“Mister Novari,” she says as she approaches us. “Or rather, it’s Rozik, isn’t it?”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Rozik says, putting out his hand. “Captain Verge Rozik, Commune Armed Services.”

  She takes it. “A pleasure to meet the real you, Captain Rozik. Commander Longknife tells me we have an alien problem.”

  “It’s Stone,” I correct. “I told her everything. I had to earn her trust somehow.”

  “So you know,” Rozik says. “What are you going to do about it?”

  “For one, I’m going to let you use my synchronizer,” Amelia replies. She smiles. “I won’t even charge you for it.”

  “You’re too kind, ma’am,” Rozik says.

  “Amelia, what about your grandfather’s escape craft?” I ask. “The corvette.”

  “It’ll remain with the station for now,” she replies. “Let’s head up to the primary command center. I need to assert my authority to the rest of the crew before they can start thinking for themselves.”

  “What about him?” I ask, pointing at Amelin.

  “I’ll send our medical team down to take care of the wounded, and a clean up team to deal with the trash.” It’s a cold statement about someone she was just crying over, but I suppose she’s already moving on. Her whole demeanor has already shifted back into the businesslike bitchiness of our first meeting. “Commander Stone, I do appreciate your help with this situation, and I want to reiterate that I do intend to honor all of our agreements.”

  “Thank you, Miss Rocklin,” I reply.

  “I do have one more job for you. I’ll need an escort to ensure I make it to the command center unmolested.”

  “Consider it done.”

  She flashes a quick smile and walks over to Yari. “You found your way back in here, didn’t you?”

  “I told you I knew the way past the barricades,” she replies. “You didn’t believe me?”

  “Not completely. I suppose I should have.”

  “I’m still looking for a job if you could use someone like me.”

  Amelia smiles again. “Yes, I’m pretty sure I can.” She straightens up and looks at me. “Shall we?”

  “Rozik, why don’t you take point,” I say.

  He nods. “Sure. Why not? This way, Miss Rocklin. Stay close and we’ll get you there safe.”

  “I know you will, Captain.”

  Chapter 31

  The operators in the control room are surprised when me, Rozik, Yari and Amelia enter. A couple of them stand up as if to protest, while the others look at us out of the corner of their eyes, shrinking down to make themselves less obvious. I don’t know if Amelia’s got retribution on her mind since these people all sided with Amelin, or if she’ll let bygones be bygones now that she’s back in control.

  I’m about to find out.

  Rozik steps aside so the techs can see her. The two who stood both sink back down. It’s the smart move.

  She points to one of the techs near the front of the room. “Open a comm, station-wide.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” the woman replies. She taps on her control board and then nods at Amelia, indicating it’s done.

  “Attention all-hands. Attention all-hands. This is Amelia Rocklin. I’ve opened a station-wide channel from the primary control center inside the core. It brings me great sadness to report that Geramin Rocklin, the founder of this station, has passed away. Geramin was a visionary in his time. A kind and caring man who sought to make a place for the displaced. A home for the homeless. And safe haven for the refugees from both sides of the war. While it’s true that building such a community in this climate requires making hard decisions and participating in activities that some might find immoral or against the gods, he did so because he believed in the greater need for the acceptance of all humankind. He will be sorely missed.”

  She pauses for a few seconds, looking around the room before speaking again.

  “It was my grandfather’s wish that control of Naraka Station would fall to me at the time of his passing. My brother Amelin didn’t agree with this decision, and decided to resist the coming change, not through words or negotiation, but with deceit and force.”

  She pauses again. Nobody moves or makes a sound. The tension gets thick pretty fast.

  “Many of you who are listening made a choice to stick with my brother. Some of you I know personally. We’re the same age. We grew up together. Some of you are transients, former military, and mercenaries he hired to help him with his coup. I know who is who. It’s within my rights to do what I want with you. This is my station. I could kill you for what you helped him do to me and my grandfather in his final days.” She pauses dramatically. “But I won’t.”

  The relief in the room is obvious. I can imagine the same emotion sweeping across the rest of the station.

  “I don’t desire revenge. I desire allegiance. My grandfather had a vision for Naraka Station, one that I intend to see fulfilled in the best way I know how. For those of you on my brother’s payroll, I know you’re only as loyal as the chrome deposited to your account. If you remain loyal to me, you can expect to see that amount increase. I don’t care if I have to buy your loyalty, but I will have it.” She practically growls the last part, her voice sharp enough a couple of the techs flinch. “If you’re a visitor on the station, no matter your purpose for being here, rest assured all services are available and it is business as usual. This is Amelia Rocklin, Chairwoman of Naraka Station, out.”

  She looks at the tech, who closes the comm channel. Then she turns to me.

  “What did you think?”

  “Nice speech,” I reply. I don’t get the feeling she cares what I think, it’s just a nice segue. “Smart way to handle the goons too. More money.”

  “For now,” she says quietly. “Once I’ve got things more settled I’ll figure out who I can trust and who needs to go. There will be a reduction in payroll.” She glances over at Yari. “And a few additions.”

  “You’re really going to hire her?”

  “I need eyes and ears to help me figure out who’s loyal. She’s already proven herself useful in that.”

  “What about the whole human-trafficking thing in general?” I ask.

  “I intend to abolish it, but I can’t stop those traders from coming here, only making sales. Naraka needs to retain its open policy. For many, it’s the only option they have left.”

  I don’t love the idea, but it’s not really my call anyway. Amelia can do whatever she wants, including turn on Rozik and me. But she’s smarter than her brother, and she doesn’t want the Sphere to fade away.

  “You need to use the synchronizer,” she says.

  “That’s right,” I reply. “We both do.” I motion to Rozik.

  “One moment.” She turns away from me. “It’s Sykes, right?” she asks the comms tech.

  “Yes, ma’am,” Sykes replies.

  “I need a medical team and a cleaning crew in the lower hangar. It’s messy down there.”

  “Yes, ma’am. It will be done.”

  “Thank you.” She starts turning back to me, pausing when she thinks of something else. “And Sykes, can you also locate Chief Engineer Kratz and send him up to the synchronizer, if he’s awake. And let me know if he isn’t?”

  “Yes ma’am. Do you have a comm badge, ma’am?”

  “No, I guess I don’t.”

  Sykes opens a drawer at her terminal. A number of small badges are lined up inside, and she takes one out and balances it on the back of her hand for a moment. Then she hands it to Amelia. “I gave it full privileges, ma’am.”

  Amelia takes it and sticks it on her blouse. “Thank you. Can I have three more for my companions? Give Commander Stone full privileges as well.”

  I look at Amelia when she says it. She just shrugs in response, as if the decision to let me have complete access to the station is obvious.

  Sykes asks for our names, programs the comms, and hands them out. Yari’s eyes light up when she gets hers, and she places it proudly on her jacket.

  “All of the comms are keyed to both names and locations,” Sykes explains. “If you want to contact me, you could say Specialist Sykes, Tara Sykes, or Command Center Comms.”

  I already know how the badges work and I’m sure Rozik does too. Yari seems impressed with the instructions.

  “Thank you, Sykes,” Amelia says. “Shall we?”

  She leads us out of the command center, across to the elevator. We catch it there and take it all the way to the top of the station.

  “Obviously, we have sync terminals across the core,” Amelia says. “As well as a dozen or so VORN nodes. But you know how trustworthy my brother was. I’m sure you want to be certain your transmission is as secure as possible.”

  “Ideally,” Rozik says.

  “Which is why we’re going to the source.”

  The entire first deck of Naraka Station is dedicated to the synchronizer’s transmission equipment, and the elevator feeds us into a narrow corridor with wires and flashing lights. The flow of data through the synchronizer is constant even without local transmissions as small packets are constantly flashing in and out of the aether, captured and passed on through the system to other stations across the Sphere. I remember the chart they showed me in grade school to try to explain to my eight-year-old brain how the tech works.

  I still don’t completely understand it.

  The narrow channel wraps around the elevator shaft in a ring, and we take it to the other side where there’s another short passage that opens up into the synchronizer’s control room. Four techs are seated on plush chairs, each of them wearing a VR headset and gloves that allow them to manipulate their own personal data center. A guard stands in the corner, keeping an eye on them. He approaches us as we enter.

  “Miss Rocklin,” he says, bowing at her approach. “Sergeant Chao at your service.”

  “Thank you, Sergeant. Can you wake the senior tech for me?”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  Chao goes over to the tech at the end, a heavy woman in a white coat. He gently touches her shoulder, and she turns her head slightly. He says something in her ear, and she goes stiff in a way I don’t like.

  “Amelia,” I say, watching the tech’s face change, suddenly tensing and becoming flushed. “Chao, disconnect her.”

  He looks at me but doesn’t move. An alert starts going off somewhere, signaling a problem with the synchronizer.

  “Chao!” Amelia barks. “Do it!”

  He smiles before giving Amelia his middle finger.

  A shot rings out, and Chao stumbles back. Another, and the tech’s VR goggles shatter as a round rips into her head. A third, and Chao falls beside her. I flick my eyes to Rozik, who’s turning his pistol toward the other techs.

  “Wait,” I say.

  He holds his fire. The other techs rip their headsets off. One of them screams in fear. The alert is still going off.

  Whatever the lead tech did to the synchronizer, it can’t be good.

  I can hear the fates laughing.

  Chapter 32

  The frightened techs remain seated, holding their VR gear in hand, too scared to move.

  “It’s okay,” Amelia says. “The threat is handled. Thank you, Captain.”

  Rozik holsters his pistol. “Any time.”

  “We need to find out what she did to the synchronizer,” I say. “Right now.”

  “We will,” Amelia replies. “Sykes.”

  Her comm chirps as Sykes answers. “Yes, Chairwoman Rocklin?”

  “We’ve had an event in synchronizer control. I want all unarmed personnel to report to their assigned duty stations, and all security to report to their quarters immediately. If I lay eyes on anyone in the passages, I intend to shoot first and ask questions later.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Sykes says. “I’ll relay the message.”

  “Thank you. Any luck locating Chief Kratz?”

  “Yes, ma’am. He’s in his quarters. He told me he has a splitting headache.”

  “I don’t care if his head is split open, I need him up here.”

  “I’ll contact him,” I say, figuring Amelia will be less than gentle, and he’ll be more inclined to help Odin Longknife.

  “Very well,” Amelia says. “That’s all for now, Sykes.”

  The comm chirps again when the connection closes. Rozik crosses the distance from our position to Chao and the dead tech while Amelia goes to the remaining techs, saying something to them I can’t hear. Yari surprises me by staying at my side. She doesn’t seem bothered by the violence, but there’s a contemplative look in her eyes like she’s trying to figure out the reason for it all.

  “Chief Engineer Kratz,” I say. I wait a couple of seconds for a response, but he doesn’t answer. “Kratz?”

  The comm chirps. “This is Kratz. Who the hell is bothering me now? I told you, I feel like I got runover by a Commune battleship.”

  “Kratz, it’s Commander Stone.”

  I can’t see the engineer, but I can almost sense his change in posture through the comm. “Commander Stone? Odin? Sir?” He’s suddenly in a panic. “Excuse me, sir. I didn’t know it was you. I knew there was going to be trouble when Watkins wouldn’t let you go. I figured things would end up this way.”

  “I appreciate the vote of confidence, and that you were trying to help me. I need your help even more now.”

  “What can I do, Commander?”

  “One of the synchronizer techs wasn’t too happy with Amelin’s death. She sabotaged the synchronizer before we could stop her. Amelia says you’re the best engineer on the station.”

  “Miss Rocklin might be exaggerating a little, sir.”

  “I guess we’ll find out. Can you come up and take a look?”

  “Yes, sir. I’m on my way.”

  The comm chirps and he’s gone. Rozik’s already claimed Chao’s gun by then, and he’s in the process of searching the dead tech’s corpse.

  “What are you looking for?” I ask.

  “I killed her too fast for her to enter an entire executable code sequence,” he replies. “Which means she had it loaded and ready to go. Systems like these, the only way to sneak bad code in is through an external device and a backdoor.”

  “Backdoor?”

  “A secret passage,” Yari says.

  “One that’s prepared ahead of time,” Rozik says.

  His hand pauses between her breasts, and then he pushes aside her coat and unbuttons her shirt. She’s wearing a bra beneath. He pulls a knife from his boot to slice the straps, and he slides his hands behind her to unfasten and remove it. Then he covers her chest again and walks over, carrying the underwear.

  In other circumstances, I might have made a joke. There’s nothing funny about our situation, so I stay silent and wait for him to explain.

  “I don’t have anything fine enough to cut it out,” he says, showing me the bra. “But if you run your finger along here.” He shows me where to touch it. “There’s a chip sewn into the fabric. I’d bet my career on it.”

  “What career is that?” Yari asks.

  I raise an eyebrow. Will he tell her his specific job title?

  “I find things,” he says. Then he glances at me. “People, objects, whatever needs to be found.”

  “Is there a name for that in the CAS?” I ask. As far as I know, AOP military doesn’t have any job that fits that description. “Something more refined and less negative than bounty hunter?”

  “I don’t do it for a reward, I do it for my people. And it’s a lot more nuanced than that.”

  “I’m sure it is.”

  He smirks at me because he knows it’ll get under my skin.

  Amelia returns from speaking to the techs and sees Rozik holding the bra. “I’m very confused,” she says.

  “There’s a transmitter in it,” Yari explains. “She used it to crash the computer.”

  “Is that true?” Amelia asks, looking at Rozik who nods in reply. “The other techs said she was acting normally right up until Chao went over to her. No sign she was planning anything like this. The synchronizer is supposed to be sacred.”

  “Was anything sacred to your brother?”

  “I guess not.”

  “Perhaps Sasha knows what was done to the machine?” Rozik suggests.

  “It’s a good thought,” Amelia replies. “Let’s keep that door open.”

  We all turn our heads as Chief Engineer Kratz comes around the corner and into the room. He freezes when he sees the bodies and the blood.

  “Kratz,” I say. “Thanks for getting here so fast.”

  He looks at me and comes to attention. “Chief Kratz reporting, sir.”

  “Relax,” I say. “Take a look at this.”

  “A bra?” Kratz replies. “I don’t understand.”

  “Remote code delivery,” Rozik explains. “Stored here, transmitted through a backdoor. Yes?”

  “It’s possible,” Kratz agrees. “Can I see that?” He takes the underwear from Rozik and feels the chip. “Yeah, I can get this out and open it up to see what the payload looks like. What’s the status of the system?”

  “Offline,” Amelia says sourly. “Naraka Station is out of touch with the rest of the Sphere.”

  “Perfect. Just perfect.” Kratz shakes his head. “It wasn’t supposed to go this far.”

  “Can you fix it?” I ask.

  “I’m sure I can,” Kratz replies. “It’s just a matter of time.”

  “Which we don’t have to spare. How long?”

  “I don’t know, Commander. It could be a few hours. It could be a few days. Or more.”

  I glance at Rozik. His face is turning red with frustration. There’s heat seeping into my cheeks too. “We need a plan B,” I say to him.

  “B as in Bruxton?” he asks. “We’re a week out, minimum.”

  “Amelia, what’s the next closest Alliance planet?” I ask.

  “Other than Bruxton?” she replies. “Calawan is ten days.”

  I close my eyes and sigh. Amelin knew exactly what he was doing, and I don’t mean cutting me and Rozik off. Naraka losing inter-Sphere comms when there are no other planets in the immediate area means every possible supply ship and trader will stop making deliveries until it’s fixed, and by then their routes for the next cycle will be set and won’t include here. Which means it could be two or three months before the station is properly resupplied. There’s a chance Amelia can pay through the nose for rushed necessities. That’ll hit her where it hurts too.