Lauren nodded. “We would have come running, Riley. All you had to do was call.”
“I know… We got carried away, I guess.”
“Hey, if you want to blame someone, blame me,” Navan interjected. “I was the one who coaxed her into a slapdash ceremony. She wanted to wait until the war was over, when there could be a proper wedding, but I just couldn’t bear another moment without having her as my wife.”
“Aww! If that wasn’t so freaking adorable, I’d beat the crap out of you for marrying our girl without us,” Angie said, a lingering hint of disappointment in her voice.
“You are going to have a party when all of this is over, though, right?” Lauren’s voice was so hopeful that I couldn’t let her down. Besides, I knew Jean would want to see me get married, and Roger had often talked about walking me down the aisle. I couldn’t disappoint them any more than I could disappoint my closest friends.
I nodded reluctantly. “Of course we are. It wouldn’t be right if all of you weren’t there to celebrate this with us.”
“Sounds good to me,” Navan agreed. “I imagine Kaido and Sarrask will want to come along, though I may have to leave dear old Mom and Dad out of this one, if that’s okay with you.” He flashed me a cheeky glance.
“Perfectly fine with me. They’ll only start pointing out everyone’s inferiority.”
As Angie and Lauren launched their affections at Navan, enveloping him in a tight hug and calling him “brother,” Bashrik took the opportunity to wander up shyly. He’d remained silent while Angie and Lauren had gotten their excitement out, but now he seemed emboldened by their actions. He was smiling like a maniac, and the expression was frankly startling.
Without warning, he lunged toward me and pulled me into a tight bearhug. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d hugged Bashrik, but I definitely hadn’t received this kind of hug from him. His coldblood strength was immense as he squeezed tighter, to the point where I thought he might crush me to death with his happiness.
“Bashrik… I can’t… breathe…”
He released me immediately. “I’m so sorry, Riley. I’m just—I’m so happy for you both!” he sobbed, tears pouring from his eyes. As he attempted to brush away some of the streaming tears, he reached for some of the paper towels on the counter and blew his nose hard, the sound reverberating in my ears like an elephant’s trumpet.
“Thank you, Bashrik. We’re pretty happy about it, too,” I said, patting him gently on the back as though he were a small child. It seemed to calm him down, anyway.
“You are such beautiful creatures, and here you are, married! You’ve found your missing piece, your other half, your better part… I just think it’s so beautiful.” He collapsed in a fit of tears again, his chest heaving. I didn’t know whether to keep rubbing his back or start laughing out loud at the state of him. I’d never expected Bashrik, of all people, to act like this. Saying that, there was something undeniably touching about his reaction.
Free from the grip of Angie and Lauren, Navan moved over to give his brother a warm hug, releasing me from my responsibility as back-rubber extraordinaire. The sight of the two of them clutching one another, while Bashrik repeated his congratulations, was remarkably sweet. It warmed my heart even more, confirming my suspicions that today was going to be a very good day.
“Congratulations, Riley,” Ronad said, skirting around the emotional brothers. He grinned at me and opened out his arms before pulling me into a hug, swinging me from side to side.
“Thank you for keeping his secret,” I whispered. “He still managed to surprise me.”
Ronad laughed quietly. “I knew he would. He’s a crafty devil, our Navan.”
“Hey, hey, hey, what’s a scavenger gotta do to get a slice o’ the action? Massive congrats, compadres. Wish you’d woken us; I’d have played a jig for ye while ye danced toward yer husb-to-be,” Stone whooped, muscling in on Ronad’s hug. Even though we didn’t know each other very well, I was happy to have his congratulations. There was something so genuine about Stone that it was impossible not to like him. More and more, I was beginning to see what Lauren saw.
“Must you always rally about in such an uncouth manner, Mr. Stone?” Xiphio chided, his curt tone a stark contrast to the tears of joy running down his face. “This is a delightful occasion, not one that requires your pirate jigs or your unrefined traditions.”
“A party’s a party, Xiphio. Just offerin’ the gift o’ music, that’s all.” The ambaka chuckled merrily as he released me and wandered over to Navan, where he patted my husband on the back with wild enthusiasm. “Congrats, man. Damn excited to see me brother and me sister so happy!”
I grimaced. “Please don’t call us that, Stone. The thought is nice, but it really doesn’t sound right.”
“See yer point, won’t do it again.”
Alfa and Dio were the next to congratulate us, both mirroring Stone’s attitude. I barely knew the two of them, but they had the same charm as Stone. Alfa was the flirtier of the three scavengers, while Dio seemed to be the sensible one, and Stone was somewhere in between. It was nice to watch the way they interacted with one another, treating each other like actual brothers despite being vastly different species.
Without warning, Alfa scooped me up in a fireman’s lift and threw me in the air with frightening strength. Every time he threw me up again, he spoke, though it was hard to catch everything he said with the air rushing in my ears and my brain jangling in my skull. “I love a wedding… I bet you were a beautiful bride, Captain Ri… Shame we couldn’t have seen it… I hope we’re invited to the big party.” I hadn’t eaten anything yet, but I was about to lose whatever I had left in my stomach.
“Stop throwing her up like that, Alf. It ain’t ladylike,” Dio barked.
To my relief, Alfa stopped, catching me deftly and setting me back on my feet. “Sorry, Ri. I got a bit carried away. I love a wedding; it puts everyone in a good mood, don’t you think?”
I stumbled, and Navan’s hand reached out to steady me. “It does… but please don’t… throw me again.”
A small smile played upon Navan’s lips. “Yeah, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t break my wife on our first day of marriage.”
Alfa laughed heartily. “I promise I’ll restrain myself.”
“Forgive his enthusiasm, Riley. It comes from a good place,” Dio said. “Congratulations on your marriage. I wish you both a long and happy life together.”
“Thank you, Dio, and thank you for getting him to stop.” I laughed. Dio bared his teeth in a fanged smile. “Now, let’s see if this machine can conjure us up a wedding cake, shall we?”
“Did ye say cake?” Stone lifted his head eagerly. “I’ll help ye.”
As I made my way to the food-printing machine, Stone met me on the other side. He seemed to be in good spirits, though his eyes kept drifting toward Lauren, who was mid-conversation with Xiphio. Meanwhile, Navan was pouring drinks for everyone, his chest puffed out proudly.
“How’d ye do it, Ri?” Stone sighed, leaning his chin on his hand.
“Do what?”
“Make this romance bollocks look so easy.”
I chuckled. “Well, for a start, I wouldn’t go around calling it ‘bollocks.’”
“Ye got me wrong, Ri. I love a bit o’ romance, but it makes a bumblin’ moron outta me. Me mouth gets in knots and I can’t speak proper,” he lamented, gazing at Lauren. “I try and do what our pal Xiphio does, but his tongue is made o’ pure silver and mine is a jumble o’ nonsense.”
“What do you mean?”
He shrugged. “Take this mornin’. I was bringin’ her breakfast in bed, as a bit o’ a treat like, but walked in on her in the niff. She screamed, I dropped me tray, and she hasn’t spoken to me since.”
I felt so sorry for him, but the image of him wandering in on Lauren getting dressed was too funny not to laugh. The poor guy was doing everything he could to try to impress Lauren, yet he kept failing miserably. I knew why, but I did
n’t think he was going to like what I had to say.
“You need to stop trying to be like Xiphio,” I explained. “You aren’t him—you’re you. Lauren likes you the way you are, so just be yourself around her. You won’t get anywhere if you act like some overly romantic idiot she doesn’t know.”
He frowned. “But she likes the charm o’ Xiphio.”
“Yes, but she also likes the banter you two used to have before you became this weird version of yourself. Honestly, act normally around her and you’ll be surprised how she reacts.”
“Ye think so?”
“I know so.” I didn’t want to get in the middle of a love triangle, but now that I understood Stone more, I felt sympathetic toward him and his plight with Lauren. He was trying to better himself, thinking that was what Lauren wanted. It was sad, in a way, to see him second-guessing himself. Hopefully, now, he would stick to his own path and see where it led him.
“Right, that settles it then,” he whispered, his face determined. “Today’s the day. I’m gonna tell that lass how I feel about her. I’m goin’ to be meself, and if she doesn’t like it, I’ll stand aside and let Xiphio keep on charmin’ her. I’m not a quitter, Ri, but I know when to give up.”
I smiled at him, feeling buoyed up by my own romance. “I think that sounds like a good plan, Stone. Just don’t make any overblown gestures.”
“Right y’are. I just have to be meself. Easy peasy.”
The food-printing machine beeped, revealing a huge cake covered in lurid green icing. Picking away a tiny bit of icing, I saw that the sponge inside was an unappetizing shade of black, though the crumb I’d managed to pluck out was absolutely delicious. It wasn’t exactly what I’d hoped for on my wedding day, but it would do. Everyone loved cake. I was just glad there was some other culture out there that loved it as much as humans did.
Chapter Thirty-Six
That afternoon, with our stomachs and our hearts full to bursting, most of us were lounging in the cockpit when Xiphio barged into the room. He looked excited, hopping from foot to foot, before rushing over to the pilot’s chair, peering down over Bashrik’s shoulder.
“Are we passing by the Gannet Quadrant?” he asked desperately. “I saw the Vitriol Tower from the window, and I am certain we have entered that part of the universe.”
Bashrik checked the navigation monitor. “Yeah, we’re passing the boundary between the Gannet and Zephyr Quadrants.”
I frowned, lifting my head off Navan’s chest. “Vitriol Tower?”
“It’s a space station for the lost and desolate travelers of the universe—those who have no other option but to leave it in the hands of a higher power,” Xiphio said. “They may go there in search of asylum, housing, money, forgiveness… anything, pretty much. The Voice of Judgment decides their fate, one way or the other. Anyway, that’s not important right now. If we’re near the Vitriol Tower, that means we’re close to one of the merevin Fed outposts.”
“There’s one near here?” Navan looked surprised.
Xiphio nodded excitedly. “There is, and now that I have Stone within my grasp, I’m certain they will come to our aid. I should like to contact them at my earliest convenience. Which happens to be right this moment.”
“That’s fine with me. Do you have their channel?” Ronad asked, from his seat beside Bashrik.
“Oh, no need for such things; I have a direct line. Indeed, I simply wished to inform you of my actions, as I shall be needing the cooperation of Mr. Stone.” Xiphio turned to look at the ambaka, who was tucked away in the corner of the cockpit with Lauren, the two of them playing a board game together. He looked up as he heard his name mentioned, though he didn’t look too pleased.
“What’s it yer wantin’ from me?” Stone asked bluntly.
“I would very much appreciate it if you would pretend to be my captive. They will not believe that I’ve caught you if you are simply standing there beside me; they’ll sense something is amiss. So, I must insist you look like a captive, cuffs and all.”
Stone shook his head. “Not a chance, pal. Ain’t nobody trussing me up for the slaughter.”
“There shall be no killing, Mr. Stone. I simply need to convince the Fed agents that you’re my captive. Nobody will die today.”
“Still, I ain’t doin’ it. I’m not playin’ pretend for a bunch o’ agents who’d happily lob me in a cell.”
“It’d only be for a short time, Stone,” I chimed in.
“Not sure it’s a good idea, boss,” Dio interjected, with Alfa nodding in agreement.
“Me crewmates have got me back. They can see the truth of it. I don’t blame you lot for wantin’ to trust in Xiphio here, but we know the Feds—we know what they do to folks like us.” Stone shrugged, sitting back in his chair. “Xiphio’s heart might be in the right place, but he don’t have no control over those agents down there.”
Xiphio looked affronted. “They will not lay a hand on you, Stone. I wish to speak with them and garner their trust, that is all. I shall turn you loose as soon as the communications have come to an end.”
“Nope, not doin’ it.”
I noticed Lauren getting antsy, wringing her hands in a worried manner. I wasn’t sure whose side she was on in this dispute. After all, she’d spent enough time with the scavengers to share their suspicion about the Feds, but then, she was still one of us, too.
“Stone, maybe you should do this, for our sake,” she said, a moment later. “We’re going to need more allies than we currently have. You know the value of numbers in a fight. Even with the nudus, we’re going to need backup. You always said to me, ‘Never go into battle without a big bunch o’ pals.’ These Feds might not be friends yet, but they could be useful to us.”
He looked at her, his expression changing. “Ye think I should gussy meself up like a common wastrel?”
“For one grand performance… yes. We know you’re not one,” she teased, reaching over the table to touch his hand. He flinched as though someone had electrocuted him, his eyes gazing down at her hand on his.
“Ye make a good point, Ren.” He looked up at her, keeping his eyes on her as he replied to Xiphio. “If ye promise to let me go soon as we’re done, I’ll do what ye ask.”
Xiphio grinned. “I absolutely swear it, Mr. Stone.”
“Right, well, call yer mates up then,” he said, with forced cheer. I could see he was uncomfortable with the situation, but he was doing this all for Lauren.
“I shall, just as soon as I have you tied up.”
Stone glowered at the merevin. “What, right now?”
“If you would oblige me, Mr. Stone.”
With a grunt, Stone got out of his chair and walked over to where Xiphio stood, allowing the merevin to clamp a pair of Fed cuffs across his wrists. He visibly shuddered as they locked into place, making me wonder if they were conjuring up a bad memory. Perhaps Stone had been captured, once upon a time, though he’d evidently wriggled out of it—otherwise, he wouldn’t be here.
“Thank you, Mr. Stone!” Xiphio cried. Stone’s mood darkened. With his wrists in cuffs, his usual, cheerful self had disappeared entirely. Apparently, there was something that could chip away at his perpetually calm demeanor, and that something was capture.
With Stone suitably restrained, Xiphio lifted out a conch shell. Honestly, I had no idea where he’d been keeping it. It seemed to be a comm device of some sort. Xiphio blew into it with hilarious enthusiasm, his cheeks turning purple with the strain. However, I couldn’t hear any sound coming out of the shell at all. Either Xiphio didn’t know how to work it, or it was working on a frequency I couldn’t hear. He kept blowing until a loud trumpeting sound shattered the silence. It was coming from the shell, but it didn’t appear to match up with Xiphio’s breaths.
A split second later, a holographic screen shot up from the end of the conch, sending Xiphio staggering back in surprise. In the crackling image, a merevin female with distinctive purple markings stood at the helm of a ship, peering th
rough the hologram with suspicious eyes. As soon as she picked out Xiphio’s face, she laughed, though the sound was a cruel one.
“Agent Xiphio, is that you?” she asked between chuckles. “What are you doing, calling through the conch? We Feds have normal comm devices, you know.”
“I am aware, Phocida. I wished to cut out the middle man, that is all.”
“That sound gave us all a fright,” the female merevin, Phocida, said. “Goodness, the others will be beside themselves when I tell them who’s calling. They will never believe it!”
“Are you at the outpost or aboard a vessel?” he asked. I had to give Xiphio props for carrying on regardless.
“We’re on a ship, watching the border. What business is it of yours?” Phocida replied tersely. “Shouldn’t you be at a desk somewhere, keeping out of trouble?”
Xiphio puffed out his chest. “Actually, no. I decided to venture on a little mission of my own, chasing down a notorious thief and trader of illicit goods.”
Phocida snorted. “I was wondering why your work log had been so sporadic of late. You are making us merevin agents look bad, Xiphio. Not that you hadn’t done that already,” she taunted. “Wouldn’t it be easier if you just admitted you had taken a vacation?”
“I was not taking a vacation! I was tracking down the infamous Stone, and, moreover, I managed to capture him!” He reached out and grabbed Stone, yanking him into Phocida’s line of sight. The ambaka made a pretty unconvincing captive, standing there casually, a bored expression on his face. Xiphio nudged him in the back, clearly wanting him to act more “captured,” but Stone wasn’t about to do more than he had to.
“You actually managed to capture him?”
Xiphio grinned. “I did.”
Her gaze flitted to something behind Xiphio’s shoulder. I could see her eyeline moving to the other side of the hologram, though Phocida had no way of seeing us, hidden away behind the conch’s line of sight. Suddenly, her entire demeanor changed.
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