“Hello?” he called, folding back the sealant tabs on his face mask. The suit was a cheap tourist one, much patched and smelling of the disinfectant they used to clean it, but he’d figured it wasn’t worth it to buy a new one since he wouldn’t be there very long. Juniper dropped the mask and gloves into a bin by the door and unzipped the rest of the suit, sighing with relief as he peeled it off himself. He was sweaty, tired, and hungry… and pissed off.

  Pushing open the interior door, he came face to face with a very startled Acacia.

  “Juniper! You’re here…” she said.

  “Where were you?” he said as he stepped forward.

  “Whoa whoa whoa, mister,” Acacia said, holding her hands up. “You’re tracking in dirt. Leave the suit in there.”

  Scowling, Juniper stepped back and finished undressing, kicking off his boots. “Why the hell didn’t you come pick me up?”

  “I must have gotten the date wrong,” Acacia replied, handing a broom to Juniper.

  “What? Really? I had to buy a truck to get here.” He angrily swept up the tiny pile of dirt, and as he did so, he noticed that the flooring had been replaced with real wood, quite a luxury on Terra Deux. Then he lifted his head and looked around. When he’d left seventeen years ago, the rooms had been almost bare. Now, they were full of what looked like expensive furniture and artwork. Even Acacia’s dress looked pricey.

  Obviously noticing Juniper’s scrutiny, Acacia frowned and flapped her hand at their surroundings. “There was a class action against the company after the colony ship was lost… and we got some money in the settlement,” Acacia explained. “But it’s all gone now,” she was quick to add. “We’ve started selling things off—”

  “Juniper!” Willow walked into the room, her arms held out. “You’re here!”

  He accepted the hug, awkward as it was, then smiled. “I am.” No thanks to you.

  “Where are your bags?” Willow asked, looking behind him.

  “Uh… I just have this case.” He went back to the vestibule and pulled the case through the door.

  His sisters shared a look, and then Acacia clasped her hands in front of her, smiling though it didn’t reach her eyes. “That’s… big. How long were you planning on staying?”

  “Not long. I need to get back to my… ah, friend,” Juniper replied, feeling conspicuous. “I brought some money and things to help out with Dad.”

  “Oh?” Willow’s eyes were on the case. “What kind of things?”

  Juniper keyed in his code and opened a few compartments. “Um, delz crystals. Some nanoscrubbers. A bunch of fibrotitanium calipers and driveshafts. Oh, and two brand-new diamond drill heads…”

  “Junk?” Acacia’s voice was cold.

  “Not junk… you’ll still able to get a hell of a lot for this stuff.”

  “Yes, but we still have to sell it,” Willow said wearily, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Oh, Juniper, I thought you were going to bring credits.”

  Juniper stared at her. The rings she wore would easily fetch a few thousand credits each. Something wasn’t right here. He decided not to mention the million credits Marrex had given him—not yet.

  “Where’s Dad?”

  “He’s sleeping at the moment,” Acacia replied. “You can see him later.” She held out her hand.

  “What?” Juniper asked, looking at her empty palm.

  “The delz crystals?” Acacia replied, arching one brow.

  “I’ll take care of selling everything,” he said, pushing the compartments closed. “It’s not a problem.”

  “Fine,” Acacia replied. “That’ll have to do.”

  “We were just about to sit down for some supper…” Willow said, looking over at Acacia. “I guess you can join us.”

  “Why, thank you for your enormous generosity,” Juniper said. “Why are the two of you being so awful? I would have thought you’d be glad to see me.”

  “Sorry, Juniper,” Acacia said with a sigh. “We are glad to see you. It’s just… it’s been difficult.”

  Willow clasped Juniper’s arm and looked up at him, her blue eyes wide. “Acacia’s husband passed last year… and with the storms and solar flares getting worse… it’s been hard to keep up with repairs without his help and”—she looked up at the ceiling, blowing a little air out of pursed lips—“God only knows if Dad is ever going to get better… oh, and the market prices lately, Juny… it’s just awful.”

  Juniper nodded sympathetically. He knew how challenging life in Port-Cartier could be—maybe he was overreacting. “I’m sorry, I’m just cranky from travelling,” he replied, patting her hand. “Why don’t I go put this in my room and freshen up, and then I’ll join you for supper?”

  “I’ll get the soup warmed,” Acacia said, walking away.

  Juniper touched the lift button on the hoverpad and the case rose into the air. He took a few steps toward his old room.

  “You’re staying in the guest room, Juny.”

  “What? Why? What’s wrong with my old room?”

  “It’s Peggy’s now,” Willow said. “Acacia’s daughter?”

  “Oh. Well… what happened to my stuff?” Juniper had been looking forward to wearing some of his old clothes.

  “It’s gone. I’m sorry, sweetie.”

  “Gone?”

  “You’ve been dead for seventeen years.”

  “You didn’t keep anything?” he said, a sour taste in his mouth.

  Willow winced and shook her head.

  Juniper just stared at her for a moment, then turned quickly away so she wouldn’t see his tears, and dragged the case behind him to the back of the house.

  “S1N? VAL? Do you read me?” Juniper said, sitting on the edge of the guest bed. He frowned at the comm-crystal in his palm. “Anyone?” When there was no reply after several seconds, he set the communicator to ping the Stellerion every thirty seconds while he went to wash his face and hands in the small bathroom.

  Finding the bathroom without water, Juniper closed his eyes and stood with his fists balled, trying to calm himself down before reaching for the nozzle of the particle wash. He cleaned himself off as best as he could in the stinging beam, purposefully taking his time—it was petty to retaliate by wasting electricity, but he couldn’t help himself. Red-eyed and pale, he glared at his reflection in the mirror, trying to untangle the mess of his hair, when the blue jewel around his neck beeped then let out a loud crackle.

  “Juniper?”

  “S1N… am I glad to hear your voice. Is Marrex there? Can I talk to him?”

  “Sorry, we’ve docked, and the captain is taking care of a little business. I’d patch you through but these darkmarket traders are so paranoid. Captain Marrex’ll be back by the end of this cycle—that’s three hours from now, your time.”

  “Oh. Ok.”

  “What’s wrong, kiddo? You sound down.”

  “I don’t know what I was expecting,” Juniper said as he walked back to the small guest room. He sighed, shaking his head. “But it wasn’t this.”

  “They didn’t have a Welcome Home, Juniper! banner up?” S1N asked.

  Juniper let out a bitter little laugh. “No. I never really got along with my sisters when I was a kid, but that was sibling rivalry stuff, you know? But I just assumed they’d give a shit if I was dead.” He stared at the pile of bedding on the bare mattress. “They didn’t even make up a bed for me… And they threw out everything I owned. Not a keepsake left. Nothing.”

  “I’m sorry, Juniper. That’s terrible,” VAL said.

  “Downright shitty,” S1N added.

  “Thanks, guys,” Juniper said, his eyes burning. “God… why did I come?”

  “To see your father. How is he?” asked VAL.

  “I haven’t even seen him yet—” Juniper lifted his head, listening hard. He heard Willow’s voice again and she sounded annoyed. “I have to go. I’ll call again in three hours.”

  “I’ll be here,” S1N replied.

  Juniper touched his thumb to the side of the comm-crystal but didn’t press down. “Hey… how is he?” he asked softly.

  There was no response for a few seconds, and he thought he had accidentally closed the connection. Then S1N spoke up. “He’s fine. He’ll be fine. Just come home to us, ok?”

  “Ok.”

  Juniper stared into his bowl of pea soup, spooning up mouthfuls mechanically while his sisters basically ignored him. They were busy fussing over Peggy’s upcoming debutante ball and giving her all sorts of nonsensical and frankly appalling advice on how to be more ladylike. He snorted to himself, shaking his head. Poor Peggy seemed like a sweet kid, but it was obvious that she was far more interested in joining the Port-Cartier razerball squad than she was in joining polite society. Juniper had enjoyed his own “deb ball,” as they were known colloquially, but that was only because of numerous trips to the broom closet to trade hip flasks and blow jobs with the other deb boys. He smiled to himself, remembering the look on Mr. Rayned’s face when he’d found Juniper with his pants down around his ankles, waiting for his friend Simon to join him. Juniper had arched an eyebrow at him and said, “Are you in or out?” to which Mr. Rayned had given a stuttering reply, declining, before shutting the closet door again.

  “What’s funny?” said Willow.

  Juniper looked up, startled. “Oh… nothing. Just remembering stuff.”

  “So, Juniper, you’re working on a ship now?” Acacia asked, sprinkling more salt into her soup.

  “I am.”

  “What is it you do?”

  “Odd jobs, mostly. The ship’s huge, but there’s only the captain and me to keep her running.”

  “So… you’re a handyman?” Acacia said slowly, her brows raised in disbelief.

  Juniper chuckled and gave a shrug. “I guess so.” He thought he heard the faint sound of a bell.

  “Why is there no crew?” Peggy asked, visibly relieved that she was no longer the topic of conversation.

  “Marrex just prefers it that way. He’s very private,” Juniper replied.

  “Marrex? He’s this ‘friend’ you mentioned? The captain?” Willow asked.

  “Yeah.” He looked back down to his soup.

  “You’re blushing!” Willow said, grinning. “Are you two more than friends?”

  “I am not blushing,” Juniper said, scowling. Then he sighed and chuckled again. “And yes, you could say that.”

  “Oh my,” Acacia replied archly. “You’ve bagged yourself a captain then, have you?”

  “What does he look like? Is he handsome?” asked Peggy.

  “I think he is,” Juniper said, glancing over at his niece. “But you probably wouldn’t.”

  “Why not?”

  “Well… he’s”—Juniper cleared his throat, stirring what was left of his soup—“Ghelyxian.”

  For a moment, it was so silent Juniper could hear his pulse in his ears.

  Then Willow shook her head. “Oh, Juny…” she said in disgust.

  “What?” Juniper replied, annoyed.

  “You always did make poor choices,” Acacia said, shaking her head.

  “I don’t understand,” Peggy said quietly. “What’s wrong with Ghelyxians?”

  “Absolutely nothing,” Juniper replied. The bell rang again faintly, and he frowned, wondering what it was.

  “They’re hideous, Peggy,” Willow said. “Big and furry and bright-red like the Devil. Horned too. And they are completely insufferable with all their laws and regulations. It’s because of them that Terra Deux doesn’t qualify for full aid during the winter.”

  “Oh,” said Peggy, staring round-eyed at Juniper.

  “Marrex doesn’t have anything to do with that,” Juniper retorted. “And he’s not hideous.”

  “Peggy, sweetheart,” Acacia said. “Your uncle has always had a strange fascination with aliens. He thinks it’s perfectly acceptable to… dally with them.” From her tone, it was obvious that any similar behaviour by her daughter would not be tolerated.

  “No one says ‘aliens’ anymore… it’s derogatory,” Juniper muttered.

  “I don’t care,” Acacia replied, curling her lip. “It’s unnatural.”

  “Juny, be smart and stop thinking only about yourself,” Willow said. “How is it going to look for your family if you’re off doing god knows what with an ali—uh, offworlder? Think of your niece! Can you imagine what she’ll go through if it becomes known that her uncle is… associating with something like that?”

  Juniper ground his teeth together and shook his head, breathing slowly through his nose.

  You wish you were lucky enough to have someone like Marrex associate with you…

  “It’s my life,” he said in a low voice. The bell gave another plaintive jingle, and Juniper turned towards the sound—it was coming from inside the house. “What is that ringing?”

  “It’s nothing,” Acacia said. “He’ll stop in a bit.”

  “He?” Juniper said in alarm. “Is that Dad?”

  “It’s nothing,” repeated his sister. “We’ll go check on him after we eat.”

  Standing, Juniper wiped his mouth. “Let me see him. Now.”

  “Really, Juny… don’t be so dramatic!” Willow said, a grimace on her face. “He’s in his room, the same one he always had. But really, he just rings the bell to get attention…”

  Feeling sick to his stomach, Juniper jogged down the hall to the other end of the house and threw open the door to his father’s room. Immediately, he recoiled, covering his mouth and nose with his sleeve, the smell of urine and sickness heavy in the air. The room beyond was darkened, but he could make out a pale figure sprawled atop a mattress on the floor. His eyes quickly adjusted, and taking a step into the room, he saw that his father was tied to the mattress by one wrist and the opposite ankle. The little golden bell his father held gave another faint jingle as he shifted, his eyes wide and staring.

  “Oh my god,” he whispered hoarsely. “Dad?”

  “It looks sort of bad, but we had to tie him up or he’d go wandering outside,” Willow said quietly from behind him.

  Juniper saw the crotch of his father’s pyjamas was dark, and he guessed he’d wet himself. “Was he ringing the bell because he had to go to the bathroom?”

  “I don’t know and neither does he. Has to pee, doesn’t have to pee—he rings it all the time. Drives us crazy with it.”

  “Drives you crazy? How do you think he feels?”

  “I wish I knew!” Willow said, exasperated. “He hasn’t spoken a word since ’28.”

  “This is wrong.”

  “If we could afford a full-time nurse, we’d get one,” Acacia said, stepping into the room. She wrinkled her nose at the smell and shook her head, gazing down at the man on the mattress. “We just don’t have that kind of money. Keep your criticisms to yourself… you weren’t here.”

  “You’ve got him locked up like an animal in here,” Juniper said, completely revolted by the neglect. “Dad? Dad, it’s me.” He went down on his knees next to the mattress, trying not to breathe through his nose. “It’s Juniper.”

  There was no recognition in his father’s eyes—he just stared blankly at Juniper for a few seconds, and then his gaze wandered over to the wall. Juniper cleared his throat, trying to keep the tears from falling, and reached for his father’s hand. It was cold and thin in his grasp, the nails far too long. “Don’t worry, Dad. I’ll clean you up.” Lifting his head, he glared at his sisters who had the sense to look ashamed of themselves. “Acacia, open those curtains. Peggy, go run a bath and—”

  “A bath? We can’t afford that much water!” Willow exclaimed.

  “I can,” Juniper said. “I have the credits. Just go run that bath.”

  “Yes, Uncle Juniper.”

  “And one of you call the hospital. He needs a doctor.”

  “He’s seen a doct—” Willow started.

  “Now,” Juniper barked. To his surprise, Willow jumped to obey.

  Acacia slowly tied the curtain back, letting in the bright sun, and Juniper clenched his jaw as the light revealed the mottled bruising and abrasions around his father’s wrist and ankle.

  “My god. You’re monsters,” Juniper said faintly.

  “You weren’t here,” Acacia repeated, her words terse. “You can’t know what we’ve been through. It’s just been too much, Juniper. I know it looks bad, but you have to understand…”

  “Understand what? This is abuse.”

  “Don’t exaggerate. I would have put him in a home, Juniper. But we just don’t have money for that. Peggy needed to go to school… Arthur… my husband… his funeral… we just…” Acacia’s voice broke.

  Juniper glanced up, startled to see Acacia on the verge of tears. He’d never seen Acacia cry, not even the day their father had confessed to losing everything.

  She wiped her nose, looking away from him. “I took good care of him, Juniper. I swear. When we got that settlement, it was a godsend. We had a nurse here to look after Dad. But it could only last for so long… you have no idea of the sacrifices we’ve made. After a while, you just have to start making choices…”

  “So you chose to keep Dad locked in his room, pissing himself in the dark?” Juniper was so disgusted he could barely think straight.

  “He gets cleaned regularly, I promise. It’s not like we leave him here like this for days. But it’s just… he has no idea what’s happening. He doesn’t care. There’s nothing left of Dad…”

  “He’s just a burden then? Not a priority? You’re sick and you’re selfish.”

  “You weren’t here,” Acacia repeated weakly.

  “Just fuck off and go away,” Juniper muttered. He turned back to his father and gently pried the bell out of his grasp. “It’s ok, Dad. I’m here…”

  Chapter 13

  Stimulation and Interference

  The doctor looked over the chart on his tablet and clicked his tongue quietly against his teeth a few times before answering. “Well… he’s healthy enough,” he said, glancing up at Juniper. “His wrist and ankle can be easily treated with some antibiotic cream, so can his bed sores, and I’ll give you a different cream for his rash. But, he’s been fed adequately and despite the muscle atrophy, he’s in good shape.”