the only independent contractors in
attendance. Other than the IMA representative who greeted them upon arrival, they were effectively ignored, barring a few disapproving glances thrown Tony’s way—which she stalwartly brushed off.
The Onorean delegation, on the other hand, was the center of attention. It was comprised of only five or six people, but they definitely stood out among the crowd even in the spacious room. At first, Matt couldn’t quite put his finger on what was off about them, but then he saw it. They were almost identical in appearance. Oh, their skin tones were different enough, ranging from milky pale to dark brown, as were their hair colors; but they were all tall, lean, and beautiful, their features an epitome of chiseled perfection and their air of aloof superiority like an additional layer of clothing over their utilitarian garments.
Truly, their resemblance to Ryce was uncanny. Matt had never met Onoreans traveling abroad before, but of course, he’d never moved in the right circles. He was willing to bet each and every member of the little delegation was smarter than all the local branch physicians put together. Considering the depth of Ryce’s intellect (and he was only half-Onorean), Matt was hard-pressed to imagine what an average Onorean IQ might be.
Tony made a beeline to the buffet and its array of fresh fruit and salads, while Ryce studied the digital project poster, which displayed alternating images of various aspects of the Sota research facility. There was also a little bar in the corner, and Matt eyed it longingly. He made up his mind to head that way as soon as the seminar started. Ryce and Tony might find the scientific talk interesting, but Matt knew he was going to be bored out of his mind without something strong to boost his patience.
“Did you find us a replacement converter at the junkyard?” Matt asked Ryce, surveying the room. He was beginning to get bored already, and if they were going to just stand there, this entire outing would be a huge waste of time.
Ryce turned away from the poster and shook his head. “Nothing that would be of any use.”
“Figures.” Matt sighed. “Anyway, we should ask Dr. Yang to introduce us to whoever it is we’re supposed to talk to.”
“That’d be expedient,” Ryce agreed, though Matt could tell he wasn’t thrilled about the prospect. He’d been quiet and reserved ever since they’d arrived—more so than usual.
“Are you sure you’re up to it?” Matt asked. He’d have preferred Ryce do the talking since he suspected the Onoreans would find his data-supported practical approach more appealing than Matt’s arguable charm, but he wasn’t about to force the matter. Despite the earlier tension between them, he cared too much about Ryce to make him feel uncomfortable. “Listen, I know I’ve been pushy about this, but if you want to leave, you only need to say the word.”
“We’re already here.” Ryce faced the room with a suppressed sigh. “We might as well get this over with.”
“It’ll be okay,” Matt said, patting his shoulder in reassurance. “A bit of elbow rubbing, and we’re outta here. We can hang out and watch a movie afterward if you want.”
“I’d like that.” Ryce offered him a quick smile in response before going to fetch Tony.
They all found Dr. Yang talking to an Onorean delegate—an older man of about fifty. (Or, who at least looked to be fifty; who the hell knew how old these people really were?) The golden specks in his blue eyes matched both the deep tawniness of his skin and his honey-colored hair, streaked with white.
“Oh good, you’ve made it.” Dr. Yang gestured toward Matt with the champagne flute she was holding. “Professor Brinan, these are Captain Spears, Ms. Antonia Joyce, and Mr. Ryce Easom of the Lady Lisa. They’ve offered their services running shipments for the Sota facility and for the Elysium-8 outposts.”
“Pleasure to meet you, Professor,” Matt said. The Onorean didn’t strike him as a handshaking type, so he opted for a polite smile instead.
The man nodded absently, his gaze sweeping past Matt and Tony and resting on Ryce for a moment. His expression flickered, changing from mild boredom to utter disgust as some sort of recognition dawned.
Well, shit. Apparently, Matt wasn’t the only one to zero in on the similitude between Ryce and the Onoreans. He glanced sideways at Ryce, who blanched slightly and pursed his lips, but didn’t otherwise show he was perturbed.
“I’d be happy to present our proposal, Professor,” he said, keeping his tone professionally neutral.
“That won’t be necessary,” Brinan said, taking half a step back with the same grimace of repugnance, as if he could somehow be sullied by Ryce’s mere proximity. “Please excuse me, I must prepare for the seminar.”
He nodded stiffly to Dr. Yang, who watched him with a quizzical expression, and beat a hasty retreat.
“What was that about?” Tony asked once the Onorean was safely out of earshot. She also looked baffled, her eyes flicking from Matt to Ryce.
“Nothing,” Ryce said tightly.
They excused themselves to Dr. Yang and moved away from the crowd, toward the bar. Matt touched Ryce’s arm again discreetly. He hadn’t counted on the ghosts of Ryce’s past coming back to haunt him when he’d asked him to tag along. It seemed Matt had a knack for getting whoever was joining him for some innocent outing into trouble—first Val, and now Ryce—and God only knew what he was going to do to make it all right. At what point had their carefree smuggler’s life become such a huge mess?
“Do you think he has an idea of who you are?” he asked. Brinan’s reaction seemed disproportionate and much too personal to be attributed to simple distaste.
“I don’t know, but I’m going to find out,” Ryce said determinately.
“Really?”
Matt was aware Ryce had never met any Onoreans since his birth mother had put him up for adoption at the age of five months, so he could well understand his wish for more information about his origins, but he wasn’t sure this was the right venue to go about it. Even Tony was visibly troubled.
“I don’t think being thrown out for harassing a foreign dignitary would better our standing with the IMA committee,” she said.
“I’m not going to harass him,” Ryce said. He had that stubborn gleam in his eyes which told Matt he wasn’t about to drop the matter. For a normally super-rational person, Ryce was like a dog with a bone once he got in his head there was something he had to do. “But if he’s going to sneer at me in front of my friends and potential clients, the least he can do is tell me why.”
“Good luck with that,” Tony said, still sounding dubious. “He doesn’t seem terribly congenial.”
Even though he tended to agree with her, Matt had no choice but to trail after Ryce as he headed purposefully into the lecture hall adjacent to the reception area, where the nanosensors seminar was scheduled to begin in under half an hour.
The auditorium was dim, illuminated only by the eerie glow of the large wall screen. It was designed to accommodate about a hundred people but was now empty save for Prof. Brinan, who was standing next to the podium with his back to the entrance, checking something on his commlink.
“Would you like me to talk to him for you?” Matt asked quietly when Ryce paused at the threshold. He was perhaps overstepping some boundaries with that suggestion, but the possibility of sparing Ryce a strained conversation was worth the risk of sounding patronizing.
“No.” Ryce shook his head and took a deep breath. “I got this.”
He descended the shallow steps toward the podium, with Matt following silently behind.
“Professor Brinan?”
“Yes?” The Onorean turned and gave Ryce a measured look, seeming unsurprised by his showing up. His tone rivaled the temperature outside the station walls in warmth. The attitude would have been intimidating, had Ryce not possessed every ounce of that same cool arrogance, and had Matt not had plenty of practice at weathering it.
“I apologize for bothering you, but judging from your earlier response, I believe you may have some information pertaining to me,” Ryce said. Despite the firmness of his voice, he sounded uncharacteristi
cally diffident. “I’m an orphan hailing from your community, and I—”
The Onorean lifted a hand.
“Enough. Yes, I know who you are, even though we’ve never met. You have your mother’s face and your father’s eyes.”
That last comment left Matt baffled. From what Ryce had told him, his father was an unknown space pirate. His adoptive parents had been miners on Shyr-5, a small off-world colony that had been razed in an Alraki raid which had also claimed their lives.
Ryce, however, focused on the former statement.
“You knew my mother?”
“Yes.”
It was clear nothing else would be forthcoming. Matt shifted from one foot to the other uneasily. Tony’s admonition regarding possible harassment flashed through his mind, presenting him with vivid pictures of him and Ryce being hauled to the brig by Station Security. All it would take was Brinan’s word. He doubted they’d be let out on parole so easily if the Onorean decided to file an official complaint against them with the station authorities.
Ryce, however, refused to be deterred by such trivial considerations.
“If you knew her, you must also know why she gave me up. The story of her rape…is it true?”
Brinan’s face twisted, the subtle age lines around his eyes and mouth becoming more pronounced.
“It’s true. I was…her research supervisor on a mission to the Gemma sector.” The little pause the Onorean made as he refrained from mentioning Ryce’s mother’s name wasn’t lost on anyone. “Ours was an exploration vessel on an expedition to the ice moons of Gemma-8. We were waylaid by pirates. Never heard about those prowling that particular system before, but there they were, with their black ship. None of us were armed nor trained in combat. Half the crew was killed. I had to watch that beast get his spawn on her, but at least we were lucky to survive.”
Matt’s hands curled into fists. He wasn’t okay with anybody calling Ryce somebody’s “spawn,” and now, he was fully willing to make good on his promise to punch the Onorean for putting Ryce down.
Ashore Page 5
