"Sorry, Bran," he replied, "But I've still got a lot to do, I've got to get that work crew busy before somebody else connects us with K'laakriit, and I've got to take care of the formalities of signing Via off."
"I've been wanting to talk to you about that, Captain," Bran said reluctantly. He glanced around, and then led Jirik out of the ship's lock and down the ramp to the busy station corridor.
"You said that Tomys is already here, right, Captain?" Bran asked over the din in the corridor.
Jirik shrugged. "Should be. He was coming direct, on a Fleet Courier. Why?"
"Because that means that any Astrogator that you sign on will probably be a spy working for Tomys. I think that you ought to try to keep Via on. Offer to let her deadhead back once Valt signs back on, or something."
Jirik sighed. "There's nothing I'd like better than to keep her on, Bran. You know how I feel about her. Besides, she's a better Astrogator and a better shipmate than Valt, and after what we've been through, I trust her implicitly. But there's no way she can stay, even with guaranteed passage back in from the Rim. If she goes back out there at all, she'll be in serious danger. Remember all those spy-eyes that she didn't plant? Remember the complete report that she didn't make? The terrorists would kill her in a microsecond. No, much as I hate to, I have to sign her off here. In fact, she wants to sign off as soon as possible."
Bran looked disappointed. "Why? I thought that you two had a great thing together. Even if she can't go back to the rim, we're going to be here several months. Why end your relationship so soon?"
Jirik shrugged again. "She thinks that it would be better. She says that the longer she stays, the harder it'll be to say goodbye. Hell, I can't force her to stay. I'm sure going to miss her, though, and on more than one level!"
Bran's face took on a sad look. "I'm sorry to hear it, Captain. I almost wish that we could buy out Valt's share and sign her on permanently. She's good for you, and good for the Lass. I guess she's right, though. She'll have to sign off here anyway. We can't expect her to risk her life again by going back to the rim. About her replacement, though. What do you want to do about him?"
Jirik's prompt response told Bran that Jirik had been thinking about this very point. "First," He replied, "I want you to warn Tor. Whoever we sign on, we're going to have to assume he works for Tomys. That means we won't be able to talk about the situation once he comes aboard. Then, we'll just have to carry on as though we hadn't a care in the universe; so innocent that we're sickening. Make sure that Tor knows that avoiding the man would be as suspicious as admitting to Actionist sympathies. Spies tend to be paranoid, and regard anything out of the ordinary as suspicious. Hell, they regard the ordinary as suspicious."
Bran nodded. "Don't worry, Captain, I'll coach him while we're here. I'll also have him jettison that Actionist propaganda he brought aboard."
"Crap!" Jirik admitted, "I'd forgotten about that stuff. Just do your best to make sure that the kid stays out of trouble. I don't want him to get on the wrong side of a Class I Agent. Hell, I don't want me to get on the wrong side of one. But," he added, "I may not have a choice. I want you to meet me at the restaurant on this level of the station at twenty hundred, local. I want to brief you on what I'm doing, and what's happening."
Bran's head jerked. "What do you mean? What are you doing?"
Jirik clapped Bran on the shoulder. "Don't worry. I think I know what I'm doing. Just meet me at 2000."
Bran stared at Jirik. "All right," he replied suspiciously, "I'll be there. Try not to get yourself assassinated before then!"
Jirik laughed aloud. "I'll try. Now, get your ass out of here. I've got a lot to do!"
Via was waiting when he returned aboard. "I'm ready to sign off, Captain," the woman said. As Jirik's face fell, she continued gently, "I'm sorry, Jirik. You know that I'd love to stay with you. But the longer we're together, the more in love with you I become. We both know that I can't go back to the rim with you. Our relationship had to end on Alpha, and we both knew it. I've got to go while I still have the courage to do it!"
Jirik frowned. "Damn it, I don't want it to end like this; in fact, I don't want it to end at all! There must be a way! Stay with us until we have to lift off. Maybe we can figure something out."
She shook her head slowly. "I can't, Jirik. I know what you're going to suggest: that I wait here until you get back from the rim. I can't do that. For one thing, we both know that you may not be coming back from the rim. Class I spooks have a reputation for using people up. We also have to know for sure that we have more than just a passing shipboard romance. We need some time apart. I'm going to grab a berth on the first inbound ship that I can find. When you get back from the rim, if you get back, if you still want me, use the spacer network to leave messages with the Guild on as many planets as possible. I'll be checking with them at every planetfall. If you can work it out, pass the word, and I swear I'll jump the fastest ship I can find back to you. But, for now, I have to sign off, and I have to do it now!"
Jirik nodded in defeat. "All Right. How about giving me about an hour to get the work crew started on the hull coating? Then, I'll ride down to the planet with you. I've got some business at the Spacer's Guild office myself."
The work crew supervisor appeared half an hour later, and Jirik told the man what he wanted, including a close examination of the hull for plates thinned beyond safety by the abrasive nebular dust. The man was openly curious about how such damage occurred, but easily accepted Jirik's explanation of flight from pirates.
As the work crew suited up and cycled through the airlock, Jirik returned to the Lass to accompany Via to the surface.
Via was waiting anxiously. "I've been thinking, skipper. I've got to know; are you guys going to be in any danger or trouble because of me?"
Jirik shrugged. "I don't see why we should be. After all, how were we to know that you were a spy? If Cony asks, we'll just play dumb. As for Tomys, I've wanted to talk to you about him for a couple of reasons. First, he or one of his agents may try to question you. My advice is to tell him the entire truth, except for the plague ship stunt. Don't try to lie to them, or con them. Tomys didn't get to be a Class I agent by being stupid or gullible. And, don't try to lie to them about the plague beacon stunt; either tell them the truth, or just refuse to talk about it. I would prefer that you just didn't talk about it; I'm not really concerned that he'll file charges against us, but I don't want to give him something to hold over our heads."
Via nodded. "I understand. I suspect that the other reason you wanted to talk about Tomys was because you think he'll want to grill me about the terrorists in the Actionist faction."
At Jirik's nod, she continued, "Well, that was one of the reasons that I wanted to talk to you before I signed off." She reached into a pocket and tossed two memory crystals onto the cabin's miniscule desk. "I recorded these during the last couple of jumps. They're a complete report of all of my contacts with the terrorists, including names, as many dates as I can remember, and where I thought that each one fell in the terrorist hierarchy. I made two copies. One is for you, and you can give the other to Tomys; maybe it'll keep him off my back."
Jirik nodded. "I hope so. Thanks for making me a copy. That damned spook wouldn't even tell me my own name, and I might need to know when I'm talking to a member of this terrorist outfit." His tone when mentioning the terrorists was full of disdain.
Via looked concerned. "Don't underestimate them, Jirik. I know that right now they're so inept as to be almost funny, but they're as serious as a blaster burn, and they're learning fast. Watch out for Cony. He's sharp, he's always suspicious, and he's deadly. Remember what happened to your Astrogator."