Inside are the ship codes needed to land in their spaceport. The invitation itself is chipped and will be needed for entrance. The rules are explained inside, but weapons are strictly forbidden. It won’t stop anyone, but you’ll have to be sneaky.”
She handed the envelope to me, and I carefully stored it in the compartment under my chest armor. If a shot got to it, it would get to me, so it was as safe as I could make it without stripping out of the armor.
“We’re about to have company,” Aoife called over our internal com.
“I hate to bargain and run, but my guard says we’re about to be attacked.”
“They will not attack the shop,” Yuko said with quiet confidence. “And, despite appearances, my shop has many entrances. Go through the door and down the stairs. In the tunnel, go straight, straight, left, and then straight until the tunnel ends. Climb the stairs and you’ll be out near your spaceport. Expect trouble at the end, but they’ll be spread thinner than here.”
I closed my face guard and used my suit’s com to send her one of my private addresses. “Send me everything on your daughter. I will not forget this.”
She inclined her head. “Safe travels, Lady Bianca.”
Chapter 15
We made it back to the ship in one piece. Barely. There had been heavy resistance between the tunnel exit and the ship, but Ian and Aoife had cleared a path. I’d done what I could to help, but honestly, they’d done the heavy lifting.
Now out of my combat armor, I trembled from head to toe, partially leftover adrenaline, partially overextended muscles. Sweat had drenched my clothes. I needed a shower and a nap, but I’d settle for just the shower.
Maybe a shower with the silencer running to give my brain a break.
Aoife crouched down next to where I was sitting on the edge of my supply crate. “You did well,” she said quietly. “I’ve had trained soldiers perform worse under pressure.”
“I am trained, too, it’s just been a while.”
She stood and slapped a friendly hand against my shoulder, then offered me help up. “Come on, Shaky, I’ll follow you up to your quarters to make sure you don’t trip on the stairs and break your neck.”
“You’re too kind,” I said drily. But I smiled at her. I’d somehow proven myself in the last few hours and she was no longer cold and distant. But I couldn’t say the same for either Ian or Alexander.
“We should return to orbit until the party,” Ian said as I headed for the stairs. They were the first words he’d spoken to me since we returned.
“Fortuitous, take us into orbit,” I said.
The ship chimed an acceptance and the engines came to life. It was a tiny bit irresponsible to launch without being on the flight deck, but this was a top-of-the-line ship with the best control system money could buy. It was designed to handle any number of issues, faster and more competently than a human pilot. It was only in case of catastrophic failure, where the captain would need to take control with the manual controls, that being on the flight deck might save the ship.
Ian growled something under his breath, but didn’t question my decision.
To be on the safe side, I climbed the stairs to the flight deck and waited until we were safely parked in a geostationary orbit. There were a few other ships in orbit, but they were far enough away not to be a concern. Even older ships were good at avoiding each other in orbit. I told the ship to alert me on any changes, then headed down to my quarters for a well-deserved shower.
It took me over an hour to get ready because I kept changing my mind about my makeup. Then I realized it was going to be mostly hidden behind my half mask anyway, so I changed it again.
Scarlet lips and smoky eyes would be too much without the mask but worked perfectly with the mask. My hair was piled on top of my head and held in place with two long pins that could double as stabbing weapons if needed.
Overall, I looked pretty, delicate, and mysterious. And the dress killed.
I kept my shielding bracelet, but I didn’t have too many options for weapons. My hair pins would only be useful as a last resort. I’d love to have a blaster or two, but guests would be screened and I hadn’t brought anything advanced enough to trick a