Eternity's Mind (6 page)

The clan members hurried off in different directions.

Robb stood beside the
Curiosity
, wiping his hands. “Ship's refueled, and all systems check out. We've finished our business, so it's time we head back to Earth. Rlinda must be worried about us.”

Tasia crossed her arms over her chest. “I'm worried about Xander. He got away from Ulio Station, but a lot of excrement has hit a lot of waste-recycling fans in the past few weeks.” She looked up and greeted Orli and DD, smiling. “Shizz, we were about to summon you! Enough frivolous adventures—let's get to work.”

“Oh, I've had enough adventures,” Orli agreed. “Of course, I've said that plenty of times before.”

Robb had a look of concern on his face, as if something had just occurred to him. “Orli … have you heard what happened down on Auridia?”

She frowned. “Not much ever happens down there. What's on Auridia besides the Klikiss transportal and a handful of people?”

“Exactly. The transportal and the whole outpost were wiped out by a single ship. The guy just destroyed everything and flew off.”

Orli blinked. “Why would anyone attack Auridia? It's barely even a way station.” Few Roamers or Confederation customers used the Klikiss transportal wall, preferring to conduct their business at the giant orbiting station.

Tasia said, “It was the man who hunted you down when you had the plague. Tom Rom.”

Orli could not control her shudder. “I thought he was long dead.” DD had sabotaged Tom Rom's ship after the ruthless man attacked her, making it explode out in space. She controlled her panic. “He was … here?” He could have easily found her, if he'd wanted to. What in the world was he doing down on Auridia, so close to Newstation?

That was all the nudge she needed. “Suddenly, I want to be out of here—and DD and I want to see Garrison. He's at Fireheart Station, where they just had that Big Ring accident. I really need to see him. I … I miss him.”

Tasia and Robb simultaneously rolled their eyes.

DD interrupted. “I miss him too, and young Seth Reeves.”

Orli patted the compy on his polymer shoulder and spoke to Tasia. “When you two go back to Earth, give Rlinda my regards and my thanks. But we're looking for a ship heading to Fireheart.”

“Shizz, you found one—we can do a cargo run from Newstation to Fireheart, and it's important that we study our markets,” Tasia said. “We'll take you there as soon as we finalize the load.”

*   *   *

The
Curiosity
easily arranged for a lucrative cargo of goods that Fireheart had requested. The facility personnel were so isolated inside the nebula that they needed all basic supplies, not just luxuries.

As Orli rode in the ship, feeling anticipation build, she studied the pastel cauldron of the Fireheart nebula, the expanding gas lit from within by a clump of bright hot stars. The ship shuddered and shook as they passed through the shock front at the dust boundary.

Orli had seen spectacular sights across the Spiral Arm, but she could hardly contain her excitement as they approached Fireheart. “It's amazing.”

“And a good place to do business,” Tasia said.

Most important of all, Garrison was there.

 

CHAPTER

6

XANDER BRINDLE

“Good as new,” Terry said when he watched the
Verne
emerge from the Kett Shipping dock after more than a week of around-the-clock repairs, maintenance, refurbishments, and improvements. Since he didn't have the use of his legs, the young man kept his balance by resting a hand on their compy's shoulder.

With a chuckle, Xander clapped his partner on the back. “Far better than new. By the Guiding Star, the
Verne
is better than any other Kett Shipping vessel, better than any vessel in its class across the Spiral Arm. We've installed every available upgrade.”

Terry looked embarrassed. “Even the unnecessary ones.”

“If it's available, it's not unnecessary. Besides, ‘spare no expense' is going to be our motto from now on. You deserve it.”

Repair techs used the
Verne
's antigrav engines on low thrust to bring the gleaming ship forward into the open bay, where it settled down on the reinforced floorplates for their inspection.

Rlinda Kett strolled into the maintenance hangar, hands on her generous hips. “Now that's a beautiful spacecraft—new, shiny, and an excellent hull job. I think you're showing off.”

“Maybe a bit,” Terry admitted.

“We are
definitely
showing off,” Xander said. “A lot.”

“I knew it. But with a ship this fancy, you'd better take her out and earn a few bumps. Right now the
Verne
has everything except for character. You've got to earn that.”

Xander lounged with an elbow against the hull and sniffed. “We've made enough runs for Kett Shipping to earn a standard amount of character. In fact, I'd say that escaping the destruction of Ulio Station and running away from the bugbots earns us extra credit.”

Rlinda pursed her lips. “Maybe, but you've rebuilt the whole thing. You need to start over.”

“Ready to get started on that, ma'am,” Terry said. “I don't like sitting around. We're eager to get back out and do some cargo runs.”

The big trader walked beside them as Xander inspected the
Verne
's exterior. Wearing his antigrav belt to support him, Terry held OK's shoulder and let the compy tow him around the vessel. While studying the ship, OK filed away all the improvements and accessed the detailed maintenance and test results.

Rlinda gave the two young men a frank look. “You were among my best earners at Kett Shipping, and I'm glad to hear you want to fly again, but … do you have any conception of how
wealthy
you are, Mr. Handon? ‘Filthy rich' doesn't even come close.”

Terry nodded nervously. “I've seen the numbers.”

“Numbers are one thing, but do you
understand,
dear boy? You could buy my whole company several times over. You could buy your own planet.”

Xander interrupted, “
Planets.
Plural.”

“Well, not any good planets,” Rlinda said. “You should be thinking bigger. That money from Maria Ulio is not just a life-changing amount, it's a
Confederation
-changing amount. You can form your own businesses, travel anywhere you want, give a bunch to charity. Be a philanthropist. Be everybody's favorite friend. Maria collected so much profit from Ulio Station that just spending it is going to be your new full-time job.”

Terry blushed, which Xander found endearing. “Do you need any money, Rlinda? You helped us so much, and I'd like to pay you back. Can we maybe invest in Kett Shipping? Or help you build another restaurant?”

Rlinda gave a hearty laugh. “My dear boy, I may not be as fabulously rich as Maria was, but I've done quite well for myself. I could've retired ten times over, and I've already got restaurants on Relleker, Earth, and Theroc. Kett Shipping is doing just fine.” When they paused behind the
Verne
's new main engines, she held out a stern finger. Her words echoed against the wide thruster cones. “That's your money, Mr. Handon. A
lot
of money. Don't do anything foolish, but you need to think seriously about what you want.”

Xander nodded. “Exactly what I've been telling him, but it hasn't sunk in yet. I'll keep Terry in check, just in case he goes overboard. If he wanted to have a whole asteroid carved into an orbiting likeness of his face, I'd stop him. Maybe.”

The other man flushed again. “I would never do that!”

“Of course you wouldn't. So far, the only way you've splurged is by ordering more expensive meals and better wine.”

“Now that's a good use of the money,” Rlinda said. “A wise investment.”

Xander grew serious. “I know where I mean to spend part of it, and this is one case where I truly intend to spare no expense. I'm going to dig into all available medical research. Terry's had medical studies done on his spine, and nobody's been able to help. With all of these resources now, there's got to be a way we can give him the use of his legs again.”

Terry sounded exasperated. “I get along just fine.”

“‘Just fine' doesn't mean you can't do better,” Xander said. “With all the doctors in the Confederation and the Ildiran Empire, someone will be able to make you walk again.”

“In zero gravity it doesn't make any difference,” Terry insisted.

The two had talked around in circles many times; they'd even gotten into arguments, which resulted in memorable apologies. Xander had held his partner, explaining that he just wanted what was best for him.

“It's just not the highest thing on my priority list,” Terry said.

Xander knew when to be quiet, and he decided to keep doing research on his own. He would find an answer and present it to Terry—and then he wouldn't back down so easily.

Rlinda's big brown eyes moistened as she looked from one man to the other. She said in a chastising tone, “You don't have to hold out unreasonable hope, dear boy, but that doesn't mean you should give up hope entirely.” She reached out with her big beefy arms and swept the two into a generous awkward embrace that made Xander stumble while Terry's antigrav belt kept him balanced. OK remained silent, standing there like a long-suffering observer.

“You can fund medical research, you know,” Rlinda said. “You could buy any laboratory, create a think tank, found a university, devote countless hours to it—and you wouldn't be the only one to benefit if you did find a cure. Think of the others who suffer from a similar condition.”

Xander knew that response might have more of an effect on Terry. He was a selfless person, didn't like to be pampered, but all those other people …

Awkwardly, Terry looked at them and quickly changed the subject. “Look, I have been thinking big, and I have a new idea that'll keep us happy. I think even Xander will be impressed.”

Xander raised his eyebrows, waiting.

Terry explained, “Maria founded her station, and countless thousands of traders relied on it over the years. Ulio Station was a pivotal center of commerce.”

“Until the Shana Rei obliterated it all,” Xander said.

“So, what's to stop us from
rebuilding
Ulio? Or building a whole new trade center from scratch?” Terry smiled at them. “I've got the money, and it's not a need that'll go away anytime soon. At the moment, where do Roamer traders go? What happens to the ships that need massive repairs? And how do we deal with all the decommissioned wrecks just floating out there? They need a central place.”

Xander looked at Terry with building excitement. “Somebody's going to start their own supply and repair depot … so why not us?”

Rlinda blinked. “With all the money in the Spiral Arm, you want to build your own … junkyard?”

“Repair yard,” Terry corrected. “And trading depot. Like Ulio Station, but better! Maria's facility coalesced by accident once she started gathering wrecked ships after the Elemental War. We can make ours bigger and better—with a little bit of planning.”

Xander wanted to hug him. “That sounds exciting—and right up our alley. With my parents, our connections to Kett Shipping and all the Roamer clans … it'll be perfect!”

Rlinda warned them, “Take it from me, running your own business is not as glamorous as it sounds. You'll need help.”

“I don't need anything glamorous,” Terry said. “But it sounds like fun, and it is something I want to do.” His lips quirked in a smile, as he gave Robb a nudge. “And I think I'll be able to find some help.”

 

CHAPTER

7

SHAREEN FITZKELLUM

Emptier than emptiness. Blacker than blackness. The giant hole in the middle of the Fireheart nebula made Shareen uneasy.

“Hmm, this wasn't at all what I expected when I activated the Big Ring test.” Kotto Okiah managed to sound both distracted and troubled. “Nevertheless, it is very interesting.”

“That's one word for it,” Shareen said with a sigh. She didn't point out that she and Howard had warned Kotto that something might go wrong with the experiment, because they had reviewed his calculations, against his orders.

Kotto was such a revered, even legendary, engineer that few Roamers ever questioned his assertions. By delving into his plans, Shareen and Howard hadn't been trying to challenge him, just to understand what the project was all about. But the more they analyzed the plans, the more they suspected that even Kotto wasn't sure of what he was doing. No wonder he hadn't wanted his two assistants probing for details.

With everyone watching the test, eager to see a spectacular scientific breakthrough, the Big Ring had been brought to full power. The thrumming ring spun up, vibrating in space, draining the countless chained power blocks, thus creating a titanic electromagnetic tug-of-war. The Roamers got their spectacular result all right, and a giant rip in the universe to boot.

Since one of Kotto's postulated outcomes for the Big Ring was to create a new interstellar transgate doorway, the scientist claimed the result was not entirely unexpected, but Shareen knew he was just waving his hands. Even if it worked, Station Chief Beren Alu, a practical businessman, quickly realized that any transit system requiring such a massive investment of time, money, and effort to open even one end was utterly unfeasible.

The Roamers might have indulged Kotto once, but they would not do so again … especially if the results of the Big Ring experiment turned disastrous.

His technical compy KR said, “We have been monitoring from a distance. The opening has not grown noticeably in the past two days.”