Bringing Stella Home (41 page)

“
I don’t care. I’d rather
die than give up now.”

Danica rose from her chair. “You have
a death wish,” she said, “and neither I nor my men want any part of
it. Here’s the deal: we sell your ship and split the proceeds
fifty-fifty.”

James leaped to his feet. “What?” he
cried. “That’s not fair, that’s—”

“
It’s more than fair. We
fulfilled half of our contract, didn’t we? We recovered you your
brother.”

“
Yeah—in a body
bag!”

“
You never stipulated
whether you wanted him dead or alive. I’m sorry for your loss, but
like it or not, business is business. Fifty percent is the best I
can do.”

James clenched his fists. “And what
about me?” he asked. “Are you going to just leave me stranded in
the middle of nowhere?”

“
Once we’ve sold your ship,
we’ll let you off on one of the outer planets in the Karduna
system. From there, you can catch a ride with an inbound freighter
back to your home.”

James paled. He felt suddenly
claustrophobic, as if the walls were closing in on him.

“
W-wait,” he cried. “Do we
have to decide this now? Can’t I have a little time to think it
over?”

“
There’s nothing left to
think about. I’ve made my decision—I suggest you start packing your
things.”

“
But—please,” he urged.
“This is all happening so fast—please, just give me a little
time.”

Danica stared at him for a few
seconds. Her face was as impassive as ever, but after a few
moments, she took a deep breath.

“
Very well,” she said. “How
much time are you asking for?”

James’s heart leaped in his chest. “I
don’t know,” he said. “Maybe—”

“
Two days. That’s all I can
afford.”

“
Right. Two days.
Great.”

“
Get some rest, Ensign. You
look like you could use it.”

She showed him to the door. It slid
shut behind him with a sharp hiss.

Two days.

It wasn’t much to work with, but it
was better than nothing. If he could convince even two or three
members of the crew to come around to his side, perhaps Danica
would change her mind.

I can do this,
he told himself as he walked quickly down the
corridor.
For Stella, I can do
this.

He’d have to get started right
away.

* * * * *

Ilya’s mouth was warm and wet against
Anya’s neck, like a parasite slithering across her skin. She tried
to come on to him, but he just felt like so much dead weight. His
body reeked of cheap cologne, his unwashed hair of wet
dog.

You’re worthless,
a voice in her head told her.
Pathetic. Weak. What are you doing with this
loser?

No,
she argued, raising her arms as Ilya pulled off her
blouse.
I’m
not
worthless. Alex didn’t think
so.

Alex is dead. You didn’t
deserve him. He was too good for you.

That’s not true! I’m still
loved.

No, you’re not. You’re
pathetic. Worthless.

With sweaty hands, she pulled Ilya’s
mouth to hers, locking lips in a voracious kiss. She tried to savor
the feeling, but his hungry, groping hands writhed across her skin
like dirty tentacles.

It hadn’t always been like this. Most
of the time, the sex was good—and not just the sex, but the
security of knowing that she was worth possessing. But now that
she’d seen Ilya for the spineless coward he was, everything had
changed.

You can’t win the love of
a real man,
the voices told her.
You’re just not worth the effort.

“
Get off of me,” she told
Ilya. He kept groping her, though, as if she hadn’t said
anything.

“
I said, get
off!”

She shoved him off of the narrow bunk.
His body thumped loudly to the floor, and he rose to his feet
cursing.

“
What the hell was that
for?”

“
I’ve had enough of you,”
she said, sitting up to refasten her bra.

His face was a picture of fury and
confusion. “What do you mean?” he shouted. “Come here, you
bitch.”

He grabbed her by the shoulders, but
before he could push himself back onto her, she jabbed him in the
kidney with a tightly packed fist. He cried out and let go of her,
toppling over the edge of the bunk a second time.

A string of profanities shot out of
his mouth. Anya found her blouse and slipped it on.

“
What’s this all about?” he
screamed, holding his side. “What makes you think—”

“
You’re pathetic, Ilya. One
punch, and you’re sprawled on the floor. Tell me, is that why you
ran when the Hameji boarded us?”

He glared at her. “At least I didn’t
stick around to let them rape me—that’s more than I can say of
you.”

Her fist connected with the side of
his face, slamming him into the wall. He collapsed to the floor
rubbing his cheek.

“
I hunted down those
pirates and killed every last one of them,” she said, her voice
cutting the air like a knife. “Have you ever killed a man, Ilya?
Have you?”

He scowled up at her but said
nothing.

“
You’re a coward,” said
Anya. “A worthless, spineless coward, and I’m done with you. Get
out.”

He slunk out of the room without
another word. The door hissed shut behind him. She sat down on the
edge of the bunk and buried her head in her shaking
hands.

Nobody loves you. You’re
worthless.

* * * * *

James took a deep breath
and stepped into the medical bay of the
Tajji Flame
. The air was thick with
the smell of sanitizers. Medical equipment filled the spotlessly
clean room: syringes, cushioned tables, IVs, and computer arrays,
with an assortment of robot arms dangling from the
ceiling.

Abu Kariym had his back to the door,
reading something on one of the holoscreens. As James walked up
behind him, he didn’t even glance up.

From where he stood, James
couldn’t help but read over the old man’s small shoulders.
Imperial News Agency
, the
text read, followed by a time stamp dated almost a standard week
ago.
Fierce battles continue to rage
across deep space in the vicinity of Hameji-occupied Karduna.
Sources within the Gaian Imperial Forces believe that the Hameji
have divided their forces into two fleets, one of which remains at
large.

“
We think the battles along the starlane may be some kind of
diversion,” confirmed an Imperial officer who wishes to remain
anonymous. “The main fleet is almost certainly attempting to
circumvent our forces by—

“
Yes, Ensign?” said Abu
Kariym, instantly snapping James to the present.

“
Uh, hello, Doctor. How are
you?”

“
Quite worried,” said the
old man. Nearly a dozen wrinkles appeared on his forehead as he
furrowed his brow. “It appears the Hameji are mounting a campaign
against Gaia Nova.”

“
Gaia Nova?” said James.
“That’s the capitol star of the Empire—not even the Hameji can
overthrow it.”

Abu Kariym coughed. “God willing,” he
said. “Though I do not think the Hameji will stop—not when they are
so close to victory.”

James could hardly believe what he was
hearing. Gaia Nova was the oldest settled world in the known
universe, the site of the famous Temple of a Thousand Suns and its
repository of the Holy Archives of Earth. The very name of the
world conjured up exotic images of white-walled cities thousands of
standard years old. James had never been there, but he longed to
go—to see the continent-sized domes sprawling across the planet,
the Temple a glittering jewel in the center of it all. To imagine
it falling to the Hameji—James shuddered at the thought.

“
The Hameji will never
conquer Gaia Nova,” he declared. “It’s impossible.”

“
Nothing is impossible,”
said Abu Kariym. “One empire falls, another rises. But yes; God
willing, it will not happen.”

“
Why are you so interested
in this anyways?” James asked.

Abu Kariym turned to face him. His
eyes were sad and tired.

“
Because my family is
there.”

James blinked. “Your
family?”

“
Yes. My wife, my sons, and
their families, as well as many of my brothers and
sisters.”

“
You’re from
Gaia Nova?
But the rest of
the crew
is Tajji. How did you get mixed up
with them
?”

Abu Kariym smiled. “I did a
lot of traveling in my younger years, and settled on
Tajjur V
before the wars
broke out. You would be surprised how similar that world is
to
Gaia Nova
,
outside the domes. I met my wife there,” he added, drifting
off.

“
Don’t you miss
them?”

“
Yes,” he said, his voice
distant. “Yes, I do.” After a few moments of silence, he glanced up
again. “But come, where are my manners? Would you like something to
drink—coffee, perhaps? I have a can of authentic soil-grown coffee
from Tajjur V in my office.” He rose slowly to his feet.

“
No, thank you,” said
James.

“
Nonsense; you are my
guest. What will you have?”

“
Nothing, really. All I
wanted was to ask a few questions.”

Abu Kariym walked off to a dispenser
in the wall, ignoring him. “Perhaps I can get you some juice,
then?”

“
I’ll, uh, just have some
water, thanks.”

“
Please, I insist. You must
have something to drink.”

“
Water is fine.”

“
Very well,” said the old
man, producing a glass from a nearby cabinet. “Water it
is.”

“
I came to ask you about
the crew,” said James. “I’m, ah, helping the captain organize a
commando team for the next mission, and I need to know who’s still
able to fight.”

“
A commando team?” said Abu
Kariym, returning with a glass in each hand. He gave one to James
before sitting down in his chair. “She’s planning another mission
so soon?”

“
Yes,” James lied. “She
wanted me to put a team together, and I need to find out who is
healthy enough to go.” He took a sip of the deliciously cold
water.

“
And she isn’t assembling
this mission herself?”

“
Well, she wanted me to
feel out the crew, see who’s willing to go—that sort of
thing.”

“
Strange that she didn’t
come to me directly.”

James shifted uneasily on his feet. He
took another sip, temporarily hiding his face.

“
To be honest,” the old man
said, “I would be surprised if anyone was willing to go. After what
has happened—”

“
I know,” James
interrupted. “It’s going to be difficult, and we have to be careful
not to upset morale. But can you think of anybody? Anybody at
all?”

“
Artyom might have been
good for something like this. Unfortunately, he lost his life in
the fighting—may God have mercy on him.”

“
Anyone else?”

The old man stared off into the
distance. “No,” he said finally. “No one who isn’t wounded and
unwilling. Then again, I spend most of my time in the medical bay,
so I wouldn’t be a good judge of morale. You’ll have to ‘feel out’
the crew some other way, Ensign.”

James’s stomach fell.

“
Perhaps you can tell me
who’s well enough to fight,” he said, his foot tapping anxiously on
the floor.

Abu Kariym paused again to think. “I
can think of three or four enlisted men whose injuries aren’t too
serious,” he said. “None of them will want to go, I can guarantee
you, but if you talk with Sergeant Maria she might be able to
persuade them. As for the officers, Roman is out of the question,
but none of the others is injured seriously enough to keep them
from going.”

“
Great. Can you get me
those names?”

“
Certainly. I’ll forward
them to your wrist console.”

“
Thanks,” said James,
setting his glass on the nearest table. “I’d better get
going.”

“
Are you sure? I can get
you something else to drink.”

“
No, thanks.”

Abu Kariym eyed him for a moment, then
shrugged.

“
Very well then. God
bless.”

“
Thank you, Doctor,” said
James as he hurried out the door.

* * * * *

“
No way in hell,” said
Sergeant Maria. “You said the captain told you to bring this to
me?”

“
Er, yeah,” said
James.