Supergiant (Gigaparsec Book 2) (13 page)

She considered this for a moment.
The thought of playing Johnny Appleseed with subversive music appealed to her
and would to others. “We can scan them to confirm the contents?”

“Certainly.”

She shook his hand. “I’ll need to
confirm matters with my partners, but I see no reason we can’t enjoy a mutually
beneficial relationship.”

At her first opportunity, Roz
looked up the translation for the Bat system names.
Boor
meant gateway,
which made sense.
Niisham
referred to one of their many hells. She might
leave those facts out of the mission briefing.

Once Aviar returned to his own ship, the six partners met in
the jungle room. Roz said, “Maybe we should include Deke. His input would be
valuable.”

Max said, “I talked to him earlier.
He doesn’t want to leave the bridge in case someone tries to board us by force.
I can sum up his opinion of Aviar in one phrase: if his lips are moving, he’s
lying about something.”

Ivy sat on the tire swing Roz had
built for Jeeves. “Is he objecting on religious grounds?”

On the edge of the sandbox Max had
constructed, Reuben said, “Nah. A purist wouldn’t have signed our business
agreement because he wouldn’t want to be ‘joined to an unbeliever.’ Deke has
some legit concerns that someone who has been exiled would honor his word. What
did Aviar tell you? Our microphones were spotty once you turned the music on.
We think he jammed them.”

Roz related the highlights of the
discussion and added details as people questioned her. When she reached the
part about distributing radios, Ivy whooped. “Girl, who broke your cherry?”

“What? Is this about me calling Max
my mate? I was playing my cover role.”

Ivy grinned. “For a girl who was
afraid to lie on a rental agreement a few months ago, you sure agreed to
treason quickly.”

“Those teenagers are going to rebel
with or without us. A little music to make out to is harmless. I checked the
law, and only
selling
the radio is illegal. We’ll be giving it away. I
think drawing an ethical line would be hypocritical for the rest of you at this
point. I’m asking permission to accept the cargo ahead of time and with full
disclosure. Unlike some people, partnerships mean something to me.” Roz peeked
at Max to see if the barb struck home. He didn’t seem to notice. “Reaching the
professor is critical to fixing the subbasement drive.”

Echo’s image near the airlock
announced, “I concur. The prize is worth the risk.”

“That’s two yeses,” Roz said.
“Discussion?”

Max put a hand to his chin as he
paced. “Isn’t there another mathematician somewhere we can ask?”

Echo shook her head. “Perhaps two
Turtles, but the journey would take up to fifteen years. They might not even
agree to speak to us once we arrived.”

“Okay. If Aviar is playing
straight, we have to race to the gateway system, Niishamboor, to talk to the
professor. We aren’t likely to run into a news cube on the story until we’re
over halfway there. By then, Aviar could have kidnapped our guy. Ivy, does your
network have anyone on the throne world to confirm this psycho’s intel?”

Ivy sighed. “I believe him about
the ansible filters. We’ve suspected the same for a while. Bats
are
excellent listeners. Legend has it that at first contact, they met the uplift
shuttle because they heard it coming. That’s why, several hundred years later
on Earth, the Magi dropped a box of instructions from orbit. The rest, I’ll have
to check on.” She closed her eyes to make mental contact with the other
triplets.

A few minutes later, Roz whispered,
“Why do the Bats still have a royal family? Everyone else dumped that model
centuries ago.”

Reuben replied, “The royals have a
monopoly on neutronium buttons.”

Roz nodded. “Yeah. Just a little
goes a long way. They use it to for the core of their Icarus drives and
alternating gravity devices. Neutronium make them twenty times smaller than
Earth’s design and seven times smaller than the Magi’s.”

“Our implementation is much safer,”
Echo said.

“No doubt,” Roz replied, “but the
Bat blades are sweet.”

Max said, “I asked Deke if his
repaired shuttle still counts as an official blade. Evidently the drive pods
are like serial numbers on currency. If those are intact, the bills are still
legal tender. No knight can possess a neutronium drive without royal blessing,
and the engines can be disabled at any time remotely.”

“The Golden Rule, baby,” Reuben
joked. “He who has the gold makes the rules. This reminds me of that
Machiavelli book Max had me read.”

Ivy opened her eyes. “The terrorism
trial has been set for eight weeks from now. Our agent can’t stall proceedings
without revealing himself, but he can give us periodic updates when we’re
outside subspace.”

“So we’ll know we’re screwed
shortly before it happens, but we’ll be helpless to stop it,” Max said.

“Sometimes that can be exciting,”
Reuben said. “I vote to play Pied Piper and visit the entrance to the prison
system. Can’t hurt anything.”

“It could damage our relationship
with an important ally,” said Ivy. “My people urge me to vote no.”

Kesh’s tail twitched nervously. “We
need to make a bank transfer this week, or the loan raptors my brother borrowed
from could come after us.”

“Sorry, Captain, Aviar’s not going
to let that happen either way,” Roz said. “Besides, what are the gangsters
going to do to us clear out here? No. When we get to the next stop, just
explain that the cops were chasing you. They’ll understand.”

“I don’t want to land in the supergiant
prison for distributing ‘You Put the Funk in my Junk,’” Kesh said. “I vote no.
Max, you decide.”

Max took Roz’s hand. “Is this
important enough to die over?”

She considered for a moment.
“Whether we speak to Crakik or not, the problem is significant enough for Echo
and me to dedicate every waking hour to for the rest of our lives. I don’t see
a distinction between that and sacrificing ourselves bodily.”

Max closed his eyes. “I’ll agree to
this mission on three conditions.”

Is he going to propose?
Roz
leaned in beside him to hear every word. “Yes?”

“First, you return to working out
with me every morning. I need to see that you’re staying healthy.”

“Sure. That will be just before my
bedtime. It’ll help me relax.”

“Second, Alyssa and I go along on
the illegal transactions. If at any time one of us doesn’t like what we see, we
break off and regroup. We drop the cargo into the nearest volcano if we even
think it’s a setup.”

“Of course. You always have
operational authority. I’m sure Alyssa has relevant experience at breaking the
law. And third?” Roz asked, hoping for the big question.

“We demand that Aviar assign an
inmate to buddy up with and protect Professor Crakik, or he might not last
until he reaches Niishamboor.”

She blinked. “Um … sure. Why not?
Any other no voters want to add conditions?”

Kesh growled. “If you’re going to
drag us through this, have Aviar post a bond and sign an agreement. If he
breaks any of his conditions, the money is ours free and clear. Make it enough
to pay for our time—more than that, enough to hurt.”

Roz nodded. She turned to Ivy. “How
about you, roomie?”

Ivy’s eyes pleaded with her. “You
could live a happy and long life. Walk away from all this. It’s going to get
messy, honey.”

“When I pledge myself, I don’t hold
back,” Roz said.

Ivy stared at her feet. “For you,
I’ll do it, but I want everyone to promise they won’t judge me for things I
need to do to accomplish your goal.”

Reuben laughed. “Babe, I break five
laws before breakfast, and my family ruined a star system for revenge. I have
no cause to judge.” Others nodded and mouthed similar oaths.

Roz said, “I’m willing to give the
non-partners the chance to get off here if they have any objection.”

“The Greenbergs are committed, and
Grady would follow you anywhere,” Max said. “The only person I worry about is
Deke.”

“I’ll talk to him,” Ivy
volunteered.

“About the Greenbergs,” Roz said.
“I’ll have to reissue security badges. Someone scammed access data from the
cargo-hold reader, and the criminals look like the best candidates.”

Reuben cleared his throat.
“Actually, I did that months ago to help free Echo from Zrulkesh.”

Roz refused to be derailed. “They
still can’t be trusted. Maybe we should drop Herb off in Purgatory.”

Max shook his head. “Absolutely
not. They’re pair-bonded. We’d have to leave them both, and she’d end up back
in jail for parole violation.”

Roz shrugged. “Maybe she deserves—”

“She did it for you,” Reuben
snapped. “I’ve been an orphan my entire life. You have family committing
felonies to be by your side. You need to accept this as a gift. I vote to keep
them, too.”

Max nudged Kesh, who mumbled, “The
clutch is one. Until your family tries to kill you, we must protect them.”

“Is this something you guys cooked
up behind my back?” Roz asked.

“Nothing illegal or immoral. We may
have chatted over drinks about theoretical scenarios,” Reuben admitted. “Either
way, the motion passes. Accommodations for dissent?”

Echo replied, “While I agree that
mingling with our guests will help Roz become a more complete person, as an agent
of the Bankers, Herb shall never enter any of my control areas or leave the
ship where he can use an ansible.”

Ivy volunteered to escort Alyssa
whenever Roz’s aunt left the ship. “If she ever slips my leash, she doesn’t get
back on board.”

Max agreed to the terms.

“I don’t get a say?” Roz
complained.

“As your doctor and your friend,
I’m telling you to get to know these people. Like it or not, they’ll tell you
more about who you really are than your time on Napa or Anodyne ever did. Do
you trust me?”

She locked eyes with him. “I don’t
always understand you, but I trust you with my life. Always have.”

In the end, everyone but the
hologram placed their hands in the center of the circle to seal the agreements.
Echo said, “So let our light shine.”

Before accepting the mission, Echo plotted their proposed
voyage and posted it in the dining hall for all the crew members to see. Their
ship would follow a well-known Magi trade loop and then veer off toward the
gateway system, Niishamboor. Roz went to find Deke to get his opinion, the last
one necessary before beginning the mission. Internal security placed him in the
high-value cargo hold, not the one that held the tellurium. She approached the
low-g area with caution, in case he was stealing.

As Roz floated past the kegs of
aged scotch, she noted that one had been tapped and an empty coffee bulb lay
nearby.
Maybe seeing his people made him homesick, and he hit the hard
stuff?

Engaging her talent, she crept
through the narrow aisles, unseen. Hearing mournful whimpers, she headed toward
the crates of fur and clothing. A crate of it had been burst open, spilling its
contents across the cul-de-sac like a furry nest. The ragged stump of Deke’s
leg caught her eye first. She turned her head away instinctively because she
didn’t like people staring at her scar. In that instant, she had noted his
nudity, hunched over some sort of fox-furred footstool. Puzzled, Roz eased
forward for a better view.

That’s when she saw Ivy’s
distinctive blonde hair move and heard her high-pitched shriek. He’s savaging
her! Roz pulled the heavy wrench from her belt and coiled herself for a launch
through the low gravity. She would knock the Bat’s brains across the heap of
fashionable pelts.

Just when she was about to attack,
Roz heard Ivy shout, “Harder!”

Roz froze in her tracks, almost
dropping the wrench. Ivy was wearing two bras and a fur wrap. This was cosplay,
the same as the Goat contact lenses had been. Both of them seemed willing.

Roz’s stomach lurched in disgust.
She snuck away from the tryst in shame, locking the hold access from the inner
ring so no one else could make this same mistake. She propped her back against
the hatch, trembling.
How could she do that to Reuben?
Was she buying
his vote? Was this just more perversion for Ivy to punish her family for
controlling her life? Roz tried to imagine the mental invasion her sisters must
have felt with the Bat’s fingernails sinking into her sides and other things
sinking into—she heaved, barely stopping the retch with her hand. Roz ran to
the bathroom to splash her face with cold water.

Reuben was in the bathroom, running
a pick through his bushy hair. “Hey, kiddo, you don’t look so hot.”

Tears started to flow.
How can I
lie to this devoted, gullible Goat? But how could I be the one to tell him?

Roz bit her lower lip to keep her
composure. Voice shaking, she asked, “Do you believe people should keep secrets
from each other in a relationship?”

The Goat turned aside immediately.
“M-Max had to. Patient confidentiality rules. He can’t even tell you that he
can’t tell you.”

Shock kicked her in the stomach
again. Her breathing sped up until her fingers tingled. She knelt on the cool
tile of the floor, weeping. “He told
you
?”

“He … I guessed half of it when I
found medical supplies missing from the first-aid stations you installed around
the ship. When I saw the requisition for extra medicine at the last minute on
Prairie, I pretty much knew. I mean, I’ve been acquiring special meds for the
doc for a while.”

“Does my aunt have more tumors, or
is it me?” Roz asked, curling over her knees.

“Aw, Jeez. I’m not supposed to
upset you. Max is going to be so pissed at me.” Reuben handed her a
handkerchief. “Don’t cry.”

“Am I dying? Is that why he’s being
so nice to me?” Roz wailed.

Reuben hit himself in the forehead
with a balled fist repeatedly. “Stupid, stupid, ram. You’re fine. Your
uncle
is dying. He asked Max for some sort of a last wish. I don’t know the details,
just that Herb’s a lot older than he appears.”

“Rejuvenation treatments,” she
guessed, for meritorious public service. People tended to look about half their
age, which put Herb at about a hundred. Periodic filtration session were still
necessary to cleanse the body of toxic buildup. Free on Anodyne, these
treatments were ridiculously expensive and risky elsewhere. He had sacrificed a
great deal to be near Alyssa during her prison stay. Roz found it hard to keep
hating someone that romantic.

“It doesn’t take a brain boost to
figure out that your uncle wants you to reconnect with your Aunt Alyssa before
he dies, so you can help her survive longer after he’s pushing up daisies.
Plus, Herb’s technically the senior male in your family, and the !Kung tribe
has this rule about honoring the head of the clan. That’s probably the only
thing that kept Max from proposing to you on Phoenix. Trust me. Max
really
wanted you that night.”

Overloaded, she couldn’t speak, but
the nervous Goat kept rambling. “Max couldn’t even talk to you for days for
fear of giving something away. I don’t know what you did to him on that train
ride, but he had to have a long talk with Echo afterward. She stressed no sex
before marriage—some nonsense about intercourse being sacred and needing it to
build up the couple instead of tearing them down. Blah, blah, blah.” The last
had been one of Ivy’s trademark expressions. Reuben stroked Roz’s back with his
hand in order to stop her breathing spasms.

His kindness turned the secret
inside her into glass shards. The dilemma twisted her guts. Tears flowed faster
than before, both good and bad.

“I-I should get Max,” Reuben said,
pulling away.

“Wait.” She sniffed. “If Max knew
something devastating about your family—” She blew her nose into the
handkerchief. “Would you want him to tell you?”

“Hell, no. I learned something
about my ancestor Xerxes a few months ago from an old Phib. Max told me not to
go there. I should’ve listened. I wish I could rip that part out of my brain.”

The flash of Ivy coupled with Deke
in animal passion popped into her mind, causing her to wince.
No one else
needs this image burned into their memory
. “Right. I’ll be okay.” He helped
her to her feet like a gentleman. “You’ve been a big help, and a good friend.
Maybe I can make you something in the kitchen to say thanks.”

Reuben swallowed hard. “That’s the
nicest thing anyone has ever said to me. People always say they’re grateful to
the Goats for their sacrifice, but no one wants us around. We’re good enough to
clean their gutters and trim their hedges, but no one treats us like people.
Max is right, you really are amazing. The Trout hated my guts and would’ve
spaced me on principle.” His face fell. “Oh, compost, I said her name again. I
promised I wouldn’t.”

Pressing her advantage as they
meandered toward the kitchen, Roz said, “Tell me about Lisa.”

Reuben panicked. “Did I mention
that Aviar has changed the ‘aiding and abetting a fugitive’ charge on your
record to a Bat humanitarian award? I’m thinking that might open a few doors
for us when we’re negotiating prices. Even Deke earned a commendation for
bringing his blade back home while injured.”

“Tell me, or we find Max right now,
and I let him know what you’ve already spilled.”

“Easy. I should put blackmail on
your rap sheet.”

Blackmail
. Was Ivy recording
the sex session to use against Deke later? If he told anyone about the radios,
she could release the tape to the priest judges. He might be exiled for joining
with the unbeliever … in some pretty disgusting ways.

Reuben continued, chatting about
Max’s previous girlfriend while Roz located some rolled oats and a mixing bowl.
Reuben had a weakness for oatmeal cookies. He summed up the relationship with,
“The Trout had a fantastic rack but no soul. Max dropped her when he found that
out.”

“I’m sure she had a soul.”

“She tried to offer Jeeves up to
Zrulkesh at dinner time.”

The metal bowl clanged to the
countertop. “Oh, God. How?”

Reuben shrugged. “She was Lunar
Intelligence all along. She only pretended to like Max to milk him for
information.”

“I can see why he’s being so
cautious this time.”

“Don’t worry,” Reuben said,
snitching a little cookie dough while she fetched a baking sheet. Alyssa was
already rearranging
her
kitchen. “You’re the anti-Trout, like a
photonegative.”

“Because I’m smart, not pretty?”

“Oh, she was a crypto expert. No
shortage of brains there.” Seeing her face fall, Reuben corrected himself. “You
women and your food traps. Max lusts after you just as much, I promise. He had
to give your high heels to Echo to hide because he was afraid if he saw you in
them again, he might not be able to keep his hands off you. When the guys stand
around shooting the breeze, he told us you have the best butt he’s ever seen.”

She felt her face flush as she
spooned out dough on a cookie sheet.
Guys talked about things like that?
“Thanks? Do I get that rating branded to my jumpsuit?”

Reuben looked up from the cookies,
something that took effort for him. “Ivy and Max both say you’re the best
friend they’ve ever had.
That
is something I’d stick to your uniform. I
only hope some day Ivy and I have half the relationship you guys have.”

Roz forced a smile.
Ivy, you
cold-hearted whore
.

****

The crew wound up the Purgatory deal as quickly as possible
to gain a head start on the
Marco Polo
. When Roz showed up to exercise
in the birch room with Ivy the next morning, Aunt Alyssa was also waiting in a
stretchy yoga outfit. She could see why Herb traded another twenty years of
life just to share a few with her. Alyssa said shyly, “Ivy invited me so I can
keep my abs toned. When you get to be my age … I hope you don’t mind. This way
we can ease into knowing each other.”

Roz forced herself to smile back.
“Not at all. Although helping you prepare desserts might be a better bonding
time.”

Alyssa’s face lit with genuine joy.
“I’d love that.”

Beginning her warm-up stretches on
the biozone’s silvery sidewalk, Roz explained, “I promised to spend my morning
time teaching Max some yoga. I thought it might be good for strengthening his
back.”

Both of her exercise partners
smirked. “And his libido,” said Alyssa.

Ivy nodded. “Max likes her, but he
won’t do anything until he’s married. She’s going to torment him with all sorts
of bending and flexibility. Reuben spilled the beans after I put the screws to
him.”

Roz halted mid toe-touch. “You
slept with Reuben yesterday, too?”

Both other women stopped their
warm-ups. Ivy whispered, “You swore not to judge.”

Roz clenched her teeth to hold her
temper in front of her aunt. “If you did it for the mission.”

Ivy stood, waving her arm in the
direction of the gazebo. “You saw Deke drooling over that protocol honeypot. I
thought he was going to jump her on the way back to the loading dock. That man
hasn’t had companionship for a long time. He was ready to explode. I just
relieved some of the pressure before Aviar could recruit him. I did it to save the
team. Don’t worry. I kept it casual.”

“It might have seemed that way to
you,” Roz said, pointing to the staterooms, “but other people have
feelings
.
They can’t pretend friendship as easily as you.”

Ivy jerked back.

Aunt Alyssa put an arm around Roz.
“Maybe we should—”

“I have always been your friend,”
Ivy snapped. “You don’t know what this mission has cost me.”

“You’ve gotten drunk and laid more
this week than you did the whole year I thought I knew you. More than I have in
my whole life. Where’s the sacrifice?” Roz couldn’t stop the venom once it
started flowing. “Everything I find out about myself on this ship ends up being
a feather in your cap. I don’t have a best friend I can talk to anymore.”

Her face a mask, Ivy said, “Maybe I
don’t either.” She turned on her heel and left the biozone. If she could have
slammed the padded airlock door, she would have.

Alyssa didn’t ask anything about
the argument. Instead, she talked about taking Roz shopping for more feminine
clothing on Little Flowers. “As a border planet, they have shopping areas near
the Human hotels. You can buy anything there.”