Free Space Junque by L. K. Rigel

The white was tip feathers of birds' wings.
    Raptors.
    She tinkered with the slider. A phalanx of gigantic bald eagles raced low along the ground in two-by-two formation approaching a cluster of trees. The pair at the head separated from the column. Each raptor was bigger than the Malibu.
    The lead birds dove into the trees, and animals streamed from cover in all directions. The eagles broke formation to scoop up their prey.
    Not animals. Human beings. Dangling from talons like rag dolls.
    Char tore the shades off and rubbed her eyes while her vision readjusted.   Shibadeh.   Enough for now. She fingered the half heart pendant. At least Sky never had to see this. Char stuck the compad in her pocket and headed out to find Mike.
    As she expected, he was in the docking bay sitting in the Mikemobile. It struck her that in his note he'd called it the orbit runner. Toning down his ego maybe.
    The bubble canopy was closed and she couldn't hear, but it looked like he was speaking with someone. He ran his hands through his hair in a gesture of frustration and popped the canopy. With athletic grace, he grabbed a handhold and swung himself down to the floor.
    He saw Char and started to wave, then gave her a quizzical look. When he got closer, she sensed that something had gone terribly wrong -- though what was left to go wrong?
    "It's a crazy time to start pharmaceuticals," he said.
    "Yeah, I'd say so." Cripes, what did that mean? "Who were you talking to?"
    "No one."
    He was lying, she was sure of it.
    He must have picked up her skepticism. He added, "I was using the subnet. It's ultra-encrypted.   Tesla   developed it to communicate outside the hearing of their corporate monitors. Not even Garrick knows about the subnet." He scoffed. "I might be the only one left who does. And now you."
    He sat down beside her. A worry line she'd never seen before made a groove between his eyebrows. His eyes were red. She was sure he'd been crying.
    "I was scanning the chatter on the surface." He reached for her hand. "Char, the Emperor is dead. The DOGs blew his shuttle out of the air before it even broke atmosphere."
    Did it matter? In a day or two, there might be no empire.
    "The entire official family was on board." His voice cracked, and like a forlorn child he wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his head on her shoulder.
    "Oh, Mike. I'm sorry." She patted his back, embarrassed by her lack of sympathy. "There must have been people you cared about on that flight."
    Mike seemed to truly care about the Emperor, though Jake detested the guy.
    "It's worse than that, Char. The V has gone down just like the Imperial station."
    Jake.   Char's heart turned to stone.
    "It went down over China. I haven't been able to find Jake or Rani. No signal from the   Space Junque ."
    Jake and Rani gone. And the   Space Junque.   They truly were alone and quite possibly marooned. Mike shuddered in her arms.
    "You told me you all grew up together,” she said.
    "Their mothers were Imperial concubines in New Melbourne. They lived in the same compound and hired my mother to tutor Jake and Rani. They were my only real family."
    "Was Rani born … like that?"
    "No. It happened when she was twelve. Her hair fell out and her eyes changed. We all tried to protect her, tried to keep the Emperor from learning that he'd fathered a mutant. But at court secrets are worth more than pure water. Someone told, hoping to gain favor."
    "Politics."
    "Of course then the rumors flew. Rani's mother must have slept with another man. She was a traitor. When the assassins came, Jake saved Rani, but…"
    "But what?"
    "They murdered Rani's mother. And mine."
    "Oh, Mike. I never knew." The hint of cold malice in Mike's voice was so faint, Char wondered if she imagined it. She smoothed the worry line between his eyebrows. "That's horrible."
    "She was in the wrong place at the wrong time. A peasant in a knight's path."
    "Rani went into hiding?"
    "In Reynaldo's household, if you can