Page 38 of Solomon's Ransom
“That’s unacceptable.”
Denna spread his hands. “Then our deal is off.”
He was bluffing, Remma knew; he wanted the core, which was far more valuable than the sum total of Sol’s organs, and he would likely back down if Loden held firm. But Loden didn’t have experience with negotiations of this nature, and Remma could tell from the way she hesitated that she was going to give in.
Don’t do it!Remma wanted to shout at her. But there was nothing he could do.
Loden’s mouth pursed. “Send him down now, and we’ll make the exchange once I can see that he’s well.”
“I don’t have a second shuttle,” Denna lied. “Give me the core now, or you don’t get to see your son again.”
Loden glanced at Meridren, who lifted his shoulders one helpless inch.
Remma’s heart plummeted toward the ground. Goodbye, Sol, he thought, even as Loden opened her mouth to say, “Very well. We have an agreement.”
* * *
Remma hikeddown the path from the colony in a black cloud of grief and despair. That was it, then: Denna would take the core and leave the system, and sell Sol for parts anyway. And Remma would grieve him for the rest of his life, and never forgive himself for putting Sol in harm’s way in the first place. He would take that regret to his funeral pyre.
Everyone filed onto the shuttle and strapped in. The joking and laughing continued. Remma closed his eyes and prayed they would disintegrate going through the atmosphere. At least that way Sol would live.
The shuttle rocked for a moment as it docked with the ship. Denna came back into the hold and said, “Let’s go. We’re leaving the system as soon as we can get clearance.”
“What about the human?” someone asked.
Remma kept his eyes closed, but he could imagine Denna’s eye-roll of contempt. “Obviously we’re not wasting the time and fuel to send him back. Those humans were fools to give us the core, and they’ll learn it soon enough.”
“Brutal,” someone murmured nearby, and Remma choked back a bitter laugh at the thought of someone else on the crew belatedly developing a conscience.
He went directly to his room. There was only one thing left he could think of to do.
He locked the door behind him. He didn’t want to be interrupted.
The communication module by the door was his target. He’d used it many times without ever learning there was a thinking mind on the other end. He knew now, though, thanks to Sol.
Ship?he thought cautiously.Can you hear me?
Of course, the ship replied at once.You’re Sol’s friend.
Friend—that was one way to put it.He needs your help. Denna isn’t going to send him back home after all.
Denna just ordered me to submit flight plans for leaving the system. I’m talking to Sol now. Did his mother not have what Denna wanted?
Oh, she had it, Remma thought grimly.Denna took it. He’s just decided not to return Sol in exchange.
But that’s cheating!The ship sounded outraged.He can’t have it both ways!
Can and will. He’s going to sell Sol’s organs for spare cash.
No he’s not, the ship said.Oh, but I don’t know what to do!it wailed, and then went silent. Remma waited. When it didn’t say anything further after a minute, he dropped his hand with a curse and slammed the control panel to open the door again.
Nobody stopped him in the corridors, maybe due to the dark scowl on his face or maybe because nobody cared what he was up to. The guard was stationed outside Sol’s room as usual, but this time he said, “Sorry, can’t let you in. Orders.”
“Orders,” Remma repeated dully.
The guard shrugged. “Straight from the boss. He said no one goes in.”
Well—damn Denna, and damn Remma, too, for being so gullible as to think Denna would ever let Sol go. An intact human, young, healthy, was worth a not inconsiderable amount of money. Denna wasn’t going to let that walk away from him.