“Yes,” Nadia said, with a meaningful glance at Bharat. “Fortunately, my husband won’t make that mistake again.”
Nadia and Gray Dhillon died in a boating accident off the coast of Tarack’s private island, after the private boat they’d chartered malfunctioned, caught fire, and sank. Bharat Dhillon died beneath Star’s Landing, burned to death by Truthers after he’d retrieved Tarack’s re-encrypted data disc. Senator Tarack had three bodies and no reason to look for more.
Tarack also didn’t know CetInt now had a copy of her entire blackmail disc, and that President Mendoza and his allies were now resolving every problematic issue Tarack had collected on every dirty Ceto senator. It was likely Tarack wouldn’t figure that out for years. Screwing Tarack out of twenty million in blackmail material wasn’t justice, but it was a start.
As for the bodies, Bharat had recently learned medical school donations could be acquired for a price. As to how Fatima altered those bodies to return the appropriate DNA when tested, Bharat had decided it best not to ask. Jan had offered only that Fatima had connections on Phorcys even he didn’t know about.
Gray, Bharat’s eight-year-old son, still sulked in his room, probably watching local vids. He had loudly proclaimed their new home “absolutely sucked.” Cliffside was lousy with former Patriots of Ceto, but they were the good kind, not Truthers.
Better yet, there were plenty of other children Gray’s age here, including Advanced. Apparently, Bharat and his family weren’t the only Phorcys fugitives living in Cliffside. In fact, there were so many Advanced living here now that they had their own little portion of the city. It was called Vat Town.
Bharat could live with that.
Mayor Morna Solace, the woman Bharat had met briefly while he held her sheriff hostage, had a soft spot for Advanced and an iron hand with her more militant people. Bharat would remain on guard for as long as he lived here, but he believed Mayor Solace when she said anyone who attacked them would be executed for treason. Bharat was also confident there was little chance Senator Tarack or her agents would track his family here.
He and his family were finally safe.
“What about you, Jan?” Nadia asked. “When do you report to prison?”
“Tomorrow!” Jan proclaimed. “I am looking forward to it. We’re going to make so many new contacts.”
“I’m not waiting for you,” Emiko deadpanned.
Jan beamed and rubbed her back. “Just see that you keep your distance from Star’s Landing, yes?”
Emiko rolled her eyes and glanced at Nadia. “See, that’s the problem with mine. He makes me fix his mistakes.”
Fatima glanced past Emiko and motioned with the tip of her beer. “Well, look at that. They made it.”
Bharat rose, with Nadia, as a very large blonde woman in a thick jacket and pants, as well as a much smaller redhead in formfitting overalls, strolled toward Bharat’s tiny new yard. Bharat glanced at his wife. “Pollen, and Kinsley.”
“I picked that up,” Nadia snarked.
“Oh, don’t stand for them,” Emiko protested. “Now she’s going to be insufferable.”
Pollen waved madly as she approached. “Hello! Welcome!”
“She’s very friendly,” Nadia said.
“She tried to crush your husband’s head,” Fatima added.
Bharat motioned to empty seats as the newcomers joined them. “Thank you both for coming. We appreciate all you’ve done, and inviting you to our new home is the least we could do.”
“Yeah, you have free beer.” Pollen settled in the nearest empty fold-out chair with a creak that made Bharat fear it might collapse. “I always come where there is beer.”
Kinsley performed a little curtsey for Nadia, an accomplishment all the more impressive in overalls, and thumped down on the dirt. “Lovely garden. Very realistic.”
Emiko opened her mouth to say something, but Jan raised his hand. Shockingly, Emiko relented. What were they doing now?
“Now that we’re all here,” Jan said, brow furrowed, “I need to say something about Rafe.”
Bharat heard a hush settle over the gathering. All eyes fixed on Jan Sabato. Bharat supposed that made sense, given Jan had been the most directly betrayed.
“Rafe was a very flawed man,” Jan said quietly. “He was also a good friend, and he saved my life at least as often as he endangered it. In the end, he did all he could to make up for his mistakes, and he died in an attempt to save us all.”
After a moment, Emiko and Pollen raised their beers. Fatima and Kinsley didn’t, yet no one looked askance at that. Bharat supposed they respected each other enough to let everyone deal with Rafe’s betrayal in their own manner, in their own time.
“To Rafe,” Pollen said, “who sucked at everything, but kept on sucking anyway.”
Emiko rolled her eyes. “Yeah, that about covers it.”
“Oh!” Kinsley said, as brightly as if they hadn’t just memorialized their dead friend. “Jan, I must warn you. When I checked the passenger list on the way here, I spotted—”
“GREETINGS, MY VICTORIOUS FRIENDS!” A needlessly magnified voice echoed across those gathered in Bharat’s front yard. “IT IS A TRUE PLEASURE TO SEE YOU UNITED!”
Jan rubbed his temples. “It’s fine.”
“Who,” Nadia asked, with an audible amount of incredulousness, “is that?”
A man in green and yellow powered armor paused at the edge of Bharat’s yard. He stopped there, placed hands on hips, and inclined his head. “Greetings, Mr. and Mrs. Chada.” At least Marquis had used their new last name. “May I enter your estate? I have business with Mr. Sabato.”
“Sure,” Bharat said, with a heavy sigh. “Why not.”
Marquis strode into the yard and parked himself in front of Jan. “The time has come to repay my debt!”
Jan waved him off. “No need. You already found Bharat.”
“That was a task for Miss Emiko! My debt to you remained unpaid, until now!”
Jan sighed heavily. “Get it over with.”
“The illustrious Elena Ryke has officially pardoned both you and Miss Emiko for any and all former slights! You may now freely travel Ceto without fear of retribution! Miss Ryke is even willing to offer you smuggling jobs if you so wish!”
Jan stood. “How?”
“The fuck?” Emiko finished.
Marquis stood proudly, cloak billowing. “I merely offered a generous donation of finances and services in exchange for your pardons! Miss Ryke hires only the best!”
“But, Marquis ...” Jan’s eyes were now wider than Bharat had ever seen. “That’s crazy. You’re working for her?”
“For four months only! I pay my debts, Mr. Sabato, and now my debt to you is paid in full.”
Jan blinked, stared, and then swallowed. “Thank you.”
Marquis bowed, then rose and turned with a swish of his cloak. “Ladies, gentlemen, I leave you to your libations. I must return to my new duties. Good day!”
Bharat watched Marquis as he strode out of their new yard. Perhaps that man wasn’t as crazy as he seemed. Perhaps he did more than shout at people and blow things up.
“Goodness,” Kinsley said.
Jan sat back down. “Huh.”
“He meant it,” Emiko said. “He meant that, right?”
“Marquis does not lie,” Pollen said, raising her brand-new beer. “He is a good man. I told you, didn’t I?”
Jan sat down. “All right, sure. Marquis is a good man.” He took a swig of his beer. “I still say his cloak is stupid.”
THE END
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Supremacy's Outlaw: A Space Opera Thriller Series (Insurgency Saga Book 3) Page 27