by S. H. Jucha
“Are you planning to have me over for an evening or a year?” Jessie replied, laughing. “That’s one enormous subject list you have there.”
“Why don’t we start with dinner, Jessie? I’ll be free once the Review Board has completed Helena’s interview. Can we say eighteen hundred hours?”
“It’s a date. See you then, Harbour,” Jessie said, closing his comm unit.
* * *
The next afternoon, Harbour and Sasha sat in the waiting room outside the Review Board’s meeting. The grizzled mining captain, Henry Stamerson, who had retired years ago and now headed the Board, had come out personally to collect Helena. It was an indication of the Board’s intent to take seriously the charges against the governor.
Sasha sat still for all of four minutes after her mother was led away, before she started fidgeting. “When can I see my sister?” she suddenly asked.
That didn’t take long, Harbour thought, and she tried desperately to figure a way to explain the complexities of the issues to a young girl who couldn’t understand why she couldn’t see her big sister.
Harbour was still thinking, when Sasha asked, “Do you know where Aurelia is hiding?”
Harbour glanced around to ensure no one was within earshot, before she replied. “Not specifically, but I have a good idea.”
“Where?” Sasha demanded.
“I can’t tell you. It would jeopardize your sister’s safety and those who are protecting her.”
“Why?”
“What the governor did to your family is separate from what Aurelia did. She’s wanted for the murder of Dimitri Belosov.”
“Dimitri was effluent,” Sasha said in disgust.
“I’ve heard that. Still, Aurelia must stand before the Review Board, which will determine her innocence or guilt.”
“I could make those people like her,” Sasha stated, with determination, and Harbour could sense the child’s power spinning up.
“I bet you could,” Harbour replied, which placated Sasha, diminishing her dark anger. “Forcing people is not how we do things aboard the JOS,” Harbour explained.
“Why not?” Sasha retorted. “The governor did. Giorgio did.”
“And look where they are now … locked up and awaiting trial,” Harbour replied.
Sasha must have accepted the explanation, because her body and emotions lay quiet for a few minutes before she started to fidget again. It gave Harbour an indication of the time and attention it would take to train the child. Suddenly, it occurred to her who would be the perfect individual to teach Sasha — her best friend, Yasmin. But after Yasmin spent some time with the girl, she might not be her friend anymore.
“Tonight, I’m seeing someone important to your sister,” Harbour said, to capture Sasha’s attention.
“Who?”
“I could tell you, if I knew you could keep a secret.”
“My mother made us swear to never tell Markos or Giorgio about her secret place, and we never did. I can keep a secret really good.”
“Her secret place?” Harbour asked.
“Mother was saving up little stuff for years to help us escape topside. When Aurelia had to run, she gave her all sorts of things to help her make it up here, and she did too.”
“Yes, she did. Your sister’s a clever girl.”
“Yeah, she’s the smart one.”
“And which one are you?” Harbour asked, trying to understand how the girl saw herself.
“I’m the sneaky one,” Sasha replied, with a grin.
Perfect, Harbour thought wryly. The aspects of the child’s personality seemed to be forming a dangerous storm.
“Who are you seeing tonight?” Sasha asked.
“I’m meeting a man for dinner who knows Aurelia,” Harbour replied. She checked the time on her comm unit. The Review Board interview with Helena was running long. More than likely, the Board members were checking data in security’s files to confirm Helena’s answers, which was understandable. A downside governor had never been charged with criminal offenses and brought to trial. With a twinge of regret, Harbour saw that it was 18:12 hours.
“Is he security?” Sasha asked, pointing over Harbour’s shoulder. She turned her head to discover Jessie walking toward them.
Harbour clamped down hard on the momentary thrill that ran through her. Despite her efforts, she was sure a minute amount of her emotions leaked to Sasha, but the girl gave no indication of it. “Hello, Jessie, I see you found us,” Harbour said, as evenly as she could. “Sasha, I’d like you to meet Captain Jessie Cinders. Jessie, this is Sasha, Helena Garmenti’s daughter.”
“Is this the man you’re seeing tonight?” Sasha asked, instead of responding to the introduction, catching both adults off guard.
“Yes, it is.” Harbour replied.
“He likes you,” Sasha said simply, as if stating a fact.
During the uncomfortable silence that followed, Sasha added, “And you like him.”
“Much more powerful than you indicated,” Jessie murmured.
“Do you know my sister, mister?” Sasha asked.
“We address him as Captain Cinders,” Harbour said.
“Strangers call me that,” Jessie explained, squatting down to meet Sasha at eye level, “but I wonder if we can be friends.”
“Okay,” Sasha replied noncommittally.
“It’s not as simple as that,” Jessie warned, gaining Sasha’s attention. “Friends have a duty to look out for one another. It’s not something to take on lightly.”
Sasha stared at Cinders, and Harbour could feel the girl’s power growing and knew she was sampling the captain’s emotions. “I like you,” Sasha announced. “We can be friends.”
“That’s good, Sasha, because here’s my secret,” Jessie said, and then he leaned over to whisper in the girl’s ear. “Aurelia and I are friends.”
“You are?” Sasha exclaimed.
“Shhh,” Jessie replied, a finger over his lips.
“You are?” Sasha repeated, whispering, and Jessie slowly nodded twice.
Sasha leaned over to whisper again. “That’s good. Then you’re protecting her, right?”
Jessie leaned back and glanced up at Harbour, who said, “I’m probably guilty of whatever it is you two are discussing.”
Jessie turned to Sasha and replied enigmatically, “Maybe,” but he gave Sasha a conspiratorial wink. She returned his wink, but it looked more like she had something painful in her eye.
The door to the Review Board meeting room opened, and Helena walked through. She appeared tired, as if she’d relived the last seventeen years in real time, and both Harbour and Sasha lent their support. The difference was that Harbour’s efforts were directed, and Sasha broadcast to the room.
“Wow,” Jessie murmured, when the wave of affection hit him.
“Mother, this is Harbour’s friend, Jessie. He’s my friend now,” Sasha said, after taking her mother’s hand and pulling her over to Jessie.
“I’m pleased to meet you, Captain Cinders,” Helena said, reading the name tag on Jessie’s dress overalls.
“The pleasure is mine, Helena. While I’m pleased to learn of your release from the governor’s house, I lament the time you lost downside.”
“Thank you for your sentiments, Captain.”
Sasha crooked her finger at Jessie, who leaned down to hear her whisper, “Can I tell mother that you’re Aurelia’s friend.”
Jessie cupped his hand to hide his whisper. “Later, when the two of you are alone, and you must explain to your mother that it’s a secret.”
Sasha’s face was a study in seriousness. “Okay,” she whispered.
“Ladies, allow me to accompany you to your cabins,” Jessie said.
“That’s kind of you, Captain, but it’s really not necessary,” Helena replied.
“Oh, but it is, mother. Harbour and Jessie are going out afterwards. They like each other,” she pronounced, and pranced off toward the JOS main corridor.
“Apologies, Captain, she can be a little direct,” Helena said, slipping past to catch up with her daughter.”
Watching Helena and Sasha, Jessie murmured, “Spacers call that blunt.”
Harbour smiled at Jessie and strode after the women.
At Helena’s cabin, Jessie took note of the female security officer who welcomed the women. “Around the clock?” he asked Harbour. When she confirmed it, he asked, “Whose coin?”
“Security,” Harbour replied.
“Are you ready to go, or do you need some personal time?” Jessie asked, after the three other women disappeared into the cabin.
Harbour smiled to herself. It appeared Jessie wasn’t accomplished at the subtleties of male-female relationship building. “No personal time needed, Jessie. I’m ready to go.”
“Where to?” Jessie asked.
“I thought we’d celebrate the recovery of Aurelia’s mother and sister and try the Starlight. I’ve never been there.”
“Actually, I haven’t either.”
“Really? Then this should be an interesting experiment for the two of us.”
Strolling through the station’s main promenade, walking side by side, Jessie and Harbour drew stationers’ attention. Each individual alone would have garnered a passerby’s second look, but, seen together, shoulder to shoulder, the station’s rumor mills were set churning.
At the Starlight’s entrance, Jessie tapped the actuator and motioned Harbour through the door.
“Why thank you, kind sir,” Harbour replied.
That was to be their last moment of pleasure until they left the posh cantina. What should have been an opportunity to relax and celebrate became an exercise in ignoring the stares and frowns of the patrons, who surrounded them.
When a server failed to materialize at their table, Harbour asked, “Was this a mistake?”
In reply, Jessie stood and offered his hand, which Harbour accepted. Jessie placed her hand in the crook of his arm, and the two sailed out of the expensive cantina, laughing at the pomposity of the patrons.
“Well, my idea for an evening dinner blew up. Your turn to pick, Jessie,” Harbour said, when they reached the corridor.
“I know a place where we’ll be appreciated,” Jessie replied.
“I’m latched on, Captain,” Harbour replied, with a grin and glanced toward her hand in Jessie’s arm.
“You have been spending time with spacers,” Jessie replied, laughing.
Harbour got lost as Jessie navigated twists and turns in the corridors, but he ended at a familiar door. “The Miners’ Pit?” she asked, but she gave the actuator a good smack.
“Harbour,” Maggie called out with enthusiasm. She gave Harbour a brief hug and touched a couple of fingers to her brow when she greeted Jessie. Then she led them to a table situated away from the bar and against the wall where they would have a little more privacy.
They were no sooner seated than several spacers, led by Ituau, strolled over, wearing their downtime finery over their skins. Each one passed the table, touching their forehead with fingertips, saying, “Captain, ma’am,” and returned to their table or bar.
“They’re your crew, aren’t they?” Harbour asked
“All of them,” Jessie allowed.
“Do they always greet you that way?”
“That wasn’t for me. They were honoring you or, more specifically, they were paying respects to what you are.”
“You’re going to have to explain that one.”
Jessie was interrupted by Maggie, who asked, “What can I start you two with?”
“We need to start with celebration drinks,” Harbour said, lightly slapping the table with both hands.
“Oh, of course. Are you celebrating the recovery of Helena Garmenti or the downfall of the governor?” Maggie asked, with a wicked smile.
“Why can’t we celebrate both?” Jessie asked.
“That’s the spirit, Captain. Special celebratory drinks coming up,” she declared, and made for the front desk, while tapping the order into her comm unit.
“You were going to tell me about your crew’s procession,” Harbour reminded Jessie.
“The third mate, Belinda Kilmer, serving on the Pearl, was developing space dementia. She didn’t have far to go before she would have to be put off on the station. Captain Hastings ordered his first mate, Angie Mendoza, to assign Belinda to Rules for spacer training. When the Pearl rendezvoused with the Annie, a transfer was worked out and the pair was kept together. As of the last report from Captain Erring of the Annie, Belinda shows no sign of her dementia.”
“Fascinating,” Harbour breathed out slowly. She faded into private thoughts, and Jessie sat quietly, studying the planes of her face. The arrival of their drinks interrupted Harbour. She nodded politely to the server and took a sip. “Oh, for the love of Pyre,” she exclaimed. “It’s good, but it’s potent.”
“Delicious but deadly,” Jessie agreed, after taking a swallow.
“I think I need to wait on some food before I finish more of this,” Harbour said, setting the drink on the table.
“Not much alcohol in the diet?”
“Rarely had the occasion, and you, Captain?”
Jessie’s eyebrows rose, recalling many of his exploits during downtime, especially when he was young. “On more than one occasion, I must admit.”
Harbour sensed a subtle shift in Jessie’s emotions. It began with a twinge of regret, which faded, to be replaced by his usual calm.
“You’re doing it,” Jessie said.
“Pardon?”
“You’re reading me.”
“Are you guessing or are you stating what you believe to be factual?” Harbour was slightly miffed that Jessie had guessed what she was doing. Reading people she was speaking to was an old habit, but she wanted to refrain from reading Jessie this evening. Yet, she’d already done it several times. Harbour watched Jessie lean back in his chair and lock eyes with her. Probably a technique you use on your captains and crew, Harbour thought, noting that it was extremely effective.
“I give … guilty,” Harbour admitted, throwing her hands in the air. “Now, I need to know how you knew.”
“Your eyes,” Jessie replied.
“You saw the tiny color shift?” Harbour asked, shocked, and Jessie tipped his head in agreement. “Only empaths know that sign, and we’d greatly appreciate it if you would keep our secret,” she added.
“Not a problem. We seem to have a growing list of secrets to keep for each other.”
“On a positive note, Jessie, I take it as a compliment that you were staring so closely at my eyes,” Harbour replied, taking a heavy swallow of her drink to keep her hands busy. Unfortunately, the strong alcohol hit her throat, and she choked. She raised her hand, as Dingles had done, to wave off the cantina’s concerned patrons. “Keep this thing on your side of the table until the food comes,” Harbour said, pushing the drink across the table and taking a deep swallow from her water glass.
“Jessie, I want to be sure I understand what the crews’ gestures meant when we first sat down. They were paying their respects to me, even though I didn’t do anything. It was Rules who helped Belinda.”
“My crew members see you as the leader of the empaths … the queen, if you will.”
That comment set Harbour to laughing loud and hard, and spacers around the pair were grinning for several reasons. Not the least of which was that no one could recall Captain Cinders bringing a dinner date to the Pit.
“A queen?” Harbour questioned, when she stopped laughing. “I hardly think so.”
“You two ready to order?” Maggie asked. When she received their choices, she communicated them to the kitchen and left.
“I want to ask about your trainee, Jessie,” Harbour said, taking on a serious expression.
“She’s doing well, exceptionally well. If you’re asking about her future, I can tell you that whatever happens with the governor, it will not affect security’s desire to apprehend her.”<
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“That’s what I thought. So, what does that mean for her?”
“Too early to tell. If nothing else, she’ll make a great spacer.”
“What do you think the Review Board will decide about Markos and Giorgio?”
“Those two are cooked. The DNA evidence you discovered, and security finding the women in a secret location, with no means of exiting from the inside of the suite, destroys any defense they might mount. They’ll be the first downsiders to receive long sentences.”
“I wish we could take advantage of the governor’s absence to change the politics downside.”
“No hope of that, Harbour. Lise Panoy has that position virtually tied up. And, unfortunately, you don’t have a shot at the commandant, not with the major having authorized an illegal comm tap.”
“I expect a more supportive conversation from my dinner dates,” Harbour pouted. The alcohol in her drink seemed to be loosening her inhibitions. Thankfully, the food arrived, and she reached across the table to recover her drink.
“Have many of those … cooperative dinner dates, I mean?” Jessie asked.
“Haven’t had many dinner dates,” Harbour replied, shrugging and taking a sip of her drink. It didn’t seem so strong now.
Jessie started to speak, but he chose not to ask his question.
“Jessie,” Harbour said, after digging into her meal, “if you could design our government, what would you create?”
Jessie rested his fork on his plate and took a sip of his drink. “I always liked what I read about the arrangements of some of Earth’s democracies. They used checks and balances to ensure that no one structure had total power over the others.”
“And what it would it take to move toward that type of arrangement?”
“Well, first we’d have to get the entire Pyrean population to agree to the election of a single leader. Don’t see the downsiders agreeing to that.”
“What could force them to the table?”
“Historically, as Captain Rose used to tell me, it would be something elemental — food production, access to clean water, war, or something extraordinary that was entirely unforeseen.”
