Jack was coming back from lunch with Zeta when his personal cell rang. He answered.
"It's Barry," Barry said on the other end. "I'm in Norfolk."
"Yeah, and?"
"Got more bad news."
"Crap. What?"
"I don't think we're going to be able to keep this out of the press."
"Why not?" He shared a look with Zeta. He had appraised her of the latest developments in the Cheyenne case.
"Because the press is at the bottom of this. The lawyer, Abernathy, you know who he is?"
"No, but his website looks pretty good. I can't for the life of me figure out how someone with James's history got together enough money for that caliber of lawyer anyway."
"I've a guess. Cheryl Abernathy."
"And should I know that name?"
"Yes, you should," Barry scolded him. "She's lead producer on Hard Line."
"The conservative news show?"
"Yup, and she's also this lawyer's sister."
"Oh crap, we're being set up, aren't we?"
"You betchya," Barry said. "I'll bet anything Cheryl fronted the retainer, and has exclusive rights to James's sob story."
"Fuck, what are we supposed to do now?" Jack asked. He and Zeta entered the office and found seats.
"If I understand your legal system," Zeta said. "We could file to have the jurisdiction moved, to where the kids are."
"Not a bad thought," Jack said. "There is legal precedence." He shook his head. "No. I mean, if we have to. It will probably get Cheyenne off the hook. But the political backlash here, the news will have a heyday if we accept Consortium jurisdiction."
Zeta made a noise of frustration. "Your politics. We are only trying to do what's best for the kids. Not take over."
"I know, I know," Jack said. "But the guys at Hard Line and elsewhere, they'd love to spin the story that way."
"Let me keep digging and thinking," Barry said.
Jack shut off the phone and stood. He looked down on the earth below. "God, I could use some good news right now."
"Well, I don't know if this good or not, but it's news," Zeta began. "The diplomatic core has decided that personal rapport is important on this mission, and the counter parts should be the same as much as possible, so... I'm supposed to join the Shoshone team, for our side. I've most of my things being shipped from the base ship. I was going to look at apartments this afternoon."
"That is great news, Zeta," Jack said. "Great news. I look forward to working alongside you."
She blushed and smiled at him. "Thank you, you are very kind."
Before he could say anything else, his work phone was buzzing. Blumenthal was furious, that much was apparent the second he answered. "So it seems I've been invited to be interviewed by Hard Line, to comment on an interstellar custody case."
"Umm, yes sir, Barry's in Norfolk right now..."
"I thought you guys were going to handle this thing," Blumenthal interrupted.
"Yes, we will. I promise. I need to come down and go to Washington for a couple days anyway, get my affairs in order before I move up here for good. I could..."
"Take this interview? Yes, that would be lovely. I had them forward the information to your email. Make the state department look good. Most importantly, make it look like we did the right thing. Or your next assignment is going to a third world crap hole, I promise." The line clicked dead.
#####
"Good day, Sir," Kleppie sang out, snapping a salute and smiling. The officer returned the salute with a dark glare. Over two weeks of whatever crap jobs they could find had yet to phase Kleppie and it was souring the mood of his commanding officers.
To Dan he said, "Danavedahey, sir."
"Good day to you, too," Dan replied, trying to ignore the officer as he scowled and stomped off. "How was your day?"
"Oh, you know, the usual. Had to Sama-grasan the Nepathi-prayoga, again."
Dan thought hard, trying to recall the words. "Clean the toilets?" he guessed. "You're getting good at Consortium."
More of the fluid language rolled off Kleppie's tongue, something expressing deep gratitude for Dan's noticing. Dan nodded the direction that the officer had left. "Not letting them get you down?"
"Naw, every morning I try to memorize a half dozen new words. All day I just repeat them to myself, whenever some one starts in on me. Kind of like counting to ten before you blow up? Only I learn some new words to boot."
"Clever. Heard from Kavi?"
"Yeah, she left for Vaisada this morning. She'll be there three months, be coming back into our system the same time I get out."
"Vaisada? Where is that?"
"That's what they are calling it. It won't be officially christened for almost another year, but that's the new station they are building. The big one out in deep space where all those planets they want to explore are."
"What's she doing there?"
"Healing," Kleppie replied as he held the barrack door for Dan.
"I know, I mean didn't she go back with the Corelean?"
"No, she said she couldn't stand the thought of being on a small ship again, not after... anyway she landed a short term contract with the tech crew. Says it's pretty exciting. Big crew, dangerous work, all that. Some guy blew his thumb off with an arc welder the other day."
"Blew his thumb off?"
"Actually he barely cut the tip, but it's deep space and decompression took the rest back to the suit's first valve." Kleppie showed Dan on his own thumb where that was. "She had to do one of those clacker things like they did to Fox's arm."
"Three months? Then what?"
"She's coming back into the system. We're gonna spend some time together before I leave. Then, well, we haven't figured that out yet. Be time later."
"Before you leave?"
Kleppie leaned in and spoke in a hush tone. "I'm not spreading it everywhere cuz command is already pretty unhappy, but I got approved for space camp, level one, in Antartica in the spring. Just a month after I get out of the navy, actually."
"Awesome, I'm proud of you, Kleppie. You've really taken your destiny in your own hands."
Kleppie blushed. "Thanks." After a moment he said. "Have you heard from Walker?"
"Cheyenne? Yeah, briefly. She's on Shin now, with the kids."
"I heard some ruckus about that," Kleppie said.
"Yeah, the ex is raising a stink. Asshole. All the times she tried to get him to be involved with those kids. Now he wants to act like a father?"
"Too late," Kleppie agreed. "Too late, man. Could have gotten his act together a dozen times before now."
"Yeah, well one of the conservative news show has been playing the story up. Got some big interview with him and one of the state department guys."
Kleppie shook his head. "I try to avoid American news these days. Too much conservative crap. They don't understand what it's really like up there, and they don't want to."
"I know, but I figured I'd watch, you know, to support Cheyenne. God, I wish there was some way I could actually support her. I've thought about calling in, saying I know her and the situation, but command won't like that."
"Command already hates me, maybe I should?" Kleppie joked.
"Don't. It could get a lot worse than cleaning toilets."
"Yeah, I know," Kleppie said. They parted ways in the mid hall. "Say hi to Cheyenne if you hear from her," Kleppie said. "And tell Bakala," another fluid rush of consortium went across Kleppie's mouth and he smiled.
"I do not want to know where you learned that," Dan replied.