“They asked me,” said Imala. “It’s the least I could do after everything you’ve done for us. You shouldn’t be traveling alone.”
“But I don’t have to travel alone,” said Victor. “A ship to myself is generous, but it’s unnecessary. Surely there are still transports leaving for the Belt. And if not, there will be now. A lot of people will want to get as far away from Earth and Luna as possible until this is over. Why not put me on one of those ships and be done with it? Why give me a whole shuttle?”
“Mr. Jukes wants you riding in comfort,” said Simona. “Money is no object.”
Victor didn’t know what to say. A shuttle. All the way to Midway. For free. It was more than he could have asked for. It was too good to be true.
And then he realized it was too good to be true.
“Ukko isn’t doing this out of generosity,” he said. “He’s doing it to get rid of me. That’s what this is. He keeps me here under house arrest and then he ships me out as soon as the announcement is made? On a shuttle with just Imala? Away from anyone I might relay my story to? This isn’t a gift. It’s a muzzle. He doesn’t want me talking to anyone, especially the press. He doesn’t want me telling them that his son is a murderer. He’s protecting Lem by making me disappear. Tell me if I’m getting warm here.”
“Or perhaps Mr. Jukes is genuinely grateful and you’ve misjudged him,” said Simona.
“Oh yes, I’ve misjudged the man who has been attacking families like mine for decades, the man who called me a heathen and threatened me and kept me as a prisoner—”
“Who protected you from the authorities,” Simona corrected.
“For his own gain! Do you honestly think I’m stupid enough to believe that Ukko Jukes would do anything out of the goodness of his own heart?”
“Victor,” said Imala. “Think for a moment. Does it really matter what Ukko’s motivations are? You’re getting a shuttle back to your family. You’re getting out. That’s what’s important.”
He rounded on her. “You’re siding with them?”
“I’m not siding with anyone. I’m thinking of your interests. So what if Ukko wants to protect his son? Fine. Don’t make it your concern.”
“It is my concern. It most definitely is my concern. Lem killed my uncle.”
“And what are you going to do about it?” asked Imala. “Go to the police? Press charges? There’s a warrant out for your arrest. And even if the police listened to you, which they wouldn’t, do you think you have a legal leg to stand on? You have no corpse. No proof. No other witnesses. Do you think Ukko doesn’t employ the most powerful legal army in the world? Do you think he would stand by while you made these accusations? He owns this city, Victor. He owns all of Luna. Probably judges as well. I’m telling you now, as someone who knows, if you go to war on this, you will lose. It’s that simple.”
“What happened to you, Imala? What happened to the fire? Two weeks ago you were trying to take down the man all by yourself. Now you’re tucking tail and running.”
He could see the words were like a slap to her face, and he regretted them instantly.
Imala’s eyes narrowed. “What happened? An alien ship coming to Earth, that’s what happened. I don’t like this any more than you do, Victor. Believe me, no one despises Ukko more than me, but this is not the way to hurt him. It will fail. The only person who would come out of this a loser would be you.”
“She’s talking sense, Victor,” said Simona.
“Don’t take my side,” said Imala.
“So you knew they wanted to get rid of me?” Victor asked Imala. “You knew this was their motivation? And you agreed to it?”
“Of course I knew. It’s obvious, isn’t it? And I knew you’d figure it out as well. We get what we want, Ukko gets what he wants—”
“And Lem gets away with murder.”
“You didn’t come here seeking vengeance, Victor. You came here to do a job, and that job is done.”
Victor turned to Simona. “If Ukko is doing this solely as a token of gratitude, then he would honor my request to go with a transport.”
“That’s not an option,” said Simona.
Victor smiled sardonically. “Yeah. Didn’t think so.”
*
They took a skimmer to a small, private spaceport north of Imbrium, well beyond the watchful eye of the Lunar Trade Department. Imala pointed out that she had never heard of the place and didn’t remember seeing it listed in any official registry at the Customs Department. Simona brushed the observation aside and assured them both the port was legal.
The skimmer slid into a slot near the terminal entrance, and Simona led them inside. It was a narrow terminal with a dozen gates, six to a side. Other than a few technicians moving about, preparing shuttles and loading supplies, the terminal was empty.