Chapter 5
It was a nice afternoon.
They had lunch at a cafe by the river, sitting at a table on the little balcony upstairs, while Natta, behaving as if he didn’t know them, took a table near the entrance.
Then Trayla took her through a few of the little laneways full of eclectic shops, far more whimsical and frivolous than those to be found on Larga Ways, given its lack of space and high rents.
She found a pair of earrings that contained gleaming black and silver metal twisted together, almost exactly the same colors as her black bracelet and silver necklace.
“That ties those two together nicely,” Trayla commented, and Fee realized she should probably let Trayla and Natta know what both items did, in case they were attacked.
Eventually Fee felt herself beginning to drag, and they bought food from a little kiosk on a side street to take home for dinner, with Natta using a skimmer to fly past them, then double back, looping around them in a protective circle while looking as if he had not a care in the world and no connection to them whatsoever.
As they made their way along the river front, with a lush park on their right and the water to their left, Fee drew in a deep, appreciative breath. “I had forgotten how wonderful it is to be walking on-planet.”
She stretched out her arms, lifting them above her head. It was as if the weight of gravity was a caress. “Balco is similar to my own planet in size and gravitational pull. I love it.”
“Larga Ways is surely similar? It would have been built around Balcoan norms,” Trayla said.
“Probably, but artificial is artificial, I’m discovering. Nothing beats the real thing.” She wondered if Eazi could do something about that. But that was a problem for another day.
They got home, and found Natta already there, setting the table.
Fee poured water into a jug, and was putting out the glasses when Eazi pinged her ear piece.
“Can you talk?” he asked.
She waved to Natta, held up her hand to show she’d be five minutes, and then walked up the stairs to her bedroom.
The house had three, one on the ground floor, which Natta had taken, and two upstairs, each with their own bathroom, and with a comfortable lounge between them.
Trayla had taken the smaller of the two, which left Fee with the master, along with its balcony looking out over the river. She stepped out into the cool evening and pulled her jacket closer as she leaned against the railing.
“I’m alone. What’s up?”
“Things are interesting when you’re not here,” Eazi told her. “People don’t know what to do.”
Fee didn’t think she was a micro-manager, so that was surprising. “Like who?”
“Even though Tean Lee asked you to leave, he obviously wishes there was a way to get hold of you. He doesn’t like dealing directly with me.”
That had been clear to Fee for some time, and she didn’t know how to solve the issue.
“Then there’s Jaden Tris,” Eazi said.
Fee made a face, because she should have seen that one coming. “What’s he up to?”
She almost didn’t want to know.
“He’s actually way more subdued than I thought he’d be. You telling him I would be in charge has made him cautious, I think. He’s contacted me a few times to ask for permission to do something, but he’s less focused, that’s for sure.”
Fiona breathed out a sigh of relief. That was better than expected. “Has Tean Lee uncovered anything?”
Although Eazi would be working just as hard as he was, if she were to guess.
“Neither of us has. I don’t know if someone knew he was there, listening to the Garmman traders in the other booth, and decided to play a prank on him, or whether someone lied to the traders on Tecra, in order to stir up trouble.” Eazi sounded worried.
“It could be either,” Fee said. “So you think I can come back home any time?”
“I’d like a little longer to hunt through all the listening devices on the station. If they were speaking an obscure language, what they were saying might not be immediately apparent.” Eazi paused. “Unless you want to come back very badly?”
“Oh, no. The Grihan operatives Admiral Hoke assigned me are easy to get along with, and I spent a very pleasant afternoon in Distani. I’m happy to stay a little longer. Have you sent the message to Baruke, asking for a meeting yet?”
“I did it this afternoon. No word yet. I’ll let you know—” He cut himself off for a moment.
“Hal has asked me to patch him through to you. We thought it was better for his comms to come to the way station, then for me to route them down to you, given how much traffic there is between Larga Ways and Balco.”
“Thanks.” She leaned out a little further on the railings, waiting for the connection, and narrowed her eyes as she tried to make out what she was looking at in the sky.
“Fiona?” Hal’s familiar, deep voice filled her head, and she swallowed a sigh.
“Hey there. Guess what I’m looking at?”
“What?” He sounded amused.
“Larga Ways. I’m standing on a balcony in Distani, watching a beautiful lavender light move across the sky.” She had never thought about what Larga Ways must look like from the surface of Balco. Now she knew.
The sight alone was well worth the trip.
“We weren’t in the right part of Balco, and we didn’t have time anyway to look for it, last time we were down there.” Hal’s voice was warm, and she grinned.
“Yes, that was such a busy trip—running for our lives, getting captured, avoiding being blown up. It’s a shame we never had time to catch sight of the way station.”
He laughed. “Well, you have time now. How are things going?”
“Good. I went shopping, and I’m about to have dinner with my new Grihan besties.” She was over the five minutes by now, but she didn’t think they’d mind.
“Who are they? If they’re military, I might have met them.”
She told him, and she could almost see him shaking his head.
“Never heard of either of them. But you think they’re up to it?” he asked.
“They’ve been very professional, and friendly as well. I like them.” She was glad about that, because it would have been a much less pleasant holiday if she hadn’t.
“I’m being called to the bridge, so I have to go, but I’ll try to connect via Larga Ways tomorrow.” His tone didn’t change, but she thought there was a thread of urgency in his voice.
“Is everything okay?” she asked.
“So far. We’re stuck in a holding pattern, patrolling up and down the space boundary. I’ll be glad to get home.”
“I’ll be glad when you get home, too.” She was always thrilled when he indicated that he saw Larga Ways as home. Because she had come to see the way station that way, too.
They said their goodbyes, and when Fee headed back down the stairs, she found Trayla and Natta already sitting down, serving up dinner, as if they had been listening for her to come down the stairs.
“Sorry. Just getting updates from the way station and . . .” She paused.
Trayla tilted her head. “And . . .?”
“And Hal Vakeri.” She smiled as she began to eat. She never knew how to categorize their relationship in a way that satisfied both Earth and Grihan terms.
“I’d heard you were involved with him.” Natta leaned back in his chair, legs stretched out.
“How did that happen?” Trayla asked. “He’s captain of a battleship.”
“The Illium was the battleship that found me,” Fiona said. “Hal saved me from the Garmman.” She realized that other than her discussions with her fellow Earth friends and the Class 5s, she’d never talked about this with anyone.
“The Garmman.” Natta looked blank, then gave a nod. “I’d forgotten you weren’t with the Tecran when you were found. It feels like a long time ago, but it hasn’t been much over a year since this all started.”
“About a year,” Fiona agreed. “And you’re right, a lot has happened in that time.”
“What were the Garmman doing with you?” Trayla asked. She took a sip from her glass. “I don’t think I ever heard that story.”
“The Tecran panicked when Rose was discovered by the Grih, so they offloaded me on the Garmman, on a trader headed toward Larga Ways and Balco. There was a secret Tecran bunker in the Balcoan desert, and they were supposed to deliver me there.” Like a package, Fiona thought, suddenly wishing the conversation hadn’t taken this turn.
“Not a good time?” Trayla was watching her, and Fiona realized her expression must be telling the whole story.
“Not a good time,” Fiona agreed. “And let’s leave it there. I’d say it was long in the past, but you’ve already been briefed by the admiral about the possible assassination plot against me.”
“That’s why the Garmman are behind it? Because of you being found on one of their traders?” Natta sounded incredulous.
“Apparently they think I’ve got it out for them on Larga Ways because of it. They think if I’m gone, they’ll save on berthing fees and tariffs.”
“That’s . . . messed up.” Trayla scraped her plate clean. “While you were upstairs, Natta and I decided we’ll take it in turns to go back to our apartments and grab some clothes and things—enough for a couple of days.”
Fiona nodded. She didn’t think having a guard around the clock was strictly necessary, but she liked them, and it made sense to be cautious.
“What’s up for tomorrow?” Natta asked as they stood to clear up.
“I’m hoping you, as the locals, will tell me what’s a must-see,” Fee said as she stacked the Balcoan version of a dishwasher.
“Hey, this is a sweet assignment,” Natta said, rubbing his hands together.
“Don’t forget we’re trying to keep her from being assassinated,” Trayla reminded him.
“Are you kidding?” Natta grinned. “That’s the best part.”