Changing Course

by Brey Willows

  “Look!” Kylin pointed to the chunk of metal ahead. “That wasn’t so bad.”

  Saved from thoughts that couldn’t lead anywhere sanity resided, Jessa looked over the piece. “It’s part of the mainframe.”

  Kylin looked enthralled as she combed over it, moving wires and pieces aside. When she got to the circuit board she looked ecstatic. “Do you have any idea what I could do with this?”

  “None, I’m afraid. I know how to use it when it’s working, but I don’t know a thing about how to put it together.”

  “I do,” Kylin said softly. She took a tool from one of her many pockets and started cutting and moving things. “With enough of this kind of thing, I could build my own transport and leave this planet.”

  The longing in her voice made Jessa pause. “You could?”

  “Damn right I could.” She gently lifted the large circuit board from the bent, dented casing. “Can you hold this?”

  Jessa took it and watched with interest as Kylin removed cables and wires and rolled each one carefully until she had a stack at her feet. She gathered them up and turned to Jessa. “Are you okay to carry that back to the flyer? I’ve marked the location so I can move it closer, but I don’t want to leave this stuff here, just in case anyone else comes looking.”

  Jessa set off without answering. There was still something slightly sickening about watching the pieces of her beautiful ship being cannibalized, though she knew that was absurdly emotional. When they got to the flyer, Kylin set down her armful of wires and cables and punched a code into her locator. The flyer buzzed and shook, and then the roof opened. A mechanical arm lifted a long box from the flyer and then closed again with the box along the outside. It opened and Kylin took the circuit board from Jessa. She climbed up and put it gently into the box, then got down and gathered the stuff she’d brought back and added it to the box. She slammed the box closed and looked down at Jessa.

  “That’s incredibly impressive. External storage is a great idea.” Jessa really was impressed. Storage was something she’d never needed to consider, like so many other things.

  “Thank you.” Kylin bowed dramatically. “I’m brilliant and sexy. Some people are just that lucky.”

  Jessa laughed, surprising herself. She got into the flyer and held on as Kylin barely lifted it off the ground enough to fly to the mainframe. They spent another half hour pulling it apart for the parts Kylin thought she could use, and they seemed to be in tacit agreement to move fast, as the temperature was dropping quickly.

  Jessa could barely feel her fingers when they got back in and she couldn’t control her shivering. Kylin reached behind her seat and pulled out a jacket.

  “Take this. We’ll fly into the next district. There’s a small landing space there. If you don’t mind, we can set up your domicile unit next to the flyer. That way I know the flyer is safe but we don’t have to sleep in it. Work for you?”

  Jessa nodded, her teeth chattering as she pulled the jacket tight around her. It smelled of Kylin; spicy and earthy, a combination that was strangely sensual. She breathed it in and found herself growing warm.

  They were only in the air for a quarter of an hour before the bright lights of a small runway appeared. Kylin got permission to dock at the edge of the port, and when Jessa got out to put up the domicile unit, Kylin’s gentle touch stopped her.

  “Let me. I’m used to this weather. I don’t want to have saved you from the prowlers only to have you freeze to death.” She grinned and was out of the flyer in an instant.

  Jessa didn’t argue. She’d never been so exhausted, and now that it was just her and Kylin under a starlit sky, she could sense the emotion of the situation knocking at her subconscious. She hugged herself and watched the domicile unit unfold and light up. When Kylin waved, she jumped down and hurried into it. Warmth hit her and she sank onto the sleeping pod.

  “Sorry. I didn’t think about the fact that you’re used to climate control.” Kylin worked off her boots and sat swinging her legs on the opposite sleeping pod.

  “I should have been prepared.” Jessa didn’t want to admit to weakness, but denial was silly. “I can’t wait to lie down.”

  Kylin looked like she was going to say something but changed her mind. She swung her legs up and lay back with her hands behind her head. “You know, I’m not used to having anyone with me, but this has been nice.”

  Jessa nodded, her eyes already closed. A small voice in the back of her mind wished Kylin would come over and share her sleeping pod. Keep her warm. Safe. She shoved it away and concentrated on falling asleep. That was a complication neither of them needed, and she wasn’t even sure if she was Kylin’s type, though she was fairly sure Kylin was interested in women. Just not this woman. Kylin’s feelings about their difference in economic class was loud and clear. And maybe she was right. They were as different as a sun to a moon, with miles of space between them.

  She rebuked herself for the stray thoughts. She would find her way off this planet and this whole experience would be nothing but a memory.

  Chapter Seven

  Kylin stretched and appreciated the soreness in her shoulders. Pulling apart the mainframe yesterday had been physically demanding, and she was glad to know she was still in good enough shape to handle that kind of thing, probably thanks to the amount of time she’d spent in the ring lately. Granted, that time in the ring also meant her collarbone was still giving her trouble, and she’d had to move carefully after a sharp reminder that it hadn’t healed yet. Having someone to hand the pieces down to had been incredibly useful, and had probably saved her collarbone more irritation as well. She wondered if she should consider getting a regular helper when she went on these jaunts. One of the nomad teenagers would love the chance.

  She turned on her side and looked at Jessa, who was frowning even in her sleep. She was so rigid, so buttoned up. Was she always that way? Or was it only because of the situation? She felt like there was more to her, maybe deeply buried, but there. Her reaction to the cryo volcano was so free, so childlike. It had allowed Kylin to see what she might be like without all the stress and responsibility she put on herself. Her long, silky hair covered part of her face, the red streaks dark against her perfect pale skin. Those beautiful jade eyes had lit up as the rainbows had cascaded through the air, and Kylin wondered what other experiences could bring out the simple joy she’d seen.

  She wouldn’t find out. People from Othrys weren’t capable of real emotion, something she’d already seen when Jessa talked about her family. No matter how beautiful Jessa was, Kylin wasn’t going to go there. She’d finish looking at the pieces, then they’d make their way back. If her crew hadn’t already moved on, she’d help them figure out how to get to the station at the Heathers. That was it. She didn’t owe her anything.

  So why was she glad to have her along? Granted, having a beautiful woman around wasn’t usually a hardship until things got complicated. Kylin had always been a sucker for a beautiful woman, and this one had fallen from the sky and practically into her lap. But there were plenty of women back home who didn’t come with the baggage this one did. She needed to remember that.

  Kylin ran her hands through her hair and got out of the pod. They should get in the air to make the most of the day. The next stop was a good distance away and she wanted to get back to Quasi. Her dad was on her mind, especially after the conversation about Jessa’s family.

  She went out quietly and ran checks on the flyer. Everything was in place and there was plenty of power in the core. As long as she took it steady she’d be fine.

  Jessa came out tying her hair in a messy ponytail and looking perhaps more beautiful than she did when she was all put together. “Morning.”

  “Morning. We’ll get in the air as soon as we’ve broken down.” Kylin didn’t mean to sound distant, but Jessa’s beauty was distracting.

  “No problem.” She ducked in, came back out dressed in Kylin’s jacket, which was adorably too big for her, and then hit the pr
ogram to take the domicile unit down. Within minutes they were seated in the flyer and taking off.

  “Where to next?” Jessa asked, covering a yawn.

  Kylin pointed to a blue dot on the screen. “Thalla District. They’ve got a city, not unlike Quasi. But there’s more bartering and way less tech. They try to live as close to the land as possible. Not big on outsiders. If things had been different, I think my dad and I would have gone there.”

  “And if what you’re looking for is in the city? Will they let you just walk in and take it?”

  Kylin had wondered the same thing. “I don’t know. I mean, they don’t like or use tech, really, so in theory they wouldn’t want it anyway. But if they think it could be useful one day…” She shrugged. “We’ll just have to see.”

  They flew in silence for a while, and when Kylin looked over she saw that Jessa was asleep, her head pillowed against the hood of Kylin’s jacket. Kylin gently moved a piece of hair away from Jessa’s eye and fought the desire to touch her cheek. Instead she concentrated on the flight and watching the land below. They weren’t far from the blue dot when Jessa finally woke.

  “I’m so sorry.” She yawned and stretched, rolling her neck to get the kinks out. “I hadn’t realized how tired I was.”

  Kylin smiled. “No big deal. I’m used to silence. Not someone snoring beside me, though.” She laughed when Jessa looked mortified. “Kidding.”

  Jessa looked at the land below. “Pretty.”

  It was. The rock formations of red stone were painted through with minerals that caught the light and flared out in pinks, blues, and purples. It always reminded Kylin of a child’s painting. “It looks like our dot is just on the outskirts rather than in the city, which is good news for us.” She nodded at the sky. “But I think we’ll need to move quickly on this one.”

  Thick green clouds were zipping along the sky, and a storm out here moving that fast would pack a punch. She didn’t want to get caught in it.

  She set the flyer down and they jumped out. The wind tore at their clothes, stirring up rock dust and making it hard to see, let alone speak. Kylin used her locator and it took far longer than she was comfortable with before the black shape loomed out of the growing dust storm.

  Jessa cried out and ran to the escape pod, but Kylin hung back. She could tell there wasn’t any hope. The charred outside was badly damaged, with holes and gashes everywhere. The strange foam stuff she’d seen in Jessa’s pod filled some of the holes, and there was no question they were tinted crimson.

  Jessa stood at the entry of the pod trying to punch a code into the mostly melted keypad. When it wouldn’t open she banged her fists against the door. Tears ran down her face, making tracks in the red dust covering her cheeks.

  “Jessa!” Kylin called over the howling wind. “Nobody could have survived that. We need to get back to the flyer!”

  Jessa shook off her hand and tried the keypad again. “What if someone did? What if they’re in there alive and we leave them?”

  The thought was planted, and Kylin swore into the wind. She pulled a small utility laser from her pocket and went to the largest hole in the side. The laser flashed weirdly in the dusty wind, and it wasn’t long before she had a hole big enough to reach into easily. Jessa moved to her side and together they pulled out all the foam they could reach, clearing the hole. Kylin shone her flashlight into to the hole and Jessa peered in.

  She stumbled back, her hand over her mouth and fresh tears tracking down her cheeks. Kylin looked in and saw the carnage. The foam had kept the people’s bodies intact, but hadn’t protected them from the asteroids that had crashed through the metal and into the interior of the pod. It was a scene out of a nightmare and there was no longer any question of anyone being alive. Kylin didn’t want to scrounge anything from this pod, that was certain.

  She grabbed Jessa’s arm and pulled her back to the flyer. Once inside, the wind and dust pummeled the glass, but at least they could breathe again. Jessa’s shoulders shook as she cried, and Kylin wrapped her arms around her, letting her get it out. She couldn’t imagine how Jessa was feeling, but she was relieved to see some emotion. Holding that kind of thing in couldn’t be healthy. Not that she was one to talk, but that wasn’t the point.

  Jessa calmed as the storm raged around them. The flyer wasn’t meant to be out in a storm like this, and Kylin prayed to the cosmos it would still fly when the storm passed. There was no point in trying to get it off the ground now.

  Jessa sat back and wiped her tears away with the sleeve of Kylin’s jacket. “I’m sorry. I’m not usually so affected. But those poor people…”

  “Jessa, it’s okay to be upset about people dying. What kind of person would you be if you didn’t care?” She wiped the tears from Jessa’s cheeks, managing only to smudge the red dirt further.

  “Being overly emotional keeps you from thinking rationally and making good decisions.” Jessa sounded defeated rather than convincing.

  Kylin wasn’t sure what to say without sounding hypocritical. Emotions weren’t friends of hers either, but hearing it from someone who was so clearly hurting was strange. Although, given where Jessa was from, her engrained reaction made sense. So, since there weren’t words, she pulled Jessa close and wrapped her in her arms, giving comfort the best way she knew how. Well, the second best way, but the first one was out of the question and would have been difficult to manage in the flyer anyway. She half expected Jessa to pull away, but after a moment of stiffness she relaxed and rested her head on Kylin’s shoulder.

  There was nothing to do but wait, and with Jessa in her arms, Kylin was strangely reluctant to see the storm end.

  * * *

  Hours later, Kylin opened her eyes and blinked against the grit in them. Jessa stirred too and sat back in her seat, wiping at her face. Kylin ignored the flash of disappointment as the cold air hit where Jessa’s warm body had been. The windows were caked with red dirt that had turned to sludge when the rain began, but it was silent now.

  “Let’s see what the damage is.” Kylin had to shove hard on the door to get it to open, and when it did it was heavy with red mud. She jumped out and groaned. The right propeller was clogged with mud, and the wing was sagging under the weight of it. “Ragweed tits.” She moved slowly around the flyer checking damage and trying to work out what to do. When she rounded the tail she froze.

  Jessa stood with her hands in the air, facing a group of people with energy guns pointed at her. They wore the heavy protective face cloth of the local Thalla tribes so all Kylin could see were their eyes, which were hard and suspicious. One of them turned a gun toward her and motioned with it toward Jessa.

  She held up her hands and moved slowly, not wanting to give them any reason to fire. Her dad had made her bring the seaful gun, and she kept leaving the damn thing behind. “We’re not looking for trouble.”

  “That’s good, because if you were, you’d find you were outmatched.” The one at the front lowered their gun. “What are you doing out here?”

  Honesty seemed like the best option. Partial honesty, anyway. They didn’t need to know she was a scrounger. “We came to check on a piece of wreckage from the recent ship that came down. The storm hit before we could leave.”

  “And did you find what you were looking for?”

  Jessa lowered her hands to her sides. She looked exhausted. “Dead people. Nothing more.”

  The person at the front pulled their face cloth down. “That’s what we found, too.” The others lowered their weapons and Kylin could breathe again. “Looks like you could use a shower.”

  Jessa looked at Kylin, who nodded. Her flyer wasn’t going anywhere, and all she could hope was that no one would take off with what she’d managed to scrounge so far. It wasn’t like they were city center. Someone would have to come looking for her flyer, and that wasn’t likely.

  “That would be wonderful, thank you.”

  The group turned and moved off ahead of them, and to her surprise, Jessa reached
out and took Kylin’s hand. Only then did she realize Jessa was scared. Her hand trembled even though her eyes looked calm. Kylin squeezed her hand and kept hold of it. She’d assumed Jessa was soft, ill-suited to life in a harder world, but there was a bit of steel in her, a subtle strength that wasn’t a facade. She was scared but tough. It was an intoxicating combination.

  “Are we safe with them?” Jessa asked softly.

  Kylin considered the question. “I think so. They’re generally a pretty peaceful people, but watch what you say and how much you give away. People are people, and you get good and bad like in any community. Slavers would pay big money to someone willing to sell a ship’s captain. Especially an attractive one. Even if you do look like a mud monster right now.”

  Jessa shook her head and gave Kylin’s hand a squeeze. She’d tried to lighten the statement, but she needed Jessa to know that the career she took so much pride in could get her into real trouble here.

  “You look like a mud monster,” Jessa mumbled.

  Kylin laughed, and one of their new friends glanced back at her. She gave them a little wave and they turned away. They’d walked for about half an hour before they finally arrived at the walled city of Thalla. Jessa stopped and looked up at the towering stone walls.

  “Protective of their city, I think you said.”

  Kylin shaded her eyes against the sun. “You’ll find out that I’m very rarely wrong. It’s annoyingly charming.”

  Jessa gave her a quick smile as the forty-foot stone gates swung open and they followed the Thalla group into the city. The gates swung closed behind them, and Kylin’s gut twisted. They couldn’t just leave if they wanted to, and her flyer was out there alone. She forced herself to focus. They were in a new city with an armed guard.

  They stopped at a simple white building with black timber windows. “Go on in. The innkeeper will help you out.” The woman who had taken off her face cloth tilted her head. “I’ll be back around dinner time to chat.”