Author: Rachel Bach

I couldn’t remember going into the captain’s rooms before, but my tiredness must have been playing tricks on me, because I had the strangest sense of déjà vu when I stepped through the door. The captain’s quarters were divided into two bedrooms, a private bathroom, and a sitting area dominated by a large window that looked out the front of the ship. He was sitting there now, leaning on the little table with a tired look on his face.

I stopped just inside the door and stood at attention, locking my suit to be sure I wouldn’t wobble. “You wanted to see me, sir?”

“Yes,” the captain said. “I wanted to thank you for stepping up these last few days.”

I blinked. I couldn’t actually remember the last time an officer had thanked me. I especially hadn’t expected it of Caldswell.

“You don’t have to look so surprised,” Caldswell said with a sigh. “I like to think I’m a fair man, Morris. You’ve been doing the work of five mercs in dangerous territory without complaint. I could hardly let that go without thanks, or compensation.”

“Compensation?” The word popped out before I could stop it, and Caldswell shot me a wry smile.

“I’ve already transferred a week’s double pay into your account,” he said. “I’m also willing to foot the bill on a new blade to replace the one you lost. Just let me know when you find something you like and I’ll buy it for you, within reason. Think of it as a bonus for pushing through hard times.”

I stared at him wide-eyed. I had no idea why the captain was suddenly being so nice to me, but I wasn’t going to jinx it by asking questions. I needed to replace Phoebe badly, but I’d drained all my cash repairing the Lady after that nasty business on the xith’cal ghost ship. Thinking back, I couldn’t actually recall how I’d lost my blade. The whole tribe ship mess was a blur, which was strange considering I’d been under the hyperfocus of the battle drugs. I thought about it a moment before I decided I was just too tired to care. My blade was gone, and if Caldswell was willing to pony up for a new one, I certainly wasn’t going to turn him down.

“Thank you sir,” I said at last. “I’ll be getting a new blade as soon as possible then.”

“You’ll have a chance after we jump,” the captain said. “With the ship this damaged, I can’t take a risk on some colony repair bay. We’re headed to Wuxia. It’s not Paradox, I know, but you should be able to find something suitable.”

That was an understatement. Wuxia was a Terran Republic core world and one of the biggest trade centers in the universe. If I couldn’t find a replacement for Phoebe there, it didn’t exist. “Thank you sir,” I said again.

Caldswell nodded and turned back to the window. I waited a moment to see if he would dismiss me, but he said nothing. I was about to ask if that was all when he suddenly spoke again.

“Have any of your memories come back?”

“No sir.” Hyrek had assured me that my memories would come back in time, but the blank spot in my head was just as empty now as it had been when I’d first woken up in the medbay. Of course, considering the hours I’d been pulling, I was surprised I remembered my name. The captain didn’t seem troubled at my answer, though. He just nodded again and told me to get some sleep.

I bowed out of habit and left, stumbling up the stairs to my bunk as Basil’s whistling voice came over the com to start the jump countdown.

We entered hyperspace with barely a bump, but we could have crashed into the gate and I don’t think I’d have noticed. I was so tired I felt almost feverish, and I fell onto my bunk face-first, diving into my pillow without even saying hello to Nova, who’d come in behind me. I was asleep the second I was flat, and I didn’t move again until the alarm sounded to signal our arrival at Wuxia.

Wuxia was deeper into the Terran Republic than I’d ever been. My work in the Blackbirds only took me to the lawless fringes, and now that the war was over, the Paradoxian army never entered Terran space. As such, I’d never set foot on a Republic core world before, but I’d heard a ton about them, especially Wuxia. It was supposed to be one of the oldest human colonies, founded by early jumpers from Old Earth back before the ancient human homeworld had collapsed. After all that buildup, I was expecting something majestic and historic. Something impressive. What I got was a lot of smog.

I couldn’t even see the ground as the Fool entered the atmosphere, just black clouds and the glow of lights below. The view wasn’t much better after we broke through the cloud cover. Being such an old colony, the vast majority of Wuxia’s landmass was covered in city. That normally wouldn’t have bothered me, but I was used to big, beautiful cities like Kingston. Wuxia just looked decrepit, crowded, and filthy.

The industrial grime was so thick it tinted the air brown, and the buildings, even the newer-looking skyscrapers, were coated in a greasy film. We’d set down on the daylight side of the planet, but thanks to the heavy clouds you couldn’t actually tell that from the ground. Between the smog and the huge buildings, the sun didn’t have a chance, though it was still plenty bright. Massive projected signs shone in the sky, blanketing the heavy clouds in a wash of glowing advertisements that shed their neon light onto the buzzing city in the sun’s stead.

I went outside just long enough to look in a full circle before going back into the ship. I’ve never cared for Terran cities at my most charitable, and a minute outside on Wuxia had almost been enough to choke my suit’s air filter. That, plus the huge traffic jams I could see on the public skyways even at this distance, told me this was no place for sensible people. Hell, it was probably no place for Terrans.

Because of the Terran Republic’s draconian armor regulations, I could only legally wear my suit while I was on Caldswell’s ship. Since I wasn’t planning on going anywhere, that suited me fine, but the Terran work crews who showed up to fix the ship shortly after we landed seemed unnerved to have a Paradoxian in full armor watching them. That suited me fine as well. The war might be over, but scaring Terrans witless is one of life’s little joys. These were core worlders, too. Most of them had never even seen a Paradoxian in armor outside of the movies. All I had to do was click Sasha’s safety and the whole lot of them would jump like startled rabbits. Quality entertainment at its finest.

Unfortunately, Caldswell, being Terran himself, didn’t see it that way. The crews had barely started pulling down Mable’s patches before he banished me to my bunk to pick out a replacement for my lost thermite blade. Any other time I would have complained about being sent to my room like a surly teenager, but after the three days of hell I’d put in to get us here, I was more than happy to lie in bed with cold beer and a year’s worth of weapons catalogs while someone else worked.

“I’m thinking something that attaches to my armor this time,” I said, flipping through the interactive sales display I’d pulled up on my com. “I don’t want to lose another blade.”

“That sounds wise,” Nova replied. My bunkmate was also off duty since there’s nothing for a sensors officer to do when the ship’s not in the air, but while I was whiling away the time looking at sharp things, she was on the floor digging through drawers filled with her incredibly bright clothing. Finally she pulled out a pretty but completely over-the-top dress spangled with so many metallic gold stars you couldn’t see the fabric between them and held it up for me to see.

“Nice,” I said.

Nova beamed and started pulling the dress over her head. “Will your new blade light up like your old one?”

“Of course,” I said, taking a swig off my beer. “The burning thermite edge is the only way you can get through ballistic plates with a slicing weapon. But I’m thinking of getting something that utilizes my suit more.”

Useful as Phoebe’s replaceable blades and long reach had been, I was seriously considering a stabbing weapon this time. Something I could throw the Lady’s weight and power behind. I was trying to think of a way to explain this to Nova without sounding too bloodthirsty when she pulled out a small mirror and started brushing a thick coat of sparkly silver across her eyelids. That caught me. The star-covered dress was nothing out of the ordinary, but I’d never seen Nova use makeup before.

“So,” I said casually, tossing my com on the pillow and rolling onto my side with a grin. “What’s the occasion?”

Nova flashed me a huge, excited smile in the mirror. “My brother is on planet! I’m meeting him for dinner.”

My face fell. I’d been hoping for something more exciting than a brother. Still, considering how little Caldswell’s crew seemed to get out, dinner with your brother was probably a pretty big event on Nova’s calendar.

“I haven’t seen Copernicus for almost a year,” she continued, catching her short, wispy blond hair back with a glittery silver headband. “I write to him every time we land, but I never expected he’d be on Wuxia at the same time as we are. What a perfect alignment!”

“Cheers to you,” I said, tipping my beer at her. “I hope that you have a great time.”

Nova flashed me a shy smile. “I would be delighted if you would share space with us in harmony as well, Deviana.”

It took me a few moments to realize that was Nova-speak for inviting me along. “Thanks for the offer,” I said. “But I’d better stick to the ship, and I don’t want to go out in that smog again. I think it might be toxic.”

“Almost certainly,” Nova agreed, adjusting her hair. “Nic promised me we’d go somewhere above the particulate layers.”

I frowned. “Nic?”

“Short for Copernicus,” Nova explained. “Just like I’m Nova instead of Novascape.”

I nodded absently, trying to remember where I’d met a Nic before. Nothing came to mind, but I couldn’t shake the nagging feeling that there was something I was supposed to remember. But the harder I tried, the farther the memory ran until I was forced to give up.

“Are you certain you don’t wish to come?” Nova asked again, smoothing out her star-spangled dress one last time. “Basil’s coming.”

If I’d been on the fence, that would have knocked me right off. The last thing I wanted to do was go anywhere on this crowded, dirty world with a picky bird. “Thanks again,” I said. “But I’ll pass.”

Nova’s face fell, which made me feel like a jerk. Before I could tell her I was sorry, though, she said, “Maybe I should ask Mr. Charkov?”

I frowned. “Who?”

Nova blinked at me. “Rupert Charkov? The cook?”

“Is that his name?” I said, trying to remember.

Nova stared at me in confusion for a moment, then looked away, her pale cheeks going red. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I just thought that you and he were…” She trailed off, going redder still before she turned away and started brushing her hair frantically. “Never mind. It’s just, his aura has been even dimmer than usual, and I assumed, well, never mind.”

She was talking so fast by the end that the words were running together. I had no idea what she was on about. If the cook’s aura was dim, it couldn’t be my fault. Other than his seeming inability to keep his eyes to himself, there was less than nothing between me and—

I stopped. Even though Nova had just told me, I couldn’t remember the cook’s name. It had just slipped through my mind. That was strange; I wasn’t usually forgetful about stuff like this. What was his name? I was about to ask Nova to repeat it when Basil squawked from the hallway that they were going to be late.

Nova darted out the door, yelling over her shoulder for me to have a good evening. I didn’t feel comfortable with the ship full of strangers, so I got up too, following her into the lounge where Basil was waiting. This dinner must have been quite the thing, because our aeon navigator was dressed up as well. I’d never seen Basil wear anything over his feathers, but tonight he had some kind of black silk cape thing tied over his back and wings. The little square of black cloth on the back of an alien who looked like a giant ostrich was so stupid looking I forgot all about the cook in my struggle not to burst out laughing.