I’m a relic of the past, too.
She sometimes wondered why she lived, and her people had died. She still wasn’t entirely convinced that she was the only one, as Will claimed, and hoped one day she would be able to find more like her.
Targon and the Molly Dook arrived, and she boarded for the long flight back to Earth.
“So how was your visit?” Targon asked over the com as he took the vessel into orbit.
“Fine,” Rhea answered anxiously. She was worried that more assassins would attack as they achieved escape velocity, but all remained quiet during the launch.
She was strapped into the cargo bay, secured to her sleeping bag. Will had taken his usual spot on the overhead, while Horatio had the right bulkhead. They were all wearing their spacesuit rentals to protect against the gas giant’s radiation. It wasn’t comfortable, but it was necessary.
She lay back, resigning herself to the voyage. She was going to have to get used to another two weeks of weightlessness.
An hour after takeoff Targon jetted inside, garbed in a bulky spacesuit like the others. He transmitted: “So, me hearties, we’ve departed Ganymede. We’re using Jupiter’s gravity to slingshot into an Earthbound trajectory, we are. It’ll take a couple days until the Molly Dook can slip beyond the influence of her gravity, and to clear the radiation belts, so I’m going to have to ask that ye keep your suits on.”
“Got a patch this time,” Will said, patting his bicep.
“Well that’s a good lad,” Targon said. “A man after me own heart.” He glanced at Rhea. “So, when are ye going to tell me about your visit, Warden? Don’t be keeping me in suspense like this.”
She sighed. “It was… uneventful.”
“Bull shark!” Targon said. “Wherever the Warden goes, something is bound to happen. She has a way of drawing attention, both good and bad. I checked the news reports after I returned. A police swarm was called to investigate a disturbance in the old Ganymedean domes. Apparently a tourist was attacked by some pirate or other. Something tells me that tourist was you.”
“You got me,” she said.
He narrowed his eye. “What are you hiding, Warden?”
“It’s really not something you need to worry about,” she told him.
“It is if it endangers me ship,” he said. “Was the attack related to the bombardment we received on the way to the moon?”
She glanced at Will. “I suppose he deserves to know.” She returned her attention to Targon. “It wasn’t a pirate.”
“Not a pirate?” Targon said. “Then who the bloody blazes was it?”
“An assassin,” she said. “Dispatched by someone who wants me very dead.”
“An assassin?” Targon said. “Ye could have told me this before, as in, before we left bloody Earth! I probably wouldn’t have picked ye up in the first place, if I knew an assassin would follow ye all the way from Earth to Ganymede!”
“I didn’t think my enemies would follow me into space either,” she told the merchant. “You have to trust me; I wouldn’t have willingly endangered your ship. I wasn’t aware of the resources my enemy had at his command.”
“Why didn’t ye tell me after the first attack?” Targon asked.
“I wasn’t really certain at that point,” she replied. “It could have been space pirates, and I didn’t want to alarm you. I only knew for sure after the attack came on Ganymede.”
Targon tried to touch his chin, but his gloved hand hit the glass faceplate in front of it. “This is bad. I’m going to have to keep a wary eye out for the rest of the journey, wasting precious fuel to constantly scan the immediate environment. Active scanning doesn’t come cheap, ye know.”
“Do we have enough fuel to make it back?” she asked.
“Yes,” he answered. “But just barely. Bringing ye to Ganymede is proving to be a far costlier endeavor than I originally imagined.”
“I’ll make it up to you,” she said. “I’ll get the Wardenites to make a donation.”
“No,” he said. “The journey is still free, Warden. I’m not gonna go back on me word, unlike most people would. Just be… more forthcoming in the future, if ye can, please.”
“I will, and I’m sorry,” she said. “I didn’t mean to bring your ship into danger. I know how much it’s worth to you.”
He nodded. “My life savings are in this vessel.”
“Come on,” Will said. “This is the most adventure you’ve had since you streamed video games for a living. Admit it. And besides, you’re going to profit from having us aboard. You can’t tell me you’re not recording all of this, so you can broadcast it when you get back to Earth? You’re going to make money from this journey in more ways than one.”
Targon seemed taken aback at first, then outraged. “What? I wouldn’t dare!”
“Oh really?” Will said. “Horatio, tell him.”
“We found your hidden cameras a while ago,” Horatio said. “During the initial trip. The constant stream of data packets was a dead giveaway.”
“Okay, fine,” Targon stammered. “I might be doing some recording, yes. But it’s my ship. I’m allowed to do what I want aboard.”
Rhea smiled. “There are privacy laws—”
“Which don’t apply in interplanetary space!” Targon finished.
“Actually, it might not be a bad idea to let him broadcast our adventures,” Horatio said. “It will show another side of you to your fans. A more personable, human side. It will help them understand you. Plus, it can only help to grow your following. Once your fanbase becomes big enough, perhaps we’ll be able to get your accounts restored on the major streaming networks.”
“Yes, it will increase her legend!” Targon agreed. “The Warden, who was pursued by assassins to Ganymede, only to singlehandedly defeat them in close combat in the ruins of a lost dome.”
“Not singlehandedly,”
