Lost Era 05_ Deny thy Father - Jeff Mariotte [41]
“Still, it seems like a hard way to live.”
“Isn’t it what you wanted when you booked passage?” John asked, and Kyle realized the man was right. “If you had wanted companionship, you’d have gone on a tourist flight. If you wanted efficiency, a man such as yourself, I’d guess you’ve got Starfleet connections and you could have hitched a ride on one of their boats. No, you came for the quiet, for the privacy. And you’ll get it. I’m just trying to warn you, it comes with a price that isn’t paid in credits. You don’t want to trust anyone with your secret, whatever it is-no, don’t deny it, Kyle Barrow, I know you’ve got one. Well, that’s good. You can’t trust anyone with your secret on this ship, because here, just as much as anywhere else, your secret is safe with no one but yourself.”
“I take it you have a secret too,” Kyle said. “Since you’re on board with me.”
“I said everybody has a secret. That includes me, of course. I’m not telling you mine, no matter how long we’re on this bucket of bolts together.”
“I’m not asking.”
“See that you don’t.” John’s voice was serious now, almost grim, Kyle thought. He was surprised at the turn the conversation had taken so quickly. This wasn’t a casual get-acquainted chat anymore, but had become a life-and-death discussion when he wasn’t looking. “Let me tell you something else, too, Kyle-it is Kyle, isn’t it?”
Kyle nodded. “Yes, of course.”
“I thought as much. Next time you pick a name, don’t use your real one.”
“I didn’t mean it was-” Kyle began, but John cut him off.
“I know, but I also know that it is,” he said. “Don’t fret, I don’t know who you really are and I don’t care, believe me. But I know what you were thinking when you chose it. ‘If I use my real first name, then I won’t have to worry about not answering when someone calls me by it. As long as I change my last name I’ll be safe.’ But the fact is, you’ve just given them-whoever ‘they’ are, whoever you’re on this ship hiding from-half of your identity. If your real first name is Kyle then you should call yourself Met’ridunk or Bob, something completely different. Trust me, for the first few weeks you’ll be so hyperconscious that you’ll answer to anything, and by the time you’re comfortable with it, it will have become habit. Go as far away from your real name as possible. I hope you did a better job with Barrow.”
“I think so,” Kyle said. He hadn’t even touched his scotch yet. He thought he’d been doing pretty well, but John Abbott-or whoever he was, since that clearly wasn’t his real name either-was making him feel like the rankest of amateurs.
“Well, you can remain Kyle Barrow for the duration of your time on the Morning Star, and have plenty of time to come up with a name for the next place,” John said. “If you’re willing to accept help, I can even scare up some convincing identification for whatever name you select. Of course, then I’d know your next name. If it were me, I wouldn’t trust me for a second. But the offer’s there, if you’d like the assistance.”
“Thanks, I think,” Kyle said. “I’ll consider it.”
“Good man. I’d pass on it too,” John reiterated. “Next thing, did you tell S’K’lee where you’re getting off?”
“I don’t even know myself yet.”
“That’s fine, that’s good. If you do tell her anything, be sure you don’t actually get off there. If you pick a spot and we actually go there, then you’ve got to stay on, even if it means renegotiating your fare. If you pick a spot that we might be headed for, you’ve got to find a way off before we stop there. If you’re careful enough, you could be gone for days before she even knows it. It’s harder with cargo, do you have any cargo on board? Don’t tell me what it is.”
“No, no cargo,” Kyle assured him, shaking his head.
“Good, good. Travel light, it’s the best way. Me, I’ve got cargo. Makes it a good deal more difficult to slip away unnoticed, I can tell you.”
Kyle finally took a sip of the scotch, which was better than John had given him any reason to expect. He liked the warm sensation it made going