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The small house in the Mare Crisium district had once belonged to her parents. I remembered it from previous visits. I circled the block a couple of times. The windows were dark; she obviously wasn’t home yet. I parked my car in front and got out. The street was quiet. Lights shone in a few windows, and the occasional hover-car passed by. It didn’t look much different from a neighborhood on Earth.

I walked up the path to the front door and played the game for the neighbors. When no one answered the bell, I got back into my car and circled around the block, approaching the house from the rear.

Navigating a strange house in the dark is always an interesting adventure, and I moved cautiously to avoid knocking stuff over or cracking my shins on the furniture. I hoped, a little belatedly, that she didn’t have cat for me to stumble over, or a big fucking dog in the basement. A car pulled into the garage alongside the house and I hid in the shadows next to the kitchen door, my weapon drawn. A key turned in the lock, and I grabbed her before she could turn on the light, my hand covering her mouth so she couldn’t scream. She uttered a muffled squawk and tried to twist out of my grasp. I brought my weapon up where she could see it.

“Quiet, Joanna.”

I don’t know whether it was the sight of my weapon or the sound of her name, but her struggling stopped.

“I don’t want to hurt you. I just want to talk. Okay?”

She nodded and I slowly removed my hand, ready to replace it if she tried to scream.

“Who are you?” she demanded. There was an undercurrent of fear and outrage in her voice. “What do you want?”

“I’m an old friend of Danny’s.”

“Danny’s dead.”

“I know.”

She was silent for a moment. “Can I turn on the light?”

The neighbors would have seen her drive in; they’d wonder why she was sitting around in the dark.

“Okay.”

She moved away from me, and a second or two later the light came on. She stood uncertainly in the middle of the kitchen, watching me. She was tiny, not much over five feet, and long, auburn hair framed a heart-shaped face and blue eyes. I’d always thought of her as Danny’s baby sister. Had she always been this beautiful?

“How do you know Danny?” she asked.

“We were friends. Years ago. We were in the GSF together.”

Her eyes narrowed. “How do you know me? I don’t remember you.”

“Gage Brassan?” I prompted.

Her eyes widened as realization dawned. “I saw you on the vid-link.” She paled. “Are you here to kill me?”

“I told you, I’m here to talk.”

“About what?”

“About what happened the night Danny died.”

“Rebels killed him. And his unit. But then, you’d know that.”

“Not rebels.”

Suspicion laced her voice. “Who then?”

“Androsian military.”

A flicker of confusion passed across her face. “But…they were our allies.”

“Yeah. That’s what we thought.”

That’s why it was so easy for them to decimate us.

She moved warily to the table and pulled out a chair. “What do you want from me?” she asked as she sat down.

“I want you to get me into the Arcturon.”

“What for?”

“I want a word with Director Lansing about what went on in that jungle.”

“Why would he know anything?”

“He was the commanding general of the Gold Bands at the time; he and the Androsian High Command were pretty chummy there for awhile. I think he knows who gave the order to fire on us.”

“You think he gave the order himself.” It wasn’t a question.

“Maybe. He was one of the few people with the authority to pull it off.”

“But why? Why would he do that?”

“I don’t know. That’s what I want to ask him.”

Right before I blow his traitorous head off.

She chewed her bottom lip as she watched me, a myriad of emotions flashing across her face. Suspicion. Confusion. When she spoke again, her voice was laced with frustration and irritation.

“I work in the Records Department. I’m not anywhere near Director Lansing or his office—I don’t know how much help I can be.”

“Just get me into the building, I’ll find my own way to Lansing.”

“And if I refuse? What then? You’ll kill me? That’s what you do, isn’t it? You kill people?”

I met her gaze steadily. “Yeah, that’s what I do.”

She paused, lowering her gaze. “You’re not the man I remember. The Gage Brassan I knew would never do what you’ve done.”

“The Gage Brassan you knew died in the Androsian jungle with Danny and the rest.”

“And how is it you got out when they didn’t? Wasn’t it your job to bring them back alive?”

The accusation in her voice hit me like a slap in the face. “A long story. One I don’t have time to get into now. Let’s just say I took the only option available to me at the time.”

“Maybe I should exercise my own options and tell you to go to hell. The Doranis have put a bounty on your head. I can use the extra cash.”

She had guts, I had to give her that. “You don’t want to do that.”

“No? Why not?”

I didn’t answer her directly, just let her draw her own conclusions.

“Danny would hate to see what you’ve become,” she said softly. “He loved you like a brother.”

“They lied to you, Joanna. Don’t you get it? Our allies killed Danny and the others, and then lied to cover it up. Don’t you want to know the truth?”

She closed her eyes, wiping tears away. I’d struck a nerve, and I had to exploit it before the moment was gone.

“Lansing has to know something,” I insisted. “Just get me close to him.”

Silence stretched between us as she struggled with her decision. What would I do if she refused? Could I get into the Arcturon without her?

Finally she sighed. “Fine, I’ll see what I can do. But I can’t promise anything. Where can I reach you?”

I smiled grimly. “Here.”