by Tammy Salyer
He hands me a small receiver. “Today, you get to be the target.” Meaning, he’ll be checking the missile calibrations as I move around to make sure they’re tracking.
To keep perspective on the utter dullness of the next couple of hours, I keep telling myself I could be stuck outside in the 35 C heat, working on the transceiver. That isn’t enough though, and soon I’m thinking about last’s night’s conversation again and what Cross said about the Admin rescinding its contracts with non-citizen crews.
We’ve tested about half of the missiles when I bring it up. “Things are going to get rough out here if Vitruzzi loses her Admin contracts.”
Grunting, Desto squats and reseats a Glower in its cargo box, a job that usually requires two men. Straightening up, he answers, “Nah. There’s always the black market.” Waving me away, he opens the crate for the next one.
“Sure. That’s true. But the risks are higher.”
Connecting the test rig, he gives me a count of three on his fingers. After confirming that the coordinates locked, he answers, “The stakes aren’t high enough stealing from the Admin? Damn. Besides, we already have mostly everything we need. Far as I’m concerned, the less we tango with them, the better.”
“And what if they close the Obals to non-cits? Are you ready to be cut off from…?” I let the sentence hang.
“Civilization?” He laughs. “Aly, we may be on the fringes out here, but if that means I don’t take orders from anyone, I’m good. Besides, did you book a vacation to Tunis City or something? And, oh yeah, I hear the weather on Keum Libre is fucking great this time of year.” Chuckling harder, he wrestles the next box down from its shelf.
Frowning, I wait for him to set the test rig. Desto has a point, but I’m somehow not finding it as easy as him to let go of the idea of never being able to travel to an Admin city. Banished from law and order for good. How do you get used to that?
FIVE
Two hours later, the back of my throat tastes like an oil slick and my hands are a uniform black from carbon dust. Desto suggests we take a break and go topside for some food and sunshine, and I can hardly contain my eagerness. Whatever Venus’s reasons for wanting me as a roommate, she was certainly right about people not being built to live underground. Though it makes me wonder why I don’t feel this cooped up when in flight for months at a time. It’s darker in space than any cave, and there isn’t much room on a ship. Still, being in the sky has always felt right to me. There’s no explaining it, not even to myself.
When the lift reaches topside, Vitruzzi sees it and walks toward us. “I was just about to come and get you. Cross is free and I’m going to take him out to the transceiver. Do you still want to come, Aly?”
I nod. “And his crew?”
“They’re occupied with the Horizon. It’ll just be him. Desto, join us?”
“My pleasure.”
We walk past the Sphynx and I notice the Rover parked alongside its loading ramp, but still no Karl. Brady and Cross stand beside it chatting amiably, as if they’ve been friends for years. Rob’s always been the kind of guy that people take an instant liking to, both charming and funny and rarely anything but polite. He’s probably been doing pretty well for himself as an Admin contractor. Besides being likable, I remember him as being efficient and reliable, and he’d risen through the ranks back in the Corps at a speed that would ordinarily make people mutter about bribes and blackmail. But it was just Cross’s personality and rock-solid capabilities that got him so far. Now as a citizen, his ship, a newer model with solar amalgam-powered engines, reflects at least some measure of the same success, broken reversals aside. Sitting next the Sphynx, whose hull is pocked and scraped to raw metal in more than a few places, the Red Horizon epitomizes the difference between citizens and non-citizens, those living on the Obals and those living on the Spectras.
Brady gets into the driver’s seat and Vitruzzi, Cross, and I load up and roll outside the mine’s tunnel, Desto following on his bike. The day is hot already and we extend a shade flap along either side of the Rover’s clamshell spine to block the driving sun. Vents along the base of the sideboards let air circulate through the vehicle’s cab, but no one would describe it as a cool and comfortable ride. The best way to drive the Rover on this planet to keep from getting broiled is fast.
The transceiver sits north of the mine about five klicks, planted atop the first high ridge of the complex canyon system extending between Agate Beach and Hell’s Gate. I’d passed through that labyrinth during my first visit to the Beach, trying to get back to Rajcik and my old smuggling crew. Now I know the area as Mecca Flats. Having explored every circuitous crag and peak since settling here, I know how easy it would be to get lost in there, or lose someone else, plus it provides excellent cover from airborne spies.
The top of the ridge sits a couple hundred meters from the valley floor, and there’s a vehicle-wide path carved and graded up the gradual slope. The device itself is only about the size of a standard radar dish, oblong and convex, and mounted on top of a metal base that also serves as a battery housing. The batteries can be rotated from a supply we keep at the Beach, or juiced up directly from our generators via a long cable. The entire apparatus lies hidden beneath a scavenged military net colored in desert camouflage and wired with radar jamming sensors. The only way to see the device from the sky is when it’s uncovered.
La Mer glances over as we drive up. A panel he’s removed from the base lies next to him and he sits on the hard-packed earth, elbow deep in wiring that bursts from within. The transceiver dish is still covered by its camouflage netting, giving him a hint of shade, but sweat streaks down the sides of his face anyway. Brady pulls the Rover up and we all climb out.
“So what is this, Eleanor? It sounded like you were going to make me swear over the life of my firstborn not to tell anyone about it before you brought me up here. But I have to admit, it doesn’t look like much,” Rob says, grinning crookedly.
Brady begins circling the dish, untying the netting from stakes in the ground. When they’re all loose, he motions to me to take one side while he grabs the other. With a yank, the netting slides into the dirt at our feet.
“Rob, we’ve built a transceiver that sends and receives in real time using satellites.” Vitruzzi explains. “We’ll be able to talk to you or anyone else we want outside of our orbit now with no lag. La Mer’s been helping us build it, but we’d like your help to test it.”
“Brilliant! Yeah, I’ll help. Definitely. But”—his forehead furrows in skepticism—“did you build yourselves a satellite network, too? The Admin is a little stingy with theirs, which you know.”
There’s a quick pause and he understands immediately what’s not being said. “Oh. You figured out a way to hijack Admin tooders.”
“Now you see why we’ve kept it under wraps,” Brady responds.
“Okaaayyy.” He draws the word out, then stays silent for a minute, considering what he’s agreeing to. I watch him closely, trying to read what he’s thinking. Finally, he continues, his voice tight but sincere, “Sure, I can help you test it. But first you have to be honest with me, what kind of safeguards do you have in place so they won’t be able to either detect a hack, or trace it if they do? No offense, but I’m not sure it’s worth my ship, or jail time, if you’re not a hundred percent it’ll work. I’d be out more than just a few contracts.”
“You’ve got nothing to worry about,” La Mer answers. “You’ll just be picking up the signal. No harm in that. We’ll use the Sphynx to transmit back to the Beach, which is the only way the Admin could trace it. But I know their systems, and they aren’t going to know a thing.”
“Yeah? How could you know their systems?”
La Mer is, as always, reluctant to talk about himself. The fact that he’d managed to stay hidden from the Admin for six years can be attributed to his tight-lipped style. “It’s a specialty of mine,” is his short reply.
“Okay, man. Just asking.” Cross walks over to t
he dish and gazes up into his reflection in the steel bowl. Without turning around, he asks, “When’s the test?”
Vitruzzi and Brady exchange a glance and I read uncertainty in their eyes. We’ve just put the Beach and every settlers’ freedom on the line on a bet that Cross, citizen or not, friend or not, won’t find a reason to turn us in. Paranoia once again bristles along my skin like a rash and I find myself wondering just where he got the funds to buy such a nice ship, but I throttle the thought before it can dig in.
Vitruzzi answers him. “The parts you brought us yesterday are the last ones we needed. Bodie and La Mer should be done putting it together….when?” She raises her eyebrows and looks at La Mer.
“Tomorrow maybe. Definitely the next day if not.” He’s still looking at Cross, his face neutral. I can’t say why, but I get the impression he doesn’t like Rob.
Cross turns around and asks, “Is there anything I can help with?” The calm sincerity in his voice instantly shuts down the voice in my head that keeps questioning his reliability. What’s my problem? He’s just a guy, an old friend. Trusting people has never been my style, but being betrayed by Rajcik must have affected me deeper than I realized.
“This is handled,” Brady answers. “But you and your crew could help us move some equipment in the mine. It’ll only take an hour or so.”
“Sure. Anything you need.”
“One more thing, Rob,” Vitruzzi says, “we think it’s best if you don’t mention this to the rest of your crew.”
“Of course, don’t even worry about it.” He flashes another winning grin, then looks over at me. “You know you can rely on me.”
* * *
It’s late afternoon and still no Karl. After finishing the day off in the vault with Desto, I grab a quick dry-shower in the mine’s lavatory to blast the grit and carbon off my skin, then hop on my bike to head to Venus’s. As I drive past the RedHorizon, the only thing on my mind is food, but I spot two of Cross’s crewmembers—Sims and Montoya—standing atop their left engine housing, struggling to keep solid footing while they work inside the engine compartment.
Stopping, I shout up at them, “Hey, you guys want a better platform? I can drive the airstairs out here for you.”
They both glance down at me and quickly decline with a short “no thanks.” Shrugging, I keep going. On my way out, my VDU vibrates as David buzzes me.
“Hey Aly. Come by Bodie’s and my place. Rob’s coming over for some chow and to catch up on more old times.”
I’ve already decided to have a quickie dinner and then track Karl down, having grown both irritated and concerned over his no-show all day. “No thanks. I’m beat. I’m just going to call it a night.”
“Don’t give me that. You get your ass over here—that’s an order.” His smile fills the VDU screen, punting my resolve aside like a deflated ball, and I can’t help but react to the challenge in his voice. He’d laugh at me if I told him my concerns about Karl, and I can’t have my big brother giving me shit. Besides, if I don’t find Karl, what am I going to do? Sit around Venus’s like a heartbroken teenager?
“Fine. Be there in five.”
SIX
Bodie and David are more like an old married couple than roommates—an old married couple who specialize in gourmet cooking—and put on an excellent feast of fresh vegetables and spice-enhanced protein concentrate that tastes almost better than a steak. I can’t believe I almost didn’t come. To top off the delicious meal, Rob has brought along several bottles of contraband wine that he says he keeps in its own secret stash room on the ’Rize. The settlement only has enough room to grow foods for their nutritional value with nothing being wasted on fermentable grains and fruits. Consequently, we rarely see booze, and it isn’t long into the evening before I’m feeling as relaxed and boneless as a drunk amoeba.
We’re all lounging on a deck Bodie and David built from broken crates and spare hardware, feeling the night drop its pleasant breeze over us like a cool sheet. David takes a sip of his wine and comments, “I never had it this good, even before I joined the Corps. You know, being a citizen had its perks but there wasn’t any adventure in it. It’s like your life was a book that you read when you were a kid. Too simple, no surprises. Rob, I don’t know how you stand it.”
Rob chuckles, not offended. “It’s not that bad. There are surprises, especially when you’re a transport contractor like me. There are plenty of days when I don’t know exactly what to expect. Take yesterday for example—who would have ever suspected I’d run into the two of you? Besides, nothing I do is routine. Running down illegal goods for folks like Eleanor and Brady isn’t the stuff of a mundanity. And some of the things you’ve asked for, Bodie— sometimes I almost need a planetary engineer to tell me what they are before I even know where to look.”
David chuckles, “Yeah, I see what you mean.”
“Rob, you always seemed pretty content with life in the Corps, what made you give it up and become a citizen?” I ask.
He thinks about it for a minute before answering. “To be honest, a lot of it has to do with some of the things you talked about when we were still on the Hammer. You know, things about how we were being used, not having real freedom, the lies—however you put it. I don’t know what I thought of it then, but I started to believe it after the Rebellion.”
I turn to look at him, surprised. He’s looking back at me frankly and the fading daylight casts deep shadows around his eyes, leaving just a wink of light reflecting from them. “That, and I’d finally had enough of being pushed around. The Soldier’s Rebellion changed everything, for everyone. It got tough in the ranks after that; everyone was suspected of being complicit with the rebels, always monitored and scrutinized. My unit was tasked with hunting down deserters, and that’s when it really came to a head for me. It was one thing to hunt down criminals who were legitimately dangerous, but some of the men and women we had to pick up were people we’d served with. Good people. And we knew they were as good as dead.” His voice grows thicker and he pauses for a long moment. “So when my enlistment came up, I took the out.” He flashes me a sad smile and takes a long drink from his cup.
“What about your crew? Did you serve with any of them?” Sims, Montoya, and Baker aren’t here tonight. Curious.
“You can tell they’re former Corps, huh? It’s hard to shake off all that training. But no, I didn’t know any of them before, uh, before I hired them. Baker and Montoya started working with me about six months ago, and Sims about four. Met them all in Tunis City.”
I’m about to ask more questions, wanting a clear picture of his life since leaving the Corps, but Bodie stands up and stretches, letting out a ratcheting belch that would make a bullfrog proud. “Kids, La Mer and I are heading up to the dish early tomorrow before it gets too hot, so I’m going to leave you to your reminiscing. But I have to tell you, you sound like a bunch of grumpy old vets whose only pleasure comes from rehashing their glory days together.”
We laugh and say good night. I stand up to leave as well, not wanting to be a nuisance to Bodie, and have to put a hand out on the building’s wall to steady myself. Rob jumps up with me. “Aly, would you mind giving me a ride back to my ship?”
The question comes out awkwardly, like he’s asking me to do something mildly indecent. Before answering, I catch David’s eye and read a hint of both amusement and interest in them. I can’t think of a reason to say no and don’t even know why I want to. “Sure. Come on.”
It takes us less than ten minutes to get back to the mine entrance. I switch off the engine and Rob lets go of my waist and jumps off.
“Almost like old times,” he says, smiling, his body close to mine.
“In what way?” The cooler night air washed away some of my dizziness, but looking into his dark eyes brings it back, and for a moment, I’m lightheaded.
“Okay, you’re right. Nothing like old times, really. But I want you to know that I meant it when I told you how good it is to see you again. I miss
ed you.”
I know he’s not intentionally making me uncomfortable, but I feel a very strong urge to peel out and speed away as fast as I can. Instead, I try to deflect, “Look Rob, that was a long time ago. I have a new life here. I’ve put the Corps and everything else behind me.”
“I completely understand that. I, you know, I just didn’t realize…I mean, until I saw you yesterday, I had almost forgotten what things were like when we were together. That’s what I mean when I say it’s good to see you. It’s good to see you happy. You’re doing well here, and that’s what I always wanted for you. The way things were in the Corps, before the Rebellion…and then when we lost touch. I was afraid you were dead, and that was hard for me.”
I know I shouldn’t say anything, should let sleeping dogs lie, but the world is so quiet, the binary suns’ scorching light muted for the night—this moment seems to exist outside of time and may be the only chance I get for answers I’ve wanted since he stepped out of my life. “When you were reassigned, why didn’t you keep in contact? If I meant so much to you.”
He looks away from me and takes the tiniest step backward. I know that no matter what he says next, no matter how sincerely he believes it, the truth will always be that back then we were still too young to know what we wanted, or to appreciate what we had. It wouldn’t have been hard for me to find Rob, if I’d really wanted to. Just as easy as it would have been for him to find me.
“I don’t really know. I guess I took too much for granted.” He sighs as if he’s trying to decide if he should tell me something, but the rasping click of a sandbike as it downshifts echoes throughout the mine tunnel, cutting him off. We both look toward the entrance and see Karl emerging. He sees us too and looks like he might drive past us for a second before pulling up.
I haven’t done anything wrong, but suddenly I feel unaccountably guilty and catch myself glance at Rob. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Karl’s expression turn sour.
