Home Truths
01 Feb 2019Kodeyne
The shuttle vibrated as it came out of glide, five kilometres above the surface of HR 6541 A4. Hills, forests and vast cash crop fields rolled past, beneath a carpet of lumpy clouds. Kodeyne had forgone the sim headset and watched the flight on a monitor instead. It felt deeply strange to be a passenger and not at the controls; but for now, the humankind-wide treaty on only letting specific vessels land on so-called outdoor worlds, for environmental reasons, meant that it had to be as a passenger.The grey smudge of a city crept over the horizon, and the five-minutes-to-landing announcement came up on the screen. She swallowed and closed her eyes, trying to keep her nerves under control.
From the ship to the terminal - through customs - and finally out of the spaceport. She took a deep breath of real, unprocessed air for the first time in months. Faint whiff of ship exhaust fumes. The dampness of vegetation. Despite her worries, it was nice to walk under a sky again. She looked around for a taxi rank, caught sight of herself in a window. Charcoal-grey pants, flat-soles black boots, white silk blouse and a knee-length jacket of luxurious Belalans ray leather, tanned the same colour as the trousers. It was one of the perks of being a pilot; getting stuff like this at source, and not forking out an arm and a leg for it. The outfit was topped off with a grey broad-brimmed hat that included an integral veil, covering her face. On a civilised world like this, her skinprints would make her stand out and the veil was a simpler option than the hassle and expense of getting the skinprints removed and applied again later...
She did not have a bag; everything she needed fitted into the pockets of the jackets, and she was not planning on staying too long. Her knife was still on board Falling Angel, up there in orbit. She felt uncomfortable without it, but she wouldn't have got it through the spaceport scanners. She dithered about whether to get an air cab or ground cab. She chose the latter because it was more discreet, and besides, she could use the time for a nap...
A modest slate-built house, surrounded by a small but well-maintained garden. She heard the cab pull away, looked around. Took a deep breath and began to walk up the gravel path to the front door. Splashes of colour surrounded her - beautiful flowers she couldn't identify, filling the air with a gentle scent. She removed her hat so she could sense it all better. The door. Dark-stained wood, a small leaded glass window at head height, black-painted furniture. She found the intercom panel, stepped up and nervously touched the panel, looking at the lens of the camera.
"Hello?" A female voice came from the speaker; one she recognised.
"Hello...Mrs Keenan?"
There was a pause, and the voice came back.
"I'm sorry, I don't think I know -"
The speaker went silent. Kodeyne swallowed and silently started to count. She would turn and go when she reached thirty. There was a soft clunk as the door unbolted and opened. Sophie Keenan was taller and slimmer than her daughter, but had passed down her looks and black curly hair. She stared at the figure outside.
"Ophelia?" she said disbelievingly.
"Mrs Keenan," Kodeyne stammered, "I - I -"
"Come in, please..."
The door clunked shut. She found herself in a slate-walled hallway, muted rugs and landscape paintings. "I almost didn't recognise you with those tattoos on your face," Sophie said softly, "it's good to see you, Ophelia."
"Likewise," Kodeyne said.
"This is about Alison, isn't it?"
Kodeyne lowered her head. "Yes..."
Sophie closed her eyes. "Go for it," she murmured.
"She's safe." The look of utter relief that crossed Sophie's face made Kodeyne wince. What had this woman and her husband been through? Not knowing?
"Come on, Ophelia. Please have a seat. And a hot drink?"
"Coffee, please. Black."
Sophie sipped herbal tea as Kodeyne leaned forward on the dark brown leather of the sofa. She inhaled the aroma of the coffee and sighed.
"What's been going on, Ophelia?" asked Sophie. "We knew something was wrong when Alison didn't reply to our Galmail messages. We contacted the FSS, of course. They said she'd been seen boarding a starship, and after that - not a trace."
Kodeyne nodded. "So that's when you hired the private investigator?"
"What?"
There was a long silence. Kodeyne put her cup down.
"I'm been followed by a PI. Name of Monfort. We spoke when I was down in Sothis, a few weeks ago. Implied Alison's parents had hired him."
Sophie sat back and shook her head. "No. Absolutely not. I don't get it, Ophelia. Please. Tell me what happened!"
Kodeyne sat back, took a deep breath and began.
"We arranged to meet up on Mars High. To catch up. Went for a coffee and a natter. But right from the outset, I guessed something was wrong; Ali had lost a hell of a lot of weight - too much - and had cut all her hair off."
Sophie gripped her hands together. Her face had gone pale.
"We talked for a while. All normal and happy. But then she told me she...was pregnant."
"We didn't even know she was seeing anyone!"
Kodeyne bowed her head and gritted her teeth. Looked back up with misery on her face.
"Mrs Keenan -" she broke off, shaking as the horror and rage came flooding back.
"She - she - she -" she couldn't make herself say it. But the light of understanding began to dawn in Sophie's eyes.
"My little girl," she said, tears beginning to form, "someone raped her?"
Kodeyne nodded mutely.
"Who? Someone known to her?"
"Yes. Someone superior at her work."
Sophie closed her eyes, though tears streamed her cheeks.
"Someone at Dobie-Bachmann did this?"
Only one of the biggest manufacturers of entertainment equipment in the Federation....
"So that's who she worked for. She never told me," Kodeyne said thoughtfully.
Sophie struggled to regain her composure. "What next?"
"She never reported it to the police, through fear of losing her job. I offered to help her. I flew her out of Sol and away to the Empire."
"The Empire?! My god! What the hell for?" Kodeyne was suddenly nervous. Sophie's sudden anger had her on edge, no matter how understandable it was.
"Because she was terrified to stay in the Federation. Because she knew who attacked her, knew how much power and influence he has."
Sophie calmed down a little.
"Where in the Empire?"
"A charitable institution. One sponsored by Princess Duval - for abused people."
"But where exactly?" It was almost a shout.
"Mrs Keenan, you say you have nothing to do with that private detective?"
Sophie was taken off guard by the sudden change in tack.
"That's correct. Why?"
Kodeyne sat forward and resumed drinking her coffee. "I think...that the detective is working, albeit unknowingly, for the man who raped Ali. He wants to track her down. To silence her. Because she could bring him down."
Sophie nodded slowly. "And...you don't want to say where Alison is for that reason? What I don't know, I can't tell kind of thing?"
"Yes. Oh gods below. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Mrs Keenan!"
Sophie rose from her chair and sat down besides the crying Kodeyne.
"Oh God. It's all right, Ophelia. Please! I'm grateful you've come out of your way to tell me."
Kodeyne nodded and brought up her wristerm. "I should be going," she muttered, "leave you in peace."
Sophie put an arm round her shoulders. "Ophelia. Knowing is better than not knowing no matter how much it hurts. Don't bother with a taxi. I'll drive you back myself." Kodeyne smiled gratefully.
"So what will you do now? asked Sophie as they rose to leave.
"Going to do a little detective work of my own."