Starfall (Starflight #2)(21)
“Sorry, man. I’m not here to discuss your mom’s love life.”
The abrupt change in Badger’s tone prompted Kane to turn around. The smile had left his friend’s face, and in its place was a sober expression that didn’t fit with the wide ears protruding through his boyish mop of hair. There was a sternness in Badger’s eyes that aged him beyond his years. It seemed he’d grown up, and he hadn’t come over to relive old times.
“Then why are you here?”
Badger sank into a chair at the table and indicated the seat beside him. “My squad leader sent me to talk to you. But the original order came from the junior commander.”
Kane thought back to the high-ranking Booter at the security station. “That twentysomething * with the broken nose?”
Badger shook his head, leaning back and crossing his long legs at the ankles. “No, that’s General Jordan. I meant my other commander.” He lifted one sleeve to reveal the inside of his wrist. He clenched his fist tightly, and a faint tattoo came into view—a red rectangle with an X marked through the center.
Kane recognized that symbol. He’d seen it all over the city. “You’re part of the rebellion I keep hearing about.” He lifted a brow at his friend. “I’m surprised you told me.”
“I don’t think you’ll turn me in. You wouldn’t believe how many members we have…some of them right in this backyard.”
“The farmer?” Kane asked, then sat bolt upright when he realized Badger had said them. “My mom?”
“Can you blame her? The monarchy blackballed her when you ran off, and then they left the rest of us to fend for ourselves after the war started. Now anyone with a house still standing shares it with five families. Everyone else squats in a tent, if they’re lucky.”
“But Cassia’s in charge now,” Kane said. He’d heard stories of how she’d dismantled Marius’s missiles and brought in food and supplies from his kingdom. “Look at what she’s already done.”
“She’s got Marius by the stones. I’ll give her that. But why should I break my back rebuilding this colony for her? I work the land, and she owns it. My great-great-grandfather agreed to serve the Rose dynasty for a new life here, but I shouldn’t be bound by his choice. It wasn’t his to make.”
“I get it,” Kane said, and he truly did. Two years of space travel had opened his eyes to all sorts of political systems, some of them better than others. “You don’t owe the royals anything, but life’s not perfect on the other settlements, either. I’ve been to places so broke your own neighbors will sell you into slavery.”
“So I should be grateful to the royals?”
“I didn’t say that. Give Cassia a chance. She might surprise you.”
“Let’s assume she does,” Badger said. “Even if she’s the best damn monarch in Eturian history, that doesn’t mean her kids will be, or whatever husband she takes next. But they’ll rule over us for generations to come based on their last name.”
Kane didn’t want to think about Cassia with children because it forced him to question which blue blood would put them in her. What he wanted to do was to shut down this conversation. “Look, if your commander thinks I can persuade Cassia to walk away from the throne, he’s delusional. She’s wanted this ever since we were kids.”
“We’re not asking that.”
“Then what do you want?”
“No one’s closer to the queen than you are. She even bought out your Daeva contract.”
“She did?”
“Yeah, and from what I heard, it wasn’t cheap.”
“You heard right,” Kane muttered. The price Marius had put on his head was enough to tempt a saint, not that the Daeva had any morals to speak of. By buying out the contract, Cassia had freed him for a whole new kind of life. Now he could show his face in public, anywhere he wanted, without looking over his shoulder.
“My point is,” Badger continued, “she’ll confide in you. What we need is for you to tell us what she’s planning. That’s how you can help the cause.”
“You want me to spy on my best friend—the one who bought my contract?”
“Not spy, really. Just keep your ears open and report…” Badger nodded and threw a hand in the air. “All right, yeah, I want you to spy on her.”
“Not happening.”
“Listen, man, we’re taking over this colony, with or without you. Your help might make the difference between a quick transition and a long, bloody battle. The war was bad enough. I don’t want to see anyone else get hurt.” Badger’s gaze shifted toward the barn in the backyard. “Do you?”
“I liked you better when you were blowing up toilets.”
“And I liked you better when you weren’t wrapped around Cassia’s pinkie finger.” Badger’s ears lifted as he grinned. “Oh wait. Never mind. That finger’s always had your name on it.”
Kane chuckled darkly and flashed a hand gesture recognizable to anyone within the Solar Territories. “Here’s a special finger just for you.”
“Seriously, though. Will you at least think about it?”
“There’s nothing to think about.” There were some lines Kane wouldn’t cross, and betraying Cassia was one of them. “I’ll keep your secret, but that’s all I can promise.”