I noticed that the bar was nestled above a strip joint. “It’s not that. I just don’t think these old legs can get much farther.” I patted my synthetic leg without thinking. She didn’t notice the clank over the din of the noisy streets. That was going to be a fun story to tell her. Five years and one awful encounter on Titan in between… We had a lot to catch up on.
• • •
“What are you having?” I asked as we took a seat at the bar. The floor vibrated, and the bottles behind the bartender rattled from the pulsing music in the club below. My kind of place. At least, it would’ve been if not for the two hulking, Titanborn guards standing behind us, sticking out like a sore thumb.
“I...uh...I don’t drink anymore,” she said.
“And you call yourself my daughter.” I waved to the bartender. “Two whiskeys, rocks.”
“Dad.”
“You don’t drink it, I will.” I took out my ID to hand over so the bartender could scan it and take the rest of what little was left in my credit account.
“Water too,” Aria said as she blocked my hand and offered her ID instead. Per the USF, she was illegitimate, so I couldn’t say who the thing belonged to until she told me willingly. “I have to use Titan’s credits on something,” she whispered to me.
I smirked. “Fine by me. Credits are tight these days.”
“I can imagine. I’m sorry about what’s happening to Pervenio, Dad. I know you care about the company. I swear when I got involved in all of this, I didn’t want it to affect you.”
“It’s not that. I retired.” The bartender had given her a glass of water by the time I uttered the words, and she choked on her first sip.
“You’re retired?”
I shrugged. “That’s why I’m here.”
“By Tra… Wow. I thought only you dying could cause that.”
“Same.” My first whiskey arrived, and I downed half of it in a single gulp. The swill burned all the way down, but man did I need it.
“Well, after three decades Pervenio must have offered you a nice severance?”
“Yep. A new leg.”
She raised an eyebrow, so I lifted my pant leg. Her eyelids opened as far as they could go as she beheld the synthetic limb beneath. She’d probably never seen tech like it in her life, considering I hadn’t either. She reached out to touch it, then paused. “It’s fine,” I said. She immediately grabbed the foot and started turning it gently so she could examine every side.
“It’s amazing! Is there sensation?”
I shook my head. “Very little. My reward for accidentally kicking off a revolution on Titan.”
She dropped the limb. “Trust me, it was going to happen whether you got me out of there or not.”
“None of you have any idea who the man I shot to save you was, do you?”
“One of Luxarn Pervenio’s Cogents.”
What happened on Titan flashed through my head as it did so often when I was sober. I heard the bang of our pulse pistols going off, then Zhaff’s head covered in blood. I emptied the rest of my glass and picked up the other.
“That, yes,” I said softly. “And a friend.”
“You have friends now?” Her grin faded when she noticed I wasn’t wearing one. She took my hand and gazed straight at me, the brilliant green eyes she got from her mother teeming with remorse. “I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t be. I would’ve done it the same way every time. I only wish you’d done the smart thing and kept running.”
“I thought about it, Dad. I really did. But I couldn’t leave my patients and all my work behind.”
“Being their doctor is a far cry from Kale Trass’s ambassador to fucking Earth.”
“You always taught me not to settle. Besides, there’s still time for both. I helped pull out the bullet you put in Mazrah’s leg that day actually.”
“Mazrah…” Now there was a name that could always get my blood pumping, of course until I remembered that the last time I saw her on Titan, she’d tried to have me killed. “You know, I figured she was part of the Children of Titan somehow. Don’t know how she managed to lie to Zhaff, though if anyone could, it’s her. A bullet to the leg was generous.”
“I’m not judging.”
“How is she?”
“She regrets how you two left things.” She could barely keep a straight face.
“Sure. I’m guessing she’s the reason you’re still alive?” Her one eyebrow lifted a smidge like it always did when she was confused, ever since she was a little girl. “C’mon, Aria. Those men in the Q-zone hideout weren’t just shooting at me.”
“I like to tell myself that they were trying to get me away from you, but I know how it looked. I risked letting a Collector in, things went south, and our hideout was exposed. Mazrah helped smooth things over since she was the one who got me in contact with the Children of Titan in the first place, but Kale trusts me now. He’s…” She hesitated, and I sensed there was more to her thought. I jumped in too soon and cut her off.
“Trust will never make you one of them.”
“I know. And I know this all seems crazy, but this would be happening with or without me. I figure I might as well try keeping the transition as peaceful as I can, you know?”
“You’ll have your hands full with this bunch.”
“Nobody knows that better than me.”
I tapped my synthetic thigh. “I might.”
We shared a smirk; then Aria’s expression darkened. “Do you think there’s any hope of things getting better?”
“Between us?” She shot me one of her infamous sidelong glares. I exhaled. “Do you want the honest answer or a father’s answer?”
“I don’t know. Both maybe?”
I took her by the hand, my thumb running over her knuckles. I wanted to memorize every camber so I would never forget her touch again. “I think that with you at their side, those Ringers are a hell of a lot better off. But no. Things will never be how they were. We both know that. The moment I pulled that trigger on Titan, everything changed.”
She nodded knowingly. “I could see how hard it was for you, Dad. I don’t know how I could possibly make it up to you.”
“You never have to.”
Aria raised her glass of water. “To your fallen friend,” she said. “May he watch over you forever from the winds of Titan. From ice to ashes.”
“You really are one of them now, aren’t you?”
“I blend in when I have to. I learned that from you.”
I stared at her for a moment as she held her glass. Man had she grown up. Stronger than me; more beautiful than her mother. And the way she was smiling...we hadn’t gotten along this well in a decade. What happened on Titan changed something. The ease with which we could disagree on almost everything remained, but the fight was gone.
I lifted my second whiskey, the first already burning a hole in my stomach and leaving my head feeling less cluttered. “To Zhaff…” I paused. All his life, he was kept a secret. His death too. With Aria beside me, the two people who were there for his untimely demise were present. The shooter and the reason for the shot. Thanks to his father, it was the best funeral he’d ever get. “Pervenio,” I finished.
The color drained from Aria’s face like she’d seen a ghost. The same look I probably wore when Luxarn Pervenio told me the truth about his bastard son, the only member of a clan family he didn’t have. First there was disbelief, and then, when my straight lips didn’t falter, I could tell she knew it was the truth. That she finally understood the gravity of the gunshot that saved her life. The reason why Luxarn Pervenio was foolish enough to raid a quarantine zone for revenge and inspire Kale Trass’s rebellion.
“To Zhaff,” she said softly.
We tapped our glasses, and before I could toss mine back, blood splattered into it. Screams rattled the bar as patrons scattered. Aria’s Titanborn guards had been standing behind us, and both had holes in their helmets. I reached for my pistol, but alcohol slowed my movements.
Before I could get it up, we were at the mercy of at least a dozen Venta Co. gunmen. The two in the middle were the Collectors I’d become so friendly with, called off their questioning of the Herald to find me. It didn’t take thirty years of experience in their field to guess that someone at the convent tipped them off that I was involved.
“Hold your fire!” I blurted as I raised my hands. I tried to remain calm, but Aria was in their sights as well. I wasn’t about to let my mistakes place her in harm’s way for the umpteenth time. “I’ll come in quietly.”
“Dad?” Aria stuttered.
“Take her,” the brash lead Collector said. Officers stormed forward to seize Aria.
“What is this?!” she shouted.
“Let go of her!” I lunged for her, but the butt of a rifle slammed against my temple before I got far. My body collapsed on top of one of the armored Titanborn corpses. I saw stars. Aria’s cries for help were drowned out by screeches. The Collectors flashed their badges to calm the patrons, and then they were gone. I don’t know what hurt more, the blow to the face or the fact that they didn’t even recognize me. Either the blood from Aria’s guards obscured my face, or they had more important things to worry about. Young guns. Always too eager for credits to pay attention to all the finer details.
I floundered along the floor. By the time I located my gun and spun around, they were all gone. I stumbled to the balcony overlooking the Tongueway. The people out there who’d somehow missed the excitement all crowded me, asking if I was okay. I ignored them and searched the night crowds. The head Venta Collector in the duster was easy to spot across the street. They were on their way to a parked hovercar, Aria’s body hanging limp over the partner’s shoulder.
Even though I was in a fog, I didn’t hesitate. I launched myself over the railing and bent my human leg so that only the synthetic one slammed on the street and cracked the surface. I didn’t tuck cleanly into a roll like my younger self might’ve, but I found my way to my feet and gave chase.
I wasn’t going to lose her. Never again.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
KALE TRASS
A Red Wing Company hovercar transported us to the New Beijing Spaceport in the dead of night. The upper portion of the city appeared lifeless minus the ads, but lights pulsed from clubs and other nightlife venues down in Old Dome below the main throughways. Like back in Darien where I grew up, the Earthers who designed the city kept the more dubious venues buried. Down there in what Aria referred to as Old Dome, New Beijing was a sleepless city.
That was where she still remained, and neither she nor the guards I sent with her had answered any messages since I let her venture there. She’d told me she’d grown up there, scrumming for food in the tremendous sewer lines and subway tunnels. I couldn’t imagine what I was thinking letting her leave my side. She was far too important. If anybody recognized her…
“We’re here,” our pilot said, snapping me out of it.
I was overthinking things as usual. Aria could handle herself. If she could deal with Maya, she could deal with any strung-out offworlder in Old Dome looking for a quick payday.
My guards led me outside, where the Red Wing presence on our newly assigned landing pad was overwhelming. A quick peek into the concourse revealed that not a single civilian remained within the spaceport dome itself.
“There won’t be any trouble this time, Mr. Trass.” Captain Barnes from Red Wing security met me outside the terminal. He had only a few scratches on his already grizzled face as a result of the explosion.
“I hope not,” I answered, a harsh edge creeping into my tone. We were halfway through the station when he decided to speak up again.
“The Board extends its gravest apologies for what happened,” he said. “There will be no more Venta interference from here on out. Remember, Mr. Trass, when the Red Wing Company Security Branch gets hired, we honor our agreements no matter what.”
“And what kind of offer would it take to get you to change your mind?”
Barnes looked appalled. “It would never happen, sir. We aren’t like Venta dogs chasing after the highest bid. We were hired to keep you safe during your visit, and we failed. The Board would like to offer recompense for the trauma our shortcomings caused you and your people as well as the two Titanborn lives claimed by the attack. They hope you will find the time to contact them and discuss what you might require to make your organization whole.”
“I’m a very busy man these days.”
“Please, sir. We pride ourselves on customer satisfaction and loyalty.”
I exhaled. I’d had very few good experiences with his kind, but most of them still didn’t refer to us as Titanborn. I hoped that meant something regarding his honesty. “Tell whoever is in charge that I’ll be in contact when I can.”
“The Board votes together on all matters of importance, but they will be eager to speak with you.” We stopped outside the entrance to our private hangar where the Cora waited patiently to carry us home. The captain stuck out a hand for me to shake, realized his mistake before I had a chance to react, and pulled it back. He bowed instead. “Thank you for your understanding, Mr. Trass.”
“Keep this hangar under lockdown until we’re gone. I don’t want another soul within one-hundred meters without consulting me.”
“Of course.”
Barnes allowed my escort and me in, then shut the gate behind us and started relaying orders to his men. Maya and the Titanborn we’d left with the Cora were finishing loading supplies. Two others lay on gurneys, wrapped in body bags thanks to the bombing. None of my people were getting left behind. The ashes of the dead would be loosed upon the winds of Titan where they were meant to be.
“I trust the meeting went as expected?” Maya shouted down from the entry ramp.
“As if you’d scripted it,” I replied.
“Fucking mudstompers. Don’t know when they’re beat.”
“Do you have him?”
“Even better.”
Her sanitary mask lifted from a smirk beneath as she helped me up the ramp. Inside the cargo bay, three people with bags over their heads were on their knees in front of Gareth. Javaris Venta, the chubby man in the center, was clearly born of Earth, but the unfamiliar women on either side of him bore the slighter builds of offworlders.
“The one on the right is his clan relative,” Maya said.
“Caught them in his hotel room trying to legally conceive,” Gareth signed.
“And the other?” I asked.
“An illegitimate from the sewers. Apparently, she was along for the ride.”
“Earthers…” Maya groaned.
I ambled over to Javaris and tore the bag off his head. Messy, graying hair tumbled out over his shoulders. Maybe he was related to Madame Venta, but they couldn’t have been groomed more differently. His shaggy beard was a mess, his skin pale and veiny like he’d been trapped underground for years. The only thing they had in common was that, like her, ancient-style spectacles sat on the ridge of his nose, fogged by grime from his journey up.
I removed the sanitary mask strung tight over his mouth in order to muffle his cries. “What is the meaning of this?” he coughed. He fixed his glasses and glared at me, eyes magnified by the thick lenses. “Kale Trass? Does Madame Venta know about this? Your employees violated more codes of conduct than I can list. Do you —”
I placed a finger over his mouth. Words were spewing forth from his lips so fast that his tongue could hardly keep up. Many considered him one of the brainiest men in Sol, and it showed.
“They aren’t my employees,” I said.
“Well, in any case, this is not proper business etiquette. I presume your meeting with the USF didn’t go how you’d hoped. If you think Madame Venta can sway the opinion of the entire Assembly, you are in dire need of education.”
“He’s been blathering on like this since we grabbed him,” Maya groaned.
“I’m being reasonable!” Javaris countered. “When she finds out you took
me—”
“We’ll be too far for her to do anything about it,” I said. “Your head of security is already dead, so I suggest you shut your mouth if you plan not to join him.”
He swallowed hard and fiddled more with his glasses. “What do you want?” he asked finally.
“You’re developing engine prototypes for the upcoming Departure Ark. Is that correct?”
“Yes. Plasmatic pulse drives, until I can think of a better name. They utilize supercritical fusion pulses for propulsion, resulting in exponentially faster acceleration and top speeds that dwarf the best current ion engine tech.”
“He didn’t ask for a report,” Maya bristled.
“Does it work?” I asked.
“Of course it does!” Javaris attested. “I invented it. We will be unveiling the prototype at this year’s M-Day celebrations on Earth after we are undoubtedly chosen to design the Ark. This is all public knowledge, Mr. Trass, so if you kidnapped me simply to ask these questions, then I suggest you employ someone capable of utilizing Solnet.”
“Place them in sleep pods,” I said to Gareth. “We have what we came here for.”
Gareth immediately grabbed both Javaris and his clan relative by their collars. Another Titanborn took the unfortunate streetwalker who shared their bed, and together they dragged the three toward the ship’s central corridor.
“Wait!” Javaris blurted. “What do you want with me? You release us, and I promise I can make it worth your while. Weapons tech. That’s what you’re after, right? For your war.”
I raised a hand to halt Gareth. “Pervenio left us all the weapons we need,” I said. “All I need are your plasmatic pulse engines.”
“Drives,” he corrected, the word trailing off at the end as if he’d spoke purely out of impulse.
“Drives. I need you to construct an operational version for me on Titan.”
“B…but I can’t,” he stammered.
Maya seized him. “Why not?”
“The technology is still too volatile to be used on any vessel smaller than the Ark we’re designing! You’d blow yourself to pieces. As a registered doctor, I cannot be party to that, no matter how poorly you treat me.”
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