“Indeed madam. Your assassin was successful. I was forced to personally deal with her myself.”
“Her?”
“The assassin, madam,” I said.
I glanced over at Sandra, who seemed to be enjoying the Senator’s obvious discomfort.
“First of all, Commander Riggs, let me assure you that I knew nothing of this-”
“Of course not, madam Senator,” I snapped in a tone that indicated I didn’t believe her.
Her voice changed, and I sensed great tension in it. She spoke deliberately, however. “You have to understand, Commander, our government has been put under a tremendous strain. Not everyone is on the same page. We can’t protect our citizens. Your ships kill thousands every day.”
For the first moment, I hesitated. I had been about to grill her further, to accuse her of doing everything but pull the trigger herself. But her words stopped me. They weren’t our ships doing the killing, but from their point of view, it would look that way. All of our ships looked the same to them. How did they know which ones we were in control of and which ones were still unmanned? Some of us stole things, probably people as well. Half the ships roamed the Earth testing and discarding people like chaff. There was plenty of death and hatred to go around for everyone.
“The ships who are still testing people are not under our control. They are not our ships. We are not the aliens, we are just citizens of the world who’ve been caught up in all this. Just like everyone else.”
“Not quite like everyone else. Can you understand how people down here might be frustrated? How-certain factions might arise and get ideas?”
“All right, Senator Bager,” I said. “I suppose it is plausible that Esmeralda was just a lone gunman. A fighter, I believe the new colloquial term is.”
“Esmeralda?” she asked.
“The assassin’s name, Senator.”
“You know her name?”
“Yes, she spoke to me in her final moments.”
A span of silence followed. The Senator had to push a button to transmit, and she wasn’t pushing it now. I wondered what kind of frenzy was going on at the other end. I was certain that the Senator was not alone. She probably had a number of people circling her, taking notes, offering suggestions. The fact that I had spoken with their assassin, learned her true name, and killed her personally must not be welcome news. They would have recovered the body by now and could verify at least some of my story.
I thought about what Crow had said about achieving independence. No political group was allowed to do so unless it was strong enough to fight for its freedom. That lesson was everywhere in history, and it seemed like we were repeating it now. Beating their assassin and getting information out of her had to impress them.
“Commander Riggs,” said the Senator in a cautious voice. “We have to work together for the good of humanity. How do we start again?”
“First of all, we will agree to a cover story that will save face for both sides. I suggest we spin it in this manner: A government agent aspired to take over one of our ships independently. She heard Pierre’s ship would be an easy mark, and she took it upon herself to go rogue.”
“That is my government’s position,” said the Senator, “because it is the truth.”
“Of course it is,” I said. “We will not break off diplomatic relations, despite the extreme provocation. But you must understand that trust must be rebuilt, and our security measures will be extreme from now on. In the future, we will only take aboard well-known, elected public officials for face-to-face meetings. No assistants, bodyguards or equipment bigger than a ballpoint pen will be coming with you.”
“With me?”
“Yes. Naturally Senator, I was hoping you would volunteer. I have something I very much want to show you. A piece of alien technology that might win the ground war with the Macros.”
She hesitated. “Does it have to be me?”
“I’m not a murderer, Kim,” I said gently. “Esmeralda attacked me first.”
Another hesitation. “I’ll come aboard. I’ve read your profile six times. You don’t seem like a typical killer, Commander Riggs. I’m hoping you haven’t changed.”
We set a time. We would have lunch together. I would provide the food.
21
Alliances are always forged in the fires of necessity, rather than poured from the sweet wine of love. I recalled having read that quote somewhere and it seemed particularly apt today.
The truth was when I first met with Senator Bager, face-to-face, neither of us was terribly happy about the situation. I considered her an accomplice in the assassination of a man who had been a comrade in battle if not exactly a friend. We had fought together and somehow, when you fight alongside another man in deadly combat, you are forever connected with them at a primal level. Pushing all that aside for diplomatic purposes involved a level of emotional control and detachment I was unaccustomed to dealing with.
“Senator, welcome aboard my ship,” I said.
Bager looked at my proffered hand apprehensively. After taking the ride up via the ship’s long, black arm, people were never in a happy mood. I suppose my appearance had something to do with it. I’d thought about rigging up an eye-patch, because my left eye was still-odd-looking. The nanites hadn’t finished their repairs upon my body in that spot yet. But Sandra had rejected the idea, pointing out that I would truly resemble a pirate if I started wearing an eye-patch. So, I’d opted for a pair of sunglasses.
Bager finally seemed to take a breath, stepped forward and took my hand. I shook it with every ounce of gentleness I could muster. It wouldn’t do to accidentally rip the arm off the Senator upon meeting her. I could see what she was thinking as we touched. Her lips smiled, but her brow was frowning. She was talking to a reputed killer of government agents who wore sunglasses in dimly lit rooms and who barely moved a muscle while shaking hands.
“Thank you-Commander Riggs?”
“Yes, that’s me.”
Sandra made an appearance then, popping in through a door that wasn’t there a second ago. The opening vanished behind her just as quickly as it appeared.
Senator Bager looked at Sandra and the surroundings. “This is quite different than Pierre’s ship.”
“Structurally, it is identical,” I said, “but I’ve furnished it in a manner that’s more natural to me.”
“I see,” she said, eyeing Sandra.
Sandra didn’t like Bager. She had told me as much quite clearly before this meeting began. I’d told her she could wait in her room, if she liked. I hadn’t held out much hope that she would do as I asked. She stood with her arms crossed, leaning against a wall now. She hadn’t said a word. She wasn’t exactly glaring at the Senator. It was more of what I would call a flat stare.
“Senator, would you like a refreshment? We have a large variety of drinks. Pretty much anything that comes out of a can.”
“Oh, certainly,” said Senator Bager, throwing a smile and blinking at Sandra.
“This is Sandra, a companion of mine,” I said, gesturing to both the women hopefully.
“Nice to meet you, Sandra,” said the Senator.
Sandra continued with the arms-crossed staring.
“Maybe you could get us all a drink, Sandra?” I asked. She slid her eyes over to me, then back again to fixate upon the Senator.
“Never mind,” I said, “I’ve got something right here. Have a seat, Senator.”
“Call me Kim,” she answered, seating herself on the far end of the couch. She had taken the spot as far away from Sandra as it was possible to be on my bridge.
I dug out the cans and carried them to the coffee table. The cans were warm, but I didn’t want to leave these two women alone long enough to get ice.
My coffee table caught the Senator’s attention. It was dramatically different than Pierre’s. Instead of teak
