Time Salvager (Time Salvager #1)(132)

“Bad business.” Jerome sighed, looking at Young. “Watch the men closely over the next few months. Morale will be low; keep them in line.” He turned to Kuo. “I trust the results are satisfactory for our allies at Valta?”

She nodded. “Valta feels that this is the only way justice could have been served, and we are satisfied that the proper sentencing has been handed down. I’d also like to convey a message from our board that your request for a space station at the Ship Graveyard has been accepted, and Valta will gladly finance its construction.”

“Valta’s generosity is legendary, Securitate,” Jerome said, heading back into Central. “Very well then. The media will have a field day with this, and then it’ll blow over next month when something equally loud and stupid happens.”

“There’s one more thing,” Kuo remarked, remaining in place.

Both Jerome and Young turned back to face her.

“We still have the matter of the Nutris scientist at large. You still have a problem while this temporal anomaly is free, and we still expect to receive what we paid handsomely for.”

“We will mount another operation once this blows over,” Young said.

Kuo shook her head. “No, we tried it ChronoCom’s way first. Now, Valta is going to do it our way.”

Behind her, a row of parked Hephaestus transports opened their bay doors and disgorged their cargo. A squad of six securitates and sixty Valta shock troops marched down the ramp, joined a few seconds later by four combat mechanoids. Kuo looked on in approval as her task force saluted in unison.

She turned to Jerome and Young. “I also have a squadron of Valkyries en route. They will be here within the week. We’ll accomplish the mission correctly this time. Clear residences and hangar space for my forces. I expect all your resources at my disposal beginning right now.”





EPILOGUE

Sasha Griffin-Mars woke to the distant banging of pipes. She hated them. They always came on when she tried to sleep. She crept out of the small cubbyhole where she and her brother made their home. Home base, it was called. A place to run to when playing tag from the bad people who roamed the big space station.

She was hungry and thirsty. Well, she was always hungry. She couldn’t remember the last time she wasn’t. That couldn’t be helped. She could quench her thirst, though. The dispenser was just down the hall. She wasn’t supposed to go off on her own, but James was tired. He had come back from playing tag late last night, bringing home a little piece of bread and three fruits he had found at the market. He gave her the fruit because he hated it, he said. She was more than happy to take it from him. James was funny not to like fruit. It was so delicious. In fact, he was funny not to like food of any sort. Sasha was more than happy to take it all off his hands.

She crawled out of the cubbyhole and stretched her thin arms and legs. She should wake James up to take her to the water dispenser, but he was tired. He needed to go play more tag tonight, so she let him sleep. She had sneaked out for water many times anyway. She was nine years old, after all, big enough to take care of herself. Soon, she would be able to play tag with James.

Sasha looked down both sides of the hall and moved toward the dispenser, her bare feet moving nimbly along the metal grating. There was a heavy stench of refuse in the air, but she didn’t think anything of it. Everything smelled like this on Mnemosyne Station. Besides, she couldn’t remember life before here.

Her faint memories of Momma were barely more than faded little sketches that she couldn’t quite make out. Momma had pretty hair, and she was tall. Momma was also very sad. Then momma was gone. Sasha remembered crying when she was gone. That was all. She remembered nothing except for coming to Mnemosyne Station and being hungry. Always hungry.

There was the dispenser. Sasha grinned. She was very quiet and sneaky. Soon, she was going to play tag with James and then he wouldn’t have to leave her for so long every day. She reached the corner of the station and peeked around the edge. There was no one there. James said it was very important that no one was around. Don’t trust anyone but him, he said. They could all be bad.

She pulled the chain and waited as the pipe near the ceiling rattled and then the metal tube with the many holes began to leak water. It drizzled on Sasha’s face and she opened her mouth as the water splashed down. The pipe made more banging sounds as it shuddered, the water coming down, then stopping, and then coming down again. She closed her eyes and drank her fill.

When she finished, she turned to sneak back again, but saw two big men blocking her way. She jumped back and squeaked, freezing. Her eyes darted for a cubbyhole to run into.

“Hello, little girl,” one of the men said. “What are you doing out and about by yourself?”

“Out for a drink,” she mumbled, looking down at the floor and twisting her toe to the grating.

“Where’s your momma?” the other asked.

“Gone,” she said.

“Aw, poor girl has no family,” the first said. “Do you have any brothers and sisters?”

Sasha shook her head. “My brother is with me.”

“I have a daughter,” he said. “Would you like to meet her, girlie?”

“My brother says I shouldn’t talk to people who don’t know my name.”

“Well, why don’t you tell us your name then,” the second one said. “Then we’ll all be friends.”