And the king turned to leave.
Kris felt the urge to run, to catch up with him. To hug him. To do something to bridge the chasm that had opened between them.
But she stood in her place as he left.
Hugs were not something Longknifes did.
As the door closed behind him, Kris turned to the now shrunken trinity. “We’ll need to add a lot more containers to the
Wasp
. I’d like a whole new sensor suite. Have you given any thought to who the boffins are and what kind of caring and feeding of them we’ll have to arrange for?”
And the room got down to serious planning.
The
Wasp
sailed within the week.
King Ray was known to have a special fondness for ships of exploration. Back while he was President of the Society of Humanity, he regularly saw survey ships off.
He was not there when the
Wasp
sealed locks.
About the Author
Mike Shepherd
grew up Navy. It taught him early about change and the chain of command. He’s worked as a bartender and cab driver, personnel advisor and labor negotiator. Now retired from building databases about the endangered critters of the Pacific Northwest, he’s looking forward to some serious writing.
Mike lives in Vancouver, Washington, with his wife, Ellen, and her mother. He enjoys reading, writing, watching grandchildren for story ideas, and upgrading his computer— all are never ending.
Oh, and working on Kris’s next book,
Kris Longknife
:
Intrepid.
You may reach him at Mike_Shepherd@comcast. net or drop by www.mikemoscoe.com to check on how the next book is going.
Table of Contents
1 Lieutenant Kris Longknife, sometimes styled Princess of Wardhaven, hated running in high heels. To make matters worse, the street here was paved with uneven cobblestones… and they were wet! The street was also empty. The brick buildings were five-and six-story-high relics of New Eden’s early days four hundred years ago. Rehabilitated and converted to government offices, they’d emptied at the close of business with amazing speed. The restaurants and small “shoppes” that serviced them had also closed down for the day. Kris had the place to herself— except for tonight’s assassins. The ratcheting back of an arming hammer on an automatic weapon reminded her that she was once again the hunted. Kris dodged to the right, heading across the street. Forcing assassins into a deflection shot had often kept her alive. One “shoppe” had an open alcove for an entrance. She sharpened her angle and redoubled her speed despite complaining ankles… And ducked inside the cover not a second too soon. A spr
2 Tonight’s assassination attempt had been layered. First the attendant in the ladies’ room… one of the few places Jack didn’t insist on escorting her. After putting that overly helpful and far-too-deadly woman to sleep, Kris found the door locked and even Nelly unable to do anything about it. That blasted jamming. So Kris threw a chair through the low back window. Only to find some very fancy dressed men waiting for her. She’d kicked the closest one in the groin before he realized this Navy lieutenant was not the usual damsel, given to easy swoons when in distress. Both guys went down in a ball and Kris took off running for her life… or at least freedom. Which frequently meant the same. It had for poor little Eddy. The front of the Hotel Landfall had been a zoo of newsies, cameras, and security. The back was quiet as a Buddhist temple, but Kris lacked the time to contemplate. To her right, at the end of the alley, a car waited with two more thugs. She headed left at full speed. Runnin
3 The Wardhaven Embassy was just a few blocks farther down, its gray stones looking wonderfully bulletproof. Still, Kris figured they’d spent about as much time on this street as they dared and zigged right at the next block. Halfway down that block, in midstreet, Kris’s luck ran out— again. The guy in the leather coat came racing around the corner, so intent on beating feet to get a shot at where Kris’s back had been that it took him a second to notice her front. Kris and Jack put a pair of rounds into his jacket. It must have been armored, the shots just sent him sprawling backward, his feet flying into the air like he’d stepped on a banana peel. His gun clattered halfway across the street. Kris took a hard left. This government building had a well-sheltered entrance. Surprise, it wasn’t locked. Kris held it open for Jack, then followed him through. “Nelly, can you lock that door?” Kris bit out. “No. That jamming, Kris.” “I’ll belt it shut.” Jack whipped off his issue belt and began
4 “The ambassador wants to see you after the nine o’clock staff meeting,” Chief Beni hollered Kris’s way as she entered the military dining room for breakfast. The embassy, though huge on the outside, was really pressed for space. Now that de-evolution had turned each of the Society of Humanity’s six hundred planets into independent and sovereign nations, the Wardhaven Mission to Eden was splitting at the seams. Wardhaven, under the benign leadership of the recently elected King Raymond I… Grampa to Kris… had about a hundred planets forming the United Sentients, or maybe it would be a Commonwealth, or Association. No one was quite sure. The politicians from those one hundred planets were still debating the constitution on Pitts Hope. But what it meant in the real world was that the Wardhaven Embassy on Eden did work for all hundred planets. Kris had been told she’d be buying paper clips, pens, and the likes. “The likes” included business computers and their software. Usually not the ac
5 By the time Kris presented herself in undress whites for the ambassador’s pleasure, she had spent an hour on the phone with Administrative Lieutenant Martinez. He was as helpful as his cheerful smile promised, but it was clear his job was to see that all the T’s were crossed, I’s dotted, and no firearms permit issued without a tree sacrificed to the paperwork god. “We need full documentation of no less than three attempts on your life,” he said, apparently reading from policy displayed right beside Kris’s face on his old computer screen. Kris had long ago noticed that most bureaucrats found old technology far more to their liking than the new stuff. “Three assassination attempts.” Kris tried to sound thoughtful rather than outraged. “I imagine that cuts down on the requests. Those that don’t survive the first couple don’t trouble your day much do they.” “No, ah, they don’t.” Lieutenant Martinez had the good sense to at least look apologetic. “Does last night’s shoot-out count as one?
6 Three planets, Lorna Do, Pitts Hope, and Hurtford wanted to build the latest line of business computers coming from IBM loaded with the software that went with them. The sales rep from IBM was most willing to deal… but at a price that was quite out of line for a similar sale just closed between Yamato, Europa, and Columbia. Kris knew about that deal. A Nuu Enterprises company on Yamato had been involved. The three reps on Kris’s side also knew of the deal from their sources. The sales rep had to know they knew. Still, she smiled cheerfully and set the higher price, and the other planet reps smiled just as cheerfully and began their own long-winded campaign to lower the price. All Kris could think of was that this was another day she’d never have again. So, had Grampa Ray sent her here to learn to waste time? Somehow, Kris doubted that. She set Nelly to doing a more informed search on this planet, and nodded along with the conversation while Nelly searched. And made reports. Reports t
7 “Lieutenant Martinez, so nice of you to come so quickly,” Kris said as she offered her hand. He shook it. In a rumpled raincoat and thick-soled shoes, he looked the part of a cop. Kris had ditched her cover and wore a light blue civilian raincoat over her whites. The violation of uniform regs just might make her a harder target. It made Jack happier. Jack, along with a half dozen other Marines in civilian clothes formed a wedge behind Kris. Martinez took in their tight haircuts with a nod and a smile. “I’ll see if I can postdate your application’s approval to cover this walk.” “We would greatly appreciate that.” Kris left it to Martinez to decide if the “we” was royal or collective. The nod from Jack made either fit. “So, where shall we walk?” Kris asked. “There is a mall that many people enjoy on days as sunny as these,” the policeman said, eyeing a patch of blue sky where the sun shown through the white, fluffy clouds. The raincoats actually might come in handy. “You pick the mall,
8 Behind Kris, the world exploded. She went down hard. Jack hit on top of her even harder. She hoped it was nice for him. She rolled out from underneath him and was struggling to her feet even as she took command of the situation. “Anybody injured? Let’s hear a report. Sound off.” One by one five of her six Marines reported their presence. Two shouted as if they might be having a hard time hearing. Beside her, Jack got to his feet, licked his finger, and made a mark in the air. “Missed you again,” he muttered. “Gunny,” Kris shouted, not interested in Jack’s humor. The sergeant was slower getting to his feet. “It missed me, ma’am. I think it was aimed for the center of the road.” He pointed at the trees across the street, now denuded of leaves and branches. Two were nothing but shattered stumps. “Those won’t need trimming for a while.” Her primary duty done, Kris turned to look for the local police officer. He was still down. She offered him a hand. Martinez took it and stood, but his a
9 If this was Ms. Broadmore’s townhome, Kris wondered what she used for her rural retreat. Something the size of Texas? Of course, Kris had never figured out how large Texas was, but the old saying suited this place. Ms. Broadmore’s town house might be smaller than the Wardhaven Embassy. Then again, the huge, column-lined facade before Kris could be hiding a dozen wings… or two. Around the grounds, several scores of limos, many larger than Kris’s, were parked on concrete or grass, depending on how heavy the liveried men directing traffic took the rig to be. “Small get-together my well-armored derriere,” Kris said. Jack took it in. “You carrying?” “And you ain’t getting it.” She locked eyes with Jack. He looked away. “Now that that’s all settled,” Kris said, “let’s go see what this is all about.” Jack handed her out of the limo. A man in white livery and knee britches took the invitation from Jack and escorted them to the main entrance. He frowned as the four formal-dressed Marines form
10 Kris had known intense moments in battles to cause it, that heightening of awareness that let you take everything in but no time seemed to pass. How often had Kris joked about her social life being like a battle? Now she had battle awareness right in the middle of the ballroom floor. Victoria Smythe-Peterwald looked so much like her brother. The same flashing blue eyes, perfect skin, rigid set of jaw. The white dress was skimpy up top, barely covering a set of boobs Kris would kill for. Original equipment or after-sale add-ons? No way to tell. Vicky was supposed to be totally natural, no genetic engineering, due to a slip up in her birth. Hank was a totally engineered product, implanted in the womb. Vicky was a natural blowby that should have never made it to birth… but here she was. Those cold blue eyes were full of raw determination. No, this woman would not be easily dismissed. The gown looked painted on. It flowed over more curves than the law should allow. Men were going to be
11 So much for Kris’s hope that the Longknife faction would keep a solid hold on its side of the room. Kris swiveled in her chair to face a woman. Her gray hair likely put her over a hundred years old. But it didn’t look like she’d put them to use gathering wisdom. Not if she was willing to beard Kris among her own supporters. NELLY? SHE IS NOT SQUAWKING. I AM SEARCHING MY MEMORY FOR A FACIAL RECOGNITION. So Kris would have to go on what she had in her own gray matter. The dress was conservative. Even old-fashioned. And the lapel pin claimed service in the Iteeche War. Somewhere in the back of Kris’s head, a soft voice was whispering something. Alarm bells weren’t going off. It was more like a kitten’s purr. Part of Kris wanted to roll over on her back and let the woman pet her belly. You’re definitely going weird, her paranoid self snapped. No, she’s not what she sounds like, another part of Kris shouted, that young part of her that got lost when little Eddy died under the kidnappers’
Interlude 1 Grant von Schrader drummed his fingers on the door of his limo. He drummed them while Miss Victoria Smythe-Peterwald posed for one last photo shot… five times. The young woman was vain. Very vain. The door finally closed and the driver immediately put the multiton behemoth in motion. Grant continued drumming his fingers until his personal computer, directly plugged into his brain, announced, THE CAR IS SECURE. “Remind me again why your father sent you to Eden?” Grant said as softly… and as deceptively as his temper would allow. “I believe he said something vague, like you are to show me the ropes,” the young heiress said, arranging her dress so that it fell tightly across her breasts, allowing nipples to raise their distracting heads. Grant swore softly to himself and praised the common sense that came with age and lower hormone levels. “I believe he also mentioned something about helping you develop enough common sense so that you’d survive a bit longer than your brother.”
12 Kris actually jumped out of bed when her alarm woke her at Oh Dark Early. Marines were the best of company to keep early in the morning. For her jog, Kris figured she could go light. She just pulled on a spider-silk body stocking, sweatshirt, gym shorts with ceramic slat inserts, and combat boots with similar armor. Proof against most personal weapons, she slipped her own automatic into the small of her back… and ran into Jack and Penny in the hall. “Got to stand up to the Marines,” Penny said. Her sweatshirt said GO NAVY. Jack’s sweats were still Wardhaven Secret Service, which was to say, blank. Kris laughed with her friends and strode outside. And came to a roaring halt. Captain DeVar stood waiting for her. He saluted as Kris took in what he had arrayed before her. “The Marine Detachment is ready for PT, Your Highness.” “In full battle rattle!” Kris yelped. That they were. Each Marine stood with his or her M-6 at port arms. Without a full inspection, it was beyond Kris’s ken, but
13 Settled into her chair at the bargaining table, Kris put a smile on her lips, a bright look on her face… and told Nelly she was ready for a long, informative briefing. It did turn out to be long. But informative? Maybe… if Kris could fit all the pieces together. And guess her way around a whole lot of blanks. KRIS, EDEN NOT ONLY HAS SOME OF THE BEST ENCRYPTION INVENTED BY HUMANS AND COMPUTERS, BUT THERE ARE FIREWALLS BEHIND FIREWALLS EVERYWHERE I TURN. AND THEN THERE IS DATA THAT IS ONLY AVAILABLE OFF-LINE AND I HAVE TO PAY TO HAVE SOME HUMAN AUTHORIZE ITS RESTORATION. AND THERE IS NOT A SINGLE DATA STANDARD. THE PLACE IS ONE HUGE BABEL AS FAR AS INFORMATION STORAGE AND RETRIEVAL IS CONCERNED. MOST PLANETS ORGANIZE THEIR DATA SO IT IS READILY AVAILABLE TO PEOPLE. NOT HERE. I DO NOT THINK THEY WANT ANYONE KNOWING WHAT ANYONE ELSE HAS. Kris kept puzzlement off her face as around her the two sides talked about the cost of each unit and upgrades. Grampa Al had a standing offer of a job
14 Kris did not find a limo waiting to take her to lunch. Instead, three black, hulking, all-terrain city vehicles were parked under the portico of the embassy. Jack joined her, in dress khaki and blues, and flipped a coin. “Heads,” he said. “You ride in the middle one.” “And if it had been tails?” “I’d have flipped it again to see if you rode in the lead or trailing rig,” Jack said, opening the door for her. Penny was already in the far seat, next to the window. It looked like Jack intended to take the other window seat, leaving her no place but the center one. “You sure I need all this protection?” “Don’t know, Your Highness. But I’m sure that when we get in trouble again, neither one of us will figure you have enough.” Kris sat where Jack pointed. In front were three Marines, all in dress khaki and blues. “How big is my detail?” “Fifteen, plus us,” Penny said. “There also will be an escort from Eden, but they intend to stay back.” “Out of the line of fire,” Kris muttered, maybe a sp
