Heart of the Nebula Read online

  “Six,” he counted, pointing his pistol at the door. “Seven—”

  “Don’t shoot, don’t shoot!” came a young girl’s voice from inside. “I-I’m coming!”

  “Who is that?” Sara asked, softly enough for her voice not to carry. James motioned for her to be quiet, focusing all of his attention at the task at hand. How typically male, she thought, rolling her eyes.

  The door hissed open, revealing a ratty-looking girl in oversized pants and an old dirty shirt, her head bowed and her hands in the air. She glanced frantically from James to Sara and back again with wild, frightened eyes. Her clothes were soiled and torn, her raven-black hair knotted and unkempt. Her face and hands were filthy, covered with grease and God knew how many germs. But the worst thing about her was her smell—stars, how she stank.

  “Step out into the corridor,” said James, leveling his gun at her. She opened her mouth as if to scream, but nothing came out but a squeak.

  A stowaway, Sara realized coolly. So much for our dinner date.

  “Who are you?” James asked.

  “Kyla,” said the girl. She seemed too terrified to say anything else.

  “How did you get on the ship?”

  Silence.

  James glanced at Sara over his shoulder. “Sara, take my gun. I’m going to pat her down.”

  Before Sara could object, he handed her the pistol and stepped forward. She looked at the weapon in her hand and pointed it slightly away, hoping that it didn’t go off. Her hands started shaking, so she stiffened her arms and tried very hard to stop it.

  With uncommon deftness, James ran his hands over the stowaway’s disgusting clothes, feeling at her pockets and patting down her arms and legs. Sara did not want to think about where those clothes had been, and the fact that James was touching them made her squirm. Thankfully, the girl didn’t make it go on any longer than it had to.

  “Nothing,” he said, evidently satisfied. He brushed off his hands on his uniform and took back his pistol.

  “James, can you tell me what’s going on here?”

  “To be honest, I don’t know.” He holstered his weapon, much to Sara’s relief. “I went to use the bathroom, and found this girl sitting on the toilet. She’s obviously a stowaway of some kind, but—”

  “Don’t take me back,” the girl blurted. Her body trembled with fear, but there was a fire in her eyes that made her seem unbowed.

  “Take you back? You mean to the Colony?’

  “Yes—I mean, no,” she stammered. “Just do what you want with me, but don’t send me back to that place!”

  Well, throw her off then, Sara wanted to say. Drop her off at the nearest port, and be rid of her. She knew it was more complicated than that, but at the moment, she didn’t care.

  “Why?” James asked. “Are you a criminal? What are you running from?”

  The girl’s eyes widened even further. “I’m not a criminal! I swear, I’m not!”

  A likely story.

  “I believe you,” James said, much to Sara’s consternation. “Don’t worry—no one’s going to hurt you. We just have some questions, that’s all.”

  “Why should I trust you?” the girl snapped. Cornered, the little rat seemed ready to strike out at the both of them.

  “Because you don’t have much of a choice,” said Sara before James could give her a gentle answer. “This is not your ship—you don’t have any right to be here. Whether or not you—”

  “Sara,” said James, putting a hand on her arm. “Stand down.”

  Who are you to tell me to “stand down?” Sara wanted to say. Instead, she took a deep breath and smiled as graciously as she could manage. The way he held her with the same hand that had touched those filthy clothes, though, that was quite a challenge.

  “Lieutenant, this girl is an illegal stowaway, which makes her a criminal by default. Whether or not you agree, I think that she should be treated as one.”

  “With all due respect, this is not in your domain,” said James. “I’m the officer in charge of security on this mission, and it’s up to me to see how this girl is to be treated.”

  Hot blood rushed to Sara’s cheeks. She clenched her fists in frustration, but he was right: this wasn’t her area of authority. Though why he found it advisable to show such pity to the miserable vagabond, she didn’t know.

  “Very well, Lieutenant,” she said, taking a deep breath. “I’ll go inform the captain of this.”

  “Please do. And Sara—”

  Before he could finish, she shot him a venomous look that shut him right up. She left them both without another word.

  * * * * *

  Kyla followed the soldier at a distance, arms tightly folded as he led her deeper into the ship. They passed no one, but she still glanced over her shoulder occasionally, afraid that someone was watching, even though it hardly mattered anymore.

  “This way,” said the soldier. They entered a fantastically luxurious dining room, surrounded on all sides by magnificent windows. A crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling, while the tables that ringed the edges were all draped in pristine white tablecloths, smooth as silk. A serving bar sat at the center of the room, its panels made of polished wood. Above all else, the smell of food—real food, like fruit and bread and steamed vegetables—filled the air.

  She hesitated at the stairs leading down from the hallway. Something about this place unnerved her.

  “Well?” said the soldier. “Are you hungry or aren’t you?

  Once again, Kyla felt the urge to run away. The ship was too small for that, though—now that they knew she was here, she had no place to hide. Whether or not they put her in a cell, she was their prisoner now.

  Without a word, she followed the soldier to a table. Her eyes naturally gravitated to the view outside the window. She’d never seen so many stars in her life; they looked like shimmering glass dust spread out over black velvet. Off to her right, the delicate tendrils of a magnificent nebula glowed orange and red.

  “What would you like?” the soldier asked as she sat down across from him. She stared uncomprehending for a moment before she realized that he was asking her what she wanted to eat.

  “Beans,” she answered.

  “Beans?”

  “Yes. Without synthetics.” She couldn’t stand fake pork.

  The soldier shrugged and pressed a few keys on an access panel built into the table. A whirring noise sounded from the serving bar, followed by a low hum.

  “There,” he said. “Should be ready in a few minutes. In the meantime, do you want something to drink?”

  Kyla smacked her lips. “Water,” she said. “No—apple juice.”

  “Two glasses of apple juice, then.”

  A white spherical object rose up from the serving bar and drifted toward them, hovering in the air. Kyla yelped and shielded herself with her hands, making the soldier laugh.

  “Don’t be afraid. It’s just a serving bot.”

  The object extruded a pair of long, spindly arms, making it look like an overgrown spider. Still floating above the table, it pulled out two glasses of clear amber fluid from its tray and set them on the table.

  Kyla gingerly picked it up and smelled it. The sweet, fruity scent almost overpowered her, making her tongue water in anticipation. Still, she waited until the soldier drank from his glass before tentatively taking a sip.

  The taste of apples exploded in her mouth—real ones, not the synthetic insta-blend or the more expensive stuff from concentrate. She gulped it down as fast as she could, unable to get enough. It was heavenly.

  “Whoa, there,” said the soldier. He was too late—she’d already chugged the entire glass. Gasping for breath, she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and let out a loud belch.

  “That good, huh?”

  Her cheeks reddened, and she glared at him for making her blush.

  “Where’s the food?”

  “It’s coming, don’t worry. In the meantime, let’s talk.”

&nb
sp; He wants to fuck me, Kyla thought to herself. There was only one other time a man had fed her this well, and that was what he’d been after. Part of her was too hungry to care, but the part that still remembered crying in dark corners saw what was happening and wanted out—now.

  “I don’t owe you anything.”

  “I never said you did. I just wanted to give you a chance to eat before we figure out what to do with you.”

  She stared at him for several moments. He seemed sincere enough—certainly more than any of the other men she’d known. She didn’t know if she could trust him yet, but at least he wasn’t beating her.

  “Who are you?” she asked.

  “Ah—sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Lieutenant James McCoy, of the Civil Defense Corps.” He extended his hand, but she stared at it until he pulled it back.

  “Where is this ship going?”

  “You don’t know?”

  She shook her head.

  “We’re on a diplomatic mission to Gaia Nova. There’s an interstellar conference happening there, with representatives from several of the Hameji occupied worlds. We’re hoping to set up a council to represent our interests, which sounds kind of crazy, but my friend Lars thinks it’s crazy enough to work.”

  Her expression must have been blank, because his face fell. He glanced away for a moment before turning back to her.

  “Basically, you stowed away on the richest ship in the Colony, headed on a highly important and sensitive mission. A lot of people aren’t going to be happy when they find out you’re on board.”

  And let me guess, Kyla thought. You’re the one who’ll protect me? The only one who’ll look out for me, so long as I do what you want? No, thanks.

  “Look,” she said, “I don’t care about your mission, and I don’t care about you. All I want is to get off at the next port.”

  He frowned. “By yourself? Are you sure?”

  “I can take care of myself. I don’t need anyone like you to look after me.”

  “But you’re a citizen of the Colony, right? That’s where you were born?”

  “Yes,” she admitted.

  “Then why do you want to run away? The Colony is one of the last free and democratic societies in the inhabited universe, and as a citizen, you’re entitled to all of the rights and protections that come along with it. Why throw all that away?”

  “Because those ‘protections’ are worthless.”

  To her surprise, he actually looked like she’d hurt him. He nodded slowly and took a long breath, keeping his lips pressed tightly together. There was a sadness in his eyes that she’d never really seen in a man before. Perhaps she’d misjudged him.

  “Look, I don’t really care about any of this stuff. Just let me off at the next place we dock, and I’ll be fine.”

  “That’s the thing, though,” said James. “Technically, what you’ve done is a criminal offense, and as the ranking security officer on this ship, it’s my obligation to take you into custody and bring you back for a trial. If I let you go, it would be a direct violation of my duty.”

  Kyla scowled. So he is trying to manipulate me.

  The humming at the serving bar stopped, and the spider-like robot once again hovered toward them. It set down a platter in front of her, filled with thick, creamy bean paste. It smelled delicious, with a mind-numbing blend of spices and what looked like real tomatoes. Her stomach growled—the scent was so strong, it practically made her drool. It took all of her self-discipline not to shovel it all in her mouth, but with the way James was manipulating her, that was the last thing she was going to do.

  “Go ahead,” he said. “Eat.”

  “What do you want from me?”

  “What do I want from you?” he repeated, a puzzled look crossing his face. “So long as you don’t make trouble, all I want is to see you safely back to the Colony.”

  “And then what?”

  “Nothing—nothing at all. It’s my duty to serve and protect all of the citizens of the Colony, even stowaways like you. But if you behave well, I can vouch for you.”

  Behave well. If he was expecting her to be submissive, he was in for a rough surprise.

  “Let’s get something straight,” she said, pointing a finger at him. “I don’t want your gifts, I don’t want your bribes, and I sure as hell don’t want any favors. If you think I owe you anything, I swear I’ll throw this food in your face. I’d rather starve to death than be anyone’s bitch.”

  “Whoa, whoa, whoa,” said James, raising both his hands. “No one said anything about that.”

  “You don’t have to say it. We both know I’m your prisoner.”

  He sighed heavily. “Look, let’s be reasonable. You’ve broken the law, but you’re a citizen of the Colony, and as such it’s my duty to look after you. I’ll see that the captain gives you a place on this ship, and we’ll treat you as another passenger until we return home. If you don’t do anything rash, I’ll do my best to see that you get off with a light sentence. Then you’ll be free to do as you please.”

  “And what if I want off before then?”

  “I’m afraid I can’t let you do that.”

  “The hell you can’t. You’re just holding out because you want to fuck me.”

  He gave her a sharp look that silenced her immediately. “I have never accepted favors or bribes from anyone, and I don’t intend to start now. Don’t flatter yourself into thinking you’re going to change that.”

  Footsteps sounded on the stairs behind them. Kyla turned and saw a middle-aged woman in a crisp white uniform, her expression stern and unyielding. James rose to his feet.

  “I have to talk with the captain now, but I’ll be back once we’re finished.”

  “You’re going to decide what to do with me, aren’t you?”

  He nodded. “Enjoy your food.”

  Without looking back to see if she’d eat, he joined the captain and walked down the hallway, leaving her alone. She looked down at the plate of savory food before her and tried to clear her thoughts before giving in to her hunger.

  Who was this James, and why was he treating her so well? It didn’t make any sense. He claimed that all he wanted to do was serve and protect, yet the fact still remained that he was keeping her prisoner. Could she trust him? It made no sense—no sense at all.

  The only thing that made any sense in that moment was the plate of beans. With no one else to watch her, she picked up her fork and dug in.

  * * * * *

  “A stowaway?”

  “That’s right,” said James. “Sara and I found her while we were, ah, having dinner together.”

  “I see,” said Captain Jarvis. She sighed and shook her head. “Well, we’re too far out to turn around now, and we don’t have the facilities to hold her. The best we can do is leave her with the port authority at Gaia Nova.”

  “With all due respect, captain, I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

  “Oh? Why not?”

  Because I can save her, James thought. The girl had obviously led a hard life, and he’d be damned if he threw her to the wolves.

  “The girl is a full citizen of the Colony, and she has every right to our protection. We have no embassy at Gaia Nova—no way to ensure that she’ll receive that protection.”

  “Irrelevant,” said Jarvis, waving her hand. “She’s a stowaway on my ship, and I want her off at the first opportunity.”

  James stiffened. Irrelevant? How can you possibly say that? But then he remembered that Jarvis was a civilian, not a member of the Corps. She’d never sworn the oath, much less put her life on the line to serve or protect her fellow citizens.

  “Yes,” he said, narrowing his eyes. “And as the highest ranking military officer on this ship, I am formally requisitioning the resources of this private yacht to detain her until we return.”

  Captain Jarvis frowned. “You want to do what?”

  “Not ‘want,’ Captain. This is a formal exercise of my military authority. The gi
rl stays with us until we return to the Colony.”

  “But that’s absurd. We’re already at the maximum number of passengers, and—”

  “I’m sure we can find a way to make it work,” he countered. “If necessary, she can stay in my quarters, and I can double up with Lars.”

  “And how do you plan to keep her detained there? The doors only lock from the inside.”

  “She’ll behave—I’ll see to that.”

  Jarvis glared at him, clearly upset with his affront to her authority. If this weren’t a civilian ship, he would never be able to get away with this kind of stunt.

  “Very well,” she said, sighing loudly. “I’ll comply with your demands, Lieutenant.”

  “Thank you, Captain.”

  “I’ll thank you when that stowaway is off my ship.”

  James saluted, and Jarvis left—for her quarters or the bridge, he wasn’t sure. For a moment, he considered returning to Kyla on the observation deck, but he hesitated. Something told him that wasn’t a good idea just yet.

  What is she running from? he wondered as he slowly paced the corridor. No doubt she had stowed away on the Freedom Star in order to leave the Colony forever—but why? If the situation back home was really that miserable, that meant that he’d failed.

  Not yet, he told himself. There’s still time to save this girl. If she honestly felt that the only way to solve her problems was to run away, then he’d have to convince her otherwise. One way or another, he would change her mind—even if it took the whole voyage to do it.

  Part II: The Guardian

  Chapter 6

  Sara palmed open the door to the bridge and stepped casually inside. The astrogator on duty glanced up briefly, but turned back to his work as Captain Jarvis rose to greet her.

  “Ah, Sara,” she said, offering her hand. “Good to see you.”