“You’re hardly old,” he scoffed. “And neither is Maive.” He turned toward the direction he’d come, but tossed over his shoulder as he walked away, “She was happy this morning.” The words were almost lost on the wind. “I thought you should know.”
Then he was gone.
I stood on my beach with that information and did nothing useful with it.She was happy this morning. In the village, to the north, Maive was happy. A smile curved my mouth without my permission.
By the stars,I thought.I am in serious trouble.
After a while, I reeled in my line. The fish were not interested in what I was offering this morning and there was no point pretending otherwise. I dropped my rod on the deck and brought my empty mug inside. A single shadow cast over the exuberance and enjoyment of the previous night. It was the reason why I sat down before my command panel.
She was happy. I wanted her to stay that way. I wantedallof them to stay that way.
I pulled up my database of galactic manufactured surveillance and reconnaissance equipment, cross-referenced against Aila’s description. Silver body, small enough to pass for a bird at a distance. Red optical sensors on a blinking cycle. Lateral movement, hover capability, no audible propulsion.
Twelve results.
Three were decommissioned Munmal military units—surplus hardware that turned up on abandoned planets without invitation, long after whoever had left it there was gone. Two were commercial survey drones built for mining operations, which made sense given Podnos-9’s history. One I knew immediately: a guild reconnaissance model I’d used in my former career a few times. The remaining six were of various manufacturers from across the quadrant, at least one brand I’d seen on the Durbok’s shelves.
All twelve matched Aila’s description loosely. Not one of them matchedprecisely.
I stared at the screen wishing I’d seen this drone with my own eyes.
Derelict equipment on stripped planets was common enough. Whatever outfit had worked Podnos-9 may have left things running when they departed. A survey drone executing a dead survey path, blinking its sensors at trees that had grown back in the years since, was a reasonable explanation for what the small girl had seen and chased into the trees west of the village.
I closed the search.
Then I opened B2’s programming interface and extended its patrol range two kilometers to the west. Routine maintenance. These things needed updating.
I went back outside.
Silli had found my fishing rod where I’d left it on the deck and was attacking the reel with utter commitment. I stood over him.
“There’s a hook on there,” I said.
He went still. His dark eyes came up.
“You won’t be happy if your paw finds it.”Whydid I insist on talking to this animal?
He released the reel and began grooming his face with both paws.
I took the rod and went back to the water. The morning was fully bright now. The ocean glinting gold and moving. Not far to the north was a village where a woman had apparently woken up happy, and I was standing here on my beach with a fishing rod andnothingon my mind at all.
I cast the line and watched it arc out over the low waves. I was getting considerably worse at lying to myself.
Chapter
Fourteen
Never underestimate the power of a nice view
Over the past three weeks,I had found reasons to go to the village.
Good reasons. Practical ones. I’d brought things from the deep water they couldn’t reach and traded for food that wasn’t fish. I’d shared a meal there twice—once with Pasek and his family, once with a small group that included Braija and two of the village elders, at Maive’s invitation. Both times had been easier than expected. Each time I’d spoken with Maive briefly, and I wasn’t imagining the awareness between us. It felt like we were…dancing, but not with our bodies. This was difficult for me. I had never learned the art of subtext, until now as I found myself trying to court a woman.
Three weeks. I’d spent three weeks trying to decide what kind of outing I would ask Maive to join me on. Ultimately, I settled on asking her to come up for a ride in the shuttle. That was all.Ask. I had requested much more difficult and dangerous things from people over the course of my adult life. This was a simple question. She’d probably say no. But shemightsay yes.
I stood outside the entrance to the large stone building in the dark, and did not knock.
She was home. The communal hall below was dark and locked, but above it, where the building narrowed into private quarters on the upper floors, the windows were lit warm.
