by Zen DiPietro
Cabot exchanged a look with his colleagues. How to play this?
Pigie sighed. “Clearly not. What did she want you to get from Taffer?”
“Nothing,” Cabot admitted. “Our acquaintance with Ditnya Caine is not of an employer/employee variety.”
“But she vouched for you.” Pigie’s cute features screwed up in puzzlement.
“A professional courtesy, and a favor owed. Plus, one of us has a friendship with her. Though we’ve recently indebted ourselves to her for some favors, too. It’s a little messy.”
Pigie huffed out a loud breath. “Well this is great! This means Caine probably didn’t want me to take down this operation yet! And it is most definitely down now.”
“You blew up the caverns?” Cabot guessed.
“Not all of them. The cavern system here goes on for hundreds of miles. But the developed part of it, with its big rooms, yeah. Though imploded is a more accurate term. I just busted up the rock so it would fall in on itself.”
“And the people inside?” Peregrine asked.
“Taffer and his people. The galaxy is better off without them. I sent evacuation notices to the few who were innocent bystanders. Hopefully they made it out.”
Cabot thought of how much she’d had to have in place to make all that work. “You’ve been working on this a while.”
“Four years.” Pigie shrugged. “Like I said, I expected the end to come sometime in the next couple of months. That part was the truth. And actually, I did get paid well by Taffer, too. But the double-dipping pay situation was just a bonus. I’ve been ready for Armageddon day for over a year. It’s a lot, you know, every day wondering if today might be the day.”
“I can imagine,” Cabot agreed.
Pigie faced forward again and sighed. “I can only hope that your lives are worth having pushed the button early. Otherwise, Caine will squash me like a bug.”
Though she apparently had a softer spot for slaves than he’d realized, Ditnya Caine was not a person to cross. She was hard, strong, and as dangerous as they came.
Why hadn’t she told them she was already involved in breaking up the slave trade, back at Terceron? The most likely reason seemed to be that she didn’t want to out herself as having a heart.
Hm. Also, she’d left them with the idea that she was doing them a favor by helping out, rather than the other way around. And with these details falling into place, it now seemed suspicious that she just happened to be near Terceron at that particular time.
Cabot had many questions.
Nagali leaned forward and patted Pigie’s shoulder. “Try not to worry. Omar will talk to Ditnya for you.”
Omar sent his sister an irritated look, with one eyelid lowering.
“He and she are pals,” Nagali added.
The eyelid dropped lower.
Pigie turned again, looking from Nagali to Omar to Cabot. Her frown didn’t ease.
As they approached the docking elevator, Cabot worried over what would happen next. With Ditnya Caine. With Fallon. And what it all might mean for mercenaries and other businesspeople like him.
CABOT HAD NEVER BEEN SO glad to disembark from a docking station. The further they got from Ardino, the better, as far as he was concerned.
Things there had taken an unexpected turn, and he now wondered where that put him.
First, he needed to report to Fallon. He remained ever wary of making any specific references via the voicecom, so he’d have to figure out how to relay events to her that wouldn’t mean much to an eavesdropper.
After sending her a message to contact him at her earliest convenience, he remained in his quarters. He felt like he should be focusing his attention on Pigie, but she’d become vague and unwilling to answer questions once she’d realized she was in a tight spot.
At least he knew that Peregrine would be watching her closely. Possibly even monitoring her communications. Not that it was any of his business if she did. All that was above his pay grade.
Actually, the majority of this mission had been above his pay grade.
Forward motion, he reminded himself. Living in the present.
Fallon returned his call in just under thirty minutes. He wondered what she might have been doing during that time. Something important, no doubt, or she’d have responded to him sooner, since they were within near-instant communication distance.
He hoped the delay didn’t mean bad things.
She gave him a small smile that belied the nature of their conversation. “Cabot. So good to hear from you. How has your trip been?”
“Oh, you know how things are. A lot of watching my fingernails grow while I wait to get from one place to the next. But we’re all in good shape, no sunburn or anything like that. And we’ve made a new friend.”
Her eyes narrowed slightly. “The one you were looking for?”
“Well, I meant someone new, but yes I saw the one I was looking for, too. But we had a falling out, I’m afraid. I don’t think I’ll hear from him again.”
“That’s a shame.” Her face became unreadable.
“Well, I didn’t realize it at the time, but it seems it was inevitable. My new friend tells me other people had come between us.”
“Does your friend know these people?”
“As a matter of fact, she does. Small galaxy, right? And it’s someone the rest of us know, too. A friend to some of us. So we were thinking about going to visit her, and see what she can tell us. But maybe it isn’t something we should involve ourselves in.”
Was she following this? He hoped so.
“Is she far?” Fallon asked.
“Closer than Dragonfire,” he said. “We were trying to decide whether to return to Dragonfire, or go ahead and see this mutual friend. It will take us about a week to get there, but I think our new friend would prefer to go that direction over Dragonfire. I feel like we owe it to her, after all she’s been through.”
Surely she’d recognize that as him asking whether she wanted to talk to Pigie in person so she could decide what to do next, or if he should keep following up on this series of events.
“Is it risky to take her where she wants to go?”
Was it? How would Ditnya react to a four-year-long infiltration being inopportunely blown up? Literally blown up.
But Ditnya Caine didn’t get to where she was by being rash and reactionary. Cabot, Nagali, and Omar all had favors to give and money to pay. And Peregrine added a whole new dimension to things.
“Not unusually. I think it’s more of a sticky situation than a dangerous one.” He hoped.
“I think you should go, then.” Her eyes tracked to the right side of her voicecom display. “Peregrine’s calling. Did you have anything else?”
“I think that covers it. And if it doesn’t, she should be able to tell you what you need to know.” He felt relieved. Fallon and Peregrine had their own coded way of speaking, and Fallon would be properly advised.
“Take care, then. We’ll talk again soon.”
“You take care, too, Chief. Good to see you.”
Her face broke into a genuine smile. “It’s good to see you, too, Cabot. I’m glad you’re well.”
With his call out of the way, he could go visit Pigie. She’d immediately closed herself into her quarters without even finding out where the mess hall was. Cabot was very interested to find out why.
PIGIE TURNED out to be reclusive—or perhaps hiding something. When Cabot tried to invite her to dinner, she insisted she needed rest, and politely but firmly declined his attempts at conversation via the voicecom.
Irritating.
He required food all the same, so he journeyed to the mess hall alone. His solitude was cut short when he found Nagali and Omar already there, preparing food packets in the heat-ex.
“What’s your read on this situation, Cab?” Omar asked.
Cabot poked among the food packets, considering his response. He selected fish and chips and set it next to the heat-ex. “I’m not sure what to
make of it, actually. Pigie’s lack of communication makes me suspicious. But other than being cautious, I’m not sure what else we can do.”
“Where are we headed?” Nagali asked. “That might be more important than anything else, given what your associates know.”
An excellent point.
“Dauntless. As soon as I’m done eating, I’ll meet with Peregrine. I’m giving her some time to do her own consulting with our associates. I’m sure she’ll get more detail than I did. Security clearance, and all that.” He held no grudge in that regard. They all had their particular role to play.
“A week from now, there may be some significant fallout from what happened on Ardino.” Nagali removed her food from the heat-ex, plucked a napkin and a pair of chopsticks from the drawer, and seated herself.
“You could get mine too, you know,” Omar complained, going to fetch his own dinner.
“Are your hands broken?” Nagali retorted as she stirred her rice.
“No. Just my heart, for having such a terrible sister.” He put on a deeply aggrieved face as he took his food and sat alongside her.
She shook her head, halfway between amused and long-suffering.
“Anyway,” Cabot said, ignoring their nonsense as he put his food into the heat-ex. “Yes. I expect the situation to have come to a head by the time we arrive. I’m hoping Pigie decides to share Ditnya’s current mood with us, but her lack of communication thus far leaves me in doubt.”
“I’ll contact Ditnya myself,” Omar said. “She and I have a good relationship. If I’m forthcoming with her, hopefully, that will keep us on good footing with her.”
“That’s a good idea,” Cabot agreed. “We all know how much Ditnya hates being left in the dark.”
“Maybe you should talk to her, too,” Nagali suggested. “So she feels like we’re being entirely transparent.”
Cabot thought that over as he removed his food from the heat-ex and sat down. “I think I’ll leave it to Omar. She and I have a cordial relationship, but not exactly what you would call a friendship. What do you think, Omar?”
He shrugged. “Works for me,” he said around a bite of food.
Cabot had a strange feeling about all this. Going to Cerberon had been one thing. Although not what he did anymore, Cerberon, Terceron, and even Ardino had fit relatively well into his realm of work.
This new development, the Ditnya connection, felt different. He was going to meet with a crime boss—no, the crime boss, really—while he was working for PAC command. This put him in a supremely tricky situation. One he had no reference for.
He felt like he was about to cross two very wrong wires, and he had a hard time imagining it not all blowing up on him.
“You don’t look happy,” Nagali observed.
“I’m not,” Cabot admitted. “I don’t like the way this has gone down. Right now, I’m smack between matter and antimatter. My associates on one side and the ones on the other side. All that’s keeping them separated is me.”
“And us.” Omar wiped his mouth on his napkin. “We’re on this ship, too.”
“As my subordinates. Let’s be real here, I’m the one with my rear end against the heat manifold. You were just doing a job.”
“It’s a bad position,” Nagali admitted. “But we’re going to see it through with you. Whatever happens next, we’ll all be part of it.”
As far as he could tell, she meant it.
“What must I do to prove myself to you?” Nagali had set her chopsticks down, looking upset. “I’ve involved myself in your nonsense. I’ve gone on each leg of this stupid adventure. And still you think I’m going to doublecross you?”
Suddenly, he wasn’t hungry anymore. He pushed his tray away, after only taking a few bites. “I don’t know what to think right now. I’ll go talk to Peregrine. See if I can get some clarity.”
Without saying another word, he stood, put his food in the cooler for later, and left.
“WHAT CAN YOU TELL ME?” Cabot didn’t bother with pleasantries when he went to see Peregrine on the bridge.
She turned in the pilot’s seat, giving him a long, appraising look. “I’ll be staying out of this, unless there’s no other option. It’s going to be your job to make peace with Caine, and get a read on her position.”
“So I can’t mention the PAC?”
She frowned. “It’s not preferred. If you must, you can allude. But no names, no locations, no specifics.”
“Even for something as benevolent as stopping slaving?”
“If there’s no alternative. Fallon doesn’t want you to be compromised, so if you must, you can make allusions.”
“Define ‘compromise.’” He didn’t care for the word’s vagueness.
“Having your reputation damaged to the point that it renders you useless as an asset.”
Wow. “Thanks for not mincing words.”
Peregrine lifted a shoulder and let it drop.
He forged on. “Do you know more about Pigie?”
Peregrine nodded. “She’s in deep with Caine. Top level. Don’t make her angry.”
Right. After he’d put her career, along with her life, in jeopardy. He was guessing Pigie was already pretty pissed.
Peregrine surprised him then, giving him a pat on the shoulder. “I’ve seen much worse situations. We’ll figure out how to work this.”
“Thanks.” He turned to go.
“If it does all go wrong, maybe I’ll get a chance to blow up a whole station. I’ve always wanted to do that.”
He looked back at her, uncertain.
For some time, he’d wondered what she’d look like with a smile, but her current, somewhat maniacal grin was not all that he’d hoped.
“That’s a joke, right?” He wanted it to be.
She shrugged both shoulders this time. “Eh. Whatever.”
He suddenly understood why she and Omar had become something of an item. Not that they acted anything other than professional where anyone could see, but on a ship this small, he couldn’t miss the fact that they spent all their time together. They had a certain temperament, and a certain brutal humor, in common. Even though they worked on opposite sides of the legal spectrum, Cabot could see how they would understand one another.
“I’ll let you know if I make any headway with Pigie.”
“You bet. I’ll tell you if I find out anything worth knowing. Hang in there, Cabot. There’s more to come,” she called after him as he left.
In the corridor, he sighed. She’d meant it as an encouragement, so why did it feel like a pronouncement of doom?
PIGIE PROVED ELUSIVE. Cabot dawdled outside her quarters, in the off chance she’d need to come out for food.
That didn’t happen.
He had to take solace in the fact that Peregrine was surely keeping tabs on her.
He changed into his pajamas, released his hair from its ponytail, and sat on his bunk with an infoboard in hand. He liked reading the market reports before sleeping. They soothed him.
The door chime sounded.
Since Omar was unlikely to turn up unannounced, that meant Nagali.
She stood in the corridor, dressed in an ivory-colored nightgown and dressing gown. The color made her look far more innocent than she was.
“Can I come in?” she asked.
He stepped back, and the doors closed behind her. “What brings you here at this hour?”
“I thought you might be mad at me.”
“Why?”
She smoothed the neck seam of her dressing gown. “I don’t know. I thought you might have come up with a reason.”
“Well, I’m not.”
“At all? Not even a little, over ancient history?”
“I’m far too concerned with the present to worry about that.”
She brightened. “I’m glad to hear that. Does that mean you’ve forgiven me?”
“I don’t believe in forgiveness, as a concept. If a person harms me, all I have to decide is whether I’m willing to
work with them again, and under what parameters. The idea of an offense being something that can be smoothed over with ‘forgiveness’ doesn’t make sense to me.”
She nodded slowly. “I understand that. We live in a world where we don’t have to like someone to have a relationship with them. We don’t forget past slights, but we can get past them, if we think it beneficial.”
She was leading him again, and even though what she said was accurate, he didn’t want to agree. He’d end up where she wanted him to be.
“More or less. Was that all you wanted? To know if I was mad at you?”
Her brow furrowed, giving her a pensive look. “I’ve been hoping that having a chance to see me differently might make you think about me differently, too. I still have feelings for you. Do you honestly have none at all for me?”
How did he feel about her? She vexed him. Amused him. He admired her, even as he was wary of what he knew her to be capable of. And sure, she was beautiful. It would be difficult not to find her attractive.
Was that love? It didn’t feel like love. But it didn’t feel like nothing, either. Maybe love became a different thing when a person got older.
“I don’t think ‘none’ would be accurate. But what I feel about you, I’m not sure. And even if I did feel something like that, would it matter? You and I live entirely different lives, and I have no intention of changing mine.”
“Ah.” It was a small sound, and he couldn’t tell much from it. But she looked satisfied and resolute.
Was that a good thing?
“Well I’m glad there’s something still between us. It would be too sad otherwise.” She smiled. “I’ll let you get to sleep.” She crossed the room, gave him a peck on the cheek, and showed herself out.
So what if he didn’t hate her? It didn’t mean he’d gone soft. It meant he was an enlightened man, capable of using rational judgment.
A good businessperson was always rational.
But when he slept, he dreamed of deep, smoky laughter and crimson lips.
FOR THE REST of the trip to Dauntless, Pigie remained impossible to pin down. How she managed it, Cabot wasn’t sure. Peregrine assured him that she occasionally made a dash to the mess hall and seemed healthy, but otherwise, the woman was a mystery.
