The soldiers took the sword, and as an afterthought, Leslie. Grace watched her weapon taken away, feeling her own rising hopelessness. She might have borrowed some from the people around her, but Grace felt she’d earned it this time. She’d gotten the feeling honestly, without the guile she used to survive on the run from the Emperor’s right-hand man.

  Father will never give up.

  Grace felt a nudge on her shoulder, giving a glare in return. She took in the sad eyes and fatigue/tired of an old man wearing a ship suit well past its use-by date. Its elbows were patched many times over. He nodded past her. “It’s your turn.”

  Sure enough, the three families ahead of her passed into the belly of Starfire Station while she ogled a desperate family and an angry young man. Grace was out of options. Beyond this gate were the hungry claws of her father’s soldiers. She felt trapped but had no way out. Run now, and she’d be caught.

  Be calm. Be the deep blue ocean. Feel its weight and comfort. Grace nodded her thanks to the old man. He hadn’t earned her glare, but she was frightened, and alone, and shouldn’t have to fear her father. Squaring her shoulders, Grace stepped into the screening station. Behind armored glass, a slightly pudgy man waited. He looked bored, eyes not meeting hers, and the slight stubble on his face said I’ve been in this damned box interviewing migrants for at least ten hours, so be kind.

  Grace reached deep, below the sadness and the desperation, and into the cool of the ocean. She could be strong, and she could be kind. Grace walked to the armored glass, resting her elbows on the sill beneath a speaker. “Hi.”

  “Name?”

  “Ayako Tanaka.” Grace Gushiken was a name known throughout the Empire. Ayako Tanaka was a tourist Grace encountered on Europa. Ayako’s stolen ident cards rested in Grace’s pocket.

  “Tanaka, huh?” The man leaned forward, tired yet interested at the same time. His uniform was an unflattering gray, yellow banding around his shoulders reminding Grace of an anemic wasp. His uniform’s holo badge said Redwood, C, before the letters were replaced with Have a pleasant day. “First time on Starfire?”

  “Yes,” gushed Grace, bouncing on her feet. “I’ve heard so much about it.”

  “Uh huh,” said Redwood, C. He glanced at the Empire soldiers waiting to take Grace away to a home full of terror, or to mine salt for the rest of her life. “You don’t look like a Tanaka. You want to know why?”

  Grace felt careful/cunning/opportunity from the man, but nothing suggesting he would throw her to the wolves. “I don’t know why, Mr. Redwood, sir.”

  He gave a short laugh. “It’s Cameron. My friends call me Cam.”

  “Are we friends?” Grace leaned forward, mouth dry. She felt nervous, like the jaws of a trap were closing in on her.

  Cam offered a lopsided smile, like even his lips were weary after talking to people at border control all day. “We could be. The reason why you don’t look like a Tanaka is because she reported her ident cards stolen three weeks back. A little less, but whatever.” He waved a casual hand, the gesture at odds with the panicked pounding of Grace’s heart. “And while you’re in the departure lane for the starship Elena, a merchant liner from Leigh Station, the Immortal docked not a half hour back. She’s been at sea since then. Seems about the length of time you’d need to be out of the world to miss hearing the ident cards you stole reported missing.”

  “Ah.” Grace had a lie prepared for this. “I reported my ident cards missing but found them later.”

  “Right.” Cam nodded. “Ayako Tanaka is also not an expert in kendo, but not two minutes past a sword was taken from one of the crew aboard the Immortal. We believe Grace Gushiken, who is a master of kendo, to be aboard the Immortal. You see where this is going?”

  Still nothing but careful/cunning from Cam. “I think it’s going toward a bargain.”

  “It is. I can get you the sword back. I can also get you through border control.”

  “It’s not my sword,” said Grace. “Why would I want it back? I’m Ayako Tanaka, tourist extraordinaire.”

  “You’re a fugitive from the Empire, an assassin, and a thief,” corrected Cam. “It just so happens, I could use a good thief.”

  Grace caught a hint of Cam’s own sadness/caution. Borrowing the emotion, it made her think twice. Trusting people was foolish, but if they had a common purpose, trust became business. “I’m listening.”

  A massive armored man in Empire power armor rapped knuckles on the security door. Grace startled, then faked a laugh. Cam pressed a button on his console, opening a channel to the guard. “Can I help you?” While Cam spoke with the soldier, Grace feigned disinterest, looking back the way she’d come. Disinterest was a good cover, but she didn’t want her face seen. While she hoped Cam would cover for her, her face would be known to Empire troops.

  “Is this the fugitive Grace Gushiken?”

  Cam blinked. “Hell, did I forget to tell you?”

  “Yes. Is it her?” The massive armored guard sounded excited.

  “No. The reason I didn’t tell you it’s Grace Gushiken is because this is Ayako Tanaka, just in on the merchant liner Elena.” He beamed. “She’s checking into a coffin at Best Universe.”

  “I am?” Grace risked a glance at Cam but avoided turning her face to the soldier. “I mean, I am.”

  “She is.” Cam offered a glare to the guard. It was the kind of well-practiced look one government official offered to another getting in their way. “Maybe you could let me do my job while you go back to terrorizing innocent civilians and costing Starfire Station a lot of money.”

  “I’ll do that,” promised the hulking brute.

  “Excellent.” Cam snapped off the comm, turning back to Grace. “Ms. Tanaka, enjoy your stay on Starfire.”

  “I will.” Grace waited until the Empire soldier walked away, then left the immigration bay. Grace needed her sword. She needed a plan.

  Likely both could be found at Best Universe. And, if the winds were fair, maybe a friend too.

  Chapter One

  Grace found an auto taxi, putting one of Captain Topham’s coins into the slot and leaning back so her face was out of view. The journey took her through throngs of people. Merchants, selling wares. Ship captains, haggling for cargo, or shilling berths. The odd waif or stray, half-hidden in doorways and the alleys between fabricated buildings. If they could stay, maybe Grace could too.

  She’d done well so far to avoid detection. Starfire was a free station. It flew no Empire flag, harbored Marines, and no Navy ships called this their home port. But when the Empire knocked, you opened, which meant Starfire personnel would cooperate with the soldiers seeking Grace. Her face would be known to officials, which meant keeping a low profile. She almost laughed. It’s not like she was planning on getting drunk, getting into fights, or burning down buildings. Besides, fire on a space station was a terrible idea.

  The auto taxi coasted to a stop outside a gleaming edifice that stretched up the inner core of Starfire. Shiny metal and mirrored glass coated the exterior, giving privacy to those within. Best Universe was a massive hotel, and Grace gave silent thanks to Cam. He’d pointed her to a place likely to be swarming with thousands of other travelers. It’d be easy to get lost in the noise.

  She stepped from the taxi, light on her feet, eyes everywhere for trouble. No soldiers or other official-looking guards here, which meant no one was suspicious. Yet.

  Inside, Best Universe was a cylinder of floors within one atop another, looking to Grace like it went up at least half of the station’s five-klick length. Two kilometers of hotel is a lot of people to get lost among. Grace ducked around a family of five looking lost. An angry man shoved her aside with a watch it, kid as he stormed out, which made her feel zero guilt about stealing his wallet. Grace tossed the IDs, keeping the few coins inside, and charted a course for the check-in kiosks.

  Her Ayako ID served fine for booking a room. Best Universe didn’t have a hook-up to official systems. All they cared about was a name to put on the room service menu. Grace slotted coins into the kiosk, the happy chink making her feel more comfortable.

  A glass express elevator took her to her room. Cam suggested coffin, but Grace chose a proper suite. After being on the ship for so long she wanted room to stretch her arms. Her room was comfortable but not showy, complete with a dispenser and console with a glowing holo above it. Grace settled at the console, bringing up the hotel’s directory.

  Ayako was a little older than Grace, which meant the hotel suggested the bar for her. She ignored it. What Grace wanted couldn’t be found at the bottom of a bottle. Besides, drink clouded the mind. She needed a clear head. Grace punched in an order for more clothes, waiting ten minutes for the fabricators to make what she wanted and deliver them.

  At a chime from the door, Grace opened it, finding a small package of clothes. She dumped her ship suit, tossing it in the recycler. The package contained finer clothes for later, but her hands found supple synthetics first. Grace drew on the form-fitting attire, then left her room.

  Near the base of the hotel she found her haven. The Best Universe’s gymnasium, a huge vaulted room with almost no one at all inside. A few brave souls swam in the giant pool, but the wide-open training mat was empty, as were the weight machines.

  Three weeks on a starship and you haven’t stretched your muscles. For most of Grace’s life, every day had been full of training. Routines, drills, and exercises. Her body craved release. She bounded across the empty space, sparred with shadow opponents, and jumped and sprang as if people fired blasters at her.

  People shot at her before and would again.

  After a half hour of practice, she slipped into a room with hanging bags. Plain printed floors made to look like wood gleamed beneath her. She paired off against a heavy bag, giving it a tiny mock-bow before starting. Grace danced around the bag, punching and kicking it. She let her mind go, her body free.

  Father hunts me. Slam, slam, slam. Her fists were used to this, and she felt no pain, just the steady rhythm of practice.

  Cam will betray me. She breathed harder and faster, hitting the bag.

  The universe wants me dead. Grace launched a spinning kick at the bag, following with a volley of punches.

  You’re alone, and always will be. She snarled, slamming a kick into the bag. The chain holding it snapped, the heavy bag falling to the floor like a dead man.

  Grace panted, sweat running. Calm. Be the ocean. Be the heart of the storm. She closed her eyes, trying to find calm, but instead discovering doubt waiting for her. Grace didn’t know much about the universe outside her father’s grounds, but one thing she’d found was people didn’t do anything for free.

  She left the broken bag on the floor of the gym. Time to find Cam.

  Grace took the time to slip into the other clothes she’d ordered. The cut was local to Starfire, blacks with a hint of white running inside. A close-fitting-but-not-constricting jacket topped loose pants. Boots that looked like real Earther leather completed the ensemble. All Grace needed now was a sword at her back.

  Cam wasn’t hard to find. He waited for her in the Best Universe’s lobby with two paper bags. Despite the milling throngs of people, he was easy to spot. His gray-yellow uniform looked official, which triggered instinctual avoid/avoid from guests. No one wanted trouble on their holiday or business trip.

  His eyes brightened as he saw her. Now she wasn’t facing threat of immediate capture, she noticed his eyes were gray-blue, bright enough after a day at border control. He is no fool. Be wary. He offered her a bag. It smelled like the rainfall of heaven. Grace eyed him. “What is it?”

  “Mushroom burger.” He shrugged, opening his own paper bag. “Walk with me.”

  He set off, charting a course out the front of Best Universe, munching his burger. Grace followed, biting into her own. It tasted delicious, lightly flavored with sesame and pepper. The lettuce was real, crunchy and clean-tasting, so unlike shipboard food. And the bread. So, so good.

  Grace finished her burger in what felt like two seconds. Cam watched her, only a quarter through his. “Hungry, huh?”

  “I hate ship food.” She grimaced.

  “Me too.” He took them away from the station’s main concourse, heading for a street lined with stores. Each was small, a sample only. Starfire was a trading port. Merchants would visit these small stores, selecting from samples for mass shipments later. It was easy enough for two souls to lose themselves in the press of people.

  More importantly, it was trivial to talk without prying, listening ears. Cam still chewed on his burger, caution/concern/careful coming from him. It made her interested in what he had to say. Grace wasn’t in the mood for guessing games. “You need a thief.”

  “I do,” he agreed. “I’ve worked on Starfire for twenty years. Managed a few promotions through luck and been demoted as many times through ill favor. I feel it’s time to get my due.”

  “Why not turn me in?” Grace paused at a store selling artwork. The stall looked empty of care, because no one shopped for artwork in bulk. Not out here in the hard black. She felt like that artwork. Alone. Unwanted.

  Cam spent some time working through his answers. Grace picked up deceit/lie, then guile/ruse, before grudging honesty/parlay. She’d expected the first. Grace thought he’d try for the second. She didn’t expect the third. “The Empire’s done me no favors. Why should I help the Empire?”

  “Because they’re big and powerful. Not helping them is the same as hindering them.” Grace pressed her palm to the glass above a beautiful piece of art depicting what looked like a green sea. She smiled as she realized what it was. It’s an ocean of grass. She might never see anything like that again. Earth was off-limits.

  “They’re dicks.” Cam shrugged. “Here it is. In my line of work—”

  “A cheat? A con-man?”

  “A customs official.” Cam looked hurt. “In my official duties, I know the Empire are here looking for Grace Gushiken. Boy, I sure hope they don’t find her.” The last sentence he said overly loud.

  “I get it.”

  “Because if they did—”

  “I said, I get it.” Grace glared.

  “Right. The Empire is picking up plans for a new set of starships. Hulls made of ceramicrete wedged with good alloy.” Cam turned from the art store, heading away.

  Grace followed, giving the beautiful, unwanted art a last glance. “So?”

  “So, I need those plans. You get me the plans, and we’re square.”

  Grace shook her head. “I get you the plans, and we go fifty-fifty on the proceeds.”

  “The files on Grace Gushiken say nothing about her skills in comedy.” Cam gave off a little wary/humor.

  “Did they talk about how good she was at killing people?”

  “They did. It’s a fair point.” Cam handed her a data sliver. “Everything you need is on there. Where the data’s being held. What to look for. Who’s guarding it.”

  Grace took the data sliver, turning it over in her hand. She thought about the massive armored soldier she’d seen at the docks. “I have some idea of who holds the keys.”

  “It’s a deal?” Cam’s look was hopeful.

  Grace picked up surprise/delight from him. She offered her hand. “It’s a deal, Cam Redwood. I’ll get your plans, and you’ll get my coin.”

  He beamed. Grace watched as he turned to walk away, expecting her to follow to hash out further details. She took the moment to slip away, hiding in the faceless mass of humanity of Starfire Station. Grace caught his surprise/concern when he found her gone, but it couldn’t be helped.

  She didn’t work with a partner. Partners were the best way to end up dead.

  Chapter Two

  Grace knew there was a finder’s fee on her head. Last time she’d seen a figure, it was over a five hundred thousand good Empire coins. If someone like Cam turned her in, he would get more coin than he could imagine. She figured he could think of big numbers, so the data he wanted her to steal had to be worth a lot.

  It had to be worth so much, just half of it was more than Grace’s finder’s fee from her father. She spent a lot of time thinking about that. Her father, Kazuo Gushiken, would burn worlds to reclaim her. This meant one of three things.

  First, the data was more than just ship hull designs. No way were starship plans worth entire planets of wealth.

  The second option was Cam feared for his safety. The odds were good any person fixing to claim Grace’s bounty would go missing. They’d be found weeks later adrift in an asteroid belt without a ship suit.

  Both of those felt like good options, but Grace’s experience of the universe suggested a more likely scenario. Cam means to take the data and turn you in for the bounty.

  Grace needed to be prepared. She went back to her hotel room, slotting the data sliver Cam gave her into the console. The holo brightened, revealing … everything. She saw guard routes. Layouts of the place where the data was kept. Grace even knew the head enforcer was Max Conyers, a huge monster of a man and the one showing an interest at Starfire’s docks earlier.

  She leaned closer to the holo. Max was so big, he had the look of a person who ate other people as snacks. Grace was good in a fight, but could she take Max Conyers? She rolled her shoulder, remembering the broken chain of the heavy bag. Yes, she could hit hard, and she was fast and agile. But Grace was also small, and under no illusions she could take a hit from Max.

  Best bet? Not getting in a fight with him in the first place.

  The barracks holding the data sliver was a modern design, shipped out here by the Empire and bolted to the side of Starfire Station. Air and water. Power couplings. Fabricator and dispenser feed lines, and their return waste disposals. A complete sealed unit, accessible by main airlocks, under guard by auto-turrets.