by T. M. Catron
With a sense of foreboding, Rance walked over. James followed. At first, Jane didn’t look up from her handset, but when she saw the boots stop in front of her, her eyes traveled up the navy flight suit to Rance’s face. A flicker of surprise flashed in her eyes and then was quickly suppressed. Jane’s manners kicked in, and she quickly adjusted her face into a smile. Without a word, she rose and pulled Rance into an awkward hug.
“Devri, you look good,” Jane said, turning her eyes to James. “And who is this handsome young man with you?”
“Mother, this is James Fletcher, my pilot.”
“Nice to meet you, James.”
James nodded his head in deference. “And you, Lady Jane.”
Jane’s looked around nervously. “Call me Jane, please.”
“Why are you here, Mother?”
Jane pulled her hood farther down over her head and tucked her hair into it. “I’m traveling.”
“By yourself? I thought you always traveled around with… people.”
“It’s easier to travel without a big entourage. See all these peasants staring at the nobles’ section? They are jealous. I get tired of them staring. But if I try to sit with them, they stare at me there, as well. So, I dress simply and leave my assistants to find their own way to wherever we’re going.”
“Not that I care what father thinks,” Rance said, “but he wouldn’t be happy if he found out you were traveling alone and unprotected.”
“You travel unprotected,” Jane said sternly. She glanced at James. “No offense, James.”
James’ face turned red. He opened his mouth to say something, but Rance silenced him with a look. She didn’t want an argument in the middle of the busy thoroughfare.
“Mother,” she said, trying to be calm. “I do not travel alone. I seem to have a lot more protection than you do.”
Jane smiled, and her eyes twinkled. She looked like she was about to laugh. “You have caught me! Your father knows how I travel, but he has no say in it. He lost that privilege years ago. You can’t blame me for being concerned for you, though—traveling like a commoner without any of the benefits of being able to call for help when you need it.”
Rance’s face burned. “I—”
James interjected, glaring at Jane. “My Lady, I’m sure you mean no offense. But if you are so worried about the captain, you should try to keep in touch a little more.”
Jane smiled sweetly, ignoring the tension rolling off James’ shoulders. “We have misunderstood each other. Let’s start over—my name is Jane. I’m married to Davos. Devri is my daughter. And it is my place to worry about her even if I know that she is carving out her own corner of the universe. And,” she added as an afterthought, “how can I keep in touch with Devri when she doesn’t tell me where she is?”
“It’s good to see you too, Mother.” Rance sighed. She was irritated, but they were on a tight schedule and didn’t have time to begin a family squabble.
Jane seemed to get the hint. She sighed too. “Yes, it is good to see you. I was just startled.”
“How is Davos?”
“He is your father, and you could call him such. Davos is the same as always. He worries about you, Devri.”
Rance laughed. “He doesn’t worry about me except to be angry with the way I have embarrassed him.”
Jane frowned. “You might be surprised. But yes, he is embarrassed. And I don’t think you should run home anytime soon unless you have a sudden urge to marry McConnell.”
“How is Harrison?” Rance asked sarcastically.
“He left Xanthes a few months ago. No one knows why. Your father seems to be in touch with him from time to time. But what do I know? He shares little with me.”
Rance shifted uneasily at the bitterness in her mother’s voice. A glance at James told the captain that he was uncomfortable too.
“Harrison McConnell would still marry you if you’d have him,” Jane said, her face unreadable.
Rance opened her mouth to tell her mother about the deep trouble that Harrison had gotten himself into, about how he had gambled away his father’s title. The minute Harrison’s father passed over the reins, Harrison had to pass them over to a stranger. But Rance had promised Harrison she wouldn’t tell anybody, and so far, Harrison had kept his word about telling anyone how to find Rance. So, she closed her mouth again and prepared to say goodbye.
The hint of a smirk crossed Jane’s face. “A wise choice,” she said. “For what it’s worth, I don’t think Harrison has cleaned up his act. I’m glad he won’t be my son-in-law.”
Rance smiled. “No worries about that, Mother.”
An image of Solaris rose unbidden in Rance’s mind. She wondered what Jane would say about him. Suddenly, Rance regretted bringing James instead of Solaris to the station. It was a selfish thought—Solaris wasn’t hers to parade around.
“Well,” Jane said as if in preparation for saying goodbye. She turned and picked up a tattered bag to sling over her shoulder. “It’s good to see you, Daughter.” Then she nodded at James. “And it is nice to meet you, James.”
Rance was torn between giving her mother another hug and signing a rude gesture. She sighed and settled for the hug. After all, she had no idea when she would see Jane again.
After they parted, Rance and James headed over to the station office to see where their contact had run off to.
“That was awkward,” James said. “Is your mother always so proper?”
“Yes.”
“That makes sense,” he muttered.
Rance shot her friend a quelling look, and he grinned.
A man sat behind an enclosed counter, watching a screen on the wall and chewing on something that looked like a stick. Rance cleared her throat several times before he glanced in their direction. He regarded them a moment while scratching his enormous belly.
“Excuse me,” Rance said, her patience running thin. “I’m looking for someone who was supposed to meet us here.”
The man grunted. “Okay.”
“A woman named Eva Cross. Has she checked in or not?”
The man looked at Rance, then at James, then at the screen on the wall as if he couldn’t be bothered to do his job.
Irritated, Rance placed both hands on the counter and leaned over it. Running into Jane had set the captain off balance, and she was in no mood to deal with a difficult person. “Either help us out and do your job or come on out here and we’ll settle this the right way.”
James elbowed Rance, and she cringed. She had lost her temper rather quickly.
The man laughed so hard that his belly shook. When he was finished, he leaned forward, his voice still shaking with mirth. “Alright, alright. What’s that name again? That’s the funniest thing to happen all day.”
Rance’s pride didn’t want to let go. But she realized they may not get another opportunity to get help from this man, so she said, “Eva Cross. She was supposed to be here today.”
The man pulled out his handset. He flipped through it, looking at a list of names. Finally, he held it up for Rance to see. A woman’s face appeared, a woman with high cheekbones and chestnut hair arranged into a simple but elegant bun at the nape of her neck…
“No—” Rance began, dumbstruck.
The woman they were meeting was her mother.
Eva Cross was her mother.
Rance was supposed to meet her own mother.
“No, no no no.” She turned to James in desperation.
James snorted, which did nothing for Rance’s mood. She turned and stormed away from the office.
It must have been some kind of joke. Or a trap. With a chill, Rance wondered if Jane had finally decided to help Davos catch her. The captain scanned the crowd, looking for Unity soldiers or even perhaps her own father. Nothing unusual drew her attention.
Why was her mother pretending to need a courier? Rance stomped over to Jane, who had settled back onto her bench. When Jane saw Rance approach, she looked up, startled. “Is something t
he matter?” She glanced around as if she, too, were expecting someone unsavory to appear.
“It’s a dirty trick, Mother!”
“What is?”
“Who are you meeting?”
“I have a private escort coming for me. It’s not typical, but I have a package I want to deliver, so it seems like the best route. Public transportation can be so… messy.”
Rance’s blood ran cold. “Are you Eva Cross?”
Jane’s eyes grew wide, and she rose to face Rance. “Why are you here?”
“We were going to deliver a package to the Five Sisters.”
Jane straightened her shoulders even more. “Yes, I am Eva Cross. And you must swear on the Founders not to tell anyone.”
Chapter Five
Rance couldn’t believe what she was hearing. A bitter taste rose in Rance’s mouth. It unsettled her, stupefied her. Had Jane abandoned her daughter on Xanthes because of another life? Tightness rose in Rance’s chest, and anger surged through her. Had her whole childhood been a lie? “Mother, what’s going on?”
For the first time, Jane looked worried. “I can’t discuss it here. Can we go to your ship?”
“I don’t know if I want you on my ship.” Rance knew she was being petty and tried to rein in her anger. “Mother,” she added to soften her tone.
Jane stood resolutely before Rance’s anger. “I don’t want to explain to you right here where anyone can hear us. It is imperative that I get to Persephone and the Five Sisters. If you’re my transport, I need you to take me. I don’t have time to find someone else. I promise I’ll explain everything once we are in private.”
Surprised at her mother’s vehemence, Rance leaned in. “Are you in some kind of trouble?”
Jane shook her head. “Yes and no. I can’t explain it here.”
“Okay then. Follow me.”
They walked through the crowds. Rance elbowed more people than necessary to get through.
By the time they got to the Star Streaker, Rance’s curiosity had overcome her initial shock. She tried to push it down, but it boiled over until all of her questions popped out as soon as they arrived at the ship. Abel stood waiting on the ramp. He gave them a puzzled look as Rance led Jane inside.
Before introducing them, Rance rounded on her mother. “Explain.”
“My errand is very urgent. I need to go to the museum on Persephone and pick up an item. It’s an artifact, one that could have great significance to our history and possibly to the galaxy.” Jane looked around approvingly at the cargo hold.
“Since when do you worry about artifacts?”
Solaris descended the stairs, drawn down by the sounds of their arrival. He paused mid-step, his eyes going from Jane to Rance and then back to Jane. Solaris was intelligent, and not much got past him. He registered the similarities between Rance and her mother. Rance’s hair was darker, and she was taller, but she carried herself much like Jane. Seeing his confusion, Rance finally delayed her questions long enough to make introductions.
“Roote, meet Eva Cross, otherwise known as Jane, my mother.”
Solaris recovered quickly from his surprise. When he reached Jane, he took her hand and kissed it, bowing as he would for any noblewoman. Rance bristled, irked at the preferential treatment.
“Happy to meet you, your Ladyship,” Solaris said. “But I’m sorry, I’m confused about your name.”
“My mother has been using an alias,” Rance said. “Isn’t that ironic? I would really like her to explain herself. Apparently, we are supposed to transport her to Persephone and the Five Sisters, not a package.”
“I apologize for the deception, and we are picking up a package on Persephone,” Jane said. “I had no idea when I asked my contact for a private transport that he would contact you.”
“Does he know who I am?” Panic hit Rance in the gut as if she had been punched. “If he made the connection, he may have decided to capitalize on the information and inform Davos.”
“He would have no reason, Devri. He doesn’t know who I really am. I only contact him via video calling, and I’ve never given him my real identity. As for your earlier question, there’s much I kept from you while you were growing up. It was out of a desire to please Davos. He never wanted you to know what I really do.”
“Davos knows?” Rance leaned in. “Wait, what do you do?” Images of assassins and smugglers and pirates all popped into Rance’s head.
The conversation drew the rest of the crew. Harper and Tally appeared from engineering. Jane’s eyes shone when she saw Tally, but she looked back at Rance. “I’d rather discuss this with you privately.”
“I don’t have any secrets from my crew,” Rance said. “They are my family.”
Jane blinked, stung. “I don’t blame you for being angry. But your father didn’t want you to know what I do because he thought it was beneath a woman of my station. And because I wanted harmony in our family, I chose to follow his wishes. I’d hoped that you would grow up to be happy on Xanthes, or at least in society. But I know now that I was wrong about that.”
It was the closest thing to an apology Rance had ever received from her mother. And yet it wasn’t quite enough.
“Devri—”
“Everyone here knows my real name,” Rance said. “But call me Rance. If you call me Devri, there can be confusion or a slip up when we aren’t in private.”
Rance sighed and looked around at the crew waiting with bated breath. Only Tally, who knew her mother well, acted as if he weren’t surprised by the revelations. “Give us a minute,” Rance said.
The crew reluctantly dispersed. Rance led her mother into the galley where they sat at the narrow table. “Tea or something? I don’t have anything stronger. Roote likes hot chocolate. Also, he likes chocolate cake. Really anything chocolate, but I don’t know where he hides it most of the time.”
Rance rambled, feeling uncomfortable on her own ship. That irritated her.
Jane sat at the table, poised and regal. “Tea is fine.”
While Rance busied herself with making tea, Jane gazed around the cramped galley. The tension between them stretched out awkwardly. Rance alternated between being stunned and feeling betrayed. Finally, the tea was ready, and she set a steaming cup in front of her mother.
“I’m an archaeologist,” Jane said after taking a sip. “I studied at the University of Triton just before my marriage was arranged to your father. After we married, I wanted to go back. In those days, he was eager to please me, so he supported me. I ended up studying under some esteemed field experts, and I began making a name for myself in antiquities, most of Old Earth origin. At the time, I just thought it would be an interesting investigation, something to keep me off of Xanthes. I hated living there. Even though I grew up there, it was never for me.”
Rance could identify with that, and she had known this information about her mother for some time. She had never figured out why Jane had shown little sympathy for her own daughter, who felt trapped just like she did. “That’s it?” Rance asked, a bit let down about the revelation. “That’s the big reason for your secrecy?”
Jane fixed Rance with a hard stare. “Unfortunately, no. I recently stumbled upon an artifact that intrigued me. I locked it up in a vault inside Persephone’s Imperial Museum, but after doing more research and some recent troubling events, I believe it is in danger there.”
“From whom?”
Solaris appeared in the doorway, making eye contact with Rance, awaiting instructions.
Jane turned, acknowledging him. “I’ll tell you more, but I had to leave my cargo at the station. Can we go ahead and bring it aboard?”
“How much stuff do you have?” Solaris asked.
Jane smiled gratefully. “Just a few things. Some of it is clothing. Most of it is cargo that needs to be dropped off on Persephone. The rest of it is materials I carry wherever I go. I’ve started not to trust the handset that I carry. It’s had some… glitches… in it lately. I began writing everything
down in notebooks. It’s an old technique, but the only way to get to my information is to physically take it from me. Which is a bolder act than to hack it from far away.”
Solaris nodded. “Where’s your stuff?”
“Hold it,” Rance said. “We can’t take you to Persephone.”
Jane blinked. “Why not? I’ll pay you, just as I promised.”
“I can’t accept your money. I swore never to take a credit from you or Father again.”
“But this is a job,” Jane said. “It is not a gift. You have already agreed to the deal by proxy, and I would like you to stick to it.”
Rance glanced at Solaris. The air was so thick it could be stabbed with a dagger. Solaris looked interested, and the captain could tell he wanted to take the offer. It was the crew’s money as much as Rance’s. If she turned it down, they’d have to find another job. If she didn’t get paid, they didn’t get paid.
Rance sighed and nodded to Solaris.
Solaris left. Tally appeared immediately after.
When Jane saw Tally’s green eyes looking at her, she grinned broadly. “Tally! It is true. I’ve always wanted to believe that you went with Rance, but I was never sure.”
“Your Ladyship,” Tally said, stepping forward quickly. He bowed over Jane’s hand and then leaned in to whisper, “The crew doesn’t know my background. I would like to keep it that way, please.”
Jane barely had time to give him a surprised nod before Harper and James showed up.
“Good grief,” Rance muttered. “Were you all standing at the door?”
Harper gave Tally a surprised look as if she had heard. Tally looked uncomfortable. Rance had never told the crew that Tally used to work for her father or that he had helped Rance escape from Xanthes.
She would let Tally explain that.
Jane looked around the group, her eyes going to each face, registering and committing them to memory. Rance was uncomfortable, but the rest seemed pleased that Jane paid them attention.
