by Isaac Hooke
“My contact has, yes,” Surus said. “The vessel jumped from Qi Yu to Kuangshi. It’s an uncolonized system, though three Sino-Korean companies own mineral rights and have tiny processing bases operating on some of the outer moons. The Volare crossed the system and vanished at the far Slipstream.”
“So we follow him,” Rade said.
“One thing,” Surus said. “There isn’t supposed to be a jump Gate at that second Slipstream.”
“What do you mean?” Rade asked.
“The Sino-Koreans didn’t construct one,” Surus said. “Kuangshi is located at the furthest extents of their domain. They haven’t explored beyond it. Haven’t bothered.”
“So Zhidao obviously hired a Builder to construct a Gate at some point,” Rade said. “And when the Gate was done, he hid it somewhere.”
“That’s my guess as well,” Surus said. “Considering that the Slipstream orbits near a Super Earth. The planet would be the perfect place to hide the Gate. Plus, Kuangshi is a binary, and the Super Earth orbits on the far side of the second sun. It would be out of view of the Sino-Korean mining bases for two years at a time.”
“So let’s say we get to this system and pass through the Gate, assuming Zhidao hasn’t destroyed it behind him,” Tahoe said. “On the other side, if there’s no Gate to bring us back through the Slipstream, then we’re screwed.”
“Not necessarily,” Surus said. “I’ll arrange for a Builder vessel to arrive behind us. We might be stranded there for six months, but we will come back.”
“Six months,” Rade said. “We’ll be cut off from the InterGalNet, trapped in a system with an enemy Phant, without knowing what sort of surprises that Phant might have in store for us.”
“Going to be rough,” Bender said. “The cut-off-from-the-InterGalNet part, I mean. The rest I’m not too worried about.”
Tahoe nodded. “I’ll have to tell my family I’ll be out of touch for a while.”
“We could wait until the Builder arrives before we pass through?” Shaw suggested. “That way we’re sure it comes.”
“No,” Rade said. “Better that we go in and clear the system of the Phant first. Rather than allow the Builder to enter and become something else that we have to protect other than just our own hides.”
“I would suggest that whatever the Purple is planning, time is likely a critical factor,” Surus said.
“I agree,” Rade said. “Which is why I’m going to tell Snakeoil to prepare to leave. We begin our hunt for Zhidao tomorrow.”
“We’re not waiting until the Argonaut is repaired?” Tahoe asked.
“No,” Rade said. “We’re going to be passengers of the Motley Brown for a while longer.”
RADE SAT ON the bed beside Shaw after putting the twins to bed in the other room.
“We can’t bring the kids,” Shaw said.
Rade nodded. “I know. And I’m glad we’re on the same wavelength. It’s probably safest to leave them here, but I don’t think I could bear to be apart from them for so long. So I was thinking of bringing them all the way to Qi Yu, the last system before the mining outposts, and we’ll drop them off at one of the Sino-Korean stations there. I’m sure there’ll be a robot nursery somewhere. I’ll be sorry to see you go, but—”
“I’m going with you on this one,” Shaw said.
Rade was stunned. “But the kids…”
“I’ll miss them.” Her chin quivered for a moment, but she clamped down on whatever emotions she was feeling and suppressed the movement. “With all my heart. But I can’t leave you. I can’t bear it. Sil and Alex will have Cora and Dora. Years from now, when this is done, the kids won’t even remember I was gone. They’re not old enough for my absence to make much of a dent in their development.”
Rade’s eyes defocused as a distant memory of his own life intruded. His mother and father were ripped away from him when his parents lost the orange plantation. He found himself on the streets. So young. Too young.
“We could be gone for six months, or longer,” Rade said. “They’ll remember.”
“Only if we don’t come back,” Shaw said. “If you don’t come back. Which is why it’s so important I come with you.”
“Shaw, on previous missions you’ve been staying back...” Rade said.
“I know,” Shaw said. “But the kids are getting old enough now that I can start going with you again. My place is at your side. You can’t deny me. I’m a warrior’s wife.”
“And so you are,” Rade said. He stared at her lips for the longest time, and then looked up into her eyes, those orbs glistening in the dim light of their room. He felt desire stir deep inside of him, and he mashed his lips against hers.
“Oh Rade,” Shaw said from the edges of her mouth. “My big man.”
“Big in more ways than you can count,” Rade said.
“Oh I can count all right.” Shaw reached down and slipped her hand into his pants.
Rade froze as she gripped him.
“The question is, can you?” Shaw said coyly.
“Not anymore,” he said.
Shaw released him and Rade threw her on the bed.
Their love making that night was perhaps the fiercest it had been since they were reunited. And when they were done, Rade held her in his arms, held her tight, never wanting to let go. She rested her head on his chest, smiling contentedly.
“I’m glad we’re finally intimate again,” Shaw said. “That we don’t have guilt hanging over our heads. That our children are safe.”
“I am, too,” Rade said.
“We’re making the right choice,” Shaw continued. “Leaving the kids in Qi Yu. I’m making the right choice, coming with you.”
It sounded like she was saying the words more for her benefit than his. It didn’t matter. She would have to settle this with her conscience on her own terms. Because he knew the kids would be all right.
It was Shaw he was worried about.
He always believed he would lose her on a mission one day, just as he had lost many of his friends. In fact, he’d almost lost her long ago, when she was stranded on a planet eight thousand lightyears away from him, deep in Phant territory. But she found her way back to him.
He somehow doubted that if he lost her again, he would be so lucky.
Yes, this might be the mission that ripped her from his side forever.
thirteen
Rade bade a tearful farewell to his children and watched Shaw do the same. After listening to multiple promises and reassurances from Cora and Dora that the robots would take good care of the kids, he and Shaw finally made their way to the Motley Brown.
In the end, Rade and Shaw decided they didn’t want to risk bringing the kids into Sino-Korean territory, and chose instead to leave the children on the existing station. It seemed safer that way. It would add an extra month they would be away from the children, but it was also an extra layer of peace of mind. Rade couldn’t discount the possibility that Zhidao might ambush his team en route, and he definitely didn’t want the kids aboard for a repeat of the last encounter.
“That was a lot harder than I thought it would be,” Shaw said. “Saying goodbye…”
“Now you know how it always felt for me,” Rade said. “When I’d go off to war, leaving you at home.”
“But we never really got together until you were done in the MOTHs,” Shaw said.
“I know,” Rade said. “But it’s always felt like we were together. At least to me. Leaving Earth, the solar system behind, and knowing you were still back there, that I could die and never see you again… it was pretty hard.”
Shaw held his hand and squeezed tight. “No one’s going to die this time.”
Rade nodded slowly.
The pair met up with the other Argonauts aboard the Motley Brown and resumed their previous rooming arrangements. Harlequin bunked with Surus, Tahoe, and Lui, while the seven combat robots—Algorithm, Brat, Ernie, Formaldehyde, Grumpy, Humpty, and Ulysses—took a storage unit not far from
the closet where Rade and Shaw stayed.
Snakeoil sold a spare shuttle to clear out one of his hangar bays, in anticipation of the mechs Surus planned to buy for the team in one of the coming Sino-Korean systems.
Over the next few weeks, the Motley Brown took different Gates deeper into the outskirts of Sino-Korean territory, passing through the Da Haui Shou and Zhanshi systems. In Qi Yu system, they headed toward a space station to stock up on supplies.
“Gotta love these Sino-Korean names,” Bender said at one point while they ate together in the wardroom. “We have Da Hot Shoe! Banshee! And the Pussy system!”
“How’d you get Pussy out of Qi Yu?” Manic asked.
“Dude, you’re pronouncing it wrong,” Bender said. “It’s Poo See, not kung fu or whatever you said.”
“Everything is pussy to you,” Manic said.
“In fact, you’re right,” Bender agreed.
The serving robot came inside. Snakeoil employed a full-blown Artificial, cast in the image of a go-go dancer replete with short skirt and cleavage hugging top. Snakeoil had named her Beebee.
“How’s it tasting?” Beebee said all excitedly, as if her question was the most amazingly fantastic thing in the galaxy.
“Great!” Bender said, all smiles.
Beebee grinned at him, and walked away, swaying her hips. She vanished into the galley.
Bender leaned toward Manic, lowered his voice, and imitated the Artificial: “How’s my pussy tasting?”
Manic spurted out his drink onto the table and started coughing.
“Gonna be all right, bro?” Tahoe asked him.
Manic finally got himself under control. “Yeah. That was a good one.”
Bender was all smiles. “Be careful when you drink in my presence.”
“Yeah.” Manic leaned forward and licked up the liquid he’d spurted onto the table.
“Eww!” Fret said. “That’s nasty.”
“Mm-hmm!” Bender said. “Predigested liquid meals. Can’t go wrong!”
Manic shrugged. “Hate to see it go to waste.”
“Hey Fret,” Bender said. “He’s getting in some practice later for when you and him are alone. You’ll be feeding him some of your own predigested liquids, if you know what I mean!”
“Actually I don’t,” Fret said.
“Yeah you do.” Bender downed his own shake. “Anyway, I’d love to stay and chat with you bitches, but I got a hot Artificial to pick up!” He rose from the table, squeezing past the chairs to head for the galley.
“You know she’s a serving robot not a flesh whisperer, right?” Manic called after him.
“Same difference!” Bender said. “Why do you think Snakeoil purchased her? She’s obviously here to service the crew!” He winked, and vanished into the galley.
Manic leaned forward, grinning conspiratorially. “Watch this.”
A moment later Bender’s scream drifted from the galley. “Yow!”
Bender ran out; swollen red marks formed a grille over half his face where a hot skillet had slammed into the skin.
“Hey Bender, how’d the pick up go?” Manic said.
“Shut it!” Bender rushed toward the exit.
“Love the new skillet tattoo by the way,” Manic called after him.
Bender dashed from the compartment without a word more, no doubt headed for sickbay.
“What did you do, you rascal you?” TJ asked.
“Nothing.” Manic shrugged. “Okay fine. I may have disabled Beebee’s Machine Constitution.” That was the innate moral code hardwired into civilian robots. It prevented them from harming humans.
“You know that’s illegal,” Harlequin said. He was present at the meal for the camaraderie, not to eat.
“Yes, but it just goes to show you how robots would treat Bender if their programming didn’t prevent them from harming him,” Manic said.
“You know that Bender will be having a little talk with you later, don’t you?” TJ said. “And it won’t be a friendly one.”
Manic grinned. “I heartily look forward to it.”
The next day Rade spotted Manic in the gym. He had grille marks along the right side of his face that were a mirror image to the wounds that had marred Bender the day before.
“Hey boss,” Manic said. He started a one-armed dumbbell row set. He was lifting seventy kilograms. That was well above what Shaw weighed.
“You and Bender had your talk, I see,” Rade said.
“Yep,” Manic said. “We worked out our differences.”
“You didn’t see the Weavers to get that healed up yet?” Rade asked.
“Nope,” Manic said. He continued doing his dumbbell row.
“Why not?” Rade said.
“Shaw caught us,” Manic told him. “She said we weren’t going to get paid for the month unless we waited a full two days to seek treatment in sickbay.”
Rade nodded. “Seems an appropriate punishment.”
Manic finished his set and dropped the weight. It hit with a resounding thud.
A robot attendant quickly dashed forward to scold him. “Don’t drop the weights!”
“Uh huh,” Manic turned his back on the robot.
The robot swiveled around in front of him to accost him again. “Don’t drop the weights!”
“I didn’t drop it,” Manic said.
“You did,” the attendant complained. “I saw you. And I heard the impact.”
Manic grinned. “It slipped by mistake. Won’t happen again.”
“You said that last time,” the attendant told him.
“Well, you won’t let me use chalk,” Manic said. “So it’s kind of your fault.”
The attendant hovered a moment longer, then seemed to stalk away.
Manic was about to start his next set, but Rade sat down with him.
“About Bender…” Rade said. “We need to stay focused. We can’t be fighting each other all the time.”
“We’re ex-MOTHs,” Manic said. “We got a lot of excess testosterone. And we’re very competitive. We can’t help it if we tussle now and then.”
Rade knew very well what Manic was talking about. Back during his Team days, between missions, Rade and his crew would always beat the crap out of each other. It didn’t matter where they were. In the car. In a club. On base. He had more than a few disciplinary actions thrown his way in his day. But they had always behaved where it counted: on missions, approaching military operations with the laser sharp focus only men of their training could.
“I understand,” Rade said. “But I can’t have you two hurting each other every day. Save your energy for Zhidao.”
Manic nodded. “I think we got it out, now. Should be smooth sailing here on out.”
“Good,” Rade said.
He was about to get up, when Manic spoke again.
“What’s it like, Boss?” Manic said.
“What like?” Rade asked.
“Having the girl you love onboard?” Manic said. “And I mean not just onboard the same ship as you, but your life. Behind you every step of the way.”
Rade paused to consider. “It’s… everything I ever wanted, really. But it’s also nerve racking. When I go on missions with her, I can’t help but wonder, will I lose her forever?” He studied Manic for a moment. “Why do you ask?”
“I have a girl, back on Earth,” Manic said. “She’s the father of my kid.”
“Mother, you mean,” Rade said.
“Er, yeah,” Manic said. “Anyway, she wants to get with me. But she’s not onboard with my lifestyle. Says we can’t be together unless I quit.”
“Is that what you want?” Rade asked.
“To be with her, yes,” Manic said. “To quit, no. I could never give up this life. Sure, right now at this very moment, it’s crap. In between the missions it always is. But when the fighting starts, and the alien bugs start landing in the frying pan, that’s what I live for.”
“Then I don’t have an answer for you,” Rade said. “Other th
an, you’re doing the right thing. If she can’t support your choice of life, then she doesn’t belong in it.”
“Yeah, but I also want to raise my kid,” Manic said. “Like you. I’m wondering if maybe I can convince her to give him up for half the year.”
Rade gazed at his friend somberly. “That’s a double-edged sword, Manic. Why do you think I’m leaving them behind for this op? You see all the trouble I’ve gotten into by trying to raise kids aboard a starship? The danger I’ve put them in?”
“Yeah sure,” Manic said. “But I’ve also seen the joy you get from them. And the joy you give them. I want to give the same joy to my kid.”
“You’re asking for my permission to let you bring your kid aboard after this mission?” Rade asked.
“If I can convince Molly,” Manic said. “Which is a big if. Plus I have to convince my kid as well.”
“Molly and Manic.” Rade smiled faintly. “Well, Alex and Sil could use some actual human company, I suppose. I’d have to ask Shaw, but I don’t see why not.”
“All right, thank you, Boss,” Manic said. “Hold back telling Shaw anything for now. Because in all honesty, I doubt Molly will give up the rights. Even for half a year.”
Rade nodded slowly. “It would be best if you could convince Molly to come as well. Because think about it. Look at how long it takes us to travel between planets, and how far our missions take us from Earth. A sharing arrangement won’t really work under those circumstances. It has to be all or nothing, I think.”
Manic sighed. “Then nothing it probably is. Like I said, don’t say anything to Shaw.”
“Understood,” Rade said. “Have a good workout.”
“You too.”
fourteen
During the long journey, Rade had Snakeoil take steps to secure the AI core of the Motley Brown against Phant possession. Rade wanted to be prepared for anything. Surus shared the plans for the necessary core shielding, and Snakeoil utilized the 3D printers he had on board to create the designs. Bender and TJ helped install it.
They finally reached the space station in Qi Yu. There a mech dealer carried several United Systems military models, and Rade helped Surus negotiate a good deal on some refurbished Hoplites with blank AI cores. She purchased ten, one for each of the Argonauts including Harlequin.
