Adrift (Dawson's Star Book 1)

by J. P. Larson

  “Every time you try to push my buttons or threaten to embarrass me, you are simply shouting, ‘You don’t control me. And I can be rude to prove it.’

  “Every time you have one of your little outbursts, it is highly insulting. I do not appreciate it when a guest in my home rudely tells me how much he hates my home and my society.

  “If you can be polite and pleasant, you may call me Elizabeth. Otherwise, either Prime Minister or Ms. Grey will do.”

  She started to get up from the table. “Pamela, if you could have someone serve me in my room, I would appreciate it.”

  “Prime Minister,” said Alex. “There’s a real problem. That is, if I am still welcome at your dinner.”

  “Yes, Mr. Grey?”

  “The security and tactics officer for the Grey Ghost is in no physical condition to be seen in public. I would not engender a lot of confidence right now.”

  “I see. That is certainly something for me to think about.”

 

  Alex looked at her sharply.

  “Elizabeth,” he finally said. “On Random Walk, when a guest has been as rude as I have, the guest leaves, not the hostess. By all rights, I should vacate your home. If that is your wish, I will do so. But I certainly will not disgrace your table with my presence any further, until such time that you can forgive me and invite me to return. If ever.”

  Alex pushed himself away from the table, leaned on his cane, and rose to his feet.

  “I will get your chair, Alex,” Pamela told him, starting to rise.

  “If I can’t walk, I can crawl. That might be appropriate,” he replied before beginning a slow exit from the room.

  Elizabeth slumped back into her chair. The two of them monitored his progress as he left the dining room, crossed the main hall, and entered the west wing.

  “Keep half an eye on him, Pamela. He’s not going to make it. We need to know if he gets hurt when he falls.”

  “Yes, Mother.”

  “There’s still some rebellion left in him.”

  “There always will be. Will he get back to ‘Liz’?”

  “Oh, Pamela, I hope so. But I don’t see how. He can’t earn it the second time the way he did the first time. That only works once. He can’t earn it by being mouthy and cute. He certainly wouldn’t get there by being an old fashioned, traditional Dawson’s Star husband to my daughter. And as much as I would like to, as much as I enjoyed having a son, I can’t just give him that honor back. But I don’t see how he’s going to earn it, either.”

  Pamela looked into the distance for a moment, then refocused. “He just fell over. Nothing broken. Mother, he’s going to try to regain your respect. If he doesn’t make it, he’ll leave. He might come back for visits, but he won’t live here.”

  Jim knocked on the door from the kitchen, then entered the dining room. “Ms. Grey, dinner will be ready in just a moment.”

  “Thank you, Jim,” Elizabeth told him quietly

  Jim stood there, unmoving. Elizabeth looked at him with an annoyed expression. “What is it?”

  “It’s Mr. Grey, ma’am.”

  “We’re very aware of the situation with Mr. Grey. If he wants help, he can call his wife and ask for it. He knows how, and she’s watching him. No one else is to touch him.”

  “But ma’am, he’s-“

  “I said we’re aware!”

  “Yes, ma’am,” he said quietly, backing away before fleeing.

  “He’s a bad influence on your staff,” Pamela said. “I’m sorry. I should have known better.”

  Elizabeth looked at her sharply. “You couldn’t have found someone who would love you more, someone who would give you as much of himself as Alex already has. If you lose this one, you’ll never be satisfied again.”

  “I know, Mother.”

  “He lost his leg defending you. He lost his leg so that I wouldn’t have to resign from my office. I think Diane would have released you both, if I had done what they asked. His father is going to hand him a discharge from the military the first time he sees Alex walk. It would be a real bad idea for him to be a solo shipping merchant again. Pamela, a life here with us is all he has.”

  “I know, Mother. And if he doesn’t get back to ‘Liz’, he’ll leave.”

  The servants bustled in quietly, delivering dinner.

  “What about Mr. Grey, ma’am?” Jim asked.

  “There’s fruit in his room. If he wants anything else, he can ask his wife.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Jim started to leave.

  “Jim. Mr. Grey is having a few little difficulties fitting in. No one will be doing him any favors if they attempt to circumvent my efforts to bring him along. Do I make myself clear?”

  “Yes, ma’am. I’ll make sure everyone else knows how you feel.”

  “Jim, I’m not mad at you. If my son-in-law were to ask any of you any questions, I would expect you to answer them. But I expect to be told of any conversations.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  The servants left, and the women turned to their meals.

  “Where is he?” Elizabeth asked.

  “He made it to his room and managed to get into bed.” Pamela picked at her food. “I don’t think I’m hungry.”

  “Eat it anyway.”

  The two sat quietly for a while.

  “Mother, how often does someone try to sneak in here and kill you?”

  “Couple of times a week, I guess.”

  “You fry them?”

  “The minute they set foot on my property with hostile intent.”

  “What if you let one get past the security systems? What if you made sure it happened when you and Alex were together? What if he did another of his famous saves?”

  “What if one of the servants is killed first? What if his leg fails at a bad time? What if he gets shot in the process?”

  Pamela picked at her food a bit more before pushing it away.

  “What do we do, Mother?”

  “We turn the heat up. You should move back upstairs.”

  Interception

  Pamela stormed into Alex’s bedroom.

  “You embarrassed me again. Furthermore, you have deeply hurt my mother. You had her respect, which she gives very grudgingly, and you threw it away. Do you know what that’s doing to her? I’ll tell you. She always wanted a son, Alex. She had thought she finally had one.”

  “I’m sorry, Pamela.”

  “Sorry doesn’t cut it. I’m moving back to my normal rooms. At least for tonight.”

  “Then what, Pamela? Grey Ghost ships in two weeks. I need to be on it. And if I’m going to be, I should attend the dinner in three nights.”

  “We’ll discuss it tomorrow. Good night.”

  Pamela slammed the door behind her when she left. Alex heard her boots striking the parquet as she stomped down the hallway.

  Alex climbed back out of bed and into his wheelchair. He moved to the window and stared at the stars for a long time. Finally, he rolled to his desk, grabbed a piece of paper, and wrote a brief note. “Elizabeth. Would you grant me an audience? Alexander.” Alex rolled over to the bed, contemplated the pull cord he had never used, then gave it several short jerks.

  “What’s wrong with electronics?” he asked himself. “A pull cord?”

  There was a knock at the door, then it opened. “You rang, Mr. Grey?” Jim stood in the doorway.

  “Would you deliver this note to Ms. Grey, Jim?”

  “Your wife, sir?”

  “My wife’s mother, Jim.”

  “She’ll have it in just a few minutes, Mr. Grey.”

  “Thank you, Jim.”

  The man left, closing the door, and Alex sighed. Even the staff had returned to formality with him. Alex rolled back to the window and stared into the night sky. Several minutes later, there was a knock, then the door was opened.

  “She sent a reply, Mr. Grey,” Jim told him.

&nbs
p; Alex took his note and discovered it was his own returned to him. Elizabeth had written on it. “East wing, last room on the right.”

  “Thank you, Jim.”

  The man slowly left the room, closing the door behind him. Alex paused, then rolled to the door. He collected his cane, just in case he needed it, then rolled out into the hallway. Rolling along, it didn’t take him long to find the door in question. He knocked.

 

  Alex opened the door, then maneuvered the chair past it and into the room. The door closed itself behind him.

  Elizabeth’s room was smaller than Alex had expected. There was a small desk, a dresser, and a bed. A closed door led to what Alex assumed was the closet. Elizabeth was seated at the desk, going over some paperwork.

  Alex sat quietly and waited for her to finish.

  Elizabeth ignored him for fifteen minutes. Alex didn’t say a word during the entire time. Finally, she turned to him.

  “What do you want?”

  “Elizabeth, I can never express how deeply sorry I am. I love your daughter. I love and deeply respect you. You have a beautiful home. From what I’ve seen of it, you also have a beautiful planet. Everyone I’ve dealt with has been very good to me. I had no call to consistently behave so poorly.

  “I know an apology isn’t going to make up for the damage to our relationship. The thought of never having your respect again is killing me.

  “Elizabeth, I don’t know how to regain your respect again. Basically, I don’t think I can. I would do anything you ask, but I know you probably don’t have any magic cures, either. If you decide there is something I can do, please tell me.

  “If not, there is still this unfinished business. Please, I hope you will intercede with Pamela on my behalf and make sure the Captain of the Grey Ghost will still agree to use me as her security officer.

  “If you want-“

  Alex paused. He had seen something in the background he didn’t like. Something at Elizabeth’s window.

  He started to roll forward. “If you want, I will move out at your earliest convenience.” Alex rolled to the window and looked out briefly.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Apologizing, Elizabeth.”

  Elizabeth paused. “I see.”

 

  “I’ll get you on the Ghost, Alexander. I won’t promise you anything else.”

 

  Alex rolled away from the window and turned to Elizabeth again. “Elizabeth,” he began quietly. “I don’t have a life anywhere else anymore. I really do like it here. I don’t want to leave. Please forgive me. Please help me find a way that I can stay.”

  There was a crash from the window, and something came flying through to bounce off Elizabeth’s bed and land on the floor. Alex took one glancing look, then launched himself from his chair. He grabbed Elizabeth and pulled her to the floor behind the bed.

  The concussion grenade exploded. If not for the protection afforded by the bed, both Alex and Elizabeth would have been stunned helpless. The heavy bed absorbed the effect.

  A man crashed through the window. He was dressed in black and had a mask over his face. He was holding a pistol.

  Alex kicked the assassin against the side of the knee. From his poor position, the kick had little effect, but it distracted the man long enough for Alex to come after him.

  There was the loud report of a heavy pistol before Alex knocked the gun aside, rammed a fist into the assassin’s stomach, then managed to kick his feet out from under him. Alex leapt after the man, wrapping his arms around the man’s neck from behind.

  The assassin pulled out a knife and stabbed at the arms around his neck. Alex let go with his right hand, using it to block the motion. He was partially successful.

  Suddenly, the man went slack. Alex suspected a feint, so he continued to hold the man firmly, adjusting to apply the leverage required to snap the assassin’s neck.

  “You can let go, Alex,” said Elizabeth. “He’s out. I finished him.”

  Alex felt for a pulse before dropping the man.

  “Are you okay, Elizabeth?”

  “Yes. Thank you. Alex, the things you were saying before we were interrupted. Asking for my help to stay here. Did you mean them?”

  “Please, Elizabeth. There might be more!”

  “Don’t worry. There’s not.”

  “You didn’t think there was this one.”

  “I didn’t know what to look for. This is a new trick. I can tell whether someone is there, because I can feel their minds. This person does not have one. He’s been completely mind wiped. Someone was controlling him remotely. This trick won’t work again.”

  “Do you know who?”

  “Yes, but there’s no evidence. Now, did you mean what you said?”

  “Of course. I want to stay. And I want your respect, Elizabeth.”

  There was a noise in the corridor. Pamela burst into the room, followed by Jim. “Mother! What was that noise?”

  She looked around the room.

  “What happened? Alex! You’re…”

  “In a moment, Pamela. I have something important to tell your husband.”

  “But mother.”

  “Be quiet. Alex, as I was about to say. I am very grateful you came to me tonight. I don’t want you to leave either. But I’m afraid I won’t be finding anything for you to do to regain my respect.”

  Alex closed his eyes, trying to shut out the rest.

  “Between the things you said, the fact that you saved my life, and the fact that you’re bleeding all over my floor, but are more concerned about me and the members of the household. Well, can you please call me ‘Liz’ once before you pass out?”

  Alex opened his eyes and looked down. “Oh! Darn. He shot me.”

  “He stabbed you a few times, too.”

  “Hmm. I think this would really hurt if I hadn’t taken my evening pain killer shortly before coming down here.”

  “Do either of you think maybe we should do something about this?” Pamela said.

  “That’s not a bad idea, Pamela. Do you think maybe Jim could call the doctor while you help with a little first aid?”

  “Why are you so calm? You’ve been shot and stabbed.”

  Alex smiled. “And concussion grenaded. Don’t forget the concussion grenade.”

  Jim ran from the room, presumably to call for a doctor. Alex calmly started to unbutton his shirt so he could look at the wound, but his fingers weren’t working very well. Pamela rushed up and pushed his hands away, then started on the buttons.

  Alex looked at his mother-in-law, who was still sitting on the floor where he had left her. “You’re sure you’re okay? Nothing bleeding? Nothing broken?”

  “I’m fine, Alex.” Elizabeth got up, then turned a small circle, holding her hands out. “See. No extra holes. Unlike you.”

  “I’m really forgiven?”

  “I want to hear a ‘Liz’ before you pass out. Please, Alex. It makes me happy.”

  “Why do you think I’m going to pass out? These little cuts?”

  Pamela finally got the shirt off him. Alex used his shirt to wrap around his damaged, bleeding arm. Then he looked down to see how much he was running on luck – just a crazing wound – and how much was bravado – which he didn’t want to consider.

  He looked back up quickly. “Liz, I hope one of you has some excellent first aid training and the doctor isn’t very far away.”

  Jim was back in the doorway. “They said ten minutes. They’re sending by air.”

  “Do any of you know what to do about this?” Alex asked. “I really would like to pass out now. I shouldn’t have looked.”

  “You’re turning white, Alex,” Pamela told him. “Hold it together and tell me what to do.”

  “Towels. Sheets, dresses, anythin
g. Press the cloth against the wounds and apply some pressure. When the blood seeps through, do not change the towels. Add more if you need to.”

  Jim ran for towels. Elizabeth didn’t wait that long and pulled the sheets from her bed, handing them to Pamela.

  “Pamela, I love you. Liz, thank you. Wake me when it’s over.”

  Alex closed his eyes and fell limp in Pamela’s arms.

  “Mother! You said you weren’t going to do it this way.”

  “Would you believe it? I didn’t. I have a very resourceful enemy. You know, if we hadn’t fought tonight, Alex wouldn’t have been here. I would be dead.”

  “Instead, Alex might be.” Pamela began to cry softly. “Oh mother, who is doing this? Who keeps hurting my husband?”

  “I don’t have any proof,” Elizabeth said slowly.

  “Tell me, Mother. Give me a face to hate.”

  “Pamela, I don’t have any proof.” Elizabeth paused. “But I think it’s Sarah Borman.”

  “But you’ve been friends for years!” Elizabeth nodded sadly.

  “Unfortunately, friends don’t always share the same political goals. Sarah takes a harder stance on issues than I do.”

  “She doesn’t know what she’s talking about,” Pamela said. “She thinks because she can dominate her household she can use the same methods to dominate the entire galaxy.” Pamela paused. “She’s going to be very difficult for me to kill.”

  Elizabeth looked sharply at her daughter. “You will not even try. I’m working on it. Things are going into motion. I am counting on you to take care of your own business. And I am counting on your husband to watch your back. I will deal with whoever is doing this. You will take Grey Ghost on its maiden voyage. You will take Alex with you. And if he tells you something is a security matter, you will shut up and do exactly what he tells you to do.”

  “And while he’s watching out for me, who is watching out for him?”

  “Alex is very good at taking care of himself, Pamela.”

  Pamela looked at her hands, rich with her husband’s blood. “He’s done a pretty poor job of it so far, Mother.”