A blade in the hand, p.5
A Blade in the Hand, page 5
"I didn't think about what level they put us on. I was just glad they gave us a parking space."
Emil emitted an electronic chuckle. "Are you kidding? You came here from Simoi territory. Of all the people the Governor's been trying to make trade agreements with, she wants that one the most."
"Why?" Tessa's breath caught. Did Ursula know who Gaia was? Had she made the connection?
Thing was, with HiveZ gone, if they were really gone, there was no reason not to tell humans about Earth. Would they want to go home, if home were suddenly a possibility?
But Emil was still speaking. "Of course! The Simoi tribes are one of the most powerful trade federations in the known universe. They have access to goods you literally cannot get anywhere else. Landing an agreement with them could ensure New Earth's success."
A weird mixture of relief and disappointment washed through Tessa. She wasn't sure which one to pay attention to. Disappointment that Ursula didn't know, yet, who Gaia was and what that might mean for the humans here, or relief that Tessa could put off deciding whether or not to tell her.
"So, the message came from level fourteen. Were you able to figure out which ship?" she asked.
"Not a ship. Someone hacked the terminal directly, but I can’t tell who. At least, not yet." If he hadn't been an android, she would have been certain he was disappointed. Somewhere nearby, an office door whooshed open and closed as he continued. "Whoever sent it put it through some highly convoluted digital gymnastics. I'm still tracking it, though. I'll find the source even– Look out!"
The droid zoomed straight for her head, and Tessa ducked instinctively. Emil's high-pitched, electronic shriek ripped through the air, ending abruptly as the frozen droid crashed to the ground, his digital gaze blank and fixed.
Tessa dropped into a defensive crouch and spun, scanning the room for threats as her hands morphed into blasters.
A second flash of light and an abrupt drop in air temperature sent her rolling to the left as the next round slammed into the floor where she'd been standing.
"Tessa!" Magnus ran toward her. Workers stopped scurrying to watch, but suddenly, there was nothing to see. The next shot didn't come.
"Shut the area down," Tessa yelled. "Secure the OPTs. No one leaves this section!" But she knew it was already too late. Atah knew she'd lost the advantage. She wasn't going to hang around to get caught.
Security shut down the OPTs and began a canvas of every person in the compartment.
Tessa walked over to the fallen 'droid and crouched down next to him.
"You all right?" Magnus asked as he drew close. Ursula and her secret service agents were right behind him.
"I'm fine," Tessa said. "But I think our friend here won’t be creeping anyone else out for a while, or ever, maybe."
"We'll take him to the maintenance sector. They may be able to repair him," Ursula said as she took in the damage. "If not, they’ll try to retrieve his data files. That might give us a clue as to who is attacking you."
A short, dark-haired woman in a neat uniform hurried up to converse with Ursula. "This is Detective Karyn MacWilliams," Ursula said. "She'll investigate and get back to me...erm...us with what she finds."
The woman gave Tessa a terse jerk of her chin in acknowledgement. "We have cameras set up. Shouldn't take long to figure out who did this." She glanced keenly at Magnus, and Tessa had to restrain herself from rolling her eyes.
"I know who's doing this. So does Magnus," she said.
Karyn raised one dark brow. "Oh yes, the mysterious Atah Totepe, assassin extraordinaire." She shook her head. "But if it is her, she doesn't seem all that good at her job. She's missed twice."
Tessa opened her mouth around a sharp retort, but Ursula cleared her throat.
"Either way, I think it will be best to cut this tour short."
A security team moved to encircle and guide the small group away from the detective and into a waiting OPT. A few minutes later, Ursula led the way into her offices on the HOSH's top level.
"After considering the situation, I think it might be advantageous to change our itinerary. I had planned to show you another manufacturing center today, but perhaps a light luncheon would be–"
"I understand," Tessa said. "In fact, it might be safer for everyone if we left New Manhattan altogether."
Ursula's mouth dropped open. "What? No, that isn't what I meant at all. Let me arrange for tighter security, and I'm sure we can continue your visit safely."
"Governor Thompson, I appreciate your hospitality. And believe me – I don’t blame you for anything that’s happened," Tessa said. "But having me here is clearly not in anyone's best interest. What happened to Emil could just as easily have happened to one of your people. A weaver? One of your aides? You?"
With each example, Ursula's skin turned a whiter shade of pale.
"I'm not willing to risk anyone else's life," Tessa continued. "Are you?"
"You are a diplomatic emissary from one of the most powerful entities in the universe. It is our duty to–"
"I am a private person here on my own business," Tessa said.
A tinge of color rose in Ursula's cheeks. "So... Gaia really didn’t send you?"
"She knows I'm here, and why." With an effort, Tessa kept her voice pleasant. "But I never claimed this was a diplomatic mission. In fact, I made my reasons for coming to New Manhattan quite clear."
"But surely you can see the benefits of a trade agreement between us and the Simoi. Given recent events, I understand your concerns over security, but–"
"Like I said, I know you aren't to blame for the attacks on me."
"Well, of course, but–"
Tessa frowned. "Who told you Gaia sent me?"
The governor fidgeted with the fringed hem of her tunic. "I– had heard that some of the Simoi tribes are against intergalactic trade alliances. It would make sense if the Crown didn't want them to know until–"
"Heard from who?" Tessa stood and leaned forward, bracing both hands on the desk. "Who told you all this?"
Ursula pressed back against her gel chair. "One of our junior diplomats. While you were...ill...she received a message through back channels, a contact on Mega-One, giving your status as Queen Gaia's ambassador, but that the visit couldn't be seen publicly as a trade mission."
"And you didn't mention this when we asked who sent us the message?"
"There was no message! This only came through after you were already here. Then your people, Gaia's people, reached out to us! I thought all that, that..." She waved her hands vaguely. "The stuff about HiveZ and everything was just a subterfuge - you know a polite little fiction – so that everyone had plausible deniability if the other Simoi heard about it."
"The threat of mass murder was a polite fiction?" Tessa stared at the woman in disbelief.
"Believe me, I've spent my entire adult life in government, and I've seen worse excuses." Ursula's expression hardened. "Besides, it isn't as if your victory over the hive was news to us."
Tessa sat down slowly. "You knew who I was before I got here?"
"Of course we did. And your connection to Gaia."
"How?"
"You mean besides the governmental memos?" Ursula gave her a tentative smile. "Most of us have friends, relatives even, in other settlements. The U.S. Fleet may be spread out – some would say scattered – but we still watch out for each other."
Tessa eyed the other woman warily. "And what about Gaia's connection to Earth? Are you aware of that, too?"
Ursula's expression went diplomatically blank. "Because of her position as head of the Simoi tribal alliance, a diplomatic and trade relationship with her is desirable. Any rumors of other..." She paused, searching for a suitably innocuous word. "Associations, are of little interest to us."
"Even if they can provide you with a way home?" Tessa asked.
"We are home, Dr. Graham. One of our own choosing and soon, our own making."
Silence fell between them, until finally, Tessa cleared her throat. "And you're prepared to make that decision for everyone on New Manhattan?"
A flicker of doubt showed in Ursula's eyes, and was quickly squashed. "There is no decision to be made."
"But if there were–"
"IF there were, I would publicize the information and allow our citizens to come to their own conclusions."
Tessa pushed to her feet. "Good to know. Thank you for your hospitality."
Rising hastily, Ursula moved around her desk to intercept Tessa on her way to the door. "But, you can't... Wait, please." Tessa stopped and Ursula rushed on. "What will you tell Queen Gaia?"
Magnus moved smoothly between them. "I will be happy to tell Her Grace of the good work you are doing here and make introductions if and when the opportunity arises."
He passed a hand over the palm plate and the door swept open, allowing Tessa to walk through with him right behind her. Ursula was still staring after them when the portal closed.
Tessa and Magnus walked down the main hall together toward the OPT.
“Someone sent a fake message,” Magnus said. “Gotta wonder why.”
“To keep me in one place. It’s harder to hit a moving target.”
“You think the Governor is in on it?” Magnus glanced at her, unable to conceal his shock. “Wouldn’t be the first time a politician dipped her toe into muddy water, but Ursula doesn’t seem the type.”
Tessa shook her head. “I agree. But you have to admit, there’s no better way to keep me here than to enlist the unwitting aid of New Manhattan’s governing body.”
“About what you said to Ursula back there.” They reached the OPT and, once inside, Magnus turned to her. "Would I be right in thinking the Earth still exists, and it's habitable?"
Tessa didn't look at him. "Let's say you wouldn't be wrong."
"Do Val and Alex know this?"
Still staring straight ahead, Tessa replied. "They do."
"Jordan?"
"Subject never came up."
"It never.... You mean you never trusted him enough to tell him. Why?"
Finally, she faced him. "You sure are asking a lot of questions for someone who has never expressed any interest in Earth in all the time I've known you."
"First off, we haven't known each other that long. Second, I had no idea it was even a possibility. Until about five minutes ago, I thought Earth was some kind of mirage. A ghost story or a myth people told to their kids around the dinner table."
The OPT slowed and Tessa faced front again. "Well, now you know different."
As the doors opened, a flicker of movement caught Tessa's eye, and she flinched back as a searing white bolt flashed in front of her eyes to bury itself in the OPT wall.
"Look out!" Magnus yelled, shoving her aside. Off-balance, Tessa's eyes widened as two more bolts missed her by centimeters.
Magnus launched himself through the opening, and blaster fire scored a jagged red line across his hip as he crashed into the hallway.
With normal vision, all Tessa could make out was a dim outline, only discernible when the assassin moved. Atah and her camouflage, Tessa thought.
"Stay out of this, Magnus!" their assailant shouted.
Homing in on the sound, Tessa hurtled through the door as it closed, bouncing it back into its slot. She landed hard on something that was softer than the floor. Cloth slipped under her hands, and she knotted her fists into fabric she could barely see. Adjusting her sight with an infrared overlay, she watched a female form bloom into red and blue swirls under her.
Another blast of white slammed into her side, just above her hip line, and ice spread over the duster's surface.
"You bitch!" Tessa shouted, grappling with her attacker. Another shot went wide, impacting the closest wall and sending icy tentacles a full meter outward in all directions.
Grabbing the cloth, Tessa pulled hard, ripping the garment down one side, and was rewarded with the sight of a pale green tunic.
Atah swung around and fired. The shot slammed into Tessa's chest. The duster protected her, but the impact shoved Tessa backward onto Magnus's still form.
Tessa jumped to her feet, but Atah was already rounding the far corner, and it suddenly registered that Magnus hadn't moved or made a sound since hurtling out of the OPT.
She dropped to his side and gently rolled him onto his back. A lump on his forehead explained his silence. "Magnus?" Checking his vital signs, she let loose a relieved sigh when she found his pulse strong and steady.
Footsteps pounded along the corridor, and she let her hands morph into blasters, only to hastily revert when she looked up and saw Ursula's security people running toward her.
"Get me a medilev," she yelled, and two guards peeled off, rushing back the way they'd come. Seconds later, they were back, guiding the floating stretcher between them. The guards lifted Magnus onto it, and she followed them to the closest medical facility.
She stood apart, refusing to leave the room, but far enough so that she wasn't in the way as they treated him.
An hour later, the doctor assured her that most of his injuries were minor. "Blaster burn on his hip, but we sealed it with newskin, so it shouldn't even scar. The biggest worry is the concussion, but he's got a healthy nanocyte load to repair the damage. We're already seeing improvement." The man, white-haired with a lined, compassionate face, patted her arm. "You can stay with him until he wakes up." He left the room, greeting the security team as he walked out.
Tessa settled into the chair beside Magnus's bed and took his hand in hers. "Don't worry. Atah will pay for this," she whispered. "I'll make sure of it."
Chapter Seven
Galina, The Blue Venture
As the Blue Venture settled into orbit around Galina, Alex opened hailing frequencies. "Greetings Galina, Galactic authority. This is Blue Venture, LC Class merchant vessel 241WTE, on mission for Queen Gaia of the Simoi, holder of the Black Throne. Do you copy?"
"Welcome Blue Venture. Galina GA here. Please state the purpose of your intended visit and transmit trade visa."
Alex glanced at Val. "Sounds like Gaia was right, as usual. I'm glad she provided us with official status."
"Let's just hope it gets us to the right people," Val replied.
"Acknowledged, Galina GA," Alex said into the commlink. "Transmitting diplomatic credentials now. Our directive is to make contact with the human settlement here on Galina and establish diplomatic relations with same."
"Stand by, Blue Venture. I am forwarding your request through channels." A brief silence followed. Finally, the Galinian official came back onlink. "There is no separated human colony, however, our intergalactic envoy will be happy to meet with you. She is one quarter human. Is this acceptable?"
Val's eyes widened and Alex had to clear his throat twice before responding. "Galina GA, we would be honored to meet with your envoy."
"Excellent, Blue Venture. We will patch you through to Dolan Spaceport."
"Thank you, Galina GA."
A three-tone chime sounded and a new voice spoke. "This is Dolan Spaceport to Blue Venture 241WTE. We have a berth available. Please follow homing beacon 7741E. It will guide you all the way in."
"Acknowledged, Dolan Spaceport. We have acquired beacon 7741E and will follow it to our landing zone."
"Thank you, Blue Venture. Please wait aboard your ship until the envoy's representative contacts you. They have been notified and are on their way. Meanwhile, will it be acceptable to begin medical screening aboard Blue Venture while you wait?"
Tamar palmed the flight controls, following the gold blip of the homing beacon on her screen, adjusting course as necessary.
Catching Val's nod, Alex confirmed their willingness to undergo screening. It was standard procedure, especially if the incoming species was arriving from outside the home system.
"Very good, Blue Venture. Welcome to Galina, and to Dolan. I hope you enjoy your visit. Dolan Spaceport out."
Cutting the connection, Alex turned to Val. "One quarter human?"
"Galinians are humanoid, and their physiology is entirely compatible with yours." Dash flicked his airscreen off and turned his gel chair to face the others. "Interbreeding would be possible, perhaps even inevitable."
"You think they're completely integrated?" Val asked. "Could that protect them from HiveZ?"
"HiveZ is no longer a threat, in my estimation," Dash said with the air of someone repeating something he'd already been forced to say too many times. "But, even if they were, the mixing of bloodlines would likely change the genetics of the resulting progeny enough to protect them. That is, if we are correct in our understanding of how and why HiveZ is able to track humans specifically."
"According to Tessa, HiveZ doesn't trace humans via DNA," Alex said.
"No, her theory is that they tracked unique elements of the human soul. However, it stands to reason that if our bodies are a mix of traits derived from our parents, our souls are also a composite. Adding a compatible species to the bloodline would then result in something unique, regardless of outward appearance."
"Can't fault your logic, Dash," Val said. "Let's just hope you're right on both counts."
"Both counts?" Dash asked.
"That HiveZ is dead, and that the humans here, first generation or fourth, are safe and/or immune."
"How many purely human citizens do you suppose they have?" Alex asked. "I mean, it's been several hundred years. If they've been intermarrying all that time, do you think there are any left?"
"Let's save that question for the envoy," Val said. "We still don't know for sure how humans are viewed here, or how the government will react to a potential threat to the population."
The Venture quivered slightly as Tamar eased the ship into its berth.
"Docking now, Captain," she said. "We are needing fuel and supplies. Shall I contact Dolan Spaceport?"
"Good thought. You go ahead," Val said. "Do you and Rakan want to make a supply run? Port authority should be able to point you in the right direction."
"As you are saying. Should we be looking only for food, or trade goods also?" Tamar asked.
"I'll leave that up to you. You always manage to find the best bargains. Just..." Val eyed her first mate carefully. "Just no plants or pets, OK?"
