Alexi reached for the pack of cigarettes in his chest pocket. Patting emptiness, he smirked—reminded that the shuttle crew confiscated them at boarding. Closing his eyes, he inhaled anyway, imagining a bitter, yet sweet tang.
Murphy escorted the mute from the conference room. Alexi noted his comrade’s restraint as he put one hand on the man’s shoulder to hasten his exit.
“And that makes ten.” Aleix announced. “Now for the fun part.”
Murphy sat at the other end of the table and began laying out the crew’s profile folders in neat rows. One could hardly remove the inflexible methods of a lifetime served in the military.
Alexi strummed his stubborn stubble like a fiddle. They’d spent the past few hours interviewing the crew as the Admiral directed, sharpening their acute skepticism.
Murphy took a measured breath before studying the folders. He wore the government issued glassware over his eyes at all times, though Alexi hated the things. Studies concluded the holo adaptive tech didn’t have negative long term effects on one’s sight, but the so called ‘invisible’ laser aperture gave him a migraine.
“Well?” Alexi said.
“Well what?”
Alexi kicked his feet out and wrapped his hands behind his head.
“Open for interpretation.”
Murphy’s jaw twitched and he took a moment to look out the viewport, Alexi followed his gaze. Luna was just beginning to come into view along with its dockyard which orbited the gray rock. From this distance the network looked to be infested with ants, each insect a ship docking or leaving the most frequented space port in the whole system. They would join their shuttle to their waiting freighter, before heading on their way.
“So,” Alexi prodded, “Let’s hear it.”
“This is ridiculous. If Halbert needed a secretary he should’ve asked for one. The Orden has better things to do.”
To some, Murphy’s expressions were hard yet blank but Alexi could measure the man’s mood by the twitch of a muscle or measure of a breath—a smile was like a damn solar eclipse. Today, this anger felt like something deeper.
“This isn’t so bad,” Alexi said. He reached for his cigarettes again, and clicked his tongue in annoyance. “Mostly. But come one, would you rather be fettering out Circle sleeper cells? I’ve had enough of those sweaty hovels to last a lifetime. Do you miss wondering if every twelve-year-old street urchin begging for bits is actually an assassin meant to do you in?”
“I never minded it as much as you. Halbert—”
“Admiral Halbert,” Alexi corrected. “Don’t make me report you. I am your superior officer after all.”
“Head secretary, congratulations.”
“You are mad, aren’t you?”
Murphy returned his attention to the folders in front of him. The thing people got wrong was thinking he was unfeeling. That wasn’t it. He just built up a lot of layers over the years.
“How long have we been working together, Murph?”
“Too long.”
“Eighteen years, that’s right. From basic, to infantry, to ops, and now we’re both members of the Orden de Bravistas… In all that time have I ever led you astray?”
Murphy glared at him with such a look it drew Alexi’s smile high.
“Didn’t think so. And don’t tell me you rather be a part of the Vanguardia instead, wearing those tasteless red uniforms.”
“The Carmesi are Regia synchophants.”
“Exactly. Compared to being a Regia personal guardsman and running operations for the top of the Navy, I’d say we chose right. And the Admiral recruited us, that means something.”
Murphy didn’t answer right away, but picked up a piece of paper without disturbing the sheets beneath.
“I think,” he said slowly, “I would rather retire.”
Alexi laughed at that.
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“You wait and see, brother. By the time we arrive, the Admiral will have plenty for us to do.”
“We’d have plenty to do if he gave anyone else this responsibility. We’re practically babysitters.”
Alexi slapped the table jovially.
“I’ve figured out what it is, Murph. It’s your mindset.” Murphy didn’t reply, so Alexi leaned across the table. “I kinda miss the days when everyone thought you were as mute as that stringbean we just interviewed.”
Murphy opened his mouth, paused with his jaw open, then licked his thumb and moved a folder from one pile to the next, “you talk too much.”
Alexi leaned back, laughing hysterically on the inside.
Suraj Murphy was a man of iron. Literally. Seven years ago his hands got squished while in the field. He could’ve taken an honorable discharge, most people would’ve with Mars being the hellscape it is. Instead, he told the doctor to shove metal rods and electronics where his fingers were supposed to go. He’d had quite the reputation before that, but after…Alexi whistled just thinking about the memories…
“Alright, partner,” Alexi stood, then spun his chair in a circle, straddling it, “tell me what you’ve learned about our charges today.”
“Door number one: Valerie Westwood. Meckanist. Started working at the shop when she was 8, or so the employment records say, though I don’t know how child services never caught up with them.”
Alexi spotted the head shot of Mark Westwood. He spun it around so that he could get a better look, Murphy twitched as his perfect pile caught a waft of air.
“And the loveable brother, of course.” Alexi said. “The only success he had was not burning the Garage down.”
Murphy wasn’t alone in thinking ol’ Halbert had been just a bit paranoid about this escort. Commandeering a freighter wasn’t unusual—it wasn’t the first time Alexi had been stowed away as secret payloads trekked through space—it just seemed unnecessary in this case. Alexi shook off the thought, such things were above him. All he and Murphy had to do was follow orders.
“So when did the mute come in? He didn’t say…” Alexi waited for Murphy’s reaction, which never came.
“He was never registered with the Works Department. Honestly the garage is a cesspool for broken labor laws. They're not the only ones we need to worry about.”
Murphy went on, pointing at two profiles. Alexi sighed, then noticed the profiles were arrayed in four columns. The Westwoods were in the second column with the persnickety little solicitor, the mute, and the cripple.
The two profiles Murphy was pointing at were in the third column. Alexi looked at their pictures, bringing everything he knew to the front of his mind without looking at their notes.
Cenn Harker. Dishonorably discharged meck pilot. Served in the most recent Martian uprising. Discharged for not following orders, leading to her meck being commandeered by the enemy.
Roman Vusa. Martian. Dearth Citizen for 9 years via the Loyalty Program, giving up one of the juiciest targets on the whole damn planet to do it.
Alexi pointed at the fourth column, all by itself. “Why's The Dragon all the way over here by himself?”
Murphy picked up the remarkably thicker folder.
“That should be obvious. He’s the biggest risk the Admiral is taking with this stunt.”
“Really?”
“A man with a career like he had, leaves the limelight just like that—” He snapped his meaty fingers. The sound was a normal person's clap. ”--then returns suddenly when tensions on Jupiter are high?”
“You’re paranoid. Everyone on the inside knows he left because his wife died of cancer. Didn’t he nearly kill a bunch when he got back to Dearth?”
“Rumors. But so far as I know he’s the only person to be knighted, then put on the watch list, and then re-enrolled into the royal service.”
That was odd.
“Fine, we’ll keep an extra eye on him while he sleeps. What about them.” Alexi pointed to the last two profiles in the first column. “If he’s the most dangerous, then these two must be the least.”
“Just the most qualified. Mina Hitori. Daughter of Sora and Daiko Hitori. Home school. Tested into University at 15. Masters in mechanical engineering and computer systems.”
“Double major. Smart girl, but she’s a meckanist in a dingy garage? Talk about wasted talent. The two of them are together, right?”
“Affirmative.”
“I’m interested to see if Mr. Kage can do more with a meck than drive it in circles,” Alexi stood, stretching his tight back. “Nothing to say about the accountant?”
Murphy gave him another flat stare.
“Maybe she’s not so bad?” Alexi winked at him, then pointed to the last profile. “And the cripple?”
“Arthur P. En. Dad was a CORP pilot. Died when he was 10.” Alexi looked at the profile stacked below the kid. If Daiko’s file was thickest, Arthur’s was second to it.
“How many damn applications did the boy fill out?” Alexi thumbed through them till he found something new. “Scored a 98 in the CORP entrance exam though. Too bad.”
A robotic voice informed them they’d be docking soon.
“You go ahead,” Alexi started picking up the papers. Murphy looked like he wanted to interject but Alexi continued. “We already flipped on it. You take the first shift, I’ll take the second.”
“You sure?” Murphy asked.
“Honestly? I’m going to see if the captain will just keep you under for the full six months. I hate cryo. It always feels like I’m losing years of my life.”
“That’s ridiculous. By staying awake you’re literally losing time; cryo preserves you. The process involved—”
“I’ve heard the science,” He reached for his cigarettes, swearing this time when he realized they still weren’t there. “Just wait. One of these times you’re going to wake up with your nads in your throat.”
“Whatever you say. Meet you in the bay.”
Alone, Alexi paused to look at the docking loop. He still didn’t understand how it was possible to build something like this. Hell, he didn’t know how this damn ship, which weighed tonnes, flew at all. It was easy to say gravwell, and be done with it, but that didn’t explain a thing. Might as well be a magic word at this point.
And that was the crux of Alexi’s cryo phobia, if you had to call it something. Mankind didn’t seem to make progress one step at a time anymore, nor by any measure of leaps but in gargantuan bounds. And it wasn’t just gravwells. It was the planetary shipping lanes, the moon bases, the mecks themselves. Deep down a part of Alexi thought that if he ever went on ice too long he’d wake up to a whole new world. One that was already leaving his and Murphy’s kind far behind. This job was how they stayed relevant, and Murphy thought it was too easy…
“Careful what you wish for, buddy.”
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