With the new control over genetics that the Investigator had recently gained, it was possible to mix-and-match things like a person’s heritage. That was freaky and kind of cool, but it was also a super-secret. Earth Gov didn’t know about it, and neither did the Galactics. I would shudder to think that either might find out someday.

  Hegemony would probably try to secretly use it to “fix” things the upper class Public Servants didn’t like about themselves and others. The Galactics, on the other hand… well, they’d probably want to erase all Humanity for breaking their laws. Only one patent could be awarded in any province for any technology. To challenge that patent, you had to go through miles of red tape, Nairb butt-inspections, and all kinds of other bullshit.

  As far as I knew, the Investigator had never even hinted to anyone he’d been working on this kind of thing for decades. Like a spider in the dark, he’d secretly and illegally recreated a homebrew revival system. This was dangerous and foolhardy, and sometimes it kept me awake an extra minute or two at night before I finally shrugged and passed out. I wasn’t a man who worried much about things I couldn’t control.

  “Dad?” Etta said when she’d taken her arms from around my belly, “we’ve learned so much over the last year or so. I can’t even tell you.”

  “Hehe… nope, you sure can’t. Don’t even think about telling me—I don’t want to know.”

  Right then, a strange thing happened. I lifted my smiling face up toward Floramel and the Investigator—and I received the equivalent of a high voltage shock.

  The Investigator had his hand resting lightly on Floramel’s shoulder.

  My jaw sagged low. I wasn’t able to control it. Seeing this, Floramel cast her eyes down at the floor. Was she embarrassed? Maybe.

  As for me, I was gob-smacked, floored, and kicked hard in the tail-pipe. It wasn’t any kind of a jealousy thing, mind you. Sure, Floramel and I had shared some nice nights over the years. That was a well-known and well-documented fact. But I wasn’t pining away for her, and she wasn’t for me, either.

  Mostly, I was shocked by the concept of the Investigator being interested in a woman of any kind. I’d known him for a long, long time, and he’d never shown the slightest inclination in that direction.

  What’s more, he was an old soul. He’d been older than me when I’d first met him, and even though he looked like a well-kept forty-something today, I knew that was the tip of the iceberg. He had to be pushing a hundred at this point—almost as old as the original colonists who’d come out here from Earth long, long ago.

  Zeta Herculis was Earth’s one and only true colony. The mission had been sent out before the Galactics had arrived, and by the time I was born, it had been assumed lost. That assumption had turned out to be horse-hockey, as the colony had reached Dust World, dug in, and begun their own civilization.

  In all that time, I’d never heard of this old bastard having a girlfriend, a wife, or anything else. Sure, he’d once had a companion who’d given birth to Della, his only daughter and Etta’s mother—but as I understood it that woman had been enslaved by the Cephalopods and vanished forever.

  The crazy old man had been wedded to his cryptic work ever since. Now, things seemed to have changed.

  Etta was the one to break the spell, during which I stared in slack-jawed surprise.

  “No need to swoon, Dad,” she said. “Floramel and grandpa have been a thing for about a year now. They’ve got a lot in common, after all.”

  “Uh…” I said, and that was all I could get out of my lips.

  My mind, of course, was doing loops and swirls. Not only was this a surprise from out of the blue, I was now thinking enough to understand there were unhappy consequences coming my way.

  The number one problem was the simple fact that I’d promised one nasty little gnome named Jink that I’d deliver Floramel to him and his evil minions. That had been a tall order from the get-go, and now it was looking damn near impossible to accomplish.

  The others were talking. They were telling me things, like how happy they were, and how I shouldn’t feel weird about it—but I didn’t listen. I didn’t even hear them, really.

  My head rotated, mouth still open, toward the caverns behind me. They were dark, dusty and quiet. They were full of secrets.

  Jink had found these people. He’d found Dust World, and he’d delivered a flower to Georgia that could only have come from here.

  Now, that could have been nine kinds of trickery. He might have bought a flower and had it transported out to my parents farm, for example. Improbable, sure—but possible.

  Staring at the dark caverns though, I didn’t think that was how things had gone. To my mind, the way this had happened had been much more sinister.

  Jink and his people were natural spies and sleuths. They liked to slink in the dark. Why would such a bunch of nasty creepers resort to hiring others?

  No, sir. They’d come out here and found Floramel. At least one of them had. And then they’d plucked that big, waxy bloom and sent it to my folks’ house.

  I knew it had gone that way. I knew it in my bones.

  “James? James!” the Investigator boomed.

  Snapping my fool head back around, I blinked and forced a smile.

  “James?” the man said again, his intense gaze locking with mine. “Did you hear me?”

  “Uh… I sure did. But what was that last part? I kind of spaced-out for a moment.”

  “Of course you did…”

  Etta cleared her throat and took my hand in both of hers. “Daddy, Grandpa said that Floramel and he were engaged to be married. That makes you really happy for them, doesn’t it?”

  My jaw was low and hanging again. Dammit, I hated when it did that for a long time, or repeatedly. With an effort of will, I snapped my mouth shut.

  My smile was back, and it was faker than ever. I sucked in a breath and thrust a hand out to the couple. “Congratulations!”

  -62-

  The Investigator shook my hand, and he gave me a cool smile of his own. That was nice to see, even if we both knew we didn’t like each other much.

  Floramel, for her part, had clearly been dreading this moment of revelation. Now that it was over, she lifted her eyes from the stone floor and met my gaze. We smiled at each other like we were both happy or something, and the uncomfortable moment passed.

  Corralling my brain and getting myself under control, I suggested we break out some booze. They didn’t have any, but there was a flask or two in my ruck, so we all managed.

  After downing a blood-warm shot of bourbon each, everyone’s mood improved. I talked big about attending the wedding with Della, and even promised a shocker of a wedding present.

  The two girls seemed pleased and completely fooled. Only the old man knew better. Later, after we’d eaten dinner, he pulled me aside. The ladies assumed he would be wanting to speak to me in private, so they left us alone and went back to prodding whatever nightmare they’d been stewing up in the tank in the other room.

  “James,” he said, “I know this must come as a shock, and as an unwelcome change to your plans.”

  “Huh?”

  “I’m talking about Floramel and her sudden, permanent removal from your list of feminine targets.”

  “What? Oh… no, no, no… that’s not what I’ve been thinking about. That’s not what I’m thinking about at all, sir.”

  “What then, pray tell, concerns you so much?”

  For a long moment, I considered actually doing as he asked. I considered coming clean. I could tell him about my plans to spirit Floramel away from Dust World. My unpleasant mind had already come up with all sorts of nefarious schemes by which I could achieve this goal.

  For instance, I’d considered telling her she was welcome back at Central. That they’d had a change of heart and decided to award her a medal of freedom, or some such nonsense. If that didn’t work, there was always outright seduction—or even meaner things, like bringing Raash out here to tease her into leaving…

  I’m not proud of it, but my brain had been working overtime on all kinds of smooth ways to get Floramel out to Blood World. Just for a visit, mind you—depending on what old Jink had in mind for us.

  But all that skullduggery was out the window now. After reflecting on things, I realized I never could have gone through with any of it, anyways. Sure, I was still worried about Jink and whatever his evil band of midgets might do to me and mine, but there was no way I was going to shit all over Floramel’s happiness. Hell, she was soon going to be Etta’s newest family member.

  The whole marriage idea wasn’t a bad thing, anyways… It might even solve some of my problems. After all, Etta had murdered Floramel a time or two in the past, and that kind of nonsense would probably come to an end. This could mean peace in the family. Hell, Floramel might even give birth to some aunts and uncles for Etta. That had long been something she’d been denied in our too-thin family tree.

  Heaving a sigh, I considered telling all this to the Investigator. He was a wise man, and he might even come up with some ideas as to how to deal with the predicament I found myself trapped within.

  But old habits are hard to break. Just ask anybody. So… I lied instead.

  “Sir, I have good news. Something I haven’t dared speak to Floramel and Etta about yet.”

  He blinked at me. “What news is this?”

  “The Blood Worlders—you know about those near-humans, right?”

  “Of course. Unfortunate relatives of ours. Twisted things that should never have drawn breath.”

  “Uh… right. Anyways, they want to reach out to people like you—and Floramel. They want to have a dialog. After all, as you said, they’re your distant cousins.”

  The Investigator stared at me. It was as if his mind was resetting itself. I knew that look well, and I waited for the reboot to be complete.

  “This is quite a surprise, James. Almost as startling as our coming marriage must have been for you.”

  “Uh…”

  We’d been sitting across from one another, both with our butts on stone ledges. The Investigator stood suddenly, and he began to pace around.

  “I’m seeing all kinds of connections now,” he said. “Surely, this can’t come out of the ether. No. Hegemony sent you out here, didn’t they? Who do you serve today? Galina Turov? Or perhaps someone placed even higher?”

  “Huh?”

  He didn’t seem to have heard me. He was pacing around, thinking hard. Like a lot of smart people, he liked to jump to all sorts of conclusions.

  “No. I’m seeing something worse than that. The hand of a Public Servant is behind this. One Alexander Turov, to be precise.”

  “Oh… wait a second…”

  “You don’t need to confirm or deny my suspicions. In fact, given your reputation for base mendacity, I’d rather you didn’t bother. You should know, James, that I’m the closest thing this planet has to a sovereign. It is therefore my duty to know what happens in all connected affairs and relationships. In short, I know that you’ve had dealings with the Servant Turov.”

  It was my turn to be dumbfounded all over again. Sure, I’d been working as a shill for Old Alexander now and then. But I didn’t think anyone outside Galina and her father knew about it.

  “Now that we’ve laid our cards on the table, so to speak, I want to know exactly what you’re proposing?”

  “Well sir… I was kind of wondering if you and Floramel might want to step out to Blood World. There’s this charming village full of gremlins, see, and they—”

  “Gremlins?”

  Here, the Investigator surprised me by spitting on the stones between us. That wasn’t a good sign.

  “Those beastly creatures are our greatest shame. Do you know one was sighted on this very world just a few weeks ago? I ordered that the beast be tracked down and slain, but somehow, it evaded us.”

  “You don’t say…” I was feeling itchy now, and my finger began to probe my neck.

  “In short,” the old man told me, standing tall, “I have no intention of visiting a world full of abominations. The sentiments of my wife-to-be will only confirm this position.”

  “Hmm… okay! It was just a suggestion. No pressure, if you want more time to think about it… There would be no travel charges whatsoever, by the way. In fact—”

  The Investigator took a step toward me. “McGill? Are you listening to me? Drop all your schemes and plans. Whatever they are, they’re not going to happen. I say this as your eldest relative. Have some spine, man, and show some loyalty. You’re a soldier of Earth, not a pawn for a politician.”

  That got through to me. I felt his words like a punch in the belly. I hadn’t really thought of my family as extending beyond my folks, Etta, and maybe Della. But he was right. Even though Della wasn’t my wife, we had a kid together. That was as close to a family as I might ever get.

  “All right,” I said, standing up and slapping my knees. “I’ll convey your regrets. Let’s go back to the ladies and celebrate some more.”

  He watched me warily, but I meant what I’d said. I got out my flask again, and together we ended up draining it dry.

  A few days passed, during which I fished in the deep bubbling lake in the center of the valley, and caught up with Etta as best I could. We set up plans for the coming holidays with visits—the works.

  Claiming that I was being summoned by Central, I left on the fourth day. I think only Etta was sad to see me go, but everyone was cordial enough. Compared to how my visits with relatives typically went, the trip was a success.

  Returning to Earth, I only made one pit-stop inside Central. It took some wangling, but I managed to get a little help putting together a care-package. Kivi frowned at it, but she didn’t ask any questions. She knew better by now.

  With a brown box tied with a brown string under my arm, I put on a smile and stepped out through the gateway posts again. This time, I didn’t head to Dust World.

  I went to Blood World instead.

  -63-

  Blood World is an unpleasant planet. It’s kind of like a hot version of Mars. Despite the climate, I wasn’t given a terribly warm welcome when I initially arrived. Only after I did some name-dropping—especially when I invoked Gytha, who was their local ruler—did I get an enthusiastic response.

  Almost immediately my tapper lit up. A pretty face, older and wiser but still lovely, peered up at me.

  “James McGill?” Gytha asked. “Can it truly be my betrothed? Have you returned to complete your vows with me?”

  “Huh?” I said. “Oh…”

  She glanced down at the brown-box package I had under my arm. It was getting kind of drippy, but I didn’t care. I kept it hugged up against me.

  “A gift?” she exclaimed. “Is that a gift? You’re going to ask for forgiveness, aren’t you?”

  “Well… that is…” I stopped, feeling at a rare loss for words.

  I’d almost forgotten about Gytha. She was nice-looking and all that, and we’d had exactly one passionate encounter many years earlier. But that wasn’t the important thing. The kicker was I’d been sworn to marry her, and she’d had really, really big plans in that regard.

  On the day of our grand ceremony, a truly stupendous march had been held. Thousands upon thousands of Blood Worlder soldiers had marched from her world to Earth. I recalled standing in near-desert conditions, watching them go by.

  Being a simple man with simple needs and thoughts, I’d professed a powerful need to urinate. Then I’d slipped away to take a leak behind the gateway posts and—well, I’d accidentally stepped through them, returning to Earth.

  Ever since then, I’d pretty much forgotten all about Gytha, Blood World, and all her big plans. Apparently, she hadn’t been able to let go of the past quite as easily as I had.

  “Stay right there,” she said. “Guards! Contain the McGill! I will be there as soon as I’m able!”

  My tapper went blank, and I was left dumbfounded and staring.

  Two big paws the size of ham-hocks grabbed me by the biceps. I looked to one side, then the other. A big-ass heavy trooper, each a head and shoulders taller than I was, stood on either flank.

  The brown box under my arm dropped on the ground, and I winced. A dark syrup leaked out at one corner, but no one seemed to notice or care.

  “Hey, boys,” I said. “It’s good to be back.”

  They said nothing. They didn’t even twitch their lips up in a grim smile the way a hog might have. It was disheartening.

  Straining a bit, I worked my tapper with my longest finger. It was the only one that could reach. There was only one person who might be able to get me out of this, and I didn’t hesitate to contact him.

  About ten minutes later, a bouncy little guy with an evil cast to his face showed up. It was Jink.

  “McGill?” he said. “Why are you alone?”

  I glanced at my two huge partners and laughed. “I’m not quite alone, if you get my drift.”

  Jink slid his nasty eyes from one of the heavy troopers to the other. “I get it. Wait here.”

  “Heh…” I said, smiling at his joke. “Don’t take too long!”

  Several more minutes passed. I was getting sweaty, and it wasn’t just due to the natural heat of Blood World. The big red sun beat down on the deserts outside, and every passing second felt like a grain of sand falling in an hourglass. How far away was Gytha? It was a big planet, but…

  Suddenly, the trooper to my left stiffened and stood taller. At the same moment, I felt a stinging sensation in my arm. Fortunately, he was wearing non-conductive gauntlets and I didn’t get a lethal dose.

  After several seconds, the heavy trooper fell like a tree in the forest. He crashed down, and by the stink of it, I figured he’d shit himself.

  The other guy on my right had finally figured out something was wrong. A dark look passed over his face. He drew a big pistol the size of a hog leg, and he aimed it at me.