Dek passed through, giving the landing field a last look. Whitey had tried this gate more than once, killed people right out there, within meters of where he stood.

He made his way to the dome he shared with Talina, calling greetings to friends and acquaintances as he walked through the afternoon’s lengthening shadows. At the dome, he unloaded his gear, took a shower, and dressed in chamois-leather pants, a claw-shrub fabric shirt that Yvette had embroidered with colorful tooth flowers, and pulled his good quetzal-hide town boots on.

So Falise was aboard Turalon? Would she even recognize him after all these years and effects of quetzal TriNA? Dek studied his image in the bathroom mirror. First were his eyes, the irises still yellow ringed with green, but larger than they’d been. Alien with their expanded pupils. His face had a more triangular look, the cheekbones wider, not to mention the sharper chin. The dimple was still there, but the glaring white scar under his left eye distracted from it. His hair was longer now, sun-bleached. Fourteen years. A lot of changes since he had seen her last at the residence on Transluna.

Slinging his equipment belt with its pouches, pistol, and knife, around his waist, he clamped his wide-brimmed hat on his head, and checked in with com.

“Two Spot? You got a location on Talina?”

“Roger that. She’s in Admin with Shig and Yvette.”

Dek shouldered his rifle, stepped out, and locked the door behind him. Walking down the main avenue, he passed The Jewel, hearing music inside along with a whoop of pleasure. Allison was raking in plunder tonight. The casino, saloon, and brothel sounded as if it were on full boil. Walking south, he passed the assay office, Inga’s, the gunsmith’s, glassblower’s, and metal shop, then the bootmaker’s. Just past the cafeteria, he pushed the double doors open to the admin dome. The building was old, its outside stained and dusty, the duraplast starting to weather under Capella’s brutal rays.

Heading down the hall, he passed the weapons locker, various offices, including Yvette’s, where she kept the colony records. At the conference room, he pushed the door open and stepped inside.

Shig, Yvette, and Talina sat at the close end of the table, Stepan Allenovich and Raya Turnienko across from them. Allison Chomko, in a gleaming silver suit, sat at the far end.

“Dek!” Talina cried, rising and stepping close to hug him.

He closed his eyes, savoring the feel of her taut body against his. Then he pushed back and took a moment to just revel at the sight of her. Didn’t matter that her eyes had an alien look, deeper and darker, and too large, or that her face was all sharp angles. God, she was exotic and beautiful.

Falise was going to be shocked to her core.