Jeffrey Carver - Eternity's End

Deutsch’s eyes were no doubt unreadable to Harriet, but Legroeder could have sworn he saw them twinkle as he answered, “I’m here to see if I can mend some fences. And—” he chuckled softly “—to see that nothing bad happens to Legroeder and all that information he’s carrying in his head.”

Harriet cocked her head in puzzlement.

“I still have to explain about that,” Legroeder said. “It’s sort of complicated.”

Harriet nodded. “Then I guess this is where I should say, any friend of Legroeder’s—” She opened her palm.

“Just what I was thinking,” Deutsch said. “In any case, I’m hoping to provide you with some information about the Kyber worlds, while I’m here.”

“I look forward to hearing it.”

“And I could probably use a good lawyer, if you happen to know of one.”

“Actually,” Legroeder said thoughtfully, “there are a lot of people coming in here who are going to need help. Of all kinds. Being in limbo for a century hasn’t left all of them in such good shape. Can you use some more pro bono work, Harriet?”

His lawyer raised her eyebrows. “It may be time for me to impose upon the goodwill of some of my colleagues…”

After dinner, Harriet excused herself to make a couple of calls. When she returned, said, “You know, the press is on the verge of breaking down the doors to see you, and I’m going to let them, if our hosts here will allow it. But there are a couple of people I want you to see first, okay?”

Legroeder shrugged. “Okay.”

“Follow me.” Harriet led him out of the dining room, down a short hallway past several guards, and into an anteroom. Morgan Mahoney whirled at his approach and with a cry of joy ran toward him with open arms. Hugging Morgan, Legroeder saw the second woman, waiting with her.

“Maris?” he gasped, releasing Morgan and reaching out to catch Maris’s hand. He held her at arm’s length, looking her up and down. “I wasn’t sure I’d ever see you alive again! I thought you were gone. I really did.” She grinned back at him, and finally he drew her into a long bear hug.

Maris looked healthier than she ever had as a prisoner; there was a flush to her cheeks and a light in her eyes that almost made up for the scar on the side of her neck. The change was remarkable. She’d had her auburn hair styled, probably for the first time in years. Looking at her now, it felt like an eternity since they’d fled DeNoble together; and it felt like yesterday.

The grin on Maris’s face turned to sober amazement. “I didn’t know if you’d be alive, Legroeder. When your friends rescued me, I couldn’t believe what they’d done to you at the RiggerGuild. And then to hear you’d gone back to a pirate camp. My God , Legroeder!” She shook her head and squeezed his hands.

“Well, I knew you’d be back,” Morgan interjected. “Pirates or no pirates. No man can stay away from me forever.”

Legroeder laughed. “Thanks, Morgan. But where did you find her? Where were you, Maris?”

“Held by pirates,” Morgan said darkly.

“KM/C agents? Kilo-Mike/Carlotta?”

Maris glanced at Morgan and shrugged. “I never heard that name. They kept talking about Ivan—Yankee, someone?”

“Yankee Zulu Ivan is what you said before,” said Morgan. “Have you heard of them, Legroeder?”

He felt a sudden rushing in his ears. He closed his eyes. Yankee-Zulu/Ivan? For a moment he stood there, trying to will the thought away. Not Ivan. Please . He tried to answer, but couldn’t find his voice.

Morgan’s words finally cut through the fog in his head. “Does that mean yes or no? Hey, who’s your friend here?”

Legroeder grunted and blinked his eyes open. Deutsch was floating beside him, augments flickering. Before Legroeder could answer, Deutsch said, “Legroeder, you seem to gather women around you everywhere you go, don’t you?”

Legroeder winced. “Maris and Morgan, my friend Freem’n Deutsch.” Break this to them slowly … “I think maybe I’d better tell you from the beginning what’s happened since I left El’ken’s asteroid…”

“Wait a minute— wait a minute! ” Morgan was waving a hand in the air. He’d just gotten to the part about YZ/I’s sending him to search for Impris —leaving out a few details, such as his relationship with Tracy-Ace/Alfa. “These people who helped you find Impris —what did you say they were called— YZ/I? You don’t mean—” the color drained from her face “—you don’t mean Yankee… Zulu…”

Legroeder nodded, feeling his own face flush.

“What?” Maris whispered.

“Wait—let me explain—”

“Explain what? ” snapped Morgan. “Why they kidnapped Maris? Do I have that right? Yankee Zulu Ivan are the creeps who kidnapped you, right, Maris?”

Maris’s mouth was open in hurt bewilderment. “Yes,” she said, without looking back at Morgan. “That’s what they said. Yankee Zulu—Ivan, right. What’s this all about, Legroeder? Are these the people you’ve been making friends with?” She turned and stared penetratingly at Deutsch.

Legroeder face was afire. “YZ/I is Yankee-Zulu/Ivan, yeah. And I don’t know what they were doing with you, Maris. But I intend to find out. Very soon.”

“Legroeder,” Morgan said. “We’re talking kidnappers, here. Pirates .”

He swallowed, his blood turning to ice. Fire and ice. “Yes. Apparently so,” he whispered. He cleared his throat with difficulty. “And… they’re the ones I’m going to be asking you—and Faber Eridani—to work with.” Tracy-Ace, what have you people done? Why? He felt a drum thumping in the center of his forehead.

“Murdering thugs,” Morgan said.

Legroeder struggled. “Some of them—yes, they are. But not all. There’s a confederation of Kyber outposts out there—and—” He cut off his own words. Dear God, better not mention just yet that they’re getting ready to expand into the galaxy …

“And what?”

“And—” his eye caught Harriet’s incredulous look, and that made it even harder “—and we’ve got a boss who wants to talk to us, wants to stop the hostilities.”

“And we’re supposed to believe them?” Morgan asked disdainfully.

He drew a breath. “We have to at least listen to them. I can’t vouch for the other outposts. But these people from Ivan… they helped us find Impris , and got us back safely to Faber Eri. They escorted us. As a gesture of good faith.”

Deutsch, beside him, murmured a metallic affirmation.

“They sent Freem’n here as an envoy to share information. And —” Legroeder gasped dizzily, hoping all these promises would be kept “—there’s a shipload of repatriated prisoners on their way back here right now. Right behind us.”

“What are you talking about, Legroeder?” Maris said, holding her head as if it hurt just trying to take in his words. “Repatriated prisoners? Are you serious?”

“I am. Look, I know this is all very confusing. Maris, I don’t know the explanation for what happened to you. But I know someone who does, or can find out. I’m just asking you right now to keep an open mind. When you hear the rest of the story… Do we have time, Harriet?”

“We’ll make time. I’ll have them send in some coffee.”

“Good. Then let me finish telling you what happened…”

Even recounting the events of the Impris rescue in brief, he found his emotions stirring at the memories. “The passage through the flaw was the most astounding experience of my life,” he said in a near whisper, as the rush of dizziness that he’d felt in the retelling slowly subsided. He’d allowed himself to relive the feelings far more intensely in the presence of his friends than he had before. At least for those few minutes, he’d forgotten his other problems.