 
Copyright © 2018, 2016 by Nicole C. Luttrell

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

Cover Art by Jeremy McClimans, 2018, 2016

Books in the Station 86 series

Seeming

You Can't Trust The AI

Virus

Station Central (Coming in 2019)

Other books by Nicole C. Luttrell

Woven

Broken Patterns

Starting Chains

Missing Stitches (Coming soon from Solstice Publishing)

Days and Other Stories, a short story collection

Spook, a short story collection

Deciding To Start

Twelve Little Christmas Tales (Coming November, 2018)

Dedicated to my loving and wonderful husband, who never stops supporting me, laughing with me, sharing a life with me.

Also to every member of NASA, past, present and future. The human race will always look to the stars.

Episode 1

In the year 2099, a company called Galitech launched the first space station meant for recreational use. They shipped up food, sand, sea water, a whole lot of booze and somewhere around a thousand employees. What they created was called Station Center. It floated just beyond the moon and was advertised at the ultimate vacation destination.

Once everyone was convinced that the whole thing wasn't going to devolve into some terrifying human behavior experiment, the overcrowded Earth started looking skyward. In 2104, what was later called the Summer of The Stations, 99 space stations intended for residential use were launched.

At first, they were populated by the brave and the bored. Celebrities thought it was posh to move off planet. Eventually, moving to space was the equivalent of moving to another country.

In 2117, something happened that mankind had pretty much assumed was an inevitability. We made First Contact. A race of people called the Khloe found a random station, Station 86. The thing that surprised people most was that they weren't really all that different from us. While it was true that their skin was red and their hair hard and crystal-like, they were a far cry from the 'alien' everyone had in mind. Even so, it was a day that no one would forget, least of all the children on the station, including a little girl named Sennett.

The Khloe people weren't the last to find us. A few years later they were joined by a race called the Ma'sheed. They caused quite a sensation because they glowed. They sent envoys to stations and lost no time becoming friends. Finally, the Toth quietly made contact. A tall and exceptionally calm race, it was sometimes hard to tell them apart from an Earthian. The only real difference was that their nails and eyes were black.

Over time the four races got along with varying degrees of success. Because Earth was too far away, Station 86 became the political outpost for inter humanoid relations.

These are the stories of Station 86

Godfrey Anders leaned across the counter of his food district booth, scowling at the tablet in his hand. He'd been trying to write this letter for twenty minutes, and so far all he had was 'Dear Dad'. He took a deep breath and shook his mane of dark curls out of his face, then tried again.

I know we haven't really talked since Ki and I got married, but...

No, what the hell would that do? It was his dad that wasn't talking. He backspaced, and tried again.

I miss you, and Ki would love to come meet you.

That was a lie. As much as Ki would love to see Earth, she had no desire to meet a man that she called, 'that racist asshole.' No sense starting this out with false expectations.

I've just found out that I'm terminally ill, and...

No, that would just make him think he'd been right all along. It wasn't bad enough that his only son had run off to space to open a glorified food truck, but then he'd gone and married an alien. In the mind of Matthew Anders, a terminal illness was exactly what Godfrey deserved.

He wished people were in the habit of writing letters on paper still. Hitting the delete button wasn't nearly as satisfying as crumpling up a page when writing became difficult.

Across the aisle from him was a screen, on which the news was playing. With no customers to distract him, Godfrey turned his attention to it.

"The station is all geared up for the homecoming of Head Councilwoman Montgomery this afternoon," the news anchor said, a large grin on his face. "Down here at level one, security has been tripled due to recent anti-council protests. But that's not going to stop anyone from having a good time! There are no less than 15 hospitality stands, where citizens can buy drinks, frozen yogurt, klav and a vast collection of other treats."

"Excuse me," said an older woman at the other side of his counter. Godfrey turned to her with a smile. She pointed to the sign above his head. "Do you really have fresh fruit from Earth?"

"The seeds are from Earth," Godfrey said, "and the soil is. But the fruit was grown right here on Station 86, in my own little greenhouse."

"But it's real?" the woman asked, "It's not simulated?"

"Nope, not simulated," Godfrey said.

The woman raised an eyebrow at him. "How do I know it's real?" she asked.

Godfrey laughed. He took a yellow apple from a basket next to him and grabbed a small knife. "You can tell by the taste." He cut a wedge of the apple for the woman. "Try this, and tell me it's not real."

The woman took the slice, still giving him a distrustful look. All around them, people were milling around on the market level of the station. It was right in between the lunch and dinner hour, so no one was particularly interested in the food isles. Instead, they passed by, mostly men laden with shopping bags, running errands while the kids were at school.

The woman took a bite of the apple slice. As soon as she did, her eyes lit up. "I haven't had an apple like this since I was a kid," she said.

"I told you," Godfrey said with a chuckle. "Simulators just can't reproduce that taste."

The woman started to reply but was interrupted by shouting.

They turned to see a young girl, her hand partway in the pocket of a man's jacket. Holding her arm was a police officer that Godfrey recognized, Sennett Montgomery.

Godfrey guessed that some might have found Sennett attractive. She kept her long hair set in thousands of small braids, corralled in a metal band. She was tall, with dark brown skin and brown eyes. He, however, was too put off by the amount of tech she wore to find her very attractive at all. She had the three circular circles on her temple that indicated a virtual screen. On her wrist, she wore the receiver, a thick silver band that reached nearly halfway to her elbow.

"Let me go!" the girl cried, as the man moved away, looking disgusted. "I didn't do anything."

"Don't lie to me," Sennett snapped, giving her arm a shake. The girl wrenched left and right, trying to get out of Sennett's grip.

Sennett shook her head and pulled the girl along with her. As they passed Godfrey's stall, the girl thrashed, kicked the front and knocked his tablet to the ground.

"Hey!" Godfrey cried. "Can't you keep your prisoner's under control, Officer?"

Sennett scooped the tablet off of the ground, and looked at it, still holding the girl by one hand.

"It's not bad enough you've been poisoning my plants, you've got to let pickpockets smash up the front of my stall?" he snapped, "I'd like that back now."

"You made your complaint about me, it was looked into, and no evidence was found," Sennett said, "So you can shut up about your greenhouse, I haven't touched it."

She took a step, just outside of his outstretched hands. "Well, what's this?" she asked, "Are you applying to the council?"

She held the tablet up to show him the application form. Apparently, it had opened when the tablet fell.

"That is really none of your business," Godfrey said, snatching the tablet from her.

"You're a Foundation Party member, though. Isn't it the Foundation Party leader that's trying to overthrow the council?"

"Saul Mai just wants the council to be more transparent," Godfrey said, "And if you don't want that too, you're a fool. No one has any say on who's selected, the council chooses their own members. No one even has an idea of what happens during their closed-door meetings. I would think the Current Party would have a problem with that, too."

"So your way to fix that is to be one of the people doing things with no transparency?" Sennett asked, "Yeah, that seems like pretty common Foundation Party doublespeak."

"Yeah," the girl said. Godfrey noticed for the first time that she was wearing the four intertwined circles of the Current Party as a pin on her jacket. Godfrey himself had the four overlaying squares of the Foundation Party on his own.

"You're under arrest, " Sennett said, giving the girl another shake, "You don't get a say."

She continued on, dragging the pickpocket along with her.

A few hours later, Godfrey was closing up when his wife, Ki, arrived. She looked tired, still dressed in her uniform from the hospital.

Even tired, Godfrey thought she was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. She'd been the first person he'd met on the station, and her red skin had caught his attention right away. Her hair was a brilliant red, hard a stone, and chipped short to her head.

"Hey," she said, giving him a tired peck on the cheek.

"Hey," he replied, "Do you still want to go down to level one and see Councilwoman Montgomery come home?"

"Yeah," Ki said. She pressed a button on the side of the counter, letting loose three scrubbers. They scooted across the counter and the stove range, cleaning all of the surfaces. "It was just a day. David and the new Ma'sheed girl both pulled no-shows. Then, some kid at the college accidentally melted half her lab. No one was seriously hurt, but the ER was full of whiny college kids and freaked out parents."

"So we'll stop by a stall with some booze first thing, then," Godfrey said, pulling a tray of clean dishes from the washer. Soon enough they had the whole shop cleaned up. They pulled the front shutter down and made their way to the transit station.

The transit had fascinated Godfrey when he'd moved there, five years ago. People moved from level to level on a set of train cars that traveled in a corkscrew formation along the outer walls. The clockwise trains went down, the counter-clockwise trains went up.

They obviously weren't the only ones interested in seeing the head councilwoman's return home. There was a line for the first train, Godfrey and Ki ended up having to wait for another. A group of college kids was waiting as well.

"Hey, check out the Cherry skin," one of them called. Her fellows chuckled. Godfrey looked over at them and was saddened to see that they were wearing Foundation pins. "Won't your parents be ashamed to hear about this," he called, "when I tell them about it?"

When the kids looked unimpressed, he said, "Kathy, Rodger, I know your moms will have something to say about this."

Realizing that they'd been recognized, the kids slunk a little farther away, shooting Godfrey dirty looks occasionally.

"Little punks," he muttered, pulling Ki close. She rolled her eyes and said, "Kids are kids, no matter the planet."

They boarded the transit and took their seats. He pulled out his tablet and started scanning through the news. "Take a look at this," he said, pointing out an article to her. "There's a new poll out that says Saul Mai's got the highest likability ranking of any Foundation Party leader in the past decade. He's more popular than most of the Current Party leaders, too. Even that new guy they just voted in, Howard Stoats."

"Is it normal for Foundation Party leaders to be unpopular?" Ki asked.

"Well, it's always been the smaller party," Godfrey said. He sighed, and added, "I know we're in space, but there's still a place for tradition, and history. We're out here to assure that our cultures live on forever, all of us."

Ki sniffed. "Honey, you know I don't understand this obsession Earthians have with political parties. It just gives everyone something to fight over."

"No, it gives the people the numbers we need to get our voices heard," Godfrey said.

They reached level one, the docking level. Godfrey hadn't thought it possible that it could be any more crowded than it normally was, but somehow the people of the station had managed it. The hospitality stalls were packed, and any surface that could be sat upon was in use. Kids, clinging to parents or perched on shoulders, shouted everywhere. He was sure that everyone who lived on the station was there, from every planet. He kept a good hold of Ki's hand, especially when they passed a collection of officers. Their blue uniforms were meant to resemble American police officers on Earth, and they did a horribly good job as far as he was concerned.

"Come on!" Ki cried, pulling him forward.

"I'm coming," he said, laughing at her excitement. "It's a big ship, we're not gonna miss it."

Ki looked back at him and knocked into someone holding a child. "Oh, sorry," Ki said.

The woman turned. It was Sennett, now dressed as a civilian in jeans and a hoodie, holding what Godfrey assumed was her daughter, April. She looked very much like her mother, but with a head full of fluffy, dark hair. She was a cute kid, but Godfrey noticed that Sennett had her teched out as well. She wore decorative wrist cuffs and had an earpiece in one ear. Godfrey couldn't even imagine what a four-year-old needed an earpiece for.

"No problem," Sennett said. Next to her stood a man who looked to be a couple years younger than her. He was pale, well built, with dark hair that was shaved close to his head. Like Sennett, he wore the three metal dots on his temples. He also wore the Current Party pin on his jacket.

"What are you doing here, Hypocrite?" Godfrey asked, "After bitching about the council?"

"Wanna watch your mouth in front of my kid?," Sennett said.

"Councilwoman Montgomery's our mom, Dumbass," the boy said.

"Mason, could you shut up?" Sennett asked.

"Well, that makes sense," Godfrey said, "Not only are you a cop, but you're a cop with connections. That's why you're getting away with poisoning my plants."

"Give it up," Sennett said, "I'm not doing anything to your damned plants."

"Well, they're not dying on their own," Godfrey replied.

"Oh, why don't you take you're damned lame accusations, and-,"

She was interrupted by cheering. A massive screen behind them lit up. The Councilwoman's ship was nearly home.

Godfrey grinned. He supposed it was nothing major. The head councilwoman was in and out of the station several times throughout the year. But there was always this pomp and circumstance, this celebration when she returned.

The ship was sleek, thin and silver, meant only for short trips between the stations. The screen changed from the exterior view to an image of the Councilwoman. She was older, with gray hair pulled back in a low ponytail. She was smiling at all of them.

"Hi, Grandma!" April cried, next to Godfrey. Councilwoman Montgomery must have heard her because she laughed.

"Hello, everyone," she said, "It is good to see home again. I've got to stop going away so long."

The crowd let up a cheer.

Then the screen went black. The next moment, it sounded as though several large things hit the side of the station, just outside of the loading docks.

From the front of the room, Godfrey heard yelling. The screen remained black. Several IHP agents, dressed in black suits, began to move towards the docking bay and their ships.

"What is this?" Sennett whispered.

"Everyone, please remain calm," said a voice over the loudspeaker. "All officers and IHP agents are now on duty. Report to your squad leader or immediate supervisor for orders. All civilians please return to your homes, now."

From the front of the crowd, someone yelled, "The councilwoman's ship's blown up. She's been killed!"

"Are we under attack?" Ki whispered, pulling Godfrey closer.

"No," Sennett said. She'd set April on the ground, and was looking at her receiver. "That ship couldn't have been taken down by anything besides station mounted weaponry. It had to have come from the station."

Episode 2

Sennett slipped into her apartment, trying not to wake Mason and April. She knew they didn't like sleeping in their own rooms when she was gone at night. Sure enough, she found them both asleep on the sectional couch in the living room.

No one had expected Councilwoman Montgomery's daughter to be on duty that night, so no summons had come for her. She was thankful because she would have hated to ignore it. She'd had no intention of being stuck on guard duty while the bitch who killed her mother stalked around the station.

Though, for all the good it had done her, she might as well have gone in.

She made her way her bedroom, intending to change her clothes, grab a caffeine bracelet and some khlav then head up to the police station on Level 10. Maybe someone had found some sort of lead. Maybe she'd get extra lucky and it would be the kind of someone who shares leads with uniforms.

"Mommy?" April called, rising sleepily from the couch.

"Hey, Baby," Sennett said, "I'm in here."

April came into her room, just as Sennett had finished tucking her uniform shirt in. She picked the girl up and set her on her hip. "You don't have to leave again, do you?" April asked.

"I'm sorry, but I have to," Sennett said, "I have to find the bad girl before she hurts somebody else."

"But what if she comes here, and you're gone?" April asked. She set her head on Sennett's shoulder.

"You know what to do if that happens, don't you?" Sennett asked. It had never happened, thank God, but no police officer was so dumb as to not have a backup plan for her family.

"Go into the closet with Uncle Mason and stay there until you come," April replied. She played with the purple cuff on her wrist, decorated with bunnies and moons.

"That's right," Sennett said. She kissed April on the forehead and set her on the ground. "How about you and Uncle Mason make strawberry pancakes for breakfast?" she asked.

"Can I have cherry milk?" April asked.

"Yeah, okay," Sennett agreed. She was jealous as she watched April run into the living room to wake Mason. She wished that a cup of cherry milk would make her feel better, if only for a little while.

She went to the kitchen to heat up a cup of khlav and a hatsu. Mason joined her there a few minutes later and started fussing with the simulator.

"How do you eat those things?" he asked, looking at her pastry.

"They're delicious and filling," Sennett replied.

"But they're filled with rats," Mason said, scratching his head.

"They're not filled with rats, rats are from Earth," Sennett said, "They're made with soto."

"And what's a soto? It's a rat from Khloe," Mason said.

"How are you making jokes right now?" Sennett asked.

Mason looked over at her, looking so much older than his 19 years right then. "I've got to stay here and take care of April. Cherry milk isn't going to distract her for long. If I don't make jokes, I'll freak out."

"Okay, you're right," Sennett said. She gave him a hug and held on a little longer than normal. "Why would anyone want to kill her?"

"I'd start looking at the marshal from the Foundation Party," he said, "He's been the one running his mouth about how we need to do away with the council altogether."

"Right," Sennett said. She made herself let go. "I'll be home when I can, but I don't know when that's going to be."

"That's cool. We'll just hang out here and watch videos," Mason said, "You worry about catching this bitch."

The transit wasn't as busy as most mornings. Sennett managed to find a seat and settled in to nibble on her breakfast and try to distract herself with her news feed. It didn't work, but it gave her somewhere to look beside into the frightened faces of her fellow passengers.

An older man sat down next to her. "Ma'am?" he asked, "Excuse me, Ma'am?"

"Help you?" Sennett asked, looking up.

"You're a peace officer, right?" he asked.

"That's what my badge says," Sennett said.

"Right," he said, "Do you know anything? About what's going on, I mean."

"Only what everyone else knows," she said, taking a bite of her hatsu.

"Oh, okay. So, um, should we be worried? I mean, do we know who attacked the councilwoman?"

Sennett sighed. "Sir, we live in a great big station hanging in the middle of space. On that station, every day, we hunt down thieves, loan sharks, killers and your garden variety asshole who just wants to get drunk and punch someone. The only difference today is that the person who was killed was someone we all know. So, I think, we shouldn't be any more worried today than we are any other day."

"Oh," the man said. He got up to find another seat.

Level 10 was busy. Detectives sat at their desks, either working or doing very good impressions. Officers came from locker rooms, or supply rooms, either going on shift or coming off. Interns and office assistants bustled around, doing all the random odd jobs that no one noticed unless they weren't done. All looked normal, same as it had been yesterday morning. The only difference this morning was that everyone wore a black band either over their badge or on their upper right arm. It was an ancient tradition, dating back to America on Earth, but an honored one. She had one on her own arm. It was nothing, weight wise, would barely have registered on most scales. She wondered if she was the only officer who felt it's immense weight.

Sennett went to the clock in screen and clicked her name from the list on the left-hand side. It popped back to the right, indicating that she was about to be in the field. Just as she turned to check in with her sergeant, though, Commissioner Stone poked her head out of her office. "Montgomery," she called, "Can I see you?"

She nodded, hoping she wasn't going to be sent home before she learned anything.

The commissioner's office was comfortable. A white desk with a sleek metal chair sat in the center of the room, with large screens on every wall. Two of Sennett's fellow officers, Joyce and Amanda, were already there.

When the door closed behind Sennett, Commissioner Stone said, "Thank you for coming. Before we begin, Sennett, I want to extend my sympathy for the death of your foster mother."

"Thank you," Sennett said, but she bristled. She and Mason had never much cared for the 'foster' disclaimer when it had come to their mother.

"Last night, Councilwoman Sonya Voit was nominated as the new head of the council," Stone continued, "Needless to say, she was in contact with me not long after. Her first concern is the safety of the station while we find the killer. As such, she is asking a lot of us. Doubling shifts, increasing the detectives that are investigating. Especially now that the IHP has left."

"Where did they go?" Amanda asked, "Isn't the whole point of the IHP that they're supposed to protect humankind?"

"I wasn't privy to their reason's for leaving," Stone said, her tone frosty. "They received a message from their higher ups, and left."

"Great timing," Sennett said, "All the times they're in here interfering with our cases, and now when we could use a hand they've taken off."

"No sense complaining about what we can't fix," Stone said, "Now, the council has also asked for some officers to help guard them. That's what I'd like the three of you to do."

"Do we think that the rest of the council could be targeted?" Joyce asked.

Stone shrugged. "You know as well as I do that Councilwoman Montgomery didn't have any personal enemies. But with all those anti-council rallies recently I think it's a good idea to at least be cautious. The council members are at their office on Level Two. Move out."

"Commissioner, I was really only checking in," Sennett said, quickly, "I was gonna go home if I'm not really needed, and if you're sticking me on security guard detail-,"

"Montgomery, don't lie to me," Stone said, "We all know you were out last night, making trouble for the detectives."

"I don't think I made any trouble for anyone," Sennett said.

"I don't think that's your call," Stone replied, "You're a uniform, not a detective. You don't follow leads, you follow orders. Now move out!"

"You knew she was going to do that," Joyce said as they boarded the transit. "I don't know why you even came in. If my mom had just died I'd be freaking the hell out."

"I'd be celebrating, but that's me," Amanda said.

Sennett shrugged. "There's a killer on this station. So long as she's out there, my kid isn't safe."

They arrived at Level two. No one else got off with them. People didn't come to this level without a specific reason. It housed the council office, the post office, the offices for the Current and Foundation parties and some housing for visiting dignitaries.

Sennett and the others made their way down the quiet path to the Council house. It was larger than most buildings on the station, though it looked similar to other buildings in structure. With room being limited, buildings were made in simple, square forms. Most were made of a light, plastic-like substance that had been designed for station buildings. It was a light gray in color, giving the whole station a uniform, standard look.

Five of the council members were already in the conference room. It had a set of Vue windows, currently set for what Sennett had been told were Earth cornfields. The walls were a gentle blue color, with creamy flooring. The whole room spoke of calm.

Councilwoman Sonya Voit stood at the head of the circular table. She was a slight woman, with short silver hair that curled around her head. She gave Sennett a sorrowful look when she came in. "Honey," she said, "I didn't know Commissioner Stone would send you. You should be at home."

Sennett knew everyone in the room. There was Councilwoman Emma Mostevich, a tall woman with dramatic blond hair that hung down to her waist, who'd sent her toy cars every Christmas when she was a kid. Councilman Kevin Chan, who'd moved to the station from China on Earth before they closed their borders forever. He had come to dinner and gotten into loud arguments with Mom about weapons laws. Councilwoman Heather McAvoy, a heavyset woman, hadn't liked Mom and made a point of sending gifts of loud toys whenever she had an excuse. Councilwoman Shannon Heart was a gorgeous woman with dark black skin who always wore her hair in a tight bun, strung with silver chains that glittered in the light. Sennett had greatly admired her until she'd learned Heart's opinion of a man's place. While she still bristled at being stuck here instead of looking for the killer, she was less inclined, just then, to walk out on these people. They were her family.

"Thank you, Councilwoman," Sennett said, "but right now, I'm needed."

Sonya raised an eyebrow at her but didn't argue further.

The door opened again. Godfrey Anders stumbled in. "Sorry, sorry," he said, "I had to close the shop up, and there was this-," He stopped when he saw Sennett.

"It's fine, Councilman Anders," Sonya said, gesturing to a chair. "Have a seat, and we'll get started."

"Can I ask why we have police officers here?" Godfrey asked, sitting down while he gave Sennett a dirty look.

"They are here to protect us. There will be an increased police presence all through the station," Sonya said.

"Until we catch this assassin, our first priority is the safety of our citizens," Councilman Chan said.

"And we're sure an increased police force is the right way to do that?" Godfrey asked, "No, never mind, I understand. Pretend I didn't say anything, please."

"If we can focus, please," Sonya said, "we have a busy day, today. The IHP has left the station, and I've been getting reports from Station 83 and 7 that they've left those ones as well. In addition to that, we have meetings with Howard Stoat and Saul Mai. We've got a meeting with Commissioner Stone about the assassination. And, if we have time, we need to look into the matter with the mail."

"What's going on with the mail?" Godfrey asked.

"No one's been getting anything from Earth," Councilman Chan said.

"For how long?" Godfrey asked.

"At least six months," Sonya said, "But, as I said, that is not the first priority today."

"Did the IHP give any indication as to why they were leaving the stations?" Councilwoman Heart asked. "Isn't it their job to protect humans in space?"

"They did not share any information with us before they left," Sonya said, "And, as we have no time frame for them coming back, we must rely on our own police force." She gave the officers a smile, "I have every confidence in them. Honestly, I doubt we'll even notice the IHP are gone."

"Except for the fact that they handled security on Level one," Councilwoman Mostevich said. "They also patrolled around the station. Do we have enough officers to take over those jobs and still patrol inside?"

"What if we had some citizens keep an eye on lower crime areas?" Godfrey asked, "Or even academy cadets? That way the more experienced officers can focus on the larger tasks."

"Great idea," Sonya said, "We'll suggest it to Stone."

From the table came the voice of the secretary. "Council, Marshal Howard Stoat is here for his meeting,"

"Thank you, Francis. Send him in, please," Sonya said. "And if anyone hears something reliable about the IHP, bring it up as soon as you can. I don't like not knowing things."

The door to the conference room opened. Howard Stoat, the marshal of the Current Party came in. He was a tall, slender man, with a neat beard. He wore an earpiece in one ear, and a wrist cuff tucked under his jacket sleeve. He saw Sennett when he came in, and winked at her.

"Marshal Stoat," Councilman Chan said, "Good to see you. Have a seat?"

"Thank you," Howard said, settling into a chair. He looked, as he always did, as though he belonged right where he was. "Good to see you all today. Are we still waiting for Saul?"

"No," Sonya said, her face suddenly dark, "Because the two parties are so different, it seemed better to meet with the two of you alone. That way, we're hearing all that each party has to tell us."

"That was thoughtful of you, thank you," Howard said, but Sennett noticed that he frowned, for just a moment. He must have thought the same thing that she did. To divide the marshals, when they stood together on a subject for once, would weaken their position.

"The council was created on the ship here from Earth, did you know that?" Howard asked, "Six people, out of the 100 that originally came, were put in charge of running the whole thing. As those six members either passed away or retired, they were replaced by the other five."

"Thank you, we all took sixth-grade History and Government," Councilwoman Heart snapped.

"I bet it didn't mention this," Howard said, "The council was only ever supposed to be a temporary situation. Their job was to keep order on the station, but their second job was to decide upon a system of government. Instead, they simply kept replacing people as they left, with no outside opinions allowed."

"You're here now," Councilwoman Heart said, "Aren't you an outside opinion?"

Howard raised an eyebrow at her. "Councilwoman, I beg your pardon, but it took me a year and a half to make this appointment. I think it would make all of us feel better if there was some transparency in the way council members are selected. You make all of the decisions about our lives, and we have no say who is on the council and who isn't. I see that Godfrey Anders has joined your ranks. Maybe some people might have had an issue with a man who just arrived on Station 86 a few years ago being in charge. Maybe we would have preferred someone who had lived more of his or her life here."

"Maybe some would have preferred someone who didn't have a Khloe wife, too," Godfrey muttered.

Howard raised an eyebrow. "Someone from your own party might have made that objection, Councilman, not mine. But I know you. You oppose artificial births, food modification, human mechanical adaptations and I am not comfortable with you on this council, sir. I am very afraid that science will take a step backward if you're making decisions, you should forgive me for saying. If you had been voted on, if the majority of people on this station had said they wanted you making our choices, I would maybe shut up about it. No one got that chance, though."

"What are you suggesting?" Councilwoman Mostevich asked.

"Voting rights," Howard said. "Elections. Not even right now, but when the council loses another member. Let the people chose who will sit with you."

The council members looked around at each other. Finally, Sonya said, "That is something we will have to discuss. It may seem like a reasonable thing to you, but-,"

"But there is a reason we've never done that," Councilwoman Heart said, "The people have a tendency to vote for the very worst reasons. Fear, manipulation, greed. I remember hearing stories from Earth about people voting for a leader because they felt like they could have a beer with them."

"I was elected based on voting," Howard said, "I don't think most of the people who voted for me feel like they want to have a beer with me."

"Thank you," Sonya said, "I appreciate that you came to us. Perhaps a step toward compromise would be speaking to the marshals more often. Get the people's opinions. What do you all think?"

"It would be a good idea, I think," Councilwoman Heart said, "Assuming you can stop the protests, Marshal Stoat. We won't talk to people who are screaming at us."

"That's fair enough," Howard said, "I'll talk to the people of my party, see what I can do."

He got to his feet, giving the council a quick bow. "Thank you for your time. And, if there's anything the Current Party can do to help you in this trying time, you know how to reach me."

The door opened again, and Marshal Saul entered. He was younger than Howard, with a bit of stubble on his chin and a well-defined upper body. Sennett, like most of the straight women on the station, thought he was good looking. She was sure that was how he'd gotten elected.

The two gave each other curious looks. "I thought we were meeting with the council together," Saul said, just the hint of accusation in his voice.

"That's what I thought, too. But, what can we do?" Howard asked. He clapped Saul on the shoulder, and said, "We'll meet up after and compare notes, alright?"

"Sure, yeah," Saul said, but he didn't look convinced.

As Howard left, Saul started to take a seat at the table. "Actually, we'd prefer if you stood," Councilman Chan said. His voice was suddenly cold.

Saul looked confused but did as he was asked, clasping his hands behind him. "My esteemed council," he began, but Sonya held her hand up. "Stop. I'm afraid you're not here to discuss politics with us."

"I beg your pardon?" Saul asked.

"Saul Mai, do you know a young lady named Elizabeth Conrad?" Councilwoman Mostevich asked."

"Of course, she's my goddaughter," Saul said, looking confused.

The council members, except for Godfrey, nodded at each other as though this confirmed their worst assumptions.

"Do you mind telling me what all this is about?" Saul asked.

"Elizabeth is ten years old, is that right?" Councilwoman Heart asked.

"She is. Council members, I'm not fond of games. Why don't you all stop hopping around and tell me what's going on?" Saul demanded.

Sonya got to her feet. "Accusations have been brought to our attention that you, Saul Mai, had sexual relations with Elizabeth Conrad."

Saul turned pale. "That's not possible because that never happened," he said.

"I think it's very possible," Sonya said, her face dark, "I've seen the proof."

She tapped the table before her. A screen appeared that was out of Sennett's line of sight. But she could hear the noises just fine. A little girl, whimpering with ill-hidden pain, and a man grunting.

"Sonya, what is this? This isn't real," Saul cried, "You're part of my own party! You voted for me!"

"And I am sickened by that now," Sonya said, "We find ourselves in a particular position. What you've done isn't technically illegal. When we founded Station 86, we thought that mankind had evolved past that sort of illness. It seems that we were wrong. Still, we can't arrest you for something that wasn't illegal when you did it. We can and will arrest you if we find that it happens after today. I suggest, if you don't want this to become public knowledge, you quietly resign as marshal of the Foundation Party."

"This is outrageous!" Saul cried.

"We don't have time for your lies," Councilwoman Mostevich snapped, "You've seen our evidence and you have two choices. Resign, or we'll inform the rest of your party of this. Let them decide what to do about you."

Saul looked back and forth at the faces of each council member. Finally, he landed on Godfrey. "You must know this isn't true," he said, "They're just doing this because people listen to me! Godfrey, are you really going to let them do this?"

Godfrey was looking at the table, a hand over his mouth. "I, I can't-," he said. He looked up at his fellow council members. "You should have warned me that this was going to happen today."

"I'm sorry, there wasn't time, under the circumstances," Sonya said, "We can't let this happen again."

"Go back to your home now, _Mr_. Mai," Councilwoman Mostevich said, "Consider the choices before you."

Saul looked like he had much more to say. But instead, he turned, and left.

After the door closed, Sonya set a hand on Godfrey's shoulder. "I am sorry, dear," she said, "We should have warned you."

"You're right, though, there wasn't time," Godfrey said. He still looked as though he wanted to throw up. Sennett wondered if he was regretting his decision to join the council right then.

"We do have to move on, now," Councilman Chan said, "We have much to discuss."

It was hours later when the meeting concluded. Sennett felt as though she was losing her mind. She'd not come into work to guard people sitting in a secure room, she should be hunting down the killer. She tried to stretch her back without being noticed, being accustomed to walking for her shift and not standing in one spot.

As the council members rose to depart, Sonya said, "I've sent a request to Commissioner Stone for two more officers to join us. They'll escort you all home."

"What about you?" Godfrey asked.

"I was just declared the head councilwoman less than twenty-four hours ago," Sonya said with a chuckle, "I believe it will be weeks before I see my house again. Good thing there are bedrooms here."

"Someone should stay with you, Councilwoman," Sennett said and regretted it at once. The last thing she wanted was to blow her whole night, watching Sonya while she did tedious paperwork.

Much to her relief, Sonya said, "I'm fine. There are guards here at all times, and everyone coming in or out of this level is monitored. Actually, if anyone else wants to stay with me, I wouldn't think that a bad idea."

Councilwoman McAvoy chuckled. "Sonya, no. And I'm not going to be shepherded to my house, either, thank you."

Some of the other council members shook their heads. Councilman Chan looked concerned, though. "I think it's a necessary precaution, Heather. At least for now."

"Kevin," Councilwoman McAvoy chuckled, "I'm a grown woman, I can look after myself."

"Thorn was a grown woman, too," Godfrey said quietly.

Sennett's heart jumped, hearing her mother's name in his mouth.

"No," Councilwoman McAvoy said, folding her keyboard closed with a snap. "Have a good evening gentlemen, ladies. I'll see you tomorrow."

She left, with no one else making an attempt to stop her.

"Officer Montgomery, will you escort me to my home? I think we live near each other," Godfrey said, tucking his keyboard and screen into a canvas bag.

She wanted very badly to refuse, but as she couldn't think of a polite way to do so, so she just said, "I didn't know we lived near each other. I'm in section four of Level eight."

"I know, I'm in section three. It's right on your way," Godfrey replied.

"That works out well," Sonya said, "Sennett, perhaps you could also escort Councilman Anders here tomorrow morning?"

Sennett suppressed a groan. "Of course, Councilwoman," she said.

They left the office together, making their way towards the transit "Sorry to spoil your afternoon," Godfrey said, "Maybe you'd rather just let this person kill me?"

"I want to be hunting the bitch that killed my mom, not babysitting you," Sennett said, "At this rate, I'm only gonna get a chance at her if she comes after you. Though, that might be a win-win for me."

"What's your problem with me?" Godfrey snapped.

"Really?" she replied, "You don't consider yelling at me about 'unnatural food' poisoning our kids, artificial births making us less human to be in any way offensive? It's not like you even have kids, I do."

"That doesn't mean I don't care about kids or the future of the human race," he said, "You and your party, on the other hand, would rather trade our humanity for a quick fix for dinner."

"Ignoring science and technology isn't making you more human, it's just making you backward," Sennett said, "Is this why you asked me to take you home? So you could harass me?"

He took a deep breath, and said in a quieter voice, "I wanted to ask you a favor, actually."

Sennett raised an eyebrow. "You picked a fascinating way to start off," she said.

"Look, I'm sorry, but this is important," he said, "I know what you just heard about Saul is, well it's terrible. And I know you want to tell your party about it. But, please, if I could ask you to wait-,"

"Why do you think I would tell my party?" Sennett asked, "I know _you_ don't think much of police, but we do have a code of honor. That's what's keeping me from beating you, and what will keep me from even being _tempted_ to share anything I heard in there."

"Oh," Godfrey said, "Well, I'm sorry that I offended you, then. But, I don't know how much I believe that he raped Elizabeth,"

They boarded the transit. Godfrey took a seat, while Sennett stood in front of him, scanning the crowd. The car they were in was all but empty. "Why?" she asked, "You saw the proof."

"I saw a video," Godfrey said, "But I also know the man."

Sennett leaned against the wall. She tapped her wrist screen and started scrolling through messages. April had sent her roughly seventeen drawings.

Just as they reached Level Three, her emergency program went off. "All officers, Councilwoman McAvoy has been attacked on Level 7."

Sennett stood up straight, glancing at the indicator that showed what level they were on. "Four," she muttered, "By the time we get there, she'll be gone."

"I don't know what you want to do about it," Godfrey said, but Sennett was already pulling a small disc from her belt. She tapped the center of it, and it grew in size until she could comfortably stand on it. She waived her wrist screen in front of the window on the transit, opening it. "Come on," she said, grabbing Godfrey by the arm and pulling him onto the disc.

"Wait, what the hell are you doing?" Godfrey cried.

"Not letting her get away," Sennett muttered. She tapped her heels on the disc, working the controls to lift it out of the window and up through the air.

"Oh, shit!" Godfrey cried, clinging to Sennett's arm, "Why wouldn't you just leave me behind on the transit?"

"I was told to protect you, and that's what I'm going to do," Sennett said, maneuvering onto Level Seven, "Don't be afraid."

"That's asking a little much at this point," Godfrey said. They landed, and Sennett grabbed her disc off of the ground before taking off at a run.

Officer Clark was already there. She was on one knee next to Councilwoman McAvoy, who was sprawled out on the ground.

Sennett looked around. She saw scared people, hiding behind trash bins or lying belly down on the ground, their hands over their heads. She didn't see what they were cowering from, though.

Suddenly, there was a popping noise. A woman, dressed all in black with a cloth over her face, appeared behind Godfrey. She pulled him out of Sennett's reach, pushing a gun into his temple.

Episode Three

Godfrey froze, the barrel of the gun pressed against his temple. He could feel his heartbeat in every part of his body, and he couldn't help but wonder how long he would have that luxury.

"Let him go," Montgomery yelled, leveling her weapon at the assassin. What the hell did she thin _k that_ was going to do?

The assassin didn't respond. She squeezed Godfrey's arm with a frightening grip. "You humans," she hissed. She had the metallic voice of a Khloe. "How superior you all think you are."

"I don't know why you're doing this," Godfrey said, "but there has to be another way to make your message clear. You won't have many allies among the Earthlings or the Khloe if you're killing people."

"What makes you think I have a message?" the woman laughed, "We just want to see as many of you dead as possible."

"I said let him go!" Montgomery yelled.

"Can we maybe not antagonize her when she's got a gun to my head?" Godfrey snapped.

"This isn't a gun," the assassin said, "But you might wish it was. It's an acid injector. That's why your fellow council member's brain is currently leaking out of her ears. Do you know what? I think she's still alive."

"Please, I've never done anything to the Khloe people," Godfrey said, "My wife's Khloe."

"And you think that makes you better than them?" she screamed.

Montgomery was doing something to the pad on her wrist. Suddenly the assassin's weapon made a popping noise. She dropped it with a shout.

"Now get on the ground and put your hands behind your head, or I'll find out what else you've got that's electronic," Montgomery said.

But the assassin had already pulled a coin like device from her pocket and clicked it. She vanished.

Montgomery ran to Godfrey, the other officer was still with Councilwoman McAvoy. "Are you injured?" she asked.

"She, she's a Khloe," Godfrey said. All of the adrenaline was leaving his body, and he nearly sank to the ground. "I think there might be more than one assassin."

"Why?" Montgomery asked.

"Because when I asked her why she was doing this, she said _we_ don't have a reason, not _I_ don't have one," Godfrey snapped, "And thanks so much for dragging me right into the line of fire, by the way. What the hell did you hit her with?"

Montgomery glanced up, as though making sure that her fellow officer couldn't hear. "Don't worry about it," she said, "It's a focused electric disrupter. They're not strictly legal."

"Great, a cop with connections who thinks she's above the rules," Godfrey muttered, "That never goes wrong."

"Right, I'll just let you get shot," she snapped, offering him her hand. He took it because he wasn't sure that he was going to be able to rise without help.

The transit station was growing thick with cops. Godfrey brushed the dust from his knees as Commissioner Stone walked up to them. He took a deep breath as she said, "Councilman Anders, are you alright?"

' _That's right,'_ Godfrey thought, _'I'm a person of authority, not some farmer's punk son. You're going to be nice to me.'_

"I'm fine," he said, "I almost wasn't, thanks to your officer, though. She drug me out of the transit window on that insane disc thing of hers."

The commissioner's eyebrow arched. "I am sorry if you were frightened, Councilman. I assure you, Montgomery is one of our finest uniforms. She wouldn't have put you in danger."

"I don't agree," Godfrey replied. Montgomery was standing at attention next to the commissioner, giving him a deadly glare.

Unfortunately, the officer who'd been on the scene when Godfrey and Montgomery had arrived chose that moment to approach. She set a hand on Montgomery's shoulder, and said, "Thank God you showed up when you did. She'd have probably killed us both if you hadn't, and all these other civilians."

Damn their sorority mentality.

"I don't like how this situation is escalating," Commissioner Stone said, watching as an emergency medical team lifted Councilwoman McAvoy's body into a transport pod. "Sennett, I'm sorry, I know you were on duty all day, but I need you to stay with Councilman Anders until I can free someone else up. It might not be until tomorrow."

Montgomery nodded. "The killer's pride might be hurt, failing to get both of them. There's a good chance she'll try again."

"No," Godfrey snapped, "I'm not having this woman in my house."

Apparently, he wasn't an important enough person to get away with that. "Councilman, I don't think you understand the gravity of this situation," she said, giving him a hard look. "You are the target of a dangerous killer. We've already lost two council members and I'll be damned if we'll lose another."

"Fine, alright," Godfrey muttered, "I'm sure that Officer Montgomery will make a very pleasant house guest."

"Take the bullet shuttle, I'm upping your access," Commissioner Stone said, fiddling with her wrist pad. Montgomery nodded and guided him to the circular tube that went straight down the center of the station. It was a bit of a walk from the transit to the shuttle. Montgomery didn't seem to have anything to say to Godfrey, who felt as though he'd pushed his luck already. She didn't seem the type to hit a man, but he didn't want to find out.

Montgomery started to press things on her wrist pad again, and Godfrey heard Howard Stoat's voice. "My fellow members of Station 86," he said, "In light of the last few days events, I have a favor to ask you. Please, take care of your neighbors as we get through this together. Keep alert, keep safe and report suspicious activity to the brave police and IHP officers who protect us. For those of us who are faithful, pray for the families of the citizens we've lost. I will be attending a prayer service at the Grand Choral Star Synagogue this evening at seven.

"I know that we are struggling with our council for more of a voice in our community. We have a long way to go to achieve that right, a right that we should not have to ask for. But right now is not the time for political fighting. Now is the time to pull together, and look after each other."

"Isn't he smarmy," Godfrey said as they reached the shuttle.

"Shut up," Montgomery replied, waving her wrist pad over the security screen to open the door.

They remained silent in the shuttle and as they walked through the streets of the residential level toward Godfrey's house. They were on his block when he heard a hissing sound behind them.

They turned, Montgomery setting a hand to her weapon. Saul Mai stood behind them. He raised his hands when he saw them, saying, "Don't shoot, Officer."

"What are you doing here?" Godfrey asked.

"I had to talk to you," Saul said, "Godfrey, my wife kicked me out."

"Wonder why," Montgomery said.

"I didn't touch Elizabeth," Saul said, "The council is making this up to get me out of the way."

"Why would they do that?" Montgomery asked.

"Are you kidding me? They've got ultimate power here, and I threaten that. Do you think I'm the first, Officer?"

"I don't see anyone accusing Marshal Stoat of anything," Montgomery replied.

Saul snorted, "That's because no one likes him, Ma'am. Godfrey, please. You're on the council, you might be the only one who can help me."

Godfrey considered Saul. His hands were shaking, and his eyes were red. His normally handsome face was splotchy as though he'd been sobbing. Was it from fighting with his wife, or guilt?

"I don't know, Saul," he said finally.

Saul ran a hand through his hair. "Look, I'm not asking you to put me up. I'm not asking for money or anything like that."

"Saul, I've seen the evidence," Godfrey said.

"It's not real! Come on, you can see that, can't you? Look at the evidence, really look at it," He glanced around, as though worried someone might spot him. "I'll contact you soon. Keep safe, Godfrey. I don't know how you got on the council, but I think having you there might be our only hope for freedom."

As he turned, and faded away into the street, Montgomery said, "That was messed up. I can see why you'd want to distance yourself from him."

"Shut up," Godfrey said. They continued towards his house. "Can you get that video, maybe take a look at it?"

"No, but you can," she replied, "You're the one on the council, not me."

They walked into the house. Ki was already home, stretched out on the couch, watching tv. She looked up and blinked a few times when she saw Montgomery. "So, you had an interesting first day, I take it?" she asked.

The next morning, Godfrey stumbled into the kitchen to find Montgomery sitting at his table, sipping klav and typing on a virtual keyboard. She glanced up when he came in, and nodded. "Did Ki leave for work already?" he asked.

"Yeah," she said, looking back at the screen hovering in front of her. "She's nice. What's she doing with you?"

Godfrey ignored her and started pulling eggs from the fridge. "Sending a report?" he asked.

"Sending an email to my kid," she replied.

"Does her dad mind that you've been at work all night?" Godfrey asked.

"She doesn't have a dad," Montgomery said, "My brother's in higher education. He lives with us, and looks after her while I'm at work."

"Oh, you had her made, then?" He cracked eggs into a bowl.

"I suppose you'll have one the old fashioned way on purpose, with no advancements or bacterial protections," she snapped, sipping her drink. "I mean, in this day and age, why _not_ risk a slew of physical and mental handicaps with an old fashioned birth."

"Sorry, I wasn't clear enough with my scorn," he replied, "I was just thinking how selfish it was to become a single parent on purpose."

"Tell me how I should raise my kid, with all that experience you have," she snapped.

He sighed. "Any excitement last night?" he asked.

"One of your neighbor's dogs got into your trash can," she said. After taking another long sip of her drink, she added, "I let him."

He finished cooking eggs and toast, then sat down at the table with her to eat. She made a face at his plate but didn't say anything.

"I suppose I can't go to my shop today," Godfrey said.

"No, what with the killer and all," she replied.

"Ah," he said. He finished the rest of his meal in silence.

He was just putting his plate in the dishwasher when Ki burst through the front door. Her shirt was torn so badly that she had to hold it together to cover her front.

"What's going on?" Godfrey asked.

"I was sent home, for my safety!" Ki cried, "Godfrey, why the hell didn't you tell me that you almost died yesterday, or that this killer is Khloe? Why did I have to find out from a nurse, after being spit at on the way to work?"

"How did people find out?" Godfrey asked.

"The only people who are supposed to know are police," Montgomery said, already tapping away at her wrist pad. "Let me see what I can find out."

"And why didn't you tell me?" Ki asked her.

Montgomery shrugged. "You're not my wife," she said.

Ki muttered, and went to their bedroom to change. Godfrey followed after her. "What happened to your shirt?" he asked.

"Some bitch grabbed me on the transit," she snapped, pulling it off and throwing it in the trash bin.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you," he said, "I didn't want you to be afraid."

"Sure, yeah, you just almost died," Ki said.

Before he could respond, there was a knock on the bedroom door. "Sorry," Montgomery called, "but I just heard from Commissioner Stone. We're getting all of the council members to a safe house on Level 2."

"Why?" Godfrey called, "If they were gonna to do that, why didn't they do it last night?"

"Because last night there were only two dead council members," she called. "Councilwoman Heart and her wife were found dead this morning in their house."

Godfrey opened the door while Ki pulled on a new shirt. "What happened to her police protection?" he asked.

"I guess she didn't want to let him in the house," Montgomery replied, "The officer is stating that he didn't see anyone around the house, no one knows how the killer got in."

"Maybe he was asleep on the job," Godfrey replied.

"It was Officer Derick Donovan, who happens to be a good friend of mine and graduated with the highest marks to come out of the academy in three years," she replied, "Now would you two pack? One bag a piece, please."

"Fantastic," Godfrey said, "House arrest wasn't bad enough?"

"Like this sounds like a vacation for me?" Montgomery said. She stormed towards the living room, muttering. "Haven't slept in two nights, damned spoiled brat."

Montgomery led Godfrey and Ki to the bullet shuttle, a hand on her weapon and her eyes scanning the scant crowd on Level 8. Godfrey considered for a moment telling her to stop scaring his neighbor's, but then he noticed the dirty and frightened looks Ki was attracting.

Level 2 was as quiet as ever. Even so, Montgomery was alert. She led them through the rows of buildings.

"Where are we going?" Ki asked.

"There's a collection of safe houses, for when we need to keep someone under police surveillance," Montgomery said.

"Why here?" Godfrey asked, "Why not on Level 10 with the barracks and prison?"

Montgomery gave him a grin. "Mostly because that's where people would assume it would be."

The building was non-descriptive, square with circular tinted windows, with cream-colored walls and a light blue door.

Inside, the furnishing was simple. A pair of off-white couches and some matching chairs sat in a circle in the living room. The kitchen was separated from the living room by a white chrome counter.

Councilman Chan and his wife were there already, sitting on the couch and whispering quietly together. Councilwoman Mostevich was there alone, a screen in front of her while she typed away on a virtual keyboard. Her head snapped up when she saw Ki, though.

"She can't be here," she said.

"What are you talking about?" Godfrey asked, "Mrs. Chan is here."

"Mrs. Chan is Earthian," Mostevich replied.

"Excuse me, It's not your place to say if she can be here or not," Godfrey said.

Councilman Chan gave Ki a wary glance. "I would feel more comfortable if Mrs. Anderson was not here as well. It's nothing personal, Ma'am."

"No," Ki said, "I imagine you wouldn't want any Khloe woman here right now."

She turned toward the door. "Wait," Godfrey said. He'd set down his bag, but he scooped it up again. "I'm not staying without you."

"You can't leave, Anders," Mostevich said.

"I don't care," Godfrey said, "If I'm in danger then so is Ki."

"What is all the yelling for?" Councilwoman Voit asked, coming through the front door.

Montgomery stood at attention. "Councilwoman, some of the others are concerned about the presence of Mrs. Anders," she said.

"Really?" Councilwoman Voit asked.

"Sonya, you can't pretend your comfortable with this," Councilwoman Mostevich said, "She's a Khloe."

"Emma, what are you thinking?" Councilwoman Voit said. She put an arm around Ki. "You know, when I came to live here on Station 86, I was so proud. This is the station of First Contact, the beacon of sisterhood with our fellow humanoid species. Haven't we, as a race, evolved far enough to not judge people by the color of their skin? Or are we really still so stupid?"

None of the council members seemed to have a response to this. "Alright," Councilwoman Voit said, "now that this is settled, we can move onto more important matters. What's for lunch?"

While the council members and their spouses ate a meal of simulated roast beef and thick slices of Horchee, a glowing green root vegetable from Toth, several more officers arrived. Montgomery seemed to know them all, greeting each one. They ate sandwiches and sipped klav, coffee and tea in the living room while keeping their eyes on the doors and front windows.

After the meal had been cleared away, Councilwoman Voit said, "It's time to get down to business now, I think. Ki, Melissa, would you two mind giving us the room?"

"I'll go lay down, I think," Ki said, giving Godfrey a kiss on the cheek. She and Mrs. Chan left.

"So," Voit said, setting her elbows on the table. "I know this is a difficult time. Heather, Shannon and especially Thorn were close friends of mine."

"It's been a shock to the whole station," Councilman Chan said, "I can't remember the last time someone was killed here."

One of the officers gave a derisive snort, but none of the others said anything.

"I think that may be a bit more optimistic that realistic," Voit said, "But we certainly have never had something like this happen. So, thoughts on how we should proceed?"

"It seems to me," Godfrey said, "that we have more questions than we should right now. We've only seen one assassin at a time, but something that she said to me leads me to think there may be a whole organization."

Voit looked over at him quickly. "Really?" she asked, "What did she say?"

"When I told her that she wasn't going to do her cause any good, killing people, she said, 'We just want to kill as many of you as possible'."

Voit nodded. "She might have meant 'we' as in the whole Khloe community. Perhaps she believes that her people are on her side."

"I think it's likely that we're just looking at a lone gunwoman," Councilwoman Mostevich said, "Only one has been seen so far, at least."

"Isn't it possible that there are more people in her organization, just not killers?" Councilman Chan asked.

"It doesn't hurt to assume that there are more, even if we're wrong," Godfrey said.

"Unless it distracts us," Voit said, "Let's focus on the one we know is there until we have something substantial to prove that there are more."

"I hate that we're on the defensive," Mostevich said, "Can't the police find anything?"

"We have them out day and night searching," Voit said.

"And yet no one saw anything last night when Heart and her wife were killed," Chan said, earning some glares from the officers in the living room.

"We have to act," Mostevich said, "We know the killer is Khloe. We need to consider monitoring our Khloe citizens. It might not hurt to have them stay somewhere secure for a time."

Godfrey raised an eyebrow. "Are you kidding me? No, we can't do that."

"It's not a punishment," Councilman Chan said, "If anything, it's for their safety. People are scared, and scared people can become violent people."

"Your wife could stay with you if you prefer," Mostevich said.

"That's hardly the point," Godfrey said.

"Excuse me."

The council members looked over. Montgomery was standing in the center of the living room, her arms crossed. The other officers stood around her.

"I know that I'm not a council member, and haven't earned a voice among you," she said, "I also know that while my birth parents and foster mother were from Earth, I'm not. But we still learn about internment camps up here on the stations. We still know the term Crystal Noct. And I can promise you that if you lock up Station 86 citizens because they're from a different planet, I'll drop my badge right here, right now." The officers behind her nodded in agreement.

"We need more like you, Sennett," Voit said, "She's right. I won't condone seizing our own people."

"Me either," Godfrey said.

"Well, I guess I'm a little more concerned with people's safety than hurting someone's feelings," Mostevich said.

Chan looked back and forth for a moment. Everyone was looking at him, and he didn't seem comfortable with that.

Finally, he said, "It's something I don't think we should rule out, but I'm not sure it's the time for it."

"Alright, any other arguments, for or against?" Voit asked. When no one volunteered anything, she said, "Great, let's get on to other matters."

The rest of the day was full of virtual meetings with Commissioner Stone and leaders from other stations. Eventually, evening came. Ki and Mrs. Chan joined them for dinner.

They were just finishing their meal when an alarm went off on Councilwoman Voit's wrist pad. She pressed a button, and everyone could hear the voice of Su, the Khloe ambassador. "I am sorry to trouble you so late into the evening," she said, "but I have just heard from President Ly."

"No trouble at all," Voit said, "I'm glad you called."

"President Ly has received your message, and is coming to the station to handle the matter," Su said. "She will arrive in two days."

"Wonderful," Voit said, "I always look forward to her visits."

"I am sure that the president looks forward to seeing you as well," Su said.

Voit finished the call and looked around the table.

"What did she mean, handle the matter?" Godfrey asked.

Voit shook her head. "President Ly is very strict with her people. I wouldn't be surprised if she intends to come hunt the killer down herself. It's not like we couldn't use the help."

Despite the unfamiliar room, Ki fell asleep almost as soon as they went to bed that night. He supposed she had been up hours before him. Godfrey lay next to her for awhile, on the bed that wasn't theirs. Finally, unable to take the silence and worried he would wake her, he slipped out into the living room.

Most of the officers were asleep. Montgomery and one other were awake, sitting on the floor leaning against the back of the couch. "Everything alright, Councilman?" the officer asked.

"Fine," Godfrey said, "Just, you know, can't sleep."

"I'm going to do a quick walk around," the officer said, getting to her feet.

"Something on your mind?" Montgomery asked after her fellow was gone.

"Well, all of this going on," Godfrey said, "It's also just, you know."

"Not your house," she said, nodding. "I know the feeling. I miss my place."

"How are you still awake?" he asked.

She held up her wrist and tapped a copper band. "Targeted electric hits," she said, "Stimulates your body the same way as caffeine."

"Isn't that unhealthy, though?" he asked.

"If I use it long term," she said, "Right now, I don't have a choice. When I take it off, I'll crash for awhile."

Godfrey sighed. "It feels like every year we get farther and farther away from being humans."

"Do you think this makes me less human?" she asked.

"It makes me think you want to be less human," he said.

She shook her head. "You're over thinking technology. This is a tool, and it doesn't make me less human. It just makes me a more capable human."

"I don't know about that," he said, "One of the trademarks of humanity, all of the humanoid races, is that we're frail creatures with physical and mental limitations."

Montgomery shrugged. "Do we have to be?"

He got to his feet. "I think I'm going to try to get some sleep."

She nodded, looking back towards the windows.

Somehow it made Godfrey feel better, knowing that she was there to keep an eye on things. He went back into the bedroom, laid close to Ki, and fell asleep.

When Godfrey first became aware of the screaming, he thought it must surely be part of his dream. But then he saw that Ki was sitting up.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"I don't know, but that sounds like Mrs. Chan," she said, getting out of bed.

They went out into the hallway. Mostevich and Voit were already there in their night clothes. Mrs. Chan was standing outside of the bedroom she'd shared with her husband the night before, crying. Montgomery came out of the bedroom. "I'm sorry, he's dead," she said.

"No!" Mrs. Chan wailed.

"What happened?" Godfrey asked.

Mrs. Chan looked up, right at Ki. "You!" she screamed, "You bitch, you killed him. Why, what did he ever do to you!"

Ki took a step back. "What are you talking about?" she asked.

"Councilman Chan has been killed," Voit said, rubbing her eyes

"How did this happen? We were supposed to be safe here!" Mostevich said.

"We've been right outside of this door all night," Montgomery said, "No one went in there."

"Could they have gotten in from the outside?" Mostevich asked.

"They would have had to blast through a wall," one of the officers said, "There would be some sort of evidence. There's nothing."

"She killed him, I know she did!" Mrs. Chan screamed, pointing at Ki.

"Now look," Godfrey snapped, "There's no way Ki would have killed him. She couldn't have. She was in bed with me all night."

One of the officers, the one who had left to patrol the night before, said, "But that's not true, Councilman. You came out here for a time last night."

"He wasn't out here that long, Joyce," Montgomery said, "and we were still just outside of this door. We would have seen her come past. The killer has a personal transporter. She could have come from anywhere in the station. The question isn't how she got here, it's how she found out we were here."

Voit looked up. "A personal transporter."

"Yes," Godfrey said.

"Ki, you work at the hospital," Voit said. "You were issued a transporter for that?"

"Yes," Ki said. She pulled a chain from around her neck that held the silver circle that was her transporter and hospital credentials.

"There, you see!" Mrs. Chan screamed.

"Mrs. Anderson, will you come with me, please?" one of the other officers asked.

"What are you doing?" Montgomery asked, "Even if she did have a transporter, he still didn't have time to go from her room to Councilman Chan's and kill him. Not in the time Anders was in the living room."

"It's too much of a coincidence," the officer replied. She stepped forward, pulling a silver slip of paper from her belt.

"You're arresting her?" Godfrey cried, "This is crazy!"

Ki held her wrists out, looking frightened. "Don't be scared," she whispered to Godfrey. "I'm innocent, so there's no reason to be afraid of questioning."

Godfrey thought that she could think that all she wanted, not having grown up on Earth. "No, I'm not letting you take her!" he cried, reaching for the officer who held her.

Montgomery grabbed his arm. "Don't," she whispered, "Or we'll have to bring you in."

"Listen to her," Ki said, as she left, the officer holding her wrists, "Listen to Sennett, Godfrey. I'll see you soon."

Godfrey felt as though he couldn't breathe. He watched as Ki was led out of sight, trying desperately to take a breath.

"I can't, I can't stay here," he said and stumbled for the door.

"Godfrey, you can't leave," Voit said, "We're in a crisis."

"I don't care!" he cried.

He rushed outside before anyone could stop him. He didn't even know where he intended to go, just that he couldn't stay there.

He was a few blocks away before he realized he wasn't alone. Montgomery, Sennett, had followed him. "Where the hell do you think you're going?" she asked, "Look, there's a bench over there. Sit down a minute."

She steered him over to the bench and gave him a push. "She'll go to jail for this," he said, "She could be killed there."

Sennett stood in front of him and crossed her arms. "No, she won't," she said, "because we're going to find the real killer first."

Episode 4

"Explain to me, please, how you expect to catch the killer when the whole police department can't?" Godfrey asked.

"I'm gonna use you as bait," Sennett said, shrugging her shoulders.

"Bait, cute," he replied, looking up at her from his bench. "Classy."

Sennett felt better than she had in days. "I've been dying to get out there and hunt this bitch down, I can finally do that."

She turned and started towards the bullet shuttle. He followed after her. "You weren't wrong when you said we need more information. The only thing we have to go on right now is that the killer has a personal transporter."

"What about her weapon?" Godfrey asked, "That's unusual, isn't it? Can you use that?"

"I don't know, I didn't see it," Sennett said, "Was there something weird about it?"

"The killer said that it would shot acid into my head," Godfrey said, "I told Commissioner Stone, didn't she tell you?"

"No," Sennett said, frowning, "I wonder what else she hasn't thought to mention to me. An acid gun isn't human, it's Khloe. They're not allowed on the station, but of course, there are people who sell that sort of thing."

"Should we look up people who work at the hospital?" Godfrey asked, "since they're the only ones who are supposed to have transporters."

She shrugged, getting onto the shuttle. "We can, but keep in mind that she got a weapon that no one is supposed to have, so I doubt that she'd have trouble getting a transporter. It couldn't hurt, though."

"Where are we going?" Godfrey asked.

"To my house. My kid hasn't seen me in two days, we need somewhere safe to plan. I also haven't changed my clothes in longer than I'm really comfortable with."

"My wife's in jail, we don't have time to wait while you put on a fresh pair of panties," Godfrey snapped.

Sennett took a deep breath. "You're afraid, and I understand that. We're not gonna do Ki any good running around looking for the killer without a sensible plan. Now I need you to trust me."

"Fine, okay," he said, "Let's stop by my place, too. I'll pick up some food, and make us breakfast while you research."

"There's food at my place," Sennett said.

"No, there's replicated lies at your place," he replied.

Sennett wasn't sure if it was the stress or the lack of sleep, but she started laughing. "Okay, we'll stop by your place first."

When they reached Godfrey's house, there was a nasty surprise waiting for them. Someone had broken the two front windows, and spray painted on the walls. "Cherry Skin Go Home," looked like it was still wet.

"Keep behind me," Sennett said, pulling her gun. She trotted forward, crouching a little so as not the be seen through the windows. Godfrey kept just behind her, but she couldn't understand how he was managing to make so much noise.

It didn't look as though the vandals had managed to get inside. Except for the broken glass on the floor, things looked untouched. Sennett led Godfrey into the kitchen. "I think we're alone. Go ahead and grab your groceries."

She looked over at him and cursed. He was looking back at the glass, standing as though frozen. "We'll have to clean this up before Ki comes home," he whispered, "She can't, I can't let her come back to this."

"I know, and we'll take care of that," Sennett said, "But I don't think we're safe here, hurry up."

"Oh, don't condescend to me!" he yelled, his head whipping around to look at her. "This is _my_ wife that's in jail!"

"Hey, at least she's still alive!" Sennett snapped, "My husband's not, my mom's not! So get over yourself, Terra boy."

Tears were coming to her eyes. It had been a long time since she'd let herself think about Lo.

"Oh, um," Godfrey said, "I didn't know you were married. What happened?"

"He was shot in the back of the head one night," Sennett said.

"Did, um, did you ever catch the person who shot him?" Godfrey asked.

"Can you please just get your shit together? I want to go," she said.

When they reached Sennett's house, Mason and April were sitting on the living room couch, some cartoon playing on the tv. April saw Sennett, and yelled, "Mommy!"

"What's going on?" Mason asked, shutting the tv off, "I thought you were in the safe house."

"It was compromised," Sennett said, catching April as she ran to her. "I'm tired of waiting while this psycho picks the council members off one by one. We've only got three left as it is. April, do you want to help me?"

"What are we doing?" April asked. Sennett knelt at the coffee table and started tapping on it. A screen appeared.

"We're going to search the police database for information about Khloe guns," Sennett said.

"Do you often let your daughter help you with police work?" Godfrey asked.

"Didn't you say something about cooking?" Sennett snapped. Her eyes and April's were trained on the screen. Pictures and paragraphs of information flashed up in neat lines. "So, we need someone who sells Khloe weapons." They both started flicking images, removing people who didn't fit that criterion. "And we need someone who's not in jail, or who just went to jail in the last month or so."

"What if they sold the gun to the killer before that?" Godfrey asked.

"Then we'll look at them after we take care of the people who are more likely," Sennett said, "We also want to mark people who we know like to work with terrorist groups."

"How can I tell that?" April asked.

"They'll have a red star next to their name," Sennett replied.

Godfrey vanished into the kitchen, and soon there were smells of food cooking. Eventually, he came back out with plates, setting two next to Sennett and April before coming out with more for himself and Mason.

"Thanks," Sennett said, not even seeing what he'd brought her.

"Thank you for helping me," Godfrey said, "I'm ashamed to say that I'm surprised you want to. It's amazing to think you're the same person who's been killing my plants."

Sennett slammed her hands down on the side of the table. "I'm not killing your damned plants!" she cried, "But if you don't stop bitching about it, I'll feed you to them! That's a thing you can do, right, feed someone to plants? Mason, why do you look sick?"

"Nothing," Mason said, quickly shoving some food into his mouth. "It's just that this has been stressful, you know. You not being here for days."

Sennett gave him a sidelong glance, then went back to her work. She took a bite of something, not even realizing it was a small tomato until it was in her mouth.

"What all can you do from here?" Godfrey asked.

"I can access anything that's in the police records," Sennett replied.

"Can you see surveillance cameras?" he asked.

She looked up at him. "Do you really want me to check the surveillance records for your damned plants right now?" she asked.

"Did you get your panties changed?" he asked.

"You know what? Fine," she snapped, minimizing her screen and starting to type on a new one. "I am sick and damned tired of hearing about your plants. I'm going to prove that I've never been anywhere near them, and then you have to admit that you're just a shitty farmer who can't keep things alive as well as you think you can."

She pulled up the video, and said, "This is from the past month. Allow me to speed it up since I have actual work to do."

Godfrey plopped down on the floor next to her. Together they watched as people darted around the screen. "This looks cool," April said, watching the people zip past. "Hey, there's Uncle Mason."

She pointed, and Sennett froze the image. There, indeed, was Mason, in the food district at night, holding something heavy looking and dark in his hand.

"What's that you've got, Mason?" Sennett called. Mason had been creeping toward his room down the hall. He froze at the sound of her voice.

"It looks like a, um, a thermosetter," he said.

"What are you doing with a thermosetter?" Sennett asked, "They're not allowed outside of the science labs."

Mason didn't seem willing to make another noise. Sennett started the video again. They watched as Mason crept into Godfrey's greenhouse.

"He's freezing my soil!" Godfrey cried, "That's why I couldn't detect poison. You sneaking asshole!"

"Mason, this is so illegal!" Sennett yelled, "I should take you up to Level 10 and turn you in."

"Don't we have bigger issues to deal with right now?" Mason asked.

"Be sure we will discuss this later," Sennett growled.

Godfrey was looking at the screen again. "Sennett, can we access the council's records from here?" he asked.

"You can," she replied, "Wave your station credentials over the screen."

Godfrey waived his wrist cuff across the screen and looked amazed when it changed. Sennett wanted to laugh at how naive he was about technology.

"Can you help me make sense of this?" he asked.

They started flipping through the information. There was a lot there, a lot more than she had anticipated.

"Why does the council have folders on everyone on the station?" Sennett asked.

Godfrey looked at the folder she was pointing at. "I didn't know we did. What sort of information's in there?"

Sennett opened the one with her own name and started flicking through it. "There's my birth date, medical records, links to my family members. Shit, they even have by birth parents in here."

"I thought that information was protected," Godfrey said.

"On Earth maybe, but Earth rules don't apply," Sennett said, "None of the council members themselves are in here."

"There's Saul's file," Godfrey said.

"April, go watch a video," Sennett said, quickly.

"Okay," April replied. She seemed to have gotten bored with the copious amount of writing on the screen.

They flipped through Saul's profile quickly.

"Wow, he's just a model citizen," Sennett said, "No arrest record, no police involvement at all. He was checked out by IHP when he moved here from Earth, got fine reports. Wait, what's this?" She pointed to a red file.

"No idea," Godfrey said. Sennett tried to tap on it, but all that happened was a loud beeping noise. "Damn, it's locked," she muttered, "You try."

"Why would it open for me, I don't have a password," he said.

Sennett rolled her eyes. "No one, but no one uses passwords anymore. It's linked to your wrist pad."

"Oh, right," Godfrey said. He tapped on the red file, and it popped open with a pleasant ping.

"I really hate technology," he muttered.

Files were appearing on the screen, pages showing up in neat lines. "These are his speeches, and some emails he sent to Foundation Party members," Godfrey said.

"Likability ratings, too," Sennett said, flipping through the pages. "Wow, people really liked him. I don't think I've ever seen such positive ratings from a male politician."

Godfrey stopped, looking down at a page. "Can I make this bigger?" he asked.

She leaned over and pulled on two corners to increase the size. "It's a message from Councilwoman Heart to Councilwoman McAvoy. 'Mai is getting a little too well liked. We should talk to him. Keep S and T out of it this time.'"

"What does that mean, keep S and T out of it?"

"Sonya and my mom, Thorn, I'm guessing," Sennett said.

"Why would they want them kept out of it?" Godfrey asked.

Sennett ran a hand over her braids. "There are two theories. Either they were too high profile to get involved in something dirty, or they weren't interested in taking down a party leader for being too popular."

He looked up from the screen, his eyes wide. "Is that what happened, then? He really is innocent?"

"I honestly don't know, but that memo sort of points that way," Sennett said. "Hey, is that the video the other council members showed you?"

Godfrey looked where she was pointing. "Yeah, I think so," he said.

She opened it and the video started to play. Godfrey looked away, but Sennett watched, much as it made her stomach twist to do so. The image of the man on top of the little girl was sickening.

Mason leaned over. "That's messed up. Why would someone make a sim of the Foundation Marshal screwing a kid?" he asked.

"How do you know it's a sim?" Sennett asked.

"Well, it's not even a very good one," Mason said. He paused the video. "Look, it's pixellating on the edges. Real footage doesn't do that."

"Shit," Sennett said. She closed the video and started typing frantically. "We've got to let the commissioner know. They can't be allowed to get away with this. I need to give her this list of people who might have sold our killer the gun too."

"Are you leaving again?" April asked, "Can I come with you?"

"Sure, Baby," Sennett said, tapping on her wrist screen. "I've got the information here, let's go." She took April's hand and looked over at Mason. "Thank you for helping, now stay in your room until I get back," she said.

"You can't send me to my room," Mason cried.

Sennett raised an eyebrow, and Mason said, "Okay, fine."

"And don't touch my food," Godfrey called after him as he slouched down the hallway.

The three of them left, heading towards the bullet shuttle again. "Is it safe to bring her?" Godfrey asked.

"Yeah, we're going to the shuttle, then right up to Level 10," Sennett said, "There's no safer place in the station for my daughter, trust me."

They reached the shuttle and boarded. As they started up, April pressed her face against the glass.

Godfrey, apparently deciding that she was adequately distracted, leaned toward Sennett to whisper, "Why does she wear seeming cuffs?"

She looked up quickly. "What makes you think she's wearing seeming cuffs?" she asked.

"I recognize them," he said.

She sighed. "The one piece of technology you know about. She's half Khloe."

"I didn't know they allowed artificial children to be from two races," he said.

"They don't," Sennett said. She gave him a wry smile. "April came to us the old fashioned way, the real old fashioned way, unplanned and everything. Just a few months before Lo died."

Godfrey set a hand over his mouth, looking at April in wonder. "She's a half-breed."

"So far as I know, she's the only one," Sennett said.

"Why are you hiding her?" he asked.

"Because if people knew, they'd take her from me," Sennett whispered, "Most people don't know we even can have kids with other humanoid races."

"Does she know?" Godfrey asked.

Sennett nodded. "She knows it's a secret."

He shook his head. "It doesn't seem fair, asking her to hide half of who she is," he said.

She shrugged. "It doesn't seem fair that her daddy was shot in the back of the head for being Khloe either. Life's not fair."

"How does her dad's family handle that?"

"His sister doesn't mind. She comes to visit sometimes and tells her Khloe stories. His parents stopped talking to him after we got together, so I really don't care what they think."

April ran back to Sennett, ending the conversation. "Mom, I saw Kim from school. I waved at her, but she didn't wave back."

"That's because she can't see in from the outside, silly," Sennett said, gently ruffling her daughter's hair.

They reached Level 10. Sennett led the way through the barracks, Godfrey trailing behind. "Maybe I should wait by the shuttle," he said.

She stopped, giving him a derisive look. "I'm not letting you out of my sight. At this point, it's a matter of pride that I keep you alive, Terra."

He sighed deeply and followed.

They made their way through the barracks, officers and detectives calling out greetings. "Hey, April, you here to take your qualifying exam?" one called.

Godfrey seemed to grow more and more quiet as they went. Finally, Sennett said, "What the hell is wrong?"

"I don't like cops," he muttered.

"And here I thought it was just me you didn't like," she said casually. Even so, she was curious. What could make a by the regulations person like Godfrey dislike police?

Commissioner Stone was in her office, a phone piece in her ear and a screen out in front of her. She looked up when she saw Sennett, pulling the phone from her and tossing it on the desk. "Where the hell have you been?" she asked, "I've had half a battalion out looking for you."

Sennett stood at ease in front of her desk. April tried to mimic her but only succeeded in being adorable. "I'm sorry, Commissioner, but I've had my wrist pad on the whole time. Didn't you try to call?"

"Why didn't you check in?" Stone asked, ignoring Sennett's question.

"That's what I'm doing right now," Sennett said, her voice all innocence. "I was able to narrow down a list of people the assassin might have gotten her weapon from. And, we found something about the council that I'd like to share with you."

She pulled her wrist cuff off and set it on a receiver on Stone's desk. Images started to appear on the desk at once, of the possible weapons sellers and the notes from the council members.

Stone stood, looking over the screen. Sennett waited for her to call out names of detectives, to get started tracking the weapon sellers down.

Instead, she flipped the screen off and tossed Sennett's wrist cuff into a drawer in her desk. The drawer locked when she closed it. "I don't think you understand what's happening here," she said, "You walked out of the safe house, ignoring direct orders and abandoning your team."

"But Anders wasn't going to stay, and I was assigned to protect him," Sennett said.

"Commissioner," Godfrey said, his voice shaking, "Officer Montgomery was trying to keep me safe."

"I don't care!" Stone cried, making both Godfrey and April wince. "Sennett, I have to fire you. You're lucky I'm not throwing you in a cell, which is what your fellow officers wanted me to do."

"Are you kidding me?" Sennett snapped, "I was doing my job."

"You were protesting your Khloe friend being arrested," Stone said, "We all know you've been overly friendly with them. I think the people of this station deserve police officers who will stand with their race in times of trouble. Now, I'll take your badge and gun."

Sennett shook with barely controlled rage. She wanted dearly to throw her damned badge in Stone's face. But April was there. She settled for flipping her off before leaving.

Outside, she started towards the transit. "Mommy, why were the commissioner's hands shaking?" April asked.

"Hopefully because she feels really, really bad about what she did," Godfrey said.

"And why the hell did you shut up?" Sennett barked, rounding on him, "You're a councilman, you could have told her she couldn't fire me. Or did you forget that it's the council that appoints police commissioner?"

"I did forget that, yeah," Godfrey said, looking down at the ground. "We could go back, I could tell her that she can't fire you."

Sennett took a deep breath, her anger at him subsiding. "No," she said finally, "The other officers in that house were my friends. If they want me tossed in jail, I don't know that I want to serve with them anymore. I've got be able to trust the people who have my back."

The transit arrived. Sennett kept a good hold on April's hand, eyeing the crowd. She leaned against the wall, as they started to move. "Why _was_ she shaking?" she whispered, "Nothing unnerves that woman."

Godfrey glanced around. There were just a few other people in the car, a father with his kids and a woman who's eyes were glued to her wrist pad. "Is it normal for someone to be fired for what you did, though?" he whispered, "I thought you were a fairly good cop. You always seem well liked and all. I mean, I didn't like you, but everyone else seemed to."

"Well, thanks and all," Sennett said, "She even took my wrist pad. What's going on here, what are we not seeing?"

"Where are we going now?" Godfrey asked.

"Oh, hell, I don't know," Sennett said. "I've just lost all of my credentials, my tools, my rank. I'm useless."

Godfrey scratched his head, right behind his ear. "What about Howard Stoat?" he asked.

Sennett shrugged. "What about him?"

"He might be able to help us. He already doesn't trust the council."

"Alright," Sennett said, "Let's get you home, April. I've got to grab my spare wrist pad."

"But I want to stay with you, Mommy," April said.

"I know, but this isn't going to be safe," Sennett replied, "I promise, I'll be home for a long time after all this is done. While I search for a new job."

They left the transit on Level 8 and wound their way through the streets. It was the early afternoon. Children would be coming home from school soon. Sennett figured they might have gotten on one of the last quiet transits.

The apartment was in sight, and she started to breathe a little easier. It was uncomfortable, being out in the open.

Suddenly, something crashed through the front window of her apartment, landing on the street. Sennett froze, grabbing April by the back of her shirt. It was Mason's boot.

"Down," Sennett whispered, crouching, "Stay behind me."

For once Godfrey kept his mouth shut. She crept towards the building, opening the main door and slipping towards her own unit. "Stay out here," she said and ran into the apartment.

Mason was in the middle of the living room, struggling to pull the gun out of the hands of the assassin. How had she gotten another one after Sennett had broken the first?

She jumped towards the killer, tackling her with such force that it carried them into the kitchen. The gun skittered along the floor and Mason ran after it.

The killer struggled, trying to wrench herself free. Sennett grabbed her by her wrists, slamming them hard on the ground. Something under her black clothing cracked. Her eyes, the only thing visible through the veil, turned from red to brown. Earthling brown.

"You're not Khloe," Sennett said.

The killer didn't waste time responding. She wrenched her hand away and elbowed Sennett in the chin. Sennett fell back, her eyes watering. Before she could get her hands back around her, the killer had fished her transporter from the front of her shirt and vanished.

Sennett knelt, scooping up the remains of the seeming cuff and giving her head a moment to stop swimming after the hit. Mason and Godfrey ran in, April just a moment behind.

"Mason, are you alright?" Sennett asked.

"Yeah," Mason said, helping her to her feet. "She just appeared in the middle of the living room, about a minute before you got home. I think she wanted to wait here for you to come here, so she could take Godfrey out."

"This just got weirder," Sennett said, holding out the seeming cuff for the others to see. "The killer's an Earthling, impersonating a Khloe."

"Why would she do that?" Godfrey asked. He was taking ice from the freezer and putting it in a clean washcloth for Sennett.

"To stir trouble," Sennett said. Her eyes widened, "The Khloe president. She's coming here because of all of this."

"We've got to go talk to Stoat," Godfrey said, "He's the only one left who might listen to us."

"Great," Mason muttered, "The last person on the station who might listen to you is a powerless figurehead."

Episode 5

Sennett paced back and forth across the front of the conference room of the Current Party. Godfrey, sitting at the table, was following her with his eyes.

"Will you stop that?" he asked, "You're making me nervous."

She spared a derisive glance for him. "Are you sure it's me making you nervous?" she asked, "Kind of seems like you'd have other reasons right now. Like the killer who broke into my damn house and almost killed my brother, trying to get to you. You know, I had to send Mason and April to our mom's place, and I don't even know if that's going to be safe. I lost my job, every friend I've ever had. Your wife's in jail, we have only three remaining council members. And now-,"

"And now we're about to make idiots of ourselves in front of the leaders of our respective parties," Godfrey said, "Yeah, I get that."

Sennett stopped and looked at him. "Do you really think we're about to make idiots of ourselves?"

He didn't have a chance to respond before the door opened, and they were joined by Joy Wheatly. She was a tall woman, with a thick coil of hair twisted into a bun at the top of her head. She held her head high, as though she wore a crown instead of a bun.

"Marshal, this is Sennett Montgomery," Godfrey said, gesturing towards her. "Sennett, Marshal Wheatly was the vice marshal under Saul."

"Nice to meet you," Sennett said, offering her hand. Joy took it, and Sennett couldn't help but wonder how she'd only been vice marshal. "I understand we're waiting for Howard?" she asked.

"If you don't mind, Ma'am. It's a rather long story, and we'd rather tell it just the one time," Sennett said.

She nodded. "Rather a strange one, so far as I can tell." She took a seat at the table. Sennett couldn't make herself sit down.

"So, have you gotten the title officially yet?" Godfrey asked.

"Not yet, we've still got to have a vote," Joy said, "No one else has come forward, but that could be because we're all so distracted by the scandal with Mai."

Godfrey pursed his lips. "That's something else we need to talk to you about."

The door opened again, and Howard came in. He grinned at Sennett. "Hey, what are we doing here?" he asked, settling into a chair, "Sennett, don't you have something better to do than bother these poor Foundation Party members?"

She cracked a smile for him. Godfrey and Joy didn't look as amused. "Marshal, thank you for joining us," she said.

"Of course, of course," Howard said, grinning. "So, what are we doing, kids?"

Joy looked offended at being called a kid but seemed as though she was refraining from responding.

Godfrey stood, glancing towards Sennett as though for comfort. "I understand that what we're about to tell you is a little, well, difficult to believe."

"That's always my favorite way to start a conversation," Howard said, sitting back in his chair.

Before Godfrey could keep bumbling, Sennett said, "We think Commissioner Stone is part of a plot to lead people to believe that a Khloe assassin is killing off council members."

"Then she's going a good job because I thought that a Khloe assassin _was_ trying to kill off council members," Joy said.

"We also believe that the council framed Saul Mai for pedophilia," Godfrey said, "Whether those two things are related, we don't know."

"I hope you have something that at least resembles proof," Joy said.

Sennett and Godfrey glanced at each other. "The killer was wearing a seeming cuff. It broke while I was fighting with her in my apartment," she said.

"I thought the killer was wearing a mask," Howard said.

"Her eyes were visible," Sennett replied. She set the broken cuff on the table.

"You know, that might have come from anywhere," Joy said.

"Why would we lie about this?" Sennett asked.

Joy shrugged. "Why would someone pretend to be a Khloe and kill council members?"

"We actually have an answer for that," Godfrey said, "We think they might be planning to do something to the Khloe president."

Howard rubbed his chin with his thumb. "Seems like a lot of blood to spill to get the president here. Why?"

"That part we haven't figured out yet," Godfrey said.

"So, you think that someone is impersonating a Khloe to kill the council members to bring the Khloe president here, but we don't know why," Joy said, her eyebrows arched, "Is that about right?"

"Yes, Ma'am," Godfrey said.

"Okay," Joy took a deep breath. "What about this conspiracy against Saul Mai?"

"Ah, we have proof for that," Godfrey said, getting to his feet. "Sennett, can you make this table do that thing you did at your place?"

"Sure," Sennett said and leaned over to start tapping on the screen. "Godfrey, I need you. Sign into the council's database."

Godfrey started tapping on the screen, giving it an unsure look. Finally, he managed to log into the database. "Where was it?" he asked.

"I don't know," Sennett said. She glanced at the screen. "I don't see it anywhere." She started flicking through the files frantically. "It's gone."

"It can't be," Godfrey said, still flipping through files.

Joy huffed. "So, we have a maybe human assassin that you _claim_ is part of this, but you can't prove it, and a file that will clear Saul Mai, if only we know where it is. That's not reassuring, Godfrey."

"Commissioner Stone must have warned them, and they deleted it," Sennett said.

Howard was looking at the screen, his fingers interlaced. "What are all these files? The ones with citizen names on them?" He was quiet a moment. Joy as well looked at the files, her lips pursing together.

"Tell you what I think," Howard said finally, "I think if anyone but you, Sennett, had brought this to me, I wouldn't have believed it. I mean, it's probably the craziest thing I've ever heard. But you, coming to me with Anderson? That's no prank. You, talking about Khloe protection, that's no joke."

Joy gave him an incredulous look. "And why is she so beyond reproach?"

"Because her husband was Khloe, and he died for it," Howard said.

Joy shrugged. "I'm not saying she's pulling an elaborate prank on us. It's possible that she's jumping at nothing, given her loss. And Godfrey, I know that we're all upset over what happened to Saul-,"

"Marshal, what's more likely, that Saul Mai abused his goddaughter or that the council blackmailed him to shut him up?" Godfrey asked. He waved a hand across the screen at the files. "Do you think they wouldn't stoop that low?"

After a moment, she said, "That's fair, but it doesn't explain any of the rest of this."

"That's fine," Howard said, "I'll meet with the council with them. You don't need to come." His grin widened. "And when we find signs of corruption, it will be the Current Party who saved the station."

"Is that supposed to intimidate me?" Joy asked.

"It's supposed to remind you of what's at stake," Howard replied, "Do you want everyone to think we did nothing?"

Joy considered him. "Alright, I guess we can always say it was a prank, worse case scenario," she said.

"How do we talk to the council members?" Howard asked, "I thought they were in protective custody."

"They are," Sennett said, "and even with all that's going on, I'm not permitted to reveal the location of the safe house to anyone who's not a police officer."

"Guess that means I'm not allowed either," Godfrey said, much to her relief. "I can ask them to call us here, though."

"Go ahead," Joy said.

Godfrey pulled a small keyboard from his pocket and started typing. Howard leaned over to look at it. "Didn't they stop making those eight years ago? Sennett, when was the last time you saw someone with a physical keyboard?"

She tried to suppress a laugh, failing badly.

"Excuse me for not having one built into my teeth or something," he muttered, "Alright, they're willing to have a video conference. Are you both ready?"

"Yes," Joy said, folding her hands over her lap.

Godfrey started typing again. When he finished, images of Sonya and Mostevich appeared next to the table. "Godfrey," Sonya said, "What's going on? I heard from the commissioner that Sennett was fired."

Sennett glanced toward Howard. She hadn't mentioned that.

Joy stood. "Thank you for joining us. I understand that this is a difficult time for you."

"For all of us on the station," Councilwoman Mostevich said.

"Exactly. Which is why we should proceed with caution, to ensure that we don't make the situation worse rather than better. Councilman Anders and Ms. Montgomery have come to us with some new information."

She looked at Sennett. "Would you like to explain what's going on?" she asked.

"Yes, Ma'am," Sennett said, cursing her in her mind. She looked back and forth from Sonya to Mostevich and told them the same story she'd told Howard. Godfrey broke in a couple times, adding information where Sennett had missed a few points. Finally, Sennett looked at Sonya, and said, "I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but we think that Councilwoman Mostevich was involved in framing former Marshal Saul Mai. When we sought out the evidence it had been deleted."

"Excuse me," Mostevich snapped.

"Excuse me, Councilwoman, but I had the decency to tell you to your face," Sennett replied, turning to face her. "I don't go whispering to someone's boss after they're gone, so you can excuse me."

"Sennett," Sonya said, looking worried, "please try to understand. This is an outlandish accusation. Honestly, that doesn't even look like a seeming cuff."

"Yes it does," Howard snorted, "I know what a seeming cuff looks like, Councilwoman, and that's the remains of one sitting right there."

"Just because it's a seeming cuff doesn't mean she didn't just pick a broken one up at a junk shop," Mostevich said, "It's a rather convenient coincidence that the two people who found out about this conspiracy are unusually friendly with the Khloe community."

Joy poked the cuff with a stylus, holding it up so that she could see the inside. "There's some sort of chip in this, isn't there? Can we see what the last image was?"

"Yes, we can," Howard said, "I wonder if it would be programmed for a Khloe woman."

"I've had enough of this," Mostevich said, "We have a crisis, and we don't have time for these stories."

"Anders, we have a meeting with the Khloe president," Sonya said, "We need you there, please."

Godfrey looked as though he would have liked to argue. Instead, he said, "Where are we meeting her?"

"At the Khloe embassy," Mostevich said, glaring at him.

"I'll be there," Godfrey replied.

Sonya and Mostevich vanished, and Godfrey stood. "I'm sorry, I wasn't expecting them to dismiss us so quickly."

"It's not your fault," Joy said. She was staring at the place where Sonya's image had been standing, just a few minutes before. "Sennett, you're currently unemployed?"

"Yes, Ma'am," Sennett muttered.

"The Foundation Party would like to hire you to watch over Councilman Anders," she said, "Keep him safe."

"I beg your pardon, but I'm not sure if I want to work for the Foundation Party," Sennett said.

"What about the Current Party?" Howard asked, shrugging, "I think we could spare some funds to keep Anders safe."

"Marshal, are you sure?" she asked, through gritted teeth.

"Sure, I'm sure," Howard said, "You've done a great job so far. Look at him, alive and all."

"To be clear," Sennett said as they left the office and headed towards the Khloe Embassy, "I don't work for you."

"Yeah, I know," Godfrey said. "I guess I haven't been so easy to deal with. I kept meaning to apologize for that, you know, I just-,"

"Yeah, what the hell is your problem with me, anyway?" Sennett asked, "It's not like I've done anything to you."

"Well," he said, looking anywhere but at her, "I guess it's because you're a cop. Worse, you're a cop with connections."

"So?" Sennett asked.

He sighed. "Look, I came from a small southern town, and cops with connections do pretty much whatever they want there. You people on the stations, you think Earth is backward? The southern states of America are like the Earth of Earth. Everyone knows everyone, and the cops are all buddies with the judges and the politicians. So, if a cop does something bad," he swallowed, his mouth suddenly dry, "If a cop hurts a farmer's kid, no one cares."

Sennett stopped. "Are we talking hypothetically, or-,"

"No," he said, "We're not." He continued walking, forcing Sennett to trot to catch up with him.

They approached the Khloe Embassy. It was a massive, dome-shaped structure, rich blue in color. The door was taller than on an Earth dwelling, with a circular hole for a handle.

There was a lot going on inside. Khloe people were rushing through the halls, stopping to whisper to each other for a few moments before hurrying away to other parts of the building. Joyce and Donovan were stationed in the hallway, along with two officers Sennett knew only in passing, Patricia, and Amy. Both older women who had been on the force a long time when Sennett had joined but had never had the skills or inclination to become detectives. They looked up quickly when Sennett and Godfrey walked in, but she refused to meet their gaze, the traitors.

The ambassador, a woman named Sa, met them just inside the entry. She had deep red skin and brilliant gold hair that reached halfway down her back. She was dressed in a silk suit, the jacket long enough to reach her knees. She gave them a distracted smile. "Councilman, it's good to meet you," she said, reaching out to shake his hand, "The other council members are in the sitting room, please follow me."

The sitting room was designed for Khloe fashion. The furniture was vibrant orange in color, with circular raised seats in place of Earth style arm chairs or couches. The floor was plain, nothing but the steel boards that had formed its foundation. A square table of snacks had been set up against the window. Sennett's mouth watered, seeing Hatsu. Fortunately, Godfrey made a beeline for the table, seeming to want to avoid Mostevich and Sonya.

"I guess you met a lot of visiting politicians, growing up?" he asked.

"Not really," she said, "Mom didn't do business at home. She kind of made a point of it, when she was home she wanted to focus on us."

She felt tears fighting to come out. She took a deep breath and forced a smile. "She was good like that."

The front door opened, and there was a sound like a trumpet outside of the room. Sonya and Mostevich stood, and Godfrey went to join them.

President Ly stepped into the room, with her husband Du just behind her. Ly was tall, even by Khloe standards. She wore a silk red gown that swept the floor. Her hair, orange, was chipped short. She held herself as though she expected silence when she entered the room, as though she expected the privilege to speak first.

Du, shorter than his wife, was dressed in a black suit. He had a smile on his face, as though he thought the deference shown to her amusing.

"Council members," Ly said, "I wish better circumstances had brought me here."

"Certainly," Mostevich said, "One of your people, a guest on this station, has committed racially motivated killings. I'm surprised it took you this long to get here."

President Ly gave her a tight smile. "I'm sorry, but I don't think I'm going to let you speak to me like that. I have an entire planet to look after myself, while it seems that six of you can't take care of one space station. Was Sa not an effective partner in this?"

"She's not been involved in the situation," Mostevich said.

"Because we didn't allow her to be," Godfrey said, "She sent several requests to assist us, Madam President."

Du was looking around the room. His eyes fell on Sennett, and he smiled. "Little Sennett Montgomery. Do you remember me?"

"I do, sir," she said, inclining her head, "You came to my school when I was a child, with some Khloe children, to meet us."

He moved away from his wife and helped himself to some food. "I was so proud, bringing my students to meet all of you. I remember, you and that little boy, Lo, you liked each other right away."

Sennett nodded. "He was a good man, sir."

"That's right, you two were married," Du said, giving her a sad nod. "I am sorry, dear, that you lost him."

"I try to be thankful that I had him," Sennett said.

Out in the hallway, Donovan was doing something strange. He looked into the room, gave Sennett a pointed stare, then popped back out before any of the council members or President Ly could see him. After he'd done this a fourth time, Sennett said, "Please excuse me, sir. I think one of the officers would like to speak with me."

"Of course, of course," Du said, "and I should get back to Ly. She sounds as though she's getting upset."

Upset was not the word Sennett would have used for the tone President Ly had right then. Terrifyingly low made more sense.

She made her way to the hall, where Donovan and Joyce were waiting. "Are you okay?" Joyce asked, "What the hell happened?"

"What do you mean, what happened?" Sennett snapped, "You fuckers told Commissioner Stone that I abandoned our team, so I got fired, that's what happened."

Joyce and Donovan looked at each other. Patricia and Amy, who'd been keeping an eye on the door, turned to look at her. "No we didn't," Patricia said.

"No one did," Donovan said, "Joyce almost got herself suspended, screaming at the Commissioner over it."

"The only reason I'm still here is because Mostevich is a friend of my dad's," Joyce said, "Sennett, you're my girl. You've saved my life, why the hell would I have accused you of walking out on us?"

Donovan wiped a hand over his face, then pulled her into a strong, one armed hug. "I'm really sorry, Sennett," he said.

Joyce had her arms crossed. "Why would she lie, though? What does it do for her?"

"All it does is get Sennett out of the barracks," Donovan said, "Well, I guess it also discredits her. Not that anyone who knows you would think that," he added quickly.

"It makes Councilman Anders look less stable," Amy said, "It's one thing when he's backed by a respected officer and member of the Current Party. It's another when he's backed by some untrustworthy idiot who got kicked off the force."

Sennett grinned despite herself. Amy had been around long enough that a compliment from her had weight.

A hesitant knock on the door broke up the conversation. Sennett and the officers put their hands to their weapons, as one of the embassy workers hurried to open the door. "Wait," Donovan said, putting a hand out to stop him.

Patricia was closest to the outer view screen. She tapped it, and the screen lit up to show a young Khloe woman, looking around fearfully. She knocked again.

"What's going on?" President Ly asked, coming into the hallway.

"There's someone at the door, Madam President," Amy said.

"One of my people?" Ly asked, "Let them in."

"Do you remember that one of your people has been killing council members?" Joyce asked.

Ly considered Joyce over the tip of her nose. "Allegedly," she said, "But so long as I am standing in this embassy, no Khloe citizen will be turned away. Open the door."

Patricia sighed but did as she was told. The woman came in, glancing around. "Madam President," she said, as the door closed behind her.

Sennett tapped the metal circles set into her temple. A screen appeared across her eyes. She could now see through the woman's seeming. "She's not Khloe," Sennett said.

"Miss, this is going too far," Ly said.

"Yes, it is," Sennett said. She pulled her disrupter, clicking it at the killer.

The seeming dropped away, leaving an Earth woman with a long blond braid, and startling green eyes. She looked around quickly and pulled a thin weapon from her belt. She got off two shots before Sennett and Joyce fired.

Their guns weren't meant to kill, Joyce's being only an air pistol and Sennett's a disrupter, but the force of both still knocked the woman into the wall. "Earth Purity," the woman said, before Donovan shot his stunner, knocking her out.

Ly had been hit, her arm was bleeding. She'd fallen aside in shock, but no one was running to her.

The same shot that caught her arm had landed in Du's belly. He was lying on the ground, gasping. Mostevich was down as well, her shoulder torn open. "Someone get an ambulance!" Godfrey screamed. He'd pulled his jacket off, and was trying to use it to stop the flow of bleeding from Du.

Donovan was binding the killer's hands and wrists. "Joyce, go with the councilwoman to the hospital," Patricia said, "Amy, stay with Voit while Donovan and I get the prisoner up to the barracks. I assume that Anders will be relying on his private security."

The emergency workers were coming in. Sennett kept her visor up, inspecting everyone as they came in. But so far everyone looked to be who they said they were.

"Sennett, we've got to get up to the barracks," Godfrey said, as Du was loaded carefully onto a stretcher. "If we've got the real killer, they've got to let Ki go."

"Hurry, hurry!" Godfrey said, nearly running off of the transit. "What's taking you so long, Sennett?"

"I am walking at a normal pace, and scanning the crowd for trouble," Sennett replied, "Slow down, please."

"But the officers must have gotten here nearly an hour ago," Godfrey said, "The damned slow transit. Ki's probably sitting in the waiting room, wondering where the hell I am. Besides, we got the killer."

"We got _a_ killer," Sennett said, "Stop acting like a kid and stay with me. You're the one who thought there might be more."

Even so, Godfrey nearly ran through the front door and up to the desk clerk.

"Excuse me," he said, "I'm here to pick someone up."

The clerk looked up from his screen. "And who would that be?" he asked.

"Ki Anders. She's being released from prison," Godfrey said.

Looking back down, the clerk started typing. After a few moments, he said, "Prisoner Anders is not scheduled for release at this time. Is there anything else I can do for you?"

"What do you mean she's not scheduled for release," Godfrey asked, "Your people just caught the real killer."

"Sir, I don't have any record of that here," the clerk said, "and I only know what's in the records."

"Who do we need to talk to about this?" Sennett asked.

After a few more seconds of typing, he said, "It seems that Commissioner Stone is handling this case personally. You'll have to talk to her assistant and make an appointment."

Godfrey seemed to be deflating. "Fine," he said and turned to walk away from the desk.

"But Councilman, the Commissioner's office is this way," Sennett said, "I'll show you."

Before Godfrey could get too far away, she grabbed him by the arm and started pulling him towards the office.

"You can't see her now," the desk clerk called.

"I don't think the councilman needs an appointment," Sennett said.

"Stop," Godfrey said, "this isn't going to work, she's just going to do something worse to Ki if we piss her off."

Sennett stopped and looked Godfrey in the eye. "What was that you called me when you hated me? A cop with connections, right?"

"Yeah," he said.

" _You_ are a connection, Councilman Anders. You are the one with the power here, you're not some farmers son. Now we came here to get Ki, are we going to do that?"

Godfrey took a deep breath. "Yes, yes we are," he said.

The commissioner's office door was open, she was at her desk with her screen out. "Montgomery!" Stone said when Godfrey and Sennett walked in, "you are not at liberty to just come in my office."

"I am here with my client, Commissioner Stone," Sennett replied, standing at ease next to the door, praying that Godfrey would take it from there.

Before he got a chance to say anything, though, Stone was on her feet, and in Sennett's face. "I don't care who you're here with. I didn't care when your foster mother was chief councilwoman, and I don't care now. I have exactly no time for a woman who turns her back on her team, so you can get the hell out of my barracks."

"Commissioner Stone," Godfrey said, "take your seat, please."

Stone looked at him, taken aback. "As Ms. Montgomery already indicated, she is here as my protection, seeing as how no officer on this station was capable of providing it. I asked you to sit down, Ma'am."

Stone took a deep breath and went back to her seat. "Go on, Councilman," she said.

Godfrey stood in front of her desk, his arms crossed. "You are aware, I assume, that a woman was just arrested for trying to assassinate President Ly? Or are you such a poor commissioner that you didn't notice?"

"Councilman, I don't have to sit here and take that kind of attitude," Stone said, "I am sure that you're worried about your wife, but there are procedures that must be followed. Mrs. Anders is in good hands, and will be released as soon as we have all of this sorted out."

"I don't understand, what's left to sort?"

"We have to interview the new suspect, fill out transfer forms. Things of that nature."

"Is the suspect being interviewed right now?" Godfrey asked.

"No," Stone said.

"Why not?"

"We do have other work that needs to be done, Councilman," Stone said.

"Work that's more important than freeing an innocent woman?" Godfrey asked, "No, I've heard enough of your excuses. I suggest, Commissioner, that you find a way to expedite this, or the only thing that will be left to _sort out_ is who's taking your position."

Khloe people are similar to Earth people in many ways. They have porous skin, blood that pumps required oxygen through their bodies. A similar digestive and compatible reproductive system.

Apparently, they also bruise.

When Ki joined Godfrey and Sennett in the waiting room, her face was covered in black splotches. Her cheek was cut open. She was wearing the same long sleeve shirt she'd been wearing when she was arrested, which must have covered countless more marks on her arms.

Godfrey looked as though he was close to tears when he saw her, jumping so quickly to his feet he almost fell. "Hey," she said, giving him a gentle smile. "I think I'm ready to go home, now."

"I think I'm ready to take you home," Godfrey replied.

"Is there anything else I can help you with, Councilman?" Stone asked, looking weary.

"No today," Godfrey said, "but we'll be talking soon about how Khloe prisoners are treated. Have a nice day, commissioner."

They ushered Ki out of the barracks and headed towards the transport. "I think we'll be safe going to your place for now," Sennett said.

Just then, her wrist pad flashed red. Around them, in the crowd of people going to and from the transit dock, others were looking down at their wrists. A large screen that generally showed the planned arrival times went blank.

Then, Councilwoman Mostevich and Sonya appeared. "My fellow citizens," Sonya said, "I am sorry to tell you that an hour ago, Du, the husband of President Ly, passed away from injuries sustained in a terrorist assassination attempt. Because of this tragedy, President Ly has informed us that she will be reconsidering the Khloe friendship with our people.

"We have lived in peace with all of our visitors from other worlds since First Contact was made. We in the council are confident that we can come to a peaceful resolution with our Khloe friends."

"No," Ki said, her hand going to her throat,"If President Ly's husband is dead, there isn't much hope for peace."

Episode 6

The very last thing Godfrey wanted to do was leave a battered Ki alone. But Sennett wouldn't hear of it, insisting that he had to meet with Ly and the council. "Are you stupid!" she screamed when he suggested resigning right then, "What the hell is Sonya supposed to do against Mostevich without you there? She needs you. We'll take Ki to my mom's place with Mason and April. She'll be fine there until after the meeting."

Godfrey wanted to argue with her, but Ki said, "She's right. Go on, I just want to lay down on a couch and sleep."

Finally, seeing that he wasn't going to win an argument in which Sennett and Ki were united against him, he agreed.

They hurried to Level Two, rushing past the guard at the door of the Khloe Embassy. Sa came to greet them. "Councilman Anders, can I help you?" she asked.

"I am here to speak with President Ly," he said, "Aren't either of the other council members here?"

"The last time I saw them was at the hospital," Sa said, "Councilwoman Mostevich is in observation."

"May I speak to the president?" Godfrey asked.

"Of course," Sa said, "She is in the sitting room, right through here."

As she led them to the sitting room, Sa continued to speak. "How is your wife, Councilman? She has been released?"

"Yes," Godfrey said, "Thank you for your concern. She's recovering now."

"I am happy to hear it," Sa replied, and bowed them into the room.

President Ly was alone. She was seated on a chair, looking out of the window with her hands on her lap. It took her a moment to look towards them when they entered. "Madam President," Godfrey said. "Do you mind if we speak with you?"

"Oh?" she asked, blinking a few times as though she didn't recognize them. "Oh, of course. Come in, Godfrey, Sennett. It's better that I'm not alone right now, I think."

They entered the room, taking seats across from Ly. She gave then a wry smile. "I was just thinking that I'm going to have to go home and tell Du's parents that he's gone. His father never liked me, he's sure to say it's my fault." She sighed, looking out the window again. "Maybe he's right."

Sennett leaned forward setting a hand on Ly's. "I understand how that feels," she said, "My husband's parents don't like me, either."

"That makes things harder than they have to be," Ly said. "Your husband, what was his name?"

"Lo," Sennett said, "His name was Lo."

"Yes," Ly said. "He was killed here on the station, wasn't he? He was shot?"

"He was," Sennett said.

"And did you ever catch the person who shot him?" Ly asked.

"We did," Sennett said, "She's in prison now."

"Good," Ly said, looking out the window, "That's good."

After a few moments, Godfrey said, "Madam President, I wanted to talk with you, about the relationship between our people. What's happened here today is horrible, but it's important to maintain peace."

"Well of course," Ly said, looking surprised. "Oh, I suppose you heard that silly announcement Sonya and Emma made from the hospital? That's my fault, I was angry. But I have no intention of starting a war with Earthlings, not even one station of them."

"Oh," Godfrey said, feeling his chest loosen, "I am sorry, I shouldn't have made that assumption."

"It's fine, it's fine," President Ly said. She looked at him, as though considering him. "Godfrey, what would you do, to protect your wife? Both Sennett and I have lost our husbands. What would you do, to save yourself from that?"

"I don't know," Godfrey said, "That is to say, I don't know what I wouldn't do if her life was in danger."

She smiled at him. "Thank you," she said, "I think my mind is made up. Tomorrow, I am going home.

"And I am taking my people with me."

"What do you mean?" Sennett asked.

"I have risked the well-being of my people long enough, I think. In all the time we've been here, all the violence and persecution, it's never gotten any better. Sennett's husband, Du, how many others is it going to take?"

"But, you can't be serious?" Godfrey cried. "You want to force Ki and me to move to Khloe?"

"No," Ly said, turning again to face him, "I have no intention of allowing Earthlings on Khloe now, any more than I ever have."

"That is my wife," Godfrey said, "You can't just rip families apart like that."

"I thought you just said that you'd do anything to protect her," Ly said, "She's safer on Khloe by far than she is at Station 86."

"That's not true," Godfrey said, "Are you really going to tell me that there's no violence on Khloe, no killings or terrorism. That is a human quality, not just Earthian."

"At least, if she is at home, her fate is in our hands," Ly said.

"You can't just order people to leave," Sennett said, "These are adults, they made a choice to come here. Madam President, you'll be splitting up families."

"I'd rather get this over with now before there are children to worry about," Ly said, her voice stern.

Sennett glanced down, then back up at Ly. "There are, though, at least one."

"Oh?" Ly asked, "Where? I was never told of a half Khloe child."

Sennett stood, facing Ly. "It's my daughter, mine and Lo's. Her name is April. She doesn't see her grandparents, but she does see her aunt and cousins. If you do this, you'll be taking away half of her family, and she doesn't have a lot as it is."

"And how have you managed that, keeping her from everyone?" Ly asked.

"She wears a seeming bracelet," Sennett said.

Ly held her hand up, silencing her. "Really? You presume to lecture me about taking part of her family away when you deny her half of herself? Get out of here. Don't you dare speak to me again."

"Madam President, that is uncalled for!" Godfrey said, "You're not a parent, you can't understand Sennett's,"

"Get out," Ly said, turning from them to look out the window again.

Sennett opened her mouth to argue, but Godfrey grabbed her by the arm and pulled her outside.

They walked in silence for a few minutes. Godfrey couldn't think of anything worth making a sound. Sennett's hands were shaking, as they boarded the transit.

As they wound their way along the levels, he finally spoke. "You shouldn't have told her about April," he said, "She might have tried to take her, too."

"She's going to take Ki," Sennett said.

Godfrey nodded. "Yeah, yeah she is. But maybe she's right."

He buried his face in his hands. "Maybe we never get away from bigotry, we just find new things to hate."

Sennett didn't have a response to that.

They left the transit on Level 7, heading to Thorn's house. As they left the small cluster of people at the dock, Sennett put a hand on Godfrey's arm. She was glancing around.

"What is it now?" he asked.

"I thought I saw something," she said.

"We caught the killer, Sennett."

"Yeah, but something's been bothering me about that. When we saw the killer at my house, she had brown eyes. The woman we caught at the embassy had green."

"And you're only now mentioning that?" Godfrey asked. A clicking nearby got his attention. He turned, just in time to see a figure in black vanish.

"I just remembered," Sennett said. She started tapping her wrist pad. "I'm calling for help, stay near me."

There was the click again, and a woman dressed in black appeared before them. Sennett pulled her weapon, but the woman was faster. She shot, just as Godfrey ducked out of the way. The stream of liquid caught his sleeve, burning a hole in it.

"Get to cover!" Sennett cried. She fired off a few more shots, but the killer kept transporting from place to place. Godfrey wasn't able to move anywhere, so instead he stood at Sennett's back.

Suddenly, Sennett screamed. She fell to one knee, holding her hand. The killer had gotten off a lucky shot. It was burned, deep red blisters appearing already. Godfrey scooped her disrupter up and looked around frantically. "What do I do?" he asked.

"Point and pull the trigger, Stupid!" Sennett cried.

The killer appeared again. Godfrey's hand shook as he aimed for her. He tried to pull the trigger, but couldn't.

Just then, shots were fired from the other side of the street. Officer Donovan was running for them, his own weapon in hand. "Councilman Anders, get down!" he said.

Godfrey did, and Donovan fired. A ball of air hit the killer, knocking her off of her feet. "Shoot her!" Sennett yelled. Godfrey lifted the weapon, but just as he did, someone kicked it out of his hand.

Commissioner Stone was standing next to him, holding a personal transporter in one hand, and a gun in the other.

"Commissioner, what are you doing?" Donovan called.

She didn't respond. Instead, she aimed her weapon at him and fired. It wasn't an air gun like the rest of the officers carried. It fired a live round of lead into him.

"Donovan!" Sennett screamed as he fell.

She started to scramble to her feet, but Stone pressed her gun to her forehead. "Stay down," she hissed.

"You traitorous bitch!" Sennett growled.

"I'm not the traitor, you are," Stone replied, "You, your little friend here, your foster mother. Everyone on this station, so excited about First Contact. So ready to surrender the human race to aliens. All of you are the traitors."

"You've been behind all of this!" Godfrey cried.

"No," she said, laughing, "I'm just a soldier. And you, Sennett, you should have been a better soldier, and taken orders."

The assassin was getting to her feet. One of her arms was twisted, broken. Even so, she walked up to Godfrey and buried the muzzle of her gun into the back of his head.

"This station is going to be purified," Stone said, "starting now."

But before she could fire, she was knocked off of her feet. The killer looked up and was hit as well by a blast of ice.

Mason stood at the end of the road, holding the thermosetter. He ran toward them, planting Stone and the killer to the street with another blast of ice.

"Sennett!" he cried, "Are you okay?"

Sennett didn't seem to have a response to that. She reached, shaking, for her brother with her uninjured hand, and he pulled her up to a standing position. Godfrey didn't try to stand, not right away. Instead, he laid on his back and looked up at the ceiling above him.

Godfrey felt numb. He was dimly aware of other police officers showing up. They tried to speak to him until they realized that he wasn't responding, then turned to Sennett instead.

He didn't respond either when an ambulance technician got him to his feet and started going over him. He didn't say anything at all until he saw Ki.

He started walking towards her, trying not to run, trying not to grab her up into his arms. But when they reached each other, she ended up there anyway. She pulled him close, and they held each other until someone, he didn't even know who, ushered them to Thorn's house.

Sennett wasn't there, just April and Mason. April tried to talk to them, but Mason took her outside, leaving them in the living room, alone.

"I can't stand the thought of leaving," she whispered, her head on his chest.

"Maybe it's better, though," Godfrey said, "The way you were treated, it's inhuman. At least if you're on Khloe you're won't be hated for who you are. You shouldn't stay for me."

"Are you kidding?" Ki asked, raising her head to look at him. "Godfrey, this station is my home. I came here to go to school. I made friends with my classmates, my professors. I've got people at work who are like family to me. If I'd never met you, I would still want to stay. Do you really think that the opinion of a few hateful pricks mean more to me than my whole life?"

"Sorry," he whispered, "Guess I'm a little egotistical, huh?"

"Just a little," she said, laying back down. "I don't mind, though."

Sennett came into the house. She sat down on the chair across from the couch, looking down. "I tried to see Ly again," she said, "She wouldn't even let me in. She's, she's leaving tomorrow morning. And she is taking every one of her people with her."

No one slept. Godfrey and Ki spent the night in the living room. Sennett took April into Thorn's bedroom. A few times, Godfrey heard crying.

Near dawn, they made a trip up to their house, alone, so that Ki could pack a few things. She didn't take much. A few sets of clothes, some pieces of jewelry. Her tablet, and a flash drive full of pictures of them.

Down at Level One, every Khloe on the station was in the process of saying goodbye. Children were crying. It looked as though every kid on the station was there, bidding farewell to their friends.

Men and women, Earthling, Toth and Ma 'Sheed, were saying goodbye to their Khloe friends and lovers. President Ly stood next to the docking door of her ship, watching calmly as people made their slow way aboard.

"Don't give up," Ki said, "Ly might change her mind. She's hurt right now, but that will pass. I'll come back to you."

"I'll wait," Godfrey said, nodding. But it was no more than a show for her. He knew the look on Ly's face. She would never change her mind, he was sure.

They walked, slowly, to the door. Godfrey had to stop himself from spitting insults at Ly when they were close enough to be heard.

Ki kissed him, he kissed her. He had to let her go, but he couldn't. Finally, she pulled away and left.

Sennett stood at the back of the crowd, watching the Khloe people board the ship. April stood in front of her, leaning against her legs. "Mommy, I don't want them to go," she said, her voice threatening tears again.

"I don't want them to go either, Baby," she said, "If your daddy were here-," she cut herself off, trying to hold back tears. "We'll try to get them back, April."

"Sennett," someone said quietly. She turned to see Howard and Joy. He set a hand on her shoulder, looking fearful. "We need to talk, it's urgent."

"What's going on?" Sennett asked.

"Councilwoman Mostevich is dead," Joy whispered so that April couldn't hear.

"I thought she was healing," Sennett said.

"She was," Howard replied, "But she was stabbed through the ribs."

"While she was in the hospital?" she asked, "who was it?"

"The security feed was lost during the time she was killed," Howard said, "But the only people who could have gotten to that feed would be the council members. Which means it's either Godfrey or Councilwoman Voit."

Sennett couldn't say anything. She thought of birthdays, of Christmas gifts. She thought of a kindly hand on her shoulder at Lo's funeral.

"Godfrey was with me, all this time," she said, "It couldn't have been him."

"If Voit wants to kill President Ly, she's running out of time," Joy said.

"Do you mean Miss Sonya?" April asked, "She's up there talking to the President, see?" she pointed.

Sonya was stepping onto the platform where Ly stood.

"Shit," Sennett said.

"Take this," Joy said, pressing a personal transporter into Sennett's hand, "It's mine. Go!"

"Get April out of here," Sennett said, "Honey, go with Miss Joy and Mister Howard, right now, okay?"

"But Mommy!" April said, as Howard took her by the hand and pulled her out toward the transport.

There was screaming coming from the platform. She looked towards Ly. Sonya was holding a pistol, pressing it into Ly's side while she held tight to her arm. With no other options, Sennett clicked the transporter.

She'd never traveled by personal transporter before. It was a disorienting experience, feeling all of her body parts slipped sideways through space as though it were nothing. But she didn't have a moment to feel sick. She pushed Sonya's pistol away from Ly. It went off, the stream of fire gel hitting the side of the ship before Sennett wrenched it out of Sonya's hand. Ly took the opportunity to strike Sonya, throwing her to the ground next to the platform. Sonya rose and tried to run. But she didn't get more than a few steps.

A woman in the crowd grabbed her. When she tried to pull from her grasp, a man caught hold of her other arm. "What are you doing?" Sonya screamed.

"This has all been your fault?" the man who had hold of her cried, "I'm losing my wife, my son! And it's because of you, and people like you. You are not getting away with it."

"Madam President," Sennett said, "Are you alright?"

"I'm, fine," she said, checking her side. "At least I think I am. What was all this about?"

Sonya was laughing, as police officers came running to take her into custody. "Don't rest easily, any of you!" she screamed, "The Core is watching. We outnumber you, and we will win."

"Get her out of here," Sennett said, waving her hand dismissively.

Ly watched as the officers pulled a still laughing Sonya away. "The Core. This is not the first I've heard of them."

She looked toward the ship, as though deep in thought. "I don't know if I like this idea. It feels like I'm bowing down to terrorists. And I would hate for that to become a precedent."

"I think, if people are out to kill us for not hating each other, maybe we should fight them together," Sennett said.

"I think you might have a point," Ly said, "Sennett, would you go ask my citizens on the ship to come back out here? I may have made a rash decision."

The rest of the day passed in a happy blur. Ki and the other Khloe were quick to leave the ship, most of them running to their loved ones. Sennett was particularly amused to see Ki run directly into Godfrey and knock him over.

The three of them spent the next few hours at the council office. Howard and Joy joined them, with April, who spent the meeting on Sennett's lap.

"So where do we go from here?" Howard asked, "Councilman Godfrey, you're the only person with the right to make legal decisions at this point."

"Hell, I don't know," Godfrey said. "I'm just a cook from Earth. Mostly, I think I just want to go back to doing that."

"Maybe it's time we let the people decide how this station's run," Joy said, "And we need something in place to keep leaders accountable."

Sennett held her daughter close. "Whatever you folks are doing, you should do it soon," she said. "We don't have anyone but Godfrey making decisions, and we don't have a commissioner. If we don't get our shit in order, the IHP is going to land on us and start making our decisions for us."

"Why don't we take charge of things for now?" Howard asked, "Joy and me."

"Just for now, until we can make a more official plan," Joy said.

"Sounds great," Godfrey said, "I just want to go home."

Sennett thought that she couldn't agree more.

Aboard Station 88

Conner leaned against the wall, trying not to make a sound. He was breathing heavy, listening for the sound of boots. They would find him eventually, but he had to get to his lab before they did. Station 88 was already lost. He had no illusions about surviving the day. He had to get a message out, though.

He heard the telltale sound of boots and willed himself to keep moving. There was a piece of shrapnel sunk deep in his belly, just to the left of his navel. It would be more dangerous to pull it out, though it was agony to leave it where it was. He slipped away, thankful that his sneakers made little noise.

The door to his lab was locked. He waved his wrist pad in front of it and slipped in when the door opened. It locked behind him, for all the good that would do.

Sparky, his AI terrier, was resting on the counter. He picked it up and slid under his desk. The dog woke, and looked up at its master, cocking its head as though curious. "Silent mode," Conner said, "Record."

The dog's nose turned red, and Conner started to speak. "My name is Dr. Conner Wilder. I'm a genetic engineer on Station 88. If you're seeing this video, and I pray to God that someone does see it, don't come here! Blow it up if you can. My wife, Marie Wilder, already set up quarantine procedure. She-," He took a deep breath, thinking of Marie. Of the way she'd squeezed his hand just before she left, the way her hair smelled just after a shower.

"She gave her life to do that, so please don't waste her sacrifice. The things on this station cannot reach any others.

"We all know that there could be more humanoid races besides the four we know of. What we didn't realize was that there could be other races, not related to us. At this point, we have next to no information. We call them the Hollow Suits because they don't seem to have a form of their own. They wear armor, and the few we've managed to kill have just disintegrated when they touched the air. We don't know why the IHP abandoned our station. We don't know why Earth's gone silent. We don't-,"

He winced, trying to move in such a way that the shrapnel wasn't digging further into him. "We don't know why the Hollow Suits are killing us. But their armor, it's incredible. Disruptors don't work, none of our known weapons work. Shut your docks; don't let any unknown ships aboard!"

Conner could hear boots again in the hall. He whispered, "Stop recording and get off the station!" to Sparky and set the terrier on the ground. It scampered away, just as a pounding noise started from the office door.

The door didn't last long before crashing to the ground. Conner held his breath, waiting. He prayed that he'd pass out before he was discovered.

The boots made their way around the desk with no hesitation. A gloved hand reached under the desk, grabbing Conner around the neck. He gasped, trying to pry it away, but with no luck. In a moment he was face to face with the Hollow Suit.

The black armor gave the being an appearance of a humanoid shape, but Conner knew that was a lie. It slammed him onto his desk, driving a circular paper weight into the small of his back. The Hollow Suit didn't respond to his scream. It only pressed its fingers against Conner's eyes and started to push.

Earth, London

London had fallen, and so had two-thirds of Emily's squad. Now, as a lowly IHP corporal, she found herself hiding the remaining four English soldiers, in charge when she never wanted to be. Of course, she'd never wanted to abandon her station when the Hollow Suits had invaded Earth, but she was a good soldier. She knew how to take an order.

They'd found a place to hide in the remains of an old chip shop. The soldiers were sleeping in the booths; Emily had drawn the last shift. She looked out over the remains of the city as the sun rose. Some buildings were still smoking.

From behind her, she heard shuffling. She turned, her hand on her gun, but it was just Alex, waking. He blinked at her sleepily. "I wonder if there's any oil in the back. We could make chips."

"Who eats chips for breakfast?" Emily asked.

"I do, for one," he said, getting to his feet and stretching. "And I can't blame that on the current situation, either. I've done it ever since I left home for college."

"Then I'm surprised you're not dead," Emily said.

"He will be if he wakes me up again," Bernice muttered, poking her head out from under her coat. "Don't you all think we could use some extra sleep?"

"I don't think we can afford it," Emily said, "We should get moving soon. Wake up Beth and Erica, can you?"

Still muttering, Bernice pulled herself from the booth and started shaking her fellow soldiers.

"Hey," Alex said, looking out over the city, "What's that ship doing out there?" He pointed to a delivery shuttle that was rising into the air. It was a small vessel, meant to reach a nearby station and nothing more.

"Everyone, get ready to move," Emily said, her eyes on the shuttle. It would never get through the shield, what was the pilot thinking?

As soon as the shuttle reached above the skyline, though, a laser, shot from Big Ben, hit it and sent it careening back to the ground.

"Damn," Emily muttered, "Come on, there might be civilians in there."

They trotted through the wreckage of the city, heading towards the smoke coming from the shuttle. "Who shot it down?" Beth whispered.

"I don't know, the Koreans had control of Big Ben the last I heard," Emily responded.

"Fuckers," Erica said, "Look at the damn mess they made, and it hasn't made a dent in the Hollow Suits."

"Less chatter, please," Emily said. The last thing she wanted to do was attract any attention.

They reached the shuttle. A man was struggling to remove himself from the cockpit through the broken door. Alex and Beth hurried forward to help him out.

"What did you think you were doing, you wanker!" Erica snapped, "Did you think a delivery shuttle was going to get you through the shield?"

"I'd heard that the shield wasn't finished over London," the man said, with a thick American accent, "I don't think that's a reason for ya'll to shoot me out of the damn sky!"

Beth and Alex jumped away from him as soon as they heard his voice. Emily's heart froze. If he was infected, they were already dead.

"I'm not sick," the man said, "I got out before the infection spread too far."

"You'll understand if we check anyway," Beth said. She pulled a red plastic cube from her pocket, and said, "Hold your hand out, please." He did, and she pressed the cube to his palm. It glowed a moment, then turned green. "He's healthy," she said.

"Thank God," Alex replied.

"Now let me go, I've got to get off planet," the man said.

"Sorry, that's not going to happen," Emily said, "I don't know where you heard that the shield was weak over London, but that's a lie."

"But my son's at Station 86!" the man yelled, "The Core's targeting them, I've got to warn him."

"That's terrible," Alex said, "but he's probably safer there than we are here."

Emily was considering the man. He was old, older than any of them for sure. "What's your name?" She asked.

"Michael Anders," he said.

"Well, Michael Anders, you just got drafted to the IHP," she replied, "We need every soldier we can get; if any of us are going to survive this."

"But my son!" Michael cried.

"I know," she said, nodding, "There might be a way to reach him. We've got a base under the Parliament building. Inside is a communication system that can reach the stations, even if that shield is there. Join up, help us fight, and we'll get there."

Emily looked up. "We have to try to warn them. The stations might be the last hope that humanity's going to survive at all."

And now, please enjoy the first chapter of You Can't Trust The AI, Book Two of Station 86

Episode

One

Station 86, the station of first contact, has taken a little over a month to recover from the attack of The Core. Terrorists, opposing the stance of coexistence with fellow humanoid races, assassinated all but two members of the Council. While they did succeed in luring President Ly of Khloe to the station, her life was saved by police officer Sennett Montgomery and Councilman Godfrey Anders. But the station was horrified to learn that their police commissioner, Heather Stone, and their head Councilwoman, Sonya Voit, were both Core members. While Voit managed to kill herself before standing trial, Stone currently sits in a jail cell, awaiting justice.

Families and friends of those lost in the tragedy are healing. Leaders have stepped up to replace those who were killed or arrested. It is with great caution that the station looks to Joy Wheatly and Howard Stoat to keep things running while they decide what sort of government they'd like to have. Friends and neighbors look upon each other with distrust. There were too many Core members on the station for anyone to believe that they've seen the last of them.

As for Godfrey Anders and Sennett Montgomery, they're doing their best to slip quietly back into their everyday lives.

Sennett has been promoted to detective. She's moved into her deceased mother's home with her younger brother and daughter. Godfrey is focusing on his wife and his food stall. But a shuttle is heading to Station 86 that will shake their lives again.

It was a little after three in the afternoon. Godfrey was preparing his shop for the after school rush. A sign above his head read 'True Food Counter'.

He was a tall man, with light skin and a head full of curly hair. He had a Foundation Party pin, the four squares within each other, on his shirt collar. His stall was basic, just a counter with some stools. He had a hot stove, sink, and lots of counter space. On the counter sat a bowl of real, grown apples. They'd become very popular among school-age kids, who'd never had anything but replicated apples. Soon, the market district would be flooded with hungry kids, and college students after a meal before their evening classes.

He would also be getting some unwilling help.

Godfrey looked up as the transit arrived. A few minutes later he saw Mason Montgomery and his niece, April, making their way towards him.

Mason had all the appearance of a big, overgrown kid with pale skin, spiked blond hair and more tech on his face than Godfrey really felt that he needed. Two dots on his temples controlled a virtual visor. There was a silver earpiece in his left ear, occasionally blinking a green light. He also wore a scowl that seemed to be permanent.

April, on the other hand, was exactly what she seemed to be, a happy four-year-old. She had a mop of curly hair and the same dark complexion as her mother. At least, that was the appearance that her seeming device gave her. Godfrey knew, though few others did, that April wore devices that shielded her true appearance from others. She was half Earthian, half Khloe, the very first of her kind. Her mother felt that it was safer to keep that information private, and Godfrey really didn't have a say in the matter.

"Hey there, Bit," Godfrey said as April hopped up on a stool at his counter. "Did you learn anything useful at school today?"

"Yeah," April said, reaching into her bag. Mason had already joined Godfrey behind the counter, grumbling as he pulled on an apron. "Mr. Miller said that since I'm doing so good with reading I can try a chapter book." She pulled out a tablet and showed him the cover page. It was Socks, by Beverly Cleary. The cover image, a gray striped cat with white feet sitting next to a baby in yellow footies, was just the same one he remembered.

"Hey, that's pretty good," Godfrey said, "I couldn't have read that when I was four. You Station kids are so much more advanced than we are on Earth."

"How long do I have to come here?" Mason asked.

"Until you've worked off the damage you did to my plants," Godfrey replied, "That would be easier if you'd stop ducking it and actually come every day like you're supposed to."

"I haven't been ducking, my classes have been running late. I'm not leaving class to come take care of your dirty plants.

"Mister Godfrey, look at this," April said, holding up her tablet again.

"What is it?" he asked. On the screen was a picture of a dog, he wasn't sure of the breed. It was small and brown, with curly fur. "He's at the Humane Society," April said, "I asked Mommy to get him for my birthday."

"Sennett already said no," Mason called, pulling the full trash bag from the can.

April gave her uncle a derisive look. "She might change her mind," she said. Godfrey didn't think there was much of a chance that Sennett would allow a dog into her home, especially now that she'd moved into her mother's house.

"Maybe you could ask her about it. She might agree if you think it's a good idea," April said.

"No way," Godfrey said, "Your mom and I just started getting along and I don't want to mess with that."

Amy Wilson, an officer friend of Sennett's, walked up to the booth. She was a small woman, with dark hair and brilliant green eyes. Godfrey's chest tightened a moment at the sight of her blue uniform. He supposed that it would always do that, no matter how many officers he was friendly with.

"Hi, Miss Amy," April said when she saw her. Godfrey leaned across the counter. "Where's your partner?" he asked.

"Patty's at the hospital today with her husband," Amy said.

"Is everything okay?" Godfrey asked.

"Yeah, it's fine. He's got some weird cells near his heart, so they're checking it out."

"Maybe she'll run into Ki," Godfrey replied.

"That's right, your wife's a doctor. Weird, I keep forgetting you're married. Your mom excited about her big promotion, Honey?" Amy asked, ruffling April's hair.

"Yeah," April said, "She bought a lot of new clothes since she won't wear her uniform anymore."

"That's why I never wanted to be a detective," Amy said with a laugh, "I don't want to buy new clothes."

"Hey, the Marshal's are on tv," Mason said, looking at the communication pad on his arm.

"I'm not paying you to watch your comm pad," Godfrey said.

"You're not paying me at all," Mason muttered.

Godfrey turned to the receiver attached to the counter. He turned up the volume just as Howard Stoat and Joy Wheatly stepped up to a dual podium.

Howard was a tall, thin man who always seemed to have been professionally dressed. His gray tailored suit was impeccable. There was a silver Current Party pin, four interlocking circles, on his lapel.

Joy was a shorter woman, who always wore her thick hair braided in a crown on her head. She stood behind the double podium with Howard, looking grave. Godfrey figured that what they had to say must be serious. Not because of her appearance, she always looked like that. It was just that everything they'd had to say since taking office had been serious.

"Citizens of Station 86," Howard said, "We won't take much of your time today. But we wanted to let you know that we are working diligently to seek out members of the Core before they can endanger us again."

"We're working closely with Commissioner Schultz as she takes command of the station's police force," Joy added, looking far more serious than her counterpart. "We're asking all of you, if you have concerns, to speak with someone on the police force. Above all, remain calm. The Core is just the same as any other terrorist group. Their goal is to make us distrust and fear each other. Don't give them what they want."

"Too many of us lost loved ones during the Core's attack," Howard said, "Take care of your neighbors. Please, if you see or hear something that doesn't look right, report it to the authorities right away."

"H must drive her nuts," Amy snickered, "But it's nice to see the two parties working together for a change."

"It's nice to see the parties in power, instead of the council," Godfrey said.

"But you were a member of the council," April said.

"Yes, but only because I was trying to make it fairer," Godfrey said, "I'm very happy to not be a member anymore."

"Are they going to hold elections?" Amy asked.

"Yeah, within the next thirty days," Godfrey said, "They want to be in charge, but they want to do it fairly. I can respect that."

"What about Saul Mai? Do you think he'll run, now that his name's been cleared of that, you know, thing?"

"No idea. I think he went off station to visit family," Godfrey replied.

"Mister Godfrey, why are they both running together? I thought the parties didn't like each other," April said.

"That's not entirely true," Godfrey said, "It's kind of like your mom and me. She's Current Party and I'm Foundation Party. She thinks that things like technology and artificial food are always really good things. I think that people will be healthier if we keep eating natural food and don't rely so much on technology."

"But technology is really good," April said, "People live a lot longer now. We're healthier and we have all kinds of cool stuff."

"Yeah, there's lots of cool stuff that technology does," Godfrey said.

"Like artificial organs and replicated food," Amy said, "You realize that we've made hunger and lack a thing of the past."

"Yeah, but we don't know what sort of health issues that artificial diet is going to cause, long term," Godfrey said.

"The Foundation Party wants to keep us in the past," Mason said.

"You know, if I wanted to spout half truths, I could say that the Current Party is willing to poison themselves and others for the sake of progress," Godfrey said.

April looked between the two, confused. "Sorry," Godfrey said, "You shouldn't worry about all this. You're a kid, you don't have to think about political parties until you're grown."

"Mommy says that the earlier I know what's going on int the world the better," April said.

"That sounds like your mom," Godfrey said, "Let me make you something to eat."

Other children were starting to collect in front of the stall. Godfrey and Mason were distracted, making smoothies and passing out fresh fruit.

Amy, apparently with nothing better to do, leaned against the stall. Suddenly, her wrist communicator started flashing red. "What's that?" Godfrey asked quietly, trying not to draw attention from the kids.

She looked at her screen. "There's an unreported ship docking in the shuttle bay," she said.

"Should you go check it out?" he asked.

"No, I'm stationed here," Amy said, "Besides, we get at least one mystery ship a week. Families who forget to log their destination. People from planets, station hopping for vacation on a whim. Hell, they might have logged in and we just didn't get the report. A lot of stuff's been missed since the IHP vanished. They used to handle the logs and do outer station security. We're trying to pick up their slack at the station, but there's so much of it."

"That's a concern," Godfrey said.

"Have we heard from them at all?" Mason asked, passing out apples to a crowd of excited kids.

"Not that I've heard," Amy said, "I don't think we realized how much they did until they stopped doing it. We were stretched thin as it was."

"Hey," one little boy said, "this doesn't taste like a cherry."

"No, that's what a real cherry tastes like. It's not a simulated one, Dummy," April said.

"We don't call boys dummies," Amy said, "Don't you make me tell your mom, little woman." She stood and stretched, then said, "I'd better get back to work. Godfrey, I'll stop by after my rounds for some supper."

"I'll be here," Godfrey said.

Amy wandered away, scanning the crowd as she went. Godfrey went back to blending fruit.

The crowd was dwindling when Godfrey's screen started to flicker. He glanced at it. The newscast, which he'd been paying no attention to, seemed to be fighting for its space on the screen.

"Hey," a man in the crowd said, looking down at his wrist pad. From all around the market, others stopped in their tracks, fiddling with devices and screens. Then, every screen went black.

A moment later the IHP symbol, their initials in a silver circle, flashed on the screen. Then it was gone, replaced by the image of a man that Godfrey knew very well. "Dad?" he said.

"This is a message for every member of -garbled static-," The sound and image were broken, but it was Michael Anders looking at him. Behind him stood a woman in an IHP uniform, along with a handful of soldiers.

"Don't let any unknown-," the sound cut in again, then right back out.

"What the hell is going on?" Godfrey whispered.

"-My son. Godfrey, I love you. I tried to, I tried to do what I could, back home. Stay safe, please."

The screen went black again. In another moment, the newscaster was back. She wasn't looking at the camera, though, but talking to someone standing to the side of her desk.

"That was your dad?" April asked, "Isn't he on Earth?"

"Yeah, he is," Godfrey said, "I'm going to call your mom."

If you enjoyed this sample chapter, keep reading ! You Can't Trust The AI is available now on Amazon.

Acknowledgments

I want to take a moment to thank you, first of all, for downloading this book and giving it a chance. It's always been my dream to write and share my worlds with others. Thank you for coming along for the ride so far.

I also want to thank my husband, Garrett, for being my partner in this mad world and in the writing business.

If you enjoyed this book, please follow my journey at paperbeatsworld.com
