Free Space Junque by L. K. Rigel Page A

believe it. His wife was alive then. Years later, when the Emperor was in Corcovado, he saw that Rani hadn't gone ghost and she was gorgeous. I arranged for him to acknowledge her."
    "Mike, that's wonderful."
    "It was something I could do. I'm not a brave man, Char, but I'm great with a legal clause. It solved two problems. First, the Emperor is --   was   a petty man and afraid of his corporate masters. Especially Garrick. But he wasn't cruel. He never wanted Rani killed -- or anyone."
    "I'm glad to hear it."
    "Second, this was a great coup for him as far as mutant relations. For the first time, there was official acknowledgement that not all mutation ends in ghosting."
    Mike looked up at Char with a mock sad expression. "I'm hurt that you don't remember. Ah, that's right. You don't pay attention to politics. You thought I was a low-level clerk in Identifications."
    "Oh, no. Mid-level, at least."
    It felt good to laugh. Mike wasn't so bad. He was a hero, in his way.
    He sat up. As they disentangled from each other, somehow his lips brushed against her cheek. She meant to turn her face the other away, but her lips accidentally touched his lips. They froze in that position for a moment, then he really kissed her.
    She didn't stop him.
    He wrapped his arms around her. Char knew his muscles were enhanced, but the massive embrace felt wonderful all the same. "Sky --"
    What? "Oh,   shib !" What was she doing? She extracted herself and ran for the corridor.
    "Wait! I was going to say Sky would have been happy for us!"
    She probably would have been, but that didn't matter. This was all wrong.
    Mike nearly caught up with her when the docking alarm went off. The door between control room and airlock closed and the docking bay door cracked open.
    "DOGs!" Char whirled around to face the docking bay. "Get to the blankets."
    It was too late. They should have been watching the control console. The docking bay was already full open, and a shuttle zipped in and landed neatly beside the Mikemobile.
    "Mike, stop!" Char burst out laughing and crying at the same time. She pulled Mike away from the controls. "It's them. It's the   Space Junque. "
    Surely the orbital runner hadn't made so much noise. But then the Mikemobile was tiny compared to Jake's   Junque . At last the all-clear light signaled that there was sufficient air, and the galley lift descended from the cockpit.
    Why had she kissed Mike? He stood close behind her. She could feel him watching her watch the   Junque .
    At the first glimpse of Jake's boots, she let out a relieved sigh. This was no apparition. He was alive and human, holding onto the hand of a child. He gave Char an odd look, then smiled and shook his head as if she'd done something strange.
    She thought he was going to jump down before the platform landed and come to her, but his eyes dulled and he held back. At the same time, she felt Mike's hand on her shoulder. Jake hit the knob on the galley lift that released the cargo bay's loading ramp .   He didn't see her step away from Mike's touch.
    The girl had blood-red hair with unnatural silver blazes at her temples. Char felt queasy. She knew that color. The girl's eyes lit up. She leapt off the platform. "My sister!" In raptures, she ran and threw her arms around Char's waist.
    Char had always found children obnoxious and demanding or meek and depressing. This attitude was a flaw in her character, and she always felt vaguely guilty in their presence.
    This one was irritatingly enthusiastic.
    Rani came down the cargo ramp, a towering Amazon followed by five more young girls. When the girls saw Char, their eyes widened. Rani glanced at Jake and then to the girl hugging Char. "What is this, Durga?"
    "What?" Char threw up her hands in exasperation.
    "Exactly," Jake said. "What did you do to your hair, Meadowlark?"
    "Asherah did it." The girl stepped back, preternaturally self-confident. "Asherah said I would soon meet my sister."
    Shibadeh.   A chill ran down Char's