Entanglement

by R S Penney

  A young man who sat alone looked up as she passed, light glinting off the lenses of his glasses. He was tall and lanky, with spiky brown hair and a complexion in dire need of exposure to sunlight.

  Anna sat across from him.

  The man forced a smile, bowing his head to her. “Sorry,” he said with a shrug of his shoulders. “I guess you're stuck with me for this round. But don't worry; I'll take it easy on you. I don't believe in humiliating first-timers.”

  Pursing her lips, Anna studied him for a moment. “Why would you assume it's my first time?” she asked, arching an eyebrow. “For all you know, I've been playing since my seventh birthday.”

  “Well, it's just…”

  “Yes?”

  He went beet red, bending low so she could only see the top of his head. “Well… hot girls like you aren't known for hanging out in chess clubs,” he said. “I assume this is you trying something new?”

  Anna leaned back in her chair with her arms crossed, frowning at the idiot. “Two rules for the rest of the evening,” she began. “Number one: don't call me a girl. In three months, I'll be twenty-four.”

  “And number two?”

  “Play your hardest,” she insisted, struggling to control the fire in her belly. Oddly, it wasn't rage but…Well, righteous indignation would probably be the appropriate term. She was actually pleased by this guy's overt sexism; it gave her a chance to rub his nose in his own stupidity. Then again, the feminists on this planet would almost certainly label that “Leyrian privilege.” Anna had grown up in a place where no one would ever estimate her abilities based on her gender alone. The experience of coming up against such attitudes was still new to her. She approached it with zeal simply because a part of her loved the thought of striking a blow for equality, but it occurred to her that if she had grown up on this world – if she had suffered such indignities since childhood – her outlook might have been very different.

  The first game went well. Her opponent's name was Bradley, and he had a tendency to rely heavily on bishops. Removing them left the man flustered. They made smalltalk, but aside from giving her name, Anna decided to keep details about her career to herself. Her multi-tool was safely hidden beneath her sleeve. It wasn't that she had any objection to him knowing what she did; she just didn't want any undue attention. Three interviews with three different reporters had made it all too likely that someone would spot her and want to know all about her exploits.

  “Checkmate,” she said, moving her knight into position.

  Sweat glistened on Bradley's face as he bowed his head to her. “I think I owe you an apology,” he said wiping his forehead with the palm of one hand. “It's been bothering me ever since we started playing. I shouldn't have assumed that you were a novice just because you're a woman.”

  Anna looked up at the ceiling, her eyebrows slowly climbing. “We're none of us perfect,” she said, sliding her chair closer to the table. “Apology accepted. Do you want to play another game?”

  “Sure, I…”

  “Bradley?”

  A grin so bright it outshone the stars suddenly blossomed on his face. “You're that Justice Keeper!” Oh, Companion have mercy! Did he have to shout it for all the world to hear? “The one on TV.”

  Anna scowled, shaking her head. “I was really hoping you wouldn't notice that.” she said. “Yes, that was me. But I'd rather not make a big fuss about it.”

  Bradley watched her with an earnest expression, nodding as he pondered her words. “Sure,” he said softly. “No personal questions, no musing on your life. But do you mind if I ask you about Leyria?”

  Anna smiled into her lap, unconsciously touching the strand of hair on her cheek. “I suppose not,” she said with a shrug. “What would you like to know?”

  “Is it true you don't use money?”

  “Yes.”

  “What motivates people?”

  “Love of what they do.” Setting her elbow on the table, Anna rested her chin on the knuckles of her closed fist. “Genuine passion is a hard thing to beat when it comes to motivation. Do you love your job, Bradley?”

  He blushed, then turned his head to stare out the window. “Well, my job isn't nearly as exciting as yours is,” he answered. “I design and maintain smart-phone apps for one of the country's bigger mobile networks.”

  “And do you love it?”

  “I almost don't want to answer,” he muttered under his breath. “Talking about my love for UI updates and security updates isn't a good way to break the ice.”

  Throwing her head back with laughter, Anna trembled in her seat. “Technically, you broke the ice when you assumed I was no good at chess,” she teased. “Fell right through and floundered for a good long while.”

  “Oh. Thanks for clarifying.”

  Tilting her head to one side, Anna replied with her warmest smile. “Well,” she said. “You're just lucky I'm the kind of person who will throw you a lifeline. Come on out of the water, Bradley; it's much nicer on dry land.”

  He was wheezing, tears glistening on his cheeks as he shook his head. “You know, I'm really hoping this doesn't offend you,” he began. “But you might just be the strangest person I've ever met.”

  “Thank you!”

  The look of confusion on his face was nothing short of priceless. Anna had to work hard to suppress the urge to laugh. If only the poor man understood that the one adjective she would never want applied to her was “ordinary.” She chose to throw him a little more rope. “That might be the nicest thing you've said all night.”

  “Really?”

  “Mmhmm,” she said with a satisfied nod. “You keep this up, and I might just have to ask if you'd like to go out for coffee sometime.”

  “You're asking me out?”

  “Well, let's see,” she began. “You were wise enough to recognize when you made a mistake and brave enough to admit it. You were challenging enough that I'd be happy to play you again, and you probably know what I mean when I say the words 'Darmok and Jilad at Tenagra.'”

  He laughed. “You like Star Trek?”

  Anna stood up, breathing out a soft sigh. “I happen to believe it's some of the best science-fiction your planet has to offer,” she replied. “So…what do you say, Bradley? A sexy alien woman is totally into you. Do you dare to live the geek's dream?”

  Chapter 9

  “So, you disclosed the existence of the Ganymede base.” Larani Tal stood with her back turned in front of the large window in her office. The woman wore a white skirt and a green blouse, her hair tied up in a ponytail. Her voice cracked like a whip, sending tiny shivers through Anna.

  Jena leaned against the opposite wall with her arms folded, directing a scowl at the other woman. “Anna was right to do it,” she insisted. “Larani, you need to see past your comfortable delusions.”

  Larani turned.

  A tight frown deepened the creases on her forehead as she fixed her gaze on Jena. “Is that so, Director Morane?” she snapped. “Tell me, what sort of incriminating evidence do you have this time? Perhaps some innuendo? A little supposition?”

  Closing her eyes, Jena looked away. The touch of red in her cheeks suggested that last barb had hit home. “We're not here to argue, Larani,” she said. “We came here to present a plan.”

  “To investigate the station?”

  “Yes.”

  Larani clasped her hands together behind her back, standing tall and prim with her head held high. “You can see why I might not be willing to put much stock in that plan. Your investigation of Slade-”

  “Slade's involved in this.”

  Anna tuned the whole thing out, trying to find some peace in the steady rhythm of one deep breath after another. As much as she sometimes questioned her new supervising officer, Jena did know when it was necessary to “play the game.”

  At this point, the only way they were going to learn anything more about the base on Ganymede would be to fly out there and take a look. There was only one flaw in that plan; the s
tation's sensors would detect the warp trail of any ship in the system. Whoever was on that base would see them coming. That meant Jena was going to have to request some help to get a shuttle out undetected.

  When she pondered her own emotions, she realized she didn't feel a spec of shame for having revealed the base's existence. Anna had disobeyed orders before; she was quite willing to do so whenever the need presented itself. What bothered her was the palpable tension between Jena and Larani. If there was a conspiracy eating away at everything the Justice Keepers stood for, might this be one of its goals?

  “And you, Agent Lenai?” Larani asked. “What do you think?”

  Anna closed her eyes, banging the back of her head against the wall. “I agree with Director Morane,” she said. “That station was not put there to ensure Earth's security, and we bloody well know it.”

  Larani wore a haggard expression, squinting as she considered those words. “Yes, I can see your mind is made up.” A heavy sigh betrayed her exasperation. “All right. We'll look into it.”

  Anna smiled, bowing her head to the other woman. “Thank you, ma'am,” she said, nodding once. “That station could very well be a threat to us. It behooves us to find out what's going on.”

  “What's your plan?”

  Jena stepped forward to answer that question. “Well, it's fairly simple…”

  The cockpit of a Class-3 assault shuttle had three seats: one for the pilot and two others positioned side by side behind it, each with their own consoles so that co-pilots could access secondary systems. A large canopy window stretched over all three, and through it, she could see the belly of a science ship.

  Anna dropped into the pilot's chair.

  Closing her eyes, she leaned her head against the seat cushion. “Science Vessel Elandra,” she said. “This is shuttle 346. My systems are synced to yours and ready to go.”

  “Confirmed, 346. Standby.”

  Anna smiled, then lowered her eyes to stare into her lap. “Standing by,” she said softly. “And by the way, I really hope you enjoy your survey of the Oort Cloud.”

  “I'm sure we will. Prepare for warp jump.”

  Of course, she didn't have to prepare for anything. Her shuttle's systems were being accessed remotely by the Elandra's bridge crew. For the next few minutes, all she had to do was sit back and enjoy the ride.

  The image in her canopy window began to twist and contort, the Elandra's lower hull blurring into a gray streak that stretched on to some unimaginable distance. Then it snapped into a single point of light in the centre of her field of vision.

  Her little shuttle was flying just beneath the science ship, so close their warp fields almost touched. Dangerous but necessary. With any luck, the Ganymede base would detect only one warp trail passing through the solar system, and when the Elandra soared harmlessly past Jupiter, they would be completely oblivious to the fact that a shuttle had stayed behind.

  Nearly ten minutes later, the single point of light in her window broke apart into a million tiny stars that expanded in all directions, surrounding her ship. The shuttle had automatically dropped out of warp at prearranged coordinates and powered down just about everything except life-support and sensors. Ships at sub-light velocities were much harder to detect than their speedier cousins. Checking her instruments confirmed that the Elandra was still flying toward the edge of the solar system at nearly six times the speed of light. She would meet up with them again on their return trip.

  She flared her thrusters.

  Stars flew sideways in her window, and she was tossed about in her chair, held in place by the safety restraints alone. Her stomach was doing flip-flops. If she had used the shuttle's gravitational engines, uniform acceleration would have minimized the effects of inertia, but those engines would create a spike in energy that would light her up like a winter festival on New Year's Day.

  Clenching her teeth with a hiss, Anna shook her head. “All part of the job,” she said, tapping away at the controls. “And Harry says I haven't lived until I've ridden a roller-coaster.”

  Jupiter came into view.

  The planet was enormous, half hidden by shadow but with bands of beige and red gas on the side that faced the sun. A smaller object was visible in the upper right corner of her window: a disk that reflected the reddish light of Jupiter on one side and the white light of the sun on the other. Ganymede.

  She set a course that would take her between the two and flared her thrusters for a gradual acceleration. Now, all she had to do was wait. Wait and think about her recent conversation with her father. Anna had always been the oddball in her family, and she had the scars to prove it. She knew it was a bad idea; she knew that digging through those memories would only cause her pain, but… “Multi-tool active,” Anna said. “Play video file Alia3426, output on shuttle console display.”

  Her own smiling face appeared on the control console, framed by thin strands of red hair that fluttered in the wind. “Get that away from me!” she said, pressing her hand against the camera and blocking out the light.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, my sister,” Alia replied.

  A blurry image came back into focus, and she saw round, wooden picnic tables on a field of green grass. Her uncle stood with his back turned, gesturing to the overcast sky. “Aidan,” Alia called out. “Do you have anything to say to the newest graduate of Rolan Tysara high school?”

  Her uncle turned around.

  Aidan Lenai was a man of average height with a stern face and red hair that was showing more than a touch of gray. “We're all proud of you, Leana,” he said with a nod. “I'm sure you have a great career ahead-”

  The camera panned back to her.

  Anna's younger self sat at a table with her face in her hand. “Thank you so much, Uncle,” she said, looking up. “Perhaps my older sister should consider a career as a filmmaker. She can't put that thing down.”

  Aidan stood with his head bowed, smiling down at the ground. “Well…perhaps she should,” he said. “But you, Leana. I'm sure you'll see all sorts of interesting places by the time your career is…”

  The camera dipped, and the only thing Anna could see was green grass and Alia's sandaled feet. She remembered that day as clear as a bell. She had been bonded to Seth for less than six months at that point, and everyone was still trying to make sense of what that meant. No one wanted to discuss the implications of her decision, the fact that her life would be half as long as it could have been. The fact that she would never have any children on her own.

  Anna shut her eyes, tilting her head back as she recalled those events. As bad days go, she thought to herself. That one is among the worst. Everyone says bonding a Nassai comes with a cost. They never tell you how much.

  The pain was sharp, but she remembered.

  She remembered.

  Anna walked with arms crossed through a field of green grass, the wind teasing her hair. Graduation had been finalized just yesterday, and she would be leaving for the Visian Academy next week. A part of her felt nervous. If what she had read was accurate, she should have been able to sense traces of her Nassai's emotions. She felt nothing from the symbiont. Every now and then, she thought she caught…something – awareness of her actions, perhaps – but nothing solid.

  In the distance, she could see pine trees swaying in the wind and dark patches in the gray cloud cover that blanketed the sky. It might start to rain at any moment. More tables were positioned off to her left with family members chatting.

  Her uncle came up beside her.

  Aidan walked with hands pressed to his thighs, his face twisted as though he detected a foul odour. “I'm sorry for what I said back there,” he began. “I didn't mean to remind you of your…situation.”

  Anna smiled down at her feet, laughing softly to herself. “It's all right,” she replied. “You didn't say anything that I haven't considered a thousand times. Still, fifty-five is a good long life.”

  “Well, you're young.”

  Anna froze in pl
ace.

  Her uncle stood there with fists gripping the fabric of his pants, his eyes downcast as he worked up the nerve to say whatever it was he planned to say. “When you're seventeen, fifty-five seems like it's an eternity away. When you're forty-five, however…”

  She turned her face up to the sky, deep creases forming in her brow. “Point taken,” she replied in a soft murmur. “I don't know, Uncle. You were right; I'll see things most people don't get to see.”

  “That's true.”

  “Maybe they'll be fifty-five good years.”

  Her uncle went red in the face, bowing his head in what she hoped was concession. “I certainly hope so,” he said softly. “Regardless, Leana, no matter what anyone else tells you, what you did took courage.”

  “Thank you.”

  Aidan backed away from her with his head down, transfixed by something in the grass. “You should visit Alia on campus,” he suggested. “It would give you a sense of what it will be like to live away from home.”

  Puckering her lips, Anna blew out a breath and then shook her head. “The engineering program is tough,” she said. “She's got finals coming up, and I don't want to bother her.”

  “I doubt it would be a bother.”

  Brushing strands of hair off her cheek, Anna grunted. “You don't know my sister,” she muttered. “Excuse me, Uncle Aidan. I'd love to talk more, but I really do need to go make the rounds.”

  “At least think about asking her.”

  Anna agreed to think about it, but she wasn't feeling particularly inclined to go any further than that. It was no secret that she and Alia had very different views on the world, and the last thing she wanted was to stay at her sister's apartment. Not if it meant that she would have to listen to a lecture on her life choices every morning.

  Alia seemed to have an endless supply of those. Among other things, she had all sorts of opinions on Anna's decision to accept a symbiont. As if she had been there. As if she had been forced to make the choice herself.