Wrath of the Void Strider (23 page)

She received another round of cheers and applause, and wearing a glad smile, she declared, “That’s it.  This meeting’s adjourned.”

The room dissolved into excited chatter and laughter, into stories of drunken bravado and promises of misbehavior.  Slowly, a line formed in front of Collins, and he opened a sturdy box full of 100-credit bills.  Valerie took a seat beside him, her tablet in hand.  Glancing over to his stacks of cash, she asked, “Can I see one?”

“Surely!”  Collins passed her a 100-credit bill.

She studied it, turning it over in her hand.  Made of heavy paper that naturally stiffened when spread flat, its edges were gilded and elaborately embellished with a border of intertwined white crosshatching on a surface of rich blue.  At its center, silver lines representing the Milky Way sat atop a globe representing Earth.  On the back of the bill, a realistic depiction of the galaxy spread across its face, with the number 100 at each of the corners.  “Pretty,” she whispered, and passed it back to Collins.

Looking forward, he smiled at Bruce Cajun, the first in line.  Quickly, he counted out 40 bills, placed them in Cajun’s hands, and said, “Here you go, rich man.” Cajun nodded his thanks and checked in with Valerie.  She marked him as having received his payment and told him who he would be rooming with.  The line moved slowly and steadily amidst an air of goodwill.

·· • ··

The
Sanguine Shadow
completed its jump to Varuna, and Krane guided the starship toward the VelAquant’s geostationary space station.  After docking, the crew disembarked and boarded several landing shuttles bound for the surface.  Gavin, Taryn, Collins, Valerie and Zerki boarded the same vessel and settled in for departure.  Before long, the shuttle detached from its moorings and descended through the clouds.

Through the portholes, they saw glowing cylindrical spires rising up from verdant mountains and grassy hilltops, crowned by golden kinetic sails.  Enormous, polished white spheres hovered above statuesque skyscrapers, catching the late afternoon sun and scattering it across the landscape.  Tourist centers were built within the surrounding rises, and a lattice of canals flowed throughout the foothills.  Street lamps and lane lights shone brightly upon the roads.  Diaphanous bridges and gently lit tunnels connected a delta of vibrant undercities.

The landers soon docked within the VelAquant’s yawning bay, and after everyone was planet-side, Zerki called her crew together in the foyer.  Vast sculptures of light and glass, of water and mist surrounded them, along with a maze of stairs and elevators that connected all the resort’s many levels.  Brilliant holographic and neon signboards identified scores of storefronts, bars, nightclubs and gambling stations.  Nearby, dozens upon dozens of check-in counters were manned by as many smartly dressed cashiers.

Zerki excused herself and approached the nearest attendant.

On several overhead display screens, breaking news feeds showed scenes of devastated ellogon colony worlds.  “What’s going on?” Taryn whispered, and she nudged Gavin.

He watched the news report.  “I don’t know.”

They watched footage of a ruined city swathed in curtains of choking smoke.  A human reporter on scene led his cameraman to a group of slain ellogons, their entire bodies censored by pixel blurs.  Sound cut in and out as he speculated about the cause and warned viewers that although the Prime Minister maintained the Union’s innocence, the Ellogon Empire was preparing to declare a second galactic war.

In a hush, Gavin relayed, “No one’s claiming responsibility.”

She gripped his sleeve.  “I bet it was that battle station we saw near Ixion Prime.  I bet there’s more of them.”

“It’s possible.”  His brow was deeply furrowed.  “Why the hell are they going after the ellogons?”

Taryn swallowed visibly.  “Take out the biggest threat, first.  They’ll be coming after us, next.”

“I pray you’re wrong.”  He glanced up to see Zerki approaching.  Quick to abandon his worrisome considerations, he hurried to her side, offering his assistance.

She carried a box of digital paper envelopes, each with a name displayed upon it.  With Gavin’s help, she distributed the room keys, and Collins gave everyone a sealed envelope containing their promised spending money.  Getting up onto a nearby bench, Zerki faced her crewmates and called out, “Everyone, visit your rooms and drop off your stuff.  There’s a lot to do here, so try not to get lost.”  She smiled.  “Dinner will be served at the Tako Grill around 6:00.  That’s
tako
, not taco.  Attendance is optional but encouraged.  However, everyone needs to meet here in the foyer tomorrow morning for breakfast.  We’ll be shipping out right after we eat.”

Amidst excited chatter, the crowd dissolved into the resort’s expanse.  Zerki gathered her things and began walking for the exit.  Valerie hurried after her.

“Where are you off to?” she asked, and she eyed Zerki’s bag.

“I have to make a quick stop at Barroi Bay.”

Valerie tugged on Zerki’s shoulder, stopping her.  “Why?”

“I have a meeting.”

Before Valerie could press for details, Zerki smiled curtly and hurried away. 
She’s blocking me
, thought Valerie. 
Why would she be blocking me?
  Shaking her head, she walked back to the foyer, picked up her things, and soon rode the elevator up to join Taryn in their shared room.

·· • ··

After getting showered and dressed, Valerie and Taryn returned to the foyer and met up with Gavin, Takeo, Filan, Cajun and Jenn.  They made their way to the Tako Grill, an ornately themed, open-air eatery that attempted to capture the essence of feudal Japan in broad neon and holographic strokes.  Most of the
Sanguine Shadow
's complement shared plates of gourmet sashimi, truffle fries, and several rounds of beer and rice wine.  A tribute band played timeless pop hits.

Takeo and Filan took to the floor, dancing to the music.  Cajun led Taryn out to join them, and Jenn followed.  Gavin and Valerie lingered at the table and watched, talking happily about nothing in particular, doing their best to be heard over the din.  While the others danced, Valerie challenged Gavin to a round of meteor whiskey.  After forcing it down, he coughed loudly, and his skin flushed.  Valerie downed hers without any visible affect, and she challenged him to another round.

Their waitress returned with the drinks, and although Gavin knew he had already had too much, he accepted Valerie’s challenge.  The second shot went down a lot smoother than the first.  In a daze, he watched Valerie get to her feet and extend her hand.  He was surprised to see his friends return, and they all decided to visit one of the resort’s nightclubs.

He was pretty sure he bought Valerie a few drinks at the bar, and he definitely went out onto the crowded balcony to dance with her.  He wasn’t sure how he ended up back at the elevator, and he brought all his focus to bear on the simple act of following his friends to the next nightclub.

His time was a joyful blur of dancing and music, of black lights and a well-lit bathroom somewhere inside the second or third club they visited.  As he started to sober up—he was
certain
he was the only one who had even been intoxicated—Taryn suggested they all pay a visit to Varuna’s legendary Sapphire Waterfall.

“What’s that?” Filan asked.  “I don’t know anything about this planet.”

Taryn explained, “My parents used to vacation here every year when my dad was still alive, and they said it’s the most amazing thing they’ve ever seen.”  She shrugged.  “This is my first time on Varuna, so I don’t know if it’s really as amazing as all that, but it’s pretty close, by Metro shuttle.”

Jenn nodded.  “I’m in.”

Valerie said, “It’s really pretty.  I’m in.”

“Me too,” said Filan.

Cajun asked, “How do we get to the Metro from here?”

“Take a cab,” Taryn answered, and she pointed toward a nearby lot of automated vehicles.  “You’ve been out in space too long.”

He laughed and nodded.  “Probably.”

Taryn led the group to the brightly lit collection of courtesy vans, and she touched the panel of one of the larger vehicles.  Interior lights flickered on.  Its curved outer shell was composed of tinted, traffic-grade transparent aluminum, and wide doors on either side allowed for easy boarding.  Two white, egg-shaped chairs sat directly behind the dashboard on a plastic floor of canary yellow, and three rows of two slightly smaller egg-shaped bucket seats sat behind them.

“No steering wheel,” noted Gavin.  He considered saying a little more, but he wasn’t entirely sure he had even said “steering” correctly.

Taryn hugged him tightly, wearing a kind smile.  “They’re taxis, remember?”

“Ah, sorry, right,” he muttered.

“No worries,” she said and squeezed his hand.  “Let’s go.”  She steadied Gavin as he found his way to an egg chair near the front.  He settled in and held the sides of his head in his hands.  Taryn plopped down in the navigation chair and waited for everyone else to board before stating their destination.  The doors slid closed, and the interior lights dimmed.  A moment later, their taxi van glided out onto brilliantly lit silver roads.

“You don’t do this often, do you,” said Valerie, her smile sweet as she regarded Gavin.  “Go out drinking, I mean.”

He looked at her from between his fingers.  “No,” he admitted.  “I’m sorry if I said or did anything I shouldn’t have.”

Valerie shook her head and looked forward.  “You were a gentleman.  And you’re not a bad dancer.”

He exhaled a sigh of relief.  “That was entirely the alcohol.”

She took his hand, pulled it gently down from his face.  “Not entirely.”

They zipped along the highways and tunnels for some time, and soon found themselves paying for shuttle tickets.  They boarded, and the transport moved upward into the flight lanes, rocketing across the planet’s surface at supersonic speeds.  It wasn’t long before the shuttle slowed and stopped, and it began its descent.

After it had completely docked, Taryn led her companions off the boarding platform, past a huddle of wonderstruck men and women, all of them dressed in the same red and black T-shirts.  She rented a luxury utility cab, took a seat at the navigation console and entered in their destination.  After everyone was seated, the rover silently got up to speed.

They drove along a manmade dirt road, up one face and down another.  At last, their destination drew nigh.  “Oh, that’s it!  There it is,” Taryn excitedly announced.  “Do you see it?”

Seated beside her, Cajun leaned forward and asked, “The purple glow?”

Gavin asked, “Is it more black lights?”  He immediately regretted having opened his mouth to say anything.

Taryn giggled.  “Uh, no.  We’re outside now.”

“Right, I know that.  Sorry.” 

“It’s okay.”

Valerie squeezed Gavin’s hand, and Takeo gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder.

Their taxi ascended a final rise, and it slowed.  The quiet crunch of pebbles and dirt under the tires fell silent as it drifted to a stop at the pinnacle of the slope, and Varuna’s Sapphire Waterfall exploded into view.  A trio of polished globes hovered over a wide lakefront resort, capturing the moon, and they bathed a cascade of glowing water in silvery light.  Infused with countless glittering gemstones, the rushing water was a fluid blanket of dancing stars, backlit by caverns covered in thick coats of purple-glowing lichen.

“Oh, wow,” Jenn whispered, and she stepped first from the taxi.  The others quickly joined her, and they crossed the road to a rail-lined balcony’s edge.  Quietly, they spread out along its length.  Speaking in whispers, they gazed upon the spectacle for some time.

·· • ··

Far from her companions, Zerki waited within her own taxi as it approached her destination.  Draped in palm trees, singing orchids and jitterblooms, Varuna’s tropical-themed Barroi Bay Hotel and Resort came into view.  Zerki exhaled steadily, mentally preparing herself as her cab neared the hotel’s turnaround.  Dozens of taxis and chartered buses lined the drive, where crowds of gentlemen and debutantes stood sipping drinks, discussing sports and world events.

Before boarding her taxi, she had taken a moment in her hotel room to don a fine, white gown, matching forearm-length gloves and heels.  Along the way, she had curled her hair, setting it into a passable formal updo.  A sharply dressed doorman approached, as Zerki checked her teeth one last time.  The cab door opened, and she stepped out.  Politely, she curtsied at the doorman, and made her way through the hotel entrance.

Inside the vaulted, cream-colored lobby, dark green marble formed islands amidst a sea of white stone.  Glass tables rested atop them, bearing vases that overflowed exotic flowers.  Sofas and coffee tables were scattered throughout, framed by planters and palm trees.  Yellow light shined from scattered chandeliers, adding to the gentle yellow-green glow that seeped from the lobby’s many pillars.  Thick bands of soft lighting adorned the high walls.

She took a moment to locate the registration desk.  After exchanging greetings with a young woman behind a curved marble counter, she said, “I’m here to see Sir Reynold Cavendish.  He’s expecting me.”

The attendant nodded and stood up slightly, pointing past her guest.  “He’s having a drink at the Ice Bar at the top of the building, but you’d better hurry.  I expect he’ll be retiring soon.”  She smiled and sat back down as Zerki thanked her and took her leave.

Walking briskly across the lobby in the direction the attendant had pointed, Zerki quickly found the elevators.  She took the first lift that arrived and traveled 80 stories up.  Her ears popped along the way.

It slowed and stopped, and she stepped out onto plush carpet.  Directly before her was the entrance to an establishment she could scarcely call a bar.  Draped in glass and crystal, it was accented by frosty blue light and snow-white embellishments.  “Not very tropical,” she chuckled to herself, and she scanned the location for a man that matched the description Kanlen had given her. 
Large but not fat, bald with a full white beard
, he had said. 
And he knows his gin
.