Perilous Waif (Alice Long Book 1)

by E. William Brown

  I goggled. “How could anyone miss that lift field?”

  “Most people don’t have field sensors, silly.”

  Waiting around for the passengers to disembark took forever, especially with the foxgirls all hanging around chatting excitedly about their plans for the evening. But the Hoshidans didn’t want to be ‘cooped up’ on the ship any longer than they had to, and they’d all started making arrangements before we docked. It couldn’t have been more than a couple of hours before they were all safely offloaded, and we could lock down the ship and head out for our night on the town.

  I ended up getting a ride to the club with Lina. Naoko was riding with Captain Sokol and the first mate in that fancy car I’d seen before, and most of the foxgirls went with Chief Benson in a big armored transport. But Lina had a hoverbike she liked to ride whenever she got the chance, and it could carry a passenger.

  That was a blast. Flying across the field with the wind in my hair, my arms around Lina’s firm waist and the engine throbbing between my thighs. I was in heaven.

  Ash wasn’t so thrilled about it, but he was just being a grouch. He had his claws hooked into the structural weave of my overdress, so there was no way the wind was going to knock him off my shoulder.

  Zanfeld was a Mars-type planet, so the air was way too thin for talking. I commed Lina instead.

  “This is great!”

  “Isn’t it?” She agreed. “It’s my own custom job. I built it around a Quantum Dynamics X12 racing core, but the styling is all mine. I fit in an expanded heat sink for vacuum ops, modified the wind screen to double as particle shielding, and switched out the power cells for a nuke pack. I can go for a ride just about anywhere.”

  “How fast does it go?” I asked.

  “In thin atmo like this we could probably break fifteen hundred kloms an hour, but the steering isn’t fast enough to handle that kind of speed. With a breathable atmosphere she’s subsonic, but not by much.”

  Oh, yeah. I was definitely going to build myself a hoverbike someday.

  We cleared the landing field quickly, and Lina slowed down as we hit a big dome-shaped force field over the commercial district. It was yet another type of momentum exchange field I hadn’t seen before, but I quickly figured out that it was tuned to mostly affect gas molecules instead of solid objects. Inside it, the commercial district had breathable air.

  At first glance the town reminded me of the port back on Felicity. A chaotic jumble of buildings in a dozen different styles, flashing signs and lurid datanet ads, exotic spacers wandering the sidewalks. Only here the spacers weren’t all women, and the locals were pretty exotic themselves.

  Apparently cybernetics were a big thing on Zanfeld, because practically all the locals had at least one gleaming metal body part. Arms were popular, but there were a lot of other variations. I saw a guy with half his head covered in metal, and a glowing red optic replacing one eye. There was another guy with a big jet pack built into his back, and a woman whose chest was some kind of flexible memory metal.

  “What’s with the weird mechanical look?” I asked Lina.

  “It’s a local culture thing. They show off their mods to look tough. Check out the guys on the corner up there.”

  I looked, and spotted a guy who’d replaced his whole lower body with some kind of mechanical centaur thing. He was arguing with another local, who had six extra limbs attached to a metal hump on his back. A top-heavy spacer woman with long blonde hair stood between them, looking amused.

  “Wow. That’s some crazy stuff.”

  “Wait until you see some of our customers. There’s this one colony we trade with where they’re trying to adapt themselves to live on hot gas giants. They haven’t settled on a design yet, so they’ve got all kinds of weird stuff going on with wings and gas bags and tentacles.”

  “Gas giants? Seriously?”

  “Yep. They’ve got this whole big thing about how gas giants are a bigger ecological niche than terrestrial planets, and no one will be able to invade them there.”

  “That’s dumb. A thick atmosphere would transmit shock waves really well, and there’s no surface where you can dig shelters. If I was attacking them I’d just grab some antimatter asteroids from the Beta Layer and drop them into the atmosphere.”

  She laughed. “That’s our tiny terror. Just keep those destructive impulses in check at the club, alright? I like this place.”

  “Lina! I’m to going to blow up the club, I promise.”

  Greymore’s was easily the biggest building I’d ever seen, not that that was saying much. It took up a whole block, with a high wall screening the grounds from the street. A circular driveway at the front led to a fancy entrance area, with steps leading up to a pair of doors big enough to admit a tank. As we pulled in a row of holographic images lit up, advertising the club’s services. Dancing and musical acts, fine dining, parties and catering, secure meeting rooms, a datefinder service…

  Lina sent her bike off to park itself, and pulled me towards the entrance. “Come on, you. No sense standing around looking at ads when we could be inside having fun.”

  She led me through the doors, and across an entry area into the club proper. A wall of sound hit me as the doors opened.

  The main floor of the club must have been fifty meters square, with a bar along one wall and a stage where a group of cyborgs were pumping out something that was probably supposed to be music. There was a big dance floor full of people in the middle of the room, and a scattering of tables and booths along the walls. Overhead I could make out four floors worth of balconies, none of which seemed to connect to each other.

  Lina pointed at a balcony. “That’s us. Fourth floor, slot three. We’ve got a nice custom layout behind the balcony, including a private crew lounge and a few bedrooms for anyone who ends up needing one. But the Captain’s got some meetings lined up, so we should stay out from underfoot for a few hours.”

  “Okay. Isn’t that expensive, though? I thought the ship only stopped here every three or four months?”

  “Didn’t you just go through this from the other end? They fab it when the Square Deal drops into the system, and tear it down again when we leave. Oh, there’s Mina!”

  We found the whole pack of foxgirls on the dance floor, showing off their moves in those slinky figure-hugging bodysuits they liked to wear. Mina was dancing with Chief Benson, who as usual wasn’t wearing a shirt. Jenna and Kara were dancing with each other, but they broke off to swoop down on us. Jenna threw herself into Lina’s arms and kissed her senseless. Kara grabbed my hands.

  “You look great, Alice! How’d you like Lina’s hoverbike? Gets your blood pumping, doesn’t it?”

  “I’ll say.”

  The quick dance lesson Kara had given me on the ship had been kind of fun, but a dance floor was a whole different experience. I danced with Kara first, then Mina, then Jenna and Lina decided to double-team me for a couple of songs. By the time the band finished their set I was flushed and sweaty.

  They dragged me back to their table afterwards, where they ordered another round of drinks.

  “I think I’d like to skip the whole ‘teenage girl gets drunk and does something stupid the first time she tries alcohol’ thing,” I said hesitantly.

  “A wise decision,” Chief Benson agreed. “Personally, I have never understood why people still use such a dangerous intoxicant.”

  “If you want to experiment, try one of the bezos fruit drinks,” Mina suggested. “That stuff’s milder than alcohol, and you can’t really get drunk on it. It just gives you a little buzz, and there aren’t any side effects afterwards.”

  “Assuming it even works on her,” Lina pointed out. “Fifty credits says she turns out to be immune to anything short of military nanotech.”

  “Maybe, maybe not,” Mina said. “A lot of high-end defensive packages will let the mild stuff affect you, and only kick in to handle serious drugs. People like to be able to enjoy things.”

  “Like our emulator
s?” Lina said.

  “Your what?” I asked.

  “We’ve got this whole mod package that lets stuff like alcohol and aphrodisiacs work on us, even though these bodies aren’t organic,” Lina explained. “It was kind of expensive, but it’s worth it. We get all the party time, and none of the downsides. I guess Mina’s right, your mods might work like that too.”

  “You should definitely test it with something mild,” Mina advised. “You don’t want to assume you’re going to be immune, and end up with a hangover or something. Trust me, stuff like that’s miserable.”

  The fruit drinks turned out to be pretty good, so I was fine with sticking to that for the night. But by the time my second drink arrived I was starting to feel a little left out. The foxgirls all doted on Chief Benson, and they were such a close group it was hard not to feel like an outsider. Especially when I realized they were toning down their banter for my sake.

  “Well, I think I’m going to go explore a little,” I said. “Maybe drop in on Naoko, and see what everyone else is up to.”

  “Very well, Alice,” Chief Benson said. “The club should be safe enough. Just don’t let anyone talk you into leaving, and tell the concierge at the front desk if you end up needing a ride back to the ship. Our contract includes a free taxi service.”

  Naoko was happy enough to see me, but she could only spare a few minutes to chat. Apparently the captain was having her play hostess for his meetings, and there were a lot of people in port that he wanted to talk to.

  “Perhaps you might take in a show?” She suggested. “Faerie Fire is supposed to have an excellent act this season.”

  “That’s the fire dancer thing, right? Maybe I will. It did look kind of interesting.”

  I gave her a reassuring smile, and wandered back downstairs. There was Dusty in a dark corner, but he was deep in discussion with a couple of shady-looking guys. I wasn’t sure I wanted to know what he was up to. Darn it, I didn’t want to watch a show. There was a new band coming onstage, and I wanted to dance some more. Could I go out on the dance floor by myself? Or would that just look pathetic?

  “Alice Long?”

  The voice was a warm, deep rumble. I turned, and found myself looking up at guy who only looked a couple of years older than I did.

  “I’m Kavin Vall, of the Sleeping Dragon mercenary company. My dad’s upstairs meeting with your captain right now, so I thought maybe we could hang out awhile.”

  “Hang out?” I squeaked. Gosh, he was gorgeous! That square jaw, and muscles, and those steely eyes, looking right into mine without a hint of nervousness.

  The band started up, sending a heavy bass beat pounding through the room.

  “Want to dance?” He asked.

  Chapter 11

  I knew I was in trouble before the first song was done.

  Kavin had a strong lead, guiding me effortlessly around the dance floor with a firm touch and a preternatural sense of what the dancers around us were doing. He was a much better dancer than I was, but he used that skill to make me look good instead of showing me up. All I had to do was follow his lead, and that was so easy to do.

  Something in the back of my head was rattling off his enhancements as I spotted them. Sensor baffling to confuse passive scans. Passive scanners of his own for perfect situational awareness. Enhanced kinesthetic sense, almost as good as mine. Subdermal armor. Enough strength enhancement to bench press a tank. Something about his scent made my head spin whenever he pulled me close, and my nanowarfare suite didn’t bother doing anything about it.

  It’s just harmless fun, silly. Enjoy it.

  Oh, I was. Darn it, I was really going to be upset if this turned out to be some kind of plot. But it had to be, didn’t it? There was no way a guy this perfect would just randomly walk up to me in a club and ask me to dance. He must be after something.

  “Uh oh,” he said. “Your paranoia just woke up. Now I’m in trouble.”

  He launched me into a spin like something those professional dancers in the vidshows would do, and I had to concentrate on where to put my feet for a few seconds. But I couldn’t help but smile at the envious looks I was getting.

  “You have to admit, you’re too good to be true,” I observed after he reeled me back in.

  “So are you,” he countered. “Cute, innocent little girl who’s never seen a spacer club before, and her crew leaves her wandering the dance floor all alone? Clearly, she must be bait.”

  I giggled. “Yeah, and I’ve got you right where I want you now. You’ll be forced to dance with me all night long.”

  “I guess that’s the price I pay for being a sucker.”

  The next song was a fast one, with a driving bass beat that made my bones vibrate. I threw myself into it, and we didn’t talk again for a few minutes. But I was curious now, and just because my body was busy didn’t mean my mind couldn’t poke around the datanet.

  The captain’s secretary AI confirmed that he was currently meeting with Major Verkin Vall, leader of the Sleeping Dragon mercenary clan, and Captain Rei Vall, their intel officer. But that was all it told me, and I wanted to know more. Who were these guys?

  The public databases had more details. Sleeping Dragon had a regiment of ground troops and a good-size flotilla of warships, including a couple of frigates that made the Square Deal look dinky. They did security work, pirate hunting and the occasional bit of ground warfare. Expensive, with a good reputation for honoring their contracts. Beyond that the details got fuzzy, because they used one of those stupid agitprop services.

  I tried another tack. Kavin’s ID code was registered in the right name, and linked back to the Sleeping Dragons just like it should. Father, Verkin Vall. Mothers, Rei and Janet Vall. Well, that must be an interesting family. Maybe they fabbed him or something, using genes from all three of them?

  Yeah, there were pictures and vid clips on their social sites, and he looked nothing like his parents. His father was a towering mountain of muscle, bigger than anyone I’d ever seen, and he always seemed to be carrying a heavy weapon of some kind. Rei was a catgirl, one of the furry types that looked like a bipedal cat. She was tiny, too. Barely taller than me, which looked really weird next to her spouses. Oh, and Janet was some kind of Amazon dryad or orc or something. Tall, super athletic and really stacked, with green skin and long hair in a green so dark it was almost black. The pictures showed a couple of older brothers, too, and a sister who looked my age.

  Kavin was listed on Sleeping Dragon’s rolls as an Apprentice Trooper, basically just a trainee. Like me. How was a guy like this just a trainee?

  There weren’t a lot of public records about his career, but a quick scan found the explanation for his enhancements. The Sleeping Dragon clan were trying to turn themselves into supersoldiers. Every year they plowed some of their profits back into improving the enhancements they used, and their kids got the whole set. Plus a lot of training. They were really big on that, from what I could tell.

  The band switched to a slow song, and suddenly the datanet wasn’t enough to distract me anymore. I found myself standing much closer now, brushing against him as we moved together, my hands on his shoulders and his around my waist.

  “Finished uncovering all my hidden secrets?” He rumbled.

  I felt myself blush. No, darn it, don’t let him get to you. Play it cool, Alice.

  “I think I’m jealous,” I admitted. “A school that teaches tactics and logistics sounds like fun.”

  He shrugged. “It’s useful. Did you really have to take a class on growing flowers back on Felicity?”

  He’d been digging into my background while I was checking out his? I wasn’t sure whether to be flattered he was interested, or annoyed he could split his attention that much while we were dancing.

  “Don’t remind me,” I groaned. “I think I’ve been scarred for life. The only thing worse was organic gardening.”

  He gave me a quizzical look. “Organic gardening? As opposed to what, inorganic gardening? Do they
grow silicon-based plants or something?”

  “No, see, in Newspeak ‘organic’ means natural and good. Everything artificial is supposed to be bad, and never mind that the whole biosphere was designed by a bunch of ecological engineers. So organic gardening means growing food by sticking seeds in the dirt and trying to coax them along without using nanotech or microbots to protect them from predators. You can’t even use gardening bots. For some reason doing things with your own hands doesn’t count, though, so you end up spending stupid amounts of time manually watering the plants and pulling up weeds.”

  I realized he was studying me intently, and stumbled to a stop. “What?”

  “That would drive me nuts,” he said soberly. “I’m glad you got out of there.”

  Was I blushing again? Time for a change of subject.

  “Me too. You’re a really good dancer.”

  “Years of training,” he explained.

  I made a face, and he laughed.

  “No, not like normal training. The clan’s been working out how to teach kids with eidetic reflexes ever since they were invented. If you do it right it makes a big difference, even for people like us.”

  “Like us, huh?”

  He smiled. “Come on, it’s obvious when we’re dancing. Nothing throws you, and you learn every move the first time you see it. We should try sparring sometime.”

  The thought set my heart racing. I’d never done anything like that. Good girls would never practice hurting people. But I already knew I was a bad girl at heart.

  My thoughts were interrupted by a com call from Naoko.

  “Alice? Can you come up to the conference room? Our captain has some questions for you.”

  “I guess so,” I sighed. “He’s really got bad timing.”

  “Oh? Oh, I see you’ve made a friend. One moment.” There was a pause, and then she came back on the line. “Please bring the younger Mr. Vall as well.”