Expert Assistance

  “We might still need your help,” Daniel said, “but if Maxis’ successor isn’t as tarnished, ousting him will be even more difficult.”

  “Precisely. So, just be patient. Odin and I will continue our data mining. “

  “Jake, there are some areas of the dome that we don’t know what goes on in,” Clarissa said. “Should we try to find out...?”

  “No,” Jake snapped. “Don’t take any silly risks! We can find out much easier than you can without any real risk.”

  “Jake,” Odin said.

  “Not now. Look, this revolution doesn’t start until I say so.”

  “Jake,...”

  “I said not now. You two go taking risks like that, and this thing ends before it begins. You get picked up, there’s nothing I can do to save you.”

  “Evvie’s calling.”

  Jake gasped. “Oh, shit!” He raised a hand to the Rosens. “Look, I gotta go. Just sit tight, all right? Sit tight and be patient. Out.”

  Jake glanced down the corridor. “Dammit! I’d better meet her in person.”

  “Should I teleport her up?”

  “Not till I get there, and can catch my breath!”

  He leapt up from his seat and dashed to the teleport room. He sat down behind the console, took a few breaths to calm himself, then said, “Okay, Odin. Bring her up.”

  Evvie materialized a minute later. An instant after she appeared she put her hands on her hips. Her face was a mask of rage. “What took you so long? I thought I’d never get away.”

  “Look, I’m terribly sorry. I...I just got a little busy. When Odin tried to let me know you were calling, I shrugged him off. I’m sorry, okay?”

  “Well, okay. I’m spending the rest of the night in my room.”

  “Sure. Fine. Good night.” He smiled to her. He waved behind her as she left the teleport room. Once she was gone he let out a long, silent breath.

  Whew, that was close, he thought. I’ve got to be more careful. I don’t think she or Sid would appreciate me working another job on the side.

  Well, this minor crisis is over. Move on, and in one more month it’s no longer an issue.

  ***

  When she went to bed Evvie was cross. She was still cross when she woke up the next morning. Her black mood dogged her through breakfast, her shower, her choosing of the day’s style, the actual dressing process, and her putting on her makeup. Just as she was about to step out of her room, a thought entered her mind.

  Why was Jake so sorry last night? she wondered.

  She had gotten into the habit of her taking his unspiff remarks and highbrow insults in stride. Either Jake would say something and she’d reply, or he’s say something and she’d ignore him. Last night he not only said he was sorry for being late, but he actually sounded like he meant it. He had never said anything nice or compassionate to her that seemed to be an honest reflection of his feelings; he was either being nasty or polite.

  Which led her to ask the next question: Why?

  Obviously, she decided, he was doing something that held his attention. But what could it be?

  It couldn’t be a relationship. There was no reason for him to keep that a secret, and it wasn’t like she’d be jealous of him or anything. It probably wasn’t another job. What else could he be doing that would take him away from this one?

  I know! He’s spying on me. He’s telling some scuzzy netzine all about me.

  Wait. What have I done since he’s been escorting me that they’d care about? Well, my sneaking off, but he had me come clean on that to Sid and Mom. Why would he tell anyone else about it? And last night? Well, it’s not like that was any big secret. Except for me jumping early, and that’s no big thing.

  Well, he must be up to something, and I want to know what that is.

  She left her room and stomped up the control area. Unfortunately Jake was no where to be seen. I’ll bet the computer knows where he is, she thought. So how do I get ahold of it? Wait, you just say it’s name. Which is...which is...

  “Uh, Odin?”

  “Yes, Miss Martini?”

  “Where’s Jake? I need to talk to him.”

  “Jake is presently carrying out a series of routine maintenance checks on the sub-light engines. Unless what you have to say is of a dire nature, I suggest you wait until he’s finished.”

  “It’s sort of dire. I want to know why he was late picking me up last night.”

  “Miss Martini, that is not a dire question. I recall Jake giving you an answer when you returned.”

  “No, he just said he was busy. He didn’t say what he was busy doing.”

  “If that was not to your satisfaction, you should take it up with him.”

  “Why don’t you tell me?”

  “I am not authorized to answer that question.”

  “Well, how do you get authorized?”

  “Jake instructs me to tell you.”

  Evvie let out a strangled cry. “This is a black hole! Won’t anyone tell me what’s going on around here?” If she had been paying close attention, she might have heard the slightest hint of an exasperated sigh coming from the speaker system. As it was, she was involved in her own feeling of frustration.

  “I am sorry that you are upset, Miss Martini,” Odin said slowly. “But, and please do not take this the wrong way, that is not my concern. If Jake wishes to tell you what goes on in his life outside of working for you, that is his prerogative. If you are unhappy with the situation, discuss it with him.”

  “You two are keeping something from me, I know it!”

  “What’s going on here?” Jake asked. He walked in carrying small device.

  Evvie turned to face him. She pressed her face into the angriest expression she could. “You’re up to something!” Part of her wanted to continue demanding answers. So far she hadn’t been too successful. She decided that since she hadn’t gotten anywhere, she’d have to try a new tactic.

  “Jake, I want to know why you were late picking me up.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I deserve to know.”

  “No, you don’t.”

  “Yes, I do.”

  “Evvie, please,...”

  “Aha! There! You’re being nice to me. You’re definitely up to something.”

  “It’s nothing to do with you.”

  “How do I know that?”

  Jake opened his mouth to speak, but hesitated. He closed his mouth, glared at her, then sighed. “Look. I’m not spying on you. I’m not recording you in the shower. I’m not sending your lyrics or dance routines to other pop stars. What I do on my time is my business.”

  “Oh, really? Suppose I tell Sid, huh?”

  “Tell him what? That I was late helping you get out of a date that he and your mother arranged for you?”

  Evvie felt her strength wane, but only for a moment. “Tell me, Jake! Tell me, or...or... or I’ll get Sid to look into it. I’ll insist he hire a new pilot! And I’ll have the creds we’ve paid you retracted from your account!”

  That clearly plunged deep into Jake’s heart. He appeared to consider various forms of getting back at her, which probably included violence, embarrassment, blackmail, and more violence. Fortunately, the rage within him boiled briefly. He pointed to the couch in an obvious gesture of surrender. She sat down first. He sat down next to her, some space between them.

  “Right before Sid hired me,” he explained, “a couple contacted me from Antioch Two. They want me to help them overthrow their planet’s dictator.”

  “So why should you care?”

  “Because the planet mines gold, silver, and other precious metals,” Odin said without prompting. “They are offering Jake five percent of their profits, every year, for the rest of his life, if he assists them in their revolution.”

  “So what does all that have to do with me?”

  “Nothing,” Jake said.

  “Even though Antioch Two is one of the last stops on your tour,” added Odin.

  ??
?You’re not going to attack while I’m doing my show, are you?” Evvie was horrified at the brief thought of one of her shows being disrupted by civil unrest. She didn’t quite notice the dirty look Jake gave to the ceiling.

  “Of course not,” Jake answered, his face a mask of reassurance. “We will be checking their defenses and such during your performance, but that’s it. I don’t plan to return until after you are safely off my ship. Happy?”

  Evvie crossed her arms over her chest. She was quiet for a moment, then she said, “You should have told me sooner.”

  “No, I shouldn’t have. Now do you see that this wasn’t something that you needed to know?”

  “Well, still...”

  Jake pointed at her. “Don’t tell anyone. This is a delicate job. Any leaks about this could put people’s lives in danger. Not the least of which, I might add, is your own. You’re the one who will be going down to perform, not me.”

  “Okay, okay. I won’t tell a soul. Thank you for being so honest with me.” She smiled as pleasantly as she could. She stood up and walked to the holoroom to rehearse for her next show.

  ***

  That night as she was getting ready to go to sleep, Evvie found herself wondering if she ought to keep her promise to Jake. She was surprised at this bit of reflection. To her, either a promise meant something and she kept it, or it didn’t and she didn’t. She also wasn’t the sort of person to think too much about a decision; almost always one choice or the other worked for her. But there she was, in her room, changing from her day clothes into her pajamas, asking herself if she should keep Jake’s secret or let it out.

  Telling Sid and Mom would be a mean thing to do, she thought. Jake isn’t blessed with my talent, or the creds I’ve earned from my talent. He’s trying to make a living. It would be wrong of me to...to hurt his income like that.

  Still, it would be a way to get back at him for all the things he’s done to me, like dis my music and be late getting me out from the paws of that actor-geek. Yeah, but that still wouldn’t be nice of me. And he could tell lots of people about how mean I was to him, and that wouldn’t do me any good.

  Well, maybe I don’t have to be the meanie. I could tell Sid and Mom, let them figure out if this is a problem, and if it is they’ll do...whatever. No, wait, I’d still be telling them, and Jake could still blame me.

  Okay, so maybe we could make it his fault. How would it be his fault?

  Well, revolutions involve fighting, right? Yeah, and usually it’s either fighting bad people, or bad people doing the fighting. So, maybe he’s put me in some kind of danger, and that would be his fault.

  Except that he hasn’t actually gotten me involved in his little side job. If I don’t tell Sid and Mom, I’m probably never going to be in danger. He’ll finish jumping me around, and that’s that. In fact, if I stay out of it, I’ll not only keep myself safe, but maybe keep those people on that planet safe as well.

  What happened next to Evvie’s train of thought rarely occurred to her outside of her home studio and rehearsal space. She had an honest-to-Heaven, sure as death and taxes, 110-percent bolt of pure inspiration.

  Would it be right for me to completely stay out? she asked herself.

  I do have some pretty spiff bank accounts. I could buy supplies and stuff for them. I mean, wouldn’t that be pretty cool of me? Wouldn’t that boost my rep awfully high?

  Wait. Why should I stop there? What if I got more involved than just giving my creds? I could ask Jake to let me take some part in this revolution thing.

  I wonder if any other celeb has done anything like this?

  Evvie’s first impulse was to call for the computer to ask him that question. She prevented herself from asking it out loud when she realized that the computer was smart enough to answer. For if he was indeed that intelligent, he might be intelligent enough to figure out why she was asking. And if he could figure that out, he could very well tell Jake, and he would probably try to talk her out of her idea before she’s had a chance to decide about it.

  Not asking the computer meant having to do research. That was one of the few parts of school that was difficult for Evvie, along with science and short lunches. Her idea was so important to her that she plunged in anyway. She searched through the ship’s considerable database to find out if any celebrity had ever taken part in a revolution.

  At first she was disappointed to learn that many had. However, as she read deeper into each story, she found that the “revolution” in question was almost always a social one, not an actual struggle to overthrow a real dictator. Quite a few had lent their support to revolutions, donating time, giving their money, or taking part in protests outside the regime in question. But to her surprise, Evvie discovered that as yet no famous person had actually played an active role in an effort to oust an evil ruler.

  She gasped. “I would be the first,” she muttered aloud.

  She came back to realty an instant later. Well, she mused, I couldn’t actually risk my life. That would be stupid. But there ought to be some real things for me to do short of putting myself in danger that I can do to help out. Of course, I’m not quite sure what those things would be, but I’m sure Jake would know.

  If I did really do something to help this revolution,...

  For one thing, my rep would really leap. How could anyone say I wasn’t a nice girl then? Hey, I helped bring freedom to a planet. That’s the ultimate good girl deed. And those critics? Heck, they couldn’t even touch me. I’m a freedom fighter, what are you? Hey, even Jake would have to stop making fun of me and my music.

  That’s not the only spiff thing about it. I mean, I would be the first, after all. Every other celeb before me would be nothing compared to me. Madonna, Britney, Tamilya, they’d all come in a distant second to Evvie. Heck, maybe I could drop my last name and be one of those one-name stars.

  This would make me the pop star I’ve always dreamed about being.

  Okay, head out of the sky, girl. First, I’ve got to get Jake, Sid, and Mom behind me on this. So who do I try for first?

  Well, I could probably convince Sid pretty easily. Once he sees the benefits to my fame and everything, he’d go along. Once he’s behind me, he’ll help me talk Mom into getting on board. And as long as I’m not going to be in any real danger, she shouldn’t have any problem with this.

  Which leaves Jake.

  Well, he should be happy to get some help. I mean, sure, he’s a smart guy, but he’s got to need some help with this. And if he isn’t,... Well, wait, there are plenty of media rights to this. There’s the drama rights, memoir rights, licensing. I think I’d keep the music rights for myself. But everything else we could share, or let him have the bigger stake, or even let him control if he wants to. I bet once I get on this, his income from this will double or even triple.

  So, everyone wins in this deal. The people on that planet get free, Jake gets rich, and I become the undisputed Queen of Pop.

  This is going to be beyond spiff!

  Six

  For Freedom & Big Sales Figures

  “We have now achieved orbit over Antioch Two.”

  “Thank you, Odin.” Jake turned to Sid and Evvie, sitting across from him on the couch. He was surprised that the two wanted to talk to him, but also profoundly suspicious. Here they were, over the planet that just a week ago Evvie found out he was going to liberate once he’d left her employment. What would have made this truly worrisome would be if Evvie’s mother was there as well. Apparently she was busy with an interview that she couldn’t avoid. Her absence didn’t ease Jake’s concerns one millimeter.

  “What did you two want to talk to me about?” he asked. He tried not to sound like he was giving anything away.

  “Well, Jakie,” Sid said, “Evvie’s told me about what you’re planning to do here after the tour.”

  “She what?”

  Sid raised his hands quickly. “Don’t sweat it, buddy! We’re not here to rain on your parade or anything. Matter of fact, I??
?m pleased as the winner of the galactic lottery that you’re helping those colonists down there!”

  Jake was stunned for an instant. “You are?”

  “Absolutely. Awfully decent of you, dude. It’s just too darn bad that everyone doesn’t share you concern for the welfare of others.”

  “Thanks.” I have a bad feeling about this, Jake thought.

  Sid smiled. “Jake, Evvie’s got something she wants to ask you.”

  Evvie sat up straight. “Jake, would you be willing to let me help you in this revolution thing?”

  Jake’s jaw moved, but he couldn’t even manage to get a squeak out. Thoughts, questions, and finally replies raced around his brain. Words were inadequate to the task. At long last, all Jake could say was, “Why?”

  “Tell him, Sid.”

  “Right, kiddo.” Sid rose. “Think of it, Jake.” His arms began to flutter. “In the whole history of music, in the whole history of human culture, there’s been many celebs willing to give creds to a cause. Speak for a cause. Even get arrested for a cause. But never has there been a star willing to risk their life and fight for a cause!

  “Think of it: Evvie will take part in a revolution. She will make a stand for freedom that will...will be bigger than any stand taken by any celebrity in the whole span of recorded time!

  “Of course, the actual danger to Evvie will have to be minimized as much as possible. She wants to help this revolution, but not become a martyr or anything. I’m sure you can figure out ways for her take an active role without putting her life at extreme risk, Jake. You’re a smart man.

  “If you’re still not certain, well, think of all those great men and women who have fought for freedom. George Washington. Winston Churchill. Lech Walesa. Vaclav Havel. I could go on for hours. Now, think about this. To their exalted ranks, you will be able to add two new names: Jake Bonner and Evangelyne Martini.