Project Starfighter (5 page)

Ursula wasn’t much of a dancer,
knowing only a few steps, and so allowed the mysterious man to lead,
doing her best to avoid treading on his feet. How had she come to be
here? Was she dreaming? She must be, although it didn’t feel like a
dream. The man’s touch, the warm air on her skin, and her
perception and appreciation of where she was told her that this was
real.

“Are you enjoying the evening so
far, my dear?” the man asked.

“I ... am,” Ursula replied.
“Sorry, but who are you?” she then asked.

The man chuckled. “I’m your host
for the evening, Ms Lexx. My name is Lance. Lance Skillman.”

Ursula said nothing, trying to place
the name. It was totally unfamiliar.

“There’s no need to be
embarrassed,” Skillman said. “I hold these events so often and
invite so many people that it can be a wonder to many who I am and
what I do. I sometimes prefer to melt into the background and just
allow my guests to enjoy themselves. It’s a wonderful thing to
throw a party and see people having fun, without the need to be the
focal point of the celebrations, wouldn’t you agree?”

“Yes,” Ursula said absently. She
remained unsure of where she was and how she had come to be here. She
looked again to the faces in the room, searching for any that she
might recognise. Not even her sister was here. She would be simple to
spot, since she looked just like Ursula herself.

“A shame your sister could not
join us,” Skillman said, as though reading her mind. “Where might
she be tonight?”

Don’t answer that!

The thought raced through Ursula’s
mind, hitting her hard and fast, almost as if someone else had
reacted and clamped a hand over her mouth, to stop her from speaking.

Just say you don’t know!
another thought came.

“I ... don’t know,” Ursula
said, still looking around the gathering of people. So many eyes on
her.

“Oh, really? I would have thought
the pair of you would be inseparable,” Skillman said.

Don’t even
think
about
where she is!

Ursula agreed silently with the
suggestion, though she didn’t know why. She only knew that the
thoughts were all being delivered with the same urgency. She remained
mute for the time being, allowing Skillman to lead her, letting her
feet move automatically, allowing them to place themselves wherever
they thought best.

She scanned the room. Black and
white balloons hung in the air, some anchored at tables, some on the
backs of chairs. She made eye contact with a man who was sitting on
his own, sipping a glass of red wine. He had slicked back, jet-black
hair, and was sporting a goatee-style beard, tapered into a point.

“Kline Kethlan,” Skillman
informed her, as he saw her eyes lingering on the man.

“Military forces,” Ursula said
automatically. “The commander of the Corporation’s navy.” How
and why did she know that? She looked back at Skillman, noticing that
the man’s smile had slipped a little. It returned momentarily,
though she was convinced that he was now forcing it. The band
continued to play. They danced on.

Ursula surveyed the other occupants
of the ballroom. She had the strong impression that many of those
here were rich and powerful, perhaps even famous. But other than
Kethlan, she didn’t recognise any of them.

She then saw another man watching
her closely. Something about him seemed off, however, and even as she
looked away from him, his face seemed to change. One moment, it was
normal, round, the hair on his head set into a tonsure-style cut of
ancient monks. The next, his face was hidden behind a hood, his
features concealed, save for the lower portions. The man suddenly
appeared thinner, dressed in an unusual purple and white garb. Ursula
blinked. The hood was gone, the man’s original clothes restored.
Odd. One moment one way; the next, another. She was sure she hadn’t
imagined it. It was like something had ... gone wrong.

Almost like a glitch.

A letter drifted through her mind.
M.

“Who is that man?” Ursula found
herself asking.

“That is Erik Overlook, my main go
to man,” Skillman said. He leaned closer to Ursula then. “Just
between you and me, he can be a bit of a weasel sometimes. Just
ignore him.”

Ursula did so, returning to her
study of the other guests. One woman who caught her attention turned
and began clapping daintily, looking very pleased.

“My wife is quite taken with you,”
Skillman said.

“I beg your pardon?” Ursula
said.

“She finds you fascinating –
your past and your goals for the future. You are interested in
xenobiology, are you not?”

“I am, yes.”

Skillman nodded. “My wife studied
it for quite some time before we met. Sadly she didn’t have the
head for some of the chemistry, though. She sees you as being the
person whom she always aspired to be – with a lifetime ahead to
study and focus, and gain greater insight into the origins of the
galaxy; possessing a youthful mind, an information sponge, open to
new ideas and concepts.”

“She gave up?” Ursula asked,
looking the woman over. “That is sad.”

“She has ... taken a step back,”
Skillman said.

Skillman danced them closer to his
wife, smiling to her himself as he did so. Ursula studied her. She
was young-looking, far younger than Skillman. She could well have
been half his age. Her eyes were bright, her figure trim, her face
wrinkle-free, the skin nearly flawless. She might actually only be a
few years older than Ursula herself.

“She is no trophy,” Skillman
said, once again seeming to read Ursula’s thoughts.

Are you sure he isn’t? Don’t
think of Phoebe. Talk about something else
.

The thought once again entered her
head, as though someone were whispering them into her ear. Ursula
heeded.

“She is very beautiful,” Ursula
told the man she danced with.

“Good genes,” Skillman said. He
removed his hand from Ursula’s waist but still held her hand,
gently. “Please, allow me to introduce you.” He didn’t wait for
Ursula to answer, already walking her over to meet the woman. “Jane,
this is Ursula Lexx, the xenobiologist in training. Ursula, this is
my wife, Jane.”

“Lovely to meet you, Ursula,”
Jane said, reaching out a white-gloved hand for Ursula to shake.

“Darling, I have to speak with
Erik and the commander. Could you look after Ursula until I return?”
Skillman asked. Then he departed, moving over to the table at which
Overlook was seated, drawing up a chair and sitting down, beckoning
Kethlan over to join him.

“It’s a little hot in here,
don’t you think?” Jane began, rising from her seat.

“It is a little,” Ursula said.

“Let’s take a walk in the fresh
air,” Jane suggested, plucking two glasses of orange juice from a
waiter-held tray, linking arms with Ursula and walking them onto the
terrace.

It was cooler outside, though still
quite warm. It was clearly summer here. Wherever ‘here’ was. Out
here, there were couples speaking softly to one another, as well as
the odd guest standing around by themselves, admiring the view. This
ballroom appeared to be situated within a cliff-side mansion. Or
perhaps it was a hotel. A sea stretched out beyond; Ursula could hear
the sound of waves crashing at the base of the cliff, far below.
Moonlight glittered across the water.

“Come,” Jane said. “I’m in
the mood for a little walk.”

“Where am I?” Ursula asked.

Jane chuckled. “Whatever do you
mean? You’re at the Skillman Residence, of course. Best drink your
orange juice. I think that perhaps you’ve had a little bit too much
wine.”

“No, I mean, I can’t remember
how I got here.”

Jane only smiled. “Usually that
happens at the end of the evening, not so early on. Tell me about
yourself, Ursula. Beautiful name, by the way. Not very common, which
I suppose gives it that unusual and attractive quality.” She was
silent for a moment, as if reflecting. “It means ‘she-bear’.
Did you know that?”

“No,” Ursula said, carrying on
walking and sipping at her orange juice.

“Any special reason your parents
chose that name for you?” Jane probed.

“I didn’t know my parents,
unfortunately,” Ursula said.

Careful
, a thought cautioned
her. Her unseen guardian angel was still with her, prompting her to
mind her tongue.

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that,”
Jane said. “So, you’re an orphan?”

Ursula nodded. “I was ... raised
by an adoptive family,” she said. “I don’t know if my real
parents are alive or dead.”

“Do you remember where you were
born?” Jane asked, eyeing Ursula closely as she sipped her own
orange juice.

Say no.

“No,” Ursula replied. She
answered quickly, without any hesitation and almost at a snap.

Jane appraised her carefully as they
continued to walk. Her smile was still there, but her eyes betrayed
her. The woman was clearly irritated.

“Your husband tells me that you
used to study xenobiology,” Ursula said, changing the focus of the
conversation. “How long did you study for? Did you go on any
investigative trips? I once journeyed to the outer edge of the local
arm to search for life. We didn’t find anything, but we encountered
some very unusual stars and planets. My dream would be to travel to
the galactic core. I know it could well be a one-way trip, but the
sights would be incredible, don’t you think?”

What Jane said in response, Ursula
did not register. She only wanted the woman to begin monologuing. She
didn’t know why, but she felt a sudden urge to get away from the
woman – and this place altogether – as quickly as possible. She
hoped that the terrace might go all around the building, leading to
the front of the mansion, and a way out. But it seemed that the
terrace had been constructed on one side only, obliging the two women
to turn around as they reached the end. So much for walking a
circuit.

“Why the core?” Jane asked.

“The stellar population is very
dense in the galactic centre, due to the supermassive black hole,”
Ursula stated, her answer to Jane almost automatic. “It would be
incredibly resource rich, and any advanced civilizations would
gravitate there – if you’ll pardon the pun.”

Jane chuckled lightly. A false
chuckle.

Ursula once again attempted to
distract Jane. “Would you be more excited to discover a
silicon-based lifeform or a robotic civilization?”

She tried to think back to the
ballroom as Jane began answering her question. Had there been a lot
of doors into it, doors through which she might escape? Although Jane
was speaking, Ursula’s attention was drawn to a tall, hefty man
coming her way, some sort of device affixed to his ear. The security
detail. She recalled that there had been several other men, dressed
similarly, in the ballroom by the main doors. No escape that way. She
felt now that Skillman and Jane wanted something from her, and
neither were prepared to let her leave until they'd got it.

“Is your sister a xenobiologist,
too?” Jane said suddenly.

“No,” Ursula said. “She’s
...” She stopped talking without needing a prompt this time.

Jane stared at her. “She’s a
what?”

Ursula remained silent.

A lawyer. Say she’s a lawyer.

“She’s a lawyer.”

Jane gave a thin smile. “Are you
feeling okay? You took an awfully long time to answer. Maybe you need
to sit down for a bit? Or perhaps we could have your sister come and
take you home?”

Ursula was really uncomfortable now.
She felt as though she was being softened up somehow, being given a
false sense of security before something terrible happened ...

... like she had felt back home on
Ceradse that time just before she had been mugged.

“Home is Ceradse, isn’t it?”
Jane asked. “The city of Rella?”

Ursula came to a halt and gaped.

“Ceradse,” Jane repeated. “You
and Phoebe were both born there?”

“How did you know that?”

“You told me.”

“When?”

“Just now. Or perhaps my husband
did.”

Ursula looked around again, her
heart beginning to thump hard. She ran her hands over the black
evening gown she wore. This wasn’t her, she shouldn’t be here.
She wasn’t
actually
here.

“This isn’t real,” Ursula
said. “None of this is real.”

Jane swore. “Damn it! She’s
twigged!”

“What the hell did you do?”
Skillman demanded. The man was suddenly by his wife’s side, having
seemingly materialised out of nowhere. “You’re supposed to just
pluck
at her thoughts, not rip them out and shove them in her
face!”

“You’re WEAPCO,” Ursula said
to the man. “You’re Lance Skillman, the CEO. You’re not his
wife, either. You’re just one of the ... board members or
something,” she added, looking at Jane. Ursula began to back away,
tripping over the rising steps at the other end of the terrace, but
pulling herself quickly to her feet.

“Now come along, Ms Lexx,”
Skillman cajoled, raising a hand in a gesture of good will. “We
only wish to know where your sister is, that is all.”

That’s a lie! Don’t trust
them!

Ursula said nothing, shaking her
head and continuing to back away, up the steps.

“We’re not going to harm you.”
A man’s voice came from behind. “Either of you.”

Ursula whirled to see Kline Kethlan
stood at the top of the small steps. The three had her hemmed in.
Almost. She looked over the edge of the terrace to the rocks below,
just visible amongst the dark crashing waves.

“Don’t! You’ll die!”
Skillman warned.

“No, I won’t,” Ursula said.
And in a single bound she was over the parapet.

There was much cursing from the
terrace, shouts of irritation. Ursula caught snatches of words as she
fell.