I worked quickly at the office after Ragal brought me in. After a lusty sunrise, we had discussed the urgency we both felt about the recovery mission. After Albert’s little display the night before and the waves he was trying to make on the hydro-harvesting project, I was apprehensive about his further ministrations.

Maybe it was because I had not immediately fallen into his arms, maybe it was because he felt I had stolen his job, maybe it was simply that he was a misogynist who couldn’t handle working for a woman, but he seemed to be driven by a need to undermine me.

I lined up some traveling supplies and readied myself to meet Ragal, but then Li knocked at my office and came in quickly, followed by my ailing father.

“Father! What are you doing here?” I asked, startled and concerned.

He huffed over to a comfortable chair and plopped down. His broad but rail-thin frame heaved from the effort, but his eyes were as sharp as ever.

“Albert came to me this morning in a fit. He says you are being manipulated into engaging in some kind of smuggling business. I don’t believe him, of course. You’re far too intelligent to do something illegal, but I wanted to talk to you.”

I ground my teeth. “Well, I’m glad for the opportunity to chat, though you really shouldn’t have risked your health. I could have come to you.”

“It’s good for me to see how things are looking here. It revives my confidence in my choice.” My father was not the warmest of men, so the compliment was significant.

“Thank you, Father. Either way, please rest assured that Albert has no idea what he is talking about. I am engaged in a new project, but it’s one I think you’d approve of.”

I explained to him the situation, omitting a few of the more romantic details.

“Bully for us!” he exclaimed before a coughing fit set in.

“Father, you really should be at home with your nurses,” I said, worried.

“Ha! They don’t know what’s wrong with me. I might as well live what I have left!” He said it flippantly, but the thought was sobering.

“Oh, quit your worrying,” he said, taking in my concern. “I’ll go, I’ll go, but I want to know all about this as it unfolds! I knew you wouldn’t be daft enough to not find a legal way of doing what you want.”

My father was a brilliant man. At times during his tenure, he had made some deals that, morally, I questioned, but he was always very careful to follow the law. Hopefully, we were entering an era where both morals and laws on Vaxivia could align for the common good.

“So, is Albert still chasing after you, then?” he asked, catching me off guard.

I answered honestly, “Yes, unfortunately. He seems to be blind to my attempts to politely refuse him. It’s getting to be a problem and affecting our work.”

“Well, can’t blame the poor chap for his good taste, but you’ll need to put your foot down and either gain his full allegiance or find someone to replace him.”

“You won’t be upset if he goes? You two were so close…” I trailed off, the unspoken history hanging in the silence.

He sighed, either out of tiredness or reflection. “Yes, we were. Fact is, I made my choice and he needs to be a man about it. If he can’t, well, I don’t want to see him damaging the company I worked so hard to build. You use your judgment about how to handle him. I trust you.”

With that, he started another coughing fit, and I called Li to help him back home. His illness terrified me. We had tried every known treatment, seen every medical professional we could find. No one knew what was wrong.

It was why I had established Gindaxian business contacts. They were rumored to have a cure for every known ailment. Unfortunately, my father’s health issues could not be diagnosed from such a distance, and he was too weak for teleportation. Another reason I was anxious to learn what we could of this alien transport—it might hold the key to allowing my father to travel to Gindax, where he could hopefully receive treatment.

I followed him out, giving him a quick kiss as he was loaded into a sleek hovercraft with his waiting nurse.

By mid-morning, I had reconnected with Ragal and I was filled with excitement. We had agreed to meet at city center. We needed to act quickly. If the militia got involved, the project would be wrapped in red tape and we could lose what little time we had to salvage the tech.

He came up to me as I got out of the unassuming, self-driving commuter vehicle I had taken. I wanted to kiss him, wanted to explore this newfound intimacy and attraction, but I also knew I was, for better or worse, a public figure in Steel City and my reputation affected LCC.

Instead, I touched his arm and forced myself to be patient and wait for privacy.

“Everyone is ready to go. Are you sure you want to come out with us?” he asked.

“Absolutely.”

I considered telling him about my father and my hope that the stasis pods we were seeking could potentially help him, but I hesitated. I didn’t want to place that kind of burden on him, and I didn’t want him thinking my business decisions were compromised because of my family situation.

We met his family at a warehouse on the westernmost stretch of town, a largely underdeveloped area that felt a bit like it had survived some kind of nuclear fallout.

Andie came out, dressed in worn fatigues and a black top. “Everybody saddled up?” she asked, winking at Ragal. I wasn’t quite sure, but I had the feeling what had happened between us was no news to his family.

Ragal turned to me, ignoring the suggestion in Andie’s comment. “We have two mecha-rovers for the trip. I’ve spiced them up a bit, deregulated their internal governors so we can make better time.”

Andie and Karun loaded gear boxes into one rover, and Pavar and Zaruv loaded the other. Jennifer came up and greeted me with a warm and unexpected hug.

“We’re so glad to have you join us!” she gushed.

“Thanks, I’m excited to be here, too,” I returned.

Karun shouted, “All ready, let’s get going!”

Everyone hustled to leave and climbed into the rovers. Ragal and I sat in the rear seat of the vehicle driven by Andie and Karun, and we headed out of town, the rugged sound of Andie’s music perfectly matching the sudden harshness of the wilderness outside of Steel City.

Ragal’s hand covered mine on the seat, and, in the bright sunlight, for just a moment, it almost felt like everything was perfect. I closed my eyes, absorbing all the sensations, the warm breeze, the sweet smell of the desert flowers, the rough hand enveloping mine.

“Batr,” came Karun’s worried voice, shattering my reverie in a language I didn’t recognize, “we’re being followed.”

“Aw, did we make friends?” came Andie’s sarcastic rejoinder.

I turned to the window to look behind us and saw nothing but the fading skyline of Steel City. Karun must have used some kind of scope.

“It’s an LCC-marked vehicle,” Ragal said, turning to me.

My stomach sank. I hadn’t seen Albert or Tadisha in their offices all morning.

“Did you send for staff to join us?” Karun asked.

“No, but I have a feeling I know who it is,” I said, irritated. “I have no idea how he knew that I was leaving. I was extremely circumspect about our plans.”

Ragal looked concerned but said nothing. The awkwardness hung over us the whole day as we rode. Frustrated didn’t begin to cover what I was feeling. My father was right. I needed to put a foot down and now.

When we pulled up to camp, I waited with Ragal behind the rovers for the stragglers to arrive, while the others began to set up dome tents for the night.

When they finally pulled up, it was no surprise when Albert climbed out of the big, hulking vehicle, Tadisha in tow.

I felt the rage seething through me as I walked up to him. “You will explain yourself now, Albert,” I demanded.

He looked at me condescendingly. “I don’t need to explain anything to you, Tasha. I’m in charge of LCC’s finances, and I am here looking out for the future of this company.”

“Your presence here is completely out of line, both of you,” I said, including Tadisha, who wasn’t meeting my eye.

I felt Ragal tense as Albert spat back, “I’m out of line? That’s rich! I’m not the one who is jumping carelessly from one huge venture to another on a whim, bleeding money without a care in the world.”

“Enough! Albert, you can have your doubts, you are entitled to your own opinion, but you are not entitled to interfere with my decisions like this.”

“Someone has to! You clearly aren’t in your right mind, and I’m here to ensure that this company isn’t run into the ground because you’ve decided to start behaving like an infatuated child!”

Ragal stepped between us, looking ready to pound Albert to a pulp, but then Tadisha put her hand to Albert’s shoulder and whispered something in his ear.

Albert all but growled, and kicked the side of the truck before stomping off, Tadisha chasing after him.

I released an agitated breath. Ragal watched to make sure Albert wasn’t coming back, then turned and held me.

“I’m sorry. This is embarrassing and so unprofessional. I planned to talk to him when we got back about his behavior, but it’s clearly become a liability.” I felt frustration turn to emotion.

“Shhh, it’s not your fault. You were compassionate and gave him a fair shot; he has chosen to blow that. You’re not responsible for his choices.”

I wanted to believe that, but I also knew, as the leader of the company, it was my job to ensure harmony. I knew I was doing a good job, but Albert revived all the old insecurities I had growing up, the daughter who should have been a son. Dad was okay with me leading the company now and we had made our peace, but it was hard to bury a lifetime of feeling inadequate.

I pulled away, not wanting him to see me emotional. “I know you’re right. I just need to clear my head.”

He looked apprehensive but gave me my space. I went to the far side of the rovers, hidden from the camp, and sat on a hefty chunk of rock, looking up at the stars, reflecting and grappling with my own insecurities. Was he right? Was I letting my emotions cloud my business decisions? Between my father’s failing health, my need to feel like I was continuing dad’s legacy, and the sudden and blossoming relationship with Ragal, my head wasn’t exactly clear.

I didn’t hear Tadisha until she was beside me.

“Ms. Lord-Case, are you all right?” she asked, her voice sounding concerned and a little timid.

She was beautiful, waist-length red hair, a petite feminine figure, and gorgeous green eyes. It was not hard to see why Albert liked having her around.

“No, frankly, I am extremely displeased by the lack of judgment exercised by you and Mr. Archer.”

She dropped her head. “I know. I’m very sorry. I tried to convince Mr. Archer that it was inappropriate for us to follow you here. Please know that I only came because I wanted to make sure he didn’t cause you too much grief.”

Well, that was something at least. Snorting, I said, “Albert? Behave inappropriately? What could have possibly led you to that conclusion?”

She laughed softly. “Yes, he is a handful…” She paused. “He did mean well, though. He was worried that you were getting involved with dangerous people. It’s not the company that inspires his anger, it’s his concern for you.”

“Oh, I am very aware of his concern for me,” I said sarcastically.

“In his own way, he does care for you.”

“If he actually cared for me and not just my business interests, he wouldn’t go so far out of his way to be supercilious, inconsiderate, and generally obnoxious.”

She laughed again, and it felt good to have someone to relate to about him. If anyone knew how much of a jerk he could be, it was Tadisha.

“I suppose this new business associate, the man who was with you before…”

“Ragal,” I supplied.

“I suppose Ragal is none of those things?” she asked quietly.

“No, not at all. He’s amazing,” I all but gushed.

“Well, I will admit, Mr. Archer has his faults, but, if I can speak freely, I think there is truth in the old Earth saying. Sometimes you are safer with the devil you know than the devil you don’t.”

I looked at her quizzically, and she quickly continued, “Forgive me, it’s not my place.”

“No, it’s okay. I don’t agree with you, necessarily, but I appreciate your honesty,” I said and I meant it. In my position, it was easy to find people who would tell you only what they thought you wanted to hear.

“Mr. Archer was adamant that we should accompany you, in case your safety should be jeopardized. If you don’t mind my saying, I think you should let us. Things may seem fine now, but the farther we get from the safety of Steel City, the wiser it would be to have people you can trust.”

“I don’t trust Albert to not create undue hassle and stress for me, at all,” I countered.

She replied, “There is something else to consider. Unfortunately, several members of the staff are aware we accompanied you. If you send us back now, it could look very bad.”

When I was silent, she continued, “He doesn’t intend to interfere so much as to offer protection for you and, of course, the interests of LCC.”

I doubted any sense of chivalry, but said only, “I’ll think about it.”

With that, she left. Much as I disagreed with her about certain things, part of my brain nagged at me that maybe everything really was too perfect.