Page 88 of Spark Transform

Arco firmly ordered her hyperactive brain to stand down. It wasn’t her business. She trusted both Josh and Soleil with her life and Brenner’s.

Nilsson shifted slightly in her seat. The healer was still moving carefully, but was looking better every day. “What’s next for you?” Arco had noticed that Nilsson had an uncanny sense of timing for asking difficult questions. She’d probably make a good journalist.

“I don’t know yet,” Arco admitted. “Too many possibilities. Too many unknowns. Too many enemies.” Making the wrong choice could easily get them all killed. She felt like she was outside a ship in an exosuit with a fraying lifeline.

Brenner slid his hand over hers. His palm was warm and slightly rough. “We have time.”

Arco placed her other hand on top of his. His solid, anchoring strength kept her racing thoughts from spinning into chaos. “Thank you,” she murmured quietly.

She turned her attention back to her security team. “What do you all want to do next? Your Novo Granica contracts are probably still active.”

Minan rolled her shoulders. “My civilian life is based in Ridderth, but I am definitely due for a vacation. I plan to stay away at least until after the city digs out of the snow.”

N’Dwama tapped fingers on the table. “I’m going back soon. I still need to pay off my racing flyer. I also need more certified experience to secure a better security license rating. I’ll probably stay with Novo G if they let me.”

Minan’s face took on teasing look. “If they terminate your contract, you could ask Wutala for a job. She seems to treat her people well.”

“Hell, no.” N’Dwama gave an exaggerated shudder. “Hujuru was bad enough. Wutala terrifies me.”

“I’m going back to Ridderth with N’Dwama and Novo G,” said Tōn Ko. He heaved a quiet sigh. “I should probably check in with my family. They’ll probably be sad to learn I’m not on the mortality lists.”

Arco felt a stirring of anger. She wished fame and fortune for beautiful, competent Tōn Ko, purely so his asshole family would sorely regret rejecting him because of his minder talents.

A startling realization snuck up on Arco. For twenty years, she had exchanged brief, coded messages with her parents to confirm that they were still thinking of each other. Suddenly, she was now free to actually visit her family in person. She could act like a normal person. She laughed at herself. She wouldn’t recognize normal if it wore a nametag.

Rustom turned his gaze on Arco. “I am sorry you’re havin’ to leave your career. People need their stories told. People need justice. The CPS sure as hell needs long-overdue justice, and lots of it.”

“That reminds me,” Arco said, glad to move onto familiar ground for a moment. “The CPS press office officially attributed Marshal Temhathor’s death to the century storm, not anything to do with local terrorist activities. The same release announced that Administrator Jane Pennington-Smythe has accepted a new mission-related position at CPS headquarters.” She gave her friends a wry smile. “Translated, the CPS is trying to make Mabingion wear the Shattered Chain debacle, and Pennington-Smythe is currently in deep shit with CPS leadership.” She widened her grin. “Couldn’t have happened to a more deserving person.”

“Where is the CGC military in all this?” Haseem’s expression reflected his aggrieved tone. “They should be helping in the disaster response. They should be restoring order.”

“They’re heavily conflicted,” Minan explained kindly. “People forget the CPS is part of the military. The CPS rarely admits when they make mistakes. In the official organizational structure, the CPS operates as a branch equal to Air Div, Space Div, and the rest. In reality, the CPS is the biggest by far. They have their own budget, their own headquarters, and they play politics better than the lobbyists for pharma and exploration combined.”

Arco nodded. “Not only that, but the CPS has absorbed a lot of stray mission areas over the years, including disaster response. If the CPS current budget cuts hold, the Galactic Search and Rescue division will definitely lose out on any new funding.”

“Of course.” Rustom let out a sarcastic laugh. “Spendin’ the budget on vengeance raids during a feckin’ century snowstorm is a much better investment.” He turned to take a tablet to read when Murtazo walked up and handed it to him.

“Plus,” added Arco, “the CPS is also trying to fight off top-trending rumors about a non-CPS-sourced cure for waster’s disease. I think the rumors are organic, not one of the CPS’s standard distraction campaigns. They’re too busy handling their own self-created disaster.”

Murtazo took the tablet back. “I hope there really is a c-c-cure.”

“Me, too,” said Rustom as he stood up and began collecting empty mealpack containers for the ship’s recycler.

Arco caught a silent exchange of looks between Josh and Soleil. They seemed to have a lot of secrets. Certain comments over the past few days had already led her to suspect the pair had read Davidro’s stolen diaries, as she had. She blew out a breath and made herself turn her focus on Murtazo as she limped away. It wasn’t nice to use her finder talent on her friends.

Josh picked up his empty drink pouch. “You could run a research service, like the ones you said you used to hire.” He stacked it on his empty mealpack and handed it off to Rustom. “You could start by researching new places to land for people who don’t want to go back to Mabingion.”

Arco added her mealpack to Rustom’s pile, then slid off the bench once Brenner stood up. Josh’s idea was interesting. Between her extensive travels and Brenner’s, they could add personal experience to her research. But that could wait.

Right now, the galaxy could spiral on its own for a while. She simply wanted to retreat to their cabin with the man she was in love with.

In the quiet confines of their cozy space, Brenner toed off his heavy boots and stretched out on his narrow bunk. He laced his fingers behind his head, letting out a long, slow breath. The movement pulled his drapey tunic taut, throwing the hard, defined lines of his chest and abdominal muscles into sharp relief.

Arco draped her coat on the pull-down desk. She kicked off her own boots, climbed right up and over his long legs, and planted a scorching kiss on his mouth. Then she collapsed, sprawling across his solid body like a contented cat.

A soft snort of amusement rumbled in his chest. He wrapped his arms loosely around her waist. “Comfortable?”

“Very.” She savored the sound of his amusement. Getting an actual laugh out of him felt like a worthy purpose in life.