“I’m allowed to have security with me, even here.”

  The receptionist frowned and flicked her eyes to me and then quickly away again. It was as if my image offended her somehow.

  “He’s not appropriately dressed, and no weapons are allowed into these chambers.”

  “Perhaps—” Blackwood began, but Captain Hansen stopped him cold with a raised hand.

  She turned to me. “Are you armed, Marine?”

  “No ma’am. Not a gun on me. We’re under Mars rules, here.”

  She inclined her head and turned back to the receptionist, who had clasped her hands together tightly under her obviously enhanced breasts.

  “You see?” the captain said. “He’s wearing a regulation uniform, just as I am. He’s not armed. His presence is allowed.”

  The receptionist’s jaw jutted out stubbornly for a moment, but then her fake smile grew back into place. “Very well. Follow me.”

  We were ushered into a large conference room filled with other high-ranking officers and officials. There were some brief, cold pleasantries exchanged. The group of suits that met us smiled momentarily at Captain Hansen and Blackwood—but they apparently thought I stank. None of them said a word or did much more than stare for a few seconds in my direction.

  That didn’t matter to me. I played the part of the guard dog on patrol. No expression, no nods, or smiles. Standing at the doorway, I did my best to turn into a wall-decoration, and to be honest, I liked it that way.

  Looking around the meeting chambers, I was impressed. The sleek rooms were filled with polished steel, tinted glass, and top-end furniture. None of this seemed to have any effect on Hansen’s expression. Her face remained set in a grim mask.

  The room was filled with assistants and lawyers from the mining corporation that financed Borag: Interplanetary Excavations, Inc. I visually checked them all for weapons and decided they were a pretty harmless-looking bunch. Even if I’d been on Earth, I could have probably beaten the lot of them in a fist fight.

  The man in charge was a fat guy named Controller Malkin. He had thinning hair, and he was wrapped-up like a burrito in an expensive suit that seemed too tight for him.

  He leaned back in his chair and gave Hansen a scowl. He had a hawkish nose that perched on his face like a vulture ready to swoop in for the kill, and his beady eyes darted around the room as he spoke.

  “This is a disaster,” Malkin said, tapping a pile of computer scrolls on the table. “Borag’s debts and losses on this mining mission are off the charts. To top it off, you came back here with half your holds empty and a bunch of pirates on your tail.”

  Captain Hansen remained calm. “We did our best, but we were ambushed by the pirates. We had no choice but to defend ourselves and our ship.”

  Controller Malkin snorted. “Your best isn’t good enough. We need to cut our losses and move on. We can’t afford to keep pouring money into this operation.” His voice was clipped and precise, every word measured and calculated to get the most out of his argument. There was no warmth in his tone, only cold, hard facts, and his words sliced through the air like a scalpel.

  Blackwood spoke up, and his voice was laced with anger. “You don’t get to make that call. Borag is a valuable asset to this corporation, and we’re not going to abandon it because of one setback.”

  Malkin turned on Borag’s accountant next. He smiled in a predatory fashion. He seemed to relish in his power, and the way his words could make or break the fate of those around him. His demeanor made it clear that he was a man who enjoyed wielding his influence, and that he took great pleasure in causing pain to those who crossed him.

  “We’ll see about that, Blackwood. In the meantime, you’ll have to deal with the consequences of your failure. We’ll be withholding all payments until we can assess the damages.”

  Hansen’s eyes narrowed. “You do that, and we’ll be forced to take legal action. You can’t withhold payment without a valid reason.”

  Malkin leaned forward, a sneer on his face. “We have plenty of reasons. You put our investment in jeopardy, and now you expect us to foot the bill.”

  Hansen balled-up her fists. “We did everything we could to protect my ship and my crew. If you can’t see that, then you have no business running a mining operation.”

  The controller sneered at her. “I know exactly what I’m doing. And if you can’t handle the pressure, then maybe it’s time to find a new line of work.”

  Hansen jaw set in anger. “I still hold title to Borag,” she said, her voice cold. “If you want to recoup your losses, you’ll have to give us something new to do.”

  This raised the controller’s eyebrows for the first time. “Are you volunteering for something more… hazardous?”

  “More hazardous? No… but maybe something more lucrative.”

  The controller’s expression flickered at the corners. It wasn’t a smile, but it was an improvement. He crossed his arms and rubbed at his chin in thought. “All right. We’ll come up with something. In the meantime, train your crew, recruit new people—I see you lost thirteen, and another nine are requesting transfer.”

  “They are? The disloyal bastards…”

  Malkin smirked. “What did you expect? You blew their shares out of your aft hold.”

  The argument was about to start all over again, but Blackwood raised his hand for peace. “Controller, good sir, could you possibly see fit to advancing us some credits for recruitment, repairs, and training?”

  “Absolutely not. Take those funds from the officers’ payroll, if you have to.”

  Blackwood looked stricken. “Sir, if we are denied funds to operate the company is doomed to bankruptcy. If that is your final decision, I must tender my resignation—effective immediately.”

  For once, Malkin seemed to be impressed. He huddled with a few of the other suits. Blackwood and Captain Hansen kept up their poker faces, as did I.

  Finally, the controller turned back around. “All right. We’ll put up with this sinking ship for a bit longer. I must warn you, however, we’re one step from foreclosure and liquidation.”

  “To be clear… We will be provided operating expenses?” Blackwood asked.

  “Yes, damn you. That’s what I said. But it will all go on your debt, Accountant. Don’t forget that.”

  “I won’t, sir. None of us will.”

  “Now, get out of here. We’ll let you know what your new mission is when you’re ready to fly again.”

  “What if we don’t like it?” Hansen asked him.

  The controller scoffed. “Then you can get a new job somewhere else—as a contract. We’ll foreclose and sell everything and everyone.”

  As she had no answer to that, Captain Hansen turned around and marched out of the place.

  We left the conference room, which was a relief, but I couldn’t help but feel a sense of unease. The company’s attitude toward Borag and her crew was callous and dismissive. As the debt and losses piled up, keeping the ship independent and in operation was becoming more complicated by the day.

  Outside, I felt a small sense of relief. Not everyone in the streets hated us. The city was full of the hum of electricity and lights that glimmered in the darkness. The air between the three of us was intense, but Captain Hansen silenced Blackwood with a gesture until we were far from the corporate building.

  At last, she paused with a gleam in her eye. “Blackwood, you played a mean hand of poker back there,” she said, grinning.

  “I learned from the best, Captain,” Blackwood replied with a nod.

  Hansen laughed, the sound echoing through the business district. As it was after-hours, and the streets were almost deserted. We walked in silence for a few minutes, the sound of their footsteps the only thing that broke the quiet.

  The two of them continued their walk through the city, and I trailed behind. The stars shone bright in the sky, a reminder of the vastness of space beyond the dome.

  “We’ll take whatever shit-mission they throw back at us,” Hansen said, “and we’ll show them we’re not a dismal financial loss.”

  “I have no doubt we will, Captain,” Blackwood murmured in a tone that sounded like he’d said this many times before.

  Chapter 12: Ambush

  Before we reached the elevator station, Blackwood excused himself. He claimed he had plans to visit a friend—and that left me alone with Captain Hansen. I figured Blackwood wanted a drink after putting his job on the line, so I couldn’t blame him. I could have used a drink myself.

  The meeting had been important and interesting, but I’d rather have spent more time with Freya. I was distracted, to be honest.

  The hour was quite late by local time. To humanity’s great fortune, days here on Mars were twenty-four hours and thirty-nine minutes long. It was therefore relatively easy to get used to the day-night cycle, here. It felt almost natural.

  Up ahead, we could see the space elevator when it was still a mile distant. It was a mesmerizing sight. The shaft itself was a towering tube of polymers that rose high into the sky, the transparent walls gleaming in the glow of the city’s lights.

  As I watched, I could see the faint outline of the disk moving down the shaft. The metal underside of this large dinner-plate shaped disk caught the city lights and cast back a soft reddish glow. The disk was like a tiny speck compared to the towering height of the shaft, but it moved with an impressive speed and grace.

  We walked through the dark and narrow streets of the city, wandering into a zone that had probably been used to stack up empty containers since the colony was first established. Some of the barrels and bins looked like they hadn’t been touched in years. It was eerily quiet, but I could feel the eyes of the locals on us as we walked by.

  Then, we heard footsteps behind us. I turned around to see a group of rough-looking rock-rat miners were following us. Their eyes gleamed with malice. They were armed with pipes and chains, and I knew they meant to cause us harm.

  Hansen and I exchanged a glance, and without a word, we prepared for the attack. I took a step forward and reached for my laser carbine—but of course, it wasn’t there. I wasn’t allowed to carry an automatic weapon around on the colony streets. So instead, I raised my fists, ready to defend against the onslaught. I was wishing I’d brought along at least a shock-rod, like a Green Company man might have.

  The first miner swung his pipe at me, but I ducked and delivered a powerful uppercut to his jaw. He went down like a sack of dirt, and I turned my attention to the others.

  The fight was intense, but my earth-hardened muscles gave me the edge I needed to take down the attackers. I punched, kicked, and dodged their blows, sending them crashing into the containers around us or face-first to the deck at my feet.

  Finally, the last miner lay groaning on the ground. Hansen had handled one man on her own. She truly must have had some power in her arms that your average Mars man didn’t expect. We were victorious.

  We trotted away, not bothering to contact any authorities or wait around for more thugs. As I followed in her wake, I looked her over for injuries. She was limping slightly, but she seemed to be hale and whole.

  When we got out into a well-lit street near the elevator station, we paused to catch our breath.

  “You’re quite the fighter, Starn,” she said, a hint of admiration in her voice.

  I just smiled, feeling the adrenaline still pumping through my veins. “You did a number on that one guy yourself.”

  We continued on our way, both of us feeling more confident and capable after the encounter. The rock-rat miners might think twice before attacking us or anyone else in the future.

  When we made it to the elevator station, I felt a sense of relief. The elevator itself whirred as it moved, a deep and steady vibration that could be felt through the ground now that we were close. It was a constant reminder of the bustling activity happening high above in space, the constant comings and goings of ships and cargo. As the elevator reached the top of the shaft, I could see the bright stars above and the distant flicker of ships moving through the darkness.

  Seeing we had a few minutes to wait for the next arrival, I dared to speak to the Captain Hansen directly. “Ma’am? May I ask you a question?”

  She hesitated, but then nodded. “All right—but don’t make a habit of it.”

  “I wouldn’t think of it, Captain. My question is in regards to why you’ve been requesting me, specifically, for this kind of duty? There are other marines who are more experienced and could certainly do this job.”

  Hansen nodded. “That’s true. You are green—but you’ve got physical power the others don’t have. That’s rare up here in the colonies. I’m from Earth, too, originally. I know the advantage we have over low-grav types.”

  “Okay…” I said. “But still…”

  “Let me explain it to you another way. Who do you feel the most loyalty toward on my ship?”

  “Um… probably you, sir. You helped me get out of the miners’ barracks. You even paid my contract off.”

  She nodded. “Think about the rest of Red Company. Do you think they feel the same way?”

  I scratched at a bruise on my shoulder. “I don’t know…”

  “Well, they don’t. They have loyalty to me and my ship, I’m sure of that. But they probably care more about each other than they do their beloved captain. Even more importantly, they’re more likely to be swayed by a bribe than you are.”

  “You think so?” I asked, grinning. “Maybe you don’t know my history.”

  “I looked into it. I know about your parents—about their misunderstanding with the law. They had principles. Such traits are often hereditary. Unfortunately, they also had big mouths. Did you inherit that trait as well?”

  I blinked at her, confused by her comments for a moment, but at last, I thought I got it. “No, ma’am. I’m not going to talk to anyone about any of this.”

  She smiled and nodded. “The perfect guardian. Big, strong, loyal—and quiet.”

  The elevator disk arrived at last then, and the captain stepped aboard. I followed her, wondering about a lot of things that had been said tonight. We were carried up into the heavens again, and soon I was back aboard Borag. It felt like going home again, and I headed for my bunk in the berthing areas.

  Before I could go to bed, however, I was greeted with an unexpected outburst from Commander Kaine. The Commander was furious and began to berate me for letting Captain Hansen get into trouble. He went on and on, telling me that my job was to protect her, and I had failed. I stood at attention, silent, taking the verbal lashing. I’d already figured out by this time that arguing with him would only make things worse.

  Finally, Commander Kaine ordered me to visit his office the first thing in the morning and left.

  When I was alone with Sergeant Cox, the older man put a hand on my shoulder. “Don’t worry about him, Starn. He’s just worried about getting paid. You did a good job out there, protecting the captain from those miners. You showed them they shouldn’t fuck with the marines from Borag.”

  I sighed, relieved to hear his words of support. “I didn’t know who they were. I was just trying to do my job.”

  The sergeant chuckled, and he slammed a palm onto my back. “That’s what makes you a good marine, Starn. You don’t question, you just act. I think that’s why the captain keeps asking for you to play escort.”

  I nodded, grateful for his reassurance. As I walked away, I couldn’t help but wonder what other joys lay ahead of me in this job.

  Chapter 13: The Wilds of Mars

  The next morning, I stood at attention in front of Commander Kaine’s desk. I tried not to hold my breath. I’d just completed my report, detailing the events of my recent escort mission on Mars.

  “You know what I’m putting down on this report, Starn?”

  “What’s that, sir?”

  “Shit for brains,” he said, leaning back in his chair. “That’s my final verdict. You walked Captain Hansen into an unknown area in the middle of the night. You protected the captain, sure—but it shouldn’t have come down to that. You know, if Red Company was moron-free, you wouldn’t have been around to put her into that dangerous position in the first place.”

  I opened my mouth to stammer out an excuse, but then I slammed it shut again.

  Kaine nodded, watching me. “At least you’re owning up to it,” he said. “I don’t want to hear any excuses. What I want to hear is fewer disasters with your name on them, Starn. Now, get out of my sight.”

  I hesitated, lingering at the doorway to his office.

  “What is it now, you fool?”

  “Sir… about my shore-leave. I—”

  Commander Kaine bared his teeth at me. “I’ll do you one better. Three days, no pay! You’re on leave as of right now, Starn, but I’m calling it a ‘suspension’. Are you happy now?”

  I wasn’t, but I knew when I should quit. I hiked it out of his office and headed for the docks. A few of my comrades laughed at me, and they speculated as to whether I’d pissed off the commander on purpose to get off the ship.

  When I reached the domed city again, I was glum but also thoughtful. At least this would give me a chance to explore the Mars Colony and maybe even catch up with Freya.

  After sending her a few notes, she was able to get some hours off from her duties as well. The ship’s crew was rotating duties, after all, as we were rarely in any port and able to walk on firm ground.

  It was late afternoon before I could get my second date with Freya started. She had asked me to meet her at a new place, and I couldn’t wait to see what she had in store for me.

  To my surprise, she asked to meet me at the far edge of the city. I walked through parks and neighborhoods, all of which looked better than the midtown district where I’d met up with some of Mars’ finest the night before.

  As I approached the soaring curved wall of the dome, I saw Freya standing at one of the airlocks. She was dressed in a black suit that was tight in all the right places, and her dark hair was pulled back in a sleek ponytail. She greeted me with a smile, and I went in for a kiss.