KANIA, TIMON, AND Rilad sat in Rilad's favorite bar, where he and Timon had met. Kania had to admit it was an awesome place. Hidden in the basement of a run-down apartment block, it was where the people met who weren't so lucky to be on the RSW's and thus the taxpayers' payroll. Timon warned her to come in civilian clothes; RSW uniforms were frowned upon in this establishment.
The theme of the bar revolved around famous science fiction novels and movies. Plenty of space ship models and action figures were on display openly. The more precious pieces hovered in glass shrines around the walls.
"How did you find this bar, Timon?" Kania half shouted over the bar's thumping dance-music.
"By accident. I was driving through town, sightseeing, came by this place and thought I'd check it out."
"Nah, I don't believe you, but it's a cool place." She downed a drink.
"Why don't you believe me?"
"Stop bickering, celebrate!" Rilad said and took Kania's glass. "What'ya want?"
"Same."
Rilad nodded and programmed the drink dispenser on their table for a Blue Cros. Kania had no idea what was in it, but it was good, sweet, and heavy.
"That's the thing, I can't really celebrate," she said.
"Why not?" Rilad shoved the refilled glass towards her.
"It smells foul. If I were the RSW, I wouldn't let me back onto the Gen."
Her suspension had been revoked. She was supposed to resume work the next day, same days-off schedule as Timon.
"Why, because you're an FTS mole after all?" Rilad asked, grinning broadly at her.
"No, I'm not, it's just... ah, I don't know." She was half drunk, this was her fourth Blue Cros.
"Well, my guess is this young man here ain't innocent about your re-admission into the illustrious circle of enlightened Gen workers." Rilad cuffed Timon's arm.
Timon looked confused. "What are you talking about?"
"Oh, come on, Timon, tell her who you are."
They were all a bit drunk, but Kania felt a sobering revelation around the corner. Secrets and lies wherever she looked?
"I'm Timon Feihn, from Angreius."
"Yeah, and who's your big uncle, Timon?" Rilad cuffed his shoulder again.
Timon turned pale. "How the hell do you know--"
"Oh, come on! I'm a hacker, man, I snooped around a bit. It wasn't at all difficult to find out, any amateur could."
Kania felt a bit queasy in her stomach. "Who's your uncle?"
Timon sighed and stared into his glass of whiskey.
"I know you won't believe me, but I got where I'm now by myself. I worked hard for this, and it's my achievement, nobody else's."
"Yeah, sure you did," Rilad said.
"Who's his uncle?" Kania was reaching the end of her patience.
"Soinat Alander, baby, Soinat Alander," Rilad said. "His mom is Lorin Alander, Soinat's little sister, who happened to marry a dude named Feihn."
Kania's jaw dropped. She stared at Timon who preferred to study his whiskey glass.
"Is that true?"
"Yes. But again, I got onto the Gen because I studied hard and worked my ass off, not because of Uncle Soinat. I never asked a favor of him, never--until a few days ago." He finally looked at her. "I know you're innocent. But you're right, the RSW would've fired you because of Sirid and that whole shit. I vouched for you and Soinat vouched for me and so we're both still on board."
"Wow." Kania finally looked away. She sipped from her drink. She wasn't sure what to feel, grateful perhaps, pissed because he hadn't told her about this, disappointed that it wasn't her outstanding abilities as a biologist that had saved her neck. There was safety too, for sometimes things in this world still worked the way she expected them to. She felt Timon and Rilad's eyes on her the whole time.
She looked back at Timon. "Thanks, and greetings to your uncle."
Both men relaxed. Rilad raised his glass. "To Soinat Alander, for having saved my friends from Gen excommunication."
He said that in such a solemn tone that Kania had to laugh. Timon joined her. They clicked their glasses and drank.
"Hey, can you get me a spot on the Gen, too?" Rilad put an arm around Timon's shoulder.
"No, man, I'm sorry. And also Kania has no spot on the Gen yet. It's just the Gen work permission."
"Argh, what must I do to make you put in a good word for me with Uncle Soinat, Timon?"
Rilad hugged him tighter.
"Release me, first of all."
They all laughed and Rilad patted Timon's back.
Weird thoughts shot through Kania's head. No, not weird, very realistic. Timon would give her a choice, be my wife on the Gen and I'll arrange that my uncle will see to it that you become essential personnel. Refuse to marry me and kiss the Gen good-bye. Yes, no doubt. That would be her deal. Married to Timon Feihn... not Sirid Unnal.
She had never made plans for a life on the planet. She had believed and hoped with her heart and soul that it would be Sirid and Kania on board the Gen. Now it would be Timon and Kania on board the Gen, or Kania alone on the planet with nothing and no one. She downed her drink and held the glass out for Rilad to refill it, trying to get acquainted with the thought that she'd have to marry Timon Feihn. Well, the fact that she didn't love him would probably make the marriage a happy one.
✜✜✜
Nal Ghanik leaned against the hood of his car in the jungle and listened to the noisy night. He wiped the sweat from his upper lip with an end of the towel around his neck and closed his eyes. Mountains, ice, rolling grassland at their feet. He had been born in Kurie's north, where it was never even remotely as hot and humid as in Hagesh, not even in the hottest summer. Yes, he hated the off-the-beaten-track village of his youth and did everything to move to Kurie's capital, Elongis, to study and join the FTS after his sister committed suicide because Aran tortured her dignity out of her. There he sought out Alek Fons, the university's housekeeper. On the surface the man was a harmless nobody. But beneath that--house keeper and top terrorist, one of the leaders of the radical branch of the FTS.
Ah, how much he longed to once more sit with Alek on the balcony of his small apartment overlooking Elongis's harbor, drinking wine, and discussing politics until the wee hours of the morning.
The sound of an approaching car ripped Nal from his sweet memories and he waited for Ennie Darias to reach him.
"Hello, Nal."
"How did the parts retrieval on the Gen go?"
"Everything according to plan, Sir." She saluted to him, beaming with pride and excitement. Hell, she'd botch it. She still thought this was a fucking game.
"Good. We're always varying the pattern of how our friendly at the OT receives parts. Last time he received it via one of our couriers. This time I want you to give it to him. The couriers have their limits and especially in the last stages of the mission there might be no time for courier delivery.
"Therefore, I want you to practice meeting the friendly and giving him the next part yourself. He'll smuggle it in the OT cabin's cargo section as usual. Do not come upon the stupid idea to want to smuggle the part on board the Gen yourself, meaning in your luggage or on your person. The scanners in the OT's passenger cabin will detect it. The friendly knows how to manipulate the cargo compartment's scanners, but he has no access to the passenger cabin's scanners, is that clear?"
"Yes, Sir." Ennie smiled broadly at him.
Nal frowned. "Quit that yessir shit."
Her smile finally froze. "Sorry."
Nal took a small brown paper bag from his pants' pocket and handed it to her. She looked eagerly into the bag. Nal disliked her more by the second. She'd get them all killed.
"What's this?" she asked.
"What does it look like?"
"A circuit board."
"Then why do you ask what it is?"
"Because the last one was also a circuit board," she said, sounding defensive.
"The completed device needs two circuit boards, that's the second one."
"I see."
Nal stared at her, grimly, deliberately.
"Please repeat procedures for me, Ennie."
"I ping the friendly via encoded Virtual, we meet at the zoo or a café or whatever, I hand him the part. He brings it onto the OT's cabin when he gets the chance. He pings me when the friendly on the Gen who works in logistics has received the part. I wait twenty hours, then I retrieve the part from the pick-up point and bring it to its new hiding place and store it there."
"Thank you. Don't mess things up. There will be six more deliveries. Then you assemble."
"Understood."
"Good luck." With that Nal turned around and walked for his car's door, Ennie did the same. Nal switched on the air conditioning, waited until she left, then waited a bit more.
It would be over soon. One way or the other. Of course he hoped for success, the Gen blown, he and Meilo safe in Elongis, Taila safe in Shilas. Just how much luck would they need for this best possible outcome?
What would he and Meilo do for the rest of their lives in Kurie? He had never made a plan for that. He smiled. What did retired terrorists do with their lives? The FTS would provide him with some credits. Not much, but enough to survive. He'd be able to open a small business with that or buy a small farm. Nah, he wasn't the farmer type. He'd open a bar in Elongis, with a stage for live music. And one day Taila would make a secret visit together with her boyfriend or husband, and maybe even grandchildren. He'd hug her and play with his grandchildren.
It was dark and quiet in the jungle. The air conditioning blew a cooling breeze into his face. He couldn't see the bar in his mind's eye. He tried, but everything was black. He looked out of the window into the sky. The Sky Wheel hung dim over the jungle, blurred by the humidity in the air. All other heavenly bodies, except for the two moons, were nearly always invisible in Hagesh. He grunted to himself. Everything he did the past twenty odd years was the stupid Sky Wheel's fault. It was madness to want to go there. The Sky Wheel wasn't one of God's twelve knights, as the Church of God once preached, it was rather one of the devil's twelve stooges that bewitched half his people. He felt much closer to the pagans of old, the Nondaras, who worshipped the sun. Yes, the sun warmed their planet and produced crops. It was much more logical to believe in the sun than in God and his twelve knights. The Nondaras ignored the night and focused on the day. They had been wise.