“You should have told me you were going to sing about the Brawl.”
Dayn laughed. “And you should have expected that she would. You showed it to her. You’re marketing her as a revolutionary.”
“I showed her the Brawl so she would understand the dangers here.”
“Well, you didn’t think it through very hard, did you?” Dayn was on a roll. “You’re making more from every concert than we are, more for one person than we’re making for thousands. Without Ruby, this wouldn’t be happening.”
“It wouldn’t be happening without me, either.”
They sounded like little boys in a play yard. Out here, the Deep loomed large in the windows on one side, and open space went forever on the other, the lights of two arriving ships the only thing Ruby could see except stars. Dayn and Naveen kept sparring, but Ruby tuned it out. She needed to think. KJ would have been a better guard. He seldom said anything he didn’t need to, while Dayn often said things he should regret.
She had been impetuous. If she was going to change things here she needed a strategy. She needed songs that pricked people deeper, and she also had to set them up right.
They couldn’t stop earning credit.
Thus, she had to make revolution popular. That was sort of what had happened on the Fire, but the grays she had led there had known they were abused. She wasn’t at all sure it would do any good for the people in the Brawl to revolt. They probably couldn’t. The enforcer robots were worse than reds; there would be no Ben or Chitt there.
This station was bigger than she was. Was she crazy to think she could change anything fundamental about the Deep?
Dayn and Naveen grew so loud that Ruby decided to intervene lest she end up stitching them both up. Or stitching up Dayn. She was sure Naveen was a better fighter, and probably better armed. She’d seen him use a small hand-weapon on a too-rabid fan once, and the man had fallen down immediately as if stunned.
She touched Dayn on the shoulder. “Excuse me.”
Dayn sat back, looking a tiny bit red-faced.
She spoke to Naveen. “How many more concerts do we have scheduled?”
“Four. I’m working on three more.”
“Don’t schedule those yet,” she said. “I’m tired, and I need to see my family and my people. I need to know how they are doing.”
“You have to do the four. They’re under contract.”
“Okay. But I’ll sing what I want.”
Naveen let out an exasperated sigh. “Can you at least give me song lists before, and then follow them? I spent all day yesterday trying to manage the spin on your last song.”
“What do you mean?” she asked.
“I had to convince people you weren’t really trying to foment a rebellion.”
She smiled as sweetly as she could. “How did people react? Outside of the audience?”
“Thirty-two percent hated the song, forty-seven percent loved it, and twenty-one percent seemed conflicted. That was in the first three minutes. After that the percentage of haters went up.”
Dayn leaned in, suddenly paying close attention. “Haters?”
“I don’t think they even heard the song. I know some of them. They’re the powerful, or the minions of the powerful, trying to control the story. They’ve made you look like a naïve, slightly-crazy woman who doesn’t understand our perfect culture.”
Dayn laughed. “Apt enough.”
Ruby glared at him before she turned back to Naveen. “Raw numbers? Last I checked they were going up.”
“Yes,” Naveen said. “But so is the danger.”
Dayn sat back in his seat. “Meaning she has more enemies than before?”
Ruby said, “When I started causing problems on the Fire, people like Sylva and Ellis started fighting me harder.” She looked at Naveen. “So who’s fighting me here?”
“Assume it’s most of the people in power. And that some of them will smile at you and clap and offer you power of your own in order to try and control you, and when you refuse they’ll drop you so hard you crack your tailbone. Don’t underestimate how cruel power can be.”
She felt the pull of the ferry station at their destination, as if the capsule they had been floating in had been grabbed by a guiding force. They were almost out of time. “What about Koren’s threat at the party? She wants Joel to stop something or she’s going to get Aleesi.”
“That could be. Koren’s exactly the kind of power to avoid.”
“I’ve never called on her. She comes to me.”
The ferry shuddered and slowed.
Naveen turned to Ruby. “Be polite for breakfast. These are the opposite of enemies, and could be even more dangerous. Don’t promise too much.”
Dayn tensed, and Ruby stood and stared through the opening door.
She knew one of the three people in the small waiting room. Satyana.
Joel dismissed Onor after the morning meeting ground to an inconclusive halt, telling him to come back later that afternoon. Onor headed right to the bar and suggested Allen help him find a way to move Aleesi, only to be mostly ignored.
Onor couldn’t give up. He spoke loudly, so Allen would hear him even though Allen was on the far side of the room, cleaning tables and dodging a little robot scrubber that was doing the floors. “It’s important. I just know it is. In fact, I want to get Aleesi all the way out of here. Put her someplace safe. I don’t want to see Ruby’s face if we lose Aleesi or if anything bad happens to her.”
Allen just moved on to the next table.
“I know one of the robot spiders ate Colin. I was there, damn it. But Aleesi is helping us learn things we wouldn’t know.”
“Do you really trust it?”
That stopped Onor. “I don’t know.”
“At least you’re not all the way gone.”
“No. But we need help. I need to find a way to prove Koren stole from us.”
Allen looked up at him. “Even if you do get a webling, what are you going to do with it? How are you going to move Ix?”
“I thought I’d copy Aleesi. I need her mobile.”
“Will that work? Her spider body was as big as this bar.”
Onor winced. “I don’t know. I guess I need Naveen, but he’s not here.”
“That couple came back last night, after you were already gone. I told them to be back today. Maybe if you can sneak away and get what you need, then they can help.”
“Are they familiar with AIs?”
“How do I know? At least they’re from here.”
“Okay. But then I may need some more credit.”
Allen gave out a heavy sigh. “I wish people would stop seeing me as place to borrow credit.”
“Who’s borrowing? I’m a small investor, and surely you want to be supportive? Besides, you’re the one with a real going concern.”
“Other people could have those too, if they wanted them.”
Onor laughed. “I think they will. Especially the younger ones. I overheard two girls talking about starting a clothing store for women. I noticed because I’m going to need baby clothes.”
“I’m feeling sorry for you.”
Evie came in, running a comb through her hair and looking askance at Allen. “Sorry I’m a few minutes late.” She noticed Onor. “Hi. Have you heard from Haric?”
“Not yet.”
“We had a date—like an appointment. He was going to call me and we were going to have a half an hour to talk before I had to start work. But he didn’t, and I tried to call him and he didn’t answer.”
“Maybe he’s still asleep.” Allen came over to them and leaned on the bar. “Or he just forgot.”
Evie bristled. “He wouldn’t forget.”
Onor shook his head. “Don’t you know teasing when you hear it?”
She stamped her foot with the drama available to the very young. “I’m worried.”
Satyana nodded at Naveen and held her hand out to Ruby. “Pleased to have you join us.”
“
Thank you.”
“Follow me.”
Ruby expected to be introduced to the two people with Satyana. The woman stood tall and thin, reminding Ruby vaguely of Marcelle. The man was squatter, but shared her features. They walked with sure strides behind Satyana and in front of Ruby and Dayn. Naveen took the rear position.
Satyana led them to a table in a small room with windows that looked out over the station. They were high up, so the Deep looked like a long froth of habitat bubbles and tangled transportation, punctuated here and there with the angular shapes of spaceships. Small vessels travelled between locations, each of them reminding Ruby how vast the Deep was.
A robot brought six steaming cups of stim in on a tray and retreated toward what must be a kitchen based on the smells coming from it. At least she was going to get the breakfast Naveen had promised.
Satyana sipped at her stim and looked at Ruby appraisingly. “You will tell no one that you’ve been here.”
“I thought every move was tracked. You told me so yourself.”
“This trip won’t appear on anyone’s tracking.”
“Really? How?” Dayn asked.
“There is a restaurant here, and you will be recorded as having dined with Naveen and Dayn, and no one else.” She smiled a slightly evil smile, playful. “And Naveen is picking up that tab.”
Naveen pulled a flask out of his pocket and dumped a stream of still into the stim. As far as Ruby could tell, everyone at the table noticed and chose to ignore it.
After a few moments of small talk, Satyana asked Ruby, “What do you plan to do?”
“About what?” Ruby asked.
“The song.”
Dayn shook his head. “Everyone’s making an awfully big deal about one song.”
“It’s not the song that worries them. It’s how fascinated people are by our Ruby here. Naveen knows how to build interest, but this time the attention seems to have a mind of its own.”
Naveen’s face turned red. “Ruby is unique.”
“You see.” Satyana turned back to Dayn. “This station is ripe for change. Most people didn’t know it, but Ruby is helping to wake people up. This fits with our plans. We are also able to expose some of our leaders. Most people here wouldn’t have cared enough, given that they’ve almost all got food and entertainment in plenty. But they will care if they fight Ruby, since many are coming to love her.”
The robot returned, serving Satyana first, then her yet un-introduced guests, then Ruby, Naveen, and Dayn. Each plate had fruit and nuts that had been heated and smelled rich and comforting, and three clever small breads in different colors.
After everyone took the first bites, Satyana continued. “We were hoping you’d get people a little riled up. We didn’t expect so much attention so fast. I think it’s because the current power structure reacted with so much negative spin. In other words, it really wasn’t the song. You might be in real danger, but we’d prefer you don’t get locked up just yet.”
Ruby felt slightly confused. “So you want me to drive more protests?”
“Yes. Will you?”
Ruby shook her head. “Maybe. I need to understand what might happen. My people depend on me.”
“We are working to change that,” Satyana said.
Now she was even more confused. “How?”
“Koren stole from you. We’re going to expose her.”
“That explains the warning she gave me.”
Satyana narrowed her eyes. “You saw Koren?”
“At the after-party from the last concert. I saw her—with the Headman. She wanted me to tell Joel to stop doing something . . . something about cargo?”
Satyana and the other two looked at each other.
A long silence allowed Ruby to take a bite and to work her way partly through the stim. She loved the way it seemed to run slowly through her veins, waking her up bit by bit. The food tasted good, but it didn’t sit well in her stomach so she pushed it around with her fork while she waited for the conversation to start again.
Satyana asked Ruby, “Did you tell Joel that Koren is on to him?”
“No. I’m sure everything in our calls is recorded.” She glanced at Naveen. “Being on tour is like being under a microscope. But I’m trying to get back home soon. I need a break.”
The man spoke. “We’ll tell him. I’m going back there tonight.”
Ruby startled at that. “Is there a way to get back that fast? I thought it would be a multi-day journey.”
“It would be, on a train. I’ll fly.”
The idea skewered her with homesickness, the feeling more physical than it had been so far. She put a hand over her stomach, the pain making her groan.
Dayn touched her shoulder, almost a caress.
Normally she would have flinched away from him.
“Are you okay?”
“Just a little tired.”
Satyana looked at Naveen. “Has she had a medical exam since they got here?”
He shrugged.
Satyana’s eyes narrowed. “I’ll send one.”
Ruby sat as straight as she could. The pain was starting to scare her, but it also felt private. “I’m okay.”
“We’ll send a bot.”
“I don’t need one.”
Satyana laughed. “It won’t hurt.”
Ruby still didn’t entirely trust Satyana. “So you and your friends want to overthrow Stevenson?”
Even though they said nothing, the answer lived in their body language. They did.
“What would you do differently if you were in charge?” Ruby asked Satyana.
“I will not be in charge.” She glanced at the man and woman who were going back home tonight.
They looked at each other and then back at Ruby.
She couldn’t tell what kind of power they had. They seemed confident, and curious, but they didn’t feel enveloped in confidence like Koren and Headman Stevenson. They felt . . . more real.
Ruby stared at Satyana. “You said you want to know what I’ll do. I’ll do anything to protect my people. That means the things I’ll fight to change here are the things that we need changed to succeed.” She paused, took another deep breath and another sip of stim, which had now cooled and tasted slightly bitter. “We need time to learn about this place without the fear of the Brawl hanging over us.”
Satyana replied, “You also need good leaders to succeed.”
“This is not the Fire, where I knew how to tell good leadership from bad.”
The woman spoke for the first time. “I thought I would like you. I do. But I cannot tell you much. You are in danger and secrets cannot be kept easily here.” She sounded earnest and slightly hesitant. “I promise that we’ll help your people as much as we can. If we can. This is an unstable time.”
Ruby said, “I still don’t know what kind of help I should take from you or give to you.”
“How could you?” The woman glanced at Satyana. “Give her our gift.”
Satyana pulled a box out of her pocket and handed it to Ruby.
Inside, she found a small metal pin in the shape of the Fire. It looked like the ones they used at home, symbols that had gone on the uniforms of the first crew of the Fire and been passed down ever since. Onor and Marcelle each had one that Joel had given them shortly after he took power.
Satyana said, “We saw these in some of the videos. This one opens up, try it.”
Ruby ran her finger around the outer edge, which was a little bit sharp. Just behind part of the clip itself she found an unexpected ball of metal and pressed against it. Nothing happened.
“Let me show you.” Satyana took it from Ruby’s hand and pressed hard, almost like snapping her fingers. She closed it again quickly and handed it back to Ruby.
This time Ruby managed to get it open, although doing so hurt her thumb. Inside, there was a button.
“Press that if you get in trouble. Then we’ll know.”
“Okay.”
Satyana reached into her
pocket and pulled out two more, handing them to Ruby. “Give these to whoever you most think should have them. Maybe pass them around so that are always with people who are protecting you. Naveen already has one.”
Ruby handed them both to Dayn. “The second one is for KJ.”
Dayn glanced at Satyana. “And what exactly happens if we press these?”
“We send people to help.”
The pin made her feel the dangers here more than anything else had, except perhaps the Headman’s chatter about pets. She simply smiled and said, “Thank you.”
“Finish your food,” Satyana said. “We’ve only got a few more minutes.”
Ruby looked at the two strangers, who remained un-introduced. “Tell Joel that I miss him and that I’ll be home soon.”
“We will,” the woman said.
Ruby pushed at her food some more, suddenly certain the meeting had really been for the two strangers. They had wanted to see her, to test her. She felt like she’d passed, but she wondered what that meant.
Back in the ferry, Ruby collapsed into a seat and waited for the invisible mechanism to push them away. “Did you know those two people?” she asked Naveen.
A small smile played around his lips. “Yes.”
“But you won’t tell me their names?”
“They wouldn’t mean anything to you.”
“But they do to you?”
“Yes.”
“You warned me on the way over. You said not to promise too much. What did you mean?”
“They will use you if you let them, and they won’t care if they use you up.”
Dayn filled the ferry with laughter. “Really. And you’re not using her?”
Naveen stiffened. “I’m giving her fair return.”
Dayn said, “Shouldn’t we get more as her audience is going up?”
They were at it again. Ruby held up her hands. “Don’t fight. You’re probably both right.” She glanced at Dayn. “We wouldn’t be out here without Naveen.” She looked at Naveen. “You are getting rich off of me. I’ll finish these four concerts at the rates we agreed on, but I want more after that.”
“And what will you do to earn extra? Can I get you to start commenting and working on our communication nets?”
The Diamond Deep Page 35
