Losing Mars (Saving Mars Series-3)

by Swanson, Cidney

  “That would require a substantial sum to purchase,” murmured the Chancellor.

  “Madam Chancellor? Do you wish me to find out—”

  “Add to your existing questions one more: from whom was the ship obtained?”

  “I will discover what use she will put it to, as well, Madam Chancellor.”

  “Mmmm,” intoned Lucca, losing herself in thought for a moment. “I wonder if I shouldn’t simply destroy ship and village at once …”

  Gaspar felt the opportunity to prove his worth slipping away. “Please allow me to demonstrate that you made the right choice in sending me here.”

  “Yes, yes,” said the Chancellor, waving her hand dismissively. “Of course I made the right choice. Just see to it you find out what Mars is planning. Or I might grow frustrated with this little operation and forget to tell you to get clear in time.”

  Gaspar swallowed thickly. “I will lay bare all their plans to you within days, Madam Chancellor.”

  “See that you do,” replied Lucca. “Chancellor out.”

  Her image vanished.

  His pulse throbbed; his heart was beating far too swiftly. Gaspar took several slow breaths and shook out his hands, which had become balled fists crossed behind his back where the Chancellor couldn’t see them. It took him longer than usual to become “Renard” again.

  With Jessamyn missing and Pavel busy, Gaspar decided to pay a visit to the dwelling that was his present “home.” Once inside, he encountered a very angry foster-brother.

  “You promised you’d come wake me up first when you got back,” wailed Samuel.

  Gaspar arranged his face into one of Renard’s easy, relaxed expressions. “What can I say, Samuel? It slipped my mind.”

  Samuel glowered at his foster-brother. “My real brother wouldn’t have forgotten.”

  “Samuel!” said his mother. “Foster-brothers are as real as any other kind of brother.”

  “That’s not what I meant,” said the little boy, kicking at one leg of the table and causing it to shudder.

  Within his cup, Renard’s bitter tea ration made circular patterns of repeating ripples.

  “Stop kicking the table,” growled Roy. “You think wooden tables grow out of the ground?”

  “And apologize to your brother,” added his mother.

  “I’m sorry,” said Samuel.

  The lie on the boy’s face was easy for Gaspar to read; it was a byproduct of studying people carefully in order to impersonate them. He was glad his line of work rarely involved him with children.

  “Well, I’m off,” said Gaspar. “I’ll be over with the newcomers if you need me.”

  “See it don’t interfere with your chores, boy,” said Roy.

  “He’s not a boy any longer, Roy,” murmured Mary.

  “All the more reason he oughta do a man’s work,” replied Roy.

  “Don’t worry,” said Gaspar. “I can do both.”

  And he could, having located certain individuals more than happy to do his chores in exchange for candy, game-chips, and zine-files he offered, something Renard had done upon occasion to free up time for racing.

  Giving his kindliest smile to Samuel, Gaspar winked at him once, and departed, his eyes flickering uncomfortably to the sky as he strolled back to the newcomers’ dwelling—the Gopher Hole, he reminded himself.

  He skipped down the steps and into the domicile, enjoying the strength and flexibility of the wiry body he inhabited. He tried never to judge a body in poor condition—he prided himself upon needing neither health nor beauty to accomplish his deceits. But this body was very pleasant to indwell.

  “Is Ethan home?” he asked, seeing Harpreet sitting alone.

  “I believe so,” she replied.

  At the same time, Ethan called from his room, “I am here.”

  Gaspar winked at Harpreet and entered Ethan’s workroom. “Thought you didn’t care for small, enclosed spaces?”

  “I am working,” replied Ethan. “I am less affected when I am occupied than when I am not.” From beside him, Elsa gave a low growl directed at Gaspar. “Also, I have actions I can take should I become distressed.” He ran a hand through Elsa’s fur and addressed the dog. “It is Renard, Elsa. Calm yourself.”

  “Can we talk for a minute?” asked Gaspar.

  “Very well,” said Ethan. “May I assume you meant to inquire as to whether we could talk for more than only one minute?”

  The impersonator grinned. “Yeah. More than one.”

  Ethan turned and made several modifications to various screens at his work station. “Might we walk out of doors?”

  “Yeah, sure. It’s a nice day.”

  The two ascended the stairs, Ethan in his chair.

  “So,” Gaspar began, “Do you have any idea where your sister is right now and when she’ll be back?”

  “Would you prefer I answer the questions in the order in which you posed them?” countered Ethan.

  “Uh, yeah.”

  “Jessamyn has gone where you were scheduled to go. I do not know when she will return,” said her brother.

  “Okay.” Gaspar nodded, shoved his hands in his pockets—a gesture he’d perfected in the style of Renard. “So she’s not making any unscheduled stops?”

  “Not so far as I am aware,” said Ethan. “But she often neglects to fully disclose her intentions to me.”

  The two walked in silence, Elsa bolting ahead and then circling back to chase circles around the pair.

  “So,” said Gaspar, “Can you contact her and, uh, tell her to hurry back?”

  Ethan’s brows drew together slightly. “No, I do not think it would be effective for me to ask my sister to return more swiftly than she is willing. Such a demand is likely to promote an opposite action.”

  Gaspar chuckled with Renard’s light laughter. He was not to be so easily deterred, however. “Aren’t you worried about her?”

  “I attempt at all times to regulate my levels of concern about my sister.”

  “It’s just that if she were to take it in her head to go somewhere unexpected,” said Gaspar, shrugging both shoulders, “That could be dangerous for the whole village.”

  “I see,” said Ethan. “You are concerned that my sister may, if she strays from her task, meet others to whom she might inadvertently divulge information, thus endangering Yucca.”

  “Something like that,” replied Gaspar.

  “Your fears are groundless. However, if she attempts communication, I shall let her know your concerns,” replied Ethan. “Do you have other topics upon which you wish to converse with me?”

  Gaspar grinned. “No, man, that was it. You are one funny duck.”

  “Duck?” asked Ethan.

  “You’re different from anyone I’ve ever met.”

  “So I am frequently told,” replied Ethan.

  Gaspar did not, unfortunately, have any better luck with Pavel, whom he once more approached on the topic of Jessamyn’s return. He began to consider whether it might be in his best interests simply to run if the girl didn’t show up in the next day or so. But Lucca would find him swiftly. She knew all of his contacts. He could not, like the girl from Mars, simply disappear.

  “Shizer!” he cursed, watching the skies for signs of missiles.

  37

  NO HUGS IN HIS EYES

  Gaspar was still throwing nervous glances to the sky the following afternoon. It was a habit he needed to get rid of. Staring at the sky was not part of Renard’s natural behavior and so it had no place in Gaspar’s actions. Impersonating the young man was proving to be more challenging than Gaspar had anticipated. Of course, he reminded himself, the greater the challenge, the greater the triumph. And success in this endeavor would lead to greater opportunities in the future. Gaspar chose not to consider what failure would bring.

  He told himself, no more glancing up.

  As for the other annoyance, the one that came in a meter-tall package, he had decided that avoidance would be the surest course o
f action. Gaspar berated himself for not having observed more closely the relation between the two foster siblings. Still, adults snubbed children the world over when it suited them. Let the boy dislike “Renard” as much as he liked. No one paid serious heed to the whinings of a child.

  ~ ~ ~

  Pavel was feeling the beginnings of concern for Jessamyn. She’d been gone a day and a half now without sending word of her location or intentions. Pavel had checked in with the Shirff only this morning to find out if delays were common for the supply run she’d been asked to fly. The answer had been a shrug, a friendly smile, and an, “If it’s not one thing, it’s another, Doc.”

  Where was she?

  At his feet lay a jagged clump of dirt, which Pavel considered. It had probably formed when one of the spring flash-floods had roared through the desert. He reached for the piece of earth and then hurled it as far as he could. It smashed against a boulder, breaking into a satisfyingly large number of pieces upon impact.

  Pavel turned back to the Gopher Hole. He’d finished both his chores and his volunteer doctoring quickly today, having risen early to see if Jess had returned. He was tired now. And grumpy. What he most wanted was to get in a ship and fly at dangerous speeds. He’d have settled for racing Renard, but Jess had taken Renard’s ship. No one else in Yucca had anything that could match the speed of Pavel’s Hercules-class ship. Well, except for the M-class. But Pavel wasn’t taking that out without asking Jess first. Besides, if he left, he’d risk being gone when Jess returned.

  He shuffled downstairs into the cooler temperatures of the underground dwelling, where Harpreet greeted him with a warm smile.

  “Hear anything yet from Jess?” he asked.

  “No, son,” she replied calmly. “Do not worry yourself about what cannot be altered. She will return when she is ready to return.”

  “You think she just needed to get away?” asked Pavel.

  “Hers is an independent spirit,” replied Harpreet. She lowered her voice and spoke again. “But I see also the question you have not voiced: Do you think she needed to get away from me?”

  That was, in fact, a question he hadn’t admitted to himself, but as soon as Harpreet spoke the words, he knew they were true. Pavel sighed. He and Jessamyn had spent so little actual time together. Was Jess having second thoughts about him now that he’d declared his intention to accompany her to Mars? Thoughts that she needed to process far from him?

  Harpreet smiled, placing a warm brown hand upon Pavel’s forearm. “I would not worry if I were you. She will return soon enough, my young friend.”

  Pavel voiced his other concern. “I might not be the only one waiting for her to get back.”

  Harpreet’s dark eyes widened, inviting Pavel to continue.

  “Anytime I’m out with Renard, seems like all he does is watch the sky. Like he’s waiting for something to come swooping down,” said Pavel.

  “Perhaps he misses his ship.”

  Pavel grunted. “Maybe. Better be all he misses.”

  Harpreet patted his arm gently. “She’ll be back soon. You’ll see.”

  Both turned at the sound of feet descending the stairs. Pavel felt a smile forming—the footsteps were light like Jessamyn’s. But it wasn’t her. It was Renard’s foster-brother Samuel.

  “I think my brother is sick,” Samuel announced. “You need to fix him.”

  Pavel smiled. “Sick, huh? What are his symptoms?” Pavel had heard something from Samuel’s mother about a disagreement between the brothers. Not surprising, given the difference in their ages.

  “Well,” began Samuel, “first I thought he’d been body-snatched. You know, like someone re-bodied inside him. But Ma and Pa say that’s impossible. So now I think there’s just something wrong with his brain.”

  “His brain?” Pavel asked, trying to keep his expression sober.

  “Yeah. And his eyes.”

  “Hmm,” said Pavel. “Well, brains are complicated things. Let’s say we start with the eyes. What seems to be wrong with your brother’s eyes?”

  Samuel frowned and crossed his arms. Pavel suspected Samuel would have preferred to start with brains. But the young boy spoke after giving it a moment’s thought.

  “For one, his wink is funny since he got back from burying Gran’s stuff. It’s like there’s no …” The small boy drifted off and his brows drew together in a deep furrow. “There’s no hugs in his eyes when he winks at me now.”

  “Hmm,” said Pavel. “That could be serious.”

  “I know. I’ve been telling Ma and Pa and they said it was nothing but I know it’s something. Is it bad, Doc?”

  “Tell you what, Samuel. Next time I see Renard, I’ll do a thorough eye exam. Just to make sure everything’s okay.”

  Samuel smiled. “I knew you could fix him.”

  Pavel laughed. “Let’s find out if there’s anything wrong first, okay?”

  “Oh, there is,” said Samuel, eyes large and solemn. “And I’m glad you’re going to fix it.”

  Yet another pair of feet descended into the cool depths below.

  “Ethan, Kazuko,” said Harpreet. “Welcome home.”

  Renard trailed behind them and Pavel had to remind himself Renard was a friend, not a rival.

  Kazuko spoke. “Good news!”

  Pavel’s heart beat faster. Was Jessamyn back?

  Ethan spoke. “Kazuko and I have completed coding the transmission to be delivered to the Terran satellites.”

  “Boring,” said Samuel, scampering up the stairs and out of sight without so much as a word of greeting for his brother.

  “Fascinating,” said Renard.

  “We thought you’d like to watch,” added Kazuko. “Well, there’s not much to watch, really, just code on a screen. But we thought everyone should gather as we send the first transmission.”

  “Of course, daughter,” said Harpreet.

  “You’re turning satellite control over to Mars?” asked Pavel.

  “This is only the first step,” replied Kazuko. “This is our attempt to ‘talk’ with the satellites. If they respond in kind, then, yes, eventually this will lead to Mars obtaining control.”

  Well, thought Pavel, at least Jess will have good news to come home to.

  ~ ~ ~

  Gaspar was more than usually eager to make his report to the Chancellor that evening, the second since his “return” to Yucca. He awaited her appearance before the holo-projector, rocking back and forth on his heels. It was an action he’d borrowed from Renard, but it also suited the occasion.

  “Yes?” boomed the Chancellor’s cold voice. “You have news? The girl has returned?”

  “The girl, ah, has yet to return. However, I have other news. It appears there is a transmission to a group of satellites circling Mars—”

  “Tell me what you know at once,” said the Chancellor, ice-blue eyes flashing fire.

  38

  A SLIGHT MODIFICATION

  Jess arrived back to the Gopher Hole during morning rations. Harpreet welcomed her with a warm hug, Pavel with a warmer kiss. Ethan, as was his preference, spoke only her name, Jessamyn, in acknowledgement of her return.

  “I’m sorry I took so long,” she said. “But the right thrust engine blew out on Renard’s ship.”

  “You have not allowed such a failure to impede you before,” Ethan remarked.

  “It wouldn’t have stopped me,” retorted Jess. “But I knew Renard would have a hard time fixing it here. So I found the parts and got everything taken care of.” She smiled happily.

  “Jess,” said Pavel, “tell me you didn’t—”

  “Don’t worry,” she said. “I never left Baja. I took everything you said under advisement and I did not visit any of the suppliers on your list. I asked around until I found someone connected to normal Yuccan preferred providers. They took care of everything. So nothing to worry about.” She beamed, very proud that she had behaved in so circumspect a fashion.

  But while Jessamyn’s arrival w
as welcome news, it wasn’t the only news. Her brother brought her up to date on his efforts to communicate with the Terran laser satellites the night before.

  “The satellites are not responding as they should,” he said before launching into a detailed explanation that Jessamyn found impossible to follow. Kazuko Zaifa was the only one present who could understand the finer details of why the satellite communication between Earth and Mars was problematic. After listening for ten minutes to things she didn’t understand, Jessamyn couldn’t stop the serial yawns.

  “I’m sure you’ll manage to solve things,” she said to her brother after an especially large yawn.

  “I cannot,” said Ethan, “find solutions that do not exist.”

  His sister smiled and squeezed his hand.

  “You’ll figure something out,” she said. “You always do.”

  “Indeed, you do,” agreed Harpreet.

  Renard bounded into view, taking the stairs into the dwelling two at a time. “You’re back,” he said, beaming at Jessamyn. “I can’t say how happy I am to see you! There’s been no one to race with since you left.”

  Pavel said, “Hey! You had me.”

  “Not the same,” said Renard. “You’re not an interplanetary pilot.”

  “Maybe not, but I can beat you to Jacinto and back any day,” said Pavel.

  Jess smiled. “You did notice I took your ship again, right?”

  “I noticed what you left behind,” said Renard.

  “That,” said Jessamyn, “is not for you.”

  Renard pouted. “Pavel’s been busy coming up with excuses to keep me away from the ship. In spite of borrowing my tools whenever it suits him.”

  “Oh, that’s right,” said Jess. “You took off on your, um, burial trip without looking at her. You want to tour the Red Hope now?”

  “Me?” asked Renard. With a small wink, he added, “You mean, just me? In private?”

  Ignoring his attempt to flirt, Jess continued. “Pavel and I put your tools to good use while you were gone.”

  “I made a slight modification while you were away,” said Pavel to Jess. “She’s looking beautiful.”