Starshine: Aurora Rising Book One Read online

  Tonight.

  Damn Kennedy for seeding her subconscious with thoughts of Ethan the other day. She scowled at the promo, eyes narrowed, until it cycled to the next ad, and tried to pretend she wasn’t checking the local time.

  Seven hours from now. Of course if she were to stay for the show, it would be far longer than seven hours before she was again en route. More like tomorrow…afternoon.

  It was as if the gods themselves were conspiring to entice her away from Metis. First the Deep Space Exploration job offer, then the Astral Materials contract and now this. A rather vivid image of what staying promised to bring flared in her mind—a final, deliciously prurient temptation.

  But she would not be deterred. She squared her shoulders in a show of defiance, exhaled…and turned away from the billboard. By the time she hit the terrace, she had resumed her hurried, clipped pace. She had a nebula to explore.

  SENECA

  CAVARE

  * * *

  Caleb had gotten as far as the hallway to his apartment when the alert flashed in his eVi. As soon as he saw the header he opened the file.

  Cavare Police Department

  Harassment Report: 1628 - 02.09.2322

  Complainant: Dr. Jesse Valente

  Suspect: Mr. Francis Gerod

  Summary: Complainant stated that Mr. Gerod, a coworker at Hemiska Research, physically assaulted her this evening as she was leaving work.

  According to her statement, she and Mr. Gerod had a heated disagreement during a staff meeting. He followed her out of the building, and when she refused to converse with him he yanked her arm roughly. She escaped his grip, but he pursued her to her vehicle and slammed the vehicle door shut before she could climb in, nearly crushing her hand. She retrieved a stunner from her bag and pointed it at him until he backed away, at which point she departed.

  Complainant displays bruises on her left forearm (visuals attached) consistent with a handprint. She stated that she did not initially report the altercation because she “prefers to handle problems on her own.” She reconsidered after realizing if Mr. Gerod came to her home, he posed a threat to her four-year-old twins.

  Complainant doesn’t wish to file charges at this time, but wanted to ensure there was an official record of the incident.

  Status: Officers interviewed Francis Gerod at 1840 tonight. He admitted to having an “unpleasant encounter” with Complainant but denied he intended to harm her physically. He claimed he was upset about problems at work, but once he cooled off he recognized he had overreacted.

  Mr. Gerod received a warning and was informed a second incident would result in arrest and formal charges.

  The alert had been sent due to a flag Caleb maintained in the Senecan security network. It was one of many he’d placed over the last fifteen years. Some were on people he’d investigated in the past, individuals he suspected were dirty but who hadn’t yet made enough of a mistake to get caught. Those flags were designed to alert him when that mistake occurred. Others were on people he cared about—or had once cared about, as was the case here—and were designed to warn him if they might be in trouble.

  Jesse wouldn’t want him protecting her. As she had admitted in the police statement, she took care of her own problems. But he hadn’t asked her permission.

  Caleb went inside his apartment long enough to grab a nanobot injection to speed the metabolizing of the alcohol in his bloodstream. The evening at the bar with Noah had been entertaining, but he needed to be sober when he reached Francis Gerod.

  Gerod lived in a townhouse on the outskirts of the Tellica University campus. The man’s file indicated his wife and two young children lived there as well. In deference to the children, Caleb didn’t intend to break down the door…unless it became necessary.

  Twenty minutes after he arrived and set up surveillance across the street, Gerod exited his townhouse and headed for the community parking lot behind the building. He was alone.

  Caleb followed.

  Though night had fallen in full, it wasn’t inordinately late. Nevertheless, the streets were sparsely populated, a symptom of the family-friendly nature of the neighborhood. He slipped unnoticed into the lot and closed on Gerod as he approached his vehicle.

  He had the man locked in an armbar and shoved into the vehicle’s frame before the man knew he was there.

  “What—”

  Caleb used his body to keep Gerod pinned against the frame while he clasped a hand over the man’s mouth. “You’re going to want to not scream, or the arm that will then be broken will be the least of your concerns. Are we clear?”

  Gerod nodded haphazardly. Caleb couldn’t see the man’s eyes, but he could feel the terror in his quivering limbs. He waited two seconds then withdrew his hand slightly.

  “Wha-what do you want? I don’t have any valuables with me!”

  “I’m not here to rob you. I’m here to kill you. Unless—” his palm slammed back onto the man’s mouth to stifle the cry “—unless you make me a promise and keep it for the rest of your life.” He paused to let the information sink in. “Are you ready to hear what the promise is?”

  Another wild nod.

  His lips hovered at the man’s ear. “You will never lay another finger on Jesse Valente. You will never threaten or in any way whatsoever cause harm to her or her family. You will be polite and respectful to her at all times. When you next see her, you will apologize for your rude behavior and assure her you bear no ill feelings toward her.”

  Gerod squirmed in agitation. He stood no chance of escaping Caleb’s grasp, but he seemed to be protesting in some manner.

  Caleb loosened his hand but didn’t completely remove it. “I sincerely hope you’re not planning on refusing to give this promise.”

  Spittle landed on his palm as Gerod began sputtering out a response. “N-no. I promise—I swear. It’s just I don’t know if I’ll see her again so I can apologize. You see, I got a new job offer tonight. I sent my resignation to Hemiska a few minutes ago. So it all worked out! I’m not even mad at her anymore.” His words increasingly ran together in a fevered outburst. “I-I’m thankful, really. That business at the office forced me to finally make the decision to leave it behind. But I would never hurt her. I was angry and scared I was going to get fired. But she’s a nice woman. A little intimidating, honestly—but I respect her.” He sucked in a frayed breath. “Please don’t kill me.”

  Unseen from his position behind Gerod, Caleb rolled his eyes at the sky but made certain his voice remained suitably frightening. “I told you what you have to do in order to live.”

  “But I—”

  “If you won’t see her again, you will send her a nice, extended, groveling apology by the end of the day tomorrow. If you don’t, I’ll know.” It would require a bit of hacking on his part, but the active police investigation should make it easier. “The police are watching you, and now I’m watching you. Never, ever forget it.”

  “I won’t.” Gerod tried to twist back, but Caleb tightened his grip and held him fast. The man didn’t need to get a look at his face. “I promise.”

  “I’ll hold you to it.” He released the man from the grapple and stepped away.

  Gerod stumbled around and peered into the darkness, but Caleb was already gone.

  Jesse Valente laughed as her husband massaged her shoulders and murmured something in her ear. The tender moment was soon interrupted by a blur of motion as two squealing mops of blond hair barreled into them then whirled out of the room.

  Leaning against a tree across the street, Caleb smiled, genuinely glad to see her happy. He mentally ticked off the items on his list and confirmed he’d checked everything. Dr. and Dr. Valente had a robust security system installed on the grounds and in their home—so robust he’d almost tripped one of the proximity sensors during his perimeter survey.

  Satisfied, he departed for his apartment for the second time that night.

  He had found one weakness in the security system, a gap in the sensors
in the left rear of the property. Several trees had grown wide enough there that an intruder could climb up and reasonably leap onto the roof without setting off any alarms. When he got home he’d access the police database and add an instruction for a security consultant to be sent out to the residence, including a note to pay particular attention to the left rear area. While he was in the network, he’d also add a new flag for Francis Gerod.

  Then he’d get some sleep, because, comm scrambler now acquired, he’d be leaving for Metis in the morning.

  8

  NEW BABEL

  INDEPENDENT COLONY

  * * *

  OLIVIA MONTEGREU WOKE TO the sensation of calloused fingertips dancing along her hip.

  She stretched and rolled over, to be greeted with the smiling face of…she had never asked his name. Not as if it mattered. He was handsome and well-packaged and enthusiastic and couldn’t be older than twenty-five.

  He leaned over to kiss her, but she wound a hand into his hair and urged him lower instead. “Be a good boy and finish what you started.”

  He grinned as he kissed down her lean, smooth stomach, wasting little time in reaching his destination.

  She closed her eyes and let her head fall to the pillow. What a fabulous way to start the day….

  When she had finished, she nudged him off the bed with her toes. “That was lovely. You’ll find your clothes laundered and folded in the entryway. The receptionist in the lobby will call you a cab if you need one.”

  He stood, nonchalantly wiping the excess moisture from his lips. “Can I see you again?”

  She was already on the way to the shower and didn’t bother to turn around. “Oh, I doubt it.”

  Forty minutes later she was seated at her desk, legs crossed elegantly beneath the burnished copper surface. A black silk sarong contrasted against her pale blond hair combed straight to drape down her back. It was all meticulously crafted to project the desired image.

  She regarded the nondescript man standing across the desk from her with the slightest tilt of her head.

  “Kill her.”

  He nodded, unsurprised. “Yes, ma’am. Should I pin the blame on anyone in particular? Maybe Trenton’s group?”

  “No. I want everyone to know this one came from me.”

  “Understood, ma’am. I’ll inform you once it’s done.”

  “No need; I assume you are capable enough. Simply do it.”

  The man’s throat worked, his composure faltering. “Of course, Ms. Montegreu. Is there anything else?”

  “I hope not. Go.” She flicked a perfectly manicured hand in the direction of the exit. He spun on his heel and hurried toward the door.

  She rolled her eyes in irritation, but it was for show. Gesson was a competent enforcer, a crafty overseer and most importantly, not overly ambitious. On uncovering evidence the woman in charge of managing new chimeral distribution was skimming off the top, he had first confirmed the evidence then reported it directly to her. She was confident he would handle disposing of the embezzler with similar efficiency.

  Once he had departed, she carried her hot tea over to the windows to inspect the morning.

  New Babel’s mornings looked suspiciously like its nights, on account of its distant blue dwarf sun and the heavy cloud of dust and gases from the surrounding nebula. It was hardly the most hospitable of planets, but it had two things going for it: an abundance of heavy metals which made industrial construction cheap and fast, and a natural barrier via the nebula against both electronic surveillance and warfare.

  As such, it had become a home base for a wide swath of criminal organizations and black market entrepreneurs. There was no government to speak of and even less regulation; the strongest organizations built what they needed when and where they needed it.

  The result was a chaotic architecture of high-rises, slums, factories, markets and red-light clusters…well, much of what occurred on the streets of New Babel would qualify as ‘red-light’ on other worlds. Here it took on a whole new meaning.

  Her office stood in stark contrast to the dark, grimy, overcrowded city beneath it—quite deliberately so. The entire penthouse suite was spacious, minimally adorned and spotless. A décor of natural marble floors, white mahogany furnishings and copper and glass complements served as a declaration to all who entered that she existed above and apart from the masses below. Like her attire, appearance and bearing, it projected only and entirely what she desired to convey: refinement, prestige, exceptionality. But above all, power.

  A soft chime in her ear reminded her it was time for the call. She stepped into the triple-shielded, soundproof QEC room hidden behind the visually seamless right wall of her office. Ten seconds later a holo shimmered into existence in front of her.

  It revealed a man of indeterminate age, handsome and clean-cut but average in every way—medium skin tone, medium brown hair, medium height, medium build.

  That is, until he looked up and met her gaze. Piercing, sea-green eyes hinted at intelligence and cunning, along with an indefinable spark which hinted at something else altogether. The overall effect was to transform what had been an ordinary man into one who radiated dynamism, charisma and authority.

  She smiled darkly. “Marcus, it’s good to see you again.”

  He raised an eyebrow in mock appreciation. “And you, Olivia. May I say you are even more beautiful than the last time we talked.”

  “You may say it, but you need to work on your sincerity a bit.”

  He shrugged. “It’s a finite resource, and I need to save it for the constituents. What’s the status?”

  “We received the materials day before yesterday. They’re stored in a secure location until it’s time to deploy them. The team has been selected, every member screened by me, and is leaving tomorrow to train on Cosenti. The lead expects to have the final details worked out by late next week.”

  “Traceability?”

  “Ah, Marcus, always concerned first and foremost with covering your own ass—I know, I know, your ass must be covered for later phases to work. I get it. To you? None. To me? Virtually none. The only conceivable link is the lead, and his cover is so deep it will take Senecan Intel months to begin to peel back the layers in the highly unlikely event he’s identified.”

  “Will he break under coercion?”

  “It won’t be an issue.”

  The muscles in his jaw flexed. “Oh, really?”

  “Oh, really. I have it covered. Regardless, he and the rest of the team know nothing of you. No one save me knows anything of you. That was the agreement, and I honor my agreements.”

  “True…” a hand rose to knead at his chin “…you are the sole link to me.”

  She tsked him reproachfully. “If you try to kill me, you will not succeed.”

  “Oh, I’m sure. And I won’t need to try, because you are nothing if not power-hungry, and this little project of ours will bring you more power than you ever dreamed of.”

  “I can dream of a lot.”

  “And you shall have it all—so long as you make certain Palluda goes down cleanly.”

  She rolled her eyes in irritation, and this time meant it. “Marcus, who is the most dangerous, most effective, most Machiavellian criminal magnate in settled space?”

  “That would be you, my dear.”

  “Correct. Don’t question my methods, don’t question my judgment—and most of all don’t question my competency—and we will continue to get along just fine.”

  His chin dipped in acquiescence. “I have been properly chastised. We’ll talk again after Atlantis.”

  ATLANTIS

  INDEPENDENT COLONY

  * * *

  Jaron Nythal stepped out onto the rooftop landing pad and felt a smile grow on his lips. A warm breeze, salty air and bright yellow sun welcomed him like the arms of a beautiful woman. He was going to enjoy this trip.

  He pulled his jacket off, draped it over a shoulder and strolled across the pad toward the railing at the edge o
f the roof while the rest of the Senecan delegation disembarked and saw to the luggage and cargo. Until the Director arrived on Sunday evening he was in charge of the delegation, which meant someone else would get his luggage to his room.

  He rolled his shoulders to work out the kinks. The transport was fast and secure, but it was still a government vessel and nineteen hours was a long time.

  His smile only widened as he reached the edge and the splendor of Atlantis spread out beneath him. A tiny planet covered wholly in water, it should have lain unnoticed and undeveloped. But the pleasant temperatures and calm weather of its equatorial region had caught the eye and imagination of a developer tycoon who found himself idle after many successful ventures and with money to burn.

  The outcome was a fantasy retreat unlike any other in settled space. Winding pathways suspended a mere two meters over the crystal blue water connected islands of condos, gardens, golf courses and beaches. Only small shuttles and personal vehicles were allowed in the airspace stretching four hundred meters above the waters to allow for a variety of recreational activities, from sky gliding to paracruises and wave skimming.

  Casinos, pleasure houses and vacation resorts competed with—or was it complemented?—state-of-the-art conference and convention facilities. Taking advantage of its unaffiliated status and convenient location nearly equidistant between Earth and Seneca, within ten years of opening the first hotel Atlantis had become the most popular destination in the galaxy for both corporate and government conventions.

  The breeze began to wash away the grime of travel; he rolled his sleeves above his elbows to hasten the effect. He intended to make every effort to find plenty of time around the preparations and even the Summit itself to enjoy the finer pleasures Atlantis had to offer. He already had a series of high-credit escorts lined up for the room at night—more than one on several nights—but not all of Atlantis’ offerings could be indulged in from a hotel room.