Cloverleaf Station: Chapter Four, Part One

 Notes: Back for more! A slightly shorter one than last time, but setting up some big reveals.

Title: Cloverleaf Station: Chapter Four, Part One.

***

Chapter Four, Part One

 

Elanus Desfontaines just stared at Kieron for a moment, his thumb wiping up the thin trail of blood that was meandering down the corner of his mouth as he took Kieron’s measure. Kieron straightened his back and mentally ran through every relevant passage in the rulebook that would allow him to argue for leniency from a review board, because there was no way he wasn’t getting fired for this, but he’d be damned if he let this fancy bastard have his way without a fight.

His dark thoughts were scattered into confusion when the Ganian began to laugh, straightening up to his full height and shaking his head ruefully. “I suppose I should have expected that,” he said, blotting up the last few traces of blood before shrugging. “At least it shows you’ve got a backbone, which is more than I expected given some of the reports that have been coming from this place.”

I should never have put Dave in charge of filing status updates. It was all Kieron could do to keep from audibly grinding his teeth.

“Still, consider yourself on thin ice until you convince me otherwise,” Elanus went on. “It’s one thing to tell a guy off, it’s quite another to introduce yourself fist-first.”

“Says the man who almost ran his ship into the side of the station,” Kieron muttered. Elanus clearly heard him—of course he did, Ganians were renowned for having the all the latest physical mods and upgrades. He could probably hear Kieron’s heartbeat if he used his implant to modulate his ears just right.

“Clearly you’ve got questions,” Elanus said. His smile went sharp, the edge of teeth showing between his lips as much of a warning as the exposed blade of a knife. “And I’ve got answers, but first I need to look at your activity log for the past week.”

Kieron frowned. “Why?”

“What did I just say about questions? Come on.” Elanus walked off, finding his way far too easily.

He’s been studying the station, memorizing its architecture. He definitely came prepared. Kieron followed him, his mind in a state of upheaval, every carefully plotted step in his plan for the next five months scattered in the wake of Elanus Desfontaines’ arrival.

It’s all right. You just need to figure out what he wants and get it to him as quickly as possible. Nobody who looked like this man—so carefully groomed, so immaculately dressed, with his slick, strange ship—wanted to be in the middle of nowhere on the edge of the galaxy with only the most basic of amenities for months on end. Kieron just had to make sure he got whatever he needed and then…

And then what? Big Momma has moved on, we’re in full radiation now. He can’t leave, it would be suicide. It’s incredible that he made it here alive—and seemingly unharmed—at all. Fuck, fuck, fuck, Kieron was so fucked. An entire season of searching might be wasted all because this godsdamn popinjay had decided to fly out here without any warning and ruin—

“—access it. Hello?” Kieron startled as he suddenly clocked a hand being waved too close to his face. Automatically, his arms swept the offending limb down and away, gripping the wrist and then the shoulder tight and levering its owner into a sharp bend at the waist before he remembered himself.

“Sorry,” Kieron said, letting his new boss out of the hold he’s unconsciously put him in to.

Elanus straightened up and stared at him thoughtfully for a moment, rolling his wrist out before he finally shrugged again. “It doesn’t matter. I do expect you to pay attention when I’ve got a question for you, though. If we can’t communicate except through the vehicle of you manhandling me, we’re going to have a really rough time here together.”

It’s going to be rough regardless. Kieron cleared his throat and nodded. “Sorry,” he repeated. “What was your question?”

“I’m not registered as a control for the system here yet. Can you sign in and give me access to the control panel?”

“Of course. As soon as you show me some identification.”

Elanus’s small smile dropped off his face. “What?”

“Identification proving you are who you say you are and that you have the authority to ask this of me.” Kieron knew he was pushing it, but regulations insisted that he go through this part. If he didn’t, he’d give this guy even more grounds to fire him, if he really had that kind of authority.

“For the love of—how do you think I was able to read everything about this station?”

“You could have gotten that information from someone who’d been here recently.” Kieron folded his arms across his chest. “I need proof before I can let you have control access to Cloverleaf Station.”

Elanus scowled. “Are you fucking kidding me?”

“Nope.”

“Fine.” Elanus stalked back out into the hall and toward Bay Five. Kieron exhaled long and slow, then put his hand on the console. “Open communications,” he said, and his incoming mail folder sprang up just in front of his eyes thanks to the implant at the top of his spine. “Find Elanus Desfontaines.”

“Two messages,” the AI responded. Kieron opened them one after the other, skimming them with a sinking feeling.

It was all right there—the transfer of authority, the indication of arrival, and a picture that matched the smug, smirking face of the guy he’d just sent back to his ship to get a physical ID from. “List pertinent information on Elanus Desfontained and Lifeship Enterprises.”

The list that popped up was as impressive as it was comprehensive. Desfontaines was in fact the CEO of a modern shipbuilding company, one that was experimenting with and integrating all sorts of new technologies into its hulls; specifically, alloys that were designed to self-heal from all sorts of damage, including radiation. Desfontaines himself was not only the CEO, he was the lead engineer; together with his business partner Deysan Moritz, another Ganian, they had created enough interest and amassed enough capitol to buy a place like Cloverleaf Station outright, never mind leasing control of it for a season.

So. Elanus Desfontaines had more money than most planets, was a business leader, had all kinds of political backing in the Central System, and was a tech genius.

Shit. What the hell was this guy doing here?