An Indecent Proposal

by Jaleta Clegg

  "We can easily afford it, Jasyn. And it can get us to Tebros in less than a day instead of over a week."

  She sighed. "I know. It's habit."

  He flipped the com back on. "You still there, Yancy?"

  "Still waiting for the word, Major."

  "It's not Major anymore."

  "And it never was Blackbottom."

  "What kind of linkup do you need?"

  "I can just attach a magcable and pull you back, or I can pull you in all the way and hook up an airlock. Depends on how bad your systems are."

  "Life support is fine, it's just our engines," Clark said.

  "Give me about half an hour to secure everything and we'll get you moving. We should reach the drydocks at Tebros in about five hours. Your ship isn't loaded, is it?"

  "Holds are pretty much empty," Clark admitted.

  "Sounds like an interesting way to fly a freighter. Don't you usually try to haul cargo?"

  "Usually, yes."

  "You want to explain?"

  Jasyn kissed him on the top of his head and left the cockpit. Clark watched her for a long moment.

  "You still there, Clark?" Yancy asked.

  "Just waiting for the owner to leave the cockpit."

  "You fly with the owner on board? That's asking for trouble."

  "You don't know the half of it. I married her."

  "You got married? Congratulations. I hope."

  "I've never been happier. You ought to try it sometime, Yancy."

  "Already did. It was great for about a week." There were a series of clanking noises across the hull before Yancy continued. "She lives dirtside. I see her every weekend. It works for us. We got three kids so something must be right. She says she's happy if I'm happy."

  "Three, Yancy? You work fast."

  "I've been married going on six years now. Ever since I got out of the Patrol and settled here at Tebros. Check your main lines. I think I've got everything set."

  Clark glanced over the indicators on his board. "We're clear. Engines are shut down. What's left of them at this point."

  "I'm green on my side. Powering up."

  The Phoenix shuddered and groaned as the cables tightened. The ship lurched to one side then steadied.

  "Looks good," Clark said.

  "Increasing speed," Yancy said.

  The chorus of metallic groans subsided. The lights flickered briefly as the main engine core went offline. They would be good on backup sources for a month.

  "Everything's holding," Clark informed Yancy.

  "You got a vidfeed?" Yancy asked.

  "I think it's fried. It's low on the priority list for repairs."

  "We'll just have to meet up in a bar and talk over old times. Or maybe I'll invite you and the wife down to meet my family. You got any kids?"

  "One," Clark said. "His name's Louie."

  "That sounds like the proud daddy speaking. I've got three girls, all the sweetest little things you ever saw. At least when they're sleeping."

  "I know how that goes," Clark laughed. He leaned back in his chair. The control panel in front of him slowly went dark. Light after light winked out. Only the life support continued to show green.

  "So where are you coming in from?" Yancy asked.

  "The back end of nowhere."

  "Sounds entertaining."

  "What's life like in the Federation?" Clark asked, fishing for information. The news sheets only told part of the story.

  "About the same as it was in the Empire," Yancy answered easily. "A little looser on the rules in some ways, but pretty much the same."

  "What's the border like?"

  There was silence for a long moment, filled only with static. "You don't want to cross that. Take my advice and don't get any closer."

  "Why?" Clark waited through another bout of static.

  "We shouldn't be talking on an open channel like this," Yancy said suddenly. "My boss will knock me into next week if he picks it up on his scanner. We're getting in range of the equipment on Tebros. I'll call you when we're ready to start maneuvering."

  "Any chance of actually landing?"

  "With no engines on your ship, no. Sorry, Clark. We'll find a berth in the orbital docks. There's a pretty good shuttle service to the planet."

  "Thanks, Yancy. Good to talk to you again. And I'll take you up on your invitation. I look forward to meeting your family."

  He switched the com to standby. He swiveled his chair around to find Jasyn watching him. She held two mugs. Steam rose lazily from them.

  "Twyla was cooking," she said as she held one mug out to him.

  He took it and sniffed. "Mother's recipe," he said, surprised.

  "I take it that was an old friend of yours," she said, gesturing towards the com.

  "We served together for a while. I was his training officer for his flight certification." He waited while she seated herself in the copilots chair. "He had some interesting news to share."

  She stared out the viewscreen, sipping her soup, saying nothing as she waited for him to continue.

  "He's married, with three girls. He invited us to visit."

  "That isn't what had you frowning."

  "No, I'm looking forward to seeing him again. Come with me, Jasyn. It will do us both good. And Louie will enjoy playing with someone else for a change."

  "You think I'd turn you down, Trevyn? And miss an opportunity to get stories on you? Not a chance. I thought Dace was bad at not talking about herself."

  "You couldn't bribe Twyla?"

  "She was easy, but she didn't know much after you left home for the Academy. You could save me the trouble and just tell me."

  "And bore you silly?"

  "Never. So what did he say that has you worried?"

  "He warned me not to try to get any closer to the border with the Empire."

  "Interesting."

  "That's what I thought. I wonder what the news sheets aren't saying."

  "I'll talk to Leon's contacts on Tebros. We own quite a few businesses there. Trailblazer clan is running them for us. They should know the real story."

  "And it won't cost us much from them," Clark said. "Jasyn, have you looked at our bank account lately?"

  "Any time we make a planet."

  "One with connections to the rest of the galaxy. It's been months since we last got that close. I accessed the account while you were asleep."

  "How much did we lose across the border?"

  He shrugged. "We'll have to wait until we're inside the Empire to really find out, but from what I can tell, we're making more under the Federation than we ever did in the Empire. All of the businesses that report to the office on Tebros are still ours and all of them are doing well. War is good for business."

  "I'll pass on the war, despite the money it makes."

  "Anyone with half a brain would think the same. The point is that we don't have to worry about money. We could buy a whole fleet of ships if we wanted."

  "I like this one," Jasyn said.

  "So do I."

  "We'll need a lot of cash, Imperial currency, for bribes," she said, watching steam curl from her mug.

  "We'll need more than cash. We're going to need a lot of luck."

  "That's what Dace is for."

  "I meant good luck."

  "As Lowell put it once, she's very lucky. Bad luck when it comes to staying out of trouble, but very good luck at surviving whatever she gets into. Let's hope some of her luck rubbed off on us."

  "The trouble has," Clark said. "So the good luck must have, too."

  She actually smiled at him for that comment.

  "Here's to finding Dace. Soon." She raised her mug.

  "As soon as possible," Clark agreed.

  Chapter 25

  I sat on the floor, leaning against the end of the bed. The golden cape and ribboned medal of the Thousand silently mocked me from the vanity. I pulled my knees up and rested my chin on them as I studied the gleaming folds of the cape.

  Why had I be
en named to the Thousand? Who had nominated me? As far as I knew, only those in High Command could name someone to the Thousand. The only one I knew was Lowell and he wasn't anywhere near Linas-Drias.

  It was early, much too early. I hadn't been able to sleep for long. Too many questions surfaced while I lay in the huge bed with my eyes closed. I finally gave up and got out of bed, only to sit on the floor in my pajamas and stare at the cape and medal.

  The biggest question was why. As far as I knew, only Patrol officers were eligible for the Thousand and only when they did something really big that everyone knew about, something like saving the Emperor personally, or maybe an entire planet. Technically, Vallius didn't count. Despite what everyone insisted, I wasn't the one who did it. Three years was a long time as well, longer than the public's memory. It couldn't be Vallius.

  It couldn't have been a lot of things. Most of what I'd done only Lowell knew about. He was so paranoid about protecting me that I doubted any of the other High Commanders had any idea what I did.

  The only possibility I could think of was Trythia. I was technically an admiral in the Patrol for some of that. I hadn't done much, though, nothing that would merit being named to the Thousand.

  That left one other choice. Someone wanted to paint a great big target on my head. What better way to mark me than to award me the highest honor the Patrol had without a clear reason why? It guaranteed that even those officers who didn't read the society pages would still know my name and face. Everyone in the Empire would know me within a few days. But why? Why target me and why this way?

  Because someone guessed what I was really doing on Linas-Drias. I wasn't here to party and celebrate and get married. I was here to dig up treason and cause trouble. I still wasn't sure why Vance had announced our engagement to the Empire before asking me. For that matter, I still wasn't sure why he'd smuggled me out of the hospital on Besht and taken me joyriding with the Emperor's son. I couldn't quite believe he'd done it because he was desperately in love with me. Vance was too calculating for that. He had some reason of his own for his actions.

  Maybe he wanted to be in love with me. Maybe he was doing it to spite Tayvis. I knew about their rivalry. But even that didn't quite fit. No, Vance had ulterior motives for his actions. I had no idea what they were.

  My thoughts circled back. Why was I named to the Thousand? The only reason that fit was to keep me so publicly watched that I couldn't effectively spy on anyone.

  That left the question of who would set me up. One of the High Command was behind it, but since I didn't know any of them, that left me completely in the dark. I needed to talk to Scholar.

  The door to my room opened. Hester peered in. She didn't see me. She crept into the room, moving quietly across the thick carpet. I waited until she was almost to the vanity before I spoke.

  "Looking for something?"

  She was good, she didn't jump or even look startled. She turned to me with a bright smile. "You're up early this morning."

  "So are you."

  "I am most mornings," she answered with her perfect smile. "I don't spend half the night at parties every night. Congratulations, by the way."

  "On being named to the Thousand? You knew about it, or you would never have let me wear the uniform."

  She cocked her head to one side, watching me like Ghost did when she was hunting small rodents. "I was informed, yes."

  "By who?"

  "I believe the correct term is whom," she said, turning away from me. She picked up the cape and shook it out. She reached for the door to the closet.

  "Who told you?"

  "Are you accusing me of something, Dace? I was merely doing my job, looking out for your interests."

  "Who's paying you? Last I checked, I wasn't."

  "Speaker Shiropi felt it was his duty, considering his son is engaged to you. You're practically family." She disappeared into the closet. She came out a moment later, without the cape.

  "Who told you about last night?" I asked again.

  "My, aren't we cranky this morning," she said, as if I were a child. "Would you like breakfast now or later?"

  "Why won't you tell me?"

  "Why do you want to know?"

  I thought that one over for a moment. How far did I trust Hester with the truth? Not as far as I'd trust Olin.

  "Because I don't deserve the honor. I want to know who nominated me and why."

  "So you can beat them up?"

  "So I know why they think I deserve it, nothing more." I got up and stretched, pretending it wasn't that important.

  "You aren't fooling me," Hester said. "What's bothering you about it? You don't want recognition for your services to the Empire?"

  "No." It came out short and sharp.

  Hester clucked her tongue as she rearranged the things on the vanity. "Most people would."

  "I'm not most people."

  "As I've noticed. I don't know who nominated you or approved you. I received a note with the invitation instructing me to have you wear your full dress uniform. That's all."

  I didn't know whether she told the truth or not. I wasn't going to get anything else out of her. I'd have to pump Olin later. And get in touch with Scholar and see what he could find.

  "Where am I supposed to go today?" I asked, trying to keep the petulant whine out of my voice. I wasn't successful.

  "Wherever you'd like," Hester said, ignoring my tone of voice. "You've had such a full schedule, I thought you might enjoy a day to yourself." She smiled her perfect smile, the one that barely touched her eyes. "Do you want me to tell Vance to leave if he comes calling?"

  Careful, I told myself. Don't overplay your hand.

  "No," I said with my own blank smile, "I'd love to spend a day sightseeing with him. I want to just be a tourist today."

  "I'm sure he can arrange that. I'll bring your breakfast." She glided out of the room.

  My smile faded. I hated not being able to trust people. I hated playing this game. I didn't see myself any closer to the end. I went into the closet and shuffled through the clothing I'd accumulated until I found something I felt like wearing.

  I took a long bath, playing in the water until I was wrinkled and water logged. I dressed in the plain tunic and leggings I'd found. Hester had bought me several pairs of boots, once she realized how much I liked wearing them.

  I sat in front of the mirror and tried to decide what to do with my hair. I ate breakfast while it dripped mostly dry. Life was simpler when combing it was the most I ever did. I settled for brushing it smooth and catching it in a clip at the back of my neck. I stared in the mirror debating about makeup, wondering if I dared go without any at all.

  I saw a reddish blotch high on one cheek. I leaned closer. There were more of them. I rubbed one. It only got bigger. I studied my face in growing horror. There were red spots everywhere I looked.

  "Something wrong?" Hester asked as she came into my room.

  "There are spots on my face. Big, red spots everywhere. I did everything Madame Yosefie said and now look at my face." I was overreacting, but I couldn't stop myself. "I put the creams on, and the lotions, and the soaps, and the cleansers, and everything else, and now just look at my face."

  Hester studied my face in the mirror. "This is serious," she said after a very long minute. I stared at her eyes in the mirror. She was trying not to laugh. She tapped a tube I'd never bothered to open.

  "That will cure them?" I asked hopefully.

  "No, but it will hide them. If you go lighter on the moisturizer, you won't have this problem." She shuffled through the piles of cosmetics. She pulled several out, setting them in front of me. "Once every other day with this one, twice a day with this, and only use this if your skin gets dry."

  "I am never going to understand all this. It's more complicated than a hyperdrive."

  Hester laughed. "It's not that hard. Do you want me to call Madame Yosefie? She likes you enough she'll drop everything to come. Without charging extra."

 
; "Only if you think she can help."

  Hester patted my shoulder and collected my breakfast tray. She left without any further comments.

  I stared at my face in the mirror. I didn't know that woman, not anymore. I pulled the clip out of my hair and dropped it on the table. I scratched my hands through my hair. It just looked messy when I finished. I thought about shaving it, like I had all through the Academy, and then decided I'd just look stupid if I did.

  "It was easier when I didn't know better," I told the woman in the mirror.

  She didn't seem to agree, so I played with the makeup until I got discouraged and washed it all back off. I looked like I had no idea what I was doing, which was the truth. I gave up and decided the gossips needed more fuel. I was going to stop wearing it completely. That should shock them all.

  I was being silly. I went down to the library.

  Olin glanced at me then went back to carefully sliding books onto the shelves.

  "What may I do for you this morning, Miss Dace?" he asked, formal and polite. That should have clued me in to the fact that he wasn't alone. I wasn't paying attention. I was still too wrapped up in my own petty problems.

  "You want to play cards?" I asked.

  He pointedly cleared his throat. "That would not be seemly, Miss Dace."

  I raised my eyebrow, even if it did make me look silly. Everyone else did it. Olin looked toward the far corner of the library. I finally got the hint and looked.

  Iniuri Shiropi sat in a massive chair in the corner, a book spread open on his lap. He stared down at it, frowning. I backed towards the door. He shut the book and looked up at me.

  "How are you this morning?" he asked politely.

  "Fine. And you?"

  "In a bit of a bind, actually." He set the book on a table.

  I squashed the impulse to squirm and waited..

  "I understand you are a certified pilot?"

  I glanced at Olin before I answered. What was the Speaker after? Olin turned his back to me, dusting a shelf that had absolutely no dust on it.

  "It's in my files," I said. "Yes, I am."

  "For what class of ships?"

  "Sorry if I'm rude, but why are you asking?"

  "Because I need to get to Perlion and I want someone I trust at the controls of my ship. Vance tells me you are a very good pilot."