“Do any of them know who you really are?” Lu Tang asked.
“They know that I am their Goddess. That is enough.”
Lu Tang looked up at the ceiling. Strange varieties of fungi were growing there in the damp air.
“Enough?” he said, although gently.
The mask said nothing. A few minutes later the servant returned, carrying a metal box that was two feet long. If the man struggled under the weight he did not utter any word of complaint.
Lu Tang took it from the man who bowed low before him.
“Do not bow to the demon!” The Goddess screamed and Lu Tang turned his back, chuckling. As he strode back to the main hangar he thought that he should file the Goddess away in his mind under a warning. What becomes of us when we start to believe our own myths.
Still, he now had an asset. And God knew that was good.
Chapter 7
Scotclan. Police force. Government. The only law in space. A band of mercenaries looking to profit from the vulnerable. Whatever you called them, they were the only organization that mattered once you left the Earthen solar system. And they owned a young probationary space ‘tec called Biddy Mackay and could shut her down in a second.
All of this meant that Biddy had flung on a clean shirt and ran for the control room in under two minutes.
“Who is it?”
Hastings shook his head as he made room for her to sit in front of the screen. “Didn’t recognize the face. Old guy, Tam O’Shanter.”
“Crap.” The Tam O’Shanter was only worn by the highest members of Scotclan. Biddy had sort of been hoping that no one would see her travel request before they were on their way. She should have known better: the clan were never slow to intervene in the actions of their employees.
“Okay. Put him on the main screen.”
The central viewscreen changed from a view of Eris to a plexiglass office with an old man sitting behind a desk. The guy must have been ancient. Thin wisps of white hair escaped from his cap. He must have been a large man once, but age had stripped the fat from him and his jowls hung lose.
“Detective Mackay?”
“Yes, sir.”
“This is Chief Innes.”
Double crap. There were only three Chiefs of the Scotclan. One was permanently stationed in orbit of what was left of Planet Earth. The other was in deep stasis. And the third… Well, this was the third. Biddy had never even seen a picture of him.
Biddy swallowed. “How can I help you, Chief Innes?”
“Is this flight plan genuine?”
The document that Biddy had uploaded to the cloud less than an hour ago previously flickered up onto the screen.
“Yes, sir,” she said. It seemed safest to answer in the shortest way possible.
“You have been asked to capture an Augment?”
“Yes, sir.”
“And you agreed?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Why?”
A pause while Biddy tried to think of an answer that wouldn’t piss off Scotclan. “It is clear that the Augment has acted illegally, and has charges to answer.”
“And that was your sole motivation?”
“No, sir. I was offered a considerable fee.”
“And what was that fee?”
“The… ummn, the client said that payment would be made by the return of Iona Beach.”
“You were offered Tirnanog?”
Hastings let out a whistling sigh beside her.
“Yes, sir. The client said that Iona Beach would be given as payment if the Augment was captured.”
Chief Innes inclined his head in a small nod. It was then that Biddy realized that something else was going on. The Chief should have fallen out of his chair at the possibility of regaining Iona Beach. But he had barely reacted. Which meant he already knew.
Biddy’s jaw clenched. She was being outmaneuvered, and she had no idea how.
“Scotclan has considered your flight plan and we are willing to permit it. But we must place conditions upon your travel due to the nature of the commission. Firstly, you will be required to make contact with the Clan whenever you are not travelling at Fast Light. Daily, if possible.”
“That is…” a bloody cheek, Biddy thought, and totally out with the rules of Scotclan, “…an understandable precaution, Sir.”
Biddy noted that Elvis gave her a searching look. Well, the crew could think what they liked. Without Scotclan onboard there would be no mission in the first place and none of them would be getting paid.
“We would also request an observer to be placed onboard ship. We have someone en route to meet you at the Fuller system.”
Biddy couldn’t help but gasp at this one. “Is that… truly necessary, Sir. I have been a member of Scotclan for the last ten years. I’m sure I can compose full and accurate reports –”
“No one is doubting your integrity,” the Chief said, interrupting her with a look that said we are definitely doubting your integrity. “As I said, this is a unique assignment. There is potential for tremendous embarrassment for the Clan if it goes wrong.”
“And tremendous gain if it goes right.”
“Quite.”
“And will Scotclan protect my crew in the event of this mission going awry?”
Innes raised an eyebrow. “Scotclan will do its duty, of course.”
Biddy glared at the screen. Her diplomacy levels were just about running out. “If I am to make the concessions of observation that you have requested, I would consider it only fair if you were to offer me something in return. A contract stating that no matter the outcome of the mission my crew will not be liable for any damages or otherwise.”
A brief pause while Chief Innes checked something on a datapad. “All right. All obligations owed by your crew will be considered fulfilled no matter the outcome of the mission. You understand, however, that as the ‘tec in charge
