They arrived at their destination during the third cycle out from the Gate. The station was uncomfortably close to the system’s red supergiant, which had already swallowed the planets closest to it. Some of its mass was being stripped by its companion neutron star, but even so, it would collapse into a white dwarf at some point in the near future as cosmic time went, which was at least a few thousand years away.
Eva hated thinking on that scale. It reminded her that the universe was a vast ocean, and she wasn’t even a tiny fish: she was an amoeba. One person on one ship drifting through the black between points of light, her life’s only purpose and meaning whatever she made of it. It was simultaneously liberating and disheartening to be so relatively insignificant. And it didn’t help that people like Mari went around having a huge sense of self-importance about their goals, like every choice they made could wipe out entire galaxies or whatever.
Ending even one life was a big deal, and the farther away from that notion a person got, the more lives became expendable. Numbers in a chart. Collateral damage. Acceptable risks and the cost of doing business, of finishing the mission, of doing what needed to be done according to very particular parameters of need.
Maybe Eva was only one person, but she wasn’t keen on being a statistic, or turning anyone else into one.
La Sirena Negra arrived at a station large enough to house thousands of people, drifting serenely along a trajectory that kept the red giant behind it like a huge, watchful eye. Its hull was putty-colored and smooth, broken only by cameras and other instrumentation, and the docking-bay doors that opened to receive their ship. Eva let Min handle all the standard handshakes and code-swaps, because she was busy ogling the thing being towed along by the station like a toy on a string.
It was a Gate. At least, it looked like one, except it was inactive and covered in construction crews. But the idea that someone had stolen a Gate, or more incredibly, was trying to build a new one? Impossible. Gates were ancient Proarkhe tech, and no one knew how they worked, only how to use them to open holes to other parts of the universe.
Then again, The Fridge had managed to make a pair of guns that created portable Gates, which Eva knew because she’d stolen them and hidden them as well as she could. They didn’t work anymore, but no way did she trust anyone to use tech like that for good instead of super naughty.
Except apparently Mari’s secret club had gotten enough information on their own to do this. And if they could build a whole damn Gate out here, what else might they be able to do?
They finished docking protocols and Eva disembarked slowly, still leaning on the mighty Fuácata since her leg wound wasn’t fully healed. Vakar and Pink followed close behind her, both suited up like they were walking into a fight. The docking bay had enough room for a dozen ships or so, the largest of which was a Standard Reliance Mk II cruiser. It looked familiar, but Eva had seen a lot of similar ships in her time, especially in the BOFA fleet. This one was sleek and white with black-and-red stripes, and Eva coveted it instantly, despite her love for her own ship.
“Are those antiproton thrusters?” Eva asked Vakar quietly.
“Yes,” he murmured back. “And it has kloshian heavy armor in addition to its kinetic barriers.”
Eva gave a soft groan of jealousy.
Mari intercepted them before they made it any farther. She still wore the same red armored spacesuit Eva had seen during their call, and her light-brown eyes were wide from whatever stimulants she was using to stay ahead of fatigue. She hesitated in front of Eva, her expression guarded.
Eva swallowed her pride and stepped forward, kissing her sister on the cheek. They might not be back up to hugging yet, but they had to start somewhere.
“Welcome to The Forge,” Mari said.
“The what?” Eva cocked her head to the side and squinted.
“That’s what our group is called, The Forge.”
Eva snorted. “You know that sounds a lot like The Fridge, right? Who names this shit?”
“Our group came first,” Mari said defensively. “Anyway, thank you for coming.”
“Don’t thank me yet,” Eva replied. “I haven’t agreed to anything.”
Mari nodded, glancing at Eva’s cane. “I think this will be a lot less dangerous than . . . last time.”
“We can handle danger,” Pink said, putting a hand on her hip. “It’s secrets that get us all riled up.”
Mari opened her mouth like she was going to launch into a lecture, but stopped herself and held out a hand. “Dr. Jones, it’s good to see you again.”
“The pleasure is all yours,” Pink replied coolly. “Nice suit, it really brings out the bags under your eyes.”
Eva choked on a laugh, which she turned into throat-clearing. “You remember Vakar.”
“Of course.” Mari lowered her hand and offered him a curt bow. “Your work against The Fridge last year was greatly appreciated.”
“I did not do it for you,” Vakar said. “But you are welcome.” His smell and face were hidden by his armor, his voice distorted and gravelly.
They all stood around awkwardly for a few moments, Eva making a fish face and raising her eyebrows, Pink glaring at Mari, Mari almost starting several sentences, and Vakar just looming since he was taller than all of them. Finally, Mari broke the silence.
“Where is Susan?” Mari asked.
“Sue?” Eva blinked. “She’s back on the ship with Min. Why?”
Mari took a breath, as if choosing her words carefully. “I was not authorized to bring Dr. Jones and Wraith Memitim to this meeting, but I was specifically asked to bring Susan.”
“‘Not authorized,’” Pink repeated, drawing out the words for emphasis. “So, what, we wait on the ship?”
“You’re welcome to visit our dining hall,” Mari replied. “We also have a lovely observation platform. For security reasons I cannot give any of you a full tour of Forge facilities.”
((Abort mission?)) Eva pinged at Pink.
((Go on,)) Pink replied. ((Be careful.))
Eva shrugged at her, and Pink sighed and gave her a dismissive gesture. “I’m staying here,” Pink said. “I’ll send Sue out.” She flipped up her eye patch to give Mari one last look, and to Eva’s surprise Mari flinched at the scrutiny from the mechanical eye.
“See you around, cupcake,” Pink said. Without another word, she turned and left.
Eva rested her hand on Vakar’s shoulder. “How about you?”
“I would like to visit the observation platform,” Vakar said.
Better than nothing, probably, since he was hoping to get information out of this place. Eva wouldn’t be surprised if he was already trying to hack into their systems. Min at least was likely stealing their q-net bandwidth by now.
Sue emerged a few minutes later, a smear of grease on one cheek and a dazed look in her eye. When she saw Mari, her pale skin flushed pink and she stared at her feet.
“Agent Virgo,” Sue said. “I’m, I mean, I know I was supposed to stay out of, you know, but—”
“It’s fine, Susan,” Mari interrupted, her all-business mask sliding firmly into place. “Come along, my superiors are waiting.”
Mari let Eva set the pace, leading them out of the docking bay into a sterile white hallway, occasional doors and plants and artwork adding texture and color. A few other people walked past as they went, mostly wearing casual civilian clothes. Some had protective gear Eva associated with laboratories, or spacesuits like Mari’s, albeit with less armor. Certainly no one was wearing uniforms with the forge plastered across the chest or back; maybe they all had secret anvil tattoos somewhere. A blue-skinned kloshian conferred with an eac about something that made the eac clack its beak in frustration, while a human and a four-armed buasyr carried boxes marked volatile from one room to another with nervous haste. Everyone looked busy, harried, but also entirely focused on whatever they were doing.