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06 Mar 2017Mara Korine
Mara paced between her favourite viewpoints in the terminal, waiting for the shuttle to arrive. She watched the skiers race down the mountain. She held her breath as one took a tumble and created a shower of powder. The skier was too far away for Mara to make out any details, and Mara was relieved to be see them emerge from the crash. She would have hated to think they had been hurt. Not long after she heard the call for the arriving shuttle. She picked up her things and headed for the boarding ramp.The shuttle was small and sleek craft unlike the boxy, economical shuttles that most places make do with. Her father insisted that their shuttles be comfortable. The shuttle was painted in her father’s companies branding, as were most of the ships and facilities in this scarcely populated system. A single passenger disembarked before Mara was allowed to board. He was a tall, red-headed man wearing a green jacket. He smiled and gave a polite wave to Mara, and she returned in kind. His hand was clearly artificial and Mara was surprised to notice it. It was an expensive unit and usually prosthetics are made to look natural. He must want people to notice.
“Mara!” came her sister’s voice from the shuttle.
“Jill? What are you doing here? Aren’t you and Ben supposed to be on Aruja? I’m so glad you are here though. I’ve had quite a trial,” Mara greeted her sister and rushed in to hug.
“How could I not come home when I heard you were missing? Or hiding? What was going on Mara?” Jill asked.
Mara explained that someone had been sabotaging her work, and that she would explain everything when they got home. “First,” she insisted, “Tell me about your wedding! I’m so sorry I missed it, and for nothing it seems. Mrs. Jillian Furthing. The name suits you well.”
“Oh, my god it was stressful! You wouldn’t believe the amount of organizing I had to do. It was worth every moment though, the location was just gorgeous and the dresses were beautiful. Mine most of all of course. I had to book the seamstress a year in advance. Her dresses are worn by anyone who’s anyone so I just had to have one. Would you believe she tried to double the price on me partway through? Ben put her straight and kept that under control. I’m so happy, Mara. And I’m so happy you are safe. Mom and Dad have been worried sick,” she added.
They boarded and the shuttle departed. Mara asked about the man who had left the shuttle at the terminal. “Oh, he came by to see Ben. Closing up some matter that had been between one of Ben’s businesses and whoever he works for. I don’t pay much attention to Ben’s business. He’s more than capable without me in that regard,” Jill answered with an air of indifference.
Mara’s home world, Ghilla, was growing larger through the view-ports as they approached. The bright blue light of the star lit the world up. Red and yellow continents became visible and the shuttle was heading toward the largest. Mara chatted with her sister, but kept watching out the window. Looking for the lake near the house to come into view. As much as she felt at home at the ski resort, seeing the lake that she’d grown up near and had so many adventures with Jill at, was truly when she knew she was home. She smiled when she spotted it. It would be just a few seconds before they were called on to buckle in and they would set down.
There was a car waiting to take them to the house and before long they were driving through the garden that was kept before the house. Mara loved the red-leafed shrubs and especially enjoyed where the garden opened up on either side of the driveway to display various local flowers. The Wilting Amy’s were in bloom and displaying their slim red stalks and their delicate green and violet blossoms which fluttered in the light breeze. Beyond the garden was the house. It was built from local timber and styled like the ski-lodges built for the resort they had landed at. The car pulled up to the main entrance and staff were waiting to take their luggage. The peak of the wooden vaulted ceiling towered three stories above, and the enormous windows seemed to watch over them as they made their way in. Inside the building felt as open as outside, though much more warm and inviting. Jill opened her comm turned away from Mara, saying that she was going to let Ben know she was back home. A domestic was replacing the flowers on display in the reception hall and Mara recognized him as Mr. Brandon, who’d been one of Mara’s favourite people since she was little. “Mr. Brandon!” she called, “How are things at home?”
“The house is doing well. Flowers are blooming and Mrs. Lin has collected seasonal ingredients from the grounds for dinner. Your father is in the library. I’m not sure where your mother is. Oh and your grandmother is due to visit in some days,” he replied.
“That’s alright, I’d rather see my father right now, thank you. Tell me, how are you doing?”
“I’m doing well Ms. Korine. I did have an embarrassing mishap with that Mr. Grenland, but your father excused me well,” Mr. Brandon answered.
“Oh, no. I hope it wasn’t too bad. Who was this Mr. Grenland? I haven’t heard that name before,” Mara asked.
“He was here on business with Mr. Furthing, I didn’t pry about what sort and I nearly killed the man!” Mr. Brandon explained.
“What? How did you manage that?”
“Well I served him a bowl of Mrs. Lin’s special soup. It has shrimp in it, and I knew I should check the allergy requirements but I was in a hurry you see and I missed it,” Mr. Brandon elaborated, “His face swelled up something awful. He wanted me fired on the spot.”
“Father wouldn’t sack you just like that. You’ve been with us all my life at least. And shouldn’t Mrs. Lin have known that before making that soup?”
“Your father is a fair man. But I wasn’t to show my face until the man had gone. He left just today,” Mr. Brandon said.
“Wearing green? Ridiculous looking hand? I might have seen him,” Mara added.
“Yes, that was him. Smug man, and unpleasant as all hell when he wants to be.”
Jill, apparently having finished her call was ushering Mara to join her as she headed towards the grand staircase that led to the bedrooms. Mara hugged Mr. Brandon, wished him well and then headed upstairs with her sister. Jill tugged at Thelonius, who was still strapped to the side of Mara’s backpack. “Where’d you get this guy from? He’s beat up, but cute,” she asked.
“Oh Thelonius,” Mara laughed, “I found him in my last ship just tucked away in a cabinet. He was my only companion out there for a while. I’d like to fix him up, do you think Mr. Grennan would let me borrow his sewing supplies?”
“Why you want to fix it yourself? Grennan will sew anything you want him to,” Jill wondered.
“Thelonius means a lot to me, and some of the damage is my fault.”
“You’ve gone mad. It’s just a stuffed bear,” Jill laughed.
Mara smiled and opened the door to her room and tossed her pack onto her bed. It landed heavily in the middle of the bed, leaving an indentation. “He might surprise you,” Mara responded. Her sister sat on the bed and unstrapped Thelonius.
“Gosh, he’s heavy,” she blurted.
“Yes, he is,” Mara affirmed as she joined Jill on the bed and started to unpack her things. She showed off the few mementos she’d collected and put her personal items away.
“So tell me everything.”
Mara paused and collected her thoughts before speaking, “I don’t think I can, or that I should tell you everything Jill. I got into some trouble with my research. I can say that. And I met some interesting people.”
“Did you have any rendezvous?”
“No! I mean, no. Maybe I could have but I didn’t.”
“Oh, come on. Do you have to be so obvious? You’re terrible at hiding things you know.”
Mara let out a disgusted snort, “I am terrible at that apparently. Just ask Donnelly Vallum. Well, if you must know there was a man. But we didn’t get involved. We are, were, only friends. Acquaintances really.”
“You wanted more though? What happened?”
“I messed up and lost his trust. I deserve it, I promise.”
“Mara. Don’t beat yourself up. It would probably have just ended with him breaking your heart after he was done with a fling anyway. Honestly, it’s better to get out of something like that early. Tell me about the guy though? And what really happened?”
“He was cute, Jill. His name is Jim. I’d chartered him to take me out to the rim and back, and you know after time like that in close quarters we started hanging out. We didn’t do anything romantic, just made meals and watched shows but it was nice. At least it was until he caught me snooping in his cargo manifest.”
“I’m sure you had a good reason. What did you suspect him of? Do you think he is a smuggler or a criminal? Should we call the police?”
“Well, yes he is actually. But I knew that. I had no reason to snoop. I don’t know why I did. I just stumbled on the file and Thelonius said he knew the password.”
Jill was posing Thelonius when Mara said this. She stopped and asked, “Who is Thelonius? Didn’t you call the stuffed toy Thelonius?”
“Can you keep a secret Jill? Promise me you won’t tell a soul. Not even Ben.”
“I promise, but what are you going on about?”
“Thelonius knew the password because he’d been in Jim’s systems. I shouldn’t have listened to him.”
“The stuffed bear? You’re not making sense,” Jill got up from the bed and turned Thelonius over in her hands, “I was joking when I said you were mad, but now I’m not so sure.”
“Wait, watch,” Mara instructed as she pulled out Thelonius’s activation chip from her bag and inserted it into the house’s main system. Within moments Thelonius came to life in Jill’s hands and turned to look at his present perch.
“Hiya, babe. Since you’re already holding me do ya just wanna,” Thelonius started, before being cut off by Jill startling and dropping him on the floor.
Mara smiled at her sister, “Jill, meet Thelonius.”
“Jeez, Mara. Who is this broad? Well, she can make it up to me with dinner right? I don’t eat much and I’m not picky. Anywhere will do,” Thelonius bargained.
“She’s my sister, Thelonius. And she’s not available.”
Jill stared at Thelonius and collected herself. “Ok, explain this Mara,” she demanded.
“He’s an AI. The bear is just his body, he’s running off the house system for the most part.”
“God dammit, Mara! That’s damn sensitive information,” the bear complained.
Mara looked at Thelonius intently and countered, “She’s my sister, and she’s known every secret I’ve had in my whole life. You can trust her. And you are a guest in this system. Behave.”
“Alright, so tell me,” Jill asked, “Is there any part of your absence that Mom won’t want to lock you away for?”
“I did get a lead on my research. Unfortunately, between my own bad habits and being hunted by some crazy maniac I’m not able to confirm the science without doing the experiment over again. Though now I have an idea for a better one. As long as I can be sure no one will come after me, or silence me.”
“Ok, that started out well and went right back into ‘Mom’s going to put you to work in the university basement for the rest of your life’ territory. And you’re scaring me Mara. Start again, and this time don’t leave anything out.”
Thelonius interrupted, and told Jill what he knew of the story. He was crude, but accurate and Mara denied none of it.
“So what are you going to do?” Jill asked.
“I was going to talk with Dad, and see if he can help. And obviously, avoid Mum as much as possible.”
“Mara, this is a lot to take in. So you think some corporation is out to get you, and has hired assassins?”
“I have had guns pulled on me. I was rescued by friends of Jim, yes.”
Jill continued, “And you managed to get involved with smugglers and thieves?”
“Smugglers, I don’t think anyone mentioned stealing anything.”
“Except for that job that was mentioned. They want you to break into a secure facility and steal some schematic? That’s clearly insane.”
Thelonius interrupted, “Hey, it’s totally doable darlin’. Robert and Flea, they are amazing pilots. Jim has connections in the black market, and Mara knows how businesses work above the board. And I can take down any electronic defense known to man!”
“Don’t brag,” Mara cautioned, “And we are not going to be doing that. It’s dangerous, illegal, and stupid. We’ll find another way.”
“Of course we will!” affirmed her sister, “We’ll shut these people down, I’m certain of it. But how?”
Thelonius spoke up, “Look I know these people. They have so many resources to control everyone they don’t like that it’s impossible to go up against them, but they are weaker from the inside. I know they can be incriminated if you get behind their defenses. Your alternative is to not fight, and give them what they want. If you disappear or focus your energies on things they aren’t worried about they shouldn’t bother you.”
“Or,” started Jill, “we can try what we did when Ti’Lan was trying to oust Dad out of those hotels he’d bought last year. We have the best accountants in the galaxy, if there’s so much as a decimal out of place in their info they will find it. And we can exploit it. Let’s try that first. We can talk to father after dinner.”
“Yes, I like that plan,” Mara accepted, and called for Mr. Grennan to bring up some sewing supplies.