"What do you think happened to Whit?" Priestess asked.
"On a world like Katag, there's no sense in speculating. Could be the System's got her. If so, they wouldn't make it public. Cabra-Marist will be waiting like a spider for me to show up. Or it could be she's had a disagreement with the crims. That can be fatal. And they tend to get crazy when large amounts of cash are involved. Or—it could be—something as simple as street crime. As in every System world, crime is out of control on Katag."
"What were the financial arrangements?" I asked.
"Never concluded," Tara replied. "Whatever happened, the infolink deal never went through. Whit's bank account is still empty. And Whit's infolink contacts—they're on another System world—are still waiting for the down-payment from Katag before going ahead with the link. The trouble is, all contact with the Katag infolink crims has to be on-planet, for obvious security reasons. Gildron!"
The beast appeared in the doorway, snarling.
"Gildron, show our guests to their rooms. You will each find extensive information on Katag Two, on Whit, and on the infolink deal, in datacall. You may access these files with the code 'Lost Lamb.' I've got a suggested ops plan in there as well. Please look it over. Now I imagine you'll want to freshen up. Lunch is at noon. Do you have any luggage? Gildron will take it to your rooms."
###
Gildron didn't strain himself carrying our luggage. Soldiers of the Legion travel light. The rooms were incredible—I had never before seen so much space for one person. It wasn't a room; it was a suite, spotless in soft phospho white carpeting, a warm golden haze from the morning glowing through the plex. There was a mini office in an alcove, screens on the walls, a desk studded with comgear linked up to a dozen worlds. The air was cool and clean.
"Quite a place. Mine's the same. Do you think the Legion pays for this?" Priestess came in silently, looking around the room. She was so slim and lovely I wanted to pull her to me and fall to my knees and cover her body with kisses. But I restrained myself. I got dizzy every time I looked at Priestess. She was a child, with gleaming black hair and warm dark eyes and small, ripe lips. Her beauty glowed right on her skin, and she didn't need any make-up to enhance it.
"I doubt it," I said. "Tara makes her own way in the world."
"Slavery—it must be good for her bank account, but bad for her soul."
"Yes—I'm sure it is. I've never understood that."
"You never told me you knew her."
"It was a long time ago," I said, "another time and place."
"They've got a fully-stocked cooler and a snackmod under the main screen."
"It doesn't surprise me."
"And my closet's got a clothing mod—I can order civvies in my own size!"
"That's Tara."
"I want you to sleep with me tonight."
"Well, I'll check my sked."
"It's not funny. You keep your distance from her! I know we owe her a lot—but there are limits. And you belong to me—remember that!"
I reached out and touched her hand and gently pulled her to me. She came, reluctantly. Morning rain, the scent of wildflowers, her heart beating against mine. She was all I ever needed from life. Only Beta Nine, and nothing more, forever.
"Priestess…if I had wanted to play house with her, would I have asked you to accompany me?"
"Well…no. I guess not."
"That's right. So let's just get the job done and get back to Beta, where we belong."
###
We had a light lunch on the patio by the pool. It was warming up a little, but the air was still crisp and clear. Dragon had found some swimjox in his closet and was trying out the pool after lunch.
"Thank you, Gildron," Tara said.
"Nartsing." Gildron was clearing away the trays. Dragon sat on the edge of the pool, spraying water off his hair just like a dog. Dragon had a hell of a build, and the swimjox didn't hide much. His brown body rippled with hard, wiry muscles, and strange dark-blue tattoos covered his shoulders. Fantastic dragons crawled down his arms, green armored beetles marched over his chest; and indecipherable symbols and runes covered his ears and hands, hieroglyphs from doomed worlds. Ghostly faces looked up from his knuckles.
"Where'd you get him?" Tara asked me, gazing hungrily at Dragon. She liked what she saw, I could tell.
"Where'd you get him?" I responded, motioned to the ape, now disappearing into the villa.
A shadow passed over Tara's lovely features. "It's a sad story. Too long to tell. He's lost his world. And he's a faithful companion."
"I guess I could say the same about Dragon."
"You'll have to get rid of those warnames. Have you had a chance to get into the ops plan?"
"Yes, it should allow us to move around. You've gone to a lot of trouble, Tara…Cinta."
"You be careful with ProScan. That crim Biergart is a real snake. He's the contact. You go to him first."
"I'm more worried about the Systies."
"Money talks. Just stick to the plan. It should work." Some birds were chirping from a tall tree in the yard. We could see them in the branches, pale blue birds.
"It's so beautiful here," Priestess said.
"Yes, it's very quiet," Tara responded. "It's a Legion world; there are no problems here."
"Idyllic, wouldn't you say?" I asked.
"You could say that." Tara looked up into the sky. Her pale brown skin was flawless, toasting in the sunlight.
"Paid for in blood," I said.
"That's affirmative," Tara said. "A lot of people died here. Yes, we paid the price."
"We?"
"The Legion. I mean the Legion."
"Is this your home?"
"No, it's just a hide-out. I'll be back in Systie vac as soon as you get my exec back."
"Back in business?"
"No, I'm through with all that. I've done enough. They can't make me go back. I'm going to make a new life."
"In Systie vac?"
"Yes…in Systie vac."
"Why don't you stay here?" Priestess asked. "It's so beautiful! Why leave?"
"You'd like to stay, wouldn't you? No, you wouldn't be happy here."
"Why not?"
"You don't belong here."
"Why not? It's a Legion world, after all."
"Yes—so it is." Tara looked off into space, again.
"Isn't that what we're fighting for?"
"Yes—but the people who live here are not part of your world."
"What do you mean?" Nine was insistent.
"What I mean…is that if people like you and me decided to settle down in places like Mica Three, it would not be peaceful for long. We might have some peace and quiet for awhile, but our children would pay the price. The O's are out there, cruising, ready to pounce on the slightest sign of weakness. Without the Legion, Mica Three would be extinguished like a candle, and the dark would rush in, and ConFree would die."
"You mean we just fight forever? Is that it? There's never any rest? It just goes on forever?"
"You already know the answer to that," Tara said calmly. "You don't need to ask me. You know the answer better than I. You came from a Legion world, too. Why did you leave? You could have stayed. And now you're a part of it. Do you think you can just walk away? There's nothing to stop you—try it. You're welcome to stay here. I'll extend the lease on the villa, if you want. Try it for a few months. But I warn you—you'll have to look up at the stars, every night. The stars are beautiful here—dazzling."