After Baden left, Farro and Neive arrived on the bridge. The little girl looked bright and full of energy after her nap. Farro looked exhausted but relieved.
“Captain, I guess we’ll be going,” Farro said, holding out a hand to me. “Thank you so much for taking care of us. I don’t know how I can repay you, but if there’s ever anything—”
I shook his hand but brushed aside his thanks. “No repayment needed,” I said, as Neive wrapped her arms around my legs in a shy hug and then hopped back beside her father. “I’m glad we were in the right place at the right time.”
“Well, let me at least treat you and your crew to dinner at Bructa’s restaurant,” he said. “It’s the least we can do. Drop in anytime; I’ll tell Bructa to watch for you. It’s the Blackstar, on Level 5.”
“That sounds wonderful,” I said with a smile. “We might just take you up on that. I do have a crew that loves to eat.”
They headed for the bridge airlock and I went the other way, down the corridor, to make sure Alin Sedmamin’s quarters were ready. The room was clean and empty, and I briefly considered disconnecting the computer access. But I realized with a bit of a start that I didn’t expect Sedmamin to do anything nefarious. I actually—sort of, for the moment—trusted the man.
Baden and Sedmamin arrived back at the ship about twenty minutes later. I’d just been starting to wonder what was taking them so long, and if I shouldn’t have suggested that Baden go armed. Sedmamin had, after all, expressed the concern that someone was after him, and I could have unwittingly sent Baden into the middle of something bad. But my implant vibrated and when I answered, it was Baden.
“We’re just about there,” he said. “Thought I’d give you the heads up.”
“Thanks, Baden. Take him to the rear airlock, would you? I’ll meet you there.”
I’d been sorry to see Farro and Nieve leave the Tane Ikai, I mused as I followed the corridor from the bridge to the rear airlock. I didn’t view our new visitor with any of the same emotion.
Although when I opened the door to Baden and Sedmamin, I felt a twinge of pity for the man. Anger and apprehension mingled on Alin Sedmamin’s face, and both washed away in a flood of relief when he saw me. It felt ridiculous that the man would be so glad to see me or to come aboard the ship, considering our previous relationship.
He released a long sigh when the door slid shut behind him.
“Welcome aboard the Tane Ikai,” I said formally. I wasn’t ready to shake the man’s hand, but I motioned him inside graciously. He still wore the clothes I’d seen him in when we met at the shopping centre, and they looked the worse for wear. He carried a battered duffel bag over one shoulder and a briefcase in his other hand. His face, still too thin and carved out of sharp angles, had softened when he stepped inside the ship. He looked at me with a pathetic hopefulness. I realized that until this moment, Sedmamin hadn’t really believed that I would help him—or that he’d make it here. I felt a sudden surge of power, and I didn’t like myself very much for feeling it.
“Thank you, Captain,” he said. “I’m glad to be here safe and sound.” He managed to make it sound just a little bit accusatory, and I stopped feeling bad.
“I’ll show you to your quarters, and in the morning, we’ll discuss what’s next,” I said. “We’re all drained.” Sedmamin accepted that with a nod. Baden raised his eyebrows in a question and I nodded. He could go; I’d look after Sedmamin myself from here.
The guest quarters he’d been assigned were just around the corner, and he looked around the tiny space with a sigh. “It’s small, but I don’t mind. It’s worth the inconvenience just to feel safe,” he said.
“You really think there was someone following you, looking for you, on the station?” I leaned against the door frame and folded my arms.
Sedmamin put his bag down on the floor and sat on the edge of the bed. “I did. They’re not going to let me just walk away, as I told you. And if they could get rid of me out here, far away from PrimeCorp Main, make it look like an accident—” He shrugged. “Problem solved, for them.”
“Well, you’re valuable to the Protectorate, and everyone on the Tane Ikai will do what they can to protect you,” I assured him.
He quirked a self-deprecating half-smile. “Everyone? Your crew doesn’t like me anymore than you do, Captain. I’m fully aware of that.”
“Not everyone on the Tane Ikai at the moment is even part of the crew,” I told him. “Jahelia Sord is here, too, waiting to see what you want from her.”
“Does my door have a lock?” he asked.
“It does. But trust me, there’s not a lock on this ship that will hold Sord back if she puts her mind to it, as I know from bitter experience.” I shrugged. “I guess I should amend my assurances. Everyone will protect you from outside threats, but it’s up to you to keep on the good side of those aboard. My advice is keep your head down and try not to antagonize anyone. I’ll ask everyone to play nice, but if your tongue gets you into trouble while you’re on board, that’s your lookout.”
Sedmamin ran a weary hand through his thinning hair, as if he’d gotten tired of the banter. “I’m just looking to get out of this alive. Will we be able to leave tomorrow?”
Startled, I said, “I don’t have my full crew aboard. I’d thought we’d wait until I got them back—”
Sedmamin reached out as if he might take my arm. “There isn’t any time to waste, if this plan is going to work. My ability to access the files could change any day.”
I blew out a sigh. Leaving again without Yuskeya and Viss—particularly on this mission—hadn’t occurred to me. I didn’t like it. On the other hand, if Lanar wasn’t here, he couldn’t try to talk me out of helping Sedmamin. I could leave a message to let him, and Yuskeya and Viss, know that I’d be back soon.
“Then I guess we’ll go in the morning, as soon as we’re cleared,” I said finally.
Alin Sedmamin ran a hand over his face. “I haven’t slept well in weeks. But I might tonight. I finally feel safe.”
I hoped he wasn’t putting too much faith in me.
“I’ll leave you to it. The galley is just there,” I said, pointing over my shoulder, “if you want something to eat.”
“Thank you,” he said earnestly. “I can’t wait to get away from here. I think this station is bad luck.”
Leaving Sedmamin behind me as I headed for the bridge, I had to wonder if he might be right.
MIDWAY THROUGH THE next morning, Sedmamin finally made an appearance. Hirin, Jahelia and I gathered in the galley to see what he had to say. I’d warned everyone to be civil, but I could tell it was a struggle at times. I’d pulled hot drinks for everyone and set out a plate of solanto cookies and chocolate pano.
“I assume you have a plan?” I asked Alin Sedmamin. “You spoke as if you’ve orchestrated things pretty closely, so if you don’t have one I’ll be disappointed.”
“Of course, I have a plan,” he said mildly, wrapping his hands around his mug of milky chai. Steam rose and dissipated from it, and he hadn’t tasted it yet. He looked like he really had slept well. I wouldn’t say he looked good, but his face was slightly less drawn, and his eyes not so sunken. He’d showered, combed his hair, and traded his wrinkled suit for a pair of dark pants and a navy transform sweater. “It’s this: get into my old office at PrimeCorp Main, retrieve my files, and get out again. A stop-off at my apartment so I can gather some things. Leave the planet and everything PrimeCorp.” Now he lifted the mug and sipped. “I’ll review the files, tie them all up in a neat, incriminating package for the Protectorate—after removing anything that unnecessarily implicates me—and after I turn everything over to your brother and sign whatever they want for authentication, you deposit me at the safe haven I’ve set up.”
Jahelia Sord snorted. “Sounds easy enough,” she said in a voice thick with sarcasm. “Of course, you’re persona non grata at PrimeCorp now and they probably have alarms set to go off if you set foot on the premises, but w
e’ll just walk in—”
“Not we, Jahelia,” Sedmamin broke in. “You. And Captain Paixon. I’ll be present only as a voice in your ear.”
I raised an eyebrow and a hand. “Hang on, Sedmamin. If you think Jahelia and I are going to break into PrimeCorp Main—”
He shook his head. “I didn’t say break in, I said walk in. You’ll be going to a prearranged appointment, but on the way there, you’ll detour to my office. The appointment will be fake, so you’ll never actually be expected anywhere, and no-one will notice when you don’t show up. Once you have the files, you’ll leave with them and no-one will ask any questions at all.”
“You sound extremely sure of yourself,” Jahelia Sord observed, “while I see so many holes in this plan I could drive my ship through a few of them.”
“It’s not your ship,” Sedmamin retorted.
“Prove it,” Jahelia said, showing him her teeth in a predatory grin.
“Luta is not taking that kind of risk, no matter what you say or the Protectorate needs,” Hirin said quietly.
I frowned. Hirin rarely presumed to speak for me on anything—but I ascribed it to his obvious dislike of our involvement with Sedmamin at all. I looked at him quizzically and he met my eyes with determination.
Trying to be diplomatic, I said, “Why don’t we hear all the details before we make any decisions? I assume you’ve laid some of the groundwork, Chairman?”
Sedmamin flushed a little. “Not Chairman any longer, Captain, or none of this would be necessary. Yes, I’ve made sure of the plan. I have someone inside PrimeCorp who’s willing to help me. Not to the extent of removing files for me—that would put her into direct jeopardy and I won’t ask her to do that. But she will set up the bogus appointment that will get you into the building. And she’ll make sure my old office is empty when you go there.”
“Can she be trusted?” Hirin asked. “If she’s willing to betray her employer, what makes you think she won’t betray you?”
“We have an arrangement,” Sedmamin snapped. “It’s not like I’m risking nothing here. My future—my life, if I’m right about how badly they want me to take the fall for this—depends on how well this goes. I’m actually paying her quite well, and she’s already disposed to help me because we were friends. I trust her. She could have gone to the Board when I first contacted her, but she obviously didn’t.”
Hirin said nothing more, but I felt his disapproval like a physical heat radiating from him.
“Unless she did, and they’re waiting for you to make your move. But let’s not go there just now,” Jahelia Sord said. “Let’s review. Captain Paixon and I march boldly into PrimeCorp Main for a bogus appointment, detour to your unguarded office, I use the passcode you gave me to access your locked-out files, and we bring the data back to you.”
Sedmamin smiled thinly. “Your passcode won’t get you deep enough for the files I need. You’ll need that very useful and experimental AI to do that.”
“Pita? Well, she is one of a kind, I’ll give you that.”
“We’ll connect through your ID comm unit or an implant, and I’ll talk you through the files to find the right ones.”
“You know,” Jahelia said idly, “I—well, Pita—copied a lot of files off the PrimeCorp Main computers already. Maybe we already have what you want.”
The ex-chairman shook his head. “You won’t have these. You’ll need a decryption chip to find them.”
I leaned forward. “And we get this decryption chip, where? I didn’t hear you mention that part of the plan.”
“It will be in my office by the time you get there. It changes every day, so there’s no point in trying to get one beforehand. You’ll need that and Jahelia’s datapad AI in order to do this.”
“And if the chip isn’t there when we arrive?”
He leaned back and swallowed the last of his chai. “Then you turn around and leave, just as planned but without the data. I go on the run and Nearspace—maybe—falls to the Chron.”
“Why does Luta have to be part of this at all, if Jahelia and her AI friend will be doing all the work? Why don’t we just send her in alone?” Hirin asked.
“Wow, thanks, Gramps,” Jahelia said. “Nothing like throwing me to the wolves.” Hirin ignored her as Sedmamin answered.
“Because Luta’s name won’t trigger any flags on entering the building. She’s made visits to Main before—no, not a lot, but she’s in the system. Trust me, no-one will suspect she’s doing anything to help me. Her loathing for me is well-known. But she’ll still be in the general database.”
“And Sord won’t?”
Sedmamin quirked a secretive smile. “Jahelia Sord’s visits were . . . a little more circumspect.”
“In other words, I was top secret,” Jahelia said. She looked pleased about it.
“So, I could go in alone, and take Pita with me,” I said. “She and I worked together before, on the Chron station.”
“Hey!” Jahelia said. “I am not loaning you my datapad again, and you’re not leaving me out of this. I deserve a little fun now and then.”
“Fun, right.” I tapped my fingers on the tabletop. “You make it sound easy, Chairman. Too easy. I don’t like it.”
Sedmamin shrugged. “I’ve done everything I can to make it easy. But it’s your call. You don’t like it, I can’t do anything about that. Unless you want to take a more aggressive approach, go in there with guns blazing or something—”
“Sounds like even more fun,” Jahelia drawled. I felt like she was deliberately baiting him. “But we’ll try it your way. If it doesn’t work, guns are still an option.” She grinned and winked at me, and I knew she wasn’t serious.
Rei’s voice came over the ship’s comm. “FarView admin has cleared us to leave any time, Captain,” she said. “Whenever you’re ready, let me know where we’re headed.”
I thumbed my ID implant. “Looks like we’re going to Earth. Check with Maja on supplies and have Baden try to get us a berth at Central Mass.”
When I looked up, Sedmamin looked smugly pleased, and Hirin was staring at me.
“What? We have to dock somewhere,” I told him. “What we do when we get there . . . well, we can keep talking. We have the whole run to think about it.”
But I think he knew as well as I did that we were going to try it. Jahelia was game, and I certainly wasn’t going to be the one to let Nearspace down.
Chapter 13 – Lanar
Long Road Home
AFTER TWO DAYS on the Relidae planet, I was tired of being a diplomat.
Don’t get me wrong—the Relidae were kind, friendly people who welcomed us and wished us well. They hosted receptions, showed my crew around the city, explained their cultural beliefs, and generally impressed us as a people we would welcome into the Nearspace alliance. But the unrelenting pressure of not wanting to make a mistake, or have any of my crew make a mistake, was draining.
So, it was with a light heart that Linna Drake and I left the Cheswick that morning, on what I expected would be our last sojourn on Tabalo for a while. Cerevare had sent a message that Ambassador Andresson had been given the go-ahead to leave the hospital by Dr. Chy-Loren, on strict instructions to continue her regimen of rest and recovery. The professor had instructed us to meet them at the usual courtyard. Yuskeya and Viss, as well as Jolah Didkovsky, had already returned to the Cheswick, but Emar Summergale had chosen to remain on the planet while we waited.
I knew as soon as I climbed down from the launch and saw Cerevare’s face that there was trouble. My immediate thought was for the ambassador.
“What is it?” I asked, striding to meet the Lobor. “Has she had a setback?”
Cerevare held up a leathery palm. “No, the ambassador is fine. She’s inside with Den-Aldar. But there have been reports of heightened Pitromae activity in the system. We don’t believe it is safe for you to leave today.”
Linna Drake had followed me, and the three of us went into the big building. The room usually re
served for social occasions held a few knots of people. Den-Aldar was there, in conversation with two other Relidae in military uniforms. Ambassador Andresson, still looking pale but upright and composed, sat on one of the benches, speaking in low tones with Lieutenant-Commander Summergale. Three more Relidae bent over a handheld device that I’d learned fulfilled the same functions as our datapads.
Den-Aldar saw us arrive and crossed to greet me. “Admiral, you’ve heard the news?”
I nodded grimly. “How bad is it?”
He spread his hands. “There is substantial activity in the system. I could not guarantee that you would reach the wormhole back to Corvid space undetected.”
“Any idea what it’s about?”
The tall Relidae spread his hands. “We do not have sufficient information yet. But I urge you to delay your departure even for a day or two. You are more than welcome to remain here, or even to dock at the orbital station. There are no indications that an assault there should be expected.”
Ambassador Andresson rose and crossed to us, giving me a tense smile. “Admiral? What do you think we should do?”
I appreciated her asking me, when really, she could have made the decision herself. “I don’t want to risk your safety, Ambassador. There’s no pressing need for us to leave today. I think caution is best, especially with you on board.”
She snorted and shook her dark hair. “Oh, I’m no more important than any member of your crew,” she said. “But I do agree. Let’s give it a day or two and hope things settle down.”
I swallowed and turned back to Den-Aldar, inclining my head politely. “Legate, we’re in your debt and we’ll take your advice. We’ll remain your guests for a couple more days.”
But it wasn’t a couple of days.
Three, then four days passed with no decrease in the Chron activity. On the fifth day came a report that Chron ships appeared to be massing near the Pitromae planet, which I’d learned was a comparable distance from Tabalo as Mars was from Earth. The next day the news was that part of the force had moved to take up station near another wormhole out of the system.
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