Tiny and Fierce

by Margo Bond Collins

  That wasn’t something I’d thought about in the many long years since escaping the laboratory.

  “Somewhere safe, just to get a breather.” Lise pressed a few buttons and then pivoted her chair to stare at us all. “You guys can unstrap if you want. I mean, I think the rough stuff’s over for a while.”

  Evik beside me released a telling scent. He didn’t trust the human girl’s assessment. Glancing over at me, he gnashed his pincer to reiterate. Alder chuckled.

  “Don’t think Evik’s too fond of your flying.” The fae element of our trio nodded over at Evik and Lise frowned.

  “I’m a topnotch flyer, learned from my dad. No one’s ever complained.”

  “And you’ve had many passengers?” Alder pressed, his mouth quirked up in that almost-disturbing too-wide smile.

  Lise’s frown deepened. “Not lately. But that’s hardly my fault.”

  Alder and Lise continued to banter, while Evik’s pheromones went full force. An ache began at the back of my skull below the antennae. If I were on my planet, I’d chew on a Das leaf and the pain would be gone in seconds. That wasn’t possible here.

  I closed my eyes again, sinking completely into the memory with the backdrop of the circadian hum.

  The escape from the lab.

  The power had gone out, a lapse in engineering. The only opportunity I might ever have.

  The electrified cage was not strong enough to hold me without the painful deterrent coursing over its metal. I gripped the bars with my strange new hands, jointed and scaled, rather than covered in soft hairs that grabbed pollen and dew. I was stronger now, stronger than I’d ever been.

  And I’d seen the metal prototype wings they’d built using the structure of my own beautiful wings as a guide.

  I’d felt the protrusions of metal and wires in my back.

  The space between the bars was wide enough.

  I sliced out at the man who ran forward with the electric prod, trying to force me to stay caged. I killed him with a single hit, his body falling to the floor, and blood spurting from his nose and mouth.

  No one could stop me as I ran toward the metallic wings.

  I turned around, backing against the wall. The height was right, and the prosthetics needed little coaxing. Like a mated pair, they bound together in seconds, and a thrill of power pulsed through my body.

  I could feel the wings.

  A part of me, though so very different from the ones I was born with.

  I fought my way to the escape pods.

  Even had I died in the attempt, it would have been better than going back to the cage.

  But I did not die.

  “Seriously?” Alder’s voice pulled me away from the memory.

  “Yeah. Safe as houses.” Lise’s voice answered.

  I opened my lids, staring out past the console and through the panoramic, glass-polymer space shield viewscreen.

  A giant meteor, perhaps half the size of my home planet, spun slowly through space in front of the ship. We were, from a quick glance at the navigation systems, somewhere near the Alvarius Quadrant.

  Which wasn’t exactly good, for me at least.

  Not considering I’d conned the Bufo Alvarius Empress herself about a year ago, using her very own excretions against her to make her think we’d had one hell of a passionate night… just so Alder and Evik could skip away with a stockpile of the hallucinogenic drugs her people produced from their own glands. It was the least she deserved from me.

  That cocktail was worth more than double our best take before then.

  The empress hadn’t known Alder and Evik were involved. I was the sole culprit, as far as she knew.

  “Alvarius Quad,” I muttered, “perfect.”

  Evik’s scent was unhappy now, the smell acrid and cutting.

  “Definitely want to keep off the radar here,” Alder nodded.

  “Why?” Lise didn’t turn around, her focus on steering.

  “Holy space crimes against the known universe, Batman,” Alder repeated her words from the station, pointing a finger back at me.

  “Oh.” Her mouth dropped. “Totally hidden, comms off. Gotcha.”

  Lise steered the ship towards the meteor, ducking down into a large crater which revealed a level terrain large enough for landing.

  As she settled us in, landing gear hissing and Blue rattling off systems checks, I wondered if it wouldn’t have been better to take my chances with station security.

  The empress wasn’t the kind that forgave. Or forgot.

  5

  Tommelise

  Shit. What had I gotten myself into? Hiring these three on as a crew had seemed like a good idea on the station. But now I was beginning to wonder if it had been such an amazing idea after all.

  I ran my hand over my forehead. Good idea or no, I was stuck with them, at least for now.

  And gods, I was as tired as if I’d just run the Earth-to-Oort route carrying a hot cargo without any backup. I should know, too. I’d done it before, keeping out of the way of local law enforcement the whole way.

  Come to think of it, that probably made me no better than these guys. I just hadn’t ever gotten caught for my crimes.

  “I need sleep,” I announced. “Blue will lead you to your quarters. We can meet back here to make plans in eight hours. Until then, you’re free to check out any of the public areas. Blue, lock down for the next eight hours. Re-engage on my voice command only.”

  “Got it, boss,” the ship said aloud—for the benefit of our new crew, I expected. She could have just as easily acknowledged my command on our private channel.

  As I left the bridge, all three of the men I’d hired gave some kind of parting gesture. Alder bowed deeply, the tips of his ever-so-slightly pointed ears peeking out from under his hair. Morpheus gave a kind of lazy, two-fingered salute that looked more disrespectful than anything. And Evik clicked something that Blue translated as May your colony remain at peace. As I walked by the Chilchek, I inhaled a scent that reminded me of strawberries I had once on a station refueling stop. My father had told me they were an Old-Earth fruit grown in the station hothouse. Smelling them now made my mouth water.

  I shook off the nostalgia and made my way to the captain’s quarters. By all rights, I should be more on my guard than ever now that I was carrying three wanted men. But all I could think of was sleep.

  Some short time later, I woke with a start, sitting up straight in bed, the darkness around me amplifying the sound of my own heart pounding in my chest.

  Low lights, I subvocalized to Blue. Once I could see again, my heartbeat slowed. What woke me?

  It’s Alder. He’s outside your door. Would you like me to send him away? Blue’s voice would probably have sounded emotionless to most people. But we’d been working together long enough that I could sense a touch of irritation under the expressionless tones the AI used.

  “What’s he doing out there?”

  Standing. He has raised his hands to ring the call button several times but has not yet completed the action. Blue’s voice went clinical. Gods, she was pissed.

  What did he want? I ran a hand through my loose hair. I’d taken it out of its tight braid to sleep, and now the waves had turned to tangles.

  I needed a sani-shower and a cup of coffee. But there wasn’t time to bathe, and we’d run out of coffee ages ago. With a sigh, I leaned over and picked up the spacer’s unitard I’d forgotten to toss into the cleaning unit when I’d crawled into bed what seemed like minutes ago. A glance at the chronometer told me it had been hours. Not the eight I’d requested, but enough that I should have felt fairly rested.

  I moved toward the door just as Blue said, He’s moving away.

  “Stop him. I’m awake now. I might as well see what he wants.”

  Very well. Yep. Blue didn’t like Alder. Or maybe she didn’t like any of them.

  As the door to the hallway slid open, I found Alder across from it, leaning on a curved outer bulkhead. He grinned when he saw me.
“Good morning, sleepyhead.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Can I help you?”

  His smile faltered a bit and he glanced around as if expecting to find someone attempting to eavesdrop. “Could we discuss this inside your quarters?”

  Raising one eyebrow, I turned sideways, ushering him in with one outstretched arm. Once inside, I directed him toward the small galley table. “Take a seat. Would you like something to drink?”

  “No, thanks.”

  Good. All I had was flat ship water and a strange drink flavoring I’d picked up in a rations-trade on the station where I’d met my new crew. It tasted like a cross between citrus fruit and charred meat. I was happy to avoid serving it to anyone.

  I took a seat across from him, waiting to see what he had to say. It took him several long seconds to gather his thoughts and begin speaking.

  “What are you doing out here?” he finally asked, placing both elbows on the small table and leaning toward me.

  “I’m not sure what you mean.”

  “Your home galaxy is hundreds of thousands of light-years away. Almost no one from the Sol system makes it to the empress’s quadrant.”

  Frowning, I pushed my hair back behind my shoulders. “You’re here.”

  He laughed. “But I was born here. I know about original humans, but you’re the first I’ve met.”

  The sound I blew out was bitter and unhappy, less like laughter, and more like despair. “I never meant to end up here. Blue and I were in the wrong place at the wrong time and got sucked through a wormhole.” I shrugged. “I can’t find it again. If I could, I’d go straight home.”

  Alder leaned in closer to me, dropping his voice a little. “And you wouldn’t miss anything here?”

  Wait. Was he trying to seduce me?

  My eyebrows knitted into a frown and abruptly, I leaned away from him until my spine rested against the back of the chair. “What would I possibly miss? I don’t have anything here. I don’t know anyone other than Blue.” I gave a one-shouldered shrug. “I don’t even know the routes around here, other than the few I’ve mapped out while I’ve been searching for a route back home.”

  “You have us now. And we do know the routes.” He paused. “I could even get you home if that’s really what you want.”

  “You have my attention.” But not my trust. Not yet. Even if everything about him sent my hormones into overdrive.

  Focus, Lise.

  Alder’s sly grin didn’t help me trust him more, either, suggesting as it did that he knew exactly what I was thinking. “The problem is that the only known route to Old Earth is through the empress’s space—and she has tentacles everywhere. If I get picked up here, she’s sure to trade me to...someplace I’d rather not go.”

  “Let me guess. You can help me get through her territory and help me get home.”

  “Exactly.”

  “But only if I do something for you, too?”

  He shrugged, and I couldn’t help but notice again how devilishly handsome he was. It was a quality I suspected he often used to his advantage in negotiations with women.

  “So,” I continued. “What exactly is it you want from me?”

  He didn’t even have to think about it. “Take me with you.”

  “To Earth?”

  “To the Sol system, at least.” The more he warmed up to his topic, the faster he talked. “I have...obligations...to one of the empress’s allies. Obligations that I’m unwilling to keep. I’ve managed to avoid attention, but I can’t keep playing cons in this galaxy. At some point, I’ll get picked up. And if that happens, my life will be over.” He leaned over the table, his voice earnest, his violet eyes beseeching.

  I found myself leaning in toward him, too, despite all my good intentions. Alder reached out and took several strands of my hair, letting them run between his fingers. “Please, Lise. Don’t leave me behind.”

  Wow. I’d never had a man this sexy beg me for anything. Something about it was intoxicating, even more than the station bar’s Galactic Blasters. His eyes dropped to my mouth, his tongue darting out to swipe across his full bottom lip.

  Suddenly, I wanted to kiss him more than I had ever wanted to kiss anyone before. We moved closer to one another, until we were both half-standing, leaning across the table, our lips within millimeters of each other.

  “Will you?” he whispered.

  His mouth was distracting, his eyes practically glowing. “Will I what?”

  “Take me with you.”

  I was about ready to tell him I’d let him go anywhere with me as long as he kissed me, godsdammit, when the ship shuddered around us and the klaxon alarm began blaring as the lights flashed red. The spell broke instantly, and I stood straight. “What is it, Blue?”

  “We have company,” she announced, once again speaking aloud for Alder’s benefit.

  I glanced over at the—well, he’d said he wasn’t exactly human—whatever he was. All the blood had drained from his face, leaving his skin a waxy gray, and sweat had popped up to bead along his hairline. “We have to run. She’ll kill Morph. And if she catches me...well, I would rather die.”

  Fuck. This empress must be truly terrifying.

  “Blue?”

  “We won’t make it,” the AI replied. Alder groaned.

  “Please call everyone to the bridge, Blue.” I paused long enough to hear Alder’s sharply indrawn breath. “If we can’t run, we’ll need to figure out something else.”

  I was out of the room and halfway down the hall when I heard Alder’s whisper.

  “We’re so dead.”

  6

  Alder

  “Fantastic,” Morph muttered, and Evik moved nervously beside him, filling the air with an acrid scent that meant only one thing—he was afraid.

  “Hey, it’ll be okay,” I gave them my most charming smile and winked. Morph huffed in response.

  “You say that so easily, Alder, though you were not the one who was the face of our little escape from the Bufo Alvarius Empress.” He rose to his full height, head nearly brushing the ceiling of the bridge. His voice sounded calm, though I could tell he was tense by the way his wings furled and unfurled slightly, the tips dinging against the floor in an almost rhythmic pattern.

  “Morph, they have no idea we’re on this ship. For all they know, it’s a junker and we’re a bunch of salvage pirates.” I patted him on the back and moved towards the seat near Lise. “Salvagers aren’t worth their time. Just sit back and relax.”

  I looked over at Lise and was surprised to find her staring at me. “Do you have an issue with salvagers, Alder?”

  Shifting uncomfortably, I frowned. “I mean, no. Nothing wrong with them. Someone’s got to be the trashmen of the universe.”

  “The trashmen of the universe are good people,” she bit out, heat rushing into her cheeks.

  “Sure, sure they are,” I fumbled out awkwardly. “Look, I didn’t mean to offend—”

  “You didn’t offend me. You’re a conman. Right? Stealing, cheating at cards, that sort of thing? Salvagers are respectable. They’re honest. So remember that the next time you judge them.” She turned in her chair, focusing back on the control panel. The front windshield was opaque now; she’d hit the incognito function.

  Knowing I’d stepped in a giant pile of Navarzian shit, I clamped my mouth shut.

  Morpheus made a thrumming sound in his throat, his version of a chuckle. I glared at him, and he shrugged, his wings tapping against the floor yet again.

  “Stop that sound, whatever it is,” Lise barked out. “If they’re listening, it’ll ping our position. Blue can block heat scans for body temperature, but she’s not soundproof if they’ve got that advanced sonar detector array.”

  “Damn thing costs more coin than we make in a dozen cons. They won’t have that.” I crossed my arms and sat back in my chair, feeling smug.

  “They’ll have it if it’s an empress scoutship,” Lise shot back.

  “Which it is,” the ship’s AI spoke,
and then rattled off a list of mechanical updates. “I’ve scanned what I could of the approaching vessel, but it is outfitted with guards against such probes. The insignia on the hull is, without a doubt, Bufo Alvarius.”

  “Have they spotted us, Blue?” Lise’s fingers flew across the control board, pressing glowing icons and muttering to herself.

  “I engaged stealth mode the minute I picked them up on my sensors, but our additional power reserves are low. I do not know how long our camouflage will last before partial, or complete, failure.”

  Evik’s pheromone excretion intensified; it almost became a visible fog in the room. It caused the stress levels of everyone in the vicinity to heighten.

  “Evik, brother, you’ve got to calm yourself.”

  He clicked back at me, rapidly, then slowly, as he worked through his own anxiety. It was hard for Evik, harder than me and Morph, to be part of such a small unit. Back on his home planet, he would have lived in huge colonies, sharing a home with multiple partners. Togetherness was the base function of their society. When danger reared its head, I believed he felt infinitely more untethered to his current lifestyle. I often wondered why he’d chosen to be part of our rebel band.

  “Evik.” It was Morph that spoke this time; he reached with jointed fingers towards his friend and gripped the Chilchek’s arm. He began that sort of buzzing sound, the one that let him re-center himself and focus on memories. We’d found in the past that Evik responded to Morph’s… I don’t know. His similarities, I guessed. They were both like… insects back on Old Earth. It was as if their chemical makeups responded to one another.

  And it wasn’t always a positive thing.

  Sometimes, when one got really worked up, the other did too. More than once, it had screwed up a planned con. Getting hot under the collar didn’t bode well for smooth sailing.