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  “Let them try,” Shinigami responded. “I was programmed by ADAM, so I have Bethany Anne’s typical responses in my heuristic algorithms.”

  “Uh oh,” Bethany Anne mumbled.

  Stephen glanced at the hooded figure, wondering what her expression was at the moment. From what little he could see of her ink-black face, it looked like a grimace.

  “Should we see what the law says about killing people who are trying to steal you, Shinigami?” Stephen asked.

  “Can’t do it,” Bethany Anne answered. “ADAM tells me they can lock you in jail and impound your ship.”

  Stephen looked both ways down the passageway they were crossing before turning back to Bethany Anne. “Not worried?”

  “No.” Shinigami responded instead of Bethany Anne. “I’ve already paid for the necessary licenses to allow a proper response.”

  “A…proper response?” Stephen whispered, rolling his eyes. “I assume a proper response includes someone dying.”

  “Well,” the ship sniffed in his ear, “only if they push me into it.”

  “Yes,” Stephen murmured. “Just like Bethany Anne.”

  —

  The medical screens displaying Ch’ehtoe’s vital signs beeped slowly as his nurse checked them. He was asleep, and frankly Nurse Kh’nd was shocked he had made it to the hospital in the first place.

  Over the last three days she had started to warm up to the young-looking Estarian. The horrible black marks and mottled white patches that had been present when he was admitted were slowly fading from his blue skin.

  Kh’nd had no idea who was paying his hospital bills, but someone had to be doing it. He had been accorded the best medical care, and the most expensive drugs had been pre-approved for his use.

  Except … she had been here when he was admitted. His clothing and the other articles he’d had on him told the story plainly enough, even if he had been close to death.

  There was no way this Estarian could have afforded the care he was receiving.

  She reached up and adjusted his pillow, making sure his neck was properly positioned. She didn’t want him to go through all this only to feel like his neck had seized when he finally woke up.

  Hearing a small noise from the door, Kh’nd turned. She was surprised to see that an alien—a human alien—was already inside the room. He pulled the door open farther.

  “I’m sorry—” Kh’nd started to say, but stopped when the second figure walked in.

  “It is ok,” the human said in Kh’nd’s native Torcellan. “We are Ch’ehtoe’s benefactors.” He nodded toward the Estarian. “My name is Stephen. We have come to help him. Then we’ll find those who decided that hurting him was a good way to get our attention, and give them our response.”

  The nurse looked back at Ch’ehtoe. “I’m not sure I would care to help heal those who hurt him. While he is sleeping, he doesn’t look like he would have hurt anyone.”

  “He did not hurt anyone,” Stephen replied, coming closer. “He was in our employ, doing nothing more than listening and letting us know the news. Perhaps,” Stephen looked at the nurse, “not the news you would watch, but nonetheless, just news.”

  She looked down at the Estarian. “Well, it’s strange you would come to Devon to help your spy.”

  The black-robed being spoke from the side of the room, and the voice sent chills up and down Kh’nd’s neck. “He was not a spy,” it hissed. “Only a service provider for one of our friends.” It walked to the other side of the bed and placed a black hand with hideously sharp nails on Ch’ehtoe’s arm.

  Kh’nd tried to peer into the hood, but could barely see what looked like eyes in the darkness.

  “He is only lightly asleep,” the grating voice said. “If you reduce the pain medication, he will awaken and be fine.”

  Kh’nd’s eyes narrowed as she looked at the medical screens, trying to assess how his vitals had gotten better after the being touched him. While she was watching, they took another major jump upward. She laid a hand on his arm and reached up to touch a tab on the screen, checking some additional readings.

  “We have enough information from him,” the voice hissed again. Kh’nd looked away from the monitors.

  “What do you mean?” The robed figure had drawn its arms back into its sleeves and was walking toward the door.

  The hooded being turned in her direction. “He will need at most another day to recover. Keep him here for two since I don’t want him involved in our response. If he is here, he will be safe from any accusations.”

  “Of what?” Kh’nd asked. The nurse was sure there was a mouthful of sharp teeth in that hood somewhere, and she shuddered.

  “You need not worry,” it said. “Those who hurt Ch’ehtoe will not need hospitalization when I’m done speaking to them.”

  With that, the two aliens left the hospital room. Kh’nd stared at the door as it slowly closed, then clicked shut.

  Moments later, a male voice whispered from beside her.

  “Where am I?”

  CHAPTER TEN

  QBBS Asteroid R2D2, R&D

  The woman’s head was bent over her tablet. Her dirty brown hair had fallen over her face, so she blew at it. She yanked the little band in the back off in frustration, then grabbed all the hair and pulled it back. “I swear to all that is efficient,” Tina muttered, “I’m going to devise a way to keep hair up.”

  William placed his food tray on the table. The team used it as their unofficial, but usual, meeting place. He pulled out a chair across from Tina. “They have a pretty efficient way to handle that issue already.”

  She looked at him as he sat, her eyes narrowed in concentration. “Nope. R2 says he can’t find any history on the topic.”

  “Because you are looking in the wrong area,” William told her. He reached out to grab the little red shaker that held the seven-pepper seasoning he made from the spices of three different worlds. Well, four if you included the special terra-farming location inside the Meredith Reynolds.

  “And where would the right place be?” she asked as Marcus put a tray down beside hers. Bobcat pulled out the chair next to William.

  “What’s the question?” Marcus asked as he and Bobcat sat.

  “My ponytail band keeps messing up, and my hair pulls out and falls into my face.” She pointed across the table. “William said they’ve already got a better solution when I muttered I was going to devise a way to keep my hair back more efficiently.”

  “Well,” Marcus answered, his eyes glancing to William, who returned his look with a small smile playing at corner of his lips, “besides those funky hair turners from old-Earth tv back in our time, I’m not sure what he could be thinking about.”

  “Tell me,” Bobcat asked, chewing his food and swallowing, “exactly what his words were.”

  “R2?” Tina spoke up. “Can you tell us what he said?”

  “Now that’s lazy,” Bobcat said admiringly.

  “It’s efficient, and you will hear exactly what he said. I aim to be exact,” she replied.

  A male voice came out of the speakers. “William replied, ‘They have a pretty efficient way to handle that issue already.’”

  Bobcat shook his head and looked down at the table. “Oh.”

  Marcus’ eyes narrowed and he turned to look at William, who was smiling.

  Tina looked at Bobcat, then back at William. “Say it again, R2?”

  “They have a pretty efficient way to handle that issue already,” came the EI’s voice.

  “The hint is ‘that issue,’” Marcus murmured.

  It took Tina ten seconds to raise her arms to her head protectively. “I am not cutting my hair, you bastard!” She dropped her arms and pointed her fork at the chuckling man. “You…you…”

  “Now, dear,” Marcus sputtered, reaching for her arms.

  Tina turned on a dime, her outrage changing to surprise. “What?”

  Marcus looked at her, then turned to see William staring at him with shock
on his face. Bobcat just shook his head, grinning.

  Marcus turned back to Tina and leaned backward when he found her face just inches from his. “Repeat what you just said,” she told him, a gleam in her eyes.

  “What?” Marcus thought back to his comments from a moment ago. “I told you the hint was ‘that issue.’” He looked at William for confirmation, but he was holding back a grin and shaking his head negatively.

  “You are fucked,” Bobcat told Marcus when he looked at him.

  Tina glanced at Bobcat. “Shut your mouth, or I’ll call Yelena and lie to her.”

  “Lie about what?” Bobcat asked. “What’s there to lie about here? There’s nobody but us here!”

  “I’ll tell her you aren’t exercising like you promised!” she spat. “Hell, I don’t know. This is shut-the-fuck-up time. Marcus is having a moment of truth.”

  William chuckled. “Whether he wants one or not.”

  “Hell yes he wants it!” Tina shot back. “His subconscious spoke, and I finally have proof.”

  Marcus, his eyebrows as high as they could get on his forehead, looked at the three of them and asked, “What ‘proof?’”

  “R2.” Bobcat looked Marcus in the face and mouthed, “Sorry, buddy.”

  “Yes, Bobcat the Magnificent?” R2 replied through the speakers.

  “How the hell did you get R2 to change your profile again?” William asked.

  “William,” Tina shook her fork at him. “I love you like a brother, but if you don’t shut up I’m going to take this fork and pin your lower lip and your upper lip together.”

  He waved his hands at Tina, then turned toward Bobcat, pointing from his eyes to his friend’s and mouthing, “Later.”

  Bobcat continued speaking to the EI. “Please replay the comment Marcus made about four items back.”

  This time R2 played back the actual recording of Marcus’ words.

  His voice came over the speakers. “The hint is ‘that issue’.”

  “Nope, next one,” Tina called.

  Marcus’ voice spoke over Tina’s, which could be heard sputtering in the background. “Now, dear…”

  All three pairs of eyes observed Marcus as he realized what he had said. “Um, that was… Um…” He looked at Tina, who was shaking her head.

  “That was your heart talking through your mouth, instead of your stupid idiotic self-involved stupid.”

  “You said ‘stupid’ twice,” William pointed out.

  Tina’s left arm lifted her utensil. “This fork, your lips!” she snapped, but her eyes were locked on Marcus’. “Either way, ‘stupid’ was important, you Brainiac-in-everything-but-the-heart!”

  “Well—” Marcus had started to say when Tina leaned closer and kissed him.

  The two guys patted each other on the back. “You can lead a scientist to space—” Bobcat started.

  William finished, “But you can’t get him to admit shit to the woman he loves until you hit him in the head with a comet.”

  “Asteroid,” Marcus and Tina said in unison. They chuckled, and this time it was Marcus who leaned forward. He kissed her harder.

  William turned to Bobcat. “Our little Marcus is all grown up,” he told his friend. “Who are we going to harass about women now?”

  The two broke their kiss and looked at William, grinning. “YOU!” They replied at the same time, then giggled and kissed again.

  “Dude,” Bobcat shook his head at his friend, “the look on your face is priceless.”

  “I should have seen that one coming,” William admitted. “Damn, what a setup.”

  “Excuse me,” R2 said over the speakers. “I know you humans term this ‘a moment.’ However, the calculations Marcus initiated are finished, and the results are within expected parameters.

  “Don’t you fucking dare get up!” Tina growled to Marcus, who looked back at her in confusion.

  “Why would I get up?”

  “You didn’t hear R2?” He shook his head. “Damn, you really didn’t hear him?”

  Marcus shook his head again. “What was I supposed to hear?”

  Tina leaned back. “R2, please repeat what you just said.”

  R2 repeated his statement and Marcus shook his head. “Ok, that’s interesting.”

  “What’s interesting?” Tina asked, then slapped Marcus’ hand as he reached for her. “What did you have running?”

  “Um.” Marcus scratched his nose where Tina’s hair had tickled him. “It was the calculations that will allow us to scale up the manufacture of the Etheric connectors for the BYPS solution.”

  She looked at him quizzically. “BYPS?”

  “Yes, honey, you know… The Baba Yaga Protection System?”

  She slapped his arm. “I’m aware of the acronym. What do you mean you have the calculations to scale up the manufacturing?”

  William threw a glance sideways to Bobcat. “Are you saying we have a shot at deploying ten thousand BYPSs via aggregate manufacturing?”

  Marcus looked at William, as did Tina. “Sure, ten thousand or a hundred thousand. Either way, we can do it.”

  “Holy copulating comets.” Bobcat blew out a breath of air. “We’ve done it.”

  “Holy shit!” Tina looked at Marcus. “Marry me!”

  “Ok.”

  She leaned over and kissed him, then stood up and shoved her chair out of the way. She grabbed his hand, pulled him up, and dragged him toward the room’s exit, chattering on the way out. “You’ve got to show me what you did! I mean, let me see the specific changes to the frequency…”

  William watched them leave and noticed Marcus’ head turning back to the two men as he walked through the door.

  He winked and then was pulled out of sight of the two men.

  “That son-of-a-bitch,” William whispered.

  “Did he just do what I think he did?” Bobcat asked as he stood up and walked over to the fridge. He bent over to grab two dark bottles at the bottom. “I’m thinking the special lagers.”

  “Good choice.” William tapped his fingers on the table.

  Bobcat opened both bottles and walked back to the table, handing one to William as he sat back down. He looked toward where Tina had disappeared with Marcus and turned to his friend. “Did Marcus just get points for ignoring the biggest single discovery this decade, get proposed to by one of the smartest women in the Empire, and get pulled toward the exact place he wanted to go?”

  William took a swig of his beer, then nodded. “Yup.”

  “Huh.” Bobcat absentmindedly blew across the mouth of his beer bottle, making a sound like an old boat horn. “We must have rubbed off on him.”

  “Took long enough,” William grumped.

  “She asked him.” Bobcat tilted his head first to the right, then the left. “I don’t remember that being in our playbook.

  “You got your woman drunk.”

  Bobcat turned toward William. “Hey, I resemble that remark. For the record, she was not drunk when she jumped me.”

  “Yelena said that she tripped on a tree root in the park and fell.”

  “I was there to catch her,” Bobcat replied. “I call that perfect planning on my part.”

  “I call it luck.”

  “That’s because you're jealous.”

  “Too true,” William replied. “I am jealous of your luck.”

  “And my mad beer skills.”

  “Not so much those,” William replied. “I’ve had to go behind your back and replace bad batches of beer a time or two.”

  “Now that hurts.” Bobcat shook his head. “I’d never’ve thought you’d tell such untruths to promote your own well-being.”

  “Whatever lets you sleep, good buddy.”

  “Still.” Bobcat sighed. “I can’t believe she popped the question.”

  William nodded and the two remained quiet, taking sips of beer from time to time.

  “You know—” William started, and Bobcat put up a hand.

  “I know, I was just wait
ing for you to get to it.”

  William turned to his friend. “You ass, you have no idea what I’m about to say.”

  Bobcat winked at his friend. “Word.”

  William chuckled, followed by Bobcat. Soon William was outright laughing, and Bobcat patted him on the back, laughing as well. Reaching up to his eyes, Bobcat wiped away the tears. “Ok, what the hell were you going to say?”

  “I was going to say that while her asking him to marry her was an amazing question, it isn’t the biggest question of the day.”

  There were a few moments of silence before Bobcat reached up, and scratched his chin. “Ok, I give. What is?”

  William looked to his friend. “How we would power a hundred thousand BYPSs at the same time.”

  Bobcat blinked. “Shit.” He looked around. “Like, what would it do to the Etheric if we turned them all on at once?”

  William nodded.

  “Now that,” Bobcat agreed, “is a big-assed question.”

  “WORD!” came from the speakers.

  Prometheus Major

  Nathan was going over reports when Ecaterina walked into their joint office. He looked up. “Uh oh.”

  “Uh oh, vut?” she asked, allowing a little of her old accent to color her response. She smiled when she noticed the little bumps along the back of Nathan’s neck.

  “You have that look,” he told her. “So spill it.”

  “I received a short note from Bethany Anne. She says Ch’ehtoe will be ok, and she is working on a response now.”

  “’Working on a response’ is a euphemism for…” Nathan raised an eyebrow.

  “She didn’t clarify,” she told him, walking behind him and placing her hands on his shoulders. “However, I assume it means someone will get an ass-kicking.” She started massaging his shoulders.

  “Uh oh,” he repeated, allowing his eyes to shut and trying to relax his muscles.

  “Stop that!” she told him. “Don’t try to pretend you aren’t stressed. We all know it, which is why I’m here.”

  “Uh…oh?” He started to turn around, but her hands prevented him from moving. “So,” he asked, allowing her to knead his shoulders to work out the stiffness, “for that I get a massage?”