Spinward Fringe Broadcast 7: Framework

by Randolph Lalonde

  “It’s what he called me when I was really small. He said it was ‘cuz I ate like a bird, and liked to perch and watch people.”

  “It had nothing to do with your hair?” Finn asked with a little teasing smile.

  “Oh yeah, that too,” she replied. Ashley sighed, feeling the relief of knowing Frederick was alive and well. She only had her own problems left to worry over.

  “Is this okay? If I sleep here, I mean?” Finn asked, calling her attention back into the room.

  Ashley realised how she was, or more appropriately, wasn’t dressed just then. After she’d gotten rid of the low quality work suit while moving into her bunk, she threw on a skimpy synthetic silk crop top and the matching bottoms. She was about to put on her high quality vacsuit when the message from Frederick arrived, and, not normally very self-conscious, putting her vacsuit on became a very low priority. It impressed Ashley to no end that Finn was doing his absolute best to limit his gaze to eye contact. It wouldn’t bother her if his eyes wandered, despite the fact the fact that their romance fizzled as it started, but he was trying so hard to be respectful. He was one of the people she’d miss once she moved on.

  “I mean, Stephanie assigned me to this cabin, but I can ask her for non-co-ed. I’d understand,” Finn continued. “I think she wanted to keep the old Samson crew together, even though I was new when all this-“

  Ashley stood and embraced him tightly. He only hesitated a moment before returning the gesture. “That’s, um,” he said, hesitating a moment. “I guess it’s okay?”

  She gripped the back of his grimy work suit and croaked, “Yup.” Ashley was surprised at the tears that came, but that had been happening a lot lately, a lot more than she’d like. “I’m such a baby,” she said as she let go.

  By the time she wiped her face once, Finn had a tissue for her. “Are you okay?”

  She shook her head, trying to ‘find her spine’ as Ursula, a former Samson crewmember once told her to do under different circumstances, and answered, “It was just hard being bagged up for so long in that worker’s suit, not being able to talk to most people. Got your message bursts, though. Thank you.” It was the best cover for her tears she could think of, and it seemed to work every time.

  “Yeah, I could tell it was hard on you, tried to keep you up to date with what the reconstruction crew was doing,” Finn replied.

  “I spent more than half my time while I was in one of those,” she said, pointing at her old worker’s suit in the recycling box, “dragging stuff to and from the ships. Things got ridiculous when they started bringing things down from the Enforcer. I’m still sore all over.”

  “Recovery meds could take care of that,” Finn said. “It was pretty rough for me too, those suits trick you by adding to your strength, but you don’t realise how much work goes into just directing the crappy synthetic muscles.”

  “I know,” Ashley said, reaching into her duffel bag and pulling her favourite vacsuit out. She’d already added a golden Chinese dragon that stretched from the back of one thigh to her shoulders. “But Steph told me to ride it out, and I did for the last few weeks. She was right about one thing though, I’m in much better shape, and didn’t take any fitness meds for weeks. Don’t know how I’m going to keep it up.”

  Finn turned around as she changed into the suit. “I’ve never bunked coed before,” he said with a nervous laugh.

  “A lot of people change in their bunk with the privacy curtain closed,” Ashley said, pulling her vacsuit on. “I don’t really care though, you forget to be shy when you grow up crammed into slave quarters.”

  “That must have sucked,” Finn said. “I’m sorry.”

  “It wasn’t as bad as it could’ve been. The Gamries didn’t abuse us, and they gave their kids strict boundaries. Being monitored all the time was the worst, until Justice Gamrie took me with him on his yacht, then it was terrible.”

  “That’s when Captain bought you?”

  “Yup,” Ashley replied, her mood brightening a bit. She closed the suit, leaving a slit half way down the front open. “All done, you can turn around.”

  Finn relaxed and continued to unpack his duffel bag into the footlocker and netting beneath the bunk above. “Were there other people serving aboard?”

  Ashley knew he was trying to ask if she was the only slave aboard in a tactful way, and he was probably curious about other things as well, so she answered his unasked questions all at once. “I was the only one he owned, the rest were crew. He brought me along to show off, and because I was good at making sushi. I didn’t like making it until I was free, and I always thought it was kind of racist when I was forced to learn how, especially since I wasn’t Japanese, but he liked having an Asian make and present sushi to his friends. I tried to explain that sushi is a Japanese thing, and I was half Chinese, but he didn’t really care."

  Ashley stopped as Minh stepped into the door with a pair of pilots in tow. “Um, hi,” she offered in surprise. She loved the weathered bomber jacket he wore over his vacsuit. First Light was printed in block letters on the left front, the Triton Skull was underneath, with the new Samurai Squadron skull with crossed swords stencilled beneath that. He seemed so interesting, like he had a world of experience she couldn’t begin to imagine, but it didn’t seem to weigh him down. It was enviable, and intimidating in its own way. His straight dark hair matched her own, only shorter, stopping at the base of his neck. Hers flowed halfway down her back.

  “We’re looking for cabin eight. This says it should be past frame eight somewhere,” one grinning, long-faced pilot behind Minh-Chu said.

  “You passed it about seven metres back,” Finn answered. “Look for the recessed red handle on the port side, it’s the next hatch.”

  “Uh, okay,” he replied, starting to walk away. “Wait, do I pull the handle?”

  “No,” Finn said, making an effort to remain polite. “Don’t pull the handle. Just go into the next hatch you see after it.”

  “It’s a landmark, Joyboy,” said a female pilot beside him. She had wild green and purple hair that struck out from her head like fine wire.

  “It’s a landmark,” parroted the third pilot behind Minh, a short fellow with a broad, flat nose. He pushed Joyboy in the right direction with thick hands.

  “What’s the other half?” Minh asked, not following his three pilots.

  “Huh?” Ashley asked.

  “You said you were half Chinese,” Finn reminded her.

  “Oh, yeah,” Ashley said, finding her place in the previous conversation and deciding to take it into a slightly different direction. “Gamrie used to take me with him on trips and business deals after I came of age because my heritage made me very expensive: I’m half old-world Chinese and Italian, a really hard to find breed. When Captain bought me, Gamrie was looking for a partner for me, a man of the same heritage so he could, well, you know.” The room fell silent. “So Captain saved me from being bred like livestock, I guess.” Minh and Finn’s expressions seemed to be frozen, as if they didn’t know what to say or do next. The awkwardness was starting to settle in, so she broke the silence. “I grew up knowing how expensive I was and why, so I guess it’s not weird to me. Except for the breeding thing, which happens all the time, but I wasn’t looking forward to it. I guess I’m still pretty proud of my heritage though, even now that I’m free.”

  “Well, if you were raised by people who kept telling you that it’s what made you special, then it makes sense,” Finn said. “There’s a lot more to you than that, though.”

  “And now your value can’t be measured,” Minh-Chu said with a smile that disappeared a moment later. “That came out wrong, maybe. I meant you’re immeasurable, in terms of money. As a slave, like when you’re free you’re worth a lot more.”

  “I-“ Ashley started, smiling openly at his sinking attempt at communicating something she was pretty sure she already understood.

  “It was good seeing you again,” Minh burst with a forced grin. “Finn! Goo
d seeing you too, Finn. Not just Ashley.” He said before jerking ninety degrees so he faced the rear of the ship and marching away. “Places to meet, people to go,” he could be heard saying to himself as he moved out of sight.

  Finn stood stunned for a moment then burst out laughing, Ashley joined in, unable to resist. “I’m no expert,” Finn said. “But I think he’s crazy about you.”

  “I think he just had a mental moment,” Ashley said, shaking her head.

  “You were definitely the cause.”

  Ashley regarded Finn more seriously then. She hadn’t broken many hearts in her time, maybe two, but she didn’t want to make it three, especially if it was Finn’s.

  “It’s okay,” Finn said with a reassuring smile. “We’re good. I’m glad we found out we’re only friends early on, and it took me a while to stop wishing we were more, but I’m okay.”

  “You’re so amazing, Finn,” she said. Tears threatened to well up again, and she couldn’t tell him why, that she would regret leaving Finn, Minh, and a situation that could have been perfect for her behind. Finn’s reward was another gripping hug. “You make me feel lucky.”

  “Hey, it’s all right, you have my blessing,” Finn said in an attempt to comfort. “Just watch out for Paula, I hear she bites.”

  Ashley laughed and let him go. “Meanie.”

  “You’re right, she’s actually pretty personable if you’re asking her for advice. I had to talk to her about the launch pods for the Samson, and we spent a while passing messages through the comm proxy.”

  “God, I don’t regret leaving that behind,” she said, recalling what it was like to pass messages through a system that kept their origins hidden while they were hiding. “I do stay away from Paula, though. The last thing I heard her say about me was pretty nasty, so I’ll just stay out of her way.“

  “What did she say?”

  “Something I’m sure other people have said, that I was a sex slave, which I never was, and I wasn’t good enough to fly the Samson or the Triton.”

  “People change their tune when they meet you,” Finn said. “Or when they see you fly. Ignore her, she’s probably lashing out because she doesn’t know how to deal with everything that’s going on, not that any of us really do.”

  “She has Minh,” Ashley replied, shaking her head.

  “Scuttlebutt is already making the rounds on that. Those pilots gossip more than anyone. Even under the worker’s suit I heard he’s been trying to get away from her for weeks.”

  “Uh-huh, I’ll wait for the official announcement,” Ashley said with a crooked smile. “By the way, I’m wondering if you know anyone whose been to Drifton a lot?”

  “There are a few,” Finn said. “I don’t know them though, they were busy getting on with things while we were hiding in sealed suits. Why?”

  “I’m looking for a special kind of broker, one who can buy my accounts in exchange for money now,” Ashley replied.

  “What would you need that for?”

  “My accounts are all locked because we’re wanted by the Order, or Regent Galactic, or whatever.”

  “Oh, I’ve never heard of that,” Finn said.

  “Rick, an old crewmember from before you came on, had to deal with one. He couldn’t withdraw money from home because they froze his accounts. He was able to sell all his account info to a shady broker for about forty percent of their value, I think.”

  “Forty percent? That seems like a rip off, and what does the broker do with the info? How would they get their money?”

  “I dunno, but I don’t think I’ll ever get access to my money, at least not for years. Not if Captain is yelling about war,” Ashley said. “I agree with him, but I still need something of my own, y’know?”

  “I wish I could help,” Finn said. “But I don’t know anyone. Maybe ask Frost? He might know how to find some people.”

  Ashley caught herself recoiling from the idea of asking Frost for anything, especially advice related to her having to make her own way. “I’ll talk to him later. You’re right, he’s shady enough to dig that kinda thing up.”

  “I’m going to head out to catch the last of the sunset,” Finn said. “Or eclipse, rather. It’ll be the last light for almost two days, it’s so weird here.”

  “I’ll be a few minutes behind, I’m just going to unpack some stuff,” Ashley said. “Thank you, Finn.”

  He smiled at her and left the cabin. She closed the privacy curtain on her bunk, leaving her bags ready to go, then sealed the hatch behind him and hurriedly brought up Larry’s ident. Crewcast still replied CREWMEMBER OUT OF RANGE, even though she wasn’t communicating through a proxy system.

  “C’mon, I’ve gotta be able to do something right on my own,” she said to herself. “I have to tell Captain about this tonight, and I want it to be good news.” An attempt at communicating with him through the planetary network failed next, even the open Stellarnet couldn’t make a connection.

  Ashley frantically tried to make a direct connection to the Triton, and waited. It would take four minutes for the message to reach the ship and return. If it weren’t for the clock on her command and control unit, she would swear it took longer.

  The hatch opened, admitting a frantic Stephanie. “Something’s happened to Frost! I think he fell off the roof!”

  Ashley tried to turn the holographic communications interface off before the results of her message displayed, but didn’t get to it in time. To her surprise, a schematic of the Triton appeared, filling the narrow lane between bunks, and a voice she’d never heard before responded with a deep, authoritative tone that filled the cabin. “Ashley Lamport Identification Number recognised, command codes match records. Zhàn Class Close Combat Carrier, Sol System Defence Vessel standing by. Please present your person for verification scan so system re-initialization can begin.”

  “What the hell is that?” Stephanie asked, shocked.

  “It’s the first time that’s happened!” Ashley rushed. “Larry gave me a code for the ship, but I haven’t been able to get through since we landed here, I swear!”

  “Larry gave you a-“ Stephanie squeezed her eyes shut, her hands closed into tight fists, then she slowly let a breath out and relaxed. “Ashley,” Stephanie said with a calm tone that still sounded forced. “Whatever this is, whatever’s going on, we’ll figure it out. Turn that off for now, and help me with Frost. Then we’ll figure this out with Jake.”

  Ashley was frozen to the spot. Her big secret was about to find its way out into the open, and she would be on her own. There was no way she could recover from whatever punishment was coming; she’d either be told to leave, or so many people would hate her that she wouldn’t be able to stand it. “I’m so sorry,” she finally managed as she turned her display off.

  “We’ll handle it later,” Stephanie said more forcefully. “Until then, I’m not letting you get out of sight.”

  Chapter 19

  Infighting

  “Why doesn’t she want to see me?” Jake asked Laura as she entered the lavish multipurpose room aboard the Clever Dream. The circular seating in the centre was ringed with a small bar, more seating, and hidden amenities. It was used for the security staff charged with following Ayan, Laura, Jason, Liam, and anyone else involved with the negotiations. It wasn’t the first time he’d asked, and it didn’t surprise him when Jason didn’t answer, or that Oz didn’t know, but he was afraid he’d snap if Laura refused.

  “She’s coming out in a minute,” she said, a dire expression on her face. “Ayan was attacked by an android programmed by Wheeler.”

  “Thurge and Burke were there,” Jake said. “I know all that already, but what does it have to do with keeping me out of the room?” He hoped the suspicions he had weren’t true, but his mind wanted to run wild, bringing the worst case scenarios to the forefront of his thinking.

  “The android looked exactly like you, Jake,” Laura said quietly.

  Jake’s heart sank. “What did it do?” he asked, dreadi
ng the answer. “What kind of assault was this?”

  Oz’s hand was on his shoulder in support. He could barely feel it through his old black trench coat. “It was brief,” Laura said.

  “What did it do to her?” Jake asked again. Fear and anger welled up, it felt like pressure was building in his head.

  “It tried to get into her suit, but she destroyed it before anything could happen,” Laura explained.

  “Wheeler is a dead man,” Jake growled.

  “It’s being taken care of, Jake,” Jason said passively, as if he was barely paying attention as he looked at his comm unit.

  “You couldn’t catch or contain a rim weasel,” Jake retorted. “You couldn’t even keep your own people monitored.”

  Jason looked up from what he was doing and said, “Now, Jake, this hit us all pretty-“

  “Where were her guards?” Jake snapped. “Why wasn’t she armed? Did anyone make sure the hotel’s security system was working? Did anyone even try to contact me to verify my location?”

  “Jake, this isn’t-“ Laura tried to interrupt.

  “Shut your goddam hole!” Jake snapped. His pulse raced, his ears rung. “Every one of you treated these negotiations like you were children on holiday when you were really frolicking in a god damned mine field.”

  Stephanie stepped into the room with a sullen looking Ashley in tow. “Shamus just fell through the roof and they brought him here to the medical-“ Stephanie stopped speaking the moment she looked up and Jake made eye contact with her.

  Jake continued right where he left off, his anger barely subsiding. “I let you put me and my best people out of action for weeks, Jason, and I got captured anyway. What if it had been Ashley, or Finn, or any other member of my crew? They’d be on their way to a United Core World Colony right now, or dead.”

  Jason broke in by shouting, “Minh would have-“

  “Bad backup for a bad plan!” Jake burst. “It was just luck that put Minh there, he wouldn’t have been visiting anyone else from my crew. That’s not even the worst of it! You let over a hundred million in real, earned currency slip away while you were playing negotiator.”