"Where are you off to?" I asked. Nick and Marny had found me in the galley. Both were wearing well-trimmed animal furs over their grav-suits. The skins were an unnecessary layer as the suits would easily moderate body temperature, regardless of how cold it was.
"Home," he said.
I gave Marny a concerned look.
"Don't panic, Cap," Marny chortled. "We're just going to finish closing it down and say goodbye."
"Not sure that's called for," I said. "Far as I know, we're stuck here for now. Have either of you seen Jonathan?"
"Last I saw, they were being escorted around the kingdom by Hambo," Nick said.
"Hambo and Jonathan are pals?" I asked.
"Jonathan requested to be allowed to observe the Scatter kingdom. Thabini assigned Hambo," Marny said. "I think Hambo needed something to do."
I nodded. It was an odd pairing, but I'd seen stranger things.
Nick pulled something from his pocket and flipped it at me. Light reflected off the facets of a quantum comm crystal as it flew toward me. "Where'd you find this?" I asked. "And who does it connect to?"
"AI says Anino," Nick said. "It was in the lower-half of the android body Peter blew up. Jonathan is sure his evil counterpart didn’t even realize it was there. It was Jonathan who figured out that the ruined crystal would connect to Anino. The only reason the Mendari would ruin that crystal is so we couldn’t talk to Anino. That puts Anino in a different light, don’t you think?"
"You don't think Anino had anything to do with stranding us here?" I asked.
"I believed he was guilty for twenty years," Nick said. "Now, I'm not so sure. There were a million easier ways to get rid of us. I definitely don't see him in bed with the Mendari."
"You think I should call him?" I asked.
"Up to you," Nick said. "We don't need a ride. Scatters need Hotspur as a symbol of safety more than we need a ride. We're going to head back with that group of mountain folk."
"Wait, speaking of the mountain tribe. I've been wondering about that," I said. "You mind telling me how they were able to make that trek to be here in time?"
"Same way you made it down the mountain the first time," Nick said.
"Eagles?" I asked.
"Golden gigantus," he corrected. "Yeah, apparently, they got ahold of the sky guard and requested a ride. The sky guard has been part of the resistance for a long time. When Jared Thockenbrow murdered Lifa, it pushed them over the edge. They were just waiting for the revolution."
"This place was a powder-keg ready to blow before we got here," I said, thinking about the implications.
"And you were the match, Cap. But we already knew that," she said, winking.
"Have you talked to Tabby and Ada?"
Nick smiled and nodded. "Yup and we're just going to be a couple hundred kilometers away. Come grab us when you get things figured out."
"What'cha doing?" Tabby asked, finding me on Hotspur's bridge a few hours after Nick, Marny, and Peter had taken off.
I held two crystals in the space between us. "Anino or Mshindi?" I asked.
She raised an eyebrow. "I still don’t trust Anino.”
I shrugged. "Whoever knows with that guy? He wanted us away from Mars. Do I think he'd purposefully crash-land us to accomplish that? If he wanted us dead, I can think of easier and less expensive ways."
"But you don't trust him, right?" she asked warily.
"Oh, frak, no. Not further than I can throw him."
"Trust who?" Ada asked, popping up through the gravity lift and onto the deck.
"Anino," I said, showing her the comm crystal.
She frowned but didn't say anything.
"Why Mshindi?" Tabby asked, continuing our conversation. "What can she do?"
"Get word to Mom that we're alive?" I said as more of a question than an actual plan.
I had no idea if our old Abasi allies would even recognize me, given how long we'd been gone. Mshindi Prime, or at least the Prime I knew, had been old when we left. Twenty years was a long time for her to have survived and stayed in power, given the instability of the region. That said, we had good relationships with the rest of her family.
"Start with Mshindi," Tabby said, picking up my hand. "Silver would want to know you're alive."
"I'm with Tabby on this," Ada said. "Anino is a wild card."
I chuckled and dropped the Mshindi comm crystal into the newly fashioned cradle. "You know I'm going to call them both, right?"
Ada shrugged. "Don't argue."
A light on the communication rig illuminated green, indicating that our crystal had made contact with its twin, hundreds of light years away. "House of Mshindi, this is Bold Prime, Liam Hoffen, calling. Please respond," I waited and then repeated myself.
"Think anyone will answer?" Tabby asked. "Twenty years is a long time to leave something hooked up. It's probably in a broom closet."
"Bilge," Ada said, chuckling.
We stared at the comm unit for several minutes and I tried again with the same results.
Ada leaned back in her chair. "That's anti-climactic."
"This could take a while," I said. "Anyone for cards?"
Tabby pushed her chair back and opened a drawer, pulling out a pack of well-used cards. The pack hadn't seen use in over twenty years, but it was familiar all the same. Shuffling first, she dealt out a hand of her favorite game, poker. For several hours, I repeated my communication attempt after each hand until it became clear that we would not be answered.
"Try Anino in the morning?" Tabby asked as we headed back to our quarters.
A crackling sound froze the three of us in place and we turned to look back at the communication rig. "House Bold, this is Perasti Prime. You are requested to respond."
I raced back to the communications station, stabbed at the transmit button. I wasn't sure why House Perasti was responding, but I recognized the voice as belonging to Moyo, an old friend. She sounded older, but it was her.
"Moyo?" I asked. "This is Liam Hoffen, do you read?"
"Bold Prime Hoffen Liam is reported as deceased. Identify yourself," she responded.
"Moyo, it's me, really," I said. "Look, a lot of things have happened. We're stuck in another galaxy and need you to get word to my mother, Silver Hoffen, that we're alive. Will you do that for me?"
"Identification challenge issued," she answered.
My AI recognized the protocol that I'd forgotten and displayed a word sequence, which I read aloud.
"Bold Prime. I greet you with great joy." Moyo's attitude shifted from dubious to friendly in a second. "You say you are alive and in good health? What of your crew?"
"Marny, Tabby, Nick, Little Pete and Ada are doing well," I said. "We’ve been cut off from the rest of our House for twenty standard years. Can you get word to Silver that we're alive?"
"It will be difficult," she said. "But it will be done."
"Difficult?" I asked. "What's going on? Why didn't Mshindi answer?"
"House Mshindi has fallen," Moyo answered. "Much has changed since your departure. House Kifeda allied with the Taji. House Perasti and Gundi now live in exile."
The news was hard to hear. "What happened to Adahy and House Mshindi?"
"They were killed."
"And House Bold?" I asked.
"The human settlement in the Mhina system is beset with invaders who call themselves Mendari," she answered. "Reports are that their war goes poorly but that they survive. We are not allowed to speak of House Bold."
"Where do you live in exile?" I asked.
"Abasi Prime is still our home," she answered. "We are allowed to operate businesses but have turned over our vessels of war. It is a dark time in Felio history, Hoffen Liam. The war with Kroerak weakened us and the canines bled us."
"This is hard to hear, Moyo, my friend," I said.
"The news of your life has brought joy to my day where little existed," she answered. "I am most sorrowful that I bring ill news to your ears."
"I n
eed to ask one thing," I said. "Do you know if my mother had another son while I was gone?"
"Munay-Hoffen Benjamin Noah," she answered immediately. "I find surprise that you have no knowledge of this. A child was born very soon after the defeat of Kroerak. It is said the kit brings honor to his pride. He was born with the scent of blood in his nostrils."
I exchanged shocked looks with Tabby and Ada.
"You'll pass word to Silver?" I asked, not sure I could continue the conversation much longer.
"I will deliver this very communication device to her personally," Moyo said.
"You need to stay safe, Moyo," I said.
"Kifeda might place a muzzle on me, but my claws remain sharp," she answered. "Perasti Prime desists."
The three of us stared at each other in silence for several minutes.
"Congratulations," Tabby said, finally.
"What?"
"You have a brother," she said.
"Noah," I said. "What'd she say? Born with blood in his nostrils? What does that even mean?"
"Scent of blood, " Ada said. "Sounds like he's a fighter. Imagine that. You gotta love those Felio. They have a way with words."
I pulled the comm crystal out and tucked it in a small pocket under my waist band. "I don't think I'm going to get sleep anytime soon."
"No kidding," Tabby agreed. "I'd give anything for a beer and some pizza right now."
"Let's make another call," I said. "You know, since this last one worked out so well."
"Can't be worse than that," Ada said.
I chuckled mirthlessly and dropped Anino's crystal into the cradle. Like the other, this crystal immediately connected to its twin.
"Anino, you copy?" I called. "This is Hotspur. You know, the crew you tried to kill."
"Hostile much?" Ada asked, as we waited for a response.
"Not even close," Tabby said, punching the transmit. "Pick up you aged little dick-head. Or are you afraid next time I see you I'm going to pluck your arms out like a kid with a bug."
I laughed, looking down at the table and scratching my head. "I'm not sure threatening him is our best course of action," I said.
"Feels like it's best he knows just where things sit," she answered.
We waited, staring at the communications box. Unlike the Abasi, the odds of Anino having something cleverly arranged so he could constantly monitor the crystal were pretty good. Twenty years was a long time for most folks, but Anino had lived for centuries. I was pretty sure he'd pick up – eventually.
After waiting a few minutes, I pushed the transmit again. "Come on, Anino," I said. "I know you're monitoring this channel. No, Jonathan is not dead. Yes, we have his crystal. No, I'm not going to let Tabby pull your arms out. Yes, we're pissed you stranded us."
"I didn't have anything to do with you being stranded," Anino answered. "I don't even know where you are. I lost track of Hotspur four hours after you departed Mars orbit. What happened?"
"We don't know for certain. When Jonathan gets back, I'll have him call and give you whatever details he's worked out," I answered. "You need to send a ship."
"What happened to Hotspur?" he asked.
"We're sitting on her right now," I said.
"You have a ship," he said. "I'm not in any position to send you a ship."
"All the gravity suspension chambers were ejected," I said. "For the record, those were stasis chambers."
"Better that way. It reduces stress on the body in transit. You can thank me later," he said. "So, make new ones."
"I'm not getting back in those things," Ada said. "I was out for twenty years."
"You've been in stasis the entire time?" Anino asked. "That's fantastic. I'm going to need details on that."
"Not all of us were," I said. "Does Hotspur have enough fuel to get us to Mhina system if we make new stasis chambers?"
"I don't know how much you used. Jonathan could tell you, though," he said. "I can't send a ship for you. Things are falling apart around here. We're kind of on the run."
"We?"
"Mother and me," he said. "Word somehow got out that we've been re-juving. New Earth and New Mars governments are hunting us. I think they just want us to share the tech, but we can't allow that kind of power to spread."
"So, your answer is that we need to fix this on our own?" I said.
"That's my answer," he said. "Let's be clear though. I sent my ships to Mhina as part of our bargain. You took a trip. We're even."
"Mendari infiltrated your shipyard. How is that possible? We lost twenty years of our lives because of your ineptitude and now you intend to leave us stranded?" I asked. "We're not even close to even, Thomas Anino."
"We've both had a bad run. It sounds like you think I might have been in cahoots with Mendari. You should know better than that." He sounded hurt. It wasn't like him to play the actor. "If I had any way to retrieve you I would. Things have changed, dammit, but we're still on the same team."
"Are we?" I asked.
"Yes," he said. "Do yourself a favor, though. Don't come back to Sol or any of the human systems. Treaties between Mars and Earth governments have failed. Everyone is pissed that I nixed fold-space and I’m basically on the run. I don’t think you’d be safe.”
"Frak, I hate politics," I said.
"That's something we can agree on," he said. "For what it's worth, I'm glad you're all alive. I thought you hadn't made it. I even sent a ship out to find you, but it was pretty clear you never arrived."
"Good bye, Thomas," I said and disconnected before he could say anything further.
"That prick is frakking unbelievable," Tabby said. "Do you really think he wasn't involved?"
I shrugged, suddenly tired again. "I have no idea."
"Doesn't change anything," Ada said, straightening in her chair. "First thing in the morning, I'll grab Jonathan and we'll get started manufacturing stasis chambers and fuel."
"Tabby and I will comb this ship for more Mendari technology," I said.
"What do you think is going on?" Tabby asked, excited as she pulled on the fancy clothing we'd created while visiting the cloud city of Léger Nuage. "Why are we getting all dressed up? Are they throwing us a going away party? I heard someone say that Thabini and Joliwe might be announcing the Scatter equivalent of an engagement."
We'd been working on the ship for several ten-days and just the night before, had welcomed Nick, Marny and Peter back onto Hotspur in preparation for our voyage to the Mhina system. I'd hoped to hear from Mom before taking off. Her silence was a mystery that caused me substantial anxiety.
"It's definitely a party in our honor and you look fantastic," I said. The bright colors of the Nuagian clothing brought back a flood of memories.
Tabby spun around, smiling. She'd always been the one for me and I laughed with her as she showed off.
"I thought you'd be wearing your Nuage clothing," she said. "What's with the formal black tux and all?"
I shrugged. "Call me a traditionalist."
"You're handsome," she said, straightening my bow tie. "I feel like you're up to something, but I can't quite put my finger on it."
"Are you guys dressed?" Ada called, opening the hatch and coming inside. She wore a silky brown dress and had her tight black curly hair pushed up and held in place with an ornate, jewel-encrusted band.
"I love that dress," Tabby exclaimed. "Did you just replicate it?"
Tabby was right, but then Ada was pretty enough that she could probably wear a bag and look nice in it.
"Joliwe set us up. You should see Marny," Ada said, smiling broadly. "She's got this blue number. Hugs her in all the right places. Who knew she was hiding all that?"
Tabby giggled and the two looked at each other. "Liam," they said in unison.
"What?" I played innocent, but they were right. I was a big fan of the female form and it wasn't my fault that I was surrounded by three radically different women, each beautiful in their own way.
The three of us exited the br
idge deck and found Nick and Marny waiting for us in the hold.
"Where's Peter?" I asked.
"Looking good, Cap," Marny said, releasing Nick's arm long enough to give me a quick peck on the cheek. "You ready for this?"
"What?" Tabby asked, growing suspicious. "It's just a party."
"You haven't told her yet?" Marny asked, looking between us. "Cap, are you sure?"
I nodded.
Tabby slapped me playfully on the chest. "Told me what? What's going on?"
"Can you wait five more minutes? I swear it'll be worth it," I said.
Tabby shrugged. "I'll try. But not more than five, okay?"
The five of us, dressed to the nines, walked down the ramp of the hold and onto the stone path that led to the grand entrance of the castle. Upon crossing the threshold, we were met by Hambo, who smiled brightly and offered his one remaining arm to Ada.
"Are you my date for tonight?" she asked.
"If you will have me," he answered, grinning broadly.
"He should be careful what he asks for," Tabby whispered into my ear, giggling. I loved it when she was in a good mood.
The castle bustled with activity, most of which was forward of the grand cut-crystal staircase that led to large wide-open doors ten meters ahead. Scatters dressed in finery observed our entrance and did what they were known for – scurrying urgently away.
"Wow, they really know how to throw down," Marny said, gawking with awe at the colorful lights dancing off the reflective walls and cascades of white flowers.
"Where do you think they got all those flowers in the middle of winter?" Nick asked as we climbed the steps.
Music and the low rumble of voices filtered into the foyer as we approached. Standing at the entrance to a large hall stood Joliwe, flowers in her hair, wearing a silken gown much like Ada's, only flaxen in color.
"Hambo, would you escort our guests to their seats?" Joliwe asked.
I pulled on Tabby's arm as Marny, Nick and Ada made to follow Hambo. Everyone in the hall had turned to look at us.
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