The Diamond Deep (24 page)

The drums stopped.

Ruby stayed completely still for two breaths.

Naveen put a hand on Onor's arm. “Who is she?”

Onor smiled.

On stage, Ruby lifted one arm and as it came up past her shoulders, her head snapped up, and her eyes opened. The object she had been leaning on revealed itself as a microphone rather than a gun. She tilted it toward her and the familiar opening bars of “Homecoming” came through every speaker in the room.

“Oh, my,” Naveen whispered.

Conversations stopped or dropped to whispers.

Ruby's voice filled the space, creating a focus completely on her. The entire bay full of people drifted toward the stage, crowding closer and closer to each other. She moved with raw sensuality, sidling up to the prop microphone as if it were a lover.

She shifted from “Homecoming” to “Song of the Seed” smoothly.

 

Together we are a seed

Preparing to open in the light

Of Adiamo. To flower.

Naveen emptied his glass during the song, never once looking away from Ruby. The way he held his head still signaled Onor he was recording.

She ended “Song of the Seed” with her legs wide and straight, her hands up high holding the microphone shaped like a gun, palms open, angled backward, and her head thrown back.

The room erupted in clapping and noise.

Naveen looked at Onor. “That's really her. That's Ruby the Red.”

Onor had never heard her called that. As the noise calmed some he asked, “Where did you hear that name?”

“I was interviewing people who work in the gardens. That's what they're calling her.”

Ruby would love that. Her hero was Lila Red the Releaser, a woman who had led a revolution that failed. Barely. He couldn't wait to tell Ruby about the nickname.

“She's incredible,” Naveen said. “The things I've heard . . . I didn't think they could be true. I didn't see how Joel's woman could be the fighter. She was so . . . politic.”

“She's versatile.”

“I'm jealous of Koren. She got to meet her today.”

Onor sensed that hadn't gone well. Ani had merely grunted when he asked her about it. “You'll get to talk to Ruby more tonight.”

“That would be . . . I hope so.”

Ruby still stood on the edge of the stage, fearless, exposed.

Joel watched her protectively. Some of the crowd looked adoring, or attracted, or simply drunk. Naveen looked starstruck. Onor had seen it on other people's faces before, but never quite so blatantly. It made Onor feel warm and a bit starstruck himself, lucky all over again that he'd grown up one of her best friends.

The first swell of clapping subsided, and Ruby spoke into the microphone. “Hello!”

The crowd yelled back greetings.

“I'm glad you're here tonight! We've got a lot to talk about!”

“Talk!” they chanted. “Talk!”

“We're finally here. We're back now, back home.
Diamond Deep
is not what I expected. I bet it's not what you expected either!”

The crowd clapped a yes, catcalled.

“It is the last stop for the
Fire
, and it's in the system we came from. This moment—docking yesterday and being here now—this moment represents change such as we have never seen. Never. Not since the day our ancestors left and took on the
Fire
as our home.”

Ruby adjusted her microphone, creating a moment for people to think about her words. Then she continued. “I know we're stuck right now, and I know that doesn't feel good. It wasn't our choice, but the time will pass. We'll continue to learn, to support each other, to be patient, and to be brave. “

Some muttering this time, then a clap, then another, then a swell of noise as more and more people committed.

“We must be strong. We must be proud. We must believe in ourselves. There will be strange things to encounter here. Things we can choose to fear or face. We must face them together. Can we? Can you? Can we all stay together as
People of the Fire
?”

Now that Onor was listening for it, her heard it a few times in the responses of the crowd. “Ruby the Red!” and once as “Red Ruby!”

“Now,” she called. “Now I have a new song for you. One I wrote for this moment. We are pregnant with possibility here. The song honors our waiting.”

She fell silent for a few breaths, and the crowd was silent now, too, waiting.

“I've called it ‘A Deepness in the Stars.'”

 

We have arrived home to

A deepness we have never seen

Unlike anything we have seen

Unlike our souls

We came from here

We were once

Like the
Diamond Deep

Once was

We should not fear

 

The
Deep
has called us home

To find a dream, a hope, a place

Where we will never be alone

The song had more hope in it than he felt, but as usual Ruby's voice—no, Ruby's being—convinced him.

The last note trailed off and the stage darkened.

In spite of the clapping and cheering of the crowd, the next time lights hit the stage a new band had set up and started tuning their instruments.

Joel signaled his security detail, and the group began moving slowly toward a set of stairs that wound up the wall of the huge bay. At the top of the stairs, a door led to a hallway that led to the deep cargo bars where Colin had ruled.

Allen greeted them there, offering Naveen a formal welcome. He led them to a booth in the back. Joel signaled for everyone except Onor, Ani, and Naveen to leave them, but to remain on guard. They ordered more drinks, Joel using hand signals to indicate that only Onor and Naveen should get actual still, and that Naveen should have some extra.

Naveen remained quiet, contemplative. He didn't stir until the drinks and a plate of fruit and crackers arrived. He blinked at the drink in his hand and then looked at Joel. “That was phenomenal.”

Joel smiled. “The drink is a specialty of this bar.”

“No.” Naveen shook his head. “The drink is fine. But I have never heard music delivered so . . . so raw.”

“You don't have concerts?” Ani asked.

“Of course we do. Maybe I can take you to some. But they are . . . huge productions. Very different. I have not heard music move that many people.” He finished a third of his drink in one long swallow. “Not since I left Lym.”

“You're from Lym?” Onor asked. “A real planet? I had hoped we would go there. Our ship's records say we came from there.” He sipped at his own drink. Slowly. Joel may be trying to get Naveen drunk, but Onor would pay for it later if he allowed himself to get lost in alcohol. “What's it like. To have a sun? To stand with a sky above you?”

“I'm not from Lym, but I was lucky enough to live there for a year.” Naveen smiled softly, his face warm. “I miss it. The openness of a world is amazing. The space and the fact that you can be completely alone.”

“What do you think of the
Fire
?” Joel asked.

“It's gritty. The station is much lighter and greener.” He pursed his lips and glanced at Joel. “I mean no disrespect. And of course the
Diamond Deep
will never go anywhere the gravity of Adiamo does not pull it. I'm fascinated with your history.”

Joel sipped at his fake drink. “Earlier, you said you chose to come here. Why?”

“To see what we used to be like.” Naveen fell silent for a moment, looking contemplative. “Koren and I were chosen partly because we're more like you.”

Ani laughed. “Koren doesn't look anything like us. We've no golden eyes and no white hair that's not on the very old.”

“Oh, yes, she does look like you. You'll see.”

Ani frowned and leaned back. “What about the robots? Humans don't look like that, do they? Made of metal?”

Onor admired the clever way to ask about Aleesi. Ani had grown much more subtle since Ruby took power alongside Joel.

Naveen shook his head. “Humans and robots are not the same. Human minds are required to be in biological bodies, but they don't all look like we do.”

That supported Aleesi's claim.

The conversation wandered across the
Fire
for a while, with Naveen asking about their history and the way they fed themselves. None of them knew the answers to some of Naveen's questions. Onor tried a few times to access Ix on his journal and failed. He settled for sipping his drink and contemplating how much power Ix had in the information it withheld, and how much they had given up by failing to learn. Ruby had been right to send them all to class. They should have been studying every free minute. “How old are you?” he asked Naveen. “I heard Koren is hundreds of years old.”

Naveen cocked a head. “I'm only forty-seven. Koren is much older.”

“You look twenty.”

“So do you,” Naveen countered, “So do you.”

“That's because I am. Almost, anyway.”

“How old is Ruby?”

“Like me.”

“So young.” Naveen set his empty glass down and leaned back against the headrest on his chair.

Joel glanced over at him and raised an eyebrow. “Are you okay?”

Naveen sat up straight again.

Onor let his drink be picked up half-full and accepted another one for Naveen. Naveen finished his in three long pulls. “I'm always okay,” he said slowly.

Joel gave Onor a worried look. It was one thing to loosen Naveen's tongue, but another entirely if he got so drunk he got sick.

When Naveen reached for a piece of orbfruit, Ani leaned forward and put a hand on his arm. “You're not supposed to eat our food, are you?”

“I'm drinking your drinks.”

Onor and Joel looked at each other. Joel shook his head slightly, but Naveen already had a piece of fruit in his mouth. He sat back and chewed, and nothing awful happened.

“So,” Joel leaned in. “What happens next? If we pass quarantine, what happens to us?”

“I don't know.” Naveen look a little dizzy. “I don't know. I don't think I could tell you if I did.”

Ruby came up behind Naveen. She now wore her base uniform and hardly looked like she belonged at a party at all. Onor was pretty sure she had a plan by the way she came up quickly, but she stopped when she realized they had Naveen with them.

Naveen must have noticed Joel looking at Ruby. He tilted his head up enough to see behind him. His eyes appeared slightly crossed. “I don't want anything bad. To happen. To you.”

“Why would it?” she asked.

“Nishe conchert,” Naveen slurred.

“Thanks.” She narrowed her eyes at Joel.

He shrugged.

Ruby shook her head and looked back at Naveen. “What bad things might happen?”

Allen appeared, as silent as Colin had been, but with none of the confidence that would have painted Colin's face in any situation. He looked quite worried. He leaned down and whispered in Joel's ear.

Joel stood up. “We'll go to her.” He looked at Ruby. “Lose yourself. I'll meet you back home. Later.” He looked at Ani. “Stay with Ruby.”

Onor swallowed and set his drink down. Joel should have sent him. Except Ani hadn't been drinking. Damn.

Joel plucked the drink from Naveen's hand and helped him up. “Come on. Koren's here.”

“Prolly read my output stats.”

“Huh?”

“Implanche.”

Onor shook his head. Implants? “What do you mean?”

“Our AI'sh can read our bodieshh. Can't yours?”

The idea of getting Naveen tipsy in case they could learn something suddenly seemed really dumb. Onor took his arm, and he and Naveen followed Joel and Allen toward the front of the room where the door guards kept people out who shouldn't be here. He imagined Koren in that situation, and was suddenly glad he wasn't a door guard. Of course, it might not be very good to be himself, either. Most of their guards kept a distance, although Onor had to wave one up to take Naveen's other side so he wouldn't fall down.

Joel glanced back over his shoulder. “You can leave, too,” he told Onor.

“Better if you did.”

Joel nodded. “Thank you.” But he wouldn't leave any more than Onor would. Maybe they could just hand the increasingly wobbly Naveen over to Koren and her robots and be done with it.

Ruby paced in the quiet of her and Joel's hab, back and forth the longest possible way, which led from the bedroom door down one side of the living room, past the entrance to the kitchen, and all the way to the front. The path was already worn; she often walked it when worrying about lyrics or about Joel's safety. She suspected he walked it when he worried about her, or when he was mad at her. That happened.

Right now, she worried about him. She worried about Onor, and even Naveen, who she barely knew, but liked. She could tell Onor liked him, and Onor was good at judging people. She worried about Koren, and what she had done to whom. Mostly, though, she worried about Joel. He moved from meeting to meeting without stopping, but there was nothing to actually accomplish except to wait.