Crossways

by Jacey Bedford

  “Damn right,” Ben said.

  “But, wait . . . you said kill switch?” Cara leaned forward in her chair.

  “Yeah, that’s the kicker.” He grimaced. “Given that all my old contacts are either dead or have gone to ground, there’s no place I’d rather be than here. . . . In any other circumstances than these, that is. The implant in my brain will kill me, maybe not now, but one day. Crowder says it’s tamper-proof. Try to disengage or adjust it and it will blow, with messy results, a meltdown cascading through my neural pathways like a stroke. Crowder can trigger it at any time, from any distance, deliberately or by omission. If I don’t contact Crowder’s Telepath at least once a week I’m toast.”

  He shrugged. “I might keep Crowder happy in the short-term, but in the long-term it’s an unsustainable arrangement. Sure, I can warn Crowder if you’re sending any kind of attack against him, but what happens when I’ve served my purpose? Will Crowder keep me around? Unlikely. I know too much. Besides, Crowder doesn’t look like a well man. Too much stress, not enough exercise, not enough sleep. What happens if he dies of natural causes? He’s at least a quarter century older than me and doesn’t look like the sort of man who’ll make it to a well-deserved retirement.”

  “You think Crowder won’t have thought this through?” Ben said.

  “Oh, I’m sure he will have, but as far as he’s concerned I have two choices. I can either trust you, as I am doing, or hide what I am and try to stay alive. And Crowder’s not big on trust himself. In my position what would he do? Either way, if I don’t send back information he can just write me off as a failed experiment. I don’t like playing the spy, but I’m not sorry to have my implant back and I’m not sorry to be here. Give me time. I’ll find some way to screw Crowder over if it kills me.” He exhaled sharply. “It might, of course.”

  Jussaro sipped the last of his cooling caff. “I want shelter here. I don’t want to be a part of your Free Company, but I want to work with you. My agenda has never changed.”

  “Sanctuary for Telepaths,” Cara breathed.

  “What better place than Crossways?” Jussaro smiled. “I don’t want you to bankroll me—well, I do, but not without me working for it. How many psi-techs have you got in the Free Company? No, don’t answer that, I don’t want to know. Psi-techs are created by the corporations and unless they go rogue like you’ve done, they’re owned by the corporations until the day they die. I not only want to release psi-techs from the control of the megacorps, but I want to have the facility to implant and train independent psi-techs. Think about it. You find me someone who’s willing to do the actual implantations, provide me with a place to work and I’ll train a new generation of psi-techs for you. It gives your Free Company long-term stability. What do you say to that?”

  “Is he telling the truth?” Ben asked as he, Cara, and Ronan walked further into the building site that was Blue Seven.

  That was the question, wasn’t it?

  Cara pondered. Her instincts were to trust Jussaro. She hadn’t known him for long on Mirrimar-14, they’d worked together for just a few months, but she’d grown to like him. Dammit, he felt trustworthy, but she’d been wrong before.

  They slowed as a team of willing hands led by Archie Tatum manhandled a heavy spar across their path using antigrav limpets. A woman in a protective face mask leaned over a pair of drill bots inserting power couplings into a new section of wall before it was lifted into place.

  “As far as I could tell.” Cara frowned, wincing at the squeak of metal on medonite. “Ronan?”

  “He’s telling the truth as far as he knows it. I’m sure.”

  They came out into a relatively quiet open space that would be for their warehousing and storage.

  “That’s better,” Ben said. “I can hear myself think again.”

  Cara nodded. “I noticed a bit of a wobble between the long wait in a lonely cell and the offer of a new implant in return for spying on us. I don’t think he told us everything, but it may just be that he’s skipping the bit where they kicked the shit out of him.”

  “I’ll check him for physical injuries,” Ronan said.

  “What about the kill switch?” Ben asked.

  Ronan frowned. “That’s outside my experience, but there’s a specialist on-station, a man called Jamieson.”

  The idea of a kill switch in anyone’s implant gave Cara a sick, crawling feeling between her shoulder blades.

  “I’ll leave that up to you,” Ben said. “What about training rogue psi-techs?”

  Cara was more sure about that. “It was what he got busted for. Three times. He went through two bouts of Neural Readjustment and then they switched off his implant because he wouldn’t stop helping psi-techs to get away from the megacorps. I think it’s what drives him. It may be the only thing that drives him.”

  “Agreed,” Ronan said. “I’d trust him.”

  Ben nodded. “Then let’s back him, but keep a close watch. We’ll be losing some of our crew once Gen gets them fixed up with new idents. Maybe a source of new recruits isn’t a bad idea.”

  “Max,” Cara said. “We can send Max to him for training.”

  “Is that fair?”

  “On Max?”

  Ben laughed. “On Jussaro. Max marches to his own tune.”

  “He’s also a pretty good judge of character.”

  Ben nodded. “Yes, he is. We’ll play it your way. It may be that we can use Jussaro to pass back the information we want Crowder to have.”

  “But I’ve got to go!” Ricky Benjamin couldn’t believe what he was hearing. His dad had never wanted him to get an implant and join the psi-techs. Missing this appointment would ensure it never happened. Dad would win and Ricky would have to spend the rest of his life babysitting cattle on the farm, like Kai.

  He only just stopped himself from stamping his foot. At eleven he was far too old for those kinds of tantrums, whatever he felt like.

  He took a deep breath and turned to Nan. “I’m right, aren’t I? This will spoil my chances of getting into the advanced program.”

  Nan raised one eyebrow and shrugged. “Possibly, but you can still get an implant if you test positive at fourteen.”

  She took down the old ceramic teapot from the shelf, spooned in leaves and filled it with scalding hot water from the spigot. When Nan got out the teapot it announced a serious family discussion. Dad shrugged off his work jacket, hung it on the back of the door and padded over to the kitchen table in his socks, his outdoor boots, fresh from the farmyard, having been left in the mud room.

  Ricky didn’t have to be told to get out three mugs and a jug of milk, but he wasn’t going to give up so easily. “At fourteen it will just be the regional testing center and you know how that always works out. I’ll never get into the space program.”

  “They take notice of real talent. Always.” Nan poured the tea. “Sit, Merrick.”

  Oh-oh, he was always in trouble when Nan started to use his full name. She always called Uncle Ben Reska as well, even though no one else ever did.

  Ricky tried again. “But passing this test could get me an early scholarship to the academy in Arkhad City. I could even get my implant next year.”

  “If you have any talent for it,” Dad interrupted. “Kai didn’t.”

  Kai had refused the fast track program at eleven, tested positive at fourteen and again at sixteen, but had turned down the offer of an implant. Twice. Dad didn’t know that. Ricky was sworn to secrecy, though he suspected Nan might know. There wasn’t much that escaped Nan’s notice. Kai had eventually chosen to go to agricultural school. He actually wanted to stay on the farm. Well, that was up to him, but Ricky wanted the stars. He wanted to be like Uncle Ben.

  Nan cleared her throat and drew his dad’s attention. “Ricky’s got potential, Rion. You won’t be able to hold him back forever.”

  “See
!” Ricky felt vindicated.

  It didn’t last. That was the trouble with arguing against adults. They only had to say: Because I say so, and you’d lost.

  Nan turned to him. “It’s not just because your dad doesn’t want to lose you.” She sipped her tea. “You know we heard from your Uncle Reska?”

  “Sure. The reports of the plague on Olyanda were hokum. Uncle Ben’s all right.”

  Nan nodded. “But he’s in trouble with the Trust, specifically with Mr. Crowder. He told us to watch our backs and lay low. We’re half a planet away from Crowder here, but Arkhad City is right in Crowder’s territory.”

  “But Kai’s there already.” Ricky frowned. The university was on the outskirts of Arkhad City. “And we’re not in trouble with the Trust, are we?”

  “No, we’re not, but Reska is worried that Crowder might try and use the family as leverage. Besides, Kai’s on Tobar studying the new arcology. He’s in no danger until he gets back. No one can get to him there.” Tobar was the smaller of Chenon’s moons.

  “You think Mr. Crowder will try and hurt us?” Ricky asked. “Can he do that?”

  “Not legally.”

  “Well, then.”

  Nan frowned. “Uncle Reska doesn’t trust Mr. Crowder to limit himself to what can be done legally.”

  Ricky drank his tea. He knew when to stop arguing. Sometimes, however good your reasons, you just couldn’t change someone’s mind when they’d made it up in advance. He wasn’t quite sure what Nan and Dad expected Mr. Crowder to do, but he was pretty sure that being eleven years old exempted him from whatever it was. Besides, it wasn’t even as if Nan or Dad had to take him to Arkhad. There was a party going from the region. One of his teachers was the supervisor. All he had to do was present himself at the dock in Corrigar four days from now. He could get a lift with the Pastorio family. Their twins, Luna and Sala, had both been called for appointments just like him. It was a regular school day. If he left the house at the same time as usual he could be there and tested and safely on his way back before Dad and Nan even missed him.

  Who was going to notice him if he was in a party of thirteen other kids? Every one of them had psi potential. They all had close relatives who were psi-techs: parents, grandparents, uncles, or siblings. The talent ran in families. The megacorporations, the planetary government, and the Monitors all kept an eye on likely kids. They needed psi-techs as engineers, communications operatives, exozoologists, pilots, navigators, medics. Whatever his specialization turned out to be, he could apply for space-based work. He wanted to be a pilot, maybe rising through the ranks in the Monitors, or setting up colonies like Uncle Ben, or even captaining a survey vessel out in the uncharted territories, seeking out habitable worlds. If Uncle Ben was in trouble with the Trust he could apply to any one of the other megacorps. Arquavisa, Sterritt, Rodontee, and Eastin-Heigle all had offices on Chenon.

  Whatever Dad said, Ricky wasn’t going to miss out on the opportunity of a lifetime.

  But he wasn’t going to be totally stupid about it. He’d call Kai and tell him what he planned. He was keeping Kai’s secret. Kai was obliged to keep his.

  Later that night Ricky settled down in front of his screen. Dad was asleep in the chair upstairs in the living room, tired out from a day in the open air, as usual. Nan was in her office writing a message to her friend Lucy, who was back on Earth and who didn’t have an implant, so they still exchanged old-fashioned honest-to-goodness mail.

  The screen scanned him. “Hello, Ricky,” it said in a female voice. “What can I help you with this evening? I have the programs you asked for.”

  “Which ones?”

  “Megacorporation ships and logos.”

  “Later.”

  “I have a new documentary on the platinum conundrum.”

  “No.” Ricky knew all about the desperate need for platinum. Platinum was everywhere in the known galaxy, but it was usually only found in small quantities. A platinum prospector who found a large lode could get very rich very quickly. Perhaps if he didn’t set up colonies like Uncle Ben he could be a platinum prospector, but it was unlikely he’d ever get off-planet unless he made it to this appointment at the test center.

  “Call to Kai Benjamin,” he told the screen.

  “Kai is off-planet.”

  “I know. He’s on Tobar.”

  “Station time on Tobar is three a.m.”

  Ricky bit his lip. “Call him anyway.”

  It took a while for Kai to answer. When his face flashed onto the screen the angle was skewed, his eyes were red-rimmed, and his voice thick and drowsy.

  “Hey little brother, what’s up?”

  “I got called to Arkhad City for the fast track test.”

  “Great news, but did you need to ping me in the middle of the night?” He turned and spoke over his shoulder. “No, it’s okay, go back to sleep.”

  “Is someone there with you?”

  “No one you need worry about. Hang on a minute.” The picture spun as Kai sat up. Lights flared as he entered a room with a long table in the middle flanked by fixed benches. There were doors every couple of meters, lots of sleeping cabins, probably, but no one else was up and about.

  “Okay, we can talk now,” Kai said. “What’s up? You didn’t call me to tell me about the test. Is Uncle Ben all right?”

  “As far as I know. It is about the appointment, though. Dad and Nan don’t want me to go.” He was going to say it wasn’t fair, but was suddenly aware of how babyish that would sound.

  “Oh, I get it. You think you’re missing out.”

  “Well, yes. They think it could be dangerous.”

  “They might have a point.”

  Ricky shook his head. “You know how important the testing is.”

  “I guess, but Uncle Ben’s pretty savvy. I get back to Arkhad at the end of the month and Dad asked me to come home, but it’s finals. I have a couple of places where I can keep out of sight, though, just turn up to sit the papers and then disappear again.”

  “You’re taking all this seriously?”

  “So should you, little brother.” Kai always managed to make things sound reasonable.

  “Maybe.” Ricky scrubbed a hand through his tousled hair. “Thing is, Kai, I’m going. I can’t miss this chance. There’s an official supervised trip. All I have to do is turn up. My name’s already on the list. I can get a lift to the hub at Corrigar with the Pastorios.”

  “Don’t be dumb—”

  “I can’t miss out on this, but I figured that someone should know where I am.”

  “So you thought it was okay to get me into trouble with Nan and Dad?”

  “They can hardly blame you. There’s not much you can do to stop me.”

  “I can call Dad.”

  “I keep your secrets. You keep mine.”

  Kai frowned.

  “Besides,” Ricky continued, “I’m pretty sure Dad’s actually pleased I’ll miss out on the test and the fast track program. He’s never wanted me to try for the psi-techs. You know what he’s like about space.”

  “He’s always been like that, ever since his parents . . . well, you know.”

  Dad had been nine when his parents’ ship had been lost in the Folds.

  “Nan’s on your side, Ricky. Don’t forget what her job was before she gave it up to look after Dad and Uncle Ben.”

  “Yeah, a negotiator for the Five Power Alliance, I know. She made us sit down and drink tea.”

  Kai shook his head. “That’s pretty serious negotiation tactics. You don’t suppose she knows I turned down an implant, do you?”

  “She’s psi, an Empath. She always seems to know what’s going on. She hasn’t said anything, though.”

  “Good. Look, Ricky, if you’re intent on going to Arkhad, just don’t do anything to draw attention, right?”

 
“I’m only going to sit the test. I don’t think we’ll be in Arkhad for more than a couple of hours. By the time they know what I did I’ll be safely on my way home.” Ricky smiled.

  “How long do you figure they’ll ground you for?” Kai asked.

  “I don’t know.” Ricky bit his lower lip. “It’ll be worth it, though.”

  “Yeah, I suppose.” Kai looked over his shoulder again. “Coming,” he said.

  “You do have someone with you,” Ricky said.

  “Only my bunk-mate. We don’t get our own bedrooms, you know. This isn’t a hotel. It’s pretty cramped up here.”

  “Was that a girl’s voice I heard?”

  “Look, Ricky, it’s great talking to you, but I have an early class and I need some sleep. Let’s talk again soon, just you and me, huh?”

  “Yeah, that’d be great.”

  “Okay, then, take care of yourself and don’t get into trouble. I’ll call after your test, just to make sure you’ve arrived home safely. Okay?”

  “Yes, thanks. You’re a pal. Bye.”

  “Bye.”

  Kai’s face disappeared and Ricky felt better about what he was going to do.

  Chapter Ten

  FAMILY TROUBLE

  *NOT NOW, REMUS, PLEASE!*

  Kitty jerked awake, wondering where she was, saw the plain interior of Wes’ bedroom in the dim light from the holographic clock and tried to relax.

  Beside her Wes stirred and muttered something unintelligible before subsiding into sleep again.

  *Report!*

  Better get it over with.

  *There’s a Telepath called Jussaro turned up. Emil Jussaro, a Hollander. He’s got some kind of connection with Cara Carlinni from before Olyanda. I don’t know the details.*

  *Emil Jussaro. Noted. What else?*

  *Benjamin has employed the mercenaries van Blaiden took to Olyanda to run security for the Free Company on Crossways. The Trust sent a flotilla to try and retake Olyanda. They failed. Benjamin tangled with one of the Trust’s cruisers, the Simonides, dragged it into foldspace and out again. Dumped ship and crew fifteen days away from the nearest gate without casualties. Neat bit of flying.*