by M. D. Cooper
The cat stopped circling Kylie’s feet and started to purr. Then she giggled and gave a headshake. “Oh, that tickles!”
Winter and Kylie both took a step back.
“Could she always do that?” Kylie asked out of the corner of her mouth.
“Fizz!” Winter hissed. “What’d you do to this cat?”
“UPLIFTED.”
“You don’t know the procedure to uplift another animal,” Kylie challenged, putting a hand on her hip.
“YEAH, I DO. HAD HELP.”
“From who?” she demanded.
Winter’s eyes narrowed. “Chuck!”
“It…it…wasn’t me! I am not the one-armed man!” Chuck proclaimed through all the ship’s speakers.
“What the hell do arms have to do with anything?” Winter asked. “You don’t have any arms.”
“Oh, rub it in, why don’t you?”
Kylie opened her mouth to speak, but before she got a word out, the doors opened, and Grayson entered with Nadine.
Kylie clamped her lips shut and took a step back, her entire body going rigid. He had told her about his plan to soften Nadine up enough to help them—she just didn’t think it would work.
Despite her reservations, she’d promised Grayson they’d try—and that she’d keep a very close eye on Nadine, along with a tight grip on her sidearm.
“Hi, Nadine,” she said carefully. “It’s…nice to have you join us for dinner.”
“It’s nice to stretch my legs,” Nadine admitted. She smiled at Winter.
Winter stared at her over the cup’s rim as he sipped his coffee, but did little else.
Well, so much for that.
Mr. Fizzle Pop’s ears twitched, and his eyes narrowed. “KINGFISHER FRIEND. KINGFISHER DEAD. I KILL NADINE.” He growled and swatted at her legs.
Nadine stared down at the cat. “I did what I had to, but I’m sorry he was your friend.” She glanced up at Kylie. “Where did this cat come from?”
“He was Bubbs’ cat first,” Winter said.
“That explains a lot,” Nadine muttered under her breath. She looked around the galley. “You have a cook and a servitor? Well, that’s interesting. Things have sure changed.”
“It’s been over ten years since you’ve seen us. Of course we’ve changed,” Winter retorted.
Grayson cleared his throat.
She was unwilling to admit she enjoyed watching Nadine squirm.
“The cook is actually Winter’s sister,” Kylie said out loud, trying to appear as though she was defusing the situation.
“Ohh,” Nadine’s eyes widened. “You found your sister? That’s so nice, Winter.” She squeezed his arm.
The big man reacted like Nadine was fire, and pulled his arm back.
Seemingly unfazed, Nadine said, “Maybe I’ll go introduce myself. I’m sure you can all keep an eye on my every move if I only walk a few meters.”
Winter glowered. “I’ll make sure of it.” He guided Nadine over toward the prep area, but turned back to Kylie and mouthed the words, ‘Kill her’.
Kylie pretended she didn’t see as she stood next to Grayson and sipped her coffee.
Rogers and the kids entered the galley next, and Kylie felt Grayson go rigid.
“Nadine won’t hurt Marie,” she assured him. “She knows that’s a death sentence. Mission or no mission.”
Grayson nodded, then let out a sigh. “I hope this will work. Nadine and the people of Valkris are misguided. If we can convince her to help us, convince her to work with the Alliance to get the Valkris Authority to join us, everyone will be better off.”
“I hope we can do all that,” Kylie smiled. “But it sounds like the Valkris Authority might not have ‘getting along’ in their plans.”
“I’m sure we can change their minds. One way or another.”
Kylie sipped her coffee. ‘Or another’ was her favorite negotiation tactic, but she didn’t want to get ahead of herself.
“First, we need to find the general,” she reminded him, “and since Nadine has that data, we need to get her to talk before Winter returns her to her cell.”
“Then let’s eat and hope Jenny’s favorite dinner and dessert warms her up like I think it can.”
“You’re such an optimist.”
“I just think with my stomach.”
* * * * *
The Spican pork roast was charred to perfection, soft and succulent. Spicy potato wedges crisped as only Grayson could were served on the side, along with roasted vegetables. The beer and wine flowed like supply issues were a thing of the past, and dessert was apple pie, and vanilla ice cream freshly churned with the help of a servitor.
Nadine found herself enjoying it more than she ought to. Music played from the overhead, and Chuck cracked jokes, entertaining the humans and making everyone laugh. By the time the second round of coffee and a deck of Snark came out, Nadine felt longing aching in her chest.
She removed herself to the kitchen to grab a refill of coffee. The distance allowed her to watch the kids giggle, see Grayson and Kylie share a kiss, and observe Winter, who was keeping his eyes firmly on her.
He might’ve broken bread with her, but it was clear that he didn’t trust her. Nadine could say the same.
Even still, she missed this. She’d never felt like she belonged with anyone like she had with Kylie and the crew.
Not that anything would ever go back to being the same. But maybe, if Grayson was honest about what he’d promised her….
Nadine walked back to the table, and the conversation stopped. Everyone stared up at her, and she wanted to scream, ‘Just treat me like a normal person! Treat me like you used to!’
But she’d burned all those bridges long ago.
The fact she was even here would anger the Valkris Authority; they didn’t accept mistakes. It had been the same with her parents and the ruling house.
Nadine had hoped it’d be different after she’d helped her sister—it had been, for a while, but tradition was hard to change, so things went back to the status quo.
Nadine was useful. She was an assassin and an excellent asset. But she wasn’t welcome as a member of the family.
To save her own skin, Nadine needed to play ball. She knew that from the start, but had hoped her old friends would offer her a deal that was better than what was waiting for her back home.
The bargain Grayson had ultimately made was better than she hoped…which meant the team really needed this win.
Well, Nadine needed a win too. She was tired of always being at someone else’s mercy.
Kylie stared up at her, and her eyes were exactly as Nadine remembered. It made her ache in places she forgot could ache.
“Are you going to sit?” the captain asked.
She was so cool and collected.
Nadine swallowed the lump that had appeared in her throat. “Farsis. That’s where we’ll find General Mulke and the stasis shield components he stole.”
“Thank you,” Kylie said, and for a moment, her eyes softened.
Nadine wondered if Kylie felt what she did.
“Farsis?” Winter cleaned his teeth with a toothpick. “Gray, isn’t that…?”
“Not far from here.” Grayson’s eyebrows rose. “Last I checked, the Marauders were operating in that area.”
Mr. Fizzle Pop gasped, and his eyes grew insanely large, while a guttural sound bubbled up in his
throat. “BUBBS! WE GOING TO SEE BUBBS!”
Bubbs? Oh, great, Nadine groaned inwardly.
Maybe Kylie and company just should just kill her now.
CHAPTER 33 - CHEEKY
STELLAR DATE: 01.11.8960 (Adjusted Years)
LOCATION: Sabrina, Schista Station, Illium
REGION: Indis System, Ansylis Alliance
Cheeky checked herself over in the holo, twisting side to side, smiling at how the skin on her ass cheeks shimmered in the cabin’s overhead lighting.
“I’m not fretting.” Cheeky shot an annoyed look at the overhead. “I just like to look perfect.”
“I feel like you always say that.”
Cheeky’s lips drew into a thin line, and she turned side to side again, wondering if her breasts weren’t just a hair too large.
“Probably only ten-thousandth. But Fina has been gone for a year…it’s special.”
“What about Sabs?”
“You can’t do that. It’s non-conductive.”
Before Cheeky could respond, the door slid open, revealing Fina and Sabs standing hand in hand, waiting for her to exit.
Sabs was wearing one of her bright red frames, all smooth curves and silver accents. While her body was clearly robotic, her face appeared human—something that would go over better with the locals on Illium.
Fina, on the other hand, couldn’t be mistaken for anything other than organic. As per usual, her skin was a deep blue, marked by silver streaks tracing their way down her crooks and curves. Like Cheeky, Fina had long ago had her skin replaced with Mark X FlowArmor, a flexible polymer that was both programmable and could deflect anything up to relativistic beamfire.
It was a highly practical epidermis for people in their line of work, and had the advantage of functioning as a fashionista’s built-in wardrobe.
Fina’s face was a slightly lighter shade of blue, her hair framing it in light pink curls that brushed against her shoulders. Cheeky’s own long, blonde hair fell straight to the middle of her back—a style that she rarely changed. It just felt right for her.
“Was starting to wonder if you’d ever come out,” Sabs said with a wink, her hand stretching out toward Cheeky’s. “C’mon, we have to get going!”
“I imagine we’ll be alright,” Fina said. “We have a table reserved for the whole night.”
“Right!” Sabs nodded enthusiastically. “And the whole night only lasts for so long. Let’s go!”
Cheeky couldn’t help but smile and feel a wave of confidence in the wake of the AI’s encouragement. “Alright, but I’m not a third wheel, right? I don’t want to get in the middle of—”
“Oh for fucksakes!” Fina strode forward, grabbed Cheeky by the arm, and marched her into the passage. “You’ve done the horizontal tango with both of us more times than any of us can remember. Why are you so concerned about tonight?”
Cheeky’s face reddened, and she held her hands up in a half shrug. “Honestly…I don’t really know. Maybe it’s because you’re just back with us, Fina, and I don’t want to get in the way on your first night together.”
“When has that ever bothered you before?” Sabs asked. “You usually jump in with both feet, and it’s rarely an issue.”
“Rarely.” Cheeky spoke the word in a leaden voice.
“Enough.” Fina crossed her arms. “We’re going to have fun tonight. We’re gonna get drunk—OK, I’m gonna get drunk, you two can pretend to get plastered, and we’re gonna dance, do unspeakable things to one another, and just bask in the fact that we’re finally all back together aboard Sabrina.”
“You know what we mean,” Fina said. “You’re our home, Sabrina. We love being here, but it’s also nice to stretch our legs.”
“Didn’t you stretch them enough over the past year?”
“Not as much as I would have liked.” Fina’s face fell. “Things didn’t go as well as we’d planned.”
“Oh?” Cheeky cocked an eyebrow. “I thought you managed to capture him.”
The blue-skinned woman nodded. “Oh, we did, but like I said, it didn’t really go that well.”
“I’m…sorry?” Cheeky’s voice rose an octave. “I’m not sure what you were hoping for, but I’m glad you’re back.”
“I’ll get into it once we sit down…and I get some alcohol flowing in my veins.”
Sabs wrapped an arm around Fina’s shoulder, pulling her tight, before grabbing both their hands and leading them down the passage. “I’ve done the Sexy’s preflight, and we have a window. Let’s go before we have to request a new vector.”
“Fiiiiiine.” Cheeky couldn’t resist a laugh at how earnest the other AI sounded. “But I’m flying.”
“You know that we’re both accomplished pilots as well.” Fina’s tone was significantly lighter than just a moment earlier. “Like…both of us were flying starships before you were born.”
Cheeky heaved a sigh. “I know, and it’s really sad how, after all those extra decades of practice, you both suck compared to me.”
“I don’t suck!” Sabs gave an indignant snort.
“Like vacuum.” Cheeky grinned and knocked her hip against her lover’s red frame. “But it’s OK. I forgive you for your failings.”
Sabs glanced at Fina. “I blame you for this, you know. She wasn’t nearly as cocky when you first brought her aboard. Shit…in a few months, that’ll be forty years ago.”
“Time flies,” Fina intoned. “Especially when one spends twenty of those looking for one particular individual.”
The woman’s voice grew melancholy at the end of her statement, and Cheeky met her gaze. “Finaeus is still out there. We’ll find him…or he’ll find us. The oldest man alive doesn’t just vanish.”
“I wonder what he’d think of our little ‘cule we’ve formed?” Sabrina mused.
Cheeky rolled her eyes. “Pretty sure he’d be ecstatic.”
Fina coughed. “You realize your husband is my uncle, right?”
“Sure,” Sabs said with a laugh. “But it’s not like you have to have sex with him, just some snuggles here and there.”
A far-off look formed in Fina’s eyes. “He was always a good snuggler…but he’s also a bit of a father figure for me. That’s all just a little….”
“Don’t worry,” Cheeky winked. “I’ll monopolize him for a year or so when he gets back. Plenty of time to figure all this out. You know how things go, anyway. Groups drift together, they drift apart. Not everyone has to be into everyone else.”
“Fair enough,” Fina said, nodding slowly. “Either way, let’s focus on the here and now. We’re back together, about to embark on a new mission, but we have a night for the three of us before things get underway.”
“Speaking of things getting underway,” Cheeky glanced around. “Where are Nance and Misha?”
“They’re tending to the chickens,” Sabs replied. “I think they’re going to head on station later for a bit of a run-about themselves.”
Fina shook her head. “That’s a pairing I never expected to last. What are they going on now? Four years?”
Cheeky s
norted a laugh. “I mean, if you count from when they admitted that they were an item, yeah. Really, though, they’ve always been eyeing each other. Nance just didn’t want to admit that she was ready for another relationship.”
“Stars…” Fina whispered. “Talk about taking it slow.”
Sabs gave the blue woman a sidelong look. “She did have a core AI’s shard in her head for half the time they knew each other.”
“Fair enough.”
The Sexy was latched onto Sabrina’s underside, and upon reaching the aft laddershaft, the three women slid down the rails to the top hatch on the pinnace, Fina unsealing it and dropping into the craft first before making way for the other two.
“Good, you remembered,” Cheeky said as she strode down the short passage to the cockpit.
“Remembered what?” Fina asked innocently.
“That I’m the pilot.”
“Oh…yeah, that. I was just being polite.”
“Stars, I’m going to ride back in the galley,” Sabs said with a laugh. “OK…not really, you two bickering about piloting is fun to watch.”
“She’s just jealous that she gets stuck doing un-fun work a lot,” Cheeky said. “Rather than being here with us.”
Fina shrugged. “That’s probably true. I kinda hope this time was the last. Seraphina has done a good enough job rebuilding the Hand into the AoS’s policing arm that I hope she doesn’t need me to step in again.”
“Don’t we technically work for Seraphina, anyway?” Cheeky asked.
“Yeah, but we’re more like free agents.”
“Huh.” Cheeky shook her head as she settled into the pilot’s seat. “The orders your sister sends don’t really feel like optional contracts sent to free agents.”
“That’s because Sera and I got all the subtlety,” Fina replied. “Seraphina…well, you know.”
Sabs chuckled. “Oh, we know. Remember when she was with us on a mission three years ago?”
Fina’s lips twisted into a grimace. “Nope. Don’t recall that at all…you know, since I had it scrubbed from my memory.”
“Oh it wasn’t that bad,” Cheeky said as she ran through a final checklist before signaling the station’s STC that they were ready to drop.