Trevor held up a hand to stem the tide of wilder and wilder speculations. His head was whirling. “Obviously these people don’t care much for facts. First of all, we’re sister ships with a common design and my ship was finished years after the Nebula Dream wrecked, but the vessels aren’t identical. And second of all, what purpose would it have served to try to pull off such a thing?”
Duffy waved his hands and made a harrumphing sound of dismissal “Oh, it’s too bizarre and farfetched for me to explain. Also something about an insurance scam on the part of the builder. Too convoluted to follow the shaky logic unless you’re big on conspiracy theories. Gianna’s father wasted a lot of credits trying to debunk these things to no avail. One could say he had a mild obsession about it in fact.” He paused to open an ornate wooden door. “This is your suite, sir.”
Trevor stepped inside and whistled. The room was old fashioned, like stepping into a historical trideo, but beautifully appointed, with rich wood paneling, elegant brocade curtains, overstuffed furniture and lavish use of crystal and gold accents. “I don’t think we have anything this fancy on the ship, not even on Level A. Certainly not in the crew quarters. I’ll be spoiled rotten.” Or else I won’t sleep at all.
“Brumel Three is quite an old, traditional world,” Duffy said, having followed Trevor into the room. He swiped a finger across one tabletop to check for dust, of which there was none Trevor could see and straightened an arrangement of flowers. “Settled and bypassed centuries ago. Master Paolo couldn’t wait to leave. When his appointment to the Star Guard Academy came through, he couldn’t get on a ship fast enough and has never been back. He and his father had a huge shouting match and he was disowned.”
“Gianna mentioned that to me.” He wasn’t interested much in the brother, other than experiencing a vague sadness for Gianna, who must have taken losing her childhood ally very hard.
Duffy hesitated. “She’s had a difficult life, sir, as you can probably imagine. Her Tajikka has been a huge comfort to her of course, and she’s able to lose herself in her painting for hours at a time. But there have been attempts to kidnap her and unpleasant events when she would visit the city. I feel you need to know this, if you’re going to be responsible for her safety on the cruise ship.”
Now the conversation was taking a turn which had him alert and engaged all right. Trevor stared at him. “Indeed. Tell me more.”
“Not much to tell. As you noticed, the house is quite well equipped with security and in her father’s day, when Gianna was a child, he maintained a private security force. The guards broke up the kidnapping attempt and the assailants escaped. Local authorities were unable to find them and the suspicion was the assailants escaped the planet in a private ship, probably using an illegal drug runner’s landing field. We assumed the intent was to hold her for ransom. Her father was wealthy and she of course was famous. Maybe the most well-known child in the entire Sectors at the time.”
Protective instincts engaged, he asked, “She doesn’t find it necessary to have guards now?”
“Not here, no. The local government maintains patrols on the boundaries of the estate and we have top of the line AI-run security on the grounds. Speaking of which, here’s your chit, which will give you access to the entire estate. Miss Gianna was quite specific you should be able to go wherever you wanted. There’s a full list of the amenities in the desk drawer and a map.” Duffy gave a slight bow to signify the conversation was at an end. “We used to entertain lavishly before the unfortunate cruise. It’s good to have a guest again.” He withdrew and as the door closed behind the elderly man, Trevor pondered what to do to pass the time.
First he called the ship and left a message for his boss and the captain that he was remaining on the planet at Ms. Nadenoft’s request but would return tomorrow, with her or without her. He gave the odds as 60-40 whether she’d decide to take the perceived risk to herself and embark. Then he went over the estate map and decided to go for a run around the perimeter, followed by a swim in the gigantic pond-like pool. He got antsy sitting still for too long and the physical activity sounded about right for his mood. The house’s AI generated running clothes and shoes for him and off he went.
The running cleared his mind and relaxed him and the swim was refreshing. Noting the time, he decided to show up for dinner with Gianna and see if he could learn more which might be useful if she did take passage on the Nebula Zephyr. As he dressed in his elaborate room, he found himself hoping she would choose to take the risk. She was a fascinating companion, mysterious at one moment and open and friendly the next. And those eyes of hers were killer—big, fringed with amazingly long lashes and he could fall into the emerald depths if he wasn’t careful. Grinning, he headed down the stairs and in the direction of the dining room. This house and its owner are having an effect on me, as if I’m the hero in one of those historical trideos. He liked the feeling, unaccustomed as he was to being off duty and completely relaxed. He had no responsibilities right here and now and was about as far removed from his own troubled past as he’d probably ever get.
Although the memories and the trauma were locked up inside him so there was no true escape. His earlier worries lurked at the edge of his mind but for right now he was enjoying himself.
On that cautionary thought, he rounded the corner and entered the dining room.
“I’m so glad you decided to join me,” Gianna said from her place at the head of the table. Patting the seat next to her, she added, “No need for us to be all formal—won’t you sit next to me?”
Poised at attention next to her, Verlaine was like an ancient statue, only the sparkling black eyes revealing his evident good mood. As Trevor sat, Gianna tossed the pet a piece of meat, which he caught and gulped in one bite, licking his chops and adopting a hopeful air, begging for more.
“I spoil him.” She made the admission with no embarrassment.
“Lucky for him.” Trevor served himself a generous helping of the roast and added a few scoops of the various side dishes. Duffy appeared from a side door and poured him a glass of ruby red feelgood.
“We grow the grapes on the estate and make the wine ourselves, sir,” the butler said as he left the bottle on the table conveniently close to Trevor.
Leaning on her elbow, Gianna contemplated him, making him a bit uncomfortable. “Did you have a good run? And swim?”
“Your property is beautiful,” he said. “And the security is impressive.”
“Oh, so it was a mix of exercise and doing your job?” she asked.
Picking up the glass of wine, he considered. “I guess it’s ingrained in me not to be content until I’ve assessed the survivability of a situation. No insult intended to you or your planet here, simply habits left over from my time in the military.” Holding his goblet closer to her, he said, “Shall we toast to your safe journey with us? If you decide to go?”
She clinked her glass against his and they drank, Gianna watching him over the lip of her glass.
“How did your painting session go?” he asked, figuring it was his turn to ask a question.
“Outstandingly. I think your visit and our conversation inspired me. I started a new canvas actually.” She seemed excited but the Tajikka had no reaction so Trevor assumed she was in normal good spirits. “It’s always such a rush when I’m painting and in the flow—I don’t notice time passing or much of anything else actually. Do you ever experience a similar emotion?”