Little Piece Of Home

1

Little Piece of Home by Amelie Markik

2

Copyright 2009 by Amelie Markik All Rights Reserved. Author’s note: this e-book is not intended for sale, and is not to be used in any form to generate profit. Readers do have the author’s permission to copy and distribute it freely, or use the contents for non-profit educational purposes.

3 Another day, another planet, another surveying job dirtside in… Aprilca, the closest town to NatLife’s prospective new agriculture commune. The transport glide had left her at the station with her equipment and personal luggage. A float pallet transported everything to the hotel she’d be staying in. Loranya wandered into Gourmet, what she judged to be one of the local watering holes. Its rustic appearance didn’t really live up to the name, but welcomed locals and visitors alike. A few looks were aimed her way but not many; they had off-planet travel here, but not so much that she was totally uninteresting. Most of the locals wore worksuits, being accustomed to the local clime. Lora wore a bio-suit and bio-boots. Their embedded sensors helped to regulate her body, allowing it to adapt more readily to the environment. She ordered a midday meal and settled down at a central table to eat and catch whatever gossip she could. Getting a feel for the community would help her determine whether a NatLife commune would fit here. This wasn’t a rich area. Their exports weren’t anything unique or lavish – just solid goods that kept the universe running. The buildings and people reflected that. Both had that sturdy, hard-working façade. Even the food was indicative of the planet’s economic situation. It was distinctively seasoned and cooked by hand. The newer food generators were great but expensive. And they all zapped out the same food. One restaurant using them tasted the same as the next. Only now were customizable food gens hitting the market for those with the credits to burn. By the time she was half through with her meal, she’d figured out two things from the surrounding gossip: Accordance Manufacturing and OuterEdge Inc. were the biggest employers around, and she didn’t want to get between them. Bitter rivalry wasn’t even close to describing the situation. OuterEdge owned the land she was interested in. Her next stop was their offices to get a guide to show her around and answer her questions. On her way out of the eatery though, she stopped at the table of a man who’d been sitting alone the entire time she’d been there. Hunched over his drink, he had ‘down on my luck’ written all over him. Yet he was clean-cut, neat and sober. He’d shaken his head at all the stories that had stretched her belief. But he hadn’t said a word himself to refute them. She was curious. “Hitting the hard stuff early, aren’t you?” she teased from her position at his elbow. He gave a half laugh at her mention of the opaque pale yellow drink he’d been nursing. It was universally recognized as the favored beverage of kids with sweet cravings everywhere. Lora couldn’t drink the stuff anymore herself. Now it seemed too sweet, but she remembered hoarding the stuff with her best friend Lindley when they were tykes. “How’s it working out for you?” He eyed the drink. “I’m finding it surprisingly soothing, although not quite as I remembered it.” He smiled, light brown eyes laughing in an otherwise worried face. “I needed the liquid courage before going to my cousin for help. It reminds me of him, actually.” “Sweet?” “Hah. Not in the least. I was thinking ‘difficult to swallow but good for you.’” “Nice.”

4 “Yes, he can be.” “I need to go to the OuterEdge offices. Could you tell me how to get there?” His eyes shuttered and his mouth took on a new tightness. “OE Corporate or one of their branch offices?” “Corporate I guess. I’m supposed to ask for a Ms. Ratterly.” He nodded. “That’d be corporate. Left out of here, then about three blocks down, turn right on River Street. River goes right up to the entrance.” “You seem to be very familiar with OE.” “Used to work there,” he said with a bitter smile. “Much obliged Mr.-“ “Just Hermio will do.” “Thank you then, Hermio. If I need to get a transport to head out into the surrounding country, where’s the best place to do that?” Now he sat back in his seat, concern in his dipped brows. “The area roundabouts isn’t exactly friendly to newcomers. You’d best be going with someone who knows the land. And they should be providing the transpo.” She nodded. “I’ll make sure I do that then.” She always took the locals’ advice on things like that. But she’d verify it with others first. Hermio seemed decent, but a few minutes of conversation wasn’t enough to base her safety on. “Thanks for the advice, and enjoy your drink.” “Thank you, ma’am,” he replied, tipping his glass. When she was almost out Gourmet’s door, she turned around. “You might try Wonder Wafers. They were even better than I remembered.” His eyes crinkled in a smile. “I hadn’t thought of those in years. Might just have to wander down to the store and see if there’s any in stock.” *** The OE corporate office was right where Hermio had said it would be. It was also imposing and ostentatious, and apparently far too busy for the likes of a mere terraanalyst. She was in and out in under a mark, with instructions to come back the next day and perhaps someone would have time to escort her about. “But don’t go out alone,” the brisk Ms. Ratterly had cautioned her sternly. “It’s just not safe for the ignorant.” Lora hadn’t taken offense. “What if I find a local who can take me? I’d like to get started right away. Then I can come to you with questions as needed.” Ms. Ratterly’s mouth pinched in. “I suppose that would be acceptable, but don’t think that we’ll be picking up that cost. It’s your own choice not to wait on us.” “Not to worry. I’ll take care of it,” Lora had assured her. So here she was, back at Gourmet. She stopped at Hermio’s table and noticed that he was almost done with his kiddie drink. “You interested in playing tour guide?” she asked without preamble. He raised a brown eyebrow. “Where to?” She pulled up the map on her Personal Computerized Unit and showed him her destination. “I’m a terra-analyst for NatLife. We’re looking into purchasing this land from OE for our next project.” He tilted her PCU for a better look. “Crops?”

5 “And any natural product that can be cultivated, gathered, dug up or processed. OE doesn’t have someone to send with me right now. But I want to get out there. You game?” She named a figure she was willing to pay him. “Listen, Miss-“ “Lora Quan.” “Right. Miss Quan, I could certainly show you around and keep you safe, but I’m probably not a person you should be associating with.” She cocked her head to the side. “Why is that?” He sighed and took a sip of his drink. “OE and I didn’t part ways amicably. They accused me of corporate espionage.” “Did you do it?” “No,” he said in a terse voice. “That’s good to know.” “You’re going to believe me, just like that?” She shrugged. “I’ve got good people instincts.” He blinked a couple of times, not sure what to say to that. “Regardless,” he said, shaking his head, “no one will believe that I’m neutral in this matter.” “So you’ll have my best interests at heart. What’s the problem?” “It could cause problems for you, that’s what.” She shrugged. “Let me worry about that. How long do you need to get ready and does your transport have room for about three quads of equipment?” “It’s your job,” he acquiesced with a grunt and pushed to his feet. “Let’s go get your gear and then head to my place. I need to let my wife know where I’m going and get suited up. We’ll be knee-deep in taura bulb muck within two marks.” She smiled. “Perfect.” *** Hermio rented rooms in a mid-range complex not far from OE. It was smallish, but neat and tidy. A baby’s distressed wails greeted them when the door unsealed and slid open. “Darla, I’ve got company.” Hermio called out above the racket. He turned to Lora. “Sorry about the noise. Sheesa’s been fussy lately.” Lora shrugged. “Not a problem.” An elegant but frazzled looking woman with dark hair emerged from down a hallway. The baby continued to cry in a back room. “Hermio! Can you do anything with her? She’s so upset but I can’t calm her down, and it’s breaking my heart.” She wedged her fingers into her hair. “Plus it’s driving me crazy! Please, please try something. Anything.” She shot an apologetic glance at Lora. Hermio nodded shortly and disappeared past the woman. The sound volume lessened fractionally a few moments later, but continued unabated. The woman dropped onto a lounge float and flung one arm over her eyes. Her voice emerged a bit muffled. “It seems like forever that she’s been fussy like this. I’d blame it on OE if I could, but honestly, it started before they tossed Hermio out.” Then she sat up straight, brown eyes wide. “Er, you’re not with OE, are you?” “No,” Lora assured her with a smile. “I’m with NatLife, here to look into purchasing land from OE. Hermio agreed to show me around the site.”

6 “Oh! That’s good. It’ll be nice for him to get out of here. All day long, he’s trying to find a job, and no one will hire him what with the blow up at OE. He could use a change in pace, I’m sure. And he’s very knowledgeable about the surrounding areas. Went out on location a lot for OE when he worked there. He’s good with the locals and the workers.” Her last words were almost drowned out by the arrival of the fractious baby. The squalling beastie thrashed in her father’s arms, legs and hands flailing. Her red face scrunched up with each unhappy yell. It was only when a leg flashed out of the blanket covering that Lora saw her skin tone clearly. The red face didn’t count. The rest of the child’s skin was a pale orangey-pink. “She’s Andiri!” Lora blurted and then wanted to kick herself. Hermio nodded after a beat of silence and then spoke loudly. “Oh. Yes. Her skin will probably darken to my coloring when she gets older. Right now, she definitely has the laska skin though. Darla and I are both common-stock Andiri.” His head tilted to the side. “You’re familiar with Andiri?” What to say? Lora thought. Stick to the truth as much as possible. “I have some Andiri blood in my background.” Like a whole lot of it. “Have you been giving… ah Sheesa, any confri herbs?” Both parents looked at each other and frowned. “No. Why? I remember having food seasoned with that when I was a child, but we don’t keep any in the house. I haven’t had any in years, in fact. It doesn’t really have much taste,” Hermio noted. Darla agreed. “Once I got out on my own, I bought some, but it didn’t change the flavor of any of the dishes I used it on, so I stopped using it.” “It’s not used for the flavor,” Lora said, digging through one of her bags. Near the bottom, she found the little canister. “Everyone on Andiri uses it, but until they have kids of their own, most people never find out why. It’s linked to our increased mind abilities.” She looked at the screaming child. “Is she eating solid food yet?” “Yes. I was going to try feeding her soon. Sometimes when she’s like this she won’t eat though.” “Well, let’s try now regardless. Sprinkle some of this on her food, about as much as if you were seasoning it liberally. If you overdo it, it won’t harm her.” Darla took the canister but looked worried. “What does this confri stuff do?” “Andiri minds develop continuously and very quickly, so it’s a strain on everything involved – nerves, tissues, individual cells. The confri herbs soothe and minimize the painful side effects. The brain is still developing, but our bodies cope with that development better. It doesn’t affect mood, sleep patterns, appetite or anything else, except via the fact that the user won’t be in a high degree of pain, so they’ll level out. I’ve never heard of any Andiri having adverse reactions to it.” When the couple still looked doubtful, afraid to hope, Lora asked, “Do either of you have parents nearby you could confirm this with?” “All our relatives are back on Andiri or even further away. It would take days to get a response.” Lora shrugged. “I’ll leave this here with you and when you’ve talked to them, you’ll have it on-hand.” “Please wait,” Darla said and grabbed her own PCU from the counter. Her fingers flew over it and she studied the screen. She pulled up more data and read again. Finally, she dropped it into a pocket and turned to Hermio. Pitching her voice over the screaming,

7 she said, “According to the med-base, confri herbs have no adverse side-effects, and it’s noted that they’re universally used by native Andiri, but no reason is given as to why.” She looked at Lora, then at the bawling Sheesa and finally back to Hermio. “If it won’t hurt her, we could at least try it, don’t you think?” “A light dusting on her food,” Hermio agreed. “We had it ourselves when we were kids. It should be okay.” Darla nodded and darted off to the kitchen, canister in hand. “I’ll try it on myself first.” She came back and took the baby from Hermio. “You go ahead and get ready to go. Let this stuff have some time to go to work on me. Once you’re done, we’ll try feeding her.” Hermio nodded and disappeared into the back rooms. Darla and Lora didn’t even try to converse over the baby’s cries while he was gone. Lora sat down with her PCU, looked back over the map of the region, and plotted out her plan for the survey site. After a bit, Hermio returned with a knapsack and rugged clothing. They swapped the baby and Darla headed for the kitchen. When she returned, she had a bowl filled with lumpy brown stuff. Hermio sat down in a float chair and held Sheesa upright in his arms. Darla tied a bib around the infant’s neck and spooned the first bite into the gaping maw. The little one wanted nothing to do with it at first, but finally managed to swallow a few bites in between cries. “Tell her that this will make the pain go away,” Lora said. Darla grimaced. “Our mental connection isn’t that strong,” she said, referring to the mind-to-mind contact all Andiri had with blood relatives. “And her mental voice is so pained, she’s not really listening.” She continued to fight the food into the baby’s mouth. Eventually it got easier. The child’s outbursts lessened to whimpers and then fell silent entirely. When she was full, she slumped back in her father’s arms and was asleep before her mother had returned from carrying the bowl to the kitchen. Darla and Hermio stared at their child in amazement and then at Lora. “I can’t believe it! It didn’t just put her to sleep, did it?” “Oh, no. She probably just hasn’t been sleeping well lately due to the discomfort. Her body might have simply needed the rest badly.” “Hers isn’t the only one!” Darla exclaimed. She cleaned the baby’s face and swept her back to one of the other rooms. “Okay,” she said, all business when she got back. “Get out of here. I’ve got a mountain of stuff to do now that she’s calmed down. Lora, I can’t thank you enough.” Lora smiled. “Don’t worry about it. I’m just glad I was here to help. We’ll make ourselves scarce now.” Hermio leaned down and kissed his wife, pulling her close in a tight hug. “The first thing you need to get done is a nap. You’ve hardly slept at all lately. Rest up and when I get back we’ll take care of the other stuff together.” They exchanged a soft smile and Lora turned away. It had been years since anyone had looked at her that way. And even then it was just her brother – the only person in the universe who seemed to love her. What would it be like to feel that connected to another person? She slipped out the door to wait and give them some privacy. When Hermio emerged he a had a soft glow about him.

8 Hermio’s float was a heavy, battered thing with more exposed metal than paint. It bristled with weapons after Hermio finished rigging it out for a trip to the unsettled areas. In addition, it had a rumble on acceleration so deep it echoed through her bones. It settled out soon enough, but the memory of that sound lingered in her ears. “So why do they think you’re on the take from… Accordance Manufacturing, I assume?” she asked. “Yeah. Accordance.” He shrugged. “I had access to the data. They have witnesses who put me at a meeting site with Accordance execs and accepting a credit chip from them.” “And you’ve got no alibi?” He gave a bitter laugh. “That’s what’s jacked up about this whole thing. I don’t remember. There’s a span of about a day cycle that I have no memory of.” She frowned. “Explain.” He heaved out a big breath. “Darla and the baby were back on Andiri visiting – you know, showing off the new baby. I was supposed to follow them after a fiver, stay for another fiver and then we’d all come back together. They’d be gone for just over a tenday, total. But I got sick with… something. I’m not sure what. I’ve never been that sick in my life. I drank whatever I could get from the mini bev gen near our sleep pallet. Didn’t eat for about three days and don’t remember much of anything except a burning fever and never-ending thirst.” She was quiet for a bit. “Do you think you were drugged?” “I don’t see how. I went to a med unit as soon as I was able to and had tests run. Nothing unusual showed up. Of course, they couldn’t figure out what I had either.” “Huh. So maybe the real culprit just took advantage of your situation?” “It’s possible, I guess. That’s an awful lot of coincidences though.” “True. It just seems so odd. I’m guessing that they’re not bringing you up on charges, they just wanted you gone?” “Right. I haven’t found any way to prove my innocence, and now of course, no one will hire me. Not even Accordance, who I was supposedly helping under the table” he said with a mocking smile. Lora shook her head. They arrived at their destination. It was undeveloped and covered a nice mix of land. She got samples, took readings and jotted down notes as they quartered the area. NatLife had the resources to set up a new commune just about anywhere, regardless of weather, temperature, precipitation or toxicity. But unless there were exterior motives for building in a certain place, they targeted regions that met certain minimum criteria. This sector outside Aprilca was thus far passing with flying colors. Lora had felt good about this one from her first glimpse of it. Back in her previous life – before running away to this – she’d been trained to care for the land and its people. She could look at a crop and determine its health, see the lay of the land and predict whether people could settle there and how they’d fare. That training had come in handy as a terra-analyst, and yet every time she utilized it, she thought of home and her failures there. She thought of what she’d left behind and how you could miss a home you’d never fit in. It was reminiscences of home that occupied her mind when a series of harsh hacking barks broke through her concentration. She looked around and saw that she and Hermio had wandered in different directions. In between them was a pack of native creatures she had no name for.

9 What she could vouch for was that they had very sharp teeth dripping with saliva, rage filled red-purple eyes, six legs, a stubby neck, and a chilling bark. The pack of seven also varied widely in size. Two were squat and low to the ground, one was long and narrow, and three were larger and heavily muscled. The last one – it was a giant. It was also focused entirely on her. “Hermio, a little advice here?” she called. At least the creatures made no reaction to her voice. “Aim for their bellies. That’s the only part of the fenlock’s skin that’s somewhat soft. And don’t run.” “Right. Fenlocks.” She’d never heard of them. “Laser pistols or blades?” “Anything that works. They’re not venomous, so you can go hand-to-hand with them. If you want to.” She snorted. With those teeth and claws? No thanks. She drew her laser pistol and held a plas-blade in the other hand. Best to be prepared for any eventuality. She didn’t glance away to see what Hermio was doing but she heard him drawing some kind of hardware. “What kind of training do you have?” he asked as the creatures split and started stalking towards them. “Defensive.” Pretty much entirely. Hopefully she hadn’t forgotten all her training. “I should be able to keep myself from being munched, but I’m not confident of anything beyond that.” And then there was no more time for talk. Only the big fellow and one other fenlock came towards her. The rest moved en masse towards Hermio. She quickly found that there was a problem with her companion’s advice to aim for their tender bellies. Their bellies were facing the ground. Right up until they rose to lunge at her. The little one struck first. Lora fired off a shot with her laser pistol, but it only served as a weak distraction. The beam struck its scaly hide and was immediately diffused. Nice trick. When it kept coming, she turned to the side, bringing her blade to the fore. The whirring noise her plas-blade made as it cut through the air had the creature jerking back slightly. Her swipe missed it entirely. But with it reared up, she was able to target its belly. The blast from the pistol landed dead center, and actually penetrated this time, albeit slowly. The fenlock collapsed to the ground with a piteous never-ending howl. Its innards spilled to the ground and its back legs twitching uselessly. The big one stopped to sniff at the fallen one. With one massive foot it crushed the other one’s skull; the sudden silence was shocking. Then it turned towards Lora, the purple in its eyes taking on a swirling rage. A quick glance showed that Hermio had two down, and the other three were circling him warily. He must have taught them some fear. She just had to stay alive a bit longer. Couldn’t let this behemoth get too close. Maybe what had worked by accident with the little one could be used as a tactic with this one. She revved the plas-blade and cut the air experimentally a few times. The noise certainly annoyed the creature, but it twitched back instead of rearing up. More distance between it and her was good too though.

10 That extra bit of distance was all that saved her. When it moved, it moved. The speed of it was shocking; such a big creature should move like it had spikes holding its feet to the ground. She spun out of the way and felt claws slice her side, clean through her biosuit. Perfect. An infection was just what she needed. If she lived. She stumbled and lost sight of the fenlock while she foundered. A hard knock sent her sprawling. Her plas-blade winked out. Dirt clogged her nose and invaded her lungs. She tasted blood, dirt and fear. But she had to get up - get moving. Shuffling sounds approached from behind, picking up speed. Lora glanced over her shoulder. Two of the behemoths were charging right for her. But no, they merged back into one. She shook her head and blinked several times. Yes. Just one. She was sure of it. Pretty much. He was too close. No time to get up and run. At his speed, he’d overtake her before she got a few steps. She could roll out of the way, but he was so massive that rolling far enough to evade all of him was unlikely. Her mind had sped up, calculating speed and trajectory, plotting out escape scenarios only to discard them again. One chance. That was all she had. Her trainers would faint if they saw this. Defensive it was not. She flipped to her back and his immediate adjustment made her glad she hadn’t tried rolling out of his way. He leapt when only a body length separated them. Simultaneously, she fired repeatedly into his exposed belly and extended her legs, catching him in mid-leap and flinging him over her head. The gash in her side screamed a complaint. His blood and stringy splatters of… something… rained down on her. Lunging to her feet immediately, she spun, plas-blade active again and laser pistol recharged. He twitched twice and died. Two deep gulping breaths and a swipe across her face with one sleeve was all she allowed herself. Hermio was holding his own but tiring. One of the fenlocks was limping, and she had no idea how he’d accomplished that. Unfortunately, she wasn’t in any shape to run over there and help him. But her brain had stumbled on something that might help. She could at least get them off him. She sprinted as quickly as she could for his float. All-Being bless the man - he’d left the float active but in a holding mode. She jumped into the pilot’s seat and clicked over to manual drive, heading for the tussle. When she got closer, she revved it. As she’d hoped, that low, reverberating hum aggravated the fenlocks. The wounded one broke off almost immediately and set out for a distant stand of trees. The other two pressed Hermio once more, darting in and snapping before dodging away from his weapons. Finally, the noise became too much for them. They lowered themselves and hunched in before taking off. Lora let out a shout of exaltation. She turned to see Hermio shouting and waving his arms but couldn’t hear him over the rumble of the float. He didn’t look happy though. Clumsy fingers eased the engine back down to idle and she returned her attention to him. “No! No! Go after them! Gotta catch ‘em!” he was shouting. “Why?” “They’ll lead others back here. Maybe two dozen. This was a scouting party.” “Scorch it!” she muttered under her breath and revved the float again. Swinging it wide, she pushed the ancient machine for all it was worth. It seemed to take forever and

11 got her much too close to those trees for comfort, but she swung in from the side and turned all three fenlocks back towards Hermio. He was waiting for them. By that time they were tired and panicked. Easy pickings. As the last fenlock dropped to the ground, Lora put the float into holding mode. Hermio hunched over, gasping for breath. Everything else was suddenly silent. Or at least it seemed that way to Lora. “Scorched barrens,” she said softly, amazement in her voice. Surveys weren’t usually this exciting. “This kind of thing happen often here?” If so, she might have to rethink Aprilca’s suitability. Full-time soldiers to defend a commune were not an attractive prospect. “Not in populated areas,” Hermio assured her between breaths. “They only attacked us because we were alone. Too tempting to ignore. Once there’s more activity here they’ll stay away.” “Good.” “They’re not the biggest worry though.” “Of course it couldn’t be that easy.” “But everything else can be dealt with given the proper precautions. Any local will be able to advise you on them. I’ll make a list for you after we get back.” “Much appreciated.” “No problem.” He looked around at the surrounding area while she treated the fenlock gouges with a med seal kit. His gaze fixed on the steep hills to the west. “What are the boundaries of the area you’re interested in? Does it reach to that range?” “To the foot of it.” “Nat-Life does some mining operations, doesn’t it?” “Sure. Like I said when we first talked, any natural product that can be cultivated, gathered, dug up or processed.” “Are you familiar with the tantrial metal this planet sometimes produces?” “Sure. It’s very strong and used in spaceports because of its ability to withstand pressure once it’s been forged and treated.” “Do you know how it’s formed?” “Most often it’s found in chigstone, very deep underground. It requires intense pressure.” “Exactly. That ridge up there – directly west of us is chigstone. You can tell by the slight reddish tinge. On either side are formations containing mostly warian – incredibly dense stuff. Now, I was intrigued by the possibility of tantrial in there, but OE wasn’t interested in throwing money away on digging down deep enough to try to pull any up. They don’t really have the resources, it’s a fool’s errand, and so on, is what I got told. Natlife might be in a different situation, and I’ve done a bit more research since I mentioned it to OE. That section of chigstone is condensing. I’ve looked back at maps from when settlers first came to this planet and started mapping it. It’s definitely shrinking, and my guess is that the land is being pushed. The warian is somewhat resistant to the pressure but the chigstone isn’t up to the task. It’s giving and the two sections of warian on either side are crushing it between them.” “Which means extreme pressure.” He smiled like a teacher at a prized student. “It’s possible that digging down deep isn’t necessary to find tantrial in that ridgeline.”

12 Lora looked up the particulars of the rock types and raw ore on her PCU and ran computations in her head. It was possible. Definitely possible. And what a bonus that would be. “Let’s go check it out. I’ll need to get some samples of the area and create some more detailed maps involving depth sensoring.” Hermio gave a jaunty nod and they set off after Lora repacked her med-kit. After two day-cycles of working with Hermio, Lora was satisfied with her surveys and with her reading of him. He deserved a break. And even though no one else knew who she was, she felt duty-bound to help Hermio and his family, shifted from their homeland though they were. She could help him and NatLife at the same time. If it worked out and if he agreed. Once the data from NatLife’s investigative firm came through and she received the necessary approvals from her superiors, she zapped a series of forms through to Hermio’s PCU. Then she leaned back on her lounge float to wait, favoring the fenlock-sliced side. It was still a bit tender but healing well. One – two – three… She’d only just reached twenty when her PCU pinged and Hermio’s anxious face filled the screen. “Is this a joke?” He asked tersely. She smiled, delighted to see the hope now mixed into his expression. It was the first she’d seen of it since she’d known him. “Not a joke at all. As the documentation states, provided that we obtain the land in question from OE, the position of Aprilca Commune Manager will be yours if you want it. The NatLife folks were impressed with your work record, my reports of your competence, and the fact that you understand the local area.” “And were they impressed with my expertise in corporate espionage also?” he asked with a bite to his voice. “That was a bit of a concern, but they couldn’t find any evidence of payoffs or unreasonable amounts of credits stashed anywhere, and they’re willing to employ you in this capacity given some oversight - keeping a closer eye on you than they normally would.” “So I’ll be under scorched surveillance.” The anger was growing. “And they won’t find anything suspicious, eventually get tired of watching, and that’ll be behind you.” She spoke firmly, as if it were a forgone conclusion. “If we don’t obtain this land from OE, you’ll be employed elsewhere in a similar capacity for NatLife, as long as you and Darla don’t mind relocating.” He waved that aside. “Won’t be a problem. Here or there, we’re not partial.” He took a few deep breaths, and eyed her steadily. “You’re completely serious. You’re taking a chance on me. And don’t think I don’t know what that means. If I jack this up, it’s a blight on your name also.” “You’re worthy of it. Besides, we Andiri need to stick together. You and Darla look through the contracts. I’ll come over tomorrow morning and answer any questions you might have. I’d like your status resolved before I go to make NatLife’s offer for the land to OE.” He nodded. “Thank you,” and signed off. ***

13 Lora met with Gunther Edgewort, the head honcho of OuterEdge, and at least three underlings late the next afternoon. For this meeting, she wore her business gear – a NatLife bio-suit in pristine condition with insignias indicating her position in the company and qualifications. She had the authority to make decisions and negotiate for the company with no one looking over her shoulder, and the badges on her suit illustrated that. Over drinks provided by the food gen, they itemized the land in question and the price. Lora had added the chigstone ridge to her proposal. If no tantrial was found, they could probably find some other use for it. The OE execs didn’t balk at its addition at all, and even seemed rather confused as to why she’d want that area. So none of these individuals were the ones Hermio had mentioned his suspicions to. The agreement was reached and signed off on in short order. Mission accomplished. Time to head home. Lora didn’t move. Technically, she was done. She’d even gotten a manager for the commune, something not normally under her purview. But her conscience twinged. There was more she could attempt to do. She’d already set an investigator to looking for evidence of Hermio’s innocence. The sense of obligation wouldn’t let up. Hermio was one of her people, and she still felt the need to care for the Andiri. She could try to make his interactions with OE easier. She’d shaken hands with everyone and only one person other than herself and Gunther remained in the room. She turned to Gunther. “You’ll need to work with the NatLife Commune Manager here,” she said in opening. He smiled his confident businessman’s smile, but it struck her as genuine also. “Not a problem. I’d be happy to help him or her get oriented here in Aprilca as well. I would imagine that we’ll see each other frequently.” “He’s a former OE employee.” “Oh, really? Do I know him?” “Hermio Shurkev.” Gunther looked thoughtful for less than a heartbeat. “Ah! Yes, Hermio. The man who handled that glass blasting fiasco for us some time ago. Good man. Good instincts. I hadn’t realized he’d left us. That’s a shame, although good for him, obtaining this position. I’m sure he’ll make the most of the opportunity with NatLife. And I’ll have no difficulties working with him.” Lora’s brows lowered. This made no sense. “You fired him for the suspected selling of company data to your competitors.” “We did?” Now he looked troubled. “Goodness. I wouldn’t have thought that of him. Admittedly, I only met him once, but he seemed solid. I even passed the word down to keep an eye on him for advancement.” Her instincts nudged her. She’d grown up amidst infighting and maneuvering, had waded through political schemes shortly after learning to walk. This whole situation was starting to reek of the very manipulations that had sent her from her home. Lora held up a hand, pulled out her PCU and connected to Hermio. She turned up the audio so Gunther could hear, but turned the unit so Hermio wouldn’t see the man she was with. He answered and she started in immediately. “Hermo, didn’t you tell me that your termination letter came from Edgewort’s office?”

14 “Yeah. Had the big man’s own seal on it.” Gunther frowned and shook his head. “Can you send that notice to me?” He looked confused, but complied. “Sending it now.” She was about to sign off when she thought of something else. “Did it simply get sent to you or did someone meet with you in person?” His snort conveyed his opinion clearly. “Winters, my manager, if you can call him that. All he managed really was his own career. He came to the house, gave me the notice and told me not to step foot in OE offices ever again. By the end of the day, my office had been cleaned out and all my personal effects delivered here.” “Thanks. I’ll be in touch.” She disconnected and keyed up the termination notice, glancing over it herself before passing it on to Gunther. He studied it even more closely. “That’s my seal, but I didn’t authorize this, and my seal doesn’t get put on anything I haven’t set eyes on. It’s not like my secretary has it and slaps it on everything that crosses his desk.” “Indeed not, sir.” The one man still in the room with them spoke up. He looked troubled himself. “Shall I look into this? I don’t remember an espionage termination being raised for your attention either.” Gunther lifted troubled gray eyes to hers. “You think something underhanded happened here, don’t you?” “My reading of Hermio was virtually identical to your initial take on him. He’s a good, solid man. When NatLife investigated him before offering him the Aprilca CM job, they couldn’t find anything suspicious on him. I think he’s too loyal to be bought off by your competitors. So, yes. I think he was set up.” She laid out the situation for him with Hermio’s family’s trip and his illness while they were gone. “It’s all very suspicious, but I just don’t think he has it in him. He’ll have the job at NatLife, so his family will be okay and eventually, this won’t be as big a smear on his reputation, but I don’t like seeing an innocent man accused of something he didn’t do.” “Neither do I. And I especially don’t like being used to accomplish it. Regardless of Hermio’s guilt, it seems we also have an internal problem with unauthorized use of my seal. We will investigate.” He nodded to the other man who immediately hurried out after a quick deferential nod to Lora. “We’ll keep you informed.” “I’ve already set one of our NatLife investigators to gathering data on the situation. If he discovers anything via the directions I’ve given him, I’ll relay that information to you immediately.” “Excellent. Coordinated efforts are always most useful.” Lora had informed her investigator that Hermio’s housing unit security should record body signatures. It wasn’t something advertised by the system, but law enforcement and rescue personal were aware of it – mainly for ensuring that everyone was out of the building in times of danger or in the tracking of criminals. She was uncertain how far in the past it retained records however. The food gen was another source of data; it might have a log of beverages dispensed. If Hermio got a drink while his meeting was supposedly happening, that would be a good indicator that he was still in his apartment. Tracking the credit chip was possible but time consuming. Finally, the doctor Hermio went to with his ailment should have records. She wanted a NatLife physician to go over

15 those and make his own determination. Hopefully the investigator would get some hard facts soon and Gunther would track down the real traitor on his end. *** Lora went straight to Hermio’s to tell them the news. He and Darla simply stared at her for a time. “Edgewort didn’t know anything about it?” he pressed. “Not a scorched thing.” “So someone might have set me up.” “Exactly.” “If that’s the case, what happens then?” Lora frowned. “What do you mean? You get cleared of espionage charges.” “But would I still be employed by OE or can I keep the NatLife job?” “Oh, we’re keeping you, if you’re in favor of it. But I suppose if you want your old job back, OE would surely take you back, provided that they can prove your innocence. Edgewort had apparently already tagged you for a promotion when one came available.” Hermio lifted both eyebrows. “Huh. That’s news to me. And no, I definitely don’t want to go back to working under Winters. I’m keeping the NatLife job as long as it’s on the table.” *** A ten-day later, Hermio was cleared of all charges, development was beginning on NatLife’s Aprilca agri-business and his cousin Jorand landed on his doorstep. “Tell me everything that happened,” Jorand demanded in his no-nonsense voice. Hermio smiled and humored him. Jorand was good people but he had few social skills. With his stark brown eyes, unrelieved brown hair, and tanned skin, no one would think he was Andiri. Like Hermio himself and Darla, he had none of the laska coloring the nobles shared. Their family was all common stock. But Jorand was changing their financial status. From scrounging food out of dispo-units, now he was building a hotel empire. The truth was, if Hermio had confessed his situation to Jorand in the first place, his cousin probably would have been on the first jump ship here to get him out of trouble. But it was only after the fact that Hermio had notified him. So now he was here to make sure all the pieces of Hermio’s life were back in place. After the story was completely relayed, sprinkled as it was with Sheesa’s demands to be played with, Jorand sat back with the baby on his lap. Hermio had no idea how younglings always knew that Jorand was a soft-touch. He looked stern and forbidding, but get a little one within a block of him, and the child was invariably crawling into his lap. They didn’t seem to care that he never smiled much, cooed at them, or played baby games with their appendages. They just wanted to be with him. “So she found you drowning your sorrows, hired you to take her out to survey the site, almost died out there because her combat strengths were mostly defensive, gave you a job with her company and then got you proven innocent? Have I got that right?” “Affirmative.” Jorand’s eyes were lit up with what Hermio would call excitement in someone who actually experienced the emotion. “You sent this one still of the three of you with her.” He flipped his PCU around to show the picture Hermio had indeed sent to his cousin of his ‘savior’. “Do you have any others of her?” Hermio frowned. Jorand was acting very out of character. “Why do you want them?”

16 Jorand visibly tamped down his impatience. “I have my reasons. Once you show me any other stills and I’ve made sure I’m right, I’ll tell you.” Hermio shrugged and nodded to Darla. She slipped from the room and came back with two framed holo stills – one of Lora playing on the floor with Sheesa and one of her out at the survey site, crouched on a rock and looking at something only she could see off in the distance. “We hung the one of her and Sheesa in the baby’s room. Sheesa coos at it every night before falling asleep.” Jorand studied them closely, his dark eyes tracing over Lora’s delicate features. “I need all the stills you have. Send them to my PCU.” Sheesa laughed when she saw the still of her and Lora. She flapped her arms around and babbled. Jorand caught one chubby fist and brought it to his mouth for an absent-minded kiss. “Yes, I know, precious. She is wonderful, isn’t she?” He sat there for a time, just studying the stills. “I don’t know how she did it. Must be surgery, but that’s her. I know it is.” “Her who?” Hermio asked. Darla looked just as confused. Jorand gave one of his rare full smiles – the kind Hermio had seen only a half dozen times in his entire life. Darla looked dazed. “Your Lora Quan, one terra-analyst for NatLife, is actually Loranya Vershtul Quandirr, heir-inherit to the Andiri throne.” “No,” Hermio said automatically, but he was thinking back over every interaction with her. Jorand didn’t know how to joke. If he said it, he was serious. “Yes. She disappeared years ago. But you know how obsessed my mother was with her. I’ve been looking at stills of this woman every time I go to visit Ma-mani. Now somehow, she’s dulled out her skin, hair and eyes. But it’s her.” “She did say she had some Andiri blood.” “And the defensive combat – typical training for royals. They aren’t supposed to get into fights or get themselves out, just stay alive long enough for their guards to rescue them.” “I had the heir-inherit babysit my daughter so I could have dinner and sex with my husband?” Darla asked weakly. “All-Being preserve me.” Hermio smirked. “I told you it was royally good sex.” He was staring at an old still on his PCU of the heir-inherit before she’d fled. “Scorch it, Jorand. I think you’re right. It is her. Take away all the laska coloring, add a couple of years and it’s a match.” They fell silent. “So what do we do about it?” Jorand raised one dark eyebrow. “Do about it? Nothing. I don’t want to draw any attention to her. She’s in hiding for a reason. Besides, no doubt she has something in place to notify her if anyone starts investigating or showing too much interest in this persona she’s adopted. She’ll come back to Andiri when the time is right.” “What if she doesn’t ever plan to come back?” Jorand shook his head. “She can’t not come back. She’s our caretaker. It’s who she is in her soul. Look at how she watched over you. If we need her, she’ll return. For now, let her keep this life she’s made. But tell her that she’s welcome in any of my hotels as thanks for the help she rendered you. And I do want…” “I know - any stills we have of her. Have you considered that your mother is not the only obsessed one?”