Greenshift (11 page)

And if Dale decided not to hire
her…she’d probably have to go back to Deleine. A sickness roiled in her stomach
at the possibility.

“Here we are,” David
said.

Anxiety flooded through Mari as
the transport waited at the elaborate wrought iron gate marking the entrance to
Dale’s estate. The metal relief of a massive tree with exposed roots and
gnarled limbs devoid of leaves loomed in front of them.

“That is the ugliest,
scariest tree I’ve ever seen,” Mari said.

David smiled as he helped her out
of the transport. He had such a nice, subtle smile. She kept hold of his hand,
maybe holding it a bit too tightly. If she returned home would he come to visit
her? Maybe at first, but it would only be for a few sporadic weeks throughout
the year until maybe he couldn’t come at all or wouldn’t want to. Suddenly the
pressure of winning Dale over veiled her in sadness.

David must have caught her mood.

“Dale isn’t the only client
in the system, you know. If this doesn’t work out, there are other options.
Just a matter of finding them.”

She appreciated David’s
encouragement, but she knew the truth—it was this job or nothing.

A tall man with cropped blonde
hair met them inside the gate. The elegant cut of his grey suit and light blue button-down
shirt couldn’t disguise the mass of muscles beneath.

“Is he an Armadan?”
Mari asked.

“Looks like it.”
David’s tone took on a slight derision. “Merc-ing himself out as a
bodyguard apparently. I guess no rogue contractors were available.”

The blonde Armadan looked at
David like he was unwelcome. Maybe Mari should have mentioned to Dale
specifically that David would be coming with her, but she hadn’t thought it
necessary.

She took the initiative, hoping
her confidence and use of formal titles would persuade the Armadan that this
had been the plan all along. “Hello, I’m Scientist Boston Maribu and this
is Navigational Leader David Anlow. Chairman Zapona is expecting us.”

“The chairman is expecting
you
,
Scientist Maribu,” the bodyguard said. “I’m not sure he understood
you would be bringing a guest.”

She chewed on her lip.

David spoke up. “Dale’s well
aware I would be accompanying her after our meeting at Shiraz last night. Maybe
you should ask him.”

She didn’t miss the fact that
David used Dale’s first name, maybe that familiarity would work in place of her
formality.

“I already contacted Chairman
Zapona when you arrived. Since you’re here, he’s happy to welcome you both into
his home.”

Mari wasn’t convinced of that by
the man’s inflection.

“My name is Carlos. Please follow
me.”

This wasn’t the start she had
been hoping for today. She dropped David’s hand and donned a serious expression,
hoping her professionalism would show through to Dale.

“Chairman Zapona thought you
would enjoy meeting in his conservatory,” Carlos said. “It’s through
the garden.”

Another iron gate, matching the
one at the entry, fit snugly into a towering stone wall which went along the
property as far as Mari could see.

“That must be his house
behind there.” Mari kept her voice quiet so only David could hear her as
she gestured with her chin at the steepled roofs peeking from behind the wall
and the large palm trees somewhere on the other side.

“Looks like,” David
said in a distracted voice as he scanned the gardens in front of them.

He considered his surroundings
with such focus, even studying the erratic flight of a butterfly as though it
carried a secret upon its wings. His behavior only served to unnerve her more.

Mari teetered on her heels as
they crunched through the pea gravel strewn along the main track. David offered
her an elbow to steady herself as they walked. She appreciated that Dale wanted
to go natural, but not at the expense of her ankles. And this was probably ruining
her shoes.

Enticing pathways lined with
vibrantly colorful flowerbeds wove through the walled garden. In all, it must
have covered four hectares. Footpaths narrowed off to secret spots with benches
waiting under trees and burbling fountains. Along both sides of the winding main
conduit stretched well-ordered beds in blooms themed by fragrance and color.

“It smells so good
here,” she said.

“Like your suite,”
David said. “And, it’s just as colorful.” His tone was playfully
mocking.

At the path’s terminus, a glass
and steel building greeted them. The interior appeared to be stuffed with as
much foliage and flora as the garden surrounding it. The humidity hit them as
soon as Carlos opened the door.

“He had to have this meeting
in a sauna, didn’t he?” Beads of perspiration dotted David’s hairline.
Mari actually felt quite comfortable, but David had an extra hundred kilograms
of muscle to carry around.

She paused inside the double
glass doors. “You don’t have to come in if you don’t want to.”

He waved her off. “I’m fine,
just occasionally prone to complaining.”

“This way,” Carlos said
with a touch of impatience in his voice.

She didn’t miss the antagonizing looks
he and David exchanged.

The conservatory sheltered rare
palms and tropical vines and had an entire wing devoted to orchids. Dale sat at
a table surrounded by these botanical gems, which showed off their brilliance
in the glass-walled room. A nest of bedding plants were tucked in another wing,
ready to replace any of the exterior florae which might die off and spoil the
perfection of the design. This elegant space with its exotic greenery should
have brought a sense of peace to Mari, but as she faced Dale, her stomach
tightened. It was time to prove her worth.

Dale stood to greet them, wearing
a crisp, blue tunic and casual pants. Though quite a few centimeters taller
than Mari, Dale looked diminutive next to the Armadan males. What he missed in
height and bulk, he made up for in a brilliant, white smile.

“So glad we can have this
meeting, dear.”

She noticed he completely ignored
David, as though he were nothing more than a hired bodyguard like Carlos.

“This is really just a
formality,” Dale continued. “The job is yours if you want it.”

“Just like that?” David
asked

Mari shot him a look, but he
stared at Dale.

“I have your curriculum
vitae from the last time I wanted to hire you and I would assume you’ve only
added to your wonderful resume since then.”

The excitement Mari felt at being
offered the contract waivered ever so slightly upon mention of her
wonderful
resume. It had been less than stellar back on Deleine—Dale had even commented
on that at the time. And except for a couple of landscaping jobs for hire when
she first came to the
Bard
, her skills list hadn’t grown much. Even with
her mine experience, she couldn’t boast any work that had to do with designing
a hydroponics system for a freighter.

She pushed the needling doubt
away to concentrate on what Dale was saying now.

“We can leave tomorrow. I’ll
just have Carlos provide you with the proper documents—”

“Leave?” Mari asked.

“Yes, the
Thrall 7
will depart for its run back to Deleine tomorrow, hopefully with our new
botanist on board,” Dale said.

“I’ll be working on the
design on-site, in-transit?”

“Of course, dear. The design
process alone takes a few weeks, no? Add another month for installation. That
is much too long for the
Thrall
to be off route.”

“I wouldn’t think I have to
be on-site to oversee the installation,” Mari said.

“I would insist upon it,
dear. Don’t you want to make sure the mech techs don’t corrupt your beautiful
design? There will be several cargo stops to and from Deleine, so consider it a
way to see more of the system on your off-time.”

“Aboard a freighter? That
sounds like fun,” David said.

“I’m sorry,” Dale said.
“What’s he doing here?”

“Moral support,” David
said.

Mari gave David a pleading look.
“Maybe you could give us a minute?” she asked.

David’s visage remained
unreadable. When he finally pulled his attention away from Dale to look at her,
she wondered if he would refuse to leave, but he surprised her with a small
kiss. “I’ll be outside, in the shade, if you need me.”

“Thank you,” she said.

Maybe if David weren’t standing
right beside her she could think more clearly about Dale’s offer. It wasn’t
exactly what she had anticipated, but six weeks away from David was better than
losing her suite on the
Bard
and maybe never seeing him again.

“Your pilot’s quite friendly.”
Dale broke into her thoughts. “Or maybe he’s just marking his territory?”

He waited for Mari to respond,
but she remained uncharacteristically quiet. She was afraid anything she said
might make Dale reconsider. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if he did. If she
walked away from this job, others would be out there. Isn’t that what David had
insisted when they first arrived?

“He’s not your amour, is
he?”

“No,” Mari said quickly.
“We’re…friends and we share a lot of our time together on the
Bard
.”
She could feel the heat rising into her cheeks, giving her away. “It’s a
small ship.”

Dale walked closer.
“Very
intimate accommodations, I imagine.”

She studied the light blue polish
on her fingernails to avoid looking at Dale, but still caught the leer peeking
from the side of his mouth.

“The
Thrall
isn’t
like your refurbished pleasure cruiser, but you’ll see that it can still be surprisingly
intimate.”

The remark brought that needling
caution back into Mari’s mind. What if Dale wanted more than a hydroponics bay
from her?

“May I have a little time to
think about this?” Mari asked. “I know you’re scheduled to leave
tomorrow, so I would let you know by morning. Please, don’t think I’m ungrateful.
I just have to put some things in order.”

“Not a problem, dear.”
He leaned in to say, “A word of advice, though, Armadans are a pushy lot.
If you don’t show your nav leader that you won’t be ordered about like a
crewman, he’ll expect your obedience to his every whim forever after. Very
similar to the situation you left at home, as I recall.”

Mari didn’t disagree. In fact she
said nothing as she left.

“The Armadan will be a
problem. He already has influence over her. I could see it in their body
language,” Dale said. “He’ll convince her not to take my offer so
that he doesn’t lose her.”

“What do you want to do
about it?” Carlos asked.

“Not give her a chance to
say no. The other women didn’t have that luxury. Why should this one?”

“I don’t think a simple
abduction would be so
simple
with the Armadan in the picture. He’s an
ex-fleet captain and he didn’t get to that position without a few fights along
the way.”

“You don’t think you can
handle him?” Dale smirked.

Carlos’ fair skin flushed a light
pink. “I can deal with him, but storming their ship and prying the blonde
out of the pilot’s arms would be a huge mistake.”

“We have the best law team
money can buy. I’ve never had a conviction because I pay our Sovereign a hefty
insurance fee, plus he’s family. He’d never let a cousin, no matter how
distant, be caught up in any
trouble.
”

“It’s not just the legal
issues I’m concerned about. This would be personal to the Armadan.”

“Who cares? Once we have her,
he can’t do anything about it.”

Carlos shook his head in
frustration. His tone was clipped when he spoke, as though he were holding
back. “With respect, chairman, you have never served in the fleet. It is
its own world, with its own rules and codes of conduct. Its own
justice
.
You snatch that woman from him outright, you better kill him because he won’t
stop until he finds you. And, if you kill
him
, he has brothers and
cousins, and men he served with who will come kicking your door down just to
see you bleed.”

Dale snickered, shattering the
heaviness of Carlos’ words so the man couldn’t see how much they impacted him.
“Every Armadan I’ve ever met enjoys making idle threats and grandiose
promises of retribution. Let’s face it, the military is for show. I haven’t
heard of one combat-related engagement from the mighty fleet in decades. Nobody
has.” He stabbed a finger in the larger man’s face. “Because you all
bulk up, flex your inflated muscles, and stand around playing with each other
until your tour is finished. The Sovereign keeps you around because the
appearance of a strong military makes him look stronger.”

Carlos stepped forward. “You
never hear about any fleet involvement because
your Sovereign
wants it
that way. I may have gotten tired of being a trooper, but I still know what
goes on in the Armada.”

Though Dale held his ground for
as long as he could, he finally stepped back, making for his seat once again as
though he were dismissing Carlos. A small shiver ran up his back even in the
humidity as he avoided looking into the Armadan’s dark eyes. He may have pushed
too far, but Carlos wouldn’t be foolish enough to cut the throat of his money
man.

“I’m open to ideas, then. How
do we make this business with the woman easier? Something that won’t implicate
either of us?” Dale asked.

“Don’t let him strong-arm
you into taking this job. You don’t need him.” The argument which had
started shortly after lunch came to a head as Mari and David disembarked from
the ferry.

All the pushy passengers, most of
them taller than her and not all of them fresh-smelling, made her feel
claustrophobic, adding to her agitation.

“I
do
need him,”
she said between clenched teeth when they broke free of the largest part of the
crowd.