Chapter 80: See You

  “Welcome to Etemenos, ladies and gentleman.”

  “Thank you, sir.” Chloe smiled and nodded to the dark-suited speaker, the apparent leader of five similarly dressed men who had met them at the docking bay at the end of the flight path she'd guided the Errant Magpie through.

  The men's suits, which were of the cloth groundling style, well-tailored but somewhat overlarge, seemed designed to almost conceal the pistols each wore in a shoulder holster. Chloe had no doubt each had at least one weapon she couldn't see, too. All moved with crisp professionalism and spoke through cool, emotionless smiles.

  Allegedly, they were employees of the same financier her dad had mortgaged the Mother Goose to. Chloe knew better, or at least knew the truth behind their cover:

  These were Stephan's men, enforcers for the Kronistine Syndicate.

  She was amazed how little they frightened her.

  Amazed, and worried.

  She knew these men wouldn't turn her in to the Feds. They wouldn't open fire on her and Rudy as long as Milissa was with them. Whatever Rudy might say, though, the Syndicate men would have plenty of chances to quietly dispose of two guests without tipping off the third.

  Chloe figured the erinyes bonded to her body could stop bullets even if it wasn't visibly manifested. She also figured putting it to the test would be painful and potentially disastrous. Besides, Rudy could still get shot. She couldn't even try to throw up a telekinetic barrier between him and an attacker unless she had lots of space to clear his anti-psion field.

  “You should come this way,” the lead enforcer said, motioning to the hallway that glittered almost as brightly as the erinyes. “While that authorization code is up to date and well paid for, I'm told you have some very dangerous people after you.”

  “Exactly what have you been told about us?” Rudy asked. Chloe noticed that he'd already started to follow, though. She hurried to keep up, although she had to remain more than comfortably distant. Milissa followed, still apparently too dazed by Etemenos's sheer scale to participate in the conversation.

  “The boss,” the enforcer said, “by which I gather is meant the big boss, whoever he is, told some people to tell my people that you people are guests. Important and in danger. I don't know the details, and unless ignorance of them could get me killed, I don't want to know. What nobody says, nobody squeals, right?”

  “Sounds sensible,” Rudy said. “Where are we headed?”

  “Safehouse. Any idea why you're supposed to lie low on Etemenos?”

  “We're not here to lie low,” Chloe said.

  She could see Rudy flinch even without him turning.

  “I was told to make sure you all stayed safe. So you go to a safehouse and you stay there till somebody upstairs says you don't.”

  “That's not acceptable,” Chloe said. She realized she'd slipped into her 'imperial' voice again.

  Well, why not? She saw no point in dragging this out any longer. If the Kronistine Syndicate was going to be more trouble than help, better to know it ahead of time and adjust their plans accordingly. “Rudy has to enter the Etemenos Cup.” And I, she thought, have to be there when he wins – or in case he doesn't.

  “No names,” the enforcer said. “And no leaving the safehouse.”

  “Okay,” Chloe said. Rudy shot her a warning glance, but she shook her head. “Then two of us won't be going to the safehouse.”

  “That's not what I meant.”

  “But it's how it's going to be.” Chloe stopped walking.

  The enforcer turned. “Really?”

  Chloe nodded.

  “I should listen to you for what reason?”

  “Because if you don't,” Chloe said, “I might not feel welcome.”

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  The enforcer laughed. His four buddies joined him a heartbeat later.

  Chloe wasn't really offended by their reaction. She knew she had to sound ludicrous to five hard men who'd probably killed dozens, women and children quite possibly among them. So she got offended at their theoretical misdeeds, instead.

  She closed her eyes and opened her mind.

  For another heartbeat, the laughter continued.

  Then it died amidst startled gulps and strangled chokes.

  Chloe opened her eyes.

  Five hard men who'd probably killed dozens stared at her with a mixture of anger and terror contorting their faces. Both emotions were their own. The indignation, however, was all hers.

  “Stop it, Chloe,” Milissa whispered. “Please.”

  Chloe nodded. She relaxed her breathing and cut off the empathic projection as quickly as she'd raised it. Milissa hadn't been able to teach her how to use her powers in battle, but she'd given her plenty of tips for dealing with emotions. Hers, and others. “Sorry about that, Mili. But the point had to be made.”

  “I know.”

  Rudy, of course, had not been affected. He leaned against the passage's wall, nodding to himself. “You guys still want to try to force us to do something?”

  “D-dammit,” the lead enforcer said. He shook his head. “This is too much. Too dangerous. Even if the word is from the top. You want to bring a freaking Animus Hunter down on our heads?”

  “No,” Chloe said. “Not yet, anyway.”

  The enforcer stared at her. “Crazy bitch. No way in hell do you go near one of our safehouses.”

  “I wasn't planning on it,” Chloe said. “Thank you for letting us into Etemenos, gentlemen, but that's exactly as far as Rudy and I counted on your assistance.”

  “That makes two of you,” the enforcer said. He nodded to Milissa. “What about her?”

  “This is something Rudy and I have to do alone, sir. Did you receive any specific instructions about one of us?”

  The enforcer nodded. “We were supposed to be extra careful with one of you girls. I guess she's the boss's main squeeze or something?”

  “Or something,” Rudy said. “What were you ordered to do with her?”

  “Same as the rest of you. Keep her out of hot water until things cleared up around here or somebody came to get her.” He hesitated, eying Chloe, and didn't say any more. She could guess, though. Stephan had instructed these men to preserve Milissa's life at all costs, but to kill Rudy and Chloe if they risked exposure.

  “Wait,” Milissa said, “what are you two talking about?”

  “I'm sorry, Mili,” Chloe said. She took the Kyrillos girl's hands in hers. “It's too dangerous for you to stay with Rudy and I.”

  “B-but... you need my help, right? You need more training.”

  Chloe smiled sadly. “You know better.”

  “Yeah.” Milissa hung her head. “I guess I do.”

  “You're not a fighter by character or competence, Mili,” Chloe said. “That is no bad thing. Principle knows I wish I didn't have to do this – but Principle also knows, you don't. These men will take care of you.”

  Rudy called, “Right, boys?”

  “We have our orders,” the lead enforcer said.

  Chloe believed him. For one thing, in his line of work, disobeying orders could get you quickly and horribly killed. For another, Milissa was the only one of their little band who hadn't said or done something to anger the Kronistine men.

  For a third, Chloe knew the Kronistine men were terrified of her. If they even thought about hurting Milissa, Chloe would make their terror seem very reasonable indeed.

  “I don't want to say goodbye,” Milissa said quietly.

  “Mili...”

  Milissa looked up, tears welling in her eyes. “You and Rudolf have been the best, the only, friends I've ever had, Chloe. I wanted to help you. I want to keep helping you.”

  Milissa's words killed the response Chloe had planned. She swallowed to try and clear the lump in her throat.

  Milissa hadn't been the only friend Chloe had ever had. All the same, Chloe doubted she'd been around anyone other than Rudy, her parents, or the Mother Goose's old crew as long as she had Milissa. She knew she hadn't been through as much with any of the spacer acquaintances her age she'd made in simpler times.

  Chloe hugged the Kyrillos girl. “You're a wonderful friend.”

  Milissa practically glowed.

  “And you can keep helping us,” Chloe said, “by waiting for us and being safe, and making sure that when we're ready to run, these guys are ready to help us do it.”

  “You just made that up,” Milissa said.

  “Yeah. Pretty much.”

  “Am I really that much of a burden?”

  “Of course not! Rudy and I just don't want you to get hurt, Mili. There's liable to be worse emotions floating around than you felt just now. Lots worse.”

  Unbidden, images of the battlecruiser flashed through Chloe's mind. An erinyes awakened, an Imperial unleashed – and untrained.

  It wouldn't be like that. It couldn't!

  She sure didn't want to have to worry about Milissa being there in case she was wrong.

  “Chloe's right, Milissa,” Rudy said. “Stay with your br... uh, your 'boss's' people. They'll keep you safe and you'll make sure they don't decide we're not a good investment if we have to get out of Etemenos in a hurry.”

  “I know,” Milissa said. “But... I still don't want to say goodbye.”

  “Then say,” Chloe said, “'see you soon.' Because you will. I promise.”

  Milissa eyed her incredulously. Apparently, she didn't trust Chloe's assurances much more than Chloe herself did. But she managed to raise a brave little smile and say, “See you soon, Chloe.”