need to do that,” Vic protested.
“No. But I want to.” She turned to look up at him. “Please?”
Ward laughed. “She’s giving you the look, isn’t she?”
She looked at Ward. “What look?”
His mouth turned down at the corners and he opened his eyes wide until he looked like a child who’d been told they couldn’t have any more sweets. “This one.”
“I do not look like that!”
“You’re right. When he does it all I want to do is smack him. When you look at us that way? We’d rearrange the stars themselves if you asked.” Vic said.
They moved at the same time, stepping in front of her, each of them holding out a hand. It was so fluid it had to have been coordinated, but something told her it wasn’t. This was what they were like when they were in synch with each other. It was a glimpse of who they’d been before, and what they could be again.
She didn’t know what to say, so she opted to say nothing as she took their offered hands. They fell in beside her without a word, leading her along the concourse as if nothing had changed — but it had.
A few minutes later they stepped into the largest open space she’d seen since coming to Astek. The area was at least three decks high, possibly more, and the dull metal ceiling was partially covered by massive screens that showed what she assumed was the view beyond the station. Scaffolding climbed the walls, and crews were busy installing more of the screens. When the project was done, it would turn the entire roof into one vast viewport.
“What’s this?” she asked, letting go of their hands to gesture around them.
“This is the main hub for travelers coming off the luxury passenger vessels,” Ward told her.
“Ah. That explains the facelift. They’re prepping for the party.”
“Yeah.” Ward scowled. “But there are other parts of the station that need more than just a fresh coat of paint and some snazzy new tech. People see this, they’ll start wondering why a pretty view is more important than repairing the air recyclers in the lower residential areas.”
“Maybe you should point that out to her the next time you see her? Suggest that she do some sort of visible improvement elsewhere?”
Vic nodded. “Or we could drop a hint to Royan and Owen. They’re like the unofficial ambassadors between we lowly folk and our corporate landlord.”
“Better them than us,” Ward said.
“Tianna is more than your landlord, though. She’s a friend and a fellow cyborg, isn’t she?”
Vic glanced down at her in surprise. “Well, yeah. But she’s also the daughter of one of the assholes who bribed their way around the rules and built themselves armies of flesh-and-blood toy soldiers so they could play wargames.”
“And that’s her fault?”
“I…” Vic sighed. “I know she’s as much a victim as we are in some ways. But sometimes it’s hard to remember that when I see crap like this happening. I want to fight back somehow, and the corporations are an obvious target.”
“And you were created to be soldiers. Identifying threats and then dealing with them is hardwired into your psyches. I know. But you’re more than your programming. Never forget that.”
They both nodded, and the three of them set off again. The silence between them lingered, dampening some of her enjoyment, and neither of them took her hand again. She missed the connection, but not enough to reach for them. Not yet.
A swelling wave of noise rose up behind them, and she glanced back, curious. A flow of new arrivals poured into the area from a door that must lead to the docking ring.
A whoop of pleasure rang out, and as she watched, two Vardarians took to the air. It was the first time she’d seen that species in flight, and she stopped to watch, awestruck, as the male and female wheeled and soared overhead, clearly delighted to be able to stretch their wings after their journey.
Someone ran into her from behind, and she staggered forward a few steps before regaining her balance. She turned in that direction and found herself looking into the outraged face of a Pheran male. She didn’t even have to look at his matyri to know he was taryn-nah, the highest caste. She could see it every detail from his clothes to his stance.
“Unclean vermin. You dare to touch me?” He shouted at her in Pheran. She dropped her gaze and raised her hands, palms up, wrists together, in a gesture