by Scott Rhine
Months later, Roz was still finding blasted locusts in the vent system. Jeeves loved hunting them.
The sunny young arborist they hired took a shine to the copilot and improved their ecosystem efficiency by 12 percent. While reading the arborist’s report, Roz noted that the odd manifestations of flower and fauna corresponded to Max closing the bedroom door, not the moment she lost control. Someone didn’t want her spending time alone with Max? The two obvious suspects were her mother, whose powers might not be entirely defunct, and Echo, who was deeply tied to the ship’s life-support systems.
Hmm, this may warrant another experiment with Max. Roz couldn’t discuss this theory with anyone because Echo was certain to overhear anywhere aboard.
As the ship drifted toward a modern orbital space dock, Ivy chatted with Roz on the bridge. “Finally. I was getting tired of outhouses. This stop is going to have all the amenities. The planet is a hub for entertainment products. They’ll convert the glass and minerals we’re hauling into holo systems, control screens, and lasers. Kesh has a master plan for our bottom line. For the next few systems, almost everything we’re buying will be discounted or surplus items that the shipyards need.”
“You know, I’ve been a partner for over a year, and I haven’t seen a single balance sheet or corporate report,” Roz said, hinting that they needed to keep an eye on the former embezzler.
“Right.” Ivy made a note on her porta-planner. “I’ll schedule a shareholder’s meeting near the end of the week. Do you have any plans for this techno Babylon?”
“No,” Roz fibbed. “Just going to hang out in my room and read while Max and Reuben handle the cargo.” She planned to use her new hiding skills to follow Max to the next radio delivery at a posh hotel. “Isn’t contraband sort of passé here? I mean, they could build a transmitter of their own. They manufacture video screens for goodness’ sake.”
“But no transmissions through the air. They even minimize radio traffic for starships. That’s why we used communication lasers.”
Roz nodded. “Speaking of ships and transmissions, what do your sisters and their contacts have to say about the professor’s prison transport?”
Ivy closed her eyes and frowned. “Mmm. Crakik arrived ahead of schedule in the Niishamboor system and awaits a foreign vessel to Niisham prison proper.”
“What happened to the delay we were promised?”
“I don’t know. I’ll put in a request, but our contact with Aviar’s people is limited.”
The ship eased toward the crazy, double wedding cake of traffic around the space station, one set of layers above and the other below. Roz passed control to Deke because he could answer the tower’s rapid-fire questions without hesitation or translation.
****
While the other crewmembers lost themselves in the normal confusion that happened after docking, Roz feigned a yawn and snuck to the airlock. To save time, she remained in her usual pirate boots and engineer’s uniform. Her only concession to landfall was to grab her new neural scrambler from the weapons locker. The weight on her hip felt wrong, so she moved the pistol to her boot holster.
Since Bat non-border planets didn’t have customs lines, she evaded cameras and card readers all the way to the front desk of the ritzy spaceport spa. The lobby even had a greenhouse. She rented a room for the night under the name Querida Anderson and procured two keys. The ship’s codes that the desk required would only be tapped if she failed to check out or damaged anything. With her red repair marker, she wrote Meet Me and the room number inside a heart shape on the card before scampering back to the arrivals lounge.
When Max passed by, she slipped the labeled key card into his pocket. Since she was a null, he was the only one on the team to notice her presence. She returned to the hotel room to wait. Would he read her note and take the risk? She tried to pass the time by watching the entertainment wall screen, but she couldn’t follow either Bat cinema or news. Worse, the entertainment center had a smell component. During a nature documentary, the room filled with the scents of hibiscus and rotting logs. She turned off the unit before they decided to discuss skunks.
While she waited, she pulled out a deck of cards and played blackjack with herself. The left hand won consistently. The click of the door lock caused her to jump, scattering half the cards from the bed onto the floor.
“Do you mind explaining?” Max asked.
She checked her wrist computer. No activity on the tamper monitors yet. She put the alerts on audible. She didn’t feel any mental pressure either. “Did you tell anyone?”
“I left Reuben at the buffet downstairs. He doesn’t have a clue. Am I going to need a fire extinguisher?”
“I think I’ve fixed our problem. I wanted to run a quick experiment. Five minutes.”
His eyes traced her hairline down to her neck. “For the sake of science?”
“Mmm-hmm.”
“Nothing that gets you excited,” he said nervously.
“You promised me I could give you a neck massage to help with your arm pain and grip strength.”
“Oh. Sure. I’d like that.”
“Sit on the bed. We need to talk.”
“Just talking. We haven’t done enough of that,” he said, sitting on the edge near the cards. As she kneaded his muscles, Max closed his eyes and relaxed. Roz highlighted her theories and worries. “Mmm. Has Echo shared anything with you about Magi culture that might explain this?”
“Other than the ship design, she hasn’t told me anything I didn’t already know about her or her people. When I ask, she always manages to divert me.”
“I could confront Echo for you.” Max grunted at a deep thumb gouge. “Can I ask something highly personal without you taking offense?”
Excited, Roz said, “Any time, as long as I can do the same.”
“Shouldn’t you use this week to reconnect with your mother?”
“But you and I never get time together,” Roz complained.
“Alyssa made herself vulnerable, and now she feels rejected by your silence. The company can spring for a few days of pampering at the spa for both of you. You haven’t taken a voluntary day off since you signed on.”
“That’s so sweet,” she said, pressing on his shoulder with her forearm. “Do you think she’d accept?”
Max made appreciative noises as she traced fingers up his neck. “Most women are very social. You’re unusually introverted, to the point of pushing people away. That spot. Right there.”
She felt a flutter inside at his groan of pleasure. “My turn. Ivy talked about kissing with tongue, and everyone else on the crew laughed. I felt four years old. You’re the only man I’ve ever been with.” Roz pressed her lips to the sensitive spot on his neck. He moaned in response. “Could you … show me?”
They knocked the rest of the cards onto the wooden floor. Her heart raced as he showed her the technique and had her repeat it a few times just to be sure she had mastered it. She pushed him away only when she felt the sensation of spinning on a merry-go-round.
Panting with effort, she said, “Time to go.”
“What?”
“No fire broke out in the room.”
“Then we could keep going.”
She smiled and patted his head. “The experiment’s over. I felt my talent surge the same as before, and nothing happened. I didn’t even turn all the aces faceup on the ground. This proves that the accidents only happen when someone else knows we’re alone together.”
“Huh?”
She really had him scrambled. It felt good. From the floor, Max watched her walk away. Oh yeah. He wants me. “Your rules.”
Max caught up to her at the elevator. Without a word, he slipped his hand inside hers as they waited. Both elevators dinged at the same time, opening their doors. She let him lead, content in the afterglow of the experiment.
When they reached the buffet on the main floor, Roz saw an unsavory character lurking around the entrance, watching Reuben. Max froze. Ducking beh
ind a corner, she drew her weapon and offered it to Max. He pushed the pistol down, out of sight. “Never start a firefight in a crowd like this. If a shot hits a baby or an old person, it could be fatal. Besides, that guy tailing Reuben is a cop.”
“They’ll bust him with the cheese wheels!”
He grinned at the incongruous phrase. “No. He’s only carrying some experimental mixes that didn’t sell. Most of them are a cappella tunes. Deke said the religious establishment is more tolerant of barbershop quartets and such because there are no instruments.”
“What can we do?”
Max’s grin turned predatorial. “Tell Reuben to keep eating until Kesh can bribe the proper officials.”
“Everybody does what they do best, huh?”
Chapter 25 – Profits Roll In
Roz enjoyed the spa vacation more than she thought possible. She spent most of the time telling her mother her life’s story in great detail. Her mother shared a few tamer anecdotes about fleecing billionaires. In honor of the annual-report party, she insisted on buying Roz a new outfit. The tight, oriental-style silk dress covered every inch from neck to ankle. Initially, the outfit made Roz feel exotic, glamorous, and desirable. Pairs of red and white dragons actively circled each other on the fabric, in a new position every second. Where a dragon breathed fire, the fabric turned transparent. The orange outline and her natural skin tone completed the illusion. When Roz found out how racy the show could be, she almost refused.
Alyssa talked her into the purchase. “We’ll buy you skin-colored underwear. The potential exposure will be very brief. Besides, with your talent, Max will be the only one in the room who can watch you. I’ll bet we can get him to choke on his drink at least once tonight, and he won’t dare tell anyone else why. You can tease him for hours. Don’t worry. The modesty setting is adjustable.”
“I will if you will,” Roz insisted.
“Wonderful! Then we can have our nails done to match as well,” Alyssa said.
While Bat manicurists filed her toenails, Roz read the manual on her new dress. Unfortunately, the active fabric had been manufactured by Saurians. Her wrist unit managed to convert the Saurian text into Banker and then into English. The slider control she needed was called Family Make Friendly. Presumably, the higher the number, the more family friendly the display would be. She decided to start her dress at 70 percent. If that turned out to be too embarrassing, she could always max out the setting.
Casually, her mother asked, “So you’re planning on spending the rest of your life with Max?”
“Very much so, but we haven’t discussed that yet.”
“The dress will inspire those sorts of discussions,” Alyssa said with confidence. “What’s your vision for his future career?”
Roz’s eyes glazed over for a moment. She shifted the conversation to Spanish so the cosmetologists would have no clue what they were discussing. “Jeeves is just the beginning. Max is going to bring all sorts of species together. He is going make sure wars don’t happen again and sentients aren’t taken advantage of.”
“A politician?”
“A leader.”
Alyssa smiled at the distinction. “You don’t just decide to lead the masses for a living. You need to be groomed. You need contacts.”
“Max has earned the highest military award possible for saving the honor of a Saurian clan. He almost married a bigwig in Lunar Intelligence. He saved the life of a Turtle, the only child of the Judge of New Hawaii. He befriended a Phib governor. He’s business partners with the heir of the Black Ram as well as being a Llewellyn friend. Did I mention engaged to a Magi whom he freed from slavery?”
“And now he’s building relations with the Bats. Interesting. With help from a few of my wealthy friends and your talent, he could be a major player on the Council some day. You’d be the power behind the throne.”
Roz blinked. “The ruling council of the Union? Seriously?”
“If that’s what you really want.”
“I think that’s where he belongs. He could be a tremendous force for good. Even a committee membership might convince him to take the longevity treatment he doesn’t think he deserves,” Roz said.
“Turn on your recorder. I’m going to tell you where all the bodies are buried.” Roz touched a stud on her wrist unit to enable note taking the way she would for a ship’s inspection. For the next hour, Alyssa named dozens of influential oligarchs, industrialists, and politicians, along with the skeletons buried in their respective closets.
“Holy crap. No wonder you were never arrested.”
Alyssa lowered her voice. “The only ones I ever worried about were the Bankers. Beware running afoul of their long-range plans. They’re very dangerous on a planetary scale. A run-in with them is why I ended up at the fringes of Human space.” However, she couldn’t be persuaded to share the details of that story.
****
When Roz returned to Sphere of Influence, rested and ready for the company meeting, Herb whistled appreciatively at the dresses and asked for help bringing out the refreshments. He looked tired, and she could see evidence of intravenous treatments that Max must have performed while she was away.
“Sure.” Roz threw on an apron, happy to be doing something useful. “Why are the halls lined with boxes of medical supplies?”
“Kesh got a really good deal from someone who couldn’t afford the storage fees,” Herb said with a chuckle. “That guy is a shark.”
Once the meeting was called to order with all the partners present, the Greenbergs withdrew, and Roz leaned against the wall between Max and Deke. When the first dragon blew flame across her navel, Max’s eyes almost fell out his head. He stared at the dress as if hypnotized.
Bull’s-eye.
Kesh lectured on the commodities bought and sold throughout the year. The only real surprise for Roz was the music report. “We had to raise the price to 60 credits per cheese wheel to allow for the cut we have to give to local organized crime and officials. Not all of the wheels have been selling at this price, so we made some adjustments to our product offerings.
“Thanks to feedback from the Bats on this ship, in addition to the rebellion package, we now offer bundles for space music, dancing, or sex.”
Before speaking, Roz put her hand behind her head and casually increased the family-friendly value. She held the other hand up to be recognized. The gesture must have displayed her chest to maximum effect because Max coughed up beer, struggling to breathe for a moment. His eyes never left her dress, but he didn’t speak.
Kesh noticed her for the first time. “My dear, you look quite stylish. That’s authentic Saurian seduction fabric. You do it justice.”
“Thanks,” Roz said, nervously. “Is this new venture what we want our company to represent? It doesn’t feel right.”
Ivy raised an eyebrow.
Reuben glanced over and dropped his hard roll. “I’m sorry. What was the question?”
Curious, Roz glanced down at her dress. The dragons weren’t fighting; rather, they were mating Saurian style. Front to front, tail to tail, squeezing, clawing, and biting—her outfit was a veritable dragon Kama Sutra, with jets of triumphant fire announcing each conquest. Family Making, not Family Friendly. Frantic, Roz switched the friendliness level to zero.
Smirking, Kesh switched slides. “You tell me. Here are our projected profits up to the prison gate system.”
Everyone but Max gazed at the profit slide. She moved his head manually toward the screen.
Reuben asked, “A couple hundred credits, so?”
Ivy cleared her throat. “Balance sheets are in millions.”
“With double loan payments to reduce the interest, and deducting fuel expenses to the nearest Magi world, we should still clear 2 million,” Kesh said.
“Divided seven ways…” Reuben did the math in his head.
“Each,” Kesh clarified.
Reuben cackled with glee, kissed Ivy, and bounced around the room in a happy dance. “I�
��m the cheese-fob king. I can do anything.” He grabbed the scotch bottle from the buffet table and took a swig. “Whoo hoo!”
The air of celebration spread.
Holding a teacup and saucer in his hand, Deke pumped a fist in the air. “Now maybe I can afford a better class of girlfriend.”
Without thought, Roz smacked the cup out of his hand and into the air. “How dare you.”
Almost too late, she reeled in the bad intentions, using the emotional energy to spin the cup. Even with her talent, the cup shattered against the table. The plate, however, revolved loudly. It could still tip off the edge and shatter. Max slapped his hand over the plate, silencing the clatter.
With tremendous restraint, Roz said, “Women are people, too, and deserve respect. You dumped Olandra because of her class?”
Kesh cleared his throat. “She had none. He caught her smoking some sort of weed in our greenhouse and kicked her out.”
“A drug grower is not the sort of person I should be associating with as an officer of a starship. Worse, the drugs could cause mutations in any children inheriting my title. The decision was incredibly difficult for me.”
“When he dumped her, she went straight to the cops and collected tip money for turning us in,” Max explained.
“I’m sorry,” Roz said, staring at the delicate china she had broken in her anger. She wrapped her arms around her midsection protectively. “I tried to make the match. I guess I took the insult personally.”
“My people have a saying—how you listen affects what you hear,” Deke said sedately.
Max said, “Thank you for your understanding, sir.” Then he led Roz into the kitchen. “You can’t play God with people’s lives.”
“That’s open to debate,” Alyssa said. “People with power always do. It’s the intent that matters.”
“Either way, it’s wrong,” Max insisted.
Beside the sink, Herb dried a glass with a dish towel. “Was it wrong when you made decisions for my wife and stepdaughter without their consent?”