Balance of Terror (32 page)

Kad watched Moon as she looked out of the tall paned-glass windows. He saw her concentrate on the large leaves of amber, orange and red that an errant wind picked up and hurled at figures hurrying across the quadrangle. Refocusing his view slightly, he looked beyond the shedding trees, to an uneven skyline of low buildings marked out along the horizon, their edges bleeding into a pale sky bright with sunlight. It was a pleasant place to be. He hoped she liked it.

She shifted in her chair as the institute’s head approached them, his smile welcoming.

“I’m sure you’ll be very happy here, Dr. Skylark. While not a Republic facility, we are still proud of everything we’ve managed to achieve, and our students are both bright and highly motivated.”

Moon glanced over at Kad, who sat next to her, and he lifted an eyebrow in what he hoped was an encouraging gesture.

“Thank you, Dr. Lazt,” she replied. “I’m pleased to see so many…species of students here.”

Lazt puffed out his chest. “We have pride in how far our planet has progressed. Rest assured that anyone who flees the Republic will be welcome here, regardless of their species. That’s the bedrock philosophy of our world. Strength in diversity.”

“And you won’t encounter any problems adding me to your staff?”

“Problems?” Lazt laughed. “Dr. Skylark, once the other institutes find out I have a highly-trained physicist teaching at my campus, you’ll be beating off their offers with a laser-whip.”

Moon smiled but Kad, who knew her well, saw that it didn’t reach her eyes. She had lost weight in the two months since he’d brought the terrible news to E-Beta. He tried telling her that she looked more matriarchal now, a beautiful and haughty ebony sculpture with exquisitely high cheek-bones come to life, but she remained unmoved by his compliments.

“We may not be part of the Republic,” Lazt continued, “but we’re not uncivilised. In fact, if you agree to teach for us, you’ll find we offer a number of additional benefits. For example, we already have some accommodation prepared for you. Would you like to see it?”

Lazt was like an excited child, and Kad suppressed a smile. When he’d been thinking of a sanctuary for Moon, the planet of Credis hadn’t been high on his list. But, the more he analysed it, the more it suited a brilliant, broken woman who desperately needed purpose in life, even if she didn’t realise it herself.

One month’s journey from the nearest crease, and too close to the lawless Stellar Barrens for the Republic’s comfort, Credis was a progressive oasis with a high level of technology. And, as an added bonus, it was far enough away from Needann to ensure that Moon could live the rest of her life undisturbed by Republic politics.

Moon nodded assent to the accommodation offer and, with barely concealed enthusiasm, Lazt chivvied them out of his office. They tripped down two sets of wide stairs down to the foyer and then out of the building, into the brisk wind that played with falling autumn leaves.

“It gets a little cold in winter,” Lazt explained, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jacket, but he still wore a grin of pride. “The staff have a skiing club if you’re interested in that kind of thing, Dr. Skylark. Old technology, for sure, but extremely enjoyable.”

He skirted one edge of the quadrangle and backtracked towards a compound of vehicles, all of them neatly parked. Striding past one row, his step quickening, he paced along another string of transports until he stopped beside a speeder that was of a decidedly old vintage but obviously lovingly maintained.

“It’s my pride and joy,” Lazt said, patting a front panel affectionately. “We’ll put you on the list to get one.” He laughed shortly. “Not this one, of course, but a newer model. I’ll forward a request form within the next few days. Waiting time is a handful of months, but it’s worth it. Come on, get in.”

Kad gave Moon a quick grin (she didn’t respond) and gestured her to precede him into the speeder. After making sure they were comfortable and safely buckled in, Lazt lifted off, heading away from the campus and the beckoning urban skyline. Small blocks of development became sparser as the autumn colours of Credis’s natural landscape began to dominate. The environment and the effect of smooth flight above the treetops relaxed Kad. Maybe he’d been in space for too long. If things worked out with Moon and Credis, he thought he might even consider retiring here.

A thread of silver flashed below and, with a flourish, Lazt arced around the widening stream and onwards over a calm lake. It was obvious from his flying that the scenic route they were taking was yet another enticement and the beauty of it was, he didn’t need to say a word. The gorgeous landscape was doing all the selling for him. Finally, after fifteen minutes aloft, Lazt headed for a range of low mountains, finally settling on a plateau halfway up the slope of one of the peaks.

“It’ll be a bit brisk out,” Lazt warned as he lifted the speeder’s canopy, “but the view more than makes up for it, in my opinion.”

That was an understatement. As they stepped out onto the escarpment, they saw a glistening lake below them, its feeder stream snaking lazily in and out of view through surrounding forest. Beside them and the parked speeder, perched against a sloping rocky face, was a small house, its angular surfaces reflecting the sun.

Kad breathed in deeply, appreciating the aroma of unfiltered nature.

“One of our other professors used to live here,” Lazt explained, “until she fell pregnant. She wanted to be close to work and her family, so we found her larger accommodation nearer to the campus. This place has been vacant for more than a year now, which is a shame. I’ve always thought it would make the perfect home for the right person, and something about you strikes me as being the right person, Dr. Skylark.”

He put the right amount of inquiry into his last statement, but Moon ignored it. With deliberation, she turned her back on the both of them and walked towards the house.

“You’ll have to forgive her,” Kad said in the silence that followed, “her journey here has not been without pain.”

Lazt watched Moon’s receding figure circle the small front garden. “It’s nothing I haven’t seen before,” he assured Kad, his expression sober. “All of us newcomers have had to leave something precious behind. The beauty of Credis is that we’ve learnt not to ask uncomfortable questions of the recent arrivals. We’re well aware that people heal in their own time.”

“Do you get many Republic refugees coming here?”

Lazt smiled reassuringly. “Not as much as some systems we’re in contact with, but we get a steady number each year. It’s my personal opinion that the people who come to this planet are the most damaged, which is why they choose the farthest outpost from the life they knew. But they are also the most valuable, for who else would the Republic seek to destroy but those with the greatest potential? And they do realise that potential here, Dr. Minslok. Your friend will be safe in our hands.”

The two men watched as Moon disappeared into the house.

“I hope Doctor…Skylark decides to stay,” Lazt mused. “Our institute could certainly use the kind of expertise she has.”

“She hasn’t taught a classroom of students in years,” Kad warned.

Lazt waved away the objection. “That’s what they all say. It’s like falling off a science bench. Do it once and you never forget.”

They stood in companionable silence until Moon reappeared.

“What do you think?” Lazt asked, slipping easily back into the role of an enthusiastic persuader.

“It’s a lovely house,” Moon said faintly. She looked around. “A lovely position.”

She’s hooked despite herself, Kad thought with satisfaction. That was the first hurdle out of the way.

“Maybe we can head back and get the paperwork in order?” Lazt suggested. “Sign you up and start the process rolling?”

For a moment, Kad thought the administrator had moved too fast but, after a slight hesitation, Moon nodded and he silently breathed a sigh of relief.

Obligingly, Lazt kept up the friendly patter on their return trip. “As you can see, it’s not far from work. There used to be a garden up there behind the house as well – I don’t know if you noticed. It would look lovely if someone decided to rehabilitate it. There’s also a lake association if you’re thinking of indulging in any recreational activities. They have a wide range of craft and equipment available, as well as an excellent group of instructors if you’d like to take up a new sport. And, of course, I already mentioned the staff’s winter sports club. You can get involved as much, or as little, as you like, Dr. Skylark, although I’m sure that classes will keep you fully occupied for the first few months.”

The paperwork took almost three hours to get through and, by the time they left, Lazt had also burdened them with an orientation pack and a temporary speeder for Moon’s casual use.

“I…hadn’t expected any of this,” Moon finally admitted as she piloted the craft to her new home. She looked dazed and a little bewildered, but Kad was happy to finally see a different expression displace the usual sadness.

Seated next to her, he stretched out his legs and smiled. “I don’t see why not. It’s not many top-flight physicists who decide to defect from the largest government in the galaxy.”

Moon glanced at him in horror. “Do you think he knows who I am?”

He shrugged. “I don’t think it would take much to figure it out. For all its isolation, Credis likes to keep up-to-date on Republic news. But they also respect people’s privacy.”

“I
won’t
get involved in weapons research, Kad.” Her voice was firm. “Not again.”

“They won’t expect you to. They have other priorities besides developing weapons, and applied physics is a hot field.

“They’re always on the lookout for physics professors,” he added carefully, watching her with a sideways look.

She sighed, keeping her gaze on the terrain speeding past below them. “Srin would have liked that. To be appreciated for his knowledge. To have his abilities used to benefit all people, not just a few.”

Her voice didn’t break. She’s finally come to terms with Srin’s fate, Kad thought.

He was impressed with the skill with which she settled the speeder down, next to her new home.

“Do you have to get back to the
Tale
straight away?” she asked, turning in her seat.

“Not yet,” he replied slowly. “In fact, I was hoping you’d invite me in and ask me to celebrate a private house-warming with you.”

Moon laughed but again, Kad noticed, it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Of course. But, if the place was vacant for a year—”

“Before we left,” Kad interrupted, “Lazt whispered that he’d had some necessities packed into the storage compartment while you were busy filling out forms.” He jerked a thumb at the front of the speeder. “Want to take a look?”

Moon was so close to collapsing into a blubbering idiot that she wondered how she managed to organise her small cache of supplies in the kitchen. When Kad opened the speeder’s storage compartment, and Moon saw the neat packages of food and drink, she was so overcome with emotion that she could only stand there and stare for long seconds.

Maybe Kad had picked up on her paralysis because he acted as if nothing was wrong, calmly ferrying the goods from the vehicle into the house. When he came back to fetch a second handful, she felt she was finally composed enough to help him out.

Everything had moved so quickly, like the speed of light, from preliminary discussions with Administrator Lazt while they were still a week away from Credis, to the whirlwind meeting and Moon’s hesitant new signature on the university’s forms. If this had been a strategy on Kad’s part to distract her from her ever-present grief, he had done a good job. In fact, looking out of the elevated kitchen window to the nodding flower stems in the overgrown side garden, Moon wasn’t sure she would have had the strength to complete both the niceties and formalities on Credis without her old partner around. Whether he knew it or not, Moon was comforted by his presence and she knew she would feel anxious when it came time for him to leave.

The living room of the house was well situated, overlooking the placid lake and surrounding forest below, and Kad was standing by a large window, admiring the view, when she entered.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it,” she commented, putting the tray down. She poured out two glasses of local wine and brought one to him. “Srin would have loved it here.” She looked around. “He would’ve loved the house too. It’s a little too big for one, but I think it would have suited two people very nicely.” She swallowed a lump in her throat then gulped at the wine. Imbibed in haste, the alcohol etched a trail of irritation down through her chest.

“Moon…,” Kad hesitated. “Why don’t we sit down? We really haven’t had a chance to talk since, E-Beta, have we?”

“No, we haven’t,” she agreed. There wasn’t any furniture in the living room, so they moved to the adjoining dining area. Moon knew what Kad was going to say, but she wasn’t going to let him shoulder the blame for what happened.

“Kad,” she began, speaking first before he had a chance to do much beyond opening his mouth, “I wanted to tell you how much I appreciated you being there after…after Srin’s death. You spoke to Needann on my behalf and yet, during the month and a half it took to get here, I know I treated you – and everyone aboard the
Unfinished Tale
– as if you didn’t exist. I was so wrapped up in my grief, I didn’t appreciate what you and the crew were doing for me, and I, I want to apologise for that.”