“You saved your family,” Ky said. “I didn’t save mine.”
“Some of them, yes. But I did it by imagining how you would deal with it, if you’d had the chance.”
Ky started to speak, but her skullphone pinged again. She held up her hand for Rafe. “Yes?”
It was Ser Ventoven again, the lawyer from Vatta headquarters. “I strongly recommend that you not leave the house until I have further word, Sera Ky. There seems to be some concern that you might be harboring, in order, a dangerous criminal, foreign visitors who have overstayed their visas, and/or fugitives also infected with a dangerous disease. That’s in addition to your citizenship issues. I understand from Sera Stella that you are able to secure the house?”
“Yes,” Ky said. “The foreign visitors are my fiancé and his assistant. They came to Slotter Key when I was missing, to assist in my rescue.”
“I gathered that, but at least one of them—your fiancé—entered under a false name, is that not true?”
“Like many wealthy individuals, he often travels incognito,” Ky said. “He gave Immigration his real name when he applied for a visa.”
“Yes, but if you are harboring the fugitives I mentioned, who are believed to be affected by this unnamed but dangerous disease picked up on Miksland, then they, as well as you, should be in quarantine. Can you assure me that you are not harboring such individuals, and that you yourself are in good health?”
“No one in this house is sick,” Ky said firmly. “Everyone is in good health, mentally sound, and definitely does not need to be in quarantine. I was on Miksland myself, with the other survivors, and nobody was sick.”
“But a number died—”
“Those who died after landing on Miksland included two who died of puffer-fish poisoning, after ignoring orders not to eat that kind of fish, and two who died of gunshot wounds in a firefight.”
“In which you were not hit.”
“I was hit, but not injured: my body armor protected me. Master Sergeant Marek was not wearing armor, nor was Commander Bentik. I shot him, after he shot at me, and one of his stray rounds hit Commander Bentik, as well as another person who wasn’t killed.”
“You don’t think some toxin or bacteria made him go crazy?”
“Not at all,” Ky said. “No one got sick. Who claims survivors are sick? And what kind of sickness?”
“Mental problems—sort of like a stroke, they said. Loss of memory, of ability to speak, of coordination. But if you’re sure you don’t have any such symptoms—”
“None,” Ky said. “You’re talking to me—you can tell that I can talk clearly, at least.”
“Well… it would be best, I think, if you were not taken into custody.”
“I think so, too, because all the survivors were healthy when they left Miksland. If they aren’t now, I suspect they’ve been drugged. If you can find out where these rumors originate—who precisely—it would be a great help.”
“But who would—”
“I don’t know—except that by accident of the crash location and ocean currents, we landed on Miksland and realized it was not what everyone thought. Its real nature has been kept secret, even to the point of falsifying satellite data. And whoever spread that lie clearly has an interest in silencing those who know about it. They hired mercenaries to kill all of us survivors before we could be rescued.”
“You’re sure?”
“I am, and so is my great-aunt, the Rector.”
“But she’s in the hospital—did she come down with—”
“She was poisoned by a toxic gas,” Ky said. Why didn’t he know that? Stella knew. Wouldn’t she have told Legal? If not, why not? Unless MacRobert told her it was a military secret…
“The news said she was very sick.”
“Toxic gas,” Ky said firmly. “In her house. She nearly died, that’s true, but it’s not a mysterious disease from Miksland.”
“Well, then. We will be working on getting your status clarified. I’m sure we can arrange something; I’m less sure about your fiancé and his assistant. Just don’t answer the door.”
“I won’t,” Ky said. When the connection blanked, she shook her head at Rafe. “We’re stuck inside until Legal figures something out. It’s going to be interesting if Aunt Helen brings the children back to the city.”
“When would she do that?”
“I don’t know. I don’t know if she’s talked to Stella. I don’t know if Stella’s getting her status cleared up in court. I don’t know anything and it’s driving me crazy.”
“Did you eat breakfast?”
Ky jerked one shoulder. “Something. Toast, I think.”
“You have a cook. Your cook can fix anything you want. You should eat something with protein.”
“I sound irritable, you mean.”
“Grumpy, I would have said, but yes. Come on down to the kitchen.”
Halfway down the stairs, Ky’s skullphone pinged again. This time it was Stella.
“I’m cleared,” she said. “Pointed out I had already expanded our onplanet investment, with the manufacture of shipboard ansibles here. Cascadia’s not going to be thrilled, but business will support both offices at the current level, and I never did take citizenship there. Which means they will get more taxes from a nonresident-owned business—they should be happy about that.”
“Good,” Ky said. “But why didn’t you mention the citizenship thing to me? I nearly got hauled off to jail this morning—”
“You? Why would they go after you? You’re the hero. That summons was just a clerical error.”
“Apparently not. If you come home, you will find an Immigration van parked out front with some very unhappy agents standing on the step.”
“But I thought—when I got the letter and asked about it, they said they were questioning me because I’d set up a business in another system. I asked about you and they said, ‘She’s different; no one doubts she’s loyal.’”
“They certainly doubt it now,” Ky said. “That law—it sounds very harsh.”
“It’s all about the money,” Stella said. “Like most things in politics. They worry about citizens setting up businesses elsewhere to avoid local taxes—you’d think they’d look up and find out that people come here to escape high taxes elsewhere. Besides, Vatta’s paid taxes on every cent earned on Slotter Key, it’s just that we made less after the bombings. So—what did Legal tell you to do?”
“Stay inside with the house buttoned up tight. He’s working on it, the one who called me. Named Ventoven.”
“I’ll check with them as soon as I get back. I’m waiting in line to get my new ID kit. Ah—they just called my number.”
By that time Ky was in the kitchen. “You never had breakfast,” Barash said. “Omelet?”
“Thanks,” Ky said. She sat down at the table and eyed a platter that was almost empty of toast and sausages. “Just so you know, we’re all fugitives now, except Rodney. Rafe and Teague overstayed their visas, and my citizenship’s been rescinded because I was away too long.”
“That’s ridiculous,” Barash said. “You were fighting a war—”
“Tell that to Immigration. Not that they’ll listen.” Ky picked up a piece of cold toast and wrapped it around one of the sausages. It tasted delicious.
“It’s your amazing talent,” Rafe said. He had perched on the counter nearest the door. “You’ve become persona non grata in two systems light-years apart without actually doing anything wrong.”
“I know,” Ky reached for another sausage just as Barash took the platter away. “Hey!”