Chapter3
The proximity alert beeped, he pushed her off his lap, “Here we go again.” After a few minutes the scanner showed them to be above the orbital plane, so he angled toward the life zone. Moments later the scanner showed two small objects hurtling toward them, “We have company. Let’s hope they don’t start shooting when we won’t talk to them.”
Bow thrusters flaring the two fighters u-turned and paralleled them. Taking a deep breath he cut the mains, fired bow thrusters, cut them, and went back to mains. He rocked Fortune’s Lady side to side, then rolled her over. He watched the fighters intently, if they fired, he and Deja were dead, the shields would only make a glow before they cut Lady in half. After what seemed a lifetime, the starboard fighter rocked and pulled ahead while the port one fell back. “It seems we have an escort. I hope their cells are comfortable.”
He carefully followed the lead fighter, mimicking its every move. They passed into atmosphere and spiraled down. At a thousand feet the fighter orbited a port holding parked fighters. After an orbit the fighter flew a straight line and then rocked. Cameron saw the indicated pad surrounded by empty ones and landed. Ground vehicles were approaching at a rapid pace while the fighters circled overhead. He keyed both airlocks and deployed the gangway. He stood, “I don’t think they trust us. Let’s go make friendly faces at them.”
They stood at the head of the gangway and waited. A few moments later a man in an impressive uniform walked to its base, “Come down here and don’t do anything stupid,” he called up to them. He put his arm through Deja’s and walked slowly down to him.
“I am Colonel Andrew, and you may consider yourselves under arrest for flying an unregistered ship, entering Caldonian borders without permit or flight plan and refusing orders to desist and turn back. Tell any other occupants to come out now, before we search your ship. Any resistance or failure to comply will be met with lethal force. Do you understand me?”
Cameron nodded, “Just us, I’m afraid. There’s nothing aboard you’d care about except some personal weapons. Please ask your men to be kind to her, I’m rather fond of her.”
“That’s a lot of ship for just the two of you…”
Cameron smiled his most winning smile, “Yes, there were more, quite a few actually, but just two of us now. In the cockpit your men will see why I didn’t talk to you.”
The officer’s penetrating look held questions, “I sense a story here, step over here out of the way.”
They followed him a ways until he turned and demanded, “Now, who the hell are you and what are you doing here?”
Cameron made a slight bow, “I am Cameron Preston of Aronia and M’lady is Deja Thorin of Erie. As to why we are here, I have no idea where here is and what we are doing is looking for help, sir.”
Colonel Andrew’s face became incredulous, “Wait, wait, wait – you’re that missing rich kid? Everyone thinks you’re a dead hero or some such.”
“Well, we’re certainly not dead and I don’t know anything about this hero stuff.”
A soldier appeared at the lock, “No obvious contraband, sir, and part of the bridge console is shot to hell. There is a wicked looking sword, sharp as the devil, ask Jeffers after he quits bleeding. There’s a lovely pistol and rifle, and three pistols, illegally modified, Sir.”
Colonel Andrew sighed, “Those three pistols are a bit of a complication…”
Cameron worked his smile again, “Colonel, sir, their owners were in no position to object when we picked them up so I wouldn’t call them stolen, more that they came with the ship. The other three are mine and I do like them. A lot.”
“Hmm,” the Colonel mulled that a bit, and Cameron’s sharper tone about the last, “Yours can stay where they are, for now. We’ll be taking possession of the other three. Now, I think we ought to ride over to my office and have a bit of a chat.” He called up to the hatch, “Sergeant, take charge of the three illegals and leave the others where they are. Oh, and no more messing with them.”
They rode the short distance to an office building where a uniformed secretary leapt up from his desk, saluting. A short walk took them to a glass paned door with a bronze plate that read, ‘Colonel Jacob Andrew.’ Inside the Colonel took a seat behind a large plain metal desk, clear except for a tray holding some papers and a framed picture. He motioned to two chairs. Cameron seated Deja, who threw him an amused sidelong glance, and sat, hands folded in his lap. The Colonel put his elbow on the desk, his chin on his fist and put a steady gaze on Cameron. After a minute he put that hand on the desk and spoke, “Now I need to hear your story. So you know, you’re being recorded.”
“Of course,” Cameron said, “It is a rather longish story.”
The Colonel touched his collar, “Turner, a pitcher of ice water and three glasses,” he touched the collar again, “I’m sure it is, please begin.” Colonel Andrew regarded Cameron without expression as he recounted the events from the time they’d sighted the attackers’ ship. His steady gaze only left Cameron’s face when he got to the part about the engine room, and he threw a penetrating look at Deja. “I gather,” he said, “from your use of the pronouns my and our, that you are claiming the ship as salvage?”
Cameron smiled, “I suppose that sounds better than Deja’s by right of conquest.”
Finally, the Colonel smiled, “I could go along with that as well, but it would complicate the paperwork.” He touched his collar, “Turner, get the comm set to Aronia and connect me to Mr. Preston of Preston’s Traders. Bring it here when you’ve gotten through, and Turner, this is an extremely private call.” He shook his head at them, “You do know what an uproar this is going to cause? You’ll be gratified to know that all the passengers and crew survived, other than two killed by the raiders, and of them, their leader and two of his men made it. The Ilania got off a distress call a while after you left her and eight hours later rescue teams got to her. They got the inner hatch closed and the three raiders were killed, ‘resisting.’ Since Portlandia was their destination both the passengers and the Ilania were taken there. Since there was no communication from your ship everyone assumed you’d either gotten killed or the ship destroyed. Everyone is quite sure you saved those people’s lives because a couple other ships have been found with the same method of operation and no survivors.”
There was a knock and Turner brought in the portable comm unit and handed it to the Colonel. “Mr. Preston?”
“Yes.”
“I am Colonel Jacob Andrew of the 422nd Fighter Wing of the Caldonia Defense Force. Sir, I have in my office a Mr. Cameron Preston and a M’lady Deja Thorin. You are the first person to be so notified and now I believe you might wish to speak to your son.”
Cameron heard a muffled gasp and then, “Tanya! Cameron’s on Caldonia, safe!”
“Hello Father…”
“Oh Cameron, I knew you’d pull through. I refused to believe anything as foolish as this could take you away from us.”
“I’m sorry to have worried you and Mom, it has been a bit of an adventure, and misadventure as well, I suppose. Give Mom my love, and you too. We’ll talk more later, there’s still business here to be attended to.”
The connection broke and the Colonel looked to Deja, “Who should we contact?”
“Willem Thorin, Undersecretary Erie Embassy at Portlandia.”
The Colonel repeated the information to Turner telling him to let him know when they were connected. A short time later Turner knocked. “Undersecretary Willem Thorin?”
“Yes”
He identified himself and finished, “I have in my office Mr. Cameron Preston and M’lady Deja, House of Thorin.”
There was an incomprehensible exclamation and then, “Let me speak to that, that wench.”
“Hello, Dah…”,
“Hello Dah! You come back from the dead and hello Dah? And, and, argh, M’lady! What nonsense have you gotten up to while you were dead, eh? And for that matter what in the name of Erie are you doing with Cameron Preston? I tell your Mother this and after she gets done dying for joy, she’s going to be furious,” the tirade was interrupted by a sob, “Oh my sweet darling daughter, you’re alive. Ah, I haven’t words for my joy.”
“I love you too, Dah. We’ll talk soon, but now the nice Colonel still has business with us.”
Colonel Andrew looked at each of them and laughed, “For as difficult as you two are going to make my life, these calls were worth it. You must know that the fact I’ve called Dellan Preston of Preston’s Traders after the arrival of that ship with two aboard, has already made it off this base. And, by the way, were you having a bit of fun with me and the M’lady thing?”
“Oh no sir. She was M’lady to me first and always will be, though she thinks it’s funny.”
“I take it you two get along pretty well?”
Deja snorted, “You could take it that way, or quite a bit more, Colonel.”
Colonel Andrew smiled at them, picked up the picture and turned it to them, “That’s my wife and ten-year-old son. He wants to fly fighters just like dear ole Dad did before he got too important to. Cameron, I’m a fighter jockey and what you managed with that ship impresses me no end as does your ability in a scrape. Let’s dispense with the Colonel stuff, you’re not under my command and we’re going to see a lot of each other for a while. There are baskets full of papers to fill out and sign and you’ll have to listen to that entire recording and attest that it is an accurate representation. Then there’s the little matter of your ship, she can’t leave here like she is. You must get that cockpit repaired and have a working ID transponder. That means she’s going to be Fortune’s Lady out of Caldonia until you get someplace with more pull than those mules at Caldonia Ship Authority.” He stepped around the desk and made a courtly bow, “Cameron, M’lady Deja, I’m Jake and it is a pleasure to meet you.”
Deja slapped her forehead, “Ah, not you too with the M’lady nonsense, I’m just Deja.”
Jake Andrew looked her square in the eyes and in a serious no arguments tone said, “M’lady, your performance throughout and especially in the engine room earns you the honorific in my eyes. I’m a soldier and commander of fighting men.”
Deja was impressed but uncowed, “So you’ll let him impress you with me, eh? You don’t know how much he tamed down his parts, or you’d be calling him Lord Cameron of Something. I can’t do anything about him, he’s a fool in love but I don’t have to have everyone he respects calling me M’lady when I’m just Deja.
Jake looked at her thoughtfully and said gently, “That right there, is a measure of who you are. Anyone in my command and most civilians would have wilted at the little speech I made to you. I am a soldier and I know you are not. I am a fighting man trained to be deadly in a ship or not and you plainly are not. I know fighting men, I am one, and it is my job to know them better even than they know themselves. There are the noisy ones who brag when maybe they should not and then there are the quiet easy-going ones who deal in the barest of facts, hiding their light, you might say. If you think Cameron blew smoke at me, you’re mistaken. I did not have to see it to know what those encounters involved; I know from the barest of facts. I afford Cameron the respect I would the very best of my men, I accept it and let it go with a simple compliment. But because you have gone so far above and beyond what any Just Joe or Just Jane could or would go, I afford you the honorific, because I do, not because he does, though I believe I understand why he does.”
Deja looked abashed, she turned to Cameron who shrugged at her, “Oh, you men are impossible, I was scared to death the entire time.”
Jake spoke so softly it was almost a whisper, “Of course you were, and we both know that,” he seemed to shake himself, “On to other matters, then. I don’t think you two want to go out in public right now, it’s going to be crazy out there. Now I can’t just give you quarters, that would create a real mess, but, if you don’t mind being under arrest for a while longer I can put you in jail in a nice suite in the married officer’s housing. I can’t let you use the ship, even just for the lavatory, she’s off-limits until she’s legal. Nobody will touch her except people you authorize, and the Ship Authority Inspector and he only cares about two things, is she armed or not and does she have a working transponder.”
The men and women on base couldn’t hide their curiosity but they made no moves to intrude on the “prisoners.” Clearly the word had gone out that the base commander would take an extremely dim view of any such behavior.
Cameron had not clearly seen the ship from outside before they landed and then only from the corner of his eye. In space the shape of a ship is driven by function and generally the result is boxy with lumps here and there to house necessities. Other than massive freighters most ships were intended to land planet side at space ports. With shields and their massive power, ships could handle atmosphere and gravity with brute force. Fortune’s Lady’s builders had taken another approach. Her lines were clean and elegant, streamlined without that apparent consideration overwhelming art. Clearly, she had been designed to present a beautiful and sophisticated appearance while at rest and the impression of a beautiful gleaming bird in flight. Preston’s Trading ships were designed to present an attractive appearance while grounded but no great lengths were taken to disguise their function as cargo ships. Humanity had taken many different paths on the multitudes of settled worlds, each driven by its own ethos. Obviously, Lady’s culture cared deeply about form. Cameron’s almost reverent appreciation of the ship was broken by the approach of the Sergeant who had led the search party. He stopped a few steps from where Cameron stood, saluted, and in crisp tones announced, “Sir, Sergeant Townsend at your service.”
Cameron turned to him, his dress and grooming were immaculate, and his bearing disciplined and courtly, a demeanor common to all Caldonians he’d met or seen. Even though he was on a military base, these characteristics seemed deeply ingrained. “Cameron Preston, at yours,” he replied in kind and with a slight bow.
“I’m afraid Jeffers made a bit of a mess bleeding all over the place, but we cleaned up, spotless. He meant no harm, sir, he simply went to check its edge with his thumb and that light pressure nearly took it off. He has been reprimanded. We have nothing like that on Caldonia, sir, swords are not actual weapons here.”
He nodded, smiling, “Yes, Sergeant Townsend, she is a weapon, micro fine edge, and plasma generator. Touching the blade is an invitation to bleed, my fault, I oughtn’t have left her lying about, unsheathed.”
“Micro fine and plasma to boot, so it is a combat weapon, then”
“At close quarters they are a fearsome weapon, a personal force shield can only block the plasma and combat armor can only slightly impede the plasma edge. We have sector wide combat competitions with them, edge guarded, of course.”
Townsend’s eyes were intense, “I believe I can see their utility in a melee fight. I wonder…” he tailed off.
Cameron’s mind clicked, “Keep in mind Sergeant, that you could buy a couple pretty nice pistols for a sword’s cost and this one is a particularly fine example.”
The Sergeant looked thoughtful, “What would we be talking about, say mid-grade?”
Cameron felt a flush of pleasure, “On Aronia, around two thousand credits and then there’s the matter of shipping and whatever nuisance Caldonia regulations require.”
Townsend replied, “Yes, that’s a fair bit, sir. But I’d love to know what one can do.”
Cameron was warming to the conversation, his family mindset pushing him along, “Keep in mind, Sergeant, that without training all one would do is look pretty while getting you killed.”
Their conversation had apparently signaled that Cameron was approachable as a knot of soldiers headed their direction. Deja, curious as to what Cameron was doing, also strolled toward them. A man in a fancier uniform addressed Townsend, “So what’s this all about, Sergeant?”
Townsend snapped to attention ramrod straight and still as a statue, “Captain, sir, Mr. Preston and I were discussing swords after I apologized for Jeffers, sir.”
The Captain’s tone was severe, “And Mr. Preston is just fine with you chatting him up?”
Deja answered for him, “Oh, it’s fine, Captain, Cam’s quite sociable.”
The Captain’s severe tone softened slightly, “I see, M’lady,” Deja rolled her eyes, “The Sergeant seems to have forgotten his station.”
Deja smiled broadly, “No, Captain, it really is quite all right, he’s as happy with a greasy mechanic as he is with the rich and famous. Maybe even more so.”
A slight smile flickered on the Captain’s face, “I suppose it’s all right, then, Sergeant,” turning to Cameron he spoke deferentially, “Mr. Preston, sir, all of us know a little about the Ilania, but we’d really like to know the whole thing.”
Cameron inclined his head to Deja, “If you want the flashy version, M’lady should tell it.” Deja glared at him and a feminine voice back in the growing crowd exclaimed, “Oh yes, tell us.” The captain shot a frown in that direction, “That’ll be enough, all of you.”
Distance in time and place leant Deja more comfort and she embarked on a much more colorful telling than Cameron’s to Jake. Cameron watched her with growing admiration, her voice and words were stirring and gestures, expansive. He found himself caught up in the narrative, as though it were about some mythic heroes. He also felt a rising tide of embarrassment at himself as the lead character, though he knew he’d asked for it, but he hadn’t expected this level of storytelling. Of the engine room she simply said, “So I shot him,” and hurried on. When she finished, he addressed the now surrounding crowd, “Well, M’lady makes more of me and less of herself, but there you are.”
A general chatter among the soldiers began and one in a slightly less impressive uniform than the captain’s approached Cameron, “Mr. Preston, sir, that’s quite a fine set of clothes you wear.”
Cameron eyed him thoughtfully, “Why thank you, though they’re a bit worse for wear, being my only ones. Preston makes them and I’m sure several models could be made available.”
“Lieutenant Carstair, sir, and yes I really do like them.”
“Well, Lieutenant, give me a little while and I’ll see what I can do about putting a catalogue in your hands.”
A female soldier edged up to Deja, “Oh M’lady, you have ever the cutest outfit. I wish I had one like it.”
Deja hid her rising annoyance with the continual use of M’lady, “Well if you like it that much, it seems we have a salesman right here.”
Alert, Cameron interjected, “Now, I’m not really a trader and Preston doesn’t make it that I know of, but we do frequent business with Erie and I’m sure something can be done, especially if you have friends who would be interested.”
She beamed, “Oh, I do, may I take a picture, M’lady?”
Deja blushed a bit, “Yes, you may, but only if you stop calling me M’lady, Deja will do quite nicely.”
Cameron found he was beginning to enjoy his role as pseudo trader. Until another officer approached him, “Flight Lieutenant Grissom, sir, that is the most beautiful ship I’ve ever seen, and I know ships. My father, Governor Grissom would be most interested in something like her.”
Cameron sighed, “I’m sorry Flight Lieutenant, she’s mine by right of salvage and I’ve never seen her like, either. I’ve searched her stem to stern and can find no clue to her origin, and I’d really like to know myself.” Seeing the disappointment on the other’s face, he hurried on, “I assure you I intend to keep looking and will be sure to let you know when I find out. I know Preston would love to offer such a thing to the discerning customer.”
Grissom’s face brightened and it was obvious he appreciated the reference to a discerning customer.
There didn’t appear to be anything else salable but there still were plenty of comments and questions, Aronia and Erie were distant places, known, if at all only by place names. Conversation was interrupted by the arrival of an official looking man followed by three men with carts of equipment. He approached him, “Mr. Cameron Preston?” at his nod he continued, “Sir, I am Inspector Trevor Howard, here to inspect, equip with transponder and register the currently illegal ship known informally as Fortune’s Lady to one Cameron Preston out of Caldonia.”
Cameron put on his most business-like face, “Of course, Mr. Howard, please proceed, but that will be Cameron Preston and M’lady Deja Thorin, if you please.”
She poked him in the ribs and hissed, “That’s not necessary and if he puts M’lady on official documents, I’ll kill you…and I know where you sleep.”
Cameron grinned, “It is and he will because she’s my ship too and I’m her captain,” at her look of outrage he added, “in public, at least.”
“Oh, you’re going to pay,” she muttered.
They wandered back to their suite where Deja set about preparing dinner while Cameron sat admiring her. Though he was intimately acquainted with her body, he couldn’t help being amazed at its beauty, short and sturdy she sacrificed no element of femininity to her stature. He knew that with her on his arm, he would be the object of men’s envy and her, of women’s. Her curls bobbed in the most alluring way as she chopped and her motions were strong, precise, and fluidly graceful, hints of her musculature showing faintly through her skin.
She turned her head to him, “What are you gawking at?”
“You,” he answered simply.
“Oh!” she glared at him, “You can be the most irritating man. You know how I feel about the m’lady thing, and still you’ve gotten most everyone calling me that, practically married us with the Lady, claim to be some sort of captain and now sit there ogling me as though you plan to just have your way with me.”
He grinned at her, “You might as well get used to M’lady, you’ve earned it and will just have to wear it and yes, after this lovely repast I intend to do just that.”
“Oh, you do?” she leapt catlike at him and grabbed his hair. She kissed him fiercely on the mouth and whispered into his ear, “Good, and I’ll just have mine.”
In the morning he stroked her face saying, “I can’t imagine anything better than growing old with you.”
Softly she said, “Ah m’darling, me too,” more briskly, “but maybe with less gunfire, sword hacking, and where are we’s.”
The comm unit chimed, Jake asked him to come start the official business. As he walked to the office, he noted a group of Preston technicians mount the gangway lugging equipment. This gave him a satisfied smile, ‘Soon Lady, you’ll be right as rain. Then we can set about making you as beautiful inside as out.’ In the office they shook hands and when they were both seated Jake reported that one of the soldiers had recorded Deja’s entire tale and that it was all over not only the city, but the entire sector and probably propagating at an exponential rate. “You were already famous for what the Ilania could report, this story will blow that up like a bomb. If M’lady wasn’t already famous, her storytelling would make her an instant celebrity. I knew the details, but that soldier should be in our Public Relations Department, he caught her perfectly, I found myself wanting to shout and applaud,”
They set about the tedious work of forms and approving the recording. Jake had lunch sent in, and they finished near dinner time. “Well,” Jake said, “they buried us less deeply in paperwork than I feared. The techs say they’re done, though their boss wants to speak with you. And because Fortune’s Lady is no longer impounded and you are ‘un-arrested’, I’m afraid you can’t stay. I’ve really enjoyed getting to know you and I’m sorry to lose your company, but regulations are what they are. I’ve taken the liberty of reserving you a berth at the space port and a suite at our finest hotel, I was sure you wouldn’t mind the expense and the Preston name doesn’t just open doors, it pretty much kicks them down. I’ll see you off when you leave.”
The tech boss met Cameron at the entry desk, they strolled out to the ship and into the cockpit. In place of the blasted bridge console was a seamless replacement. The tech asked, “Master, do you want the good news or the bad, first?”
Cameron sighed, “I was hoping for just good news so let’s start with the bad and finish on a high note.”
“Our data tech spent all day on that encryption on the logs, no way some raiders set it up, that was original to this ship. He finally broke it and it immediately demanded a three-line pass code and started a twenty second count down. Not a chance. At twenty it detonated its bomb and every bit of data was gone, I’ve never heard of a wipe that complete, and I’m good at my job. From here it gets better. Being cleared the log will accept entries, it’s a sophisticated system, it’ll log any kind of input you can think of.
From what we could tell from the remains and its integration to the rest of the bridge there is nothing our very best can do that would be an upgrade. Fortune’s Lady is a marvel of design. The sheer power of this bridge exceeds anything I know of. I’ve worked on battleships with much less. I was able to put the most sophisticated system there is in there and it still has room. If there is something you’d want comm and Nav to do that it can’t, I don’t know what it would be. That’s the manual,” he gestured, “and I suggest you keep it up here. It’s easy reference, but it’s huge.”
Cameron thanked him, walked him out, returned to the bridge, and brought up Nav main screen. It displayed options in descending order of likely usage. He went to course plot, it began with port name, then star name slash designation, moving more general in descending order ending with ‘other.’ He felt satisfied for the moment and brought up comms. The first query was UL or SL comms. He selected UL noted the length and switched to SL, it looked like the same list and went back to UL. He selected private call and was rewarded with encryption or open, he took open and was offered local and sector, took sector, entered Carnellian and was offered a list starting planet and descending likelihood. Planet gave a list of planets ending in ‘other,’ he entered Aronia and was offered business or private and was offered directory, name, or number. He considered for a moment and entered his father’s personal line. A clock face spun around, and it announced connection established, Cameron’s eyes widened, that was exceedingly quick, a chime began. The screen suddenly switched to video and there was his father’s face. They both blinked, at this range there should be audio only. Cameron was astonished and his father puzzled, “Cam? Where are you, now?”
He answered, “Caldonia, on the ship.”
His father shook his head, “How is video happening then?”
“Dad, I don’t know, this is the most astonishing ship. Stay there, I’ll be back in a couple minutes, breaking connection now.”
He jogged over to the suite, found Deja in an easy chair, grabbed her hand, “Come to the ship, I have to show you the most amazing thing.”
In the cockpit as he moved to the comm screen Deja remarked, “They’ve fixed her.”
“More than that,” he brought up personal calls and was offered ‘reconnect’. He did, the clock spun, a chime, and there were his mother and father.
“Mom, Dad, there’s someone you have to meet, Dellan and Tanya Preston, this is M’lady Deja of House Thorin, Erie.” He didn’t quite wince from the kick his ankle received. His parents inclined their heads and Dellan responded for both, “M’lady, a pleasure and an honor.”
“Mine as well,” Deja responded.
“All right, Cam,” his father was stern, “Just what exactly have you gotten up to? And thank you very much for worrying us to death.”
“The long and short of it is that we were completely lost with no Nav or comms so finding civilization took some doing.”
His father’s attention jerked away, “Hold on, I have to take this call…they’re saying there’s a what? A video? Why do I need to see this? What do you mean astonishing? Cam? Do you know what’s going on with some video?”
“I believe I do, and I think you should watch it and I’m going to disconnect while you do, because I have some rather pressing business to attend to. Call me when you’re done.”
He turned to Deja sheepishly, “I didn’t get a chance to tell you, but, umm, you were videoed, quite professionally, and now…well, it’s everywhere. So M’lady is quite famous, both as an adventurer and as a, umm, performer…”
He waited for the blow that didn’t come. Instead, she stared at him open mouthed. Finally, “What exactly do you mean, performer?”
He sighed, uneasily, “Apparently it’s not just what happened, though that’s something in itself, but your telling of it has made you, umm, an overnight sensation…”
“Oh no, you haven’t gotten up to something, have you?”
“I’m completely innocent of this, it’s your doing, not mine.”
She looked ready to cry, “I don’t want this, any of it. I don’t want to be a hero, I don’t want to be a celebrity, and I don’t want to be a M’lady…”
He took her in his arms stroking her hair, “Darling neither of us can change the hero and celebrity part. It’s just that people are appreciating you almost as much as I do. It’ll die down, something else will capture their attention and enthusiasm, but from the time you introduced yourself some things changed. You’ll adjust and make something wonderful of it. I know it, I believe in you, completely.”
Now she did cry, and they stood locked together, not speaking until the comm chimed. His mother and father stared at them through the screen, Cameron flushed, and Deja tear streaked.
His father began, “All right Cam, now who…” his mother broke in, “Cam dear, is this wonderful woman as much someone to you as I think?”
Cameron sighed with relief that his mother had taken charge. Anyone who took Tanya Preston for a trophy wife or household decoration made a huge miscalculation, it was true that she was still a beauty, but she was also one of the most intelligent, driven, and kindhearted women Cameron had ever known. The next few minutes could be perilous, Deja was upset and frightened by near events and already in awe of the Preston wealth and power. His father’s commanding presence could make matters very much worse.
“Yes Mom, she is and probably much more than you guess. She is the finest thing that has ever happened in my life, and I love her with all my heart, and she loves me back.”
His mother smiled her easy warm smile and her eyes twinkled. Deja suddenly understood where Cameron got his charm.
“I thought as much, I know something of Erie, and I know they scorn honorifics and I know you, my son. You would never use such a title outside a courtly society, where it is granted, without serious reasons. Now you two have managed to make yourselves famous and that may not be such a bad thing, depending on how you handle it. Deja, I know Dellan didn’t frighten you into tears, and I know that Cam is used to being widely known and maybe at times a bit notorious but knowing my son and his regard for you and hearing your adventures makes me quite confident that you have the reserves to not only weather these sea changes but conquer them. Dear girl, I believe that Cam is a very fortunate man to have you at his side,”
Deja gazed at the beautiful woman who was the epitome of wealth and power and her Cam’s mother and said softly, “Then I will do that, Mam.”
“I know you will, and I am Tanya, and you are Deja. Now Dellan, if you’ve contained your excitement, I’ll let you chat with this charming couple, and you bear in mind that they are a couple.”
Dellan Preston had moved to a calm demeanor, “Well since I’ve heard your story, I have no need to ask what you’ve been doing but would like to know what you plan to do now. I wouldn’t blame you a bit if you wanted to come home and decompress.”
“Dad, while I suppose the Portlandia business could wait, Deja’s father is there, Undersecretary of the Erie Embassy, which is where she was bound. Then there’s that lost colony, and there may be some real business to be done here on Caldonia, and my quest to find Fortune’s Lady’s builders. Dad, we know ships and I tell you she is amazing, for starters we’re on video, and we both know what sort of power it would take for this ship to push-pull this signal.”
Dellan smiled broadly at his son, “So, business, a rescue, a reunion, and a mysterious ship, sounds as though you’ll be busy. Keep me apprised and use any company resources you need. Deja, I am pleased to meet you and look forward to welcoming you in person. You may consider our home your own and please, keep an eye on my son, I really am quite fond of him.”
Deja thanked them and Cameron broke connection. “They like you,” he said.
“Your mother must be an amazing person and he was quite polite.”
“Polite? He offered our home to you. That is not something he does.”
“Oh,” she said in a small voice.
“We’re supposed to leave, it seems being repaired and freed from arrest has also removed our welcome. Jake wants to say good-bye, so we’ll do that, get to our new berth, and call your father.”
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