Dark Star (34 page)

“Pip, I love …” She could barely speak for the pain.

Then she saw a light behind him, like a comet, a falling star coming towards them. She lifted a hand with difficulty and touched her glove to his faceplate as if she was touching him. “Look.”

And as he turned to see what it was, she closed her eyes and let go, falling into the darkness that hovered so close.

Pip pulled at the collar of the shirt that felt too tight around his neck.

“Stop fiddling with it.” Cassie slapped at his hand. “It’s fine.”

“Easy for you to say – you’re not the one choking.” But he left it alone and put his hands in his pockets instead. She didn’t deserve aggravation today.

Essie was walking at the front, back stiff and straight, her arm through Rosie’s dad’s behind the ash bearers. Dalton and Cassie followed behind him, and behind them came a long procession of people trailing up the slope towards the top of Memorial Hill.

Helios’s downfall and the part Riley, Gillian and Rosie had played in it had been all over the news, planet wide. It had brought out a lot of people for the funeral, many of them past victims of Helios who felt safe enough now to come out in the open.

Pip flicked a bead of sweat off his forehead and glanced around at the ornate vaults of the Orion Cemetery. The grey stone tombs were scattered across the grass and under trees, flowers growing in urns at the doors. In the distance, the sea glittered under the hot cloudless sky, matching the shimmering towers of Central. Orion was reserved for the most important people: leaders, space pioneers and those who’d lost their lives in defence of the innocent. Up ahead, a marquee was set up at the highest point with rows of chairs for officials, many already seated, and a podium for speeches. Urns of flowers lined the open sides and standing room was available outside the marquee for those not special enough to sit. The space was already crowded.

“Hold my hand, will you?” Cassie said. Her expression was pinched, skin blotchy from crying.

Pip clasped her cold fingers in his and she clung to him as they reached the black aisle of carpet.

People stood up as they passed, silent, like they were watching some damned weird wedding parade. Pip was sure Riley would have found the whole thing a pompous load of rubbish. Especially the music. Some string quartet. Well, maybe not that.

They reached the front and the bearers laid the silver urns of ash on the platform among a heap of flowers. Pip followed Essie and the others to the front row, Cassie still clinging to his hand as they sat.

The music stopped and there was only the sound of a light wind and the distant murmur of the city and people shuffling. Then some big honcho for the United Earth Commission stepped up and began to speak, but it wasn’t him Pip was interested in. It was the girl waiting nervously behind. His Rosie. The skirt of her new black dress fluttered in the breeze and he got a weird tight feeling in his chest looking at her, thinking how close she’d come to being reduced to ashes in one of those urns. He thought he’d lost her after the explosion, but she’d come back; she’d fought for her life. And the implant was finally gone. It was the first thing he’d made the doctors at the hospital do, give her that serum.

He watched her, trying to adjust her dress and hoping no one was noticing, and had never felt so proud of anyone in his life. When she looked his way, he gave her a wink and a smile. The slightest tight smile curved her lips in return but he could see how scared she was.

“Atta boy, Pipsqueak,” Essie said, “distract her now.” She touched his free hand, but only to squeeze it hard in her own. Then the UEC man stepped back and introduced her, saying who she was and what she’d done, and a thunder of applause broke out from the crowd. It might not have been appropriate at a funeral but Pip thought Riley and Gillian would have approved.

Rosie wasn’t sure how she got through that speech. She’d done it because Cassie had asked her to, but the sea of faces all staring at her had been worse than facing any Helios grunt. But she wanted to do it for Riley and Gillian. They deserved someone who knew them to speak about who they really were, what they’d sacrificed. She owed them. They’d saved her life and the lives of so many others; it was the least she could do.

She looked down at the front row as she spoke and her dad had given her one of his smiles like he used to, and she’d been so glad to have survived to see that again. He was only on day visits to the hospital now. He’d finally been allowed to go home with her and Essie. He was getting better, slowly but surely, and it was Riley and Gillian, and the others who’d gone before them who had helped in that.

“You did good.” Pip kissed her cheek and held her close as they stood outside the marquee afterwards, watching the Senate and UEC people congratulate themselves by gorging on the food and drink Dalton had paid for.

“Yeah, not bad.” Cassie’s eyes were hard as she surveyed the crowd over her glass of wine. “None of them gave a damn about him, but he would have liked your speech. Goddamn heroic bastard.” Her mouth pulled down and she turned abruptly and walked away towards the edge of the hill. Rosie almost went after her, but Pip held her back.

“Leave her; she hates pity. She’ll get through it,” Pip said. “She’s tough, like Riley.”

“Yeah, but she shouldn’t have to.” Rosie wondered what Cassie would do now. She’d been sleeping at the new place the Senate had given them. A four bedroom apartment in Central. Essie had offered Cassie a bed for as long as she needed it, but Rosie didn’t think she’d stay. The city probably held too many reminders of her brother, but then again Cassie had surprised her in the past, who was to say she wouldn’t again?

Dalton came from the marquee with cold drinks, passing them each a glass. There was still the pale remainder of bruises on his face and he seemed older than before, more man than boy. But when he smiled, Rosie still saw the shadow of the handsome guy she’d met at Orbitcorp Academy. He lifted his glass.

“To Gillian, a smart-mouthed pain in the arse, but a fighter. And Riley, who gave us back our lives.”

Tears filled Rosie’s eyes. “To our friends.” She put her glass against his.

“And those left behind.” Pip touched his to theirs. They all looked at each other a moment and Rosie wondered if in years to come they’d still be bound tightly together by what they’d gone through. A tear fell from her cheek and she brushed it away. They sipped at the drinks and Pip’s arm tightened around her shoulders as he dropped a kiss on her head.

“So,” Dalton spoke breaking the mood, “what are you going to do now, Pilot Girl?”

Rosie rolled her eyes and smiled. “That stupid nickname.”

Pip frowned and he and Dalton exchanged mock concerned glances. “But Pilot Girl is your name, isn’t it?” Pip said. Rosie punched him lightly in the stomach so he hunched over and almost spilled his beer.

“Hey, I’m still the walking wounded, you know,” he protested.

“You were shot on the other side,” Rosie said drily. “And since when do you and Dalton agree on anything?”

“We are men.” Pip and Dalton straightened up. “We settle our differences through fighting and drink.” He held up the fine crystal tumbler, then frowned at it. “Though maybe not in this kind of glass.”

“And not really drinking or fighting either,” Dalton said. “Not any more anyway.”

“I think the question is, what are you going to do, Curtis,” Pip said. “Don’t you get your family fortune soon?”

A shadow crossed Dalton’s face. He hadn’t killed his father: shot him twice, yes, but left him alive. He was a better man than his father would ever be. Though Jebediah was no longer the man he once was. The Elite had got him in the end. After Dalton turned him in, and along with Dalton’s evidence and the years of files against Helios that Riley had collected, his dreams of world domination were no more. He was now in prison, awaiting trial for the murder of three of the Pantheon, among other offences. The last member of the Pantheon, Alis Chan, had been found, her body hidden in a ship heading to the Gliese colonies. All of Curtis and Co’s holdings had passed to Dalton as the sole heir.

“I was thinking Cassie might want to work for me.” He glanced at the blond girl sitting alone on a stone memorial facing the sea.

“With what?” Rosie said.

“I want to use a chunk of the Curtis fortune to help people affected by Helios. Ferals, Bankers, anyone who lost loved ones to them or need help.”

“A charity?”

“Sort of. It would go well with my other venture.” A look passed between him and Pip. Rosie pulled out from under Pip’s arm to see his face better.

“Exactly what has been going on since I’ve been in hospital?” She’d been released only a few days before and it seemed quite a lot had been happening while she’d been confined to a bed.

Dalton smiled. “Pip’s been talking to the doctors and scientists up in Nation and we’ve come up with a plan to work on the MalX vaccine.”

“Even some of the scientists who were on the Helios payroll have come forward wanting to help,” Pip said. “With any luck we might have one in a year or less.”

“As long as you two don’t kill each other first,” Rosie said.

“I think I can hold myself back.” Pip raised an eyebrow.

“I’ve heard that before.” Essie came up behind Rosie and put an arm around her neck, then took the glass from her hand. “God, I hope that’s vodka.” She drained it in one swallow and grimaced. “Definitely not.”

“Where’s Dad?” Rosie said.

“He was tired. One of Dalton’s cars is taking him home. I said we’d have a proper celebration tomorrow. You can cook.”

“Gee, thanks,” Rosie said.

“Hey, you don’t want me to, do you?” Essie kissed her cheek. Her breath was laced with alcohol.

“How you doing?”

“I’m okay.”

“Walk with me.” Essie handed her empty glass to Dalton and drew Rosie away, following the same path Cassie had taken. Essie put her arm through Rosie’s and they walked to the edge of the hill, stopping under a few trees.

Her aunt seemed small and pale today. Dark circles shadowed her eyes and she’d become thin. Essie squinted at the view. “Hate these things, funerals,” she said. “Feels like I’ve been to too many. Thought I’d left them behind with my Elite days.”

They stood in silence looking at the city and river. It was a hot clear day, the haze over the city a visible halo heading out to sea.

“I miss that man, Rosie, more than I want,” Essie said quietly. She sighed and clamped her lips together then let out a short breath. “Well, at least he went out fighting, brave son of a bitch.” She dipped her head and brushed a tear away. “Sorry about your friend Gillian. She seemed a hell of a brave kid.”

“She was.” Rosie bit her lip as tears threatened again. “She saved my life. She should be here.” The bitter reality of having lost another friend bit deep. Gillian had suffered too much, fought too hard; she deserved to live, a lot more than Jebediah did. Rosie missed her. Riley she could hardly bear to think about. She leaned her head on her aunt’s shoulder. “I’m glad you’re still here.”

Essie let out a hard pained laugh. “Yeah, well, it was close, but I always seem to dodge the bullets.” She shook her head. “I found out what happened to Sulawayo. The evidence she gave to the Senate, all the help she’s given them, they’ve made her their golden girl. They really have no idea how deep in Helios she was. All the lies she’s told. She’s going to be heading up a new division to manage all the companies and loose ends Helios left behind. She’s the one telling them who, what and where to go to clean it all up. She’s even given up the Equinox Gate plans as if she captured them from Jebediah herself.”

Rosie’s heart clenched. “So she’s getting what she wanted all along, a way to make Helios into what she thought it should be?”

Essie’s smile was bitter. “Never simple is it, life? The wheel keeps on turning.”

“Maybe Dalton can do something. Curtis and Co had connections–”

“Not like you’d think. Old Jeb was a canny bastard, he kept a lot of it separate. I’m sure he funnelled money both ways but there’s no trail.” She glanced back at Dalton. “Pity he didn’t shoot to kill.”

But that wasn’t Dalton’s way and Rosie was glad for it. It would have ruined him, killing his own father. As it was, it had been bad enough. No one should have to do more. She sighed and folded her arms. Despite the heat she couldn’t help a chill creeping over her.

“And what are you going to do now, hero girl?” Essie said.

Rosie shrugged. “Maybe finish my pilot training at the Academy.”

“Always good to know how to fly,” Essie said. “You never know when you might need to escape.”

“Hey, Aunty.” Pip came up and wrapped his arms around Rosie. “Mind if I steal her back. I’m getting lonely.”

Essie gave him a fond smile, rolling her eyes. “Go on then, but don’t keep her out late.”

“It’s like you don’t trust me, Aunty,” Pip said and began backing away with Rosie held tight to his chest.

“In a firefight, yes, with my niece, no.” Essie pointed a finger at him. “Be late and I’ll cut off your favourite appendage.”

Pip’s eyes widened. “My little finger? You’re harsh.” He laughed as he picked Rosie up and spun her to face the other way.