As he walked, he zipped up his jacket. Autumn was coming, sending gusts of cooler winds across the broad river. All around him, the park’s terrestrial trees were wrapping themselves in the spectacularly rich red and gold tones that signaled winter’s approach.
For a while he walked slowly along the stone promenade, relaxing into the park’s slower pace of life. Below him, on the dark water, swans glided about with arrogant grace. Almost all of this year’s cygnets had lost their gray plumage now, transforming to a pristine white, except for a couple of black swans he could see farther downstream. They were the only ones in sight. He grinned forlornly at them. The ratio was similar to the boy-girl quotient within the clans.
Up ahead, someone in a long blue wool coat was leaning on the rails, dropping bread to the big birds. If he had any, Dellian decided, he would have thrown it to the black swans first in sympathy. Then he realized it was actually Alexandre who was feeding the swans, and back in their hangar the cohort reacted with happiness. He knew it wasn’t coincidence.
Since he’d moved to Eastmal, Dellian hadn’t seen much of their former mentor. It wasn’t deliberate; they’d all been so busy in preparation for their starflight. And partying, he admitted guiltily; that was a really good part of city life.
“You’re looking very fine,” Alexandre said as they hugged in greeting.
Dellian kept his welcoming smile in place as hir gray eyes gave him a level appraisal. Inside, he was mildly shaken by his mentor’s appearance. Sie was male cycled, as sie had been for the last seven years now. It was an usually long time to remain as one gender and an uneasy indicator of age. Not only did gender cycles last longer as people grew older, the transition phase was also extended. It wasn’t detrimental, simply a sign of an older body slowing down.
Alexandre had been there for him his whole life, and Dellian didn’t like to acknowledge sie was getting older. But now he looked closely, hir dark-blond hair was thinner now and becoming lighter from the rise of gray strands. It wasn’t something he wanted to consider, that one day Alexandre wouldn’t be there to turn to. Death was something he’d only encountered on rare occasions, except poor Uma and Doony that one wretched morning…
“You too,” he replied.
Alexandre’s grin widened affectionately. “You were always a rotten liar. That’s why you were always in detention.”
“No more than anyone else!”
“I know. Your whole year—it’s a miracle any of us came out of the estate alive.”
“But here we are.”
“Aye, here we are. So how’s the graduation exercise going?”
“Pretty good. They’ve missed some caches that’ll be useful, but I just gave them a scare that should send them back to reevaluate everything. If not, Xante and I are due back later. That should kick them into gear.”
“Ah, the pterodactyls. I remember the arguments we had about introducing those. Some felt it was taking things a step too far.”
“They’re magnificent.”
“Yes, you would think that.” Alexandre’s hand squeezed his shoulder fondly.
“This yeargroup seems a little more cautious than we were, or more controlled, maybe. Changing the training routines has helped.”
“Somehow, I don’t think they’ll ever be a match for your year.”
“You made us.”
“Aye, that we did.”
“It’s funny to think there’s only three more yeargroups left, then it’s over. All of us will be real soldiers, and the fight begins.”
“The search begins,” sie corrected gently. “Who knows? You may never see the final conflict. It might even have happened already.”
“No. We’ll see action. I know it. I will meet the Five Saints, and I don’t want to let them down.”
“Ah, the optimism of youth. So how is Xante?”
“Fine, thanks.”
“Have the two of you moved in together?”
“Not quite. It’s good the way it is. We enjoy each other, we’re very similar in some ways, and the differences can be fun, too. We’re happy.”
“If it’s not broke, don’t try and fix it?”
“Something like that.” Dellian gave up. “How is she?”
“Doing rather well, actually. She’s smart enough to know she needs to understand herself. It’s an arduous process. She can be quite stubborn, but her progress is exceptional. I never expected anything else.”
“So she’s getting better?”
“Yirella was never ill, Dellian. Just different from what we expected.”
“Different? She killed Uma and Doony!” Some nights he still woke in a sweat thinking about it. To do that to your own muncs…
“She liberated herself,” Alexandre said. “The only way she could. Our arrogance gave her no choice. What we did, the life we gave her, the training and environment of the clan, was simply wrong for her. We are at fault, not her, and we didn’t recognize that until too late. Now we have to give her the space and ability to become what she wants to be.”
“And what’s that?”
“I don’t know. I’d settle for her being happy.”
“Isn’t she?”
“I believe she’s in a position where that might be possible now. There was so much she had to unlearn, so much to be forgiven. But there are aspects of her life she is comfortable with now.”
It was almost too painful to ask, but he couldn’t not— “Does she…”
“Ask about you?”
He nodded silently.
“Of course she does. You meant a lot to her.”
Meant, he thought, not mean. “Can I see her?”
“Not yet. But soon, I hope. She still hasn’t quite separated you from what we were molding you and your yearmates into. I don’t want to introduce the possibility of further conflict until I’m sure she can distinguish between what you are and what you will achieve up there among the stars.” Hir head tipped back, and sie stared calmly into the clear, cool sky. “You are a strong resonance in her life, Dellian. Perhaps the strongest.”
“I want to help.”
“I know. And she knows that, too. But let me ask you this, would you give up everything you have worked for to be with her?”
“I…What would we do? We can’t stay here and live a planetside existence.”
“It’s not just the battleships that will portal away. There will be one last traveler generation ship, too, for all us old folks.”
“You’re not old.”
Sie raised a chiding eyebrow. “What was it I said about your inability to lie convincingly?”
“I wouldn’t want you to be in harm’s way. You deserve to see a fresh planet, and have a peaceful life.”
“And you deserve your chance.”
“That’s what you made us for.”
“Now you sound like her.”
“You think that’s a bad thing?”
“No. I always said it would be a mistake to make you all arrogant; it leads to overconfidence. Better you have doubts. That way you will always question what you see.”
“Like she did. I prefer a simpler life. Give me a gun and point me at the enemy.”
“You can cut the humility routine, too. It doesn’t work with me.”
Dellian glanced down at the swans. Without tidbits of bread, they’d lost interest and were sliding away. “Will you tell her I asked about her? Tell her I’ll wait until she’s ready. That I still care. That I always will.”
“Of course.”
“Good.”
They embraced again. Dellian broke away, smiling. “Now I have to go scare the living crap out of those kids again.”
“That’s my boy.”
* * *
—
Alexandre had a wistful expression on hir face as sie watched
Dellian walk away. After a minute sie turned hir gaze to the nearby clump of tall maples. The grass around them was smothered under a matting of fallen leaves. Yirella walked out from behind the widest trunk. She put her arms around Alexandre and bent down slightly so she could rest her head on hir shoulder.
“Thank you,” she said.
Sie patted her back. “I’m still not convinced this was a good idea.”
“I needed to know how he affects me. Seeing him in the flesh was a good indicator. I’m glad he’s got Xante. He needs someone.”
“I must be firmer with you. I’m too easily manipulated.”
“It’s called integrity, and caring. Without you I’d be sitting in a nice comfy room with lots of happy juice in my veins.”
“So what’s the result?”
“I looked at him and saw the false beauty of nostalgia for something that I’ve idealized. We were friends for eighteen years, then lovers, briefly; nothing will ever again be so important in my life. I’ve managed to self-edit the bad times.”
“I was there for all those eighteen years. There weren’t any bad times.”
Yirella pulled some of her wild hair from her eyes where the breeze from the river kept blowing it. “That’s very sweet.”
“He really does care, you know.”
“I heard.”
“Good. I’m not sure if we shouldn’t be filling him up with happy juice in the room next to you.”
“I’m happy enough without the juice, and that’s mostly down to you.”
“I didn’t want to raise any false hope.”
“He does question things now, doesn’t he? I think I may have infected him.”
“That’s not a bad thing. We don’t want gentens. We want humans.”
“You’re projecting a future you cannot possibly know.”
“And as he would say: That’s why we made all you wonderful binaries.”
She smiled sadly. “He is what he is. We all are. Humans adapt to the circumstances of their era. I think it’s time I accepted that and grew up. This is not what I wanted for myself, but in a thousand years’ time it could be. Imagine what we could accomplish as a species if we weren’t under threat, if we weren’t constantly running. We almost made it before. We were given a glimpse of how high we can climb if we didn’t have to huddle in the darkness out of fear. That’s probably why I always loved the Sanctuary star story, even though I knew in my heart it was probably just a lure. Every planet like Juloss has the potential to become more than a stopover, an island harbor in the long voyage; then just as the opportunity opens, we have to flee once more. Imagine what our knowledge and tools could birth if we were truly free, and had the luxury of time. I think I’d like to help bring that opportunity to the galaxy. I’m going to go out there and join the Saints in their battle.”
“I’m very glad to hear that, my dear.”
“I won’t be any use in the fighting, but there are other ways I can contribute.”
“There are,” Alexandre said. “But they must be ones you devote yourself to spontaneously. Not out of guilt.”
Yirella looked back down the promenade, hoping to catch one last glimpse of Dellian, but he’d stepped back through the portal. “This isn’t guilt speaking. It’s understanding. My graduation exercise is finally over.”
“Did you pass?”
“Yes. I believe I did.”
THE ASSESSMENT TEAM
FERITON KAYNE, NKYA, JUNE 25, 2204
“You killed them both?” Callum asked in shock. “You killed Javid-Lee and Rayner? Bloody hell, man, why?”
I have to admit, I was somewhat alarmed myself. Rendition I could understand, even almost approve of. But such readiness to kill another person was disturbing. I expected it from someone as damaged as Kandara, but I’d assumed Alik Monday was, frankly, more refined.
Alik shrugged, unruffled by the reaction. “Think of Rayner and Javid-Lee as contaminants that needed venting. It’s an appropriate analogy for those sons of bitches. Ain’t no need to thank me, I’m just a public servant doing my job.”
“You executed them. No! It was murder; simple as that.”
“What was I supposed to do?”
“Rendition,” Callum said hotly.
“Oh, yeah,” Yuri called out with vicious glee. “Now rendition is acceptable, is it?”
Callum glowered at him.
“Strange as it may seem, I don’t have the authority to order a rendition directly,” Alik explained. “I would have had to go through the National Security procedure, and we’d have needed three tame judges to sign off on it. Sure, I’d probably have got it for Rayner and Javid-Lee, but that would have involved a whole bunch of other people. The whole problem was a clusterfuck Washington wanted to disappear fast. We got the media to write it off as gang warfare. And the two asshole families involved got to keep their frightened mouths shut for life. Actually, it was the best solution. Go me.”
“Bloody hell!” Callum dropped his head into his hands.
There was a long silence in the lounge as everyone tried to come to terms with what we’d just been told. I found it interesting to see how being judged riled Alik. He really was that arrogant. A lot of senior government officials come to have the attitude that nothing they do should ever be questioned or challenged. But it did explain a lot. He hadn’t turned up on this case for any other reason than he’d been told to. It was politics, pure and simple. He was a Washington creature, receiving orders and reporting back to the executive and the dark globalPACs. What he reported no doubt contributed to policy, but he wasn’t a policy maker. He wasn’t the one I was looking for, but I would be very interested in talking to this Tansan character at some time in the near future.
“What about the New York shield?” Jessika asked. “Have there been more attempts to bust the files since Cancer tried?”
“Beyond my pay grade, my friend,” Alik said, splaying his hands wide.
Like any of us believed that.
“But I did hear the whole national shield project had some pretty sharp security upgrades after that night,” he conceded.
“Civic shields were taken back under military jurisdiction twenty-two years ago,” Loi said. “In America, at least. So someone must have taken the attempt seriously.”
“Over half of Earth’s nations have placed their urban shields under military control in the last fifteen years,” Kandara said. “Those that still have a military.”
“Why did Cancer want the shield files?” Jessika asked.
“We don’t know.”
“Wrong question,” Callum said. “What did Cancer’s employers want with the files?”
“When I find out who they are, I’ll be sure and let you know,” Alik said.
“It’ll be money,” Eldlund said in a knowing tone. “It always is with Universal types.”
I thought Callum looked irked with his assistant for the jibe, but my impression of Eldlund was of a devout Utopial—more so than most omnia who never left the comfort of the Delta Pavonis system. Sie simply couldn’t resist the opportunity to establish cultural superiority. I’d guess that was why immigration to Akitha had leveled out in recent years. There’s an old saying in the Sol system: Utopial culture would be a great place to live in, but the problem is that it’s full of Utopials. And Eldlund was a perfect example of that unconscious patronizing privilege they all possessed.
“How can it be for money?” Yuri asked.
“Shields have protected cities from severe weather for decades,” Eldlund said in a tone that told us sie clearly felt sie was explaining the utterly obvious. “People are complacent; they take that protection for granted. So if a shield fails during a storm, there’ll be plenty of damage. That will have a big effect on spending patterns and insurance payments. If you knew in advance that was going to happen, you could make a kill
ing in the markets.”
“Wow,” Loi said. “I hope you never become a criminal mastermind. You’d be terrifying.”
Eldlund gave him a knowing grin. “If whoever wanted the files could afford Cancer, you know it has to be a big deal, right? That’s got to be a Wall Street playa.”
Yuri pursed his lips as if in approval. “Good point.”
You had to be as familiar as I was with my boss to see just how much he was humoring the poor jerk. I’d seen those tactics played in a dozen meetings. It nearly always ended with someone getting fired, or worse.
“So what happened to Colleana’s brat?” Kandara asked. “You?” Her index finger lined up on Eldlund.
“No!”
Loi laughed out loud; everyone else was grinning.
“Who gives a crap what happened to the kid?” Alik grumbled.
“You haven’t been checking back on Colleana after you were so noble with her insurance?” Yuri joined in, parodying disappointment. “Shame on you.”
“Do I look like a fucking fairy godmother?”
“Stranger things,” Callum proclaimed.
“Fuck you all!”
“What about Cancer?” Loi asked. “Are you still looking for her?”
“Sure,” Alik said. “The Manila police lost her cabez, of course; she scrambled the city’s logs good and hard. Langley assigned a dark team, but even they couldn’t catch the scent. The bitch vanished like she always does. We’ll catch her one day. And when we do, I’ll be having a long conversation with her before we dump her naked ass on Zagreus.”
“No, you won’t,” Kandara said.
Alik bridled at what he took to be a challenge. “Yeah, how do you figure that?”
“Because she’s dead.”
“No fucking way. I’d have heard.”