Hold the Star: Samair in Argos: Book 2 (46 page)

              “I’m sorry,” she said.  “I didn’t realize that you were sleeping.”

              He shook his head.  “Don’t worry about it.  I was just getting into bed.  How can I help you?”

              “Actually, Captain, it’s how I can help you,” she replied.  “I spoke to the governing council and they’re interested in your proposal.  While they’re a cautious about whether or not you can actually do what you say, they do have the repairs and overhauls to the
Kara
as evidence and also what they’ve seen your engineering teams doing to fix up the
Grania Estelle
.  They’re on the hook.”

              He punched a fist in the air.  “That is excellent news, Administrator.  How much convincing did it take?”

              She chuckled, little more than a grunt.  “Not very much, actually, considering how much they’ve seen of you and your work.”

              “Good.  So, when can we meet?  I’ve got the broad strokes of a proposal, but I’d like to bring along one of my people to help with some of the finer points.”

              “I’m sure that would be acceptable,” she replied, her image shifting slightly in the video pickup.  “You will meet aboard the station at 1030 station time in conference room thirty-two on level nine, Hub One.  I can’t imagine they would object to you bringing an associate…”

              Vincent’s eyes narrowed.  “You’re not going to be there?”

              Galina shook her head.  “I’m afraid not, Captain.  While my services are appreciated, they are no longer required,” she replied, her voice sounding bitter.  It sounded as though she was quoting some officialese delivered by some bureaucrat who wanted her out of the way.

              “Anything I can do?” Vincent asked, concerned.             

              She flicked her ears.  “Why do you even care what happens to me, Captain?  We aren’t friends.  You did me a huge favor, one that I am completely unable to repay.  You got me and my ship out of a tight spot, taking a serious hurt yourself.  I’m getting you in touch with people that might be able to make you some money.”  Galina looked hard at him.  “So as far as I see, this wouldn’t even make us even.  So again I ask.  Why would you care?”

              He smiled.  “Well, Administrator, you’re right.  I did help you out of jam, twice, as I recall.”

              She rolled her eyes, ears flattening against her head.  “Oh, so now I owe you?”

              “No, Administrator, you and I never had any sort of formal agreement,” he countered.  “You told me from the beginning that you didn’t have any currency or any trade goods to repay my generosity in fixing up the
Kara
and that any deals for compensation would have to go through your government.  You didn’t mince words.  If anyone owes me, it’s your government.”

              “And I’m what?” Galina asked.  She bared her fangs.  “A facilitator?”  The word was a curse.

              But he wasn’t intimidated.  “For the moment,” he admitted.  “But you’re also a friend doing me a favor.”

              She looked skeptical.  “Oh, so now we’re friends?”

              “No,” he replied easily.  “More like… confederates.”

              Her expression turned from frosty to absolute zero.  “Confederates?  You plan to use me some more?” Galina barked.  “Do you have any idea how difficult it was for me to speak to the bastards in the government to set this up?  How degrading it was?  I had to go begging to the very people who only days before had cashiered me out of the service and off my ship.  I do you the courtesy of getting this meeting set up and you have the
gall
to demand more?”  She cut the connection.

              Vincent sighed, turning off the screen.  He grimaced.  That hadn’t gone as well as he’d hoped.  He’d have to make it up to her somehow.  Standing, he pulled off the robe, set an alarm on his datapad to wake him in time to catch a shuttle over to the station, then climbed into bed.

              “Incoming,” Saiphirelle murmured as they stepped off the shuttle in the station’s hangar bay.

              Eamonn looked up and scanned around, not feeling threatened.  The lupusan would have been much more forceful if a serious threat or serious concern was coming their way.  Looking to his left, he saw what Saiphirelle was referring to.

              Bustling in their direction was Administrator Galina.  Her hands clenched into fists, her ears flattened to her head, teeth bared.  She was walking, though her gait was hurried.  She wasn’t moving with intent to kill, though it was clear that fury was radiating out of every pore.  Her feet didn’t even seem to be touching the deck. 

              Saiphirelle stepped up, moving in front of the Captain, who sighed.  “That’s close enough there, Administrator,” Saiphirelle said, bringing one large hand up.

              “Get out of my way, young one,” Galina thundered.  “I will not kill him.  He will only bleed a little.”

              The security officer made a yip of laughter.  “Much as he might deserve it, I can’t let you hurt him.”

              She stopped before Saiphirelle and huffed.  “Such loyalty for one so young.”

              The security officer shrugged.  “He’s earned it.”

              Galina growled.  “Not by me.”  Menace dripped from her eyes.

              Saiphirelle hunched down very slightly into more of a combat stance, turning to the side and pushing the Captain back a little.  “Calm down, Administrator.  Now.”

              Galina brought herself up to her full height, snarled a few deep breaths and then closed her eyes and took a few more.  A few seconds later, she folded her hands together under the wide sleeves of her robe.  She nodded.  “I am tranquil, young one.  You can stand down.”

              Vincent stepped to the side of Saiphirelle who growled at her charge as though he was a pup who had strayed away from her.  He smiled.  “Relax a bit, Sai,” he told her.  She did so, but still kept her attention fixed on the other lupusan.

              “I’m glad you’re here, Administrator,” Vincent said, smiling slightly, making sure that none of his teeth were bared.  Predators tended to take that otherwise innocent gesture as a threat.

              “Why are you glad, Captain?” she asked, suspiciously.  Her head tipped slightly to one side.

              He sighed.  “I am not your enemy, Administrator.  We can be allies in this.  Hell, we might even be friends.”

              She huffed.  “Apparently, you are not capable of speaking without using untruths.  You used me because you were bitter you did not get payment for your work on my ship.”

              Now he felt himself getting angry.  “I did services for you, Administrator.  By all rights, I could have sailed on and
left
you there.  I was under no obligation to help.  No one would have blamed me at all for that.  Especially after I found out you had nothing but promises to give me after I fixed your ship.”  Vincent squared his shoulders.  “So you set up a meeting for me out of what you felt was a sense of duty because the government refused to honor our agreement.  I appreciate that.  I understand that it was personally very difficult for you.  But you already owed me.  I don’t have to do a
damned
thing more for you.”

              That rage was starting to build in her eyes again.  Her breath started to come in shallow puffs, her ears folded back.  “And
this
is why you are happy to see me?”

              “No, ma’am,” he said, tamping down on his own anger.  “I’m glad you are here because I want you to accompany us to the meeting.”

              “The government already said they don’t want me there.”

              He shrugged.  “So?  Maybe I want a familiar face.  Maybe I want someone who can corroborate that I and my people can deliver on
our
promises.  Maybe I want to try and help you fight to get that hospital ship back.”

              She blinked, her ears flicking in surprise.  “Why would you do this?” she whispered.

              He shrugged again.  “The
Kara
was a good ship and in decent condition after my techs fixed her up.  Be a shame to take a hardworking ship and crew away from people who need her services.  And it would be an even bigger shame if the Administrator who commanded such a ship of mercy was put on the beach simply because the government would prefer to cut corners.”

              Galina stood stock still, frozen by his words.  She nodded forcefully.  “I do not understand humans sometimes.  Very well, Captain.  I will accompany you.  I apologize if I spoke and acted in haste.”

              “Don’t,” came a voice from behind them.  Eamonn sighed and rolled his eyes at the voice.  Saiphirelle snickered.  “He’s more often than not an asshole.  You were right to suspect him.”

              “Tamara Samair, if I didn’t need you as much as I do, I wouldn’t put up with your smart mouth,” he growled.

              The human woman stepped off the shuttle and up in front of Galina.  She stuck out a hand.  “Administrator.  Good to see you again.”

              The lupusan extracted one hand from beneath her sleeve and took the human’s smaller hand in her taloned fingers and gently squeezed.  Tamara’s hand was strong and calloused.  Galina’s was furry and hard-boned.  “Ms. Samair.  Always a pleasure to see you again.”  Releasing the human’s hand, she peered at the young woman.  “I see you’ve acquired a new toy,” she said, gesturing to the metal device on Tamara’s neck.

              Tamara’s face darkened.  “Yes, it was a gift of sorts from the leader of the pirates that took the
Grania Estelle
.  He wanted me pliable and leashed.  So far I haven’t been able to remove it without it killing me.”

              “I see,” Galina replied.  “I did not know.”

              Tamara nodded.  “It’s nothing.  You couldn’t have known.  So, Captain?  Shall we go?” she asked with false cheer.

              Eamonn nodded.  “Yes, let’s go.  Our future awaits!  If you could please lead the way, Administrator?”

              The walk to the conference room took about thirty minutes from the hangar bay.  All of them had made the trip numerous times and they made their way through the outer hubs to the central one in good time.  As they walked, Tamara followed behind the group, the last in line.  It seemed today that the corridors of the station were a little more bustling than on previous trips.  There were people in station uniforms, coveralls, others in business suits, and formal skirts and dresses.  People of all species and races were moving through the corridors and the passages.  They were careful to maintain their distance, however, after they saw two lupusan in the group.  It seemed as though an invisible force shield had been erected before them and the small crowds parted as the group approached.  Tamara smiled to herself at the phenomenon.  She hadn’t seen anything like it since her Navy days when the Marines would move through the station in groups and the crowd would part around them in just the same way.  It was a strange touchstone to her past, one that she didn’t find made her bitter or angry, as most of the reminders of that time did. 

              She kept up with them, watching the crowds as she passed.  It was gratifying, she supposed, seeing the civilians scrambling around doing their business.  She shook her head, mentally correcting herself.  It
was
gratifying.  Tamara wasn’t Navy anymore, despite the pleasant fiction she and Captain Eamonn had cooked up to justify her keeping her rank and commission. 

              Tamara snickered.  She’d been five seconds from losing her rank and commission and if not for a fluke of chance, she would have been convicted and sentenced to hard labor on a prison colony.  All of her friends and colleagues aboard the ship were civilians and for all intents and purposes, so was she.  She hadn’t lived under Navy regulations or discipline.  But seeing all the people here in a place of such technology was good thing.  There were so few systems here in the Argos Cluster that had such a level of technology, this was a perfect place to use as a base of operations for trading routes for the
Grania Estelle. 
A bulk hauler really wasn’t suited for getting things for the woman on the street, but if they could bring in things that might raise the quality of life here on the station, or on the ground, everyone would benefit. 

              Tamara was thinking about this and didn’t notice that she’d dropped back from the rest of the group.  She looked up and saw the Captain’s head over the crowd, Saiphirelle one step behind and to his left.  She couldn’t see the more stooped form of Administrator Galina.  Someone bumped her from the side and she stumbled, falling to her knees.  Getting back to her feet, she couldn’t see any of them, so she activated her HUD to try and track them.  It took only a moment of looking, but her implants helpfully pointed them out.  It appeared that her fellows had realized that they had lost her and had turned back to try and find her. 

              A hand touched her arm.  “Are you lost, ma’am?” a tired, gravelly voice asked.

              Tamara looked over to the owner of that voice.  It belonged to an elderly male lupusan, who was slightly stooped in stature.  His fur, which at one point was probably dark brown or black, was now a salt and pepper color, more gray and white than any darker color.  One ear was damaged, as though it had been chewed and his left arm, the one touching her arm was crisscrossed with ugly red and puckered scars, long healed but from what she could see and what her implants were indicating the lupusan’s arm must still cause him great pain.  She looked to his face and it was open and gentle, for a lupusan, but despite his age, his eyes were sharp.