The Star-Keeper Imperative

by C N Samson

The young engineer gave a solemn nod.

  “Well and good,” Rheinborne said.

  “Does that mean we’re a go?” ZT asked.

  “Depends. Do either of you have weapons and fighting experience?”

  Both of them raised their hands.

  “Real life, not sims.”

  Tahla lowered her hand, but ZT’s only went down halfway.

  “I went to the firing range on my birthday, last year,” he explained.

  Rheinborne sank onto the couch, rested his head on his hands. He didn’t want to be responsible for any other lives, but his options were few. Looking up, he said, “You both understand what we’ll be facing? You understand how dangerous things can get?”

  “We do,” Tahla affirmed.

  “Then we’re a go,” Rheinborne said. “But keep trying to raise Gwynne. If he doesn’t answer by the time we arrive, then it’s all on us.”

  CHAPTER 34

  AFTER HIS MEETING WITH Vance, Norland sauntered along a corridor on Deck Two of the Skyward. He stopped outside a cabin that was being guarded by a member of Prester’s personal security team.

  “Let me see the prisoner,” Norland said to the man.

  The guard tensed, his hand moving to his sidearm. “No one goes in. Prester’s orders.”

  “Doesn’t apply to me,” Norland said. “Now, open the door.”

  “Can’t do that,” the guard answered with a shake of his head.

  Norland sucked in a breath, suppressing a desire to batter the tiny-brained fool into submission. He had come down to speak to Valicia, but hadn’t known that Prester’s people were now on watch.

  “All right,” he said with forced calm. “But how do you know she’s still in there?”

  The guard shrugged. “I just do.”

  Norland glared at the other man. Neither spoke for nearly half a minute.

  At last, the guard said, “Okay. Look but no touch.” He palmed the access plate and the door slid open. Inside, Valicia lay on a bunk, staring at the ceiling with her hands behind her head.

  “Hey!” the guard called.

  Valicia looked over at him, started to sit up. Norland attempted to enter the room, but the guard blocked his way and shut the door.

  “You’ve seen her,” he said. “Now flee.”

  Several choice insults leaped to Norland’s tongue. Before he could use any of them, a slim hand clamped onto his shoulder. He turned, saw that it was Emlyn.

  “What are you doing here?” she asked with suspicion.

  “Just making sure that cockless there is doing his duty,” Norland replied. He cast a hostile glance at the guard and stomped off down the corridor.

  Emlyn kept pace with him. “What’s your obsession with that woman, anyway? She’s just...weird.”

  “No obsession,” Norland said, with little conviction.

  “Fascination, then.”

  Norland snorted. “Look, how much longer to the planet?”

  “About eighteen hours,” Emlyn replied.

  “Then go find something useful to do until then,” he said, and sped up to leave her in his wake.

  CHAPTER 35

  THE Caspriona arrived at Maralto, and Gwynne still hadn’t made contact.

  “All right,” said Rheinborne to Tahla and ZT. “Do what you discussed.”

  ZT contacted the Space Traffic Control station and received an orbital assignment. As the Caspriona moved into its slot, Tahla used the ship’s comm to place a call to the Arusia Hotel’s registration desk. Affecting a lilting Imalran accent, she inquired about booking a suite and asked the desk clerk a number of obscure questions about the room’s security features. The clerk, sounding flustered, offered to transfer her to someone in tech-ops, who might be able to provide her with more information. Tahla agreed.

  A few moments later, another voice came on the comm. “Technical Operations department, Marlaina speaking.”

  “Hiya, Marlaina dearie?” Tahla said. “Mrs. Schrauber speaks. I might be want sleeping at your big guagkos, but for me, Treilic is hard-speak, bel-dath? You easy-speak Yenynu?”

  “Yenynu? Oh, um, absolutely. Go ahead,” said Marlaina.

  Since this was an open channel, Tahla would communicate using a constructed language that only certain members of her Guild class could understand. She had assured Rheinborne that Marlaina would recognize her request for help; still, he found that their speech sounded like a mangled version of the sidhreen tongue.

  Marlaina responded to the questions in Treilic, occasionally slipping in a few words of Yenynu. After a minute or so, Tahla ended the conversation by saying, “Okay, Marlaina dearie, I easy-speak you later, maybe.”

  “I hope you consider the Arusia, Mrs. Schrauber,” Marlaina replied. “Our hotel is the most sowt-sowt in the whole galaxy. Goodbye.”

  As soon as Tahla cut the comm, Rheinborne said, “That sounded like total random-speak.”

  “She knew what I was asking,” said Tahla.

  Shortly thereafter, the STC controller granted ZT permission to land. He flew the ship through the planet’s atmosphere and into the airspace over Port Sulanga, located on the coast of a tropical continent. Lush forest green met shimmering ocean blue, separated by glittering white sand.

  ZT made contact with the Sulanga spaceport tower controller, identified himself and his ship. The controller acknowledged, then said, “Aye, Mister Zee! Been a while, yeah?”

  “Burgo, is that you?” replied ZT. “Surprised you haven’t been fired yet!”

  Rheinborne listened to the two of them share a laugh. Apparently, things were much less formal on Maralto.

  “I can give you Pad One-Seven in three minutes,” Burgo said. “Hold at the middle boundary and wait for my go.”

  “Actually,” said ZT, “I’m here for a spec gig. Any space at the outer annex?”

  “Spec? Pah!” the controller said. “I hear some long-term haulage is coming up. Better pay, yeah?”

  “No, thanks, I’m set for now,” ZT answered.

  “Eh, up to you, Zee,” said Burgo. “I’ll clear you through.”

  Ten minutes later, the Caspriona touched down inside a landing circle at the spaceport’s outer annex building, separate from the main spaceport complex. It was daylight, eight o’clock local time. Because Maralto had a 26-hour day, Rheinborne calculated that the Skyward would arrive at around planetary midnight.

  He smoothed out his jacket, patted his pockets, feeling naked without any equipment on him.

  “So what now?” he asked Tahla. “Do you need to call your friend again?”

  “Not necessary,” she replied. “Look.”

  Through the cockpit window, Rheinborne saw an automated passenger vehicle rolling up to the ship.

  “Guess that’s our ride,” ZT said. He secured the cockpit, then led the others aft to the cargo bay. They descended the lowered ramp and boarded the vehicle, settling into the padded seats on either side of the passenger compartment.

  The Caspriona’s cargo ramp rose back into place as the APV hummed into motion. Rheinborne assumed they would be taken to the annex, but the vehicle started moving in the direction of the hotel. Leafy palm trees lined the road, obscuring much of the building, but he was still able to make out the primary tower, which rose to a height of six hundred feet.

  “So when we get there,” Rheinborne said, “what do—”

  “Hi everyone!” a female voice said as a young woman materialized in the aisle. Her iridescent green hair hung past her shoulders, a contrast to her blue-and-orange business uniform. The fact that she floated a few inches off the floor told Rheinborne that she was actually a full-sized hologram projection.

  “Lainie!” Tahla exclaimed. “Thank the Great Lord! I knew you’d come through.”

  “I had to think a bit on the language,” the Marlaina hologram said, “but I know you said you were in a red flare situation, and that you needed to see me in person. Is it that bad?”

  “Ruinously bad,” replied Tahla. “My uncl
e is dead. The Libertine’s been destroyed.”

  “Oh no!” Marlaina said, her hand going to her mouth. “Tell me.”

  “First, I need to know if a man named Gill Briggston is staying at the hotel.”

  “Yeah, he’s in the top suite. Why?”

  Tahla introduced Rheinborne, then told Marlaina about the Chythex artifact, of how Valicia and Kassyrinx had been abducted, and of their plan to kidnap Briggston and use him as leverage.

  Marlaina’s holo-form wavered. “Wow. Serious process,” she said. “Okay, so, the transport is taking you to the hotel’s loading dock. Don’t get out, someone will meet you. And if you boys could look straight at me for two seconds? Just need a snapshot.” She paused. “Good, thanks. I’ll be with you as soon as I can.”

  The projection vanished.

  “Hold on,” said Rheinborne. “Aren’t we expected at the annex building?”

  “I’m sure she’s taken care of that,” Tahla said.

  No one spoke as the passenger vehicle rolled along, but Tahla and ZT held hands. Rheinborne began second-guessing himself, wondering if he shouldn’t just call off the whole thing and have Marlaina alert the proper authorities. But if Gwynne was right, and there was indeed high-level corruption in the government ranks, then they had to see this plan through.

  To distract himself from that thought, Rheinborne asked, “Why did she leave the Guild, anyway?”

  “Her mother was a Guildie,” Tahla said. “Same with all the other women in her family. But it turned out Lainie was better with computers, like her father. So when it came down to it, she chose to be a chixxar.”

  “That’s a female bit-head, isn’t it?”

  Tahla confirmed that it was.

  “I assume she has the run of the hotel’s data systems,” Rheinborne said. “Could she gain access to the spaceport’s internal network?”

  “Of course. I’d be surprised if she hasn’t already done so.”

  “I guess professional ethics weren’t a requirement for her position,” ZT remarked.

  “Hey!” Tahla said sharply. “That’s my friend you’re talking about.”

  Rheinborne felt the vehicle begin to slow. Looking out the window, he saw that they had arrived at the Arusia’s loading dock. Cargo trucks from various companies were being loaded and unloaded by men, hrulaphans, and a few robots.

  The APV came to a halt. A human dock worker detached himself from a cluster of others and raced up to the vehicle’s hatch, which automatically opened.

  “Hi,” Tahla said to the man as he entered. “Did Marlaina send you?”

  “Hush!” the worker barked. “No names.” He handed a plastic badge and an identicard to each of them, then motioned for the three to follow him out.

  Rheinborne slipped the identicard into his pants pocket and attached the badge to the lapel of his jacket. He and the others exited the vehicle behind the dock worker and trailed after him.

  They made their way into the cavernous dock, moved past huge seal-wrapped containers, dodged around cargo-carrying robots, and passed through a door into the main building.

  “Down there,” said the dock worker, pointing toward the end of an empty corridor. “Turn left, through the doors, left again, up the stairs.” He wheeled around and scurried back out, leaving Rheinborne and the others alone.

  “Thanks!” Tahla called after the man.

  “Hey, looks like we’re all consultants,” ZT said, tapping his badge.

  “All right,” said Rheinborne. “Let’s go.”

  The three of them proceeded according to the worker’s directions. At the top of the stairs, another door opened onto a wide, carpeted hallway. Hotel employees, wearing a variety of uniforms, bustled back and forth.

  “Where now?” ZT wondered.

  To the right, the hallway ended in an exit to the outside. The other direction led to a glass wall, where people lined up to pass through a security portal. Beside the portal, a lone guard was stationed at a podium.

  “That way,” Rheinborne said. He and the others slipped into the back of the line.

  When they reached the front, Rheinborne stepped across the portal’s threshold. A red light flashed, accompanied by a warning tone.

  “Step back,” the guard said. “Over to me.”

  As Rheinborne complied, the guard eyed Tahla and ZT. “Are you three together?” he asked.

  “Yes, we are,” said Tahla. She and her future-husband joined Rheinborne at the podium.

  “Consultants, huh?” the guard said in a weary voice. “You’re at the wrong entrance.”

  Rheinborne nerves went taut. He sized up the guard to see if the man carried any weapons that could be used against him.

  “Yes, sorry,” Tahla said brightly. “We must have gotten dropped off at—”

  “I don’t care.” The guard brought out a sensor wand, scanned Rheinborne’s badge. He squinted at the wand’s display, grunted, then scanned the other two.

  “Is anything wrong, sir?” ZT inquired. Rheinborne shot him a shut-your-mouth look.

  “I just told you,” the guard answered. He consulted a dataslate that lay on the podium. With a soft snort, he tapped on the slate a few times and said, “All right, you’re cleared. The employee lounge is one level down. Take the lift at the end of the hall, follow the signs.”

  ZT looked confused. “Employee lounge?”

  “Isn’t that what I just said? Now go!” He jerked his thumb at the portal.

  Rheinborne avoided eye contact with other people as he, Tahla and ZT rejoined the line for the security portal. Once through, they strolled to the lift, took it down one level as they’d been instructed.

  The hallway they ended up in had colorful walls that were decorated with larger-than-life versions of the Arusia Hotel’s advertising posters. The sight of the huge, smiling faces of the poster models made Rheinborne’s skin itch; it was as if, somehow, he was being watched.

  They found the employee lounge and entered. The walls were lined with cube and bulb dispensers, and groups of people sat at booths or tables.

  “There she is,” Tahla said, pointing to a booth in the far corner. Marlaina got out and waved for them to approach. She shook their hands when they came over.

  “John! Good to meet you,” Marlaina said to Rheinborne in an overly friendly tone. “And you’re Selima? Hi!” she said to Tahla, and to ZT she said, “That means you must be Perry. Please, have a seat.”

  “That’s the best name you came up with?” ZT said in a low voice as they slid into the booth. Tahla elbowed him in the ribs.

  “Please eat,” Marlaina said, gesturing to a tray of food cubes and drink bulbs on the table. “I hope you don’t mind, I already snipped the stems.”

  Tahla and ZT unwrapped cubes, while Rheinborne took a bulb and sipped. He sat on the inner side of the booth beside Marlaina, who looked just like she did in her hologram form. Now, though, he was close enough to see that she wore earrings in the shape of little padlocks.

  “So, I hear you’re interested in...acquiring one of our top people,” the chixxar said.

  “Very interested,” Rheinborne responded.

  Marlaina nodded. “It’s going to be very hard to convince him to leave. He’s comfortable where he is.”

  “We need you to set up a meeting,” said Tahla. “Could you help us with that?”

  “I could get you on the same level, but that’s all.”

  “Good enough,” said Rheinborne. “We’ll do the rest. Is there a secure place where we can conduct...face-to-face negotiations?”

  “I’ll work on that,” Marlaina replied. “It’ll take some time, though. Anything else you need in the meantime?”

  Rheinborne indicated himself and Tahla. “Our modules need a bit of a fix.”

  “Easily done. Is yours working, Perry?”

  ZT rolled his eyes. “It’s working fine, thanks.”

  “I’ll relay all messages through you, then.” Marlaina tapped her earlobe. “Sending my contact co
de now. Ready?”

  “Got it,” ZT said a few moments later.

  “Well then!” the young woman said cheerily. “Glad to meet you all. I’ve got to go now, but I’ll catch up again after the midday break. Please relax and finish your meals.” She extended a hand to Rheinborne. As soon as he grasped it, she pulled him close and whispered, “I got you all a room, number 225. It’s keyed to your badge.”

  She released him, scooted out of the booth, rapidly strode away.

  Rheinborne watched her go, then turned his attention to the rest of the people that occupied the employee lounge. He saw several folks whose badges identified them as outside contractors, equipment vendors, or temporary workers. That made him relax a bit; it meant that their own cover identities were consistent with the sort of people that would normally be found on the premises.

  After each of them had consumed a single food cube and drink bulb, Tahla pocketed the remaining cubes.

  “So,” ZT said, “how do you think she got us our identicards so fast?”

  “She’s just that good,” Tahla answered, shrugging.

  “Can you truly trust her?” Rheinborne asked. “Seems to me like she’s a little too willing to assist us.”

  Tahla’s eyes narrowed. “What do you mean by that?”

  ZT put a hand on her shoulder. She shook it away and said, “You think she’d burn us? No way. Not ever!”

  “Hey, calm down,” Rheinborne answered. “All I mean is, we have to be extra careful.”

  Tahla reached into her jacket pocket, pulled out a food cube and hurled it at him. Rheinborne caught the cube, mashed it onto the table.

  “Sometimes, you find out that people aren’t who you think they are,” he said, glaring hard at the girl. “If we’re going to survive, we can’t take everything at face value.”

  Tahla crossed her arms. “If there’s one person I know I can trust, it’s Marlaina. End of story.”

  There was plainly nothing more to be said on that matter. A wave of fatigue came over Rheinborne, and he stifled a yawn.

  “Your friend got us a room,” he said. “I suggest we go check it out.”