Unlike the Flower Princess, Dee-vi had an insatiable interest in anything they had to say, asking wide-eyed questions about the world outside. Accepting whatever answers she got as gospel, Dee-vi was ecstatic to discover that Floreal was a starship. She could see the universe without leaving home—a child’s dream come true. But Tiffany discovered that even a sanitized version of their trip showed how unreal the outside sounded—ships crisscrossing vast empty voids inhabited by Jutes, Choctaws, and giant white stars run amok. Dee-vi had trouble comprehending what it was that slavers did.
“It’s not as bad as Tiffany makes it out,” Miko told her.
“There are lots of peaceful, pleasant parts to the universe. They are just impossibly far away. So far off, I’ve certainly never seen them. Which is why this habitat needs to be headed outsystem. And soon.” Especially since this chaotic little corner of the cosmos was doomed.
“That is up to the Sacred Queen,” Dee-vi gravely informed them. The child had complete faith in the Queen’s decisions.
“So we need to put our case to her,” Tiffany explained. The sooner the better.
“You will,” Dee-vi assured her. “She plans for everything.”
“Can’t we just go see her?” By now Tiffany knew they had no virtual conferencing. Not even a voice comlink. Talking to Dee-vi had given her a better grip on how Floreal worked. What first seemed like a matriarchy was something more complex. Instead of outright female rule, Floreal had separate spheres. She and Miko were a women’s problem, because they were women. If Commander Hesse had come knocking at the habitat door he would have gotten a different reception. Men would have dealt with him, as they saw fit. Women would have stayed out unless needed. Weird but workable. And not without its advantages.
“Of course you can see the Queen.” Dee-vi told them. “Any woman can. She holds durbar in her High Court at the Cliffs of World’s End. You can take your ship and go there.”
Tiffany had to explain that all the wondrous ships she had ridden in were no longer available.
“Then you must find someone who has one.”
“The only person we know outside of the palace is a man named Ja-lan.”
“Everyone knows Ja-lan.” Dee-vi’s eyes brightened. “Three times fencing champion. Tall, fearless, always friendly and happy to talk. He says ‘Hi’ when he sees me.”
“Can you tell him we need a ship?”
“Gladly.” Serving two mysterious outworlders was becoming more of a lark than she imagined. At dusk Dee-vi guided them back to the tower, then disappeared in search of Ja-lan. It seemed way too easy.
Their clothes were washed and folded, lying atop their other possessions. Only the weapons and ammo boxes were missing. No one had told them they could not have them, or tried to take them away. They were just gone. Miko mentioned the absence, and got the stock response—take it up with the Queen.
Apex had no sun, but nightfall was still a spectacle. Clouds shredded into sunset colors, making their enameled tower room glow like the interior of a Faberge egg. The hologram sky purpled, darkening to match the eternal night outside, streaked by neon gas clouds and studded with stars. Tiffany knew that less than twenty klicks overhead hung the inner surface of the habitat, covered by dark flowering canopy. You could smell the jasmine and sweet honeysuckle. Yet the feeling of depth was uncanny. Swift moving moonlets sent drifting patches of light through the tower windows.
Romantic and then some. Relief, recent peril, and impending doom made the moment utterly special. Tiffany sat propped across from Miko in their high tower window, their legs and lower bodies braced together, holding each other in. Astonished by the beauty of the place, they laughed and joked, basking in their survival. Talking about the absolute need to save this world. And themselves with it.
Maintaining the right attitude took effort. Tiffany had come a long way, and still she was not there. As friendly as Apex seemed to be, these people were strangers. Somehow she had to make them see the danger they faced. But now she had someone to share her feelings with, someone she could trust with the truth. She felt a flood of affection for Miko. It was very much the two of them, against all odds. She studied her newfound friend. Long black hair hung down over small pale shoulders. Slim limbs bent just so helped hold Tiffany in the window. Her laugh was bold and happy.
Then it was time for bed. Tiffany sat watching Miko strip in a pool of moonlight. A whole new world, and now this. Very much a night to remember. Standing up, she let her skirt drop, then slipped between the satin sheet and silk coverlet without taking off her blouse. Miko was a warm presence, weighing down her side of the bed.
“Worried?” Miko asked.
“No.” She shook her head. “Just shy.”
“You don’t have to be.” Miko laughed. “It’s only me.”
Right. Tiffany reached out and stroked Miko’s delicate shoulder, marveling at how it felt both smooth and solid at the same time. Miko lay on her side, smiling, one hand resting between them, the other at her side. She shifted slightly, and her in-between hand touched Tiffany’s breast, feeling her nipple through the fabric. Her fingers were slim, their tips tiny, but Tiffany could not believe how good it felt. Her worries dissolved. She let her own fingers follow Miko’s arm down to where her hand rested on her hip.
As much as this might feel right—as sure as Tiffany was of what she would find—she still had that first-time sense of awe and anticipation. The feeling that tonight was indeed special. Maybe Miko was what she had always been looking for.
A shadow appeared, silhouetted in the window. Tiffany saw a long shining line of steel. Someone hissed, “Your ladyships, I am here.”
“What?” Miko rolled swiftly over.
“Dee-vi said you wanted me,” the shadow explained.
Tiffany saw Ja-lan crouching in the window they had vacated. He must have climbed the vines twining around the tower. Without much trouble apparently; he was not even breathing hard.
Miko groaned aloud.
“Please, we must be quiet,” Ja-lan begged. “I am not supposed to be here.” “That’s for sure,” Miko snorted, refusing to be silenced.
“Dee-vi said you needed a ship. To see the Sacred Queen.”
“Can’t it wait?” Tiffany suggested. “In the morning maybe.”
Ja-lan shook his head. “It must be now, otherwise I would never have risked the climb. This is a woman’s tower.” Was a woman’s tower. “If I could have waited, I would have. It is a banishing offense just to be here.”
Tiffany sat up, putting her hand on Miko’s shoulder. “We really need a ship.”
Miko groaned again, lying back, hands over her eyes. “Just promise me he is not going to make a career of this.”
“Of course not.” Tiffany leaned over and kissed her. “I promise, once we get this done we’ll find a place to be alone.”
“With a lock on the door?”
Tiffany promised, then kissed her again. “Let’s get going before someone sounds the alarm.” She got into her gi, not wanting to go climbing about in a long skirt.
Miko pulled on her short kimono. “Can’t we use the lift?”
Ja-lan shook his head. “Someone might see. And we need to cross the roof below to get into the hanger.”
Low-g and moonlight made the climb down a breeze. Tiffany dropped the last ten meters to the rooftop. Light and voices filtered up from below. Ja-lan led them on a zig-zagging course across flat roofs, up and down narrow stairs, and through a garden court inhabited by a flock of peacocks. Suddenly, he stopped, holding out his hand.