Fallon turned her scowl on him after Wren left. “Why are you even in my quarters? You should be up already. You didn’t even have any broken bones.”
“Yeah, I nearly died, that’s all.” He scoffed at her. “You’re such a baby with your broken ribs.”
“And wrist and fingers. And a touch of fractured skull. But if it helps you to call me a baby, then fine.”
He pretended to glare at her, then broke into a grin. “Tell you what. I’ll sneak you a blistercake.”
She smiled. “Sounds perfect. Don’t tell Wren.”
“I won’t. We’d both get in trouble.”
They laughed. Not because it was really that funny, but because this was how they talked, and they understood each other perfectly.
11
Fallon paused during her midday rounds on the boardwalk to just look at it. At all the different species, the throngs of visitors, and the fantastic people who lived right here in her little community. It couldn’t have been more beautiful.
She missed Brak, who had left a week ago with her PAC commendation in hand to visit her homeworld. Fallon hoped it went the way Brak wanted. She looked forward to hearing all about it when Brak returned to take an advisory role with Blackout.
Krazinski and the rest of Blackout had taken residence on Dragonfire. It was a new but exciting change that had enlivened the entire station. They only knew PAC intelligence had moved in, but that was plenty thrilling all by itself.
The new citizens of Dragonfire had been housed on Deck Four. It gave her fewer accommodations to assign to ambassadors, admirals, and other VIPs, but she was fine with that. While Jamestown was being repaired, this was the perfect place for Blackout to operate. Fallon intended to campaign for keeping Blackout on the station permanently, separate from the rest of PAC command. But later, after command had gotten used to Blackout being on Dragonfire. Sometimes, in battle, timing was everything.
Lim was still working out his new existence. He’d chosen to remain with Blackout, at least for the time being. He might find a new calling in life, but meanwhile he had become very popular on the station. Arin was trying to recruit him for security.
Most of Jamestown’s remaining staff had been temporarily housed at the Tokyo base. That worked well, since a good deal of restaffing and restructuring was required. Tokyo was an excellent place to find replacements. Meanwhile, new oversight would be created, as well as new protocols for Blackout and all other branches of intelligence.
Fallon continued walking, only to pause again near the Tea Leaf. She stared at the table she and Wren preferred. She missed Wren. But the PAC could do no better than to have Wren on Jamestown, ensuring the repairs got done not just on schedule, but ahead of it.
Kellis was also helping, even while she received officer training. It was an unusual setup, but Kellis was an unusual and exceptional person.
Fallon was still surprised that Hesta had turned down an offer for a promotion and a position at headquarters once Jamestown was repaired. Hesta had counteroffered to be an asset for Blackout, and remain as the captain of Dragonfire.
Fallon had accepted a promotion of sorts on Dragonfire. She was now the chief of operations. It was a new position on the station, but it allowed her to appoint Arin as the chief of security. She would maintain oversight of the department, but daily operations would be up to him. Which freed her up to do more administrative work for the PAC. She’d taken the time, though, to set up an internship program for one Nixabrin Maringo. Young Nix gave Fallon hope for the future.
Jerin had also stepped up to serve the PAC. She brought her whole crew to the party, too. Jerin, while captaining the Onari as before, had become a PAC health ambassador. She would help speed the entry of worlds into the PAC by helping them develop their health programs. She would get to continue helping those who most needed it, while saying goodbye to her financial issues. And her home port would remain Dragonfire Station.
Not everything was starshine and rainbows, though. The Barony Coalition had continued its efforts to undermine the PAC, and they’d had moderate success in whipping up dissent among PAC members regarding broken treaties.
These were dicey times. Fallon felt like the PAC was poised at the top of a huge hill, and it wouldn’t take much for it to begin a long descent. She could envision two futures for the PAC. One where the difficulties were handled, and the PAC became stronger, safer, and more beneficial to all of its members. And one where tensions burned through the ties that had once bound, plunging planets and galaxies into war.
But both possibilities always existed, in every society. She could only hope that unity won out. She’d sure do whatever she could to make that happen, as would all the amazing people she’d met over the past two years. Along with the people she’d long had faith in. They were equal to the task, and she was proud to be among them.
She saw Cabot wave from inside his shop as she resumed her stroll down the concourse. She waved back, then shot him one of Trin’s finger guns, just for fun.
He laughed and returned the gesture. Which seemed to imply that he knew Trin fairly well. Funny.
She returned to the quarters she still shared with Peregrine after her rounds. She was no longer chief of security, and her office now belonged to Arin. But she liked to maintain her tradition of walking the boardwalk every day. It felt like home to her, and she suspected that her daily habit contributed to the feeling of home for many of its residents.
Home. That reminded her of a message she’d been meaning to send.
She sat
