Free Cosmopath - [Bengal Station 03] by Eric Brown Page A

his feet dangling, comically, a few inches from the plush carpet. Vaughan wondered if it were a deliberate ploy to convince him of the tycoon’s humanity.
     
    “Mr Vaughan, I would like to employ you for approximately two weeks. In recompense, I will have your daughter treated here on the Station by the world’s finest physicians; I will foot the bill for her treatment and aftercare and for your wife and your adopted daughter’s accommodation throughout the period. I will also pay you a stipend of some one hundred thousand dollars, US, and compensate the Kapinsky agency for the duration you will be contracted to me.”
     
    Vaughan’s immediate reaction was to ask why Chandrasakar had singled him out, from all the other telepaths working on Earth. Instead he said, “What do you want me to do?” He could not bring himself to call the tycoon by his first name.
     
    “You will accompany me to a newly discovered planet in the Delta Cephei system, at the very edge of the human Expansion.”
     
    Vaughan inclined his head, considering the notion of being away from Sukara and the girls for two weeks - even in return for what the tycoon was offering. “If you don’t mind me saying, that doesn’t answer my question.”
     
    Chandrasakar nodded. “Let me begin by telling you something about what will take us to Delta Cephei VII, Mr Vaughan.”
     
    Will take us... Vaughan thought. Already, in the mind of the billionaire, his acceptance of the job was a fait accompli.
     
    Chandrasakar stood and moved to the delta screen, staring out across the spaceport. He looked, Vaughan thought, an almost comical figure, with his short legs, his protuberant gut, and mass of artificially darkened hair. If he’d schooled with Rao, then he was in his sixties or early seventies, though his wealth had gone a long way to disguise the fact.
     
    “A little over a year ago,” Chandrasakar said, turning to Vaughan, “one of my exploration ships was out beyond the limit of the Expansion, a thousand light years from Earth. You might know that one of my many business enterprises is that of stellar exploration. The discovery of new, Earth-like worlds, or of worlds whose resources might be utilised, is an essential component in the continued success of my business. To that end, my exploration ships are forever pushing out the limits of human expansion.”
     
    Vaughan sipped his beer and sat through the publicity spiel without comment.
     
    The tycoon went on, “My ship, The Pride of Mussoree, was in the region of the yellow-white supergiant Delta Cephei when all contact with ship and crew was lost. Immediately I initiated a rescue mission, re-routing a ship to investigate. Three months ago, I heard from the captain of the rescue mission. They had discovered the Mussoree. It had come down near the equator of the seventh planet in the Delta Cephei system, a planet wholly covered by a strange fungal growth. The ship had not crash-landed, and appeared intact, its drives in perfect condition and its voidspace telemetry in full working order.”
     
    “And the crew?” Vaughan asked.
     
    “Two of its crew of four were missing. One was found dead in the ship. The fourth member, the engineer, was in cryo-suspension-”
     
    “What happened?” Vaughan asked.
     
    Chandrasakar pursed his lips. “That we do not know, Mr Vaughan. The engineer made it into the cold sleep unit, with the help of the AI drones, but she died of her injuries shortly after.”
     
    Chandrasakar stopped there, and the silence stretched. He was watching Vaughan.
     
    “And how,” Vaughan asked, hoping that his hunch was not right, “might I be of any help?”
     
    Chandrasakar nodded. “Mr Vaughan, I know something of your past.”
     
    Vaughan felt his pulse quicken. “And?”
     
    “And... I know that you were seconded into the Toronto Police force at the age of twenty, specifically to the Homicide division. I know you underwent an operation to bring about your