by Jaleta Clegg
It was a nightmare. I wanted out. I wanted to hide. It almost made me wish we were still back on the planet. No, not really. I never wanted to be a slave to anyone or anything again. I pasted a smile on my face and pretended I was enjoying myself.
The dignitaries left before too long, although it wasn’t near soon enough for me. The media trailed back into the building. Darus didn’t. I waited until the door shut behind the last reporter before I let my smile slip and I turned on him.
“Was that necessary? Bragging that I’m your daughter? Two days ago you didn’t even know you had one!”
“What’s eating you, Dace? You’re famous. Everyone wants a piece of you. I was going to say I’m proud to be your father but I think you’ll bite me if I try.” He gave me a sad look and shook his head. “Dace, I want to—”
“What?” I was tired and sick of the whole situation. I wanted to be anonymous again. I took it out on him. “You want to be my father? Then where were you twenty years ago when my mother and I needed you? I know where you were the last twelve years, but what about before that? You just gave up. You didn’t even look for me.”
“Your mother and I were together for less than a week. I never even guessed that she might be pregnant. You want me to take a paternity test and prove I’m your father?”
“Biologically, I don’t question your claim.”
“I know. You grew up alone in a horrible orphanage and had to fight your way off Tivor and into the Academy. With my pension. Why are you attacking me?”
“Because I’m tired and hungry and if one more person tries to tell me I’m a hero, I will scream.” And because he made me feel guilty that I’d spent his pension money. I started towards my ship. He tagged along behind.
“You hate it that much?” He sounded surprised. “Most people would love to have their face all over the newsvids. Haven’t you looked at all?”
“No. I keep pretending it’s all a bad dream and soon it will be over.”
“You really, seriously don’t want it, do you?”
I didn’t bother to answer.
“It doesn’t even impress you that you were sitting with three top ranking Patrol officers. And that every political dignitary in the sector is going to want to have their picture taken with you.”
“Do you want kicked?”
“Take it out on them, not me.”
“Look, Darus—”
“Try ‘dad’. Put your lips like this.” He puckered up.
I stopped and turned to face him. “Why don’t we start where we are and see where we end up?”
“Darus is fine, I guess. I admit it was a shock when you blurted it out. I’ve never been anyone’s father before. So humor me once, call me dad.”
“Will you go away if I do?”
“Do you want me to?”
That stopped me. Did I want him involved in my life? Did I want a father? That little voice inside that cried at night because I was alone and abandoned told me that yes, I did. I wanted a father to come and rescue me from all the bad things. But life didn’t work that way. I had to rescue myself. And he hadn’t abandoned me knowingly. He cared about me, he wanted to build something between us. The big question was what.
“You’re staring at me,” he said.
“I’m thinking. There’s the little girl part of me that wants a father, that wants you to make everything perfect, to scare away the monsters. But it doesn't work that way, does it?”
“Not when I missed you growing up. Besides, you do a pretty good job scaring them away yourself.”
“So how about we start over?”
“Start from where?” He stuck out his hand. “Hi, my name’s Darus.”
“I don’t think you need to go that far,” I said, grinning in spite of myself.
“Got you to smile.” He put his hand in his pocket. “So where do you want to start?”
“I think Jasyn made more cookies. You want to come up to the ship for a while?”
“I never say no to cookies.”
We started walking back towards my ship.
“Besides,” he added, scratching his ear, “your left stabilizer port is a bit wobbly. You really ought to tighten it up. I could help.”
It was an excuse. Both of us knew it.
“I’d like the help,” I said, playing along. “Those ports can be a pain. How much experience have you had with them?”
“None, but I can learn.” He grinned, his hazel eyes mischievous.
I decided I liked Darus Venn. Whether or not he was my father wasn’t the issue. Even if I never felt comfortable calling him dad, we could still be friends.
Chapter 36
My face was plastered all over the newsvids for the next week, just like Darus had predicted. He spent a while tinkering in the engine of the ship with me, showing up usually about dinner time once he learned Jasyn liked to cook. He managed to charm her and even got Clark to like him. He acted more like an unofficial crew member than anything else. He even offered to do the dishes.
Leon came to visit us at the end of that first week. The Phoenix was still parked at the back of the Patrol base in the middle of their less used landing field. The other ships were slowly leaving. More Patrol ships were dispatched to the planet, dubbed Vallius by Commander Nyles. The name seemed to stick. I kept out of sight on the ship. The media camped around the gate, waiting to catch sight of me. The mess with Durnago Medical Services was being sorted out, Leon informed us. He came at lunch, just as Jasyn put the finishing touches on her latest dish. I suspected his timing was deliberate.
Jasyn invited him to eat with us, which was a bit cramped since Darus was there, too. Our galley table seated four at the most.
“Smells divine,” Leon said, sniffing appreciatively.
I stood.
Jasyn waved me back down. “I can eat over here,” she said, standing in the galley.
“You know, if we ever get a full crew, we’re going to have to add more chairs,” Clark said.
“If,” I said. “The rate we’re going, we should invest in more automated equipment.”
“And take the fun out of flying?”
“You need an engineer?” Darus said. “I’d volunteer but the Patrol seems to think I need to pay back my pension.”
“They said you were dead,” I protested.
“They didn’t bother to look.” Darus helped himself to more of Jasyn’s latest version of salad. This one had bits of fruit and shellfish in it. “It isn’t a problem,” he added, taking pity on me. I must have looked as guilty as I felt. “Do me good. I’m switching out of Exploration, though. They said I was getting too old for more than a desk job.”
“So what assignment are you getting?” Clark asked.
“Don’t know. Commander Nyles said he’d find something soon.”
Leon watched the whole exchange, his fork never slowing. “You really want to fly with Dace?” he asked Darus around a bite of mashed vegetables with gravy. He swallowed and pointed his fork at me. “You do know what kind of trouble she gets into.”
“That’s not fair, Leon,” I said.
“Same kind I get into,” Darus said. “Keeps it in the family.”
“Family?” Leon looked surprised.
“Darus is my father,” I said. “I’m surprised it wasn’t all over the newsvids. Everything else about me was.”
“That little item didn’t get mentioned,” Leon said. “But there’s still a lot of fuss over who the mystery romance man is.”
“What?”
“She doesn’t follow the news,” Jasyn said.
“So who is he?” Leon asked. “Lady Rina will grill me over this until I can satisfy her. She still thinks Jerimon’s the one for you. The cards said so.”
“Who’s Jerimon?” Darus asked.
“What mystery romance?” I had no idea what they were talking about.
“My brother,” Jasyn said to Darus.
Clark reached behind him and rummaged through a stack of printout
s. He pulled one out and handed it to me. There I was, standing like an idiot with my mouth hanging open and Wade kissing my cheek. The headline above the picture screamed, “Romance for the Deliverer?”
“What piece of crap is this?” I sputtered. I couldn’t find a word appropriate for what I thought of that bit of pretend journalism.
“They’re calling you the Deliverer,” Clark said, sounding as pompous as the title. “Just like the one from legends. Freed hundreds of people from bondage.”
“I did not.”
“They think you did, Dace, and that’s what counts right now.” Clark stabbed his fork in the last piece of meat and put it on his plate.
“You did just as much,” I said.
“You can have the spotlight,” Clark said. “I’d rather be able to walk through town without a bodyguard.”
“So would I,” I muttered.
“So who is he?” Leon asked.
“Wade's the one who turned off the generators,” I said.
That took a bit more explaining. By the time Leon was satisfied as to who Wade was and just how friendly I was with him, lunch was well over. And I was even more sick of being the center of the whole show than I was before. I wanted it over. Once we left Parrus, it would be over, because we would go so far that no one would ever connect me with the Kumadai Run again, I promised myself, but we couldn’t leave until the mess with Durnago Medical Services was resolved and our standing in the Guild was decided. And Commander Nyles had asked us to stay for a few weeks. It sounded more like an order, though.
“What about Durnago Medical?” I asked Leon.
“I took what was left of the cargo to an appraiser,” Leon said. “Durnago still refuses delivery because the seals were broken on the crates. But, the appraiser is going to sell it at auction for you. Should raise a good four thousand, at least. And I had her go over the manifest, pricing it at current market values. Comes out a bit higher than the original, but a lot lower than Durnago’s estimate. The whole mess goes in front of a judge in three days. You’ll need to be there, in person. Depending on the outcome of that, the Guild hearing is set for the next day. How much cash do you have in reserve?”
“Six thousand and some change,” Jasyn said. She kept track of the books. She didn’t misplace digits like I did.
“Might be tight,” Leon said. “As Lady Rina’s agent I can advance whatever you need to cover the rest.”
“I don’t want her money,” I protested.
They ignored me.
“Who’s Lady Rina?” Darus asked me.
We spent more time explaining to him who Lady Rina was and how she figured into things. That led to a lot of storytelling about our adventures. I let Jasyn and Clark tell those. I watched Darus’ face as they spun out the stories.
“You really did all that?” he asked when they finished.
“Most of it,” I said.
“You ought to write vids,” Darus said. And grinned.
I laughed.
“Time to run,” Leon said. “Thanks for lunch.”
“Anytime,” Jasyn promised him.
“I’m supposed to report soon,” Darus said. “I’ll walk him out.”
I was a bit nervous about Darus and Leon getting together. Leon knew a bit too much about me and he was too sneaky for my peace of mind.
“Dace,” Clark started.
I quit staring out the hatch after Darus and Leon.
“Jasyn and I were thinking of going somewhere for a week or so.” Clark played with his glass, rolling it back and forth against his hand. “We’ve got some things to talk over. Some things to work out.”
“I’m just happy you’re not fighting anymore,” I said.
“Then you don’t mind being here by yourself for a while?” He looked nervous, as if he expected me to object.
“I would love to be by myself. I doubt that will happen, though.”
“We want to leave tomorrow,” Jasyn said. “We don’t all have to be at the hearings. But if you want us there, we’ll stay.”
“Go enjoy yourselves. I’ve got Leon. I’ll be fine.”
I did mind, a little. But they looked so happy that I kept my mouth shut. It wouldn’t hurt me, I really did want some time alone. And maybe when they came back I wouldn’t have to worry that I was prying into their privacy.
“Thanks.” Jasyn hugged me.
I knew I’d have plenty of visitors. I was still the center of media attention, not to mention that every time I left the ship everyone knew who I was. I doubted I’d be alone while they were gone.
Leon showed up three days later and slipped me out for the hearings. I even wore a disguise, one of the outfits Jasyn had talked me into buying. It didn’t help. The media waited for me outside the hearing room. People crammed every corner of the courthouse, inside and out. When I got out of the groundcar, they started waving cameras and shouting questions.
Leon did his best to deflect them as I hurried inside. It didn’t do much good. Family and friends of those who had been missing lined up, wanting to shake my hand or get my autograph or something. I tried to be nice about it. I kept telling myself that as soon as the hearings were over, and Jasyn and Clark got back, we could leave. I kept telling myself that the media would find someone new soon enough. It didn’t help. I pasted on a smile and scrawled my name over various papers.
We finally made it into the hearing room. It was packed clear full. Leon bustled me to the front. We took our places in the defendant’s box. Durnago Medical Services had sent six of their legal staff. They all looked as if they had come off the same assembly line. They wore purple business tunics with white piping. They looked smug and superior. Not one of them had a hair out of place. Judging by the looks they got from the people packed into the observation gallery, they weren’t very well liked. Maybe my popularity would pay off. And maybe sand cats would learn to swim.
His Honor, Judge Horlan Dean, entered the room in a swirl of black robes. Parrus really went for the show. The hearing room was paneled in dark wood. The floors were polished stone. The railings were all heavily carved. The judge only added to the ambiance. He was tall, regal looking with white hair and piercing green eyes. As he took his seat, I could almost hear trumpets blowing a fanfare.
We sat and the hearing began.
Durnago Medical spent a good hour establishing the fact that I had signed a contract to deliver a cargo, manifest submitted to His Honor, on Toko. Delivery dates had been specified in the contract, all pertinent penalties and fines specified as well. Route had not been specified, however. It was my fault I had chosen to fly the Kumadai Run, and hence, it was my fault the cargo was not only late, but mostly destroyed, and the rest damaged. They spent another hour proving that I was not only negligent, grossly so, but also incompetent.
They sat down, looking smug.
Leon stood. He shuffled his papers, letting the silence build. “So, you’re admitting your company acted stupidly?”
They looked surprised and not a little offended. One of them objected. The judge overruled him.
“Explain yourself,” the judge ordered Leon.
“Durnago Medical Services has now wasted two hours proving that they entered into a contract with my client and also proving that she is incompetent. Does that speak highly of their business acumen? That they would hire someone they believed incompetent?”
“Objection,” one of Durnago’s lawyers said. “We had no reason to believe the accused was incompetent at the time.”
“So, you admit that my client is not incompetent.” Leon pounced on their statement.
“Her actions since have proven otherwise,” the lawyer tried to defend his position.
“Your Honor,” Leon said, striding up to the judge’s stand, “I would like now to submit the original cargo manifest. Issued on Toko at the time the cargo was loaded. Note the difference in values assigned to various cargo items. I would also like to submit an appraisal done independently on the cargo that survived the tri
p.” He handed the papers to the guard looming next to the judge. The papers were passed through three secretaries before they were finally handed to the judge.
“I would like to clarify that my client does not deny damage and destruction to the cargo.” Leon paced back towards me. He was thoroughly enjoying himself. “My client also does not dispute that the cargo was indeed late. But, my client is new to this sector of space. The contract she entered into did not specify a route from Toko to Parrus, but,” he paused for effect, “given the time frame for delivery of the cargo, the only possible route to take was the Kumadai Run. All public documents available on the Kumadai Run state that it is dangerous, true, but none of them made any mention of the real danger. None of them mentioned the ships that went missing along the same route, missing with no trace. No trace until last week when many of them landed here, along with the missing crews. And all due to my client.”
“Objection,” the Durnago lawyer shouted. “That has no bearing on this case.”
“Oh, yes, it does,” Leon said.
“Your client chose to disregard her responsibilities to chase after a ghost signal,” the lawyer snarled. “Clearly a breach of contract.”
“So you admit that she received a distress call and her investigation of that call is what caused the cargo to be delayed and damaged?” Leon said in a very innocent voice.
“What she went chasing is not the point,” the lawyer said. “She chose to follow a course of action that she knew would result in noncompliance with her contract.”
I expected the judge to stop this at some point. Leon was going to wipe the floor with the Durnago lawyers any minute now. The corners of the judge’s mouth curled in a suppressed smile. He didn’t seem too upset that Leon was getting the other lawyer to hang himself with his own testimony. He seemed to be enjoying it.
“Tell me, sir,” Leon said, “are you by any chance a spacer?”
“No, I’m a lawyer for a medical firm. What kind of ridiculous line of questioning is this?”
“Have you by chance ever attended a branch of the Patrol Academy?”
“Your Honor, this has no bearing and no point. He’s wasting our time.”