Mary’s Diner was not the sort of place anyone would associate with the tongs or anything other than cheap meals for out-migrating colonists on a budget. They got all kinds at all hours. They had a break room for staff — unnecessary because the only staff were Mary and her husband. Mary was an incessant gossip — about everything that didn’t matter. She also made a mean cup of tea.
All of which was why James Stewart was sitting in her break room over a cup of tea, talking to the dai dai lo of the Black Dragons Tong.
“You know what you’re asking for is very expensive, don’t you?” The other man savored his tea. His host had excellent taste. He preferred to drink his imported oolong while it was hot. The room was pleasantly appointed, with a miniature fountain burbling and plashing gently along one side, and a branch of silk cherry blossoms in a crystal vase on the table. It was a good place to do business.
“Oh, come on. I know how this works. Where else are you going to make any profit at all on this? Don’t you think I’m worth it?” Stewart grinned.
“Perhaps. I won’t promise anything, but I’ll ask my grandfather,” he said.
“That’s all I ask. When do you think you can give me an answer?” The former gang leader turned general sipped his own tea.
“Tomorrow. I’ll know tomorrow,” he said.
“Then I’ll see you tomorrow.” Stewart excused himself politely and left. He had a promotion to announce.
At the diner, after Mary had poured their tea and left, the dai dai lo handed him a ticket, glancing at the AID sitting on the table.
“Your passage to Earth is confirmed on our inbound combination liner, the Kick ’Em Jenny from Dulain. We are not embarking or disembarking passengers, except for Uncle’s favorite nephew for a vacation. If he doesn’t show up, you shouldn’t panic. The boy’s a bit scatterbrained. Your shuttle leaves at eight thirty-five tonight,” he said.
“Thank you. I’m very grateful. This has been an upsetting trip and I’m looking forward to getting back to work on Earth as soon as possible.” The general rose, taking his ticket and AID from the table.
“Of course. If there’s ever anything else we can do for you, don’t hesitate to call on us again. Have a pleasant voyage.” He shook the other man’s hand, palming the cube hidden in the handshake.
As the general left, he spoke briefly to the cigarette-pack-sized machine.
“Diana, please transmit my travel itinerary to General Vanderberg. God, I can’t wait to get home.” He walked out and the dai dai lo could just hear the musical female voice as the door swung shut behind him.
“Yes, James. Transmission complete,” it said.
It was too bad Cally couldn’t be up here. The crew lounge was probably the most comfortable area on the whole ship. The chairs were upholstered in a really good imitation of brown leather, and a holographic fireplace crackled merrily against one wall. A discreet air freshener at the bottom corner of the fireplace’s vidscreen released a faint, homey odor of hot wood smoke. There were several small tables that could lock together in groups, or not, and they actually had a decent wet bar. Of course, the coffee can for donations and their immunity to alcohol dampened the fun of that, but you couldn’t have everything.
Tommy looked up from a game of backgammon with Papa O’Neal as the navigator came into the lounge and approached him.
“Sir, we just received a short-range encrypted transmission from a neighboring ship. The message header said it was for you.” He handed Tommy a data cube.
“Thank you.” He set it beside the backgammon board, ignoring the man’s hesitation until he apparently gave up on the possibility of snooping and wandered off in the direction of the bridge.
“I think I’ll go check on Felicia, if you don’t mind interrupting our game.” She’d kill him if she didn’t get to see this message as soon as it was decrypted. Not that he blamed her. If it was Wendy down there, he’d be biting his nails, too.
The branch of the access tube leading to the shuttle’s cargo hold, which he was going to have to use instead of anything off of the main cabin, was absolutely frigid. His face and nose were all he’d left bare to feel it, but it was still damn cold. Less worn areas in the gray tube showed it had once been blue. It was probably damn near fifty years old, and reeked of leaking hydrocarbons from outside. Fortunately, he only had to put up with it for a minute or so.
“Diana, I’m going to add you to my case until we get up to the ship. I haven’t been sleeping as well as the medics would like, and I think an uninterrupted nap on the way up would do me a world of good.” He tucked the AID into the case among his uniforms.
“Certainly, James. Anything that will help you get well soon. I’ll see you on board.” She sounded almost like a mother tucking her child in.
“Goodnight, Diana.”
“Goodnight, James.”
He closed the case and tucked it into the cargo bay of his shuttle.
“Okay, here I am, back as promised.” Tommy stepped through the door balancing two trays full of food — and not a corn product on it.
Cally was obviously making good use of the necessaries bag he’d scraped together from somewhere, cotton between her toes and an obviously fresh coat of bright red nail polish on fingers and toes. At least she didn’t have any of that thick green goop Wendy sometimes used caked all over her face.
“I thought you might like some company for dinner tonight,” he said. “Should I set Sarah up for a two-player game? She does a pretty mean Space Invaders.”
“Sure. I’d like that. Truth to tell, I’ve been a little stir crazy today.” Her grin was infectious. “There’s so much to do when I get back to get all my affairs in order and, well, you know, start making plans.” She looked uncertain for a moment.
“You do think he meant he wants marriage, don’t you?” she asked worriedly.
“Back in ACS, despite being a real hardass when he wanted to be, he was as Catholic as you are. There’s no doubt in my mind his intentions are marriage. Hell, with the relatives you’ve got, girl? Not to mention being pretty formidable yourself,” he laughed. “Wendy and Shari will just be in heaven helping you plan it.”
They were halfway through the third game when it froze.
“Tommy, I’m afraid I have bad news,” the AID broke in.
“What?” he asked. Cally’s fist was clenched against her mouth.
“Ship instrumentation has detected an explosion in Titan’s atmosphere. Traffic control confirms it as the FS-688 bound for the Kick ’Em Jenny. Rescue crews have been dispatched, but… it doesn’t look good. I waited until I was sure. I’m so sorry,” it finished miserably.
“Cally?” Tommy looked over at her. Her hand had sunk back down to the table, and her skin was an awful mottled shade of gray. He tried hugging her awkwardly, but she might as well have been a block of wood.
“Cally?” he tried again. “Come on, honey, you’re scaring me. We don’t know anything for sure yet. Come on, snap out of it.” No response. He did the only thing he could do — left the cabin at a hard run to get Papa O’Neal, finally running him down where he was watching an old movie on his PDA.