night. She assumed he was working on copying the detector rather than extending its range. It was also possible he had fallen asleep under a console and not made much progress either way.
“We’ll go find out. My son has been helping him.”
“Samar has been helping with engineering and electronics?” Nalini asked, an arm still around Natasha’s shoulders.
“He has been ordering the staff to bring Dabrowski supplies and holding his tools.”
“Well, that’s more useful than he usually is.” Nalini smiled. It sounded like a friendly dig between siblings rather than a genuine insult.
As the group headed for the exit—it looked like they would all go see Casmir—Kim lifted a finger, realizing she might lose her opportunity to study the senior Sunflyer’s work.
“I’m sorry to bother you about this now,” Kim said, “but Scholar Sunflyer, I was wondering if I could see your father’s work and what he was researching here. It’s possible he relied upon research he did in the past when he worked in System Cerberus, and I thought he might have saved copies here. In case we don’t catch up with Dubashi in time, I’m gathering everything I can to send back to my people so they can work on a vaccine and antiviral agents.”
“You will have everything you need,” Shayban said in his booming voice before Natasha could open her mouth. “That virus could be a threat to us all, not only the Kingdom. Scholar, please assist her. Nalini, Tristan, come. Let us confer with the professor.”
Kim wondered how Casmir felt about being someone that people wanted to confer with on martial matters. Puzzled, she suspected.
“I’ll show you where he worked and open his files,” Natasha said when the others were gone. “I may be able to help too, as I’m familiar with some of his work, even if viruses aren’t my specialty.”
“Thank you. But I’ll understand if you’d rather take some time off.”
“I’d rather work than think about things.” Natasha grimaced. “Or compose the messages to my sisters that I’ll have to send off. I’ve been hesitant to tell them anything prematurely, but two of them have sent videos this week, wondering why they can’t reach Father.” She shook her head. “Let’s work.”
Kim nodded and followed her into the bowels of the laboratory.
Realizing she hadn’t responded to Rache’s last message, she sent:
How much do we have to come up with to keep you from finding a way to open that gate? I have savings in my account back home, and Casmir keeps collectors’ coins and his other valuables in a box under his bed.
He hadn’t said he was trying to open the gate, and she was only guessing, but maybe he would give her the information.
I find it troubling that you can guess my intentions so easily, came the reply a couple of minutes later. What kinds of valuables are in the box? I don’t work for comic books.
I believe his gold-plated membership pen to the Justice Dealers Starflyer League is among the valuables. And some of the comic books are signed.
She could almost hear Rache sigh from across the system.
If I succeed in opening the gate, I’ll do my best to make sure Dubashi can’t come through after me. And if he does… I’ll keep him from deploying the rockets.
Kim’s shoulders sank. He was doing exactly what she feared, trying to get the gate open. Probably trying to find and strong-arm Kyla Moonrazor.
I hope you can, was all she sent back.
After a day docked in Stardust Palace Station’s bay, Bonita was growing restless. She was leaning against the jamb of the cargo hold door, trading barbs with Viggo and gazing out at the other ships on landing pads.
Rumors abounded that a mercenary fleet was flying toward the station, perhaps to interrupt the talks now going on in some atrium near the core, perhaps to prey on all the wealthy people and ships here. Bonita was rethinking her decision to linger in the area.
Clanks, grunts, and taunts emanated from the cargo hold behind her. Bjarke, Asger, and Qin were training together. Bonita was pleased that Bjarke seemed to accept Qin and her genetically modified differences. He might not be delighted that his son was sleeping with her—she’d caught him frowning a few times when they’d held hands or touched in his presence—but that was a less extreme reaction than she would have expected, given his roots. Maybe his years undercover in other systems had rubbed the edges off his Kingdom xenophobia.
“There are six mercenary ships less than