13 Degrees of Separation (32 page)

“Don't worry I'll refuel the bitch and check her out,”
Harif said waving. “See you tonight?” he asked.

She blushed and then nodded and then let Savo and Alice
drag her out. “Okay, okay, coming. Geesh! Just let me stop at a refresher along
the way. That was a long flight!” Savo chuckled as they passed through the
hatch.

...*...*...*...*...

Mairi was amused when she got home and found an e-mail in
her in-box. She checked, a note from her mom saying she'd be out late, and
another from her bank. She frowned and clicked on the bank. She found a deposit
from Yard Dogs and blinked. After a moment the figure made her grin. Well! She
put the tablet down and sat on the couch and chuckled for a good minute. She
was on her way to bigger and better things!

When she settled down she checked the room. She'd set her
mother up with an account yesterday morning, with a strict lecture on using it.
Her mother had muttered about it but had shut up when her daughter had given
her a pointed look. She looked around and then picked up the tablet.

She'd been tempted to give her mother credits to go
shopping, but knowing her mother she'd buy clothes or gamble with the money and
not use it to buy food. She flipped through the net until she found the nearest
grocery store. She clicked the link and then ran the tip of her tongue over her
lips as a few times as she scrolled through the listings.

Alice had told her she could order like this, order food
and not have to go to the store. Just fill an electronic basket with a list of
goods, click check out, and then use her thumb to approve the order. Her thumb
print and biometric scan would link to her account where the amount would be
debited. When the charge cleared the grocery store would fill the order and
send it via a delivery bot or agent within an hour. Very cool, she thought,
also very convenient. She hunted for her favorites as well as actual meals. She
chose items that had a good shelf life as well as a few necessary basics her
mother preferred. She'd have to try coffee later though, now she didn't want to
experiment.

...*...*...*...*...

Mairi received an unsolicited job offer from one of the
industrial corporations that had snidely turned her away. McDougall sounded
nasty, almost ordering her to come work for them. That ticked her off, she
worked for who she wanted too. She snorted, scanning the message. Either they
were interested in her because she'd proven herself and brought in asteroids...
or someone wanted her away from the dogs. Either way she was in no hurry. She
flicked the message to electronic trash but then thought twice and saved it.
Just in case she thought. Then she opened her second e-mail, this one from the
board.

She was gratified by the totals she'd brought in, but then
her eyes caught a line she didn't understand. Her index finger hovered over it
and a helpful pop up came up. It explained that it was a station tax, newly
enacted on all resources that come into the station and were not used to repair
or maintain the station. Pissed that the station took a cut of the rock, her
rock she cursed.

She was even more pissed when they charged her for fuel,
docking, maintenance... fees... she threw her hands up in the air. “I do my own
damn maintenance and fueling! And docking! It's all manual. What the hell!” She
turned and angrily punched in an e-mail address.

Instantly Clio's face was on the screen. “Yes?”

“We need to sort this out. This is ridiculous,” Mairi said,
waving her tablet. “This? This is bull. Who the hell did this?”

“You are correct. We are sorting it out now. It's not us,
it's someone getting cute. I'm tracing it while I block it now.”

“Well someone better damn well pay me for my own work. I'm
charging triple time to the ass who thought this up. Triple overtime!”

“Well,” Clio said, looking at the address. “Gotcha,” she
murmured, tagging Kennet's signature and then sending a thousand copies to a
bunch of in-boxes and then slapping a read only tag onto the original. Kennet
again. He'd gotten cute and now as the humans said, 'had his hand caught in the
cookie jar'. Very well, she like Savo had their own thoughts on such actions,
cut the damn hand off.

“I've got to go. I've got to handle this.

...*...*...*...*...

Kennet swore as his in-box filled with first a lawsuit,
then a second, and then subpoenas. He scanned them quickly and then swore
again. Damn them! Who... Clio! He saw, noting the address. And not just Clio,
D'red the traitor had signed off on this! The head attorney to the station of
all people! He scanned it again and then swore. He'd have to respond, and he'd
have to make an apology. Possibly restitution. What was worse though was he'd
been caught. He tried to cover his tracks only to find not only a read only tag
on the original and copies, but also a red tag of  evidence in a judicial
inquiry. No not good. He was now being publicly identified and that made him
incredible uncomfortable. That well and truly sucked. Well, he'd have to fall
back to an ally and see what they could do.

...*...*...*...*...

A knock on Mairi's door made her look up in surprise. At
first she was worried about it being the landlord but then shrugged it off. She
warily checked the camera feed above the door. “Harif?” she said in surprise
and then got up.

Harif blinked as the door swung open and Mairi was standing
there like a blue haired beauty. She was wearing one of her mother's blue silk
robes with one shoulder exposed. White lilies were printed on the robe. “Hi,”
he said smiling. He held up a flower.

“Hi,” she said shyly, taking the rose and sniffing it.
“Wow. What's the occasion?” she asked, smiling coyly.

“I just thought since we've got a little time you'd like to
take a walk. Maybe see where that came from,” he said.

“Sure,” she said, shrugging. She needed to stretch her
legs. “Come in, let me get changed,” she said. She turned, placed the flower on
the counter and then went to her room.

Harif snorted and closed the door behind him. He looked
around and then picked up the flower. He opened a cabinet and found a spot
covered glass. He rinsed it out and then added some water and put the flower's
stem in it. “There,” he said.

“Oh,” Mairi said, coming in behind him. She was running her
hand through her hair, finger combing it. She was still getting used to having
hair. “Thanks,” she murmured.

“It's not a proper vase but it works,” Harif said. He
nodded to her. She had a yellow blouse on, a little big for her though, so
she'd rolled up the sleeves above her elbows and tied a knot in the midriff.
She had a pair of red shorts on and black spacer shoes.

“What?” she asked looking down at herself. “I don't have a
stain do I?” she asked, checking her front.

“Now, you just... well, let's just say you'll blend in,” he
said, chuckling. “Shall we?” he said, stepping to the door.

She looked at him with suspicion as she stroked an errant
hair over her ear and then shrugged.

He took her through the station, but when he got into some
sections he covered her eyes so she couldn't peek. She grumbled at first, but
the horse play made her laugh after a the second time he did it. She could
smell plants, a lot of plants, their heady perfumes were intoxicating. Finally
he uncovered her eyes. She blinked and then her eyes widened in delight at the
park. She gasped at all the grass and flowers and other plants.

It was gorgeous she realized, feeling tears prick her eyes.
How could she have missed this?” she thought. She looked up to the sky, it was
blue with puffy clouds. “What the heck?” she asked.

Harif looked up as she pointed. He chuckled. “It's a
projection,” he explained. Her hand dropped and she nodded catching on. “Come
on,” he said, taking her hand and tugging her along. “This is what it's like to
be ground side! I want to show it all to you!”

...*...*...*...*...

After her second run Alice caught Mairi in a grimy coverall
when she came in to the bar to report in. She took one long look and then
tisked tisked. Mairi looked down and sighed. “Sorry,” she said.

“Don't be sorry! We screwed up child not you!” she took her
apron off and tossed it behind the bar. “Come on. Let's get you fed and then
you and I will go get something more appropriate for you to wear,” she said.

“But...” Mairi complained and then her stomach growled.
Alice snorted. “Okay you win,” Mairi sighed. “At least on the first part. I've
never been a clothes horse like my mother,” she grumbled.

“Yes well, you are a bit of a tom boy, that's for sure,”
Alice said and then smiled. “Ralph!” she called. “Ralphi!” she called again,
this time louder. She slapped the bar with her hand. The gunshot crack made Mairi
wince.

“What!” Ralph drawled from the back room. He poked his head
out. “What is it this time woman?” he demanded.

Alice's eyes flashed. “I'm going out with Mairi here.
You've got the bar,” she said.

“What??” Ralph demanded, coming out. He glared, fists on
his hips.

“I said,” Alice replied with some teeth in her reply.
“You've. Got. The. Bar. Deal with it,” she said, and then took the girl by the
elbow and left.

When they were outside she caught Mairi's stare of
disbelief and sputtered a laugh. “And that's how you put a man in his place
dear. Come on. I know this dress boutique on the fourth level that has some
gorgeous colors that will match your hair!” She grinned. “This is going to be
fun. I've always wanted another girl to go shopping with!” she said.

“What have I gotten myself into,” Mairi laughed, letting
herself be dragged along.

...*...*...*...*...

Several hours later Mairi sipped at a straw, amazed by all
the shops they had been into. She'd had her hair styled, something she'd never
had done in her life. Her hair done, nails, she felt like a million credits.
Her feet hurt from all the walking in the new shoes. She was exuberant though,
she had several bags stuffed with goodies, all in
her
size. Her mother
couldn't pouch any of this! “This by the way, is my way of thanking you for all
you've done. You are a tremendous young lady and I for one am very proud of
you,” Alice told her.

“I've... I've never had new clothes,” Mairi admitted
softly. She wasn't sure what to say.

“I gathered that,” Alice said sympathetically. “Me too. It
wasn't until I was older and married to Ralph that I could get the occasional
outfit when Kiev stopped somewhere. But when our son was born, well...” she
shrugged.

“I didn't know you had a kid,” Mairi said as they walked
along the corridors back to the bar. Or at least she thought they were going to
the bar, she'd missed a few turns.

“He stayed on the Kiev with his wife Brea,” Alice said with
a sniffle. “I miss them sometimes, so I keep busy to try to put them out of my
mind. It's hard, but they needed the break.”

“Break?” Mairi asked.

“Kiev was overloaded with people. She was never designed to
hold that many, and even though the admiral rebuilt the ship with the crew we
were still pretty packed. A lot of people wanted families of their own but we
couldn't support them.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah,” Alice sighed. “So some of us decided to get out of
the younger generation's way. Let them prove themselves and have the
adventures. We had our fill, now we're starting a new one here,” she said, indicating
the station. “I was going to have another child but well, Ralph needed to lose
some weight and we got into the Yard, and well, everything...” she sighed.

“Yeah.”

“I'm going to have a child again. Hopefully someone like
you dear,” Alice said. Mairi looked up in surprise. Alice smiled. It was a nice
warm smile that made her blink. Before she knew it Alice hugged her to her
side. “I'm so very proud of you, you know that?” she asked, wrapping her arm
around Mairi's shoulders for a hug. Mairi nodded, head down. “Now come on.
Let's go give Ralph a conniption when he sees the bill,” she said wickedly, hip
bumping her charge.

Mairi laughed as they kept walking.

...*...*...*...*...

Olga was wined and dined by a young suave Terran. The rich
corporate flak used her to get to Mairi, quickly winning over the
impressionable Olga. Olga was easy, the woman was eating out of his hand in
under an hour. His good looks were one of his Major assets he thought smugly.

Two days later Olga was excited about introducing her to
her daughter. Mairi however was tired, cranky from another long shift but at
peace with her own hand in it. It was the others and how they still fumbled
around that bugged her. That and the crap they were still getting from the
station and entire universe it seemed. She was seriously considering Savo's
idea of moving the 'entire kit and caboodle' to the yard's barracks when it
came online later next month.

The hatch opened and she nodded to her mother. Her mother
smiled widely and pulled a man into view. Mairi turned noting the intruder
dressed in a brown business suit. He was slick, black hair, rubber smile...
Mairi smelled a rat when her mother introduced Mario to her, and her to Mario.
Mairi wasn't happy about his smooth smile, good looks, and apparent knowledge
of her and everything she did. She didn't understand what someone like him
would want in someone like her mother, after all, mom was still in her
twenties, but she wasn't all that hot, nor did she have any money or power.
Instantly suspicious she watched him with narrowed eyes. Her mother shrugged
off her glare.