Born of Sand (Tales of a Dying Star Book 5) (8 page)

Mira tried to look innocent. "It's fine, I didn't do anything."

"And how do you know I won't tell Farrow you've been messing around?"

"Don't worry about that," Mira said. "He'll know soon."

They finished sweeping up all the sand before the engineers returned. With that done Binny led Mira out of the workshop and down the hall to the kitchen.

It appeared as it had before: two tables in the room filled with a dozen people, except now they ate soup instead of drinking alcohol. None of them looked up at their entrance, nor did they seem to care that Mira was new. "They're used to people coming and going," Binny said, as if reading her thoughts. "Only two or three people have been here as long as I have, but that's just because I never leave the base. It's more dangerous out on the sand."

The bowls were square-shaped and made of metal, and Mira accepted a ladle of soup and crust of bread from Maggy. Mira smiled widely and gave her thanks. Maggy wiped her hands on her dirty apron and grumbled, "Don't care what the girl told ya, no extra helpings. No matter how much you smile." That made Binny giggle.

They sat at the end of one table, several seats away from the others. Mira didn't realize how famished she'd felt until the smell of soup hit her nose. Binny was right: it was mostly water, with a bit of soft vegetable every third spoonful. Mira didn't care. She moved her spoon like a weapon, eating the broth as quickly as she could, and sopping up the remains with her bread.

Only after turning her attention away from the soup did she notice Spider. He sat across the room on the floor in a corner, his bowl in one hand and spoon in the other, eyes searching while he ate. They lingered a long time on Mira, so she looked away.

"He always does that," Binny said with soup in her mouth. "Doesn't trust anyone. No one really trusts him, either, on account that he's a Melisao."

"I can see why."

She tore off tiny chunks of her bread and examined the rest of the group. Individuals slowly finished their meals and left. They all wore faded clothes in muted shades of brown and orange. The one splash of vibrancy came from the long cape each person wore. It ran down to the ankles in rippling shades of gold, flickering in the overhead light of the kitchen. It seemed so out of place compared with the rest of the filth--both within the base and on the people themselves--that Mira was at a loss for words.

She was about to ask Binny about it when Maggy appeared over her shoulder. She leaned over and took their empty bowls from the table... and smoothly replaced them with two new ones, filled with another serving of soup. She patted Binny on the shoulder and disappeared. Binny gave Mira a look that said
I told you so.

Mira was tempted to ask for another piece of bread as well, but decided not to try her luck.

The only ones remaining were them, Spider, and Maggy when the two engineers suddenly strode back into the kitchen. "Which one of you did this?" one asked, holding out an electroid arm like a club.

Binny stiffened, and across the room Spider rose to his feet, braids swaying.

The engineers approached their table. "You two were in there," one accused. "Did you see who fouled up our electroid parts? Or did
you
do it, newcomer?" He jabbed the part in Mira's direction.

She'd been brave before, but now fear crept up her spine. "You were using parts from different models. It was all wrong. It wouldn't have functioned properly. I fixed it, and assembled three different models of arms so you can see the difference between each one."

She felt proud and confident, but it only lasted a moment.

"We didn't want it to function properly," one of the engineers spat, waving the arm in her face. "We wanted it to function well-enough to hold a weapon. The O-18 model's elbow joints can't support the weight, so we have to swap it with the O-20 model. We don't care about range of motion, so long as it can aim straight and steady."

Oh
, thought Mira.

The two engineers boxed her in, and she was vaguely aware of Spider approaching from across the room.
I was supposed to prove my worth
, she thought frantically. All she'd proven was that she could be a nuisance.

Binny got to her feet and cried, "She was only trying to help!" Her hands balled into fists as she moved between them, standing protectively over Mira.

The second engineer slammed his electroid arm down on the table with a clang and pushed Binny out of the way. "You connected the clamp wiring all wrong, too. It's supposed to route along the grooves in the outer casing, but instead you wrapped it around the pneumatic pump."

Spider had reached the table, and stood with his legs spread, holding his empty bowl like a weapon. Soup ran out the side and dribbled onto the floor.

Any courage Mira had mustered earlier disappeared. "They trained us to do it that way," she said, hunching down into her shoulders. "The grooves along the forearm plate get too hot and damage the wires. They said it would be fixed in a later model, but until then we were instructed..."

"That doesn't make any sense..." said the second engineer.

"Who the fuck is
'they'
?" the first engineer asked.

Mira said, "The factory trainers."

"What factory?"

"Factory twelve, in Praetar City. I worked there before..." she trailed off.

The engineers both straightened. "You worked in an electroid factory?"

Mira nodded. "They brought in trainers every time the model of electroid changed, to show us what was different. It happened every few months. We had to learn quick, or they'd replace us with someone new. Sometimes that was easier than training an old worker, but I always stayed late and studied to make sure I got the specs right."

Spider picked Mira up by the back of her shirt and lifted her out of her seat. "This
steadfast-lover
spent years working for the Empire," he growled, "and now she's here, helping them still. Spying on us, trying to confuse our engineers. Don't listen to her lies."

"Stop, please!" Mira stammered. "I was only trying to help."

"
Help
," Spider spat the word. "You know what you're doing. Who shows up and starts disobeying orders the first day they're here? No normal person would do that, desperate and scared. Let's see what Akonai has to say."

He began pushing her toward the door. Binny yelped and grabbed at his arm. He threw her across the room effortlessly. Maggy ran to make sure she was okay, crouching over the girl and glaring at Spider.

"Kari vouched for me," Mira insisted. "She saw me at Bruno's. Knows I'm innocent."

"One bitch stands up for another. She's as guilty as you."

A new voice hissed, "
I'm what?
"

Kari stepped into the kitchen doorway, blocking Spider's path. Binny started to speak but the bald woman put up a hand to silence her. "I'm what, Spider? I didn't quite hear you, out in the hall."

Spider froze in place, still holding Mira by a fistful of her shirt. "A bitch," he growled. "I said you were a
bitch
, and damned if I'm the first to ever call you on it."

Kari shook her head. She spoke in a soft voice. "No. You said I was guilty. Of what? I hope you'll tell me."

"Mother only knows. You've got secrets, that's as clear as Saria's warmth."

"We've all got secrets." Kari stepped forward. She held something in her hand, down by her side. "What secrets will we find when we peel away your skin, Melisao? What do you have hidden in those blue eyes?"

Electricity crackled as Spider pulled out his laser prod. Red light glowed off the dirty walls and floor. "Akonai will--"

"Akonai, Akonai," Kari taunted. "You're strong with him around. Not so much alone, I think. Run to him if you must, little Spider, but you'll go without her."

They stared at one-another for a long moment, the only sound the static noise of Spider's weapon.
Stop, please
, Mira wanted to tell them.
I only wanted to prove my worth. I only wanted to help.

Spider grunted and threw Mira to the side.

"You think your reputation makes you dangerous," he said. "I don't care how many you've killed. You're a weak assassin on a weak planet. When our Mother's glory is revealed, and the Empire toppled, nobody will care about this useless ball of sand."

His laser prod went silent as he returned it to his belt. All the breath in the room seemed to exhale at once.

"We'll see what Akonai has to say about this girl," he said. Kari stood motionless, so he had to walk around her through the doorway. He stopped and turned, leaning close. "And we'll see what he says about you, too. I wonder how much I'd have to peel to find
your
secrets." He stuck out his tongue and touched his chin, a vulgar gesture.

Kari's hand swept in front of her face, like she was swatting at a fly. Something hit the floor with a wet
splat
.

Spider fell backwards onto the ground. Blood poured from his mouth and he screamed a wordless scream.

"Be glad it's only your tongue," Kari drawled seductively. Blood glistened on the knife in her hand. "I'd've taken your nose, but I didn't wish to improve your face."

Blind with rage, Spider clutched his mouth with one hand and fumbled at his belt with the other. He stared up at Kari with pure hate. Blood dribbled out between his hand and ran down onto his chest.

Lazily, Kari pointed her knife. "Go on, run to Akonai while he can still recognize you. Before I take more from you."

With one last stare of fury, Spider obeyed.

Chapter 6

A strange silence fell over the room after he disappeared. Mira pushed to her feet--with Binny's help--and ran a hand through her sweat-matted hair. "I'm not sure what he'd have done if you weren't here. Thank you."

Kari whirled on her. "Can you even hold a knife?"

The question seemed so random that Mira blurted out, "What?"

"Have you held a knife before, with sinister intent? What about a gun? Or even a star-cursed club? Do you have any idea how to protect yourself? Or do you just allow men like Spider to do whatever they wish?"

"Spider had a weapon," Mira stammered. "He's stronger than I am."

"He is that, but only because you're weak." Her tone turned to disgust. "How have you protected yourself? How have you protected your daughters, If you can't even stop a man from grabbing you and dragging you away? No, I don't care to hear your excuses. It's not worth my time to care about someone who cares little about themselves." She stormed out of the kitchen, boots echoing in the hall.

The tirade shocked Mira worse than Spider's attack. She stood there, staring after Kari, until Binny tugged on her shirt. "Come on. Let's go get cleaning the south hall. I wasn't going to until tomorrow, but we'll want to look busy for when Farrow hears about this."

Farrow
. She'd forgotten about the electroids and the engineers. They stood to the side, arguing about something.

"Yeah, let's go," Mira said.

"Wait!" yelled one of the engineers. He approached, holding out the electroid arm. He seemed upset.

"Hob, she was only trying to help..." Binny began.

Hob shook the arm in Mira's face. "Why did they train you to wrap the wiring around the pneumatic pump? Why not the core girder?"

"I... I don't know," Mira admitted.

"But you worked in the factory."

"I just followed orders. They showed us how to do it, and we did it. There was no need for them to explain why."

"I have a theory," said the other engineer. He pointed inside the robot arm. "If you wrap it around the core girder, the wiring will compress every time the finger clamps activate. There's more room on the pump, counterintuitive as it may seem. Right?"

For some reason he directed the question at Mira. "I suppose. I don't really know."

"If the original wire grooves get too hot," Hob speculated, "then the fairing cable should probably be moved as well. If we attached it here..."