A saffron dawn crept up the horizon to bathe the shadowy waters of Hataori Harbor in a warm glow, then spread across the city below until it touched Nika’s skin. She drank in the light and the warmth in equal measure.
The last several hours had blurred into one another. The destruction of the Platform altered the calculus of their escape, and in the end they’d never left Mirai Tower. Once they controlled it, it became the safest place to huddle up and figure out how to face the chaos they’d played a large part in creating. Also, until order and a clear chain of command within the Justice Division was reestablished, the streets would remain dangerous for all of them.
Members of NOIR who had scattered during and after the attack on The Chalet arrived in groups to guard the entrance below and treat the injured. She didn’t know if Joaquim or Perrin had asked them to come, or if they’d seen the Platform fall out of the sky and acted on their own initiative, but the sight of them here filled her with joy and fierce pride.
Dawn was becoming daylight when the door to the deck opened and Perrin peeked out. “Nika?”
The cocktail dress she’d arrived wearing, amid a tornado of hugs and exclamations minutes after the Platform’s destruction, was gone. Someone must have brought her a change of clothes, and she now wore a pair of heather leggings and an oversized powder-blue sweater.
Nika waved her out onto the deck. “Is everything all right?”
“Stars if I know. No one’s shot at us in at least an hour, so that’s a positive. Though, I passed Joaquim and Dashiel on the way up, and they were standing there drinking juice and calmly talking to each other, so it’s possible I bumped my head sometime during the night and this is all a hallucination.”
“You and me both. Great work tonight, by the way.”
“Me? I just went to a fancy cocktail party. You stormed the castle, rescued our boys and took down the Guides.”
“Well, sort of. Dashiel and Joaquim basically rescued themselves. We merely cleared the escape route for them.”
“I doubt ‘merely’ covers it. Listen, I realize you’re going on stage in a few minutes, but first, there’s someone here who badly wants to see you. And for the record, she’s wonderful.”
Before Nika could respond, Perrin spun around and hurried back to the door. A woman stepped out as Perrin reached it, and they shared a brief, murmured exchange before Perrin slipped inside.
The woman stared at her for several seconds wearing a strikingly poignant expression. Finally she approached the railing, only to stop a few meters away. “Nika, my goodness. I worried I would never see you again—I’m sorry, I realize you don’t remember. I’m—”
Nika closed half the distance between them. “Maris. I do remember…some things. Bits and pieces.” Another step, and she took the woman’s hands in hers. “I remember that you were my friend, and for such a very long time. Longer than seems possible. I’m not quite the same person I was, but I hope we can be friends again.”
Maris’ lips parted. “I would like that so, so much. Though I would never dare try to take Perrin’s place beside you. She’s wonderful. An absolute delight.”
“She is. Of course, she said the same thing about you. I suppose an ability to choose my friends well didn’t get erased in the psyche-wipe.”
“I hear it’s not the only thing—”
Dashiel stuck his head out the door, a broad smile breaking across his face. “Now this is a welcome sight for my tired eyes. I hate to interrupt the reunion, but Adlai says we need to broadcast soon.”
Maris gestured toward Dashiel. “Shall we, then?”
“You’ll stand with us?”
“Oh, yes. And I brought some friends.”
Drone cams buzzed around everyone who had gathered in the conference room. Most of the people were strangers to Nika, but they all knew her…and she was starting to make her peace with that.
Those who had come here needed a leader and a beacon as much as those watching the drones’ feed across the Dominion did. They needed a voice.
Rebel, diplomat, rebel once more and now both at once. Though too many pieces remained missing for her to fully understand the how and why, she was also starting to accept another truth: she had always been that voice. Time to step up and become it again.
“Live broadcast in 3…2…1….”
She faced the cams. “Good morning, afternoon and evening. Wherever you’re located, the world looks a little different now than it did a few short hours ago. You have questions, and I’ll try to answer them where I can. But many of the answers, we will have to find together.
“My name is Nika Tescarav. Or Kirumase if you prefer, it doesn’t matter. What does matter is that I’m not alone, and neither are you. Standing here with me are the greater weight of your Advisors. Not the Guides’ Advisors—your Advisors.
“We’re reaching out to you today because our beloved Asterion Dominion is in grave danger, and we need your help to save it.”
THE
STARS
LIKE
GODS
ASTERION NOIR BOOK 3
CONTENTS
* * *
LATENCY
CHMOD
ALIASES
NESTED ARGUMENTS
READ/WRITE/EXEC
CHECKSUM
MULTITHREADING
ROOT ACCESS
LATENCY
240,000 YEARS AGO
* * *
MIRAI
Nika Kirumase settled onto a cushioned chaise beside the railing as the yacht’s bow cut into the crest of a wave, sending a misty spray of cool water over her and the port side of the deck.
She wiped her face dry before responding. “Yes, we are pretty damn good at governing ourselves. But the fact remains that with the addition of a third colonized world, we risk descending into a quagmire of endless squabbling driven by conflicting priorities. Worse, we risk drifting apart from one another. To be strong—to protect ourselves—we need to remain united. As distasteful as it is to all of us, this means a pan-world governing body.”
Charles Basquan returned from the bar, his hands full, and passed out frozen lime vodka cocktails to everyone onboard. “Not a whole government, though. Just a council of sorts, don’t you think? A small body to decide issues affecting more than one of our planets. I wouldn’t expect it to be a full-time job for those who serve on it.”
Maris Debray nudged Nika’s feet to the side and draped herself across the bottom half of the chaise, despite the two additional chaises waiting unoccupied elsewhere on the deck. “Charles, I admire your optimism—and your yacht, by the way, this is fabulous—but put two or more people in a room together and grant them the power to make decisions, and bureaucracy is as inevitable an outcome as sex.” She sipped on her drink. “Still, it is needed.”
Nika fought to reclaim a portion of the chaise for herself. “The sex, or the bureaucracy?”
“The government, my dear.”
“Oh, right.”
“And a military.” Lance Palmer stood stiffly by the outer wall of the main cabin, holding his cocktail between two fingers like it was a contaminated lab specimen. “If I may interject, I assume this is where I give a speech on how the universe is an incomprehensibly dangerous place, and we need to be prepared to defend all our colonies against any number and variety of threats we might encounter. Which we aren’t. Prepared, that is.”
“How about we enter your statement for the record instead. You’re not wrong, Lance, but it’s a conversation for another day.” Nika gave up the fight for ownership of the precious chaise real estate and swung her feet onto the deck. “Do any of us want to serve on this council?”
Charles scoffed. “I cannot think of a single worse notion than slaving myself to the whims of the populace.”
“Give the populace a little credit. They’ve done rather well for themselves so far.”
“You serve on it, then. Actually, now that I consider the idea, you’re perfect for the job.”
&
nbsp; Nika studied her drink. He wasn’t wrong…but like Charles, she suspected she’d chafe under the artificial constraints certain to accompany the position. She shook her head. “I have too much wanderlust to tie myself to a government desk job.”
“But if it’s only part-time—”
“No, Maris is correct about the bureaucracy. I am, however, willing to take point on organizing the creation of this council.”
“Great. Being off the hook as I now am, I’m getting another drink.” Charles disappeared into the main cabin.
Nika shot his back an annoyed look but raised her voice so he could still hear her from inside. “I think it goes without saying that, even if we’re not official appointees, all of us should plan on supporting whomever is chosen. We’ll owe it to them to step up and advise them on issues where we have particular expertise.” No one objected, so she kept going. “What are we talking about here? A single representative from each of Synra, Mirai and Namino?”
Charles wandered back onto the deck, drink in hand, and collapsed onto one of the empty chaises. “I really don’t think we need anything more complicated, at least to start.”
Maris poked Nika’s leg with a painted toe. “Ana would be a great choice.”
Lance gave up scrutinizing his drink to frown. “Who?”
“Anavosa Kelaine. She’s practically the mayor of Mirai One already. Smart, pragmatic but principled. Maris is right. She’d be a good choice.”
“I adore it when you talk dirty to me.”
She soft-punched Maris in the thigh. “You wish. What about for Synra?”
Blake Satair, who had been quietly brooding on the opposite side of the deck until now, perked up. “Luciene Toskav.”
Nika groaned. “He’s an ass.”
“Yes, but an ass who gets things done. When so many people abandoned Synra for the—” Blake scowled at the lovely, powder-blue afternoon sky “—allegedly nicer climate of Mirai, Synra’s societal infrastructure began to fall apart. Luciene stepped in, restored order and gave purpose to those who remained.”
Nika had heard plenty of rumors implying the tactics Luciene had employed to do so bordered on the unsavory. But it was true he had probably saved Synra. Ends and means.
She regarded Blake skeptically. “I’m surprised you don’t want the job.”
“Oh, I do. But I’m a man of action. I prefer to be on the streets, making a difference on a daily basis outside of the, yes, inevitable bureaucracy.”
Frankly, she was relieved. He was far too much of a zealot to be entrusted with the keys to the kingdom. During the SAI Rebellion, he’d exhibited a troubling absolutism which veered toward blind narcissism. He and Steven had clashed regularly and had come to blows twice in the dark final days of the doomed rebellion.
Steven…she gazed out at the sparkling waters of Hataori Harbor, letting a pang of wistfulness drift over her. She still felt his absence sometimes—times like this—many millennia later. A long string of lovers stretched from this morning back to mere months after he…she hesitated over the word, even in her mind. Sunsetted. But they all were and had been exactly that: lovers, never confidants or kindred spirits. Never soulmates.
She took a quick sip of her drink then peered up at one of them. Grant Mesahle lounged atop the pilothouse with his legs dangling over the edge of the glass enclosure. “And Namino? Grant, you’ve claimed it as your home. Any ideas?”
He hesitated long enough to brush wind-blown hair out of his face. “Jose Ruiz or Iovimer Ballard. They’ve both been deeply involved in the colony buildout. Iovimer in particular has made resources materialize out of thin air at the exact time and place they’re needed. Man’s a magician.”
Nika brought her glass to her lips again, only to find it empty. She stood to go refill it, then spun around. “Maris, do not—”
But Maris had already stretched out along the full length of the chaise with a luxurious sigh.
“Best be careful. I might just flip you off into the water when I get back.”
“That would be an adventure, too.”
Nika rolled her eyes and headed for the bar. “We ought to brainstorm a few more names for each world, then we can submit the slate to the people for a vote. Obviously, we’ll ask the nominees for their permission first.”
“They’d be crazy not to want to serve.”
She glanced over her shoulder at Blake. “Are you saying we’re all crazy?”
Charles snorted. “Oh, without a doubt.”
It was true enough, she mused as she refilled her glass. You didn’t live for 460,000 years without going a little bonkers in the head.
Nika returned to the deck and considered her options, then headed for the far end of the bow to rest against the railings where they met. From this vantage, the afternoon sun bathed her in a warm, welcoming glow.
Maris raised her hand in the air, though she didn’t sit up. “I am the last person to impose a bit of sobriety on the conversation, but I feel as if a question needs to be asked before we proceed any further down this path. Are we willing to subordinate ourselves to this council? To obey their directives even when they don’t suit us?”
She shrugged. “So long as they act justly and fairly, I think we should. That’s what having a government means.”
“And if they don’t act justly and fairly?”
Nika jumped as a frigid wave crashed into her back. “Well, it’s not like we haven’t rebelled before.”
CHMOD
DAYS UNTIL RASU DEADLINE: 27
1
* * *
PRESENT DAY
MIRAI JUSTICE CENTER
“Conspiracy to commit murder resulting in final death of an Asterion, 24,600 counts. Conspiracy to commit kidnapping, 21,820 counts. Aggravated kidnapping, same. Unauthorized psyche wipe, two counts. Aggravated unauthorized psyche tampering, four counts. Abuse of power. Treason. Violation of Charter provisions I 14.103, I 56.888, III 24.046, III 24.105, V 2.018 and V 106.241.”
Adlai Weiss leaned back in his chair and rubbed at his face. “Have I missed anything?”
The other three Justice Advisors sitting at the table with him fidgeted uncomfortably. Blake Satair was not among them, on account of being confined in a maximum-security cell pending the formal filing of a list of charges not much shorter than those they would soon file against the Guides.
They were holed up in a conference room at the Mirai Justice Center, despite the fact Adlai still couldn’t be certain he fully controlled the building. While they met, routines ran purposefully throughout the Justice Division nex web, scrubbing Satair’s malicious code injections and reaffirming, albeit with some notable adjustments, the proper chains of command. Also taking care of a few additional items, such as rescinding arrest warrants for Nika and other known members of NOIR.
Selene Panetier sat up straighter, as if jolted by inspiration. “Theft of and unauthorized tampering with private property, 13,400 counts.”
Adlai palmed his forehead. “Dashiel’s augments. The event that started all of this, and I completely left it off the list.” He entered in a couple of commands, and the list of charges grew longer. “Anything else?”
Julien Grayson, the Justice Advisor from Kiyora, laughed caustically. “Conspiracy to ruin our fucking lives?”
“Not an actual crime, but we can see about scheduling a vote to make it one once we resolve the current crisis.”
“We’re really going to do this, then?” Harris Rosenthal, the Justice Advisor from Ebisu, sounded beat-down and somewhat dismayed. Looked it, too, though he didn’t have a scratch or bruise on him.
Adlai regarded the man sympathetically. At least he’d been able to ease into the ugly reality of the magnitude of the Guides’ transgressions over the course of several weeks; the rest of them had seen their world turned upside-down in less than thirty-six hours.
But upside-down the world now was, and they had no choice but to wrangle it into submission and try to right it. “We are. But we’re goi
ng to do it properly, in accordance with the Charter and established Justice Division regulations. We’re going to do it holding our heads high, because however daunting all this feels, we’re in the right here.”
Selene nodded thoughtfully, which Adlai generously took for agreement, but Julien drummed their fingers on the table in an agitated cadence. “But how are we going to do it? Sure, we can publicly announce the charges for pomp and dramatic effect so we maybe look like we’re doing something useful, but they’re just empty words when we don’t know where the Guides are—where their backups are, I mean.”
Because their bodies and primary servers were ashes scattered over half of Mirai…unless they had backup dolls to go with their backup servers. Of course they had backup dolls. Stars, how he hoped the Guides weren’t out there wandering the streets already.
Regardless, Julien made a valid point. They needed something tangible to arrest, even if it was only hardware. And for that to happen, they needed to move fast, before agents still loyal to the Guides spirited the backups away to somewhere beyond their reach.
Adlai stood, as they’d accomplished all they were apt to for now. “We are working on a way to find them as we speak.”
MIRAI TOWER
Dashiel clasped his hands together at the small of Nika’s back, drawing her deeper into his arms and the shadows of the alcove outside the cafeteria in Mirai Tower. “Say it again.”
She nuzzled his nose playfully. “Say what again?”
His voice dropped to a deep growl. “Do not toy with me, Nika.”
She chuckled and brushed her lips across his. “I love you.”
“Poetry of the gods, your words are.”
She tucked her chin into her chest as someone passed behind them in the hallway. While the alcove took them out of the flow of traffic, it hardly constituted privacy.
Asterion Noir: The Complete Collection (Amaranthe Collections Book 4) Page 62