Queen of Hearts

by Michael-Scott Earle

  “Our records indicate that you have never docked with us before.”

  “That is correct,” Zea said. “It is our first time here, but rumor is that City Four would be the best place to trade and that Atlantic Sector has the best harbor.”

  “Copy that, Persephone,” the woman said. “I can get you into City Four, but you’ll be at Pacific Sector. Gate 145. Set your autopilot to relay window code 789.32.”

  “Thanks, Ganymede,” Zea said. “I’m setting it now.”

  “Since you are new, I’ll send you our laws. They are pretty standard, but I will need your captain to sign off on them and then present the document to the clerk who checks you in. We allow armor and light firearms to be carried in the cities, but our laws are harsh if you use them outside of self-defense.”

  “Understood,” Zea said as she glanced to me. “Thank you for taking care of us.”

  “No problem, Persephone,” the woman said. “Welcome to Ganymede. Enjoy your stay.”

  As the traffic controller finished her words, both Persephone and Ganymede came out from around the corner of Jupiter. The moon was more like an actual planet, but there was no water on the surface, just frozen ice over an endless sea of saltwater that lurked under the surface.

  “It isn’t terraformed?” Sivaha asked.

  “No,” I replied. “It was colonized before Earth developed ark ships or terraforming technology. If they wanted to terraform it, they would have to pull everyone off the planet. The cities are all under protective domes, and tunnels push through the salt water under the surface of the planet to connect them.”

  “I see,” she said, but none of the other women on the bridge made any other comment about the moon.

  I should have felt as if I was home. I should have felt relief that I was going to see my mom, but I could only feel dread as I looked at the icey world where I was born.

  The easy sounding missions always ended up being the hardest on us, and I hoped this was the exception.

  Chapter 6

  Zea had no problem piloting Persephone down into Ganymede City Four. The Pacific Sector spaceport was actually closer to where my mother’s apartment was, but it wasn’t in as nice a part of town as Atlantic. It probably didn’t matter, since I intended to just get in, grab my mom, and then get out. Sure, I had a bone to pick with the yakuza who betrayed our contract, but I couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling in my stomach. It grew as we got closer to the moon, and it only increased when Zea took us into the spaceport tunnel that led to the landing zones.

  The sooner we were out of here, and back in Nordar-13, the better. I had to figure out how to unite all the clans, and coming back to Ganymede wasn’t really helping my quest.

  “Uhhh, Adam,” Kasta said as she leaned forward to speak to me around Eve. “Have you looked at the law document?”

  “Nope,” I said. “Figured it was boilerplate, but the look on your face makes me think there is something wrong.”

  “Yep,” she said with a sigh. “Under their criminal code, it has a law that clearly states that anyone ever convicted of a crime is not allowed back on the moon.”

  “I know,” I said.

  “You do?” Her blonde eyebrow raised. “Do you know what the penalty is?”

  “Yep,” I said. “It will be fine. I’ll be in and out really quick. I’m not going to spend the extra time it takes to fuck around with the yakuza.”

  “What is the penalty?” Zea asked.

  “Execution,” Kasta said. “Apparently, if they convict you of a crime, they just ship you off to a prison, and they don’t ever want you to get out.”

  “Kind of,” I said. “You can get your records annulled by either serving your time or being sold into slavery.”

  “Does that mean you’ll be good? Since you were purchased from your prison?” Paula was twisting around in her chair so that she could face me, and her fingers combed through her long blonde hair nervously.

  “I’m not sure, but I’m just going to be going in and out. It should only take me an hour or so to get her and come back.”

  “Is there a place where I can access their police or judicial systems?” Zea asked as she steered Persephone down onto our landing zone. “I can check to see what records they have on you and then wipe them. Then we wouldn’t have to worry.”

  “Hmmm,” I said as I thought through her idea. “It sounds dangerous.”

  “More dangerous than the probability of some facial recognition camera spotting you, alerting the police, and then having those police capture you?” Zea groaned. “Look, I’m a big girl, I’ve broken into thousands of secure systems to steal or manipulate data. I might not even need to be in any sort of secure building.

  “I like Zea’s idea,” Eve said. “Surely she could use her abilities to help you.”

  “Then you would not have to rush in and out,” Sivaha said. “You could take the time to punish those who have wronged you. I propose a plan.”

  The other women on the bridge turned to face the silver-haired woman, and she rose gracefully from her chair.

  “Adam and I will go fetch his mother, while the five of you deal with this important database problem. If all goes correctly, you will have it fixed before we even make it to her home.”

  “It would be better for Adam to stay on Persephone while we find a place for Zea to break into their system,” Madalena said. “Your plan puts Adam at risk.”

  “What if Zea is unable to delete or modify his records?” Sivaha asked. “Then we would have wasted time.”

  “I don’t think Zea has ever not been able to hack something,” Paula said as she smiled across the seats to the short-haired hacker.

  “Aww, thanks sweetie,” Zea said with a small smile, “but I won’t know more until I see it. I like Madalena’s idea. Adam should wait here while we go and try to fix his records.”

  “Then I will stay here with him,” Sivaha said. “Excellent plan, Zea.”

  The hacker narrowed her blue eyes at Sivaha for a moment, and then she shook her head with a slight smile. “Alright. We’ll have some girl-time. Maybe we can meet Adam and Sivaha once we’ve taken care of this?”

  “Or, the five of you can enjoy each other’s company while I spend some time with my husband?” Sivaha bit her lip and raised her voice a bit as she looked at Zea.

  “Ugh. Whatever.” Zea looked at me and then shrugged.

  “The central police station is on 2nd street,” I said. “You’ll have to take the red-line tube west from here. I think it is three or four stops. Then you’ll just walk to the station. You should be there in twenty minutes.”

  “Shall I sign the law documents as captain of Persephone?” Madalena asked.

  “Yeah,” I said.

  “Since Kasta is coming with us, I will assign guards to Yu and your sister’s door, as well as Persephone’s hold.”

  “That’s fine,” I said as I smiled at the Prime Valkyrie. “You are all dismissed.”

  Everyone else stood and followed Madalena and Zea back toward the elevator. That just left Sivaha and me alone on the bridge, and the silver-haired woman moved to take Eve’s seat.

  “Soooooo,” she said as she twisted some of her hair around her pointer finger. “Looks like we will have some time alone. However shall we spend it?” As soon as she asked the question, her brown eyes moved from my face, and I turned to see Kuroda.

  “Hey, buddy,” I said as the man bowed his head.

  “I am sorry to interrupt, Tiger,” he said. “May I speak with you privately?”

  “No,” Sivaha said. “I require Adam’s time right now.”

  “Ahh, the woman speaks for you?” Kuroda shook his head at me and sighed.

  “No,” I said. “Sivaha, leave us.”

  Her beautiful mouth formed a line, and I saw the muscles in her jaw tense for half a moment. Then she bowed her head to me and gracefully rose. “Very well, I will wait for you in your room.”

  She didn’t look at Kuroda when she walke
d past him, and the man moved to take Madalena’s seat.

  “Your woman needs a shorter leash,” he said, and I remembered the dream I had where Sivaha tried to give me the jeweled rope that was wound around her throat.

  “She is a queen that is used to giving the orders,” I said.

  “And you are Tiger,” he said. “King of kings and Emperor of emperors.”

  “So you say.” I shrugged. “What can I help you out with?”

  “You have not spent time with your new wives.”

  “I was just spending time with one, and then you interrupted.” I gave him a smirk and gestured to where Sivaha had walked.

  “Your women are excellent,” he said, “but they are untamed and think they possess you. How are you adjusting their behavior?”

  “Look, Ku--Dragon, I’m just trying to save the fucking galaxy here. I want to protect my women and make them happy along the way.”

  “Of course,” he said. “That is what men do, but a woman is only happy when she is pleasuring her man, or being told what to do by him. They are simple creatures at heart, just like we men are also simple creatures.”

  “Ahhh.” I chuckled at the man and shook my head. “Women are simple creatures? If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you had never been married.”

  “It has always been that way,” he said. “The more advanced you are as a male, the more control you must exert over your women. May I offer you more advice?”

  “Sure, as long as you don’t mind me ignoring it.”

  “Tiger, did my last piece of advice hinder you?”

  “Well, no,” I said. “If anything, I felt pretty awesome after I shifted back into my human form. I was tired, but not my usual exhausted.”

  “You grow tired because you fight your nature,” he said. “Embrace it in all aspects of your life, and you will become even more powerful.”

  “So you say.” I shrugged and then turned toward Persephone’s display screen when another spacecraft hovered overhead. “What is the advice?”

  “Go out and complete your mission,” he said. “Do not wait here for your women to protect you. This is your territory. You know the streets, the alleys, and the baselines of the civilians. Yet your women go out ahead of you. What does that communicate to them? What does that communicate to your Tiger aspect?”

  “Dragon, I’m a convicted criminal on this world,” I explained. “I’m supposed to be in jail. They might have wiped my record clean when Yu bought me, but I don’t know for sure. This isn’t about me being ‘Tiger’ or being ‘a man.’ It is about me being a captain and general. Sometimes I need to sit back and let my soldiers do the work.”

  “Agreed,” he said. “There are times for that, but those times are reserved for when you are also attacking at the front, and your soldiers back you. Dragon sits behind a wall of his minions and plans. Tiger is up front with them, killing the most enemies and tasting their blood. You should not act like me. You should act like you.”

  “So you think I should just go into the city while they work on the judicial systems? What happens if I am caught?”

  “You are Tiger,” he said with a shrug. “Just kill them.”

  “I’m not going to kill people that try to bring me in because I broke the law,” I said.

  “Tiger, you are the law. The people in this galaxy will die if you are not successful in your fight against the darkness. If you have to crush some on your path to save their lives, then they should have moved out of your way.”

  “Alright,” I said with a nod. “Thanks for the advice, Dragon.”

  “Will you follow it?” he asked.

  “No,” I said with a sigh. “It’s not how I operate.”

  “You resisted my advice on Wobbegong, but then took it and felt the tension in your soul abate. Will you trust me again?” He raised his eyebrow, and I stared into his eyes for a few moments while I considered.

  I didn’t like what Kuroda was telling me to do. It would put a lot more risk on my friends if I were to get caught. A mistake could mean our mission was delayed or it could mean my execution.

  But I had to admit that I’d felt much better the last time I had shifted back into my human form.

  “Alright,” I said. “I feel like you are the devil on my shoulder that keeps on whispering in my ear.”

  “No,” he said as a smile crept to his lips. “I merely know you better than you know yourself, Tiger. I look forward to your return. This mission will build your strength and loosen the shackles on your soul. You will become even more powerful, and the darkness will not be able to stand before your might.”

  “Can’t argue with being more powerful,” I said as I stood. “I’ll talk to you when I get back.”

  “Good.” The dragon-man made a wide smile that showed his perfect teeth. “You will win. Tiger always does.”

  I nodded, and then walked back to the bridge elevator, Mikhael was sitting in one of the gunners chairs and he stood when he saw me.

  “You’ve got the bridge,” I said. “I’m going out.”

  “Yes, Adam,” he said and then he moved to the officer chairs where Kuroda still sat.

  I took the elevator down to the bottom floor of Persephone and planned my next steps. I had been concerned about getting around the city without being seen, but I knew the place like the back of my hand. There were guards at the gate of the harbor who probably had the assistance of facial recognition cameras, but I knew a few back routes that could take me out of the docks and into the city easily. I also knew the guards wouldn’t bother to check me leaving the city, so I only needed to worry about getting out of the spaceport, avoiding the major street intersections, and getting my mother.

  I’d been going over the plan in my head and realized that I had come to stand in front of the door to the armory. I stepped inside and turned my head around to survey the equipment before I decided to wear the green cloaking armor I had just acquired from Wobbegong. The suit was bulkier than my normal Persephone armor, but I liked the helmet and cloaking technology.

  Both might help me escape facial recognition detection.

  Once I was suited up, I moved over to the weapons. Firearms on Ganymede came in two different varieties: they were either civilian grade sawed-off shotguns, revolvers, or lever rifles, or they were military assault rifles. It was legal to carry guns on the moon, but it wasn’t legal to build them here unless they were destined for the Jupiter Marines. Pretty much anything I carried would draw attention, so I decided to just take the shrapnel sprayer and two large pistols that I had used to kill the Elaka Nota assholes on Wobbegong.

  I stocked my belt pouches with pistol ammo, attached the cubes of shrapnel ammo next to them, and then grabbed one of the large Vaish winter coats hanging up on a rack next to the door. It was fur lined and thickly padded, but even though it would look a bit out of place on the streets of Ganymede, It would cover up most of my ammo and help conceal my guns.

  As soon as I was satisfied with my loadout, I stepped to the armory door and came face to face with Sivaha.

  “Where are you going?” she asked, and I felt her annoyance.

  “I’m going out,” I said. “You can wait here.”

  “You said I could come with you,” she replied.

  “I didn’t say you could come with me.” I moved to step around her, but she slid to the side and blocked me. She probably weighed half as much as I did, but her brown eyes stared into mine with a fierce intensity.

  “Please give me a chance,” she whispered. “I only wish to spend time alone with you. Do you not feel my emotions?”

  I did feel her emotions. They poured into me as if they were actually mine. I knew she was telling the truth, and I felt a pang of sorrow for her position, even though she had once tried to kill me.

  “Get some armor on,” I said as I looked at her black dress and matching heels.

  “Thank you, Husband,” she said with a wide smile. “I do not need to wear armor though, I have an aegis
.”

  “Where?” I asked as I looked for her necklace. She wasn’t wearing any jewelry around her neck, and I remembered my dream where she had worn the choker.

  “Ring,” she answered as she wiggled her left hand.

  “You’ll still need to change,” I said. “Your dress would work in a chic restaurant or party setting, but you’ll be out of place walking down the streets of City Four.”

  “Husband, I will be out of place wherever I walk, since I am so beautiful.” Sivaha laughed. “Do not worry, even though you are very handsome, all eyes will be on me.”

  “We are going to be walking through some rough parts of the city,” I said. “I would prefer that you wear something less sexy.”

  “Oh?” she purred. “You think the dress is sexy on me?”

  “You know what I mean. We have to get through security and into the city. I don’t want you--”

  “I have teeth and claws,” she said as she gave me a playful wink. “I’ll be a good kitten for you.”

  “Teeth and claws don’t matter. You need to grab a gun.” I nodded over my shoulder.

  “Done,” she said as she turned her side to me and slid one of her long fingers down her bare thigh. There was a garter belt there, and she pulled her dress to show a small pistol holstered on the inside of her perfectly shaped leg.

  “Alright,” I said. “Let’s go. Don’t make me regret taking you.”

  “I will not,” she said as her smile grew even broader.

  We left the armory and then made our way to the hold. Lux, Milda, and Calisto were guarding the gate that connected to our hatch, and the three women nodded to me when I approached.

  “Do you have any rhodium?”

  “Yes,” Lux said as she reached into her pocket to pull out a small baggie with what I guessed was four grams. The Valkyrie handed it to me without question, and I slipped the bag into my ammo pouch.

  “I’m heading out,” I said.

  “We will guard,” Lux replied, and then Sivaha and I walked into the gate.

  “Do your other women know you are leaving?” my new wife asked as she wrapped her fingers around the armor on my bicep.