In A Starship's Wake

Chapter 35: Last Details

Tyrone and Justine visited Orson Station's lower levels every time he was home, and they discovered some amusing peculiarities during those visits. They were the narrowest part of the station, and almost every business there had windows looking out into space. It was set up to accommodate visitors to the station. Since most of them were accustomed to living on a planet, there was a conscious effort by businesses to duplicate the layout they would have on the surface.

Tyrone smiled, recalling how he learned about that practice. He noticed a spot on one level that couldn't be accessed from any of the surrounding hallways. It bothered him enough that he asked their server that night about it. In most parts of the station everything was laid out on one level, but hotels in the lower levels wanted to have several floors, as they traditionally would on the surface. The inaccessible space was an upper floor of one, and could only be reached from the floors below. Strange as it seemed, Tyrone realized it was exactly what he would have expected if he walked into the lobby. He had grown up on the surface, after all.

"There's Parello's," Justine said. The familiar restaurant had just come into view around a corner. The couple had eaten there several times, but instruction to meet a PICTA representative there had come as a surprise. Tyrone wondered whether the place was heavily involved with the group or it had just been a convenient location. If it was the former, they could have sat feet away from dozens of PICTA's operatives in their year on the station and been none the wiser.

"What are we expecting in here?" Justine asked. "You had a chance to talk to Joseph before we left, I was still getting ready."

"You were doing your hair."

She smacked his shoulder. "Which is part of getting ready!"

"Just being specific." He laughed and squeezed her hand. "He said he gave his account again and then answered a bunch of questions. I'd imagine the format for us will be pretty similar."

"What kind of questions did they ask?"

"He said they were less about the events and more about the places involved. We didn't get into much beyond that, there wasn't a lot of time and he was a little distracted."

Parello's was still closed, so one of the employees had to let them in. She said very little, only led them toward the place where the PICTA agent was sitting. Joseph had not described him, and the bald man was not what Tyrone had pictured. He knew the organization was far more than just some private military group, but he still expected a warrior, armored and armed.

The man sitting at the table looked much more like a clerk. In the time since Joseph's departure he had cluttered the table with notes and papers, and his clothing was office attire. A long, vertical scar on the right side of his head was the only thing that contradicted that image. It could well be a combat scar.

As they approached the man cleared off the table, most of the items going into his briefcase. He stood to shake their hands and indicated for them to be seated. "Mr. and Mrs. Barret, thank you for meeting me on such short notice. I'm Peter, PICTA asked me to interview you all. Did Mr. Essert warn you what to expect?"

"We discussed it a little, but we were leaving just as he returned," Tyrone said. "PICTA doesn't want you providing your surname?"

"They generally recommend that we use only our first name. We're allowed to use our surname instead, but strictly prohibited from using both."

"I see. Joseph didn't mention that detail."

"It came up, but we didn't really discuss it the same way. I don't think your partner was very fond of me by the time he left. You may not be either."