After the plates were cleared, Luther nudged me with his elbow, nodding toward the entrance. “Looks like trouble.”
Kira Nerolf strode in with her friends in her wake. She still had the same bright white mohawk, and pink eyes. Two shots appeared on the bar, and she sauntered to them without noticing us.
“Wait here,” I told my table, and hurried across the room. I slipped around her, grabbing the second shot. I lifted it in the air. “To SeaTech.”
She almost spat her drink out in shock, and I downed the liquid. It was terrible.
“If it isn’t SeaTech’s poster boy,” she grumbled, and pointed at the wall to a digital advertisement. It showed me holding a superimposed device. My voice was dubbed over, with a computerized version of me discussing the benefits of SeaTech’s personal wellness application.
“That was part of my contract,” I told her.
“Whatever. You know, I may have been wrong about you. I didn’t in a million years think you’d actually win Space Race. Not that it matters now,” she told me. Her friends chose not to linger by us. They took a table, and Holland’s crush went to serve them.
“Have you thought about joining the fight?” I asked her.
“Are you kidding? The Velibar are going to destroy us. I’ll be hanging out in paradise, drinking, and looking for love in all the wrong places until we’re invaded.” Kira motioned to the bartender.
“We need good people. Pilots.”
“Since when do you know anything about my skills?”
“Holland said how competent you were, and that’s enough for me,” I offered.
She drank another shot. “Poor kid. He was a bit of a tightwad, but he had a big heart.”
“He’s not dead. You don’t have to use the past tense.”
“If you say so.” Kira gave me a grim smile. “I’m a gambler, and the odds aren’t in his favor.”
“Fight with us. We’re building a fleet. You can help defend our planet,” I told her.
“Us? Who’s this man in front of me? I thought Hawk Lewis was an outsider. An angry guy, willing to deck a CEO and live with the wilds in the Wastes. Now you’re advocating for the Corporations?” She shook her head like I was a disgrace.
“You said it yourself. You’re in paradise. And who allows this?” I asked.
“Bryson Kelley.”
“Then do it for him. Do it for Holland, the kid that devoted his life to racing. They believe in you, Kira.” I was laying it on thick. I’d initially planned to rub my recent victory in her face, but the moment we started talking, my tactic changed. She was right. I had bought in to Octavia and her sister’s plans. Bryson’s as well.
“I’ll think about it.”
“You do that,” I said, turning away.
“Wait.”
I paused.
“If someone wanted to join the efforts, who would she—or he—contact?”
I used my PersaTab to ping her Major Hewitt Barnes’ details, and kept walking. I heard it chime on her Tab as I sat down.
“Everything settled?” Luther asked.
“You bet. Let’s finish our food and head to the ship. We leave in the morning.”
____________
The Belt Station was a hubbub of activity. Six of the Defenders were nearby, and I knew for a fact that crews were being trained on them as we entered the vicinity. Every Primary had asked for volunteers for the defense of Earth, and they’d expected a ten percent rate. As it turned out, sixty percent offered their services in one manner or another.
Construction on Pluto had begun, transforming the mining facilities into accommodations for the evacuation in case the Velibar managed to breach our shield. Thousands of workers and robots were involved, preparing for the arrival of millions of humans.
Similarly, more space stations were underway in an effort to distribute people. The Velibar couldn’t kill us all if we spread out. The inevitable might occur, but we likely had delayed the invasion by two years, and that might just be enough.
We docked along the outer station, directly beside Varn’s Racer, and were met by security. It was the same guy that had accosted me after Eris. “Hello, Hansen.”
He blanched when I said his name. “Mr. Lewis. It’s a pleasure to see you again.” He was like a different person. “Please, right this way. Major Barnes is expecting you.”
Jade grinned at me. The trek was quick, and we found Major Barnes inside the top floor of the Station, a windowed dome giving us a three-sixty view of the Belt. It was a glorious experience from this vantage point, almost like standing at the edge of space, looking out.
Jinx whistled and spun in a slow circle as he stared up. “This is amazing. What have I been doing hiding in a hole on Titan for the last twenty years?”
I introduced our new members to the major, and he eyed Jinx suspiciously. “Are you the same Jinx that left a message in our network after our security was breached?”
Jinx shrugged sheepishly. “Guilty. I wanted you to know how simple it was to access the security information through the food procurement system. Anyone could have done it.”
“But only you managed,” Barnes said. “I do thank you. We patched it. And Aster. It’s a pleasure. I’ve done some research on your name, but came up blank.”
“That was my intention,” she told him.
“Okay,” Major Barnes said when he realized that was all he’d get out of the woman. “Your Racers have been outfitted with the FTL modifications. I understand your concerns that they’re untested, but we’ve spent the last week ensuring their safety.” The room had a table, and he activated a 3D projection above it as he killed the lights. It showed a third Racer, unmarked by a Corporate logo. The ship was there one minute; the next it was gone, after a bright flash of light.
“It works,” Jade whispered.
“The pilot went to Pluto and back. No issues. We believe you should encounter nothing of concern to Refuge.” A map appeared, and the text from our communication with the other beings scrolled beneath it.
