by M. D. Cooper
It was like when Kylie had first freed Nadine from the ship she had been adrift on. Nadine had been destined to be a sex slave, but instead, Kylie had bought out her contract and set her free. Kylie hadn’t been banking on falling in love with her.
Now, with everything so confused because of Grayson and this whole bogus mission, Kylie’s heart ached all the more. She placed her hands on her hips and gazed down at the blood pooled on the floor. Harken’s body still lay there, not even covered up by a sheet. Funny. Kylie hadn’t even noticed it before.
“I’ll do what I can to get her out. But first I’m going to need you to do something for me,” Maverick said.
It figured. It always came back down to promises and favors with him. Only this time, Kylie was running out of patience with him.
“Harken’s dead, you know. What favor could possibly be next, Maverick?” Kylie sighed.
“Meet me tonight away from all this. The promenade overlooking the gardens on the east side of the tower. I’ll tell you then.” Maverick smirked as he exited the room.
It left a bad taste in Kylie’s mouth. It was never a good thing when Maverick went around smiling.
She didn’t really want to know what he was planning, and especially didn’t want to know much trouble it would bring her.
FRUITION
STELLAR DATE: 09.23.8947 (Adjusted Years)
LOCATION: People’s Republic Tower, The Futz Spire, Freemont
REGION: Gedri System, Silstrand Alliance
Vaax walked through her private suite, with a glass of white wine in hand. The rooms were plush, inviting, and even romantic. Everything about them was the exact opposite of who she was.
From the heavy draperies to the deep carpets, no price was spared in the presidential suite. Even the artwork on the walls were expensive originals—likely pilfered from around the region. She stopped and considered one of the paintings. It was deep black with white and grey flowers—painted with actual brush strokes as far as she could tell.
She turned from the painting and finished her wine before setting the empty glass on a side table. A holo mirror was on the wall, and Vaax rotated the projection of herself, checking for any imperfections.
Her green satin robe was immaculate, and she slipped on a pair of low heels before proceeding to the bookcase with a selection of ancient hyfilm books from the sixth millennium on the shelves.
She pulled one out and placed it on a different shelf, triggering the door to open.
Inside the small room, Fra-X stood over a cryostasis pod, gazing down at the occupant with his sunglasses in his hand.
Vaax approached him. “You really should have taken me up on a glass of wine.” She touched the top of the stasis pod and wiped the plas cover.
Fra-X shook his head. “I never meant for this to happen, you know. It really was supposed to be just a quick transport. Now her life…?”
“Is changed forever. So have all our lives been.” Vaax tapped the top of the pod. Inside, Lana’s face remained perfectly still. She was in stasis, after all, though from the outside it appeared to be a peaceful sleep. The kill-switch device had placed her newfound nano in a dormant state, and her AI had been deactivated.
For the first time in weeks, Lana was safe from herself. And them from her.
Fra-X sighed. “She was such a nice girl when we first met. She wanted to lash out at her father, but she was a nice girl, you know? Kind. Scared. The girl who tried to kill me today, wasn’t either of those things.”
“You can find a way to fix her. The data you got from S&H listed issues with hormone imbalances and alterations to thinking patterns. It should all even out in time.”
“If she doesn’t kill us first.”
“Nonsense. It’s not like we’re taking her to some low-rent mod shop on the edge of a crime-ridden fringe system like this one. Back on Bosporus she’ll get the care she needs, and we’ll safely extract the nano.
Fra-X nodded absently, and Vaax placed a hand on his shoulder. “Come away from her. Have a glass of wine before you organize the final transportation. The lockdown will be lifted soon. Captain Gabriel is ready. See to it that he secrets her away where no one will find her.”
Fra-X sighed. “Yeah, I suppose a drink would be nice. But I think I need something stiffer than wine. The sooner this is over with, the better.”
Vaax put an arm around him. “Now that Harken is dead, the committee will have no more grounds to object and the final swearing in will be but a mere formality.”
“What of the woman who killed her? I hear police have her in custody.”
Vaax laughed. “Have they? That news hadn’t filtered through my sycophants yet. I have to maintain distance from this matter. But I’m glad to see that junker captain finally did something right.”
That Kylie thought she could pull one over on Vaax was laughable at best. She had known Lana was on the Dauntless all along. The only reason she hadn’t sent troops in to storm the ship in the dark layer was due to her curiosity over who Harken’s buyer was.
The mercenary, Jason, could have enlightened her in that regard, but Kylie had screwed that up. Vaax admitted allowing Kylie to use Lana as bait had been risky, but a team loyal to Vaax had been on Caridan, ready to take the girl if necessary.
That same team had also been ready to storm the Dauntless and take Lana the moment Harken was dead, but it hadn’t been necessary. The fool of a girl had stumbled right into Fra-X’s hands.
Now all the loose ends were tied up and the package was ready to be delivered.
“Kylie Rhoads’ capture is the icing on the cake. She’s a wonderful scapegoat. Her execution will ensure that all of this is swept under the rug. It’ll put Maverick in his place too. He seems to think we’re equals in this enterprise. Soon, we’ll begin to use his ships to infiltrate Silstrand and seed more Scipian operatives in their stations and planets. When Scipio strikes, Silstrand will fall in days.”
Vaax prepared a drink and handed it to Fra-X.
“To Scipio and a swift victory,” she said as she raised a fresh glass of wine.
Fra-X smiled. “To Scipio and Empress Diana. May her empire some day span the galaxy.”
Yes, thought Vaax. A galaxy-spanning empire. That would be an excellent thing to possess.
THE MEET
STELLAR DATE: 09.23.8947 (Adjusted Years)
LOCATION: People’s Republic Tower, The Futz Spire, Freemont
REGION: Gedri System, Silstrand Alliance
It was dark as Kylie walked through the gardens east of the tower. She came to a staircase leading up to the promenade and took the steps slowly. The last few hours had been difficult.
To gain Nadine, only to lose Lana, and now Nadine was gone once more; Kylie wondered how much more of this she could take.
The promenade was an elevated arch of walkways and high-end boutiques overlooking the gardens. Vines hung down into the gardens below, and exotic trees with even more exotic animals dotted the space.
A cool chill blew through and Kylie pulled her jacket tighter around her body. Up ahead, on a platform jutting out over the gardens, a large silhouette stood framed against the setting light of Gedri—a day/night cycle facilitated by a slow rotation of the station.
That had to be Maverick. Just thinking his name made Kylie instinctively touch her holstered weapon.
If he was up to something, she was going to be ready.
Kyle sent an update back to the ship. Informing Rogers that she had spotted Maverick.
Rogers said.
Winter agreed.
Marge said.
Kylie wondered about the AI Marge had befriended. She hoped they could be trusted. Still, Marge had proven herself to be a valuable member of the crew, and seemed to like having a place to call home. The crew was getting used to her too, accepting her opinions and help. Kylie, for better or worse, was glad Marge was with them.
Kylie walked up the ramp to the platform where Maverick stood waiting.
Kylie could certainly agree with that.
Kylie almost laughed.
Kylie approached Maverick, studying his stiff posture as he gripped the rail, waiting alone in the soft light. Kylie spotted a pair of Maverick’s oversexed lady-guards nearby, both wearing tight, short dresses, and holding large rifles.
They were both effective and decorative, Kylie suspected.
“I see you brought a pair of your finest. You really think you need protection from me?”
“Not you.” Maverick licked his lips. “Vaax.”
Interesting. Kylie thought as she rested her arms on the railing. “What’s going on, Maverick? I thought you aligned yourself with Vaax. If you don’t trust her—”
“I don’t trust anyone as a basic rule. You know that better than anyone. I aligned myself with her because I didn’t have a choice. She was the strongest contender for the presidency. If I don’t make the president, I don’t control the president. But things are murkier than usual. She’s up to something.”
“Up to what?” Kylie asked, her patience thin. She hated the GFF’s dirty politics more than she hated crime syndicates. Those she could understand—point and shoot. Politics had all sorts of games and rules that constantly changed as they were altered to serve the needs of those in power.
“If I knew that, I wouldn’t need bodyguards—or you,” Maverick muttered. “What I’m proposing will take some guts and a little work, but—”
Kylie shook her head to stop him right there. “No more favors. No more negotiations. I’m out, Maverick. Out.”
His eyes narrowed and it made Kylie feel the need to reinforce what she said. “Out.”
Maverick shrugged. “I can get Nadine free. The police here don’t want to be on my shit list. With Harken out of the way, I’m regaining control of my holdings. Even if Vaax and I are at odds, I can still ruin any of those maggots. I have enough on the lead detective to make him my sock puppet and he knows it. He’ll be doing his police work in hard vacuum without a suit if I leak the right information to the right people.”
Good old, Maverick. Always dealing with threats and information. It was why he was so good at his job—at least before he’d gotten so lax—Kylie guessed.
“The truth is on our side this time, Maverick. I can just sit and wait—”
“For the corrupt police to just let her go.” Maverick laughed and wiped the corner of his mouth. He blinked as if he was bringing up a file on his internal HUD. “I’m sharing a file with you.”
“What is it?”
“Footage from Harken’s suite. She always sets up a few of her own surveillance devices anywhere she is. I found one, but there will be others. It’ll only be a matter of time before the cops find them…”
“You sonofabitch. That kind of file could prove Nadine’s innocence! You really are a sack of shit, Mav.”
“No, Kylie,” Maverick’s voice sounded pained. “It doesn’t. It proves her guilt.”
Kylie didn’t buy it. “You’re lying. Nadine wouldn’t. She’s not even capable!”
Maverick sighed. “Wish that was true. I thought so too. Watch it and make up your mind. Know I can remove this file before anyone other than us sees it—I can probably get a team into Harken’s suite to sweep it for any other devices as well. All you have to do is agree to help me out tomorrow on the floor.”
Of the commission?
“Maverick, what is it you’re angling for? What do you want me to do?”
“Watch it first. Go on.” Maverick licked his lips—a gesture Kylie had seen many times before. He was giddy. He thought whatever Kylie was going to see would hurt her, make her vulnerable. But she had faith in Nadine. Maverick would see that.
She pulled the feed into her mind. Nadine was talking to Harken over a drink. It didn’t seem so bad so far.
“Oh, I do. And you’re right. If you got to finish your testimony tomorrow, you probably would unseat Maverick and Vaax. Problem is, I need them where they are. And you, darling are the problem.”
Kylie watched Harken’s eyes grow wide. “What do you…”
Nadine held an ice pick. Without an iota of hesitation, she shoved it up beneath Harken’s ribs. Once, twice.
She couldn’t believe what she was seeing. It couldn’t be true. Nadine wasn’t capable of something like this. She wasn’t capable of lying like this.
Her mouth dropped and Kylie turned to Maverick. His eyes were on the ground as if he didn’t want to interrupt her private moment. “Keep watching, it gets better.”
“Sorry,” Nadine was whispering to Harken. “If you’ve tried to send for help, you’ll notice I’ve placed a Link suppressor by the door. You won’t be reaching anyone in time, darling.”
Nadine didn’t have access to that kind of tech. No one on their level did.
Kyle watched in horror as Nadine covered Harken’s mouth with her hand and gently lowered her to the floor. Harken began to make a horrid gulping noise as she tried to breath around the blood flowing out of her mouth.
“Try to relax. You’re choking on your own blood. If you don’t try to fight it, it’ll go easier on you.” Kylie felt the sting of betrayal grow within her as she watched Nadine remove her hand from Harken’s mouth. Harken tried to say something, a single word, but Kylie couldn’t make it out.
When Harken became still, Nadine gripped the ice pick and gave herself defensive wounds before placing one of Harken’s fingers on the weapon to add a print.
When she had the scene set, Nadine hunkered over the body and screamed.
“Help! Help! She attacked me, help!”
Kylie lurched forward without meaning to and gripped the railing. Everything was spinning and the trees below slipped out of focus. Nadine hadn’t sounded the same. She’d sounded like she wasn’t even the same woman, and what she had done…. She’d killed in cold blood and then injured herself to sell the story. Why? Nadine wasn’t capable of that, Kylie knew that with every fibre of her being.
Or she thought she did.
Was Nadine capable of such a monstrous lie? Was she that manipulative. Why had she done it? Why?
Maverick interrupted her thoughts, his voice low, as if there had been a death in the family “I have several delegates on my side. If someone calls for a non-confidence vote tomorrow morning, they’ll back it, but you need to nominate me to run the GFF. Nominate me, Kylie.” Maverick gritted his teeth.
“You?” Kylie asked, barely able to hear her own voice. “Who am I to make a nomination? I’m no senator. I’m just a junker!”
Maverick nodded. “Yes, you are. But there’s a queer little by-law on the books for this type of hearing. If a key witness for the sitting president—even one in the position pro-tem—declares the president unfit, they may propose another candidate, and the committee can consider
that option.”
Kylie shook her head, uncertain how to respond. It sounded like lunacy. But then, her world was beyond upside down. Everything sounded like lunacy.
“I’d be the best at it. You know that. I clean up well and I can negotiate like no one’s business. I’ve done my time on Jericho, but I’ve been bored. I’ve sampled it all, Kylie. It’s time for new challenges, new horizons. If I control Jericho and have the presidency, I can wipe out the other families, rather than just keeping them in line. Everything will flow through me. Everything.”
Kylie thought it was a horrible idea. Maverick had no business running anything, let alone the GFF, but if helping him meant getting Nadine free…was that even what she wanted?
“Do what I ask and you’ll get your answers. She lied to you. She lied to me. You decide what you want to do, Kylie,” Maverick whispered right against her ear and he caressed her arms. “Do we get revenge? Do we let her fry? Or do I release her and you get your pound of flesh later?”
“And if I want to listen, to forgive her?” Kylie asked as hot and angry tears filled her eyes.
“Forgiveness?” Maverick’s voice carried a hint of rage. “You bought her out of her slave’s contract when you had the money to pay your debt to me. She indentured you to me for five more years. But what do you really know about her? What if she’s been playing you all these years? How can you forgive that?”
There’d be no reason for Nadine to play Kylie that long… Nadine loved her, that was obvious. Kylie didn’t need to ask—but to see how ruthless she had been…to murder Harken in cold blood. It hadn’t been a passionate kill, one sloppy and filled with emotion. No, Nadine had killed with the skill of a professional, and then to turn the ice pick on herself…? Kylie didn’t have an answer for that. She didn’t. And to see the glee on Maverick’s face just made it all worse.
“Why do you love to hurt me? Look at you,” she said through gritted teeth.
“Hurt you? That’s the last thing I’ve ever wanted.”
