The Battle of Hollow Jimmy

by Becky Black

  Chervaz smiled thinly. Yeah, it would help. "If I publish I'm playing into her hands."

  "And if you don't you're doing the same, because that makes the paper a joke."

  Chervaz closed his eyes a moment. The paper. He had to tell the truth, or people would ignore the Chronicle as pointless. Irrelevant. He had a duty to the paper. But didn't he also have a duty to Maiga?

  "Look," Jaff said. "She's tough. Believe me, I've seen that. And would the Prophet have had her with him if she couldn't deal with trouble? It's going to be hard and I'm sorry for her. But you know what the right thing to do is. You always know. It's usually you telling me, not the other way around."

  He was right, Chervaz knew. A clear choice between right and easy. Easy for him and for Maiga. But wrong.

  "I know it's bad whichever way you jump," Jaff went on. "But you either publish this, or you close the paper down right now."

  Chervaz stared at him. Close the paper? That hadn't even occurred to him. Unthinkable. The paper. The Chronicle of Hollow Jimmy. He'd loved the paper long before Maiga had arrived. Did he love it more than he loved her? Did he love her? He loved too easily, he knew that, always had. But had it been different with her? More of a feeling that it could last this time?

  Well hell no, in the end, it hadn't been different, because she'd lied to him, like so many others had.

  He held up his hands to the light. Still painful. Still hard to work with them. Hands that she had taken revenge for. Hands she protected. But the paper came first. Duty. He'd been brought up to believe duty came first, and then when his old duty had gone, he'd replaced it with a duty to the paper. To the truth. He spoke to Jaff.

  "I'll dictate. You get it formatted."

  "Under Important If True?"

  "Yes. Important If True."

  Chapter 28

  Bara walked into Chief Neex's office, her bodyguards at her back, her expression grim.

  "Captain," Neex said. "I see you received my summons."

  "Yes. I completely understand that I can't expect this matter to pass by without the appropriate measures."

  Her expression stayed serious, but inside she wanted to smile at the satisfaction she could see radiating from him. Oh, you think this is going to be so easy, don't you? You fool.

  "Thank you for your co-operation, Captain, I will need--"

  "As soon as I heard about the assault on Mr Chervaz, I interrogated my guards, and they confessed to me." She glared at the two men and they hung their heads.

  "I'm… what?" Neex stopped.

  "They told me that they assaulted Mr Chervaz because they believed he had insulted me. They acted from loyalty, but of course their actions were entirely unacceptable."

  Neex stood up now. His skin flushed various shades, surely confused, Bara thought. "Mr Chervaz claims you gave the order to your men to attack him."

  "What? I…" She let herself stutter. "I can't… he said that? I'm sorry, Chief, either he was mistaken or…." She trailed off.

  "Or what?" Neex said.

  "He does have a certain agenda that he uses his newspaper to pursue. I'm afraid he sees me as an enemy. I'm not quite sure why. I've barely had any contact with the man."

  Neex stood staring at her for a moment, before he spoke again.

  "Witness reports say you left his office without your guards." He looked at the two marines.

  Bara laughed. "Chief, when I left Mr Chervaz's office that day I was heading for the ladies spa and steam bath. The one on level four of the market place. I could hardly take my guards into a ladies sauna."

  "So you left them in Mr Chervaz's office?"

  "I left them to go and have a drink or do whatever they wanted to do. Unfortunately they decided to assault Mr Chervaz."

  Neex looked at her men. "Is this true?" Neex asked.

  "Yes, sir." They chorused it, and then one continued. "He insulted the captain. We wanted to teach him he can't do that."

  "We got a bit carried away," the other one admitted.

  "What did he say to insult her?"

  "Won't repeat it," the first one growled.

  "You will," Neex said. But he got no answer.

  "Chief," Bara said. "I value the loyalty of my men, however misguided it was on this occasion, and I would prefer to deal with this matter through my own disciplinary procedures. But I realise you have the jurisdiction here and I must put them in your hands."

  Neex wasn't entirely convinced yet, she could tell. "Mr Chervaz is a credible witness," he said. "When the court considers the case, his accusation against you will have to be taken into account."

  "Of course."

  "And I will check that you did indeed go to the spa."

  She had. No sense in lying about something so easy to check. A good choice. Fate perhaps. She hadn't gone there specifically to set up a reason not to have her guards with her. She'd just needed to relax and clear her head after that awful day. However, as it turned out, it had been the best choice she could have made.

  Glancing at her guards again, she couldn't suppress a tiny sigh. Such a shame to sacrifice her men to this alien cop. But, they'd have plenty to keep them occupied, once they go to the detention cells. There were plenty of other humans there. The marines had their orders, and they were glad to do this for her.

  As for herself, she knew Neex wouldn't hold her. Now it came down to her word against Chervaz's, then he would wait until it came before their court. If it ever did. If certain plans she had didn't come to fruition before then. And especially as she'd given him her two men. They were a guarantee she'd come back. Hostages. He knew she wouldn't abandon them.

  "I must detain your men and take them into custody." Neex pressed a button on his panel.

  "Of course," Bara said. "I will engage a legal representative for them, and expect them to be properly treated."

  "They will be treated according to strict rules, as all prisoners are."

  He'd question them separately later. Try to get them to break down and admit the truth. But he had no chance. These men were trained to resist torture. An interrogation with "strict rules" would be no problem for them. They had gone over the story enough times that she had every confidence that they'd keep it straight.

  The door behind them opened and some of Neex's men came in. Bara turned away and caught the eye of one of the guards as she did. He winked. So fast only she could have caught it. Ah, her boys, such loyalty. So touching. It almost left her choked. But she gave a quick wink back and then left them to it.

  Emerging from the Security office, she strode off, alone for a change, and pulled a folded up Chronicle from her pocket. She had already read the story exposing Maiga's real identity and it had boosted her triumphant mood even more.

  Maiga was off the station right now. Wait until she came back to find her identity revealed, and the revelation circulated in part by her lover's newspaper. Bara had known for sure that Chervaz would publish the story. Men of principle were quite predictable and easy to manipulate. Chuckling to herself, she read the story again, walking, head down. She could walk like that, even in the crowded areas, as people always got out of her way--how nice to have respect. So she almost fell over when she ploughed into a man coming the other way, and they grabbed at each other. Bara dropped her Chronicle.

  "Watch where you're going, lady!"

  She gaped at him. The snap in his voice would have earned him the same treatment as Chervaz, if her guards had been with her. Rage started to boil up inside her, but then his dark face softened into a smile that calmed her anger.

  "Sorry, ah, Captain," he said. "You took me by surprise. I didn't mean to snap at you."

  He doesn't know who I am, she thought. He said captain because of my insignia. She couldn't recall spotting him around the station either, felt sure she'd remember him. About thirty, rather handsome, no, very handsome. And well muscled, she knew that from her collision with him. She'd always found dark skinned men attractive actually. She'd even pursued Alex when she f
irst joined the Trebuchet. Until someone tipped her that she was barking up the wrong tree.

  The right tree this time. He definitely gave her a once-over, up and down look, and she was glad she'd left her coat off, so her fitted uniform showed off her figure to best advantage.

  "Oh, it was entirely my fault…" She left the question on the end hanging.

  "Max," he said, offering her his hand. She took it in both her own and hung on to it.

  "Max. My name is Bara. Please, let me buy you a drink to apologise."

  He reacted to the name and stammered a bit, as he responded. "Oh, that's not--"

  "I insist." She let go of his hand and took his arm, steering him towards Dav's bar. Being without one's bodyguards had some advantages.

  ~o~

  "Trebuchet's here," Wixa said, checking her messages as she and Maiga walked from the docking area. "Wonder what Captain Trouble is getting up to?"

  "As long as she stays away from the paper," Maiga said. She glanced at Dav's as they passed, and smirked at good memories.

  "Maybe Neex is giving her a going over with a rubber hose." Wixa grinned. "We can only hope."

  Maiga clicked her tongue, at Wixa, and then she nodded at a woman in maintenance department uniform, as they approached her. The one who'd repaired her power that time. What was the name again? Why was she staring like that? Had she not seen Wixa's fading blue hair before?

  "Hey, Kiral," Wixa said, "You okay? You look like you've seen a goat."

  "That's ghost," Maiga said. "Not goat."

  "Are you saying you wouldn't stare if you saw a goat right here in this corridor?"

  Kiral didn't speak, but she rummaged in her pocket and took out a folded paper. She handed it to Maiga and then walked away without a word. Maiga stood with the paper in her hands, frozen in place. Wixa looked over her shoulder at the Chronicle.

  "Oh, shit."

  Maiga didn't react to Wixa's words, didn't even hear them. The words. Her identity. Her life. In print, exposed. This couldn't be real. Chervaz couldn't do this to her.

  People avoided her, as she stood rooted to the spot. Nobody pushed her, as they would have before or told her to get out of the way. She became an island in a river of people. Eventually Wixa took her arm.

  "Let's go," Wixa said, quietly.

  Maiga walked where Wixa pointed her. Back towards the human sector. Good, that's where Maiga wanted to be. She had someone she needed to see. A sudden fear gripped her. What if Bara somehow got to Chervaz again, and forced him to do this? She shouldn't have left him unprotected.

  Well now she'd be leaving again, for good. No choice. She couldn't stay here. They'd never allow her a moment's rest. They'd want something from her, something she couldn't give, didn't want to give.

  She should have left before. Should have left by herself. Alone. For a moment, she thought she would weep, for the Maiga of Hollow Jimmy. The one who had started to make a home here, found friends, even love. That Maiga had just died.

  "Keep walking," Wixa muttered as a couple of people approached them, wanting to talk. "Not now!" Wixa snapped at them and they retreated. Maiga didn't react at all, just walked on.

  ~o~

  Bara grabbed Max the moment the doors swished closed in his quarters. One drink had been enough, enough time for them to flirt a little and then for him to tell her his story about being shipwrecked. And how Maiga had rescued him. Right then, she wanted him, because she had to take away every one of Maiga's allies. In this case, it would be a pleasure.

  As they kissed, he pulled at the tie in her hair, letting it fall loose, to run his hands through it. That felt so good. Sometimes she longed to forget the burden of command. This man would help her do that. One of her hands stroked over the short frizz of his neatly clipped hair. Make me forget it all, she wanted to say to him. All of the pain and grief and guilt. She pulled back from kissing him and ran her hands up under his shirt.

  "Take it off." Though not her usual tone of command, Max was quick to obey. He pulled the white shirt--cheap, thin, cloth she noticed--over his head. With one hand, Bara traced her fingers over the bare skin of his chest, up to his shoulder, making him breathe faster. Then she ran her hand down his arm and took his hand.

  Max led her into his bedroom.

  Chapter 29

  Wixa tried to lead Maiga to her quarters, but Maiga pulled away and strode off across the Plaza. Wixa didn't follow, perhaps knowing this was something Maiga didn't need an audience for. It would probably be the last thing she wouldn't have an audience for around here.

  The door to the Chronicle office was unlocked as usual. She'd told Chervaz to keep it locked. Protecting the paper would be a whole lot easier if he took some care of himself. The lights were on up there, but she heard no voices. She dropped her bag at the foot of the stairs and climbed them. Chervaz rose from his desk as she came into the office.

  "Maiga--"

  "If you're going to try to apologise, don't bother."

  He frowned, puzzled looking. "I wasn't going to apologise."

  He wasn't? He apologised for every other damn thing, but not this? He probably apologised to Bara's guards for skinning their knuckles with his face. But he wouldn't apologise to her for ruining her life?

  "I can't apologise," Chervaz went on. "I had no choice."

  "You had a choice." She didn't shout, didn't want to lose control. "You had a choice between me and your paper. And you put the paper first."

  "What else could I have done?" He came out from behind his desk, and moved towards her, but she took a step towards him in a way that made him back off again. "You have to understand, if I hadn't reported it because of my relationship with you--"

  "Forget that! What about the fact I protect this paper?" Now she did shout and he backed off a few more steps, and she didn't care if he was afraid of her. "What about the fact I defied that mad bitch to keep her goons from beating you up again?"

  "Maiga, don't you see." He was almost pleading. "If I'd shown you favouritism because of that, if I'd been biased to you, that would have made you no better than Bara when she tried to influence me with money and threats and violence. The only other choice I had was to stop producing the paper at all."

  "Then why didn't you?"

  He shook his head. "I can't. It's important. Not only to me, but to everyone here."

  "Sometimes I think you let the ink rush to your head." She sneered the words.

  "It is important." He scowled, his voice growing harsher, losing the pleading tone. "I thought you understood that. When you brought me that edition you, Jaff and Wixa printed, I thought you understood what the paper meant. Or was that really just another way to piss off Bara?"

  Had it been? Probably. Wixa kept saying the Chronicle was important, and Maiga knew it was important to Chervaz. But to the station at large? No. Life would go on the same without it. Her life would have gone on the same without it.

  "Maiga, do you understand that I didn't break the story?" Chervaz spoke more quietly now. "Everyone was already talking about it."

  "I don't want to hear it! Saying ‘everybody else was doing it' only works as an excuse until you're aged ten. You had a choice and you chose your paper ahead of me. Admit that and I'll have more respect for you."

  He sank down to sit on the edge of his desk, looking at the floor then looking up. "Yes, I did. But, Maiga, you talk about me betraying your trust, but you never trusted me. We shared a bed and yet you didn't tell me who you really are."

  "And if I'd told you weeks ago, would it have been in the paper weeks ago? Would you have ‘broken' the story then?"

  He looked away, folding his arms. "I don't know."

  Well, that sounded like all she needed to hear. She couldn't trust him. It's always the ones that seem the most harmless that you have to watch out for. She should have learnt that by now.

  "Goodbye, Chervaz."

  "Maiga!" He called after her as she headed for the stairs. Perhaps the finality in her voice spooked him,
because she heard panic in his. "Wait."

  She stopped part way down the stairs, to look up at him at the top. He took a step and she raised a hand to tell him not to follow.

  "Do not come after me. If I see you again, you will regret it."

  His horror at her clear threat almost weakened her resolve. But she overcame the moment of weakness and hurried down the stairs and back out into the street.

  She took the back streets round to the lifts, not wanting to cross the Plaza. Keeping her head down in the lift, she tried to ignore the stares and sidelong glances. She couldn't live like this. Looks were one thing, but people would start asking her questions soon. Why was she still alive? What was Ilyan really like? And that was only the curious and the people who'd agreed with him. Those who worshipped him and those who blamed him would, between them, make her life unbearable.

  She got off the lift and, again taking the quiet streets, she reached her quarters. She'd half expected to find Wixa there, but she wasn't and as the doors closed behind her, Maiga sighed with relief, glad to be alone and safe here.

  She pulled herself together after a moment and went to the bedroom with her bag, dumped that on the bed and checked the contents. A few days worth of clothes in it. Going around the room, she took out more, leaving behind anything useless, like the dress and the stupid shoes. Bathroom the same, she took the essentials from there. She left behind a bottle of perfume Wixa had given her. Going around the rest of the quarters reminded her that Wixa had given her several gifts. Rugs and throws and plants and a couple of pictures. Maiga left them all. Clutter. No sense in taking them on the Friss.

  A glance at her computer panel, as she passed, showed a ridiculous number of messages flashing for her attention. They would never receive it.

  Time to return to her old plan. Fill up the ship with supplies and get the hell out of here. The profits from their jobs had accumulated into a tidy sum. More than enough for fuel and supplies for months. She'd get out there and find the Committee fleet. That had once been her goal. When had she forgotten it?

  She might as well leave right away. Why not? Nothing held her here now. Nothing? Not even Wixa? Wixa, who when she saw that Chronicle, just said, "Oh shit". And never said, "Is it true?"