by Zen DiPietro
Em could imagine that.
“She dated a lot, but casually, you know? Whenever someone got serious, she ended it. Though she had a knack for remaining friends with them. Never knew how she managed that,” Endra admitted. “My relationships always ended on a fairly nuclear note. A scorched-earth policy, as you humans might say.”
Em laughed. “What kind of person did she like?”
Endra scrunched her face up as she delved into her memories. “Confident ones. Ones who were sure of themselves. Ones that didn’t create a lot of drama. The low-maintenance kind, I guess you’d say. A few more boys than girls, but there were just more boys to choose from in our area.”
Well, that was certainly interesting. It seemed Wren had gotten over her predilection for low-maintenance people, or she sure wouldn’t have gotten involved with Em. Security officers weren’t known for their breezy transparency.
Endra pushed her empty bowl away. “I was glad when she married you. Well, not right at first. I told you before that I thought you two had moved way too fast. But after I saw you together, it made sense. I’ve never seen her happier.” She picked up her glass of mead and tilted it at Em in a salute.
She liked Endra. Given her own impressions of the woman, along with Wren’s long history—okay, plus a thorough background check, but that was just good security—Em thought she could trust her. She couldn’t discuss anything of a sensitive nature in public, though, so she picked up her glass of wine and returned the salute.
Kellis noticed the gesture and seemed to realize she and Wren were not the only people at the table. Her cheeks reddened. “Oh, I’m so sorry. That was rude of me. I just don’t often get to talk about… Well, never mind, you’re bored enough already.” She shook her head and laughed self-consciously.
Em made a dismissive gesture. “It’s fine. Endra was just telling me all about Wren’s past as a mechanical miscreant.”
Wren shot a wide-eyed look at Endra. “Uh-oh, what did you say?”
“Nothing too incriminating,” Endra drawled. “But if any of Em’s infoboards start misbehaving, she’ll surely blame it on you now.” She snickered.
“You’re supposed to guard my secrets, not share them!” Wren swatted her friend’s shoulder lightly and laughed.
Endra grinned. “Well, I’ve decided I like your wife, so all bets are off, now.” She gave Wren a fiendish look and they all chuckled.
“So Kellis,” Em said, deciding to shift the conversation away from her and Wren. “My legate seemed pretty interested in you. What if I invited you two back to our quarters, and suggested that Arin drop by?” That would not only be a favor to Arin, but a benefit to herself. If he occupied Kellis, Em would have a chance to talk to Endra in private. Besides, Kellis had looked just as interested as Arin had.
“Oh. That…sounds nice, actually.” Kellis nodded approvingly.
“I thought you might say that.”
To Em’s surprise, Kellis didn’t blush, but grinned wolfishly. All four women laughed.
Arin arrived within minutes, and the five of them had a great time talking and laughing like old friends. Which they were, actually, with the exception of Kellis. But the newcomer fit right into the group. Em learned that Kellis had lost the use of her legs during the war on Atalus, but fate had twisted her way when the Onari had rescued her from a Rescan ship and repaired her spinal injury.
“Since then, I’ve made a point of keeping healthy with exercise,” Kellis told them. “It seems like the best way to honor the gift that Jerin gave me.”
“We have a great gym here, actually,” Arin said. “Have you seen it?”
Kellis shook her head. “Not yet. I haven’t had time to see all that much.”
Arin did a self-deprecating eye roll. “Of course you haven’t, you just arrived. I could show you.”
“What, you mean now?”
Arin’s eyebrows lifted and he cast an uncertain look around at the others in the room.
Em took pity on him. “Sure. Then you’d be familiar with it whenever you find time to use it.”
Arin shot her a grateful look and the two made a quick departure. That left Em and Wren alone on the couch, with Endra in a chair opposite them.
“Something tells me Kellis will be spending all of her leave time on Dragonfire, whenever she can possibly manage it,” Endra predicted.
“I’d say you’re right.” Wren looked pleased.
“Tell me about Kellis,” Em said to Endra.
“Aw, you’re worried about your friend. That’s sweet. But don’t worry. Kellis is as honest and genuine as they come. She got a second chance at life and she doesn’t waste a moment of it with pettiness or negativity. Actually, she can be annoyingly upbeat some days.” Endra smiled, as if a fond memory had occurred to her. “But Arin can trust her, and so can you.”
That was more information than Em had expected, and it suited her perfectly. She caught Wren’s eye, and Wren gave her a meaningful nod. She still had reservations about bringing Endra into her confidence, but Wren trusted Endra, and Em had faith in Wren.
“Actually, since you mention trust, there’s something I want to tell you.” It took surprisingly little time for Em to describe the accident and her memory loss. Funny how a person’s whole life can be whittled down to a few sentences.
“Wow.” Endra looked from Em to Wren and back again as she processed the state of affairs. “And people haven’t noticed?”
“You didn’t,” Em pointed out. “I’ve done my homework, and Wren fills me in on things I can’t uncover on the voicecom. The captain and Arin know about it, and the doctors of course, but that’s about it.”
“That must be so hard.” Endra’s sympathetic gaze veered to Wren, who lifted her chin resolutely.
“We’re working through it,” Wren said. “There’s more though.” She scooted closer and slid her palm over Em’s, twining their fingers together. “Tell her. She might be able to help.”
Em battled briefly between two instincts. Her gut reaction was to keep her mouth shut about sensitive information. But she wanted to prove her trust in her wife. Gaining an ally would be a very helpful side benefit as well, if it happened. It sure wouldn’t hurt to have someone with strong ties to medical professionals on her side.
Em squeezed Wren’s hand and spilled everything. Her suspicions, her abilities, even her new habit of sweeping their quarters every time she’d been away, just as she’d done earlier that evening.
“Prelin’s underpants. Wow.” Endra blinked slowly. “That’s…a lot. How can I help?”
Wren gave Em’s hand an I-told-you-so pat. “We don’t know,” Em admitted. “I’d hoped to come up with some clues by now, but so far I only have deduction and suspicion.”
“Okay. So, let’s set aside the thing where you aren’t what you appear to be. If someone had sabotaged your shuttle, then who would have done that, and why?”
“My primary suspects were Arin, who might have wanted my position; Wren, who might have wanted a wife out of the way; and Captain Nevitt, who’s always had a grudge against me. But I’ve eliminated Arin and Wren.”
“Which leaves Nevitt,” Endra mused. “She’s always seemed a little proud to me, but I’ve never seen her be unprofessional. Granted, I don’t know her well.”
“I’m not sure anyone does,” Wren put in. “You can’t keep your comings and goings very quiet on a station like this, but no one’s ever spotted her with a lover, or with any close friends. The woman is an island, and seems to be married to her career.”
“Which might be why she took it so personally when she wasn’t able to choose her own security chief,” Em noted.
They all fell silent, considering that.
“There might be some grudge I’m not aware of, but I haven’t been able to uncover any other suspects of note,” she added.
“No outraged officials who felt they got a raw deal on the station? No angry traders who got cheated, or got caught at cheating and took it personally?
No one you’ve refused to allow to dock who might want revenge?” Endra asked.
Em shook her head each time. “Nothing I can find on record, and my records are extensive and exacting. There are people I haven’t granted trade privileges, and people I’ve busted for illegal or unethical acts. But mostly, it’s part of the game to them. Sometimes they win, sometimes they lose. They don’t take it too personally.” She paused, then clarified, “They don’t win on my station though.”
Wren and Endra chuckled.
“I guess that leaves Nevitt to investigate, until and unless some other suspect turns up,” Endra observed.
Em nodded. “I’m going to start digging through her communications logs. The official and the personal. And I’ll look for hidden communications over the past several months. There are always some of those.”
“Can you do that? Go through the captain’s comms?” Wren asked.
“I’m investigating a possible attack on an officer. That gives me cause. It doesn’t matter that I’m the officer in question, so long as I follow the protocol and the chain of command.” Em had no doubts about her jurisdiction. Of course, if Nevitt found out what she was doing, things could get ugly fast. She’d just have to make sure Nevitt didn’t find out.
“So…again, how can I help?” Endra‘s face had hardened with determination.
“Right now, just knowing that we have you on our side helps. Honestly, I’m not sure there will be anything you can do. Maybe help me get access to medical treatment that isn’t available here. I don’t know. But since anyone we haven’t specifically cleared of motive or wrongdoing is suspect, that leaves us surrounded by a lot of people we can‘t trust. We can use all the allies we can get.” Em glanced at Wren, who nodded in agreement.
Endra chewed her lip thoughtfully. “I know you’ll want to test it out for yourself, but I’m certain you can trust anyone on the Onari. We’re all misfits who have found a place to belong, thanks to Jerin. I guess you could say we’re fans of the underdog.”
Em wanted to be sure of what Endra was saying. “So there’s no one on the entire ship you’d have a doubt about trusting? Even with something serious and potentially dangerous?”
Endra squinted as she thought. “Not one.”
It seemed too good to be true, and Em didn’t trust things that seemed too good to be true. She’d only recruit allies when she was certain of them. But Endra had suspected that. Em liked her already.
After a long silence, Endra took a deep breath and said in a breezy tone, “So, what’s it like being married to someone you don’t know?”
Wren and Em shared a glance. They were only just figuring that out, but Wren seemed more and more familiar every day.
On her way up to the running track the next morning, Em caught up to Brak, who was just about to begin her own run.
“Hello there,” Brak greeted her. Her facial muscles pulled her lips into a small smile. “I see I’m not the only one starting the day with a run.”
They didn’t pause their climb up to the track, but fell in together. Em appreciated the opportunity to have someone to run with. Though as good a runner as she was, she suspected she’d have to work to keep up with Brak. Briveen had a sleek body type that Em admired, along with a powerfully strong lower body. Brak had a height advantage, as well.
Em had always found the Briveen a beautiful species. The iridescence of Brak’s blue-green, scaly skin and fine-boned features appealed to her esthetically, though some people not accustomed to the Briveen found them a little frightening to look at. Em didn’t understand that. Brak’s work uniform had covered her arms and legs before, but now they were exposed by a short-sleeved shirt and shorts, and Em found them almost distractingly pretty. The slight shimmer of Brak’s scales reminded her of gemstones.
“Starting my day with a good run makes me feel alive. Vigorous. Ready to tackle the day, you know?” As Em cleared the last step, she detected a faint scent of warm baked bread, the Briveen response for agreement.
Brak inclined her head but said nothing. She didn’t need to. Em liked that about Brak’s people. Sometimes Em thought other species talked way too much while communicating almost nothing.
By tacit agreement, they began a light warm-up jog together. The track was just wide enough to give two people room to comfortably run side by side. After a few laps Brak glanced at her questioningly.
“I’ll follow your lead,” she said in response. She caught a warm, musky scent. Respect mingled with just a little satisfaction. Em wondered if scent communication had been a curriculum requirement in OTS. She had no trouble at all translating the aromas into messages, which wasn’t a common skill among simian species.
They picked up the pace and Em’s heart rate began to increase. Another thing she appreciated about running was how it freed her mind. She could think about the workday to come, personal matters, or whatever else her brain presented to her.
She took the time to admire Brak’s smooth gait. Briveen had a pelvic structure that made them much more efficient at both running and walking. Brak also had those wildly impressive cybernetic arms. Em couldn’t imagine what it was like to grow up with a set of weak, undersized biological arms, only to have them surgically removed and replaced with cybernetic limbs as a rite of passage into adulthood. But they sure looked badass. Sleek, high-tech, and beautiful. Of course, as the top scientist in her field, Brak would always have the latest, bleeding-edge technology. Her arms had been covered in a scaly, blue-green synthetic skin to match the rest of her, but they could never be mistaken for biological. They proudly proclaimed their elegant, technological efficiency.
Em wondered how personal her relationship had been with Brak before. How well they’d known each other. Wren hadn’t mentioned any particular friendship between them, but Em felt instinctively comfortable with her. Could it be some vestige of memory peeping through the quagmire of her mind? Or maybe it was just a product of her instincts, which had remained consistently reliable.
Brak ran hard for over an hour and when she finally slowed to a cooldown pace, Em was relieved. Every inch of her shirt and pants was damp with sweat. She made a mental note to increase the strenuousness of her daily workouts.
After they slowed to a walk, Em’s heart rate began to return to normal.
“I’m impressed,” Brak said as they walked down the stairs together. “Last time you didn’t keep up as well.”
Seriously? Out loud Em said, “Thanks.”
“But then you’re still the only non-Briveen I know who can run with me at all. It’s a nice change. I still struggle sometimes on the Onari to interact with others.”
That sounded like the continuation of a conversation they’d had before. Which seemed to imply a greater familiarity between them.
“No improvement?” Em asked, as if she remembered their previous conversations.
Brak made a gentle snorting sound of equivocation as they stepped off the stairs. “A little. Kellis and I have become friends, and she’s helped smooth the way for me socially.”
“Wren and I had dinner with her and Endra last night. She seems very open and honest.” She felt awkward for a moment, realizing she might have made a faux pas by mentioning that. Perhaps Brak would wonder why she hadn’t been invited to dinner as well.
But Brak seemed unperturbed. She sidestepped slightly, allowing Em to enter the shower room first. Em gave her a tiny bow of thanks without slowing.
“More adventurous than you’d think, too, given her past,” Brak continued. “And a good sense of humor. I think she takes it upon herself to try to make me laugh each day.”
They headed to the showers. Em said, “I look forward to getting to know her better,” before ducking into a stall.
As she showered, she wondered if it would be normal to invite Brak to dinner with her and Wren that night. Did they have that sort of relationship? Maybe that detail had slipped Wren’s mind in her excitement to see Endra. Or maybe Em’s friendship with Brak was somethin
g she’d kept private. But why would she? Whatever the answer was, the only way to find out would be to issue the invitation. So she did.
“I’d be honored.” Brak bowed in a surprisingly formal, Briveen way. Maybe those little gestures slipped through from time to time.
After making plans, Em headed to ops to begin her workday, feeling invigorated.
When Em met with Arin in her office that morning, he was full of energy and enthusiasm.
“I’m guessing your date with Kellis went well,” she observed dryly.
“I don’t think you could call it a date. When I take a girl on a date, it doesn’t involve a gymnasium or somebody’s dirty running socks.”
“Gross, someone did that again? Did you grab the socks?”
“Ew, no.”
“I’ll send the message to the janitorial crew. But next time you see something like that, bag the evidence immediately.”
“You’re going to do a DNA scan?” Arin seemed caught between amusement and disbelief.
“You bet I am. Nobody gets away with nasty littering on my station.”
Arin laughed but she just looked at him. She meant it.
“All right,” he agreed. “At least it would mean the end of finding someone’s stinky biohazard socks.”
She waved her hand to indicate a change in subject. “I’d like you to see to all of the arrivals and departures today. I’m going to start going through all of Nevitt’s correspondence.”
A pained expression crossed his face. “I guess we’re in this pretty deep, huh?”
“If you want out, just let me know.”
Arin shook his head.
“Good. It would have sucked a lot if you’d wanted out.”
He put on a shrewd look. “One of these days, you’re going to end up the head of something prestigious. Whenever you get there, I fully intend to ride your coattails into a life of distinguished service.”
