Lupo smiled sickly. "He didn't die willingly or in a place of his own choosing."
"It was Simon who died? You're sure? It wasn't his Other?"
"It was Simon Prime."
"Will his Other give me trouble?"
"They always do. They don't want to die, either."
That was a snake's nest someone was sure to stir. The Simon Other had become a nonperson with Simon's death but some Directors might defy that, preferring the Other to her. Then, too, someone might try to make something of the fact that she was not the original Valerena. She was not popular with the Directors.
Did that matter? Simon hadn't been popular. He had been the boss. The king. The bloody damned emperor.
As she would be.
"Can we use it?"
Lupo paced. He milked his chin and stared at unseen infinities. "If you kept it out of sight, maybe. But we'd never dare forget it's Simon Tregesser in almost every sense." He faced her, "We can talk while we're on the Web. How soon can you leave?"
"Now. But how safe will I be?"
"Why would you... My loyalty is to the Chair. You're the Chair. I'm the one at risk."
"You are?"
"I've thwarted your ambitions so often."
Valerena examined her feelings. She entertained no resentment. He had been doing his job. "Will you do as good a job protecting me?"
"Probably better. Especially if I can convince Blessed to be patient."
"I could leave him where he is."
"You can't. He has to be on Prime, to learn. Just as you were, despite the frustration you caused your father."
"He bottled me up here."
"An emergency expedient. He was frayed. Too much pressure. You wouldn't have liked the solution he preferred himself."
"He wanted to kill me again?"
"All of you. I convinced him it would be more cruel to send you here. We're still saying things better said in transit."
"Then go, Lupo."
He nodded, touching something. "Two. Four. I need you."
Valerena watched the women enter. One had been Lupo's companion that day in the Pylon. The other had to be her sister.
Provik said, "We have a crash priority here, ladies. See if station will bump us to the head of the launch schedule."
Good heavens! The man had a sense of humor.
— 64 —
Starbase! At last!
That damned spook Trajana had not shut up the whole time. How did you exorcise such a ghost? It had tried to keep its prisoners alive, a captive audience.
No one talked much except when humoring the ghost. Trajana was not just weird, it was psychotic. Two prisoners had spoken their thoughts. Their remains shared confinement with the survivors.
The ghost kept hinting that Trajana wanted to acquire new living crew. Each hour raised the tension level. Degas had the shakes half the time.
Haget handled it best. He could take Trajana's ravings about the Presence without twitching a lip, feigning an interest in Trajana's obsession. Or maybe he was interested. Maybe Trajana did have something to say behind all the shit about devil gods, death cults, and phantom Travelers.
Haget broke away from the spook. "Starbase, people. XXVIII Fretensis is in for post-combat refitting after a joint mission with XII Fulminata and VII Gemina."
Jo asked, "What's up? You look rattled."
"Unsettled. It was the trap WarAvocat expected. XII Fulminata was destroyed. VII Gemina suffered heavy damage and hasn't yet made it back."
AnyKaat blurted, "Somebody took on three at once?"
"Yes. They had the hair and almost enough firepower. And that's all I know. Except that Trajana wants to horn in on the follow-up."
Jo asked, "How bad was VII Gemina hurt?"
"Trajana has graciously offered us refuge if VII Gemina doesn't come in. We're docking now. We have health and dietary matters to attend outboard. Let's go."
Haget led them on a long hike. Jo brought up the rear, behind Seeker, who stumbled with weakness. They debouched onto a vast, empty, sterile dock. A lighted dock. A dock not foul with the stenches of wastes and decaying corpses.
To and around a corner. "Now," Haget said. He hugged Jo so hard he crushed the wind out of her. When she wriggled free, she hugged Vadja too. Degas and AnyKaat looked ready to couple on the spot.
Haget said, "One more day and I'd have started chewing the bulkheads. I'm going to scream the craziness out."
Jo whispered, "I know a better way."
He looked at her. "Yeah. Let's get Seeker to Medical before we have to carry him."
They reached hospital bay. Haget tried to get Seeker to tell him what he needed. Seeker did his best. Maybe Jo would have been a better receiver. They had developed a feeble rapport aboard IV Trajana. Jo ordered a feast while the others sought physicals.
Haget handed Jo a note. "See if you can come up with a broth with all that in it."
"All right."
AnyKaat stepped out of the physical scanner. "Am I alive?"
"Close enough," Degas said. "You'll do for what I've got in mind."
Vadja said, "There are indications of malnutrition, AnyKaat."
"Surprise, surprise. Degas, get in there and see if you're man enough to live up to your brags."
The scanner pronounced Degas fit. An automated cart arrived with a consignment of Jo's feast. AnyKaat said, "What do I want to do most? Eat or get clean?"
"Eat," Degas said. "Getting clean is going to take a while."
"You talk a good game, anyway."
Haget said, "Give Seeker something with plenty of sugar."
"You notice something spooky?" Jo asked, handing Seeker a sweet roll. "There isn't anybody around. Last time I was here the place was crawling."
Haget grunted. "Long time ago?"
"Yeah. Come to think."
Haget began pounding a general info keyface. Seeker came to the cart and studied the food. Vadja came out of the scanner judged healthy, arm included. He joined the assault on the foodstuffs.
Jo poured herself a cup of amber liquid, told Seeker, "Try this juice." She headed for the scanner.
Seeker drained the pitcher.
A second cart arrived. Seeker went to work on his broth.
The scanner declared Jo healthy. "Scanner's all yours, Commander."
"I got your answers, Jo. Most Starbase personnel were drafted into the crews of Guardships. A few are in storage."
Seeker made a hissing sound. Jo looked.
Several people had come to the doorway. Their uniforms were unfamiliar. "Commander. Company."
Haget rose.
A hard-faced, graying woman stepped forward. "Commander Haget? Commander Stella Cordet, Third WatchMaster, Hall of the Watchers, XXVIII Fretensis." She spoke with an accent. Haget accepted her hand in a numb parody of his usual crisp manners. "WarAvocat sent me to offer the hospitality of XXVIII Fretensis and ask if there's anything we can do. You must have had a harrowing experience."
"Harrowing?" Haget chuckled. "You might say that. WarAvocat is most gracious. I hope he'll understand when I plead a need to regain my wits and self-confidence before I visit an unfamiliar Guardship again."
The woman gave him a hard look. "He'll understand." Then the iron mask collapsed into a smile. "Frankly, I don't see how you didn't come out of there a raving lunatic."
Haget seemed faintly embarrassed. "You know what happened?"
"IV Trajana sent the data. I skimmed it and reviewed your original mission as described in the data VII Gemina left behind."
Gah! Jo thought. Two of a kind. Efficient to the point of constipation.