I didn’t think so. I wasn’t sure what the lords of the Polytechnic Swarm would do if they heard a rumor that Princess Susan Long’s daughter was alive and well in the Outer Sphere, but I suspected it wouldn’t be pretty. Their idea of a small expeditionary force would be a couple of battleships the size of the Emperor’s Hope, along with a few dozen cruisers and thousands of smaller ships. No navy in the sector would be more than a speed bump to a force like that, and they had no qualms at all about murdering anyone who got in their way.
It was a long way to the Inner Sphere, though, and thanks to disinformation services like the one the foxgirls used the datanet was always full of crazy rumors. The Masu-kai techs and marines who’d seen my bots weren’t going to be giving interviews to news services, and neither were Kavin’s mercenaries. This one incident probably wouldn’t attract any attention, as long as neither of my prospective boyfriends decided to sell me out.
Or Lina. Which meant trusting her whole pack, including Chief Benson.
Or Strange Loop Sleuth. I understood now why it had thought I might be a useful ally someday. But how had it known? Would it be equally obvious to the rest of the transhuman AIs? How long would it be before one of them noticed my existence, and decided to point it out to my enemies? If I got involved in their arguments that would be an obvious way to get rid of me.
Or the captain. Naoko had imprinted on him, so I had to assume she told him everything she knew. Assuming he hadn’t figured it out on his own. I really needed to get better at blending in. What good did it do me to have all these fancy mods that made me look human to medical scanners, if I kept giving myself away whenever there was a crisis?
I resolved to be a lot more careful about letting people see me doing impossible things from now on. But the list of people I already had to trust was getting uncomfortably long.
A ping from the datanet drew me from my thoughts. I sighed, stretched, and reluctantly started to climb out of the bath.
“I was starting to think you were going to take a nap there,” Emla said.
“I was just thinking,” I said. “But the captain wants to see me now. You can stay here if you want, though.”
She ignored the offer, and moved to help me up. “Hey, I’m not the one who wrecked all her muscles trying to move faster than a speeding bullet. Can you even walk without your armor?”
“Yeah, I’ve got some artificial muscle fiber that held up a lot better than the organic stuff. I’m just going to be kind of weak and clumsy until my regeneration finishes working. Would you mind helping me dress?”
“I’m here to help, Alice.”
She fussed over me a little as I dried myself off, and pulled on the spare spacesuit that was still hanging in my closet. I didn’t mind. It was nice to know there was someone I could count on, no matter what.
Having her insist on following me all the way up to the captain’s office was a little embarrassing, but at least she didn’t make it obvious that I was leaning on her. She just rested her arm comfortably around my waist, and held me up with her field.
“Ah, there’s our wayward cabin girl. Have a seat, Alice. How are you doing?”
Emla settled me in one of the comfy chairs in front of Captain Sokol’s desk, and then moved back to stand behind me. The captain gave her a thoughtful look, but didn’t comment on her presence.
“I’m really worn out, sir, but my damage control says I’ll be fine by morning. I didn’t get hurt, really. Just a lot of wear and tear, and some radiation.”
One of his eyebrows went up a bit. “Radiation? Well, I suppose that comes of playing with nuclear weapons. Not a large dose, I hope?”
“I, um, actually most of it was when I had to use the fuel core from a warbot’s nuke pack as a club. Between that and the holdout bomb I got kind of toasty, but I’m built to handle it.”
He massaged his forehead wearily. “Alice, I realize you are more durable than the average person, but do keep in mind that the medbay is there for a reason.”
“Yes, sir. I was going to stop by in the morning for a checkup. I just didn’t want to be in the way while the doctor might have patients who actually need help. Besides, I think we both know why I’m nervous about getting scanned too often.”
“Doctor Misra takes patient confidentiality quite seriously, Alice. But I won’t press you on that. I’m sure you’ll be happy to hear that Major Val just congratulated me on my brilliant psychological warfare operation against the Masu-kai.”
“That’s a relief, sir. Do you think he’s buying it, then?”
“I think that Sleeping Dragon understands the value of discretion, and will refrain from prying into the Square Deal’s secrets so long as we return the favor. Especially considering the size of the payout they’ve just earned. I, ah, do hope you didn’t have any plans for the contents of that vault?”
I couldn’t help pouting a little at that.
“I guess I can’t really argue about it, sir. I wish I’d had a chance to hide a few bars first, but it’s too late for that now. Is that what you paid them with?” I wasn’t sure what it cost to hire a whole squadron of mercenary ships, but it can’t have been cheap.
“Officially they will receive twenty percent the contents of the vault in payment for dealing with Lord Yamashida, while the Square Deal receives five percent as a hazard bonus. Mind you, there was some argument in favor of taking all the gold, and ensuring that there would be no Masu-kai survivors to carry tales to Lord Himura. But it seems that cooler heads have prevailed. Unless you think Akio is likely to double cross us when we bring him home?”
I considered that.
“I don’t think he will, sir,” I finally decided. “He owes us, and he knows it. He takes the whole honor thing a lot more seriously than his dad does. Besides, he’s going to need our support to sell whatever face-saving story he plans on telling the other yakuza bosses about this mess. Getting rid of us would just guarantee that Sleeping Dragon tells everyone the truth.”
“Whereas if we fail to cooperate, his agents will hound us out of business,” the captain said. “Quite so. But I notice you failed to mention any more personal considerations.”
I found myself studying the floor.
“I think he knows,” I said. “He was digging into my past, hoping to prove that Mom was from a Japanese colony or something. The truth would be a little much even for his people, though.”
“Perhaps. Have you considered your own response to this discovery?”
I shook my head.
“I don’t know what to think, sir. Finding out what I am was a big shock. I certainly don’t want to copy my ancestors. Someday I might want to look for my mother, and figure out what happened to her. But I’m not ready for that yet.”
“Will you be staying with the ship, then?”
“If I can. I’m sorry, sir. I know I’m a lot of trouble. It seems like no matter what I do, things always go wrong.”
“The last few months have been a bit trying,” he agreed. “But that is hardly your fault. You know, most of the crew was quite impressed by the way you rescued Lina. You’ve been nominated for another commendation.”
“I have?”
“Indeed. But it wouldn’t do for you to earn two commendations as a probationary crewmember. It makes me look indecisive, you see. So I hope you’ll accept a contract of employment before I endorse that proposal.”