Spinward Fringe Broadcast 7: Framework (21 page)

“It’s better,” she replied. There was
something else, something she was holding back.

“It brings back ghosts,” Ayan guessed.
“You’re remembering the first Ayan.”

“No,” Laura said, crossing the short
distance between her and Ayan and gingerly taking a handful of
curls in her hand. “The more time passes, the more you
differentiate yourself,” she said with a small smile. “I’m getting
to know someone new, and it’s been good. Red hair looks different
on you.”

Ayan felt more and more that her life was
separate from the previous one that ended too soon, like the first
Ayan was a completely different person, but it was the first time
someone else said it. “How different?”

“Less red and alarmy, more like a rose.”

The description was so flattering that Ayan
couldn’t help but smile, but she still said, “I was going for a
look that projected more strength.”

“The black does that,” Laura said, dropping
her hand to the arm of Ayan’s vacsuit. “And training with Oz’s
recruits when you have time.”

“Ayan, is Jacob Valent on the list?” Lewis
asked. “He was before he changed his name, but now I’m not
sure.”

“List?” Laura asked.

Ayan wasn’t surprised at the question but at
the fact that she had to give it some thought. “Lewis keeps a list
of people who can enter my cabin unannounced. You’re on it.”

“Jake was on it. Are things so different
between you two now?” Laura asked with a raised eyebrow.

The door slid closed behind Laura as they
sat down on the circular seat in the middle of the room. It changed
shape so it became a half moon, perfectly sized for the pair to sit
across from each other. “He killed two people in cold blood,” Ayan
said. “Changed his name and declared war. I don’t even think the
Carthans are overreacting. I don’t like it, but he’s political
poison.”

“Or he’s a leader, calling for people to
stand up and fight,” Laura said. “It’ll take time to see how this
works out. What’s important now is whether or not it changes things
between you two. We can work around any problems with the
Carthans.”

“He’s hard to look at right now,” Ayan said.
“That android wasn’t very convincing, but I know I might have a
reaction if I woke up beside him.”

“I’m sure he’ll understand.”

“Is he on the list?” Lewis pressed. “I need
to know because he’s on his way up the gangway.”

“Let him in this time,” Ayan said. “We have
to talk.”

“Come find me after?” Laura asked. “I’m
going to have a talk with Jason. I need to know what’s going on in
his head for once.”

“Good luck,” Ayan said.

Jake squeezed past Laura in the hall, and
walked through the open door. He wore his trench-coat over a black
vacsuit much like hers, and had his favourite sidearm strapped to
his hip. Looking at him, it was almost difficult to tell the last
thirty four days had trapped him in a simple worker’s uniform.

The door closed behind him and he glanced
upward. “Privacy mode, Lewis?”

“Do you agree, Ayan?” Lewis asked.

“Yes, thank you,” she replied.

Jake kept a respectful distance. She almost
wished he didn’t, but staying out of his arms would make what she
had to say easier.

“I’ve got to have a talk with him,” Jake
said. “Sometimes he listens, sometimes it’s as if he doesn’t trust
me.”

“He doesn’t,” Ayan said. “A lot of people
don’t.”

“Does that include you?” Jake asked.

“I don’t know anymore.” She sat back down.
“It’s just hard to process everything you did after they tried to
kidnap you.”

“You mean killing those two amateurs?” Jake
asked. “It had to be done. It’s the best way to scare off anyone
but the most dedicated professionals.”

“And what happens when you run into one of
them?” Ayan asked.

“I run if I’m alone, take them on if I have
support, and I’m not going anywhere without support,” Jake said. He
sat down across from her and took her hands in his. “I like the red
on you.”

“Thank you,” she said, not looking up at him
but not pulling her hands away. “I don’t like who I saw on that
playback. Killing two helpless people, even if they were trying to
bag you up and sell you off.”

“What else would I do with them? They worked
with us for over a month, saw everything, spent time on the
Triton.”

“What is there to see?” Ayan asked. “A bunch
of refugees with guns, barely enough food from one day to the next
and a few ships that need a lot of work. You could have sent them
out into the wild, someone probably did that for you before, when
you came up short on a hunt.”

Jake seemed momentarily stunned by the
comment. “It never did,” he replied. “My old hunting career was
completely different.”

“You told me that you did a lot of jobs
where you didn’t think your targets deserved to be taken. People
who weren’t even dangerous.”

Jake withdrew his hands from hers and sat up
straight. “That’s over. I swore off that kind of living months
ago.”

Ayan looked at him and shook her head. “I’m
sorry, that was cheap. I’m just saying that you caused trouble
where there was none, for no benefit.”

“I proved a point, and I know I’ll see
results,” Jake insisted.

“Fine, let’s agree to disagree, because I
won’t be convinced there wasn’t a bloodless way.”

“You did something similar.”

“Never, not even in my last life,” Ayan
countered.

“Remember Pandem? The screw up we left
behind? I left that decision up to you in the end and you were
perfectly clear that he wasn’t welcome to come with us.”

“That was different,” Ayan said, angry that
he would try to turn the conversation around. “He had a chance of
survival, he could have gotten away, and he was a danger to
everyone.”

“Like the two I killed yesterday. They were
a cancer. They could have given other people ideas. I’m sure they
weren’t the only people who work with us who are capable of an
attempt at capturing me or one of my crew. There’s still one left
to interrogate, you can do whatever you want with him. Maybe maroon
him somewhere, too.”

Ayan stood and paced away from him, facing
the red and brown sheeted bed. She was so angry with him it was
difficult to turn away from the fight that was brewing, and the
silence thickened as she groped for something to say. Focusing on
that bed brought something more important into focus. Something
even more personal. “I wanted to do this with you,” Ayan said.
“Build something new, a safe place for the people out there.”

“The island?” Jake asked. “That’s what that
was?”

“It was a lot more, but it was that too. I
think being away from you for so long,” Ayan paused to sigh. “I
think I started believing you were Jonas instead of whoever you’ve
become. He wouldn’t have executed two people, and I think he’d be
excited about starting something new, about helping people.”

Jake shot up to his feet. “Jonas would have
done exactly the same thing,” he roared. “He’d kill those bastards
and challenge the galaxy, then he’d tell you that you’re risking
more than any of us can afford with this utopian dream of
yours!”

“Do you really know him?” Ayan asked,
whirling to face him. “I know you have his memories, but have you
really considered what he would do?”

“I am him,” Jake said. “I was killed when
those amateurs got me, and when I came back everything was
connected. Better than before, perfect. I’m him and I’m what Jacob
Valance became combined, there are no seams, there’s no questioning
it, and I have never felt more confident, more whole. What you get
is everything I can be, and I’m not going to let anyone, even you,
tell me what some old shadow would have done in my place. It would
be like me telling you that the first Ayan would have completely
agreed with everything I did, and that you’ve --” Jake stopped.

Ayan was shocked at the intensity of his
response and she couldn’t prevent tears from welling up; it was so
frustrating. “ Gone soft,” she said. “I’m not her. You’re right. I
don’t know who I am.”

Jake stepped forward, disarmed, intent on
offering comfort but she put her hand up, stopping him from
encircling her. His hands rested on her shoulders instead. “I’m
sorry,” he said. “I like who you’re becoming.”

Ayan couldn’t even look at him. She already
knew what he was having difficulty understanding. She wasn’t the
former Ayan becoming someone else, she was someone else who had
memories from the past Ayan. She learned from them, enjoyed them,
but she had come to know that her priorities, even her thought
processes, were different. How long would it take for her to make
Jake understand? Was it worth it? “I was starting to like you too,
and I know you’re different from Jonas, regardless of how you’re
put together.” She wiped her eyes, and caught the pair of tears
that had rolled free. “But we’re out of time, at least for
now.”

Ayan looked up at him, finding an expression
of surprise. “I need to follow through on the negotiations. The
Carthans don’t even want to see you after yesterday, they don’t
want you anywhere near their main government facilities. I just
have to pick up the payment for the Enforcer, that’ll finalise
everything. Then we can present Ashley to them and get the Triton
back.”

Jake dropped his hands from her shoulders.
“You’re going through with this island idea.”

“Yes,” she replied. “We need a home.”

“Regardless of where it is.”

“We need to fight too,” Ayan said. “I was
hoping you’d be there, but that’s up to you.”

“It’s not a fight you can win,” Jake
said.

“Then help me!” Ayan shouted. “Get all your
riled up ragtags to line up between us and the Order of Eden, or
harass whatever supply ships they have going until they pick
another direction to advance in!”

“Getting people up in arms is one thing, but
giving them orders? It’s like herding rim weasels.”

“Maybe we’ll use the Triton, if she’s fit
enough,” Ayan said. “We’ll find a way, but start factoring us
in.”

“Who says I’m not?”

“I can see it, Jake. You’re too busy telling
me my idea won’t work to see that we can still work together. Pride
can’t be a part of our decision making, there are too many lives to
consider.”

“Pride?”

“Yes, pride. I didn’t think it would be a
problem when you signed everything over to me. I was impressed,
surprised, and I thought I was getting a glimpse at someone who
wanted to make decisions for the greater good, but I’m not seeing
him anymore.”

“That island is going to get thousands of
people slaughtered,” Jake said. “That’s why I’m against it. Take
cash instead, or food, or anything else.”

“There’s nothing else!” Ayan said. “They’re
short on cash, short on food, they’re trying to rebuild their
infrastructure, but their military force alone is bigger than you
know. It demands more than you could know. Even our materialisers
are breaking down. It shouldn’t be a mystery as to why we can’t
find parts, because they are consuming all the repair components in
the friendly parts of the sector. It’s land, that’s what they have
to sweeten the deal with us, and they wanted to sweeten the deal
because they didn’t want us to leave. That was before your childish
public execution, now I’ll be happy to take what we can get.”

“Childish?” Jake asked, anger flaring.

“I was right beside you when Wheeler did the
same thing to your old crewmembers,” Ayan said, regretting it the
moment the words were in the air.

Jake closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
Through his forced calm he said, “You’re going to sign ownership of
the Samson back to me. We’ll get the Triton back, find Lewis,
figure out a way to give someone else command codes. Then I’m
taking Ashley and my people. We’ll go foraging, pirating,
information gathering out there for you and your bright-eyed
optimists. Hopefully we get to take shore leave on your island once
before the Order slags the whole damned place.” He didn’t wait for
her to get another word in, but turned and strode through the
door.

Ayan could not believe how quickly the
conversation spun out of control. She regretted attacking him using
the worst examples she could think of, but was still so angry at
him. Hot tears rolled down her face, and she became even more
frustrated. There was so much left to do, so many things to take
care of. There was no time for her to break down, but she couldn’t
help it.

The whole argument felt like her fault, and
she wished she could put his actions behind her, but they were
impossible to ignore, especially because of the disappointing
repercussions. She gave up on stopping the tears, and instead sat
down. She brought up the command interface on her comm unit and,
through tear blurred vision, returned ownership of the Samson to
Jake. “I’m sorry,” she whispered into the message before sending
the notification.

Larry was only aware that it was the
beginning of the morning shift because his comm unit alerted him.
The first thing he checked was the status of the Triton’s computer
core. It began emerging from stasis and powering up the night
before, and he was pleased to see that it was continuing to awaken
normally. Everything else in that vault would start activating as
well. There was nothing to do but wait.

Once the Crewcast system’s security stopped
using a proxy system to mask who was logged on, Larry was able to
use his copy of Frost’s ident to watch the crew. Grace, the only
West Keeper Larry didn’t have to kill personally, made the copy and
logged it into the system before Crewcast was installed, and it
somehow got past Jason Everin’s checks. If Larry was to name
Jason’s greatest flaw, it was that he took on too much himself.
There was no way one man could track the actions of every
crewmember, plan ahead, and catch people who knew how to get around
security measures. People just like Larry.