Lacuna: The Spectre of Oblivion (6 page)

Suddenly, the smell of sizzling fish lost its appeal.

“How about just pancakes for me, huh?”

James looked hurt, confused. “You don’t want my fish? It’s my famous garlic butter! This stuff is divine! It is the flesh of the Gods, battered in elemental
sex
and roasted to perfection on this cheap electric stove. You have to try some.”

Liao felt nauseous. It felt like morning sickness, but different. This was entirely emotional. “No. I’m sure it’s really good, but seriously, just pancakes for me.” She forced a smile, giving his bare chest a firm squeeze. “Make it a double helping.”

James seemed concerned for her, but he shrugged it off. “A double helping it is. More ultra-fish for me, I suppose.”

She reached down, slowly stroking her hands over his taunt abdomen. “You’ll get fat,” she cautioned. “Then you’ll get thrown off your ship, too.”

James began pouring out the pancake batter with one hand, flipping the sizzling fish strips with the other. “Well, if I did get the boot, it would mean more sex, though. That’d be nice.”

“Wouldn’t it just.” Liao pursed her lips, resting her chin on his shoulder and rubbing it back and forth. “How…
is
the ship, anyway?”

“The
Tehran
or the
Beijing
?”

“
The
ship.
My
ship.”

James lifted the fish and flipped it again. “Commodore Vong is a fine CO,” he admitted. Liao tensed slightly but tried to keep herself under control. “But he’s no Liao. He’s more experienced at the command side of it, yes, and he actually gets his paperwork in on time, but he’s not as…
elegant
as you were when it came to command of a spaceship, nor as bold. The crew misses you, Saara in particular. Rowe mouthed off to him over some trivial matter and got herself replaced as the chief of engineering. She’s now just an ‘adviser’ and not very happy about it. Chang tore a muscle during one of the counter-insurgency drills and has been off recovering for the last two months… Alex and Rowe split up again, but then got back together. The Broadsword
Switchblade
was damaged in a training exercise and only just started flying again… so, you know. Same old, same old, really.”

“Nothing too serious, then. Glad to hear it. What about the
Tehran
? How’s your ship holding up?”

James put a wide frying pan on the second hot plate, letting it warm up. “Well, the alliance with the Kel-Voran has solidified, thanks to the efforts of the
Sydney
crew. We attacked an Alliance supply convoy headed for one of their shipyards, blew up a fairly impressive amount of tonnage, but that’s not the best part. Our marines captured a Toralii scout ship after the
Beijing
disabled its engines.”

Liao blinked, slowly raising her head. “I would have thought you’d mention that when I asked about the
Beijing
, but… wait. We took a Toralii ship?”

“Same configuration as Saara’s old vessel. We’ve rechristened her the
Rubens
. We’re using her and some ships from the
Sydney
to run black ops, wreaking havoc in the Toralii supply chain... Magnet’s leading the wing. Doing a pretty fine job, too.”

“Magnet?” The name triggered some kind of memory in her, of a pilot from the
Sydney
who was wounded in the assault on the Toralii mining colony. Captain Knight had told her that he was making a fine recovery; it seemed like he’d survived his ejection and subsequent spacewalk just fine.

James reached out for a stick of butter, slowly smearing it over the empty frying pan. “Flight Lieutenant Mike Williams, call sign Magnet. Some hotshot from the
Sydney
. Ugly mother fucker, but he’s a great pilot. He was on the crew that negotiated with the Kel-Voran… Now he’s moving up in the world. Their ship is due back shortly, actually. With a bit of luck, you might be able to meet him.”

Liao gripped his shoulder, closing her eyes a moment. “I don’t think so. I’m nobody now, remember? I get the occasional television interview and that’s it. Trust me, caring for our girl is a full time job.”

There was a quiet pause as the butter began to melt. “I was thinking,” began James. “Did you like the name Jasmine?”

Jasmine. It was a nice name, but Liao shook her head. “Not really. It seems… pretentious.”

“My cousin’s named Jasmine.”

Liao yawned lazily, clicking her tongue. “Well, your cousin has a pretentious name then.”

“We have to decide sometime. She’s three months old… We can’t keep calling her ‘the baby’. You have to give her a name soon. She’ll be talking before you know it.”

“James, I told you about this… Names are important to me. I can’t make this decision lightly.”

“I know. I’m happy to wait, but still… We should decide sooner rather than later.”

“Okay, okay, okay. We will.”

“Good.”

“Oh, someone’s writing a book about our sex-ploits, by the way.”

James laughed as he gently brushed the surface of the pan with a little extra butter to grease it. “Oh?”

“Mmm, a fictionalised version of us and our sordid, career-ending affair. She’s calling it
Playing Amongst the Stars
. It’s some kind of steamy erotic romance. We’re going to be superstars. The publisher asked for a raunchy photo for the cover, and I even got a call from a men’s mag asking for a naked shoot. They were paying pretty damn well, too: fifteen grand each.”

James snorted dismissively. He seemed, for a moment, to be offended. Liao reached around and touched his chin, turning his face to her.

“I said no to both of them. You know that, yeah?”

He smiled. “I know.” James reached for the batter, pouring out a pancake roughly fifteen centimetres wide. The smell of it cooking merged with the smell of the fish, helping to dampen the scent of roasted flesh, for which Liao was quietly grateful. Her hands idly explored James’s chest.

“So tell me more about this
Rubens
, then. I didn’t hear about that on the news.”

James smirked at her. “Of course you didn’t. Technically, that’s top secret, highly classified operating information that’d probably get me put up against a wall and shot if I told anyone, especially someone who was currently on leave.”

“Tell anyone what?” Liao remarked, smiling and kissing his cheek. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell a soul. If you get shot, I’ll be sad. Kind of. Who would cook for me then?”

He laughed, testing the pancake’s edge with the spatula. “Summer?”

“Phht. That lunatic would burn down my kitchen just to see what the flames look like.”

“Saara?”

“Eh, she probably would. How’s she doing under Commodore Vong?”

James looked surprised. “You didn’t know?”

“Know what?”

“Saara transferred to the
Tehran
. She’s just finishing up some things in orbit, then she’s going to come visit.”

Liao’s features brightened. “Well, you’re full of good news today.”

Liao slid her hand to James’s, taking the spatula and cutting off a piece off the pancake. She wiggled it under the fork and brought it up to her lips, blowing on it a few times before popping it into her mouth. “Not bad.” She swallowed.

“Just not bad? Phht. It’s
my
cooking. It’s always amazing.”

“Right, right.”

They ate, for a time, laughing and joking, the hot pancakes burning their mouths. When their meal was consumed, James tugged her towards the shower, but Liao stopped him.

“You got the condoms, right?”

He laughed. “Yeah. Stop asking me that.”

Liao pointed to the other bedroom where their infant was sleeping soundly. “Hey, you want another one of those? Do ya?”

He shook his head and, laughing, the two stepped into the bathroom.

*****

Four days later

Liao, cradling her infant, pulled open the door with a wide smile, barely able to keep her excitement in check. These days, it was rare that she received visitors, even rarer that they were her friends making social calls.

“Come in, Saara. Please. Don’t mind the mess.”

The Toralii woman, flanked by two marines, stepped through the door. Liao moved out of the way for them, smiling incessantly. Her friend’s visit was highly anticipated; Liao had been pestering James to give her time off and it had been, finally, granted. Despite warning her of the mess, Liao had done her best to clean the apartment before Saara’s arrival and had even spent some money getting fresh flowers for the vase, something that cost her a pretty penny.

[“Thank you, Commander.”]

Liao waved Saara’s guards away. “I’ll be okay with her; I promise.”

“Very well, Commander,” one answered. “We’re here for her protection, not yours. Commodore Vong thought having an unescorted Toralii wandering Earth could be detrimental for her safety.”

Liao was forced to agree with his assessment. “Well, she’s here now. Thank you.” She shut the door, then turned to Saara, beaming. “I was wondering when you were going to visit! Have they been keeping you busy, then?”

Saara bobbed her head. [“They have, yes. Captain Grégoire is a fair commander, but he expects much of those under his command.”]

“Well that’s good. Wouldn’t want you getting bored, then.”

[“Rest assured, Captain, I am not bored.”]

There was something in Saara’s demeanour that caused Liao a moment’s concern, a little voice nagging at the back of her head. She didn’t seem as happy as Liao had expected. Saara was usually a lot more excited to see her, a lot more energetic in her behaviour. Now she seemed reserved, more formal than usual, even distracted.

“Everything okay?” Liao asked. Saara gave a slow nod.

[“Yes, Captain Liao. I am well.”]

She narrowed her eyes slightly. “You seem… really kind of distracted.”

[“I… I suppose this is true.”] Saara looked away a moment. [“To be honest with you, I had considered not coming at all. The deaths of the Telvan on Velsharn weigh heavily on me, I confess, and seeing your face causes those memories to resurface anew. It has made me reluctant to see you again since my appointment in your court.”]

Liao reached out and touched Saara’s fur-covered forearm. “I know,” she said. “It hurts for me, too. I remember going down to the planet, seeing the devastation firsthand. But you know I didn’t want that to happen, don’t you? That wasn’t what I wanted.”

Saara hesitated for a moment, then looked back to Liao, her big yellow eyes hiding a profound regret and sorrow. [“I know,”] she said. [“Although, I wish things had not turned out the way they had. So many dead… all innocent civilians who had done nothing wrong. And children.”]

“I wish it were different, too,” said Liao, giving a slow nod of her head, forcing a sad smile. “But we’re here now. I wish I could have brought Qadan here, shown him Earth, but that was not to be. Sometimes fate deals us a harsh hand, and all we can do is try to make the best of what we have.”

[“I know,”] said Saara, [“but that doesn’t quell the ache in my heart.”]

Liao adjusted her hold on the small infant, leaning in and wrapping an arm around Saara’s chest, giving her a tight hug. She buried her face in the fur of her shoulder, forcing herself to keep her breathing steady.

“I know,” Liao said. “Believe me, I know.”

*****

The next morning

A faint knocking on the door awoke her from her rest. Light filtered through the cracks in the curtains. She stretched, cracking her joints, before slipping out of bed. James hadn’t stirred yet. She gave his bare backside a gentle pat, pulled a towel off the floor, then headed for the door. She stepped through the kitchen, then to the foyer, passing by a snoozing Saara on the couch. Determined to let at least someone in their apartment sleep, Liao pushed back the cover on the peephole to the outside.

A clean cut, youthful looking man in the uniform of the People’s Republic of China Army Navy was standing there. A junior officer by his epaulets, a Lieutenant.

“Hello?”

The man straightened his back. “Commander Liao?”

“Yes?”

“I’m Lieutenant Kang Tai, Commander. I’ve been assigned to your protection.”

Frowning, Liao blinked, eyeing the man through the peephole. “Protection? I didn’t request anything like that.”

“The request came directly from Commodore Vong, ma’am. Can you please open the door?”

Liao would have opened the door, but this event struck her as unusual. “Got some ID?”

“I’ll just get it out. Hang on.”

Moments later a thin ID card was held up before the peephole. Lieutenant Kang Tai, People’s Republic of China Army Navy, Military Police. The hologram looked authentic.

“One moment.”

She discarded the towel, picked up a set of jeans and a shirt, then roughly shoved all the other clothes under the couch. She and James had not been expecting visitors, and it had been nice, she admitted, to discard the routine of dressing in the same clothes every day, especially now she was out of maternity wear.