The Fringe Wars

2.17

Battle Lines

"Took you long enough to stop by for a visit," Vym said from her bed in a private room off the infirmary.

The woman had aged far too much in the last year, Reyne noticed as he and Critch approached. Each man grabbed one of her hands.

After a moment, her scowl relaxed. "It's good to see you two together again. I've been out of the loop for a year. You'll have much to fill me in on...but I'm tired. It'll have to be later."

"I hope you haven't grown too attached to this place," Seda said as he took a seat on her cot next to her. "I'm having you moved to a new location today."

"Seda, my dear man." Vym smiled at Seda as he bent over and kissed her cheek. "I never doubted you'd come for me."

He seemed insulted. "I'd never leave one of my own to rot in that place."

She guffawed. "If all it took was for me to get thrown into prison for you to get off your lazy butt and take down that awful place, then my time there was well served." She patted his hand. "Thank you for sending in that pair of nice looking men to come fetch me. I admit I don't think I could've made it to the buses."

"I'm only sorry I couldn't have been there to take you to my personal clinic. I never meant for you to be brought here. But some matters arose that I needed to take care of first."

She frowned as she examined his rilon arm. "Does that have anything to do with the rumors I keep hearing of a ghost ship fighting off a squadron of CUF gunships?"

Seda chortled. "Everyone knows ghost ships aren't real."

She shot him a sideways glance. She then looked up at the others standing around her. "Hari, my girl. Good to know Seda hasn't driven you off yet."

"No, ma'am," the woman replied with a smile.

Birk gave a small wave. "Hi, Stationmaster Patel."

"Hello, Birk. I see Critch still isn't giving you enough to eat."

Sixx approached, and she scowled. "Oh no you don't. You stay back there. I'm still upset with you."

He held up her hands. "I didn't know she was your niece at the time. I swear it."

"Tut, tut, I don't want to hear it. You are an incorrigible young man. You'd better watch yourself. I'll be back on my feet in no time, and then you'll be sorry."

Seda's tablet chimed, and all heads turned to him. He pulled it out of his pocket and declined the call. "He can leave a message," he muttered.

Vym looked at the gray tablet and then across the faces. "My, times have changed even more than I realized."

"I'll bring you up to speed after I return from Myr," Seda said.

"Myr?" Sixx asked, before quickly tacking on, "I'm going with you."

"I won't be there long enough for you to see anything. I'm landing to pick someone up, and then I'll be heading back to the fringe."

"That's fine," Sixx said. "I'm still going with you."

Seda shrugged. "So be it." His tablet beeped, and he looked at it. He stared at the screen, frowning.

"Seda, what is it? What's wrong?" Vym asked.

He slowly looked up and blinked as though his mind had been in a different place. "Mason sent me a picture of him sitting in my office in Rebus Station."

"He's here?" Critch asked.

"You can't go, Seda," Reyne said. "You know it's a trap."

"I know that," Seda gritted out. He turned to Hari.