Chapter 7

Chapter 7

GDAT 3235.025

K atalin met Vellek at the door to her office and waved him inside. She wasn’t surprised to see Norby at his heels and that Cyrene rode on his shoulders.

The last seven days had introduced chaos to both their schedules, making their pets worry about the unpredictability of it all. At least, that was how Sierrho had explained it to Katalin asked her why Skyhunter had become suddenly as clingy as Froggie.

When he chose one of the visitor chairs, she sat in the other rather than her executive chair. As far as she was concerned, they were allies rather than coworkers.

The jurisdiction fight had been epic, requiring the intervention of Commander Doseki and a realtime vid call to a CGC High Court judge to settle it. Lumen Roca won.

Then the real battle began.

The OII reviewed the original evidence and the autopsy report, then taken detailed statements from the local CPS staff. Once Katalin reminded everyone else on the station that they could decline OII requests for interviews, no one would talk to them. According to Vellek, whose knew the right people and the right questions to ask, the OII had so far respected the rules.

“So,” she said with a sharp smile, “What do you hear from your new best friends from Lumen Roca?”

“Aidell says Perlabeaux is now claiming that Rikenna ordered her to remove the extra module from Yellow Sector’s comms node. Rikenna claims the bloody bar of incalloy the military found in his quarters was planted by Perlabeaux. Both Lumen Roca and the OII are frustrated because neither the autopsy nor our security recordings prove or disprove those claims. The incalloy bar was likely debris from the outer hull breach and definitely had fatal contact with the back of Jensuradi’s skull, but the autopsy can’t say if it was accidental or intentional. The recordings show Perlabeaux breaking into the comms node room and taking the module, but have no information about motive or intent.”

She’d be frustrated, too, but she didn’t feel sorry for any of them. “I’m just glad they gave up trying to pin the death on me. Thank the universe you bought me enough time to get Starn’s estate settled.”

Vellek waved a hand dismissively. “It was a ridiculous theory to begin with. They had absolute zero evidence that Jensuradi was blackmailing you because he discovered Okebaan Corp secretly owned the station. Everyone already knew because you’d shared the first few notices with the staff. The estate closure proved you were waiting for the certified documents to quash Okebaan’s claim.” He petted Cyrene, who had climbed down the front of him and settled in his lap. For once, the cat seemed to be dry. “If the OII ever untangles Jensuradi’s files and discovers what he was up to, they’ll protect the CPS by closing the case. They certainly won’t care what happens to Rikenna or Perlabeaux.”

“Speaking of which, Sierrho heard from a little bird that Commander Doseki has formally declared them both unfit and relieved them of duty while waiting for Military High Command where to send them.”

“A little bird?” He frowned. “Is that literal or a metaphor?”

Katalin laughed. “I’ve learned it’s better not to ask.”

Besides, Sierrho was busy packing her personal items to move. In the best news ever, she and Luntian seem to have come to an understanding. Two days ago, Luntian had asked to rent a larger apartment that he and Sierrho could share. Even his stoic best couldn’t hide the happiness in his eyes when he’d told her about his request. She’d sneakily arranged to assign them to her old apartment, and ordered a few upgrades before releasing it. The unit had been her hideaway during her first few years on the station, but it had since devolved into a glorified storage unit. The location was ideal, one quick lift ride away from Sierrho’s shelter.

She grinned, which had Vellek smiling, then seeming surprised by it. He was brilliant, but not always about matters of the heart. She hoped to share that journey with him. He was already an indispensable part of her day, and they hadn’t even kissed.

“Did the certified ownership deed for the station come in? I expect Agent Sotanova will be appointed as the temporary liaison. You could send her a copy when you send her the CPS lease agreement.”

His cleverness amused her. “And thereby notifying her that, in case she is ever inspired to try Jensuradi’s scam, it will fail.”

“Well, yes,” he said with an admirable straight face. “It would have that effect.”

“In answer to your question, the deed arrived last night while we were at dinner. I want to run something by you. Well, two things. Okay, three things. First, I want to make our titles permanent and offer you a promotion bonus. Now that I have access to the accounts holding three and a half years of the station’s profits, I can finally to give every station employee a pay rise. Second, I’m thinking of offering voting shares to the longtime residents. Maybe setting up a membership council, too. A sole owner is a single point of vulnerability for the station.”

“Both seem reasonable to me. Though for the distributed ownership, the devil would be in the details. Money and power bring out the worst in people.”

His quick answer made her think he’d already been considering the future. And he was right about money. She hoped he’d help her figure out how to share the wealth of the station with the people who made it a home, not just a profitable venture for a single family.

Summoning up her courage, she voiced her third idea. “Want to go on vacation with me?”

His widened eyes and quick intake of breath said she’d surprised him. “To where?”

“Someplace with ocean waves and beaches. And good medic centers and bodyshops because I’m overdue for maintenance checkups. I let myself become Starn’s anchor and he took full advantage of it. I haven’t been off this station in two decades.”

His face took on the remote look she’d been afraid of. But instead of retreating, he slid his chair closer to hers and reached out to capture her hand. “Yes.” His expression morphed into determination. “I would like that very much.”

Hope swelled Katalin’s heart to near bursting.

Starn had been a good partner, but he’d never noticed that she’d grown as a person had been holding herself back to please him. To be fair, she hadn’t recognized she’d done that until she’d had to reinvent herself after his death.

Falling in love with Vellek hadn’t been on her horizon, but chaos, she wanted that. She wanted their future to be together, however long it took them to get there.

The vulnerable look on Vellek’s face said he did, too.