Flying the Voracious Curiosity was her joy, and Rlinda would have taken the ship anyplace the Hansa asked her to go. She and BeBob had access to all the ekti they needed, so long as they delivered supplies and colonists to the new network of settled worlds.
Rlinda was already carrying a full load of cargo, but there was no getting around the fact that her entire route had been determined by this one passenger, by special request from Chairman Wenceslas himself. She grinned at the man sitting in the Curiosity’s copilot seat. “Good to have you aboard again, Davlin.”
He looked over at her with a bland expression. “I confess to being pleased to see you again, Rlinda. Odd, isn’t it?”
“The Chairman knows we’re old buddies. Or don’t you admit to having any friends?”
“Not many. Especially since I started work for the Hansa.”
With the ship on autopilot, she could lean back in her reinforced chair. “Then it’s about time you got some time off to have a real life again. Say, would you like to play a game with me while we’re flying? I’ve got a wide selection of entertainment options.”
“No.” He didn’t sound rude, just uninterested.
Rlinda contained her smile, knowing he was a tough nut to crack. “Anything special you want me to prepare from the galley for your supper? I’ve got quite a few recipes.”
“No.”
She rubbed her hands together. “Ah, so it’s just some pleasant conversation you’d like, then?”
“No.”
Her eyes twinkled. “You know I’m just teasing you, Davlin. Don’t you?”
“Yes.”
“I thought spies were supposed to be suave and adaptable to any social situation.”
“I am not a spy. I’m a specialist in obscure details and an exosociological investigator.”
“In other words, you’re a spy without any social graces.”
“That about sums it up.” He startled her by flashing a smile, a truly dazzling one, the first she had seen from him.
“You have a striking smile, Davlin. You should do it more often.”
“That is exactly why I don’t dare. Too many people would notice it.”
Sighing, Rlinda gave him a maternal pat on the wrist. Holding a conversation with him was like pulling teeth, but she enjoyed the game.
Davlin was quiet, neat, and unobtrusive. His hair was close-cropped, and he had an ageless face that could have put him anywhere from his twenties to his forties. He stood tall with a well-proportioned body; his features were remarkable only for their lack of remarkability. No wonder the other colonists hadn’t much noticed him.
“Crenna is very nice. I’ve only been there a few times, but the place seemed pleasant enough.”
“It is. Quiet. Normal. And I liked the people there.” Davlin looked out at the streaming stars. “Compared to popping through Klikiss transportals and investigating unknown coordinate tiles, it’ll be a perfect sabbatical. I’ve done enough for the Hansa, from espionage to outright combat. Some of my earlier missions as a silver-beret operative were . . . quite ugly.”
Now Rlinda was surprised. “A silver beret? You never told me you had that training. And I thought you gave me your whole life story.”
Davlin looked at her, his face completely expressionless. “I left certain parts out.”
“I never know when to believe you, Davlin.”
Now he finally smiled again. “That’s good.”
Eventually, Crenna’s sun grew conspicuous in the starscape in front of them. When the blazing ball of light filled the screen, she activated the filters. “Still quite a bit of sunspot activity, but nothing dangerous. Last time I came into the Crenna system to pick you up, I ran into several hydrogues sniffing around the sun. I don’t know what they were after. They seemed to be checking out some unusual solar activity.”
“Did they attack you?”
“No, I shut everything down and played possum. Either they didn’t spot the Curiosity, or they didn’t care.”
“I’ve read current reports from the colony,” Davlin said. “There was no mention of any recent hydrogue sightings.”
“Good thing, then. BeBob liked the place as well.” She raised her eyebrows. “You recall Branson Roberts?”
“Yes, I remember Captain Roberts.”
“He’s flying with me now, taking the Blind Faith on cargo-hauling missions. But it’s all unofficial. He’s still technically absent without leave from the EDF. It was a waste to make him a blundering scout.”
“I’m sure General Lanyan doesn’t see it that way.”
“The General has perfect vision, but in only the narrowest portion of the spectrum. We’re not worried about him.”
These days, she and BeBob kept busy delivering construction supplies and heavy machinery. Upon arriving at Crenna, Rlinda was due to pick up a dozen or so volunteers for the colonization initiative, though she couldn’t fathom why anyone would want to leave a peaceful world and go off into the unknown. Some people always looked for better circumstances elsewhere. Others preferred the challenge of setting up their own society, wrenching a living from an untamed world. She didn’t know how a man like Davlin fit into the equation.
“I bet you’ll be bored down there in a year.”
“Boredom would be an . . . unusual condition for me. I look forward to it.” He let out what might have been a contented sigh.
Preserving as much velocity as possible, Rlinda came in on a shallow trajectory following the planet on its orbit around the sun. The colony world soon sparkled before them, a jewel hanging in space. “There you are, Davlin. Now comes the hard part for you. Before you disappeared, all those people down there thought you were just a run-of-the-mill colonist with a handful of engineering skills. They’ll have plenty of questions. Are you going to confess to being a spy?”
“A specialist in obscure details,” he repeated.
“Whatever.”
He looked at Rlinda, and his expression was stoic. “I’m perfectly capable of handling difficult assignments. The colonists down there are good-hearted people. They’ll accept me.”
She adjusted course and engine output, banking as the Voracious Curiosity entered Crenna’s outer atmosphere. She reached over to give him a comradely pat on the knee. “It’s been a pleasure having you aboard again, Davlin. Just remember, if there’s ever anything you need, I’m happy to help out.”
It was an offhand comment, one she had made many times. The man beside her seemed surprised. “That is a dangerous offer.”
“And you’ve tried to make yourself out to be a dangerous man.” With a shrug, she turned back to the controls and focused her concentration on landing at the colony. “But I think I’ll risk it.”