by Cary Caffrey
Leta looked embarrassed. "Um…no, not that picture; the other one." Leta reached over and flipped the image to the second photo she'd seen just a moment before.
Suko's jaw dropped open, and she sat back in the chair, staring at the evocative photo Sigrid had attached. "Wow…"
"I know!" Leta leaned over her shoulder to admire the photo. "Perhaps I should leave you two alone."
Suko didn't answer. She was immersed in the picture. Leta laughed as she let herself out.
* * *
Two Kimura transports stood on station atop the shimmering glacier, ready to take twenty-one girls to their new assignments. Snow had fallen during the night and the wind whipped the light dusting of powder across the ice. Suko stood by the wide landing platforms, saying her goodbyes to each of the girls as they boarded the waiting ships. She was sad to see them go—well, most of them. The years of being at odds with some of the girls over their bullying had left some permanent scars.
Suko had been offered two contracts, but she'd chosen to stay at the Academy as an instructor. She was far from eager to head off into space on some perceived adventure. She felt no love for Kimura, but she did want to stay with the new girls. There was something about them; it wasn't that she wanted to protect them as such, but there was a bond there; a bond that wasn't rational or logical, but she felt it nonetheless.
This was where she wanted to be. If Sigrid wanted to find her, she would look here first, and so Suko would bide her time at the Academy.
Leta dropped her duffel at her side, lifted Suko in her arms, and gave her a tremendous hug, expelling all the air from her lungs.
"Gah—careful! The…ribs…" Suko gasped as Leta released her grip.
"I'm going to miss you, Suko."
"I can't believe they're sending you to the Naval Academy on Crucis," Suko said, with a little envy. Kimura had assigned Leta and six other girls to the Mercenary Naval Academy; there, the girls would go into officers' training to learn ships' systems and tactics. It was a much sought after position.
"I know, it's unreal," Leta said.
Suko could see how happy she was. Leta loved to fly. Then suddenly, the smile faded from her face. She touched Suko's cheek with her hand, wiping away a stray tear with her thumb. "She loves you, Suko. She'll come back."
"Or I'll go find her."
Leta glanced around quickly, but there was no one in earshot. She gave Suko a cautionary frown. "Don't do anything foolish. This…you don't just leave a job like this. They won't let you."
"I know. I'll be careful." Suko registered the obvious concern on Leta's face. She smiled and swatted her on her rear. "I said I'll be careful. Now get—go to your ship. They're waiting for you."
Sure enough, they could hear the thrusters of the transports firing up behind them. The Academy girls shared their parting moments: some with other girls; others said polite goodbyes to their instructors; and then there were the fond farewells to the Mercenary boys who'd captured their affections.
Leta kissed Suko hard on the lips and gave her one last rib-cracking hug. "See you 'round, Suko." Tears welled in her eyes as she snatched up her duffel and headed to the ship. Suko didn't leave until all the girls were on board and the transports had blasted their way up into the morning sunlight and out of sight.
Seven other girls stood nearby staring up at the heavens.
* * *
April 8, 2348
Crucis Prime was a small red rock that traced a distant orbit around the binary stars of Alpha Crucis. Unlike the other planets in the Federation, Crucis had no habitable atmosphere. What it did have was a vast treasure-trove of resources. Rich in minerals and energy, Crucis had quickly become one of the more vital and active trading hubs in Federation Space.
Vincenze Station had grown in magnitude over the years. A few decades earlier it had been little more than a floating tin can in space, serving as a docking hub for the mining and engineering crews who descended to strip the planet clean of everything it had to offer. Over time, different companies had arrived, adding more modules to the station as they were needed. There had never been any formal plans for the station's expansion, thus it resembled a random nightmare of twisted metal and modular construction.
"Ugly," Sigrid remarked, as she viewed the station from her position on the bridge.
The Lady Hitomi snickered behind her. "Any word on docking clearance?"
"None yet, Milady," Christian told her. "They're asking us to hold. They say it might be a few days before they can accommodate us."
"No doubt," Sigrid said. In front of them, spread out in the space, were fifty-six ships. Most were small, but there were several large warships: destroyers, cruisers, even several hulking battleships and troop carriers, all flying different Mercenary banners. The surrounding space was so crowded with ships and shuttles it seemed a miracle to Sigrid that they weren't all smashing into one another.
Hitomi scowled at the floating chaos in front of her. "Put me on. I want to speak to the Dock Controller."
"Yes, Milady," Karen said, and in a moment the forward monitor filled with the image of a tired and haggard-looking old gentleman. The collar of his uniform was pulled loose; he didn't look as if he'd shaved in days. Dark circles ringed his eyes.
"I told you I'd get to you as soon as we could. We've got a tremendous amount of traffic to deal—"
"This is the Lady Kimura Hitomi. We're requesting immediate priority clearance for docking. I trust that you can find your way to accommodating our small ship. I'm sure there must be someone willing to give up a spot. They will be compensated for their inconvenience, of course."
Sigrid stifled a laugh as the jaw on the Controller's face dropped. "Milady—of course, of course." His hands flitted over his console, his eyes frantically scanned the data in front of him. "We can accommodate you directly—no compensation required. I'll send the coordinates right away. Rooms for you and your crew will be prepared immediately."
"I thank you, but that won't be necessary. We won't be staying long." She signaled to Ensign McTeer and terminated the call. "Nice to know I still have some pull here. Now, let's go see what's going on. You have the coordinates yet?" she asked the navigator.
"Yes, ma'am," Ensign Greenway said from her station. "Docking bay thirty-seven."
"Take us in, Mr. Lopez," Sigrid said.
"Aye, ma'am."
Christian set to his task. Sigrid sensed the rise in his adrenalin. He'd need to take the ship in manually, maneuvering carefully between the waiting ships, all the while dodging the shuttles and service vehicles that crisscrossed their path.
He cleared his throat. "Sure you don't want to hire a docking pilot for this?"
"You'll be fine, Lieutenant." She gave what she hoped was a reassuring pat to his shoulder, and stepped back to let him concentrate on his task.
Christian pushed the thrusters forward, moving the ship faster through the traffic. Sigrid held her breath, watching—he sweated with the effort of juggling the unfamiliar controls—but she noted that the Lady Hitomi remained perfectly calm during the whole process. Despite a near miss or two, Christian's only gaffe was on his first attempt at aligning the ship with the station's docking ring; he missed it by a full meter. The sound of metal scraping against metal reverberated the length of ship.
"Sorry," he said, wincing.
Sigrid couldn't help but wince too. That would cost her. On his second attempt, all the lights flicked to green on the panel before her; they were docked.
"You have the ship, Mr. Lopez." Turning to Hitomi, she gestured to the door behind them. "Milady…"
"After you."
Sigrid led them out onto the docking platform. It was a wide ring that circled the entire station. Built in sections and sealed off from the station and the individual berths, the docking ring was lined almost entirely with glass, affording a spectacular view of the station and surrounding space.
Hitomi wheeled herself out behind Sigrid, flanked by four of her security c
ontingent. Sigrid was surprised to see the Station Administrator himself come out to the platform to greet them. One of the dock workers stepped forward to scan the identification chip Sigrid wore pinned to her collar, but the dock-master slapped the man's hand away.
"That won't be necessary." He scurried past them both, hurrying to the Lady Hitomi's side. "Milady, it is both a pleasure and an honor to have you with us again. You should have announced your intentions—we could have prepared—"
"I was hoping to avoid a fuss, but there is something you can do for me."
"Anything, Milady…"
Hitomi handed a pad to him. "There are some people I was hoping to meet with. If you could track them down for me, that would save us a great deal of time and trouble."
"Of course. Right away." He handed the pad to his assistant behind him. "If you'll come this way, we can take care of this immediately."
* * *
The Station Administrator could only find one of the people on Lady Hitomi's list: Lt. Commander Selene Tseng, ex-Senior Officer of the Tarsus Mercenary Group. She was still in residence on the station. As a senior member of the disbanded group, she'd been saddled with much of the blame for the blundered operation against Kimura on Alcyone. Consequently, she'd been virtually blacklisted, and no other company had deemed to hire her. Doing so would have been considered a major affront to both Kimura and the Mercenary Guild itself.
They tracked her down in one of the many dockside pubs that were favored spots on Vincenze. These were the places where most of the freighter captains conducted business—even some of the mercenary leaders could be found here. Sigrid scanned her, confirming her identification in her database. Selene wore a casual jacket and pants, with the high, buckled boots common aboard ships. She wore no rank insignia or any mercenary colors, but then, the Guild had seen to strip her of her rank and status when the Tarsus Group had been disbanded.
Seeing them approach, Selene made to rise from her seat in the corner booth, but Sigrid slid quickly into the seat next to her. Selene had little choice but to sit back down. She reached for the pistol at her side, only to find an empty holster. She gasped. The weapon was gone.
Sigrid held the pistol out for her, handle first.
"Ah, Ms. Tseng," Hitomi said pleasantly as she joined them. "Just the woman I was looking for. I was hoping we might have a word."
Selene eyed Sigrid warily, but she took the proffered weapon and slipped it back into the holster at her side. She sighed resignedly. "Well, I suppose it was just a matter of time," she said, reaching for her steaming mug of black coffee. "What can I do for you ladies?"
The Lady Hitomi leaned forward, as calm and pleasant as always; there was no attempt at intimidation, although the four security personnel nearby served that purpose adequately.
"We want to know who hired Tarsus. We want to know who sent you after our girls—and why."
Selene blew on her coffee and took a careful sip. "I have no idea."
As Selene spoke, Sigrid's sensory modules took note of her reactions. Her pulse was slightly elevated, and there was the briefest spike in her blood pressure.
"She's lying, Mistress," Sigrid said.
Selene's eyes shot to Sigrid.
"And lies can have consequences," Hitomi said, softly.
Selene considered the young girl at her side—how she glared at her with such intensity. She shrugged and put her coffee on the table. "I don't suppose there's any harm in it now. It was a man. He hired us to take the girls. He was willing to pay…a lot. I only ever saw him once. Karl worked for him on a number of occasions. He had money, and Karl needed the work. I never got his name."
"And you never inquired as to his identity?"
"Of course. Karl asked him every time they met. He was, however, not forthcoming in the matter."
"Of course."
"She's still lying," Sigrid said, rising with indignation. Hitomi placed a cautioning hand on Sigrid's, and eased her back into her chair. "At least, she's not telling you everything, Mistress."
Selene studied Sigrid closely, and nodded. "Fair enough—I tried to scan him once, but…"
Hitomi raised an eyebrow, waiting. "But…?"
Lt. Commander Tseng reached into her pocket and pulled out a small data chip. Hitomi snapped her fingers and one of her security men came forward to hand her a pad. Hitomi unfolded it and placed the chip on top of the screen to download the data. Displayed there was an image of a man sitting in a booth similar to the one they were in now. The image was crystal clear, showing everything in perfect detail—except for the man; he was totally blurred and pixilated.
"He must have been wearing a jammer," Selene offered.
"Expensive," Hitomi said. "I guess he really didn't want you to know."
Sigrid had heard of the devices; the jammers could scramble any electronic attempt at scanning the individual who wore the device. Jammers were very rare, very illegal, and very, very expensive.
Selene took another sip from her coffee. "Sorry I wasted your time."
"Not at all. We will, of course, compensate you for your time." She slid the pad across to Selene; Sigrid took note of the generous sum that Hitomi was offering her. Selene barely acknowledged the amount, but reached forward and pressed her thumb to the pad.
"One last question," Lady Hitomi said. "Major Tarsus—have you heard from the man recently? We'd love to talk to him, for obvious reasons."
Sigrid watched Selene open her mouth to answer; she felt the woman's pulse quicken, but then Selene paused and looked directly at Sigrid. "About two months ago, he was headed for Eridani looking to get something together, but I haven't heard since."
"Lying," Sigrid said.
Selene sighed. "All right, I did hear from him. He took a job working freight with an Independent—"
"Lying."
Selene sloshed her coffee down hard on the table. "Stop that! I am not lying."
"You're totally lying—she's lying."
"All right!" Selene frowned, then glared at Sigrid. "We were supposed to meet on Bellatrix a month ago, but he never showed. I made some inquiries. There were men looking for him. Not surprising—the Major has made a few enemies over the years. I don't think it's much of a stretch to think that someone may have wanted to see harm to him. Frankly, I assumed you were the ones after him."
"Where? Where did he go?" Hitomi asked.
"Gliese. At least, that's what I heard."
"And you didn't go after him?"
Selene shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "I couldn't afford the transport. I've been stuck here since Alcyone."
Sigrid nodded satisfied. "True."
"That's a nice trick," Selene said. "That thing you do—walking lie detector."
"She's a girl of many talents," Hitomi said.
"No doubt…"
Hitomi smiled. "It is a simple thing to monitor pulse, blood pressure, subtle changes in the dryness of the mouth and skin…"
Selene continued to eye Sigrid warily. "But she never touched me. How can you…?"
Sigrid was about to answer, but Hitomi stopped her, answering instead. "We girls have to have some secrets."
"We heard stories about you girls," Selene said. "After the operation went south…they said you were dangerous—some kind of experiment. They said you were a threat to the Federation."
"Dangerous? My, how people talk."
Selene took another drink from her mug. "I'm just saying, that's what I heard."
"And you believed it?"
Selene laughed, spewing out a mouthful of coffee. "Of course not. Men will always feel threatened by anything they can't dominate. And a pretty woman who can kick their ass…why, that might be the biggest threat of all."
"Interesting observation."
"So tell me, is it true—what they can do?"
"Difficult to say when I don't know what it is that you mean," Hitomi answered, innocently.
"I know what ship you came in on. It wasn't long ago that the Morrigan w
as registered to Dalair. One minute Oslov's heading off to collect on some bounty; the next thing I know, here comes the Morrigan, returning not under the Dalair banner—not even the Kimura—but as an Independent, and registered to a seventeen-year-old girl."
"I'm eighteen!" Sigrid said, indignantly.
"I heard about what you did. I heard how you took that ship."
Hitomi looked at Selene. "And just how is it that you came by this information?"
"I still have friends. There's a lot I hear, and there's a lot they'll tell a girl on her own in a bar here after a few drinks."
"And just what is this information going to cost us?" Hitomi asked. "There's no need to play us, Ms. Tseng. As I said before, I'm more than willing to compensate you."
"It's not money I need—well, that too. I need a job."
This time, it was the Lady Hitomi who showed surprise. "A job? You would work for us, even after—"
"That was just a contract. It was nothing personal. I told Tarsus he was biting the wrong leg on that one. There's been a lot of gossip about Kimura and those girls of yours—even with all the trouble brewing with the Independents. I want in. I want to see what all the fuss is about."
"And this would have nothing to do with the rumor about the bounty…"
"Oh, the rumor's real," Selene said. "But I don't care about that. You have a ship and I'm the best pilot there is."
Hitomi raised her eyebrows at the declaration. "Best pilot not under contract?"
"The best."
"It's her ship, Ms. Tseng," Hitomi said, pointing to Sigrid. "I think she's the one you need to impress."
Selene sat back and looked directly at Sigrid, clasping hands behind head and kicking her legs out under the table. She exuded a cocky confidence—every inch a hotshot pilot.
Sigrid scanned the woman very carefully. Her words had been bold, but she could sense no attempt at deception. The woman was supremely confident of her skills, and prepared to back up her boast. Sigrid wondered how Christian would feel if she replaced him at the helm—probably relieved.
