Planetbound by DM Arnold (best contemporary novels TXT) 📕

“I am married, but it's no love match.”

“Oh... I'm sorry to hear that. Maybe I should stop guessing -- I'm not doing too well.”

“You didn't do badly at all.”

“You're sweet -- just like I said -- Sudalese men are sweet.” She smiled and lay on her back. “I have a cramp in my leg. Would you massage it?”

“Where?”

She pointed to her right knee. “Here.” Nyk massaged her thigh above her knee. “Mmm -- that's better. I've had these since I was a kid. My mom told me I'd grow out of it but I haven't -- yet ... here...” She pointed to a spot higher on her thigh. Nyk moved his hands up a bit. She looked into his eyes. “Higher.”

“Zoa, I don't think we know each other well enough.” He lifted his hands. “You are fortunate you never outgrew these leg-aches.”

“It works about half the time.” She smiled and wrinkled her nose. “This is a lonely assignment, Nemo. You're not cross with me for trying, are you?” He shook his head. “I'm sorry we won't have the opportunity to know each other well enough. I think I'd enjoy you.”

“Will you be returning here for other tender duties?”

“I don't know. There are so many relay stations -- I go where they send me. I'm touring the galaxy, one station at a time. One thing for sure -- once my tour is over, I'm planetbound.” She yawned. “I'm going to try to sleep some, now. I have to be up before you -- for a transmitter linkup test. Good night -- and, good luck on your mission, Nemo.” She extinguished the cabin lighting.

Nyk walked into the wardroom and opened his personal effects locker. He transferred the stasis capsule from his pocket to the locker and examined his identity documents -- a passport and state-issued photo ID. He returned to the shuttle bay and climbed into the shuttlecar. The door seals checked and the safety catches engaged. The bay began to decompress. The spacedoor slid open and the shuttle rolled into the void.

With his subjump coordinates verified, he triggered the subwarp coil and soon found himself in a parking orbit around Earth. He activated countermeasures and piloted the craft on a reentry trajectory, touching down in the countryside near the university in Wisconsin. The craft headed toward the house.

He pulled up to the detached garage and opened the door. Then, he drove the vehicle into the structure and covered it with a canvas shroud. He closed the garage door and locked it. He opened the house and walked in, picked up the telephone, ordered a taxi to stop at 6AM and flopped onto his bed.

The cab driver sounded his horn and Nyk stepped from the house. He locked the door and climbed into the taxi. “Mitchell Airport,” he instructed the driver.

Nyk watched as the cab pulled onto the freeway and headed for the airport south of Milwaukee. It was mid November, and most of the trees had lost their leaves. The driver dropped him at the curb. Nyk paid him twenty dollars, went into the terminal and stood in line to purchase a one-way ticket to New York.

The ticket agent looked at his photo ID. “How would you like to pay for this, Mr Kane?”

Nyk handed her his Agency debit card. “See if this works.”

She processed his transaction. Nyk tried to modulate his breathing. “It came back declined,” she said. “Do you have another card?”

Nyk looked into his wallet. “No, sorry.”

“Let me try it again,” she said and processed the transaction. “It looks okay this time -- it must've been a computer glitch.”

Nyk signed the credit slip and took his boarding pass. “Concourse D, gate 38.”

He headed up the escalator to the security checkpoint. The metal detector buzzed as he walked through it.

“Empty your pockets.” Nyk dug out his keyring and wallet. “Step through again.” The detector beeped.

“Please step over here. Hold out your arms.” The security agent ran a detector wand over his body. It buzzed as it passed over his right wrist. “Do you have something up your sleeve?”

“No.” He unbuttoned his cuff and pulled his sleeve up.

“That bracelet.” Nyk slipped off the copper band.

The wand buzzed over his wrist again. “I broke a bone and have a pin in my wrist.”

“Okay, go on through.” He slipped on the band, buttoned his cuff, headed for the gate and sat to wait for the boarding call.

The flight took off and headed for New York City. Nyk picked up the airphone and ran his debit card through the device. He punched in the phone number for the house in Queens. No answer. He looked out the windows at the cloud cover below as the plane droned on toward New York. Finally it began its descent over Long Island Sound.

Nyk stepped through the jetway at LaGuardia and stood in a line for a taxi. He gave the driver the address in Queens, and looked at the clock on the taxi dashboard. It read 11:40.

The car pulled up to the house. Nyk gave the driver has last twenty and collected some singles in change. He climbed the steps and pressed the doorbell.

Yasuko opened the door. Nyk's eyes met hers. She broke into a smile and embraced him. “Shhh,” she said and beckoned him into the living room. He saw Suki sitting on a sofa, her back to the door. A number of other women were sitting on furniture in the room. “Sukiko... We have another guest.”

Suki hoisted herself from the sofa and headed toward the front door. Her eyes met Nyk's and she ran to him. “Nick! Oh, Nick!” He threw his arms around her and kissed her. She began to laugh and cry at the same time, peppering his face with kisses as he kissed tears off hers.

“I see I'm not too late,” he said as he caressed her bulging belly.

“Not too late -- two weeks and counting. Come in. Mom is throwing me a surprise baby shower.” She looked at her mother. “Was this part of the surprise?”

“I'm as surprised as you are.”

“There are some people we want you to meet,” Suki said, took his hand and led him into the living room. “You know Cathy.”

A slightly built woman with opaque glasses stood and extended her hand. Nyk grasped it and leaned so she could kiss his cheek. “Good to see you again. I'll take good care of Suki's desk while she's on maternity leave.”

Yasuko led Nyk to a pair of Asian women. “These are my friends Fumiko Kurosawa and Linda Tsukasa. This is Nick Kane, Sukiko's fiancé.” Nyk bowed to them.

Nyk approached another middle-aged woman. “This,” Suki said, “is Miss Wallace, my favorite teacher from high school.”

She extended her hand, “Pleased to meet you Mr Kane.” His eyes met hers. She put her hand over her mouth and gasped. “I'm so sorry,” she said. “For a moment, you reminded me of someone I knew years ago... But -- you'd have to be twenty years older -- or, I'd have to be twenty years younger.” She shook her head. “Please forgive me -- I must be in my dotage.”

“Look at all the great baby stuff,” Suki said gesturing toward a pile of gifts in the center of the floor.

“I'll go upstairs and change,” Nyk said. “Thanks everyone, for your generosity.”

“Oh, no you're not,” Suki said. “Sit by me.” She laced her fingers with his. “I'm not letting go of you. I'm not letting you out of my sight!”

“Please, enjoy the refreshments,” Yasuko said and brought a tray with sushi rolls, sweet bean curd, biscuits and crackers.

Nyk picked up a sushi roll. “It's so good to be home.”

Nyk knelt at the low table in the dining room. Suki assumed the lotus position beside him. Her mother handed him a bowl and a pair of chopsticks. He took a morsel from the bowl and popped it into his mouth.

Suki's father knelt at the head of the table. “So, Nick -- what's your status, now?”

“I've quit FloranCo. I'll have no more of these ... assignments. I'm here to stay -- to help Suki with the baby, just as I promised.”

George nodded. “Will you be looking for other work?”

“There's plenty of time for that,” Yasuko interjected. “I'm just happy to have him here.”

“I'm not trying to pressure him, Yasuko. I was thinking if he'd like... Nick, I perhaps can find you a position at my firm.”

“I know nothing about investing.”

“You can learn. Wall Street requires balls, not brains. I think you're equipped with a good pair.”

“Daddy!”

“They got him out of whatever jam he was in. Your mom's right -- there's no hurry. Let's get that baby born, and you two settled in as parents. Then we can talk about it.”

“What sort of a jam were you in?” Yasuko asked.

“Nick and I are sworn not to discuss it,” Suki replied.

“Yes -- it's very sensitive. Maybe some day we'll be able to talk about it.”

“Tell me what happened on Floran. Was Kronta able to clear you?”

“No. I was smuggled here, and I'd rather not say any more about it.”

“I understand.”

“I'm not going back, Suki. I don't know how long it'll take before they figure out I'm here. They may send enforcers, but they'll have to find me first. I'll die before returning to that planet.”

“Did you spend time with Andra?”

“Yes.”

“Did you sleep with her?”

“A few times.”

“Did you make love?”

“Once.”

“Only once?”

“I won't lie to you. Andra and I made love once.”

Suki looked at the floor. “I try not to be jealous. I know you're a Floran and I can't hold you to Earth standards -- especially when you're offworld. I try to understand your ways, but it's difficult for me. I mean -- I understand them on an intellectual level, but emotionally...” She shook her head. “I can't quite come to grips.”

“Suki, Andra engineered my escape.” He reached for her but she turned from him. He placed his hands on her shoulders. “You're an experienced mediator...”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“After Andra arranged my escape, she meditated to drive knowledge of her deed from her mind -- to protect me and herself.”

“I ... I suppose that sort of thing is possible.”

“I didn't have a chance to say good-bye to her. For all she knows I vanished in the middle of the night. Right now it's likely she's in anguish, wondering where I am or if I'm all right.”

Suki's eyes began to fill. “Oh, Nick! She'd do that for you ... for us. Poor, poor Andra. When you said she's the best sort of friend ... I had no idea just how good a friend she is.” She faced Nyk. “She earned her night with you.”

“As soon as I can figure out how, I must get word to Andra that I'm all right.”

“She won't have closure otherwise.”

“Andra told me she has a dream. She dreams of coming to live with us on Earth as our amfin -- our sister lover. She said she'd like to live in our house, to know and to love your child as an aunt. She'd like the three of us to sleep together in a huge bed.”

“Andra is deeply in love with you, Nick. It's obvious.”

“I know, and I feel sorry for her. I wish she'd find someone local to love.”

“Speaking as a woman, I don't think that's likely. She's devoted to you, Nick -- in the same sort of way I am. Do you love her?”

“Yes, I do -- as a kindred spirit and as a friend-for-life.”

“Her love for you is deeper than that.” Suki wiped a tear from her own face and then stroked one from Nyk's. “She gave you up so you could have me. That's not something I can do. The only greater sacrifice would be for her to give up her own life for you -- and I'm convinced she loves you enough to do it in an instant, should it come to it. I believe your love