Page 17 of Stellar Drift
“Worst-case scenario,” said Koda, “they all believe in the amazing treasure so much that they’re willing to torch their careers — and you — to get it.What’s a few accidental deaths on a dangerous mountain if we’re the only obstacles?”
“On the other hand,” said Phen, “the best-case scenario is that your asshole boss is sending Brannezzo to stop or discredit your infinity fever research.My asshole father, knowing Brannezzo would never find us without help, convinced a couple of my cousins to go with him.”
Sairy was silent, her expression unreadable as she watched him.
Houyen took a deep breath, trying to quell his roiling regrets.“I apologize for getting you all involved in this.The only way I see to avoid either scenario is to get back down to our airsleds before Brannezzo can find them.”
“I don’t think so.”Koda slid her fork into her chest pocket and collapsed the empty mealpack container.“In the get-rich-quick scenario, if we run, it just confirms we have something to hide, and they’ll hunt us down for the treasure.In Phen’s scenario, if we run, your ranger career is a total flameout unless you can get the samples to prove otherwise.And more and more people will keep getting sick.”Koda shot a glance at Sairy.“We’ve been lucky in the last three years that no one has died, but not if the fever keeps spreading like you said.”
Houyen couldn’t stop himself from glancing at Sairy, too.Did the townspeople suspect she might have been helping them the way he was convinced she’d helped him?He shook his head, making himself focus on the immediate problem.
“What do you suggest?”he asked.
Koda exchanged a look with Phen, then gave him an assessing look.“Do you have any weapons?”She waved a hand between herself and Phen.“We’re carrying hand-beamers, and we have rifles on our airsleds.It’s a military habit we never outgrew.Joro and her crew are a pain in the ass, but she’s not the first little-fish crime boss trying to exploit the Makaan resources.”
Phen plucked at the edge of her tunic.“And we’re wearing Koda’s flex-weave because it’s good skin protection.Almost as good as military flexin armor.”
Houyen knew it to be true because he’d helped Koda file the patent applications for it.
He waved a thumb toward his pack and sleep cocoon.“I have a forceblade, plus the phaseknife I’ve been using on the trail.The CPS doesn’t train rangers with energy weapons.”Shrugging apologetically, he added, “Plants don’t usually try to shoot me.”
“I have the same as the Ranger.”Sairy’s expression was hard to read in the twilight.After a moment, she continued.“I have three flying cameras that are good for surveillance.”There was a reluctance in her tone, like when she actually answered a couple of Koda’s insinuating questions instead of dodging them.“Plus, we have Kyala.She’s not a fighter, but her senses are better than a scanbot, and tech suppressors can’t stop her.”
Koda flipped the folded mealpack container between her hands.“The way I see it, we have two objectives.One, divert Brannezzo, and two, find the wuzzy-bug breeding ground.”
“And get samples,” added Phen.
“Getting off the mountain safely with our airsleds would be good,” said Sairy dryly.
“Okay,” Koda replied with a brief smile, “three objectives.I think we need to split up.At first light, Phen and I will go back and handle Brannezzo and his pals while you and the ranger finish the climb and get those samples.If you lend us your cameras, we’ll be able to see Brannezzo before he sees us.”
Sairy’s shoulders tightened.“Sorry, the cameras only work for me.”
Koda frowned and looked like she was about to argue until Phen nudged her with an elbow.“Skulljack, Koda.Controller’s in her head.”
Under the pressure of Koda’s unspoken but pointed request for confirmation, Sairy let out her breath and nodded.
Koda waved a hand.“Okay, we’ll take a lesson from the elder teaching tales and use what nature provides.If Brannezzo’s pals are Joro’s mercs, they’ll trust their tech too much.And if I get close enough, I can use my talents to see what kinds of things Brannezzo is lying about.”
Houyen blinked.“You’re a sifter?”Good thing he hadn’t been lying about anything.Good sifters could not only detect lies, they could mess with brain chemicals to make people want to trust them with secrets.
“Yep.I’m a late bloomer and low-level, or the military would have caught me and force-transferred me to the fucking CPS.And I tank at detecting minder talents in others.But I’m a trained interrogator.”She patted her wife’s thigh.“Phen’s lucky.She just didn’t tell them about her talent, and it never occurred to them to ask.”Another brief smile crossed her face.“And if Brannezzo’s guides turn out to be Phen’s cousins who kept me awake nights with their howling, me and the jaguars will finally get our revenge.”
Houyen turned to Sairy.“I’m seriously out of my starlane here.To be brutally honest, the Ranger Service on Qal Corona is a hollow shell of what it’s supposed to be, worse than any other duty station I’ve been assigned to.My coworkers are out for themselves, my boss is a jerk, and I’d sooner trust a busted airlock than the CPS.What do you want to do?”
Sairy’s eyes had rounded in surprise at his words, but her expression smoothed into neutral as she looked at him, then turned her gaze on Koda and Phen.“I know the rainforest way is self-reliance, but could you ask friends for help?Or maybe civilian law enforcement officers?”
Phen shook her head.“The LEOs don’t have jurisdiction.They’d just call the CPS, who might send a military cruiser around in a ten-day or so.”She turned to Koda.“We do have friends, though.Charuuk and Dmytro could bring their dogs.”
Koda frowned.“Or they could also bring flitters and extract us all at daybreak.”Her tone said she didn’t like that option much.
Houyen didn’t either, but Sairy had a vote, too.He turned to her.“What do you think?”
Sairy’s lips thinned.“I’d like to prove one way or the other if the wuzzy bugs are spreading the fever.Who knows if we’ll ever get the chance again?Kyala and I are green-go for the rest of the climb if Houyen wants to continue.”
He nodded.“I do.”
“Okay,” said Koda as she and Phen rose to their feet.“You plan your route up to the top, and we’ll call friends and plan our interception.Let’s debrief tomorrow at first light.”
