by Enid Titan
I scowl, instantly suspicious about Kazim’s message.
“We shouldn’t listen to him. If they’ve found us, they can make us walk the plank.”
“Why would they go several days out of their way to make us walk the plank?”
“To teach a lesson about disobedience. If Kazim has our coordinates, we need to move.”
“Gavriel, you’re being emotional,” Jaen complains, “We should do what he says.”
“You weren’t the one who watched your best friend sign off on torturing you.”
“I wasn’t. But Nova helped us.”
“She doesn’t share a brain with Kazim. He might not seem like the most traditional person around, but he’s loyal and according to them, I’m a traitor.”
“We both know you aren’t a traitor.”
“No one on else on the ship knows the truth.”
“Maybe they do now, which is why Kazim’s coming for us.”
“I don’t want to argue with you, Nabokov.”
“Then stop arguing! We need to get ready. We have a lot to do here.”
“Jaen…”
“Gavriel. This is our chance to clear your name and get the money Garth owes both of us.”
“Either that or it’s a chance to volunteer for our capture and murder.”
“Or that. But I think it’s worth the risk.”
“You’re insane.”
Jaen plays the message again. Damned human girl. She may be right. Kazim’s earnest. And he’s loyal. He might loathe me, but he wouldn’t inconvenience himself to help Garth kill me.
“If this ends badly, we die together.”
“It won’t end badly,” Jaen reassures me.
I don’t know why, but I trust her.
Chapter 51
Fated Return
When Kazim teleports us on board his ship, the first thing I notice is his eye-patch. It’s covering a scar that extends over his forehead. We had to leave much behind and I remind Jaen not to forget Bonbon. She holds him in her pocket as we teleport and he runs over her shoulders once we’re safely aboard.
“What happened to your eye?”
“We’re six hours away from the ship. We need you back, Gavriel.”
“What the hell happened?”
“It’s Moray. He’s in a coma. There may be another entity on the ship. But it’s clear you are not the saboteur. Since you left the action’s ramped up. Six crewmen missing. Two vaporized. Random breakdowns all over the ship. Whoever’s there wants to slow us down, and I can’t figure out why. No one can.”
“Is Garth going to be okay?” Jaen whispers, her eyes magnified behind the spectacles. Kazim tousles his hair around the eye patch and shrugs.
“You two hungry?”
“No. We were hardly settled.”
“You’re angry,” Kazim says bluntly.
“Angry? Why would I be angry? You didn’t trust me. You nearly had me killed. You sat back while Garth tortured me. And I had to give up my earnings and Jaen’s while we ran to a distant planet, and now you’ve come around. Sorry if it’s not so easy for me. I still have welts all over my bloody chest.”
“You didn’t see what I saw, Gavriel.”
“I would have trusted you. Bastard.”
I storm off to a cot, leaving Jaen with him. It might be cruel, but she’s all eager to get along with my old bunkmate. I don’t get over things so easily. I hear her sitting as I close my eyes. I want to fall asleep, but I can’t help overhear them. Humans. They must have such poor hearing. I can tell they think they’re whispering, but I can hear every word they’re saying as clearly as if they were speaking directly to me.
“He won’t forgive me,” Kazim whispers.
“Give him time. We’ve had a rough run.”
“So you’ve finally had him by the cock, eh?”
“Kazim? One more word out of you and I’ll stab you.”
“Aye, aye, Captain.”
“Shut up,” Jaen whispers.
She elbows him, and he groans.
“Careful. I got a bug bite on my torso. The saboteur released megarachnia onto the ship. They bred in the breathing tubes and we spent the last two days hunting them down. Bloody spiders. It’s bad enough they exist but five foot long space spiders seems like a cruel joke.”
“Sounds awful.”
“I should have trusted Gavriel.”
If I didn’t know better, I’d say Kazim trusted Jaen like a friend. A proper friend. Not just a female he was buttering up so he could get her on her back.
“I saw the evidence too. I just… I’m good at sensing people.”
“You a telepath?”
“No. That would come in handy out here though, wouldn’t it. We’d find our saboteur easily.”
“Women on ships used to be considered bad luck. Now we say the same for telepaths.”
“Seems like a rumor started by dishonest men,” Jaen mutters.
“Oh, aye. Whenever I meet a telepath, it usually ends with a big hard slap across the face.”
“You deserve it, knowing you. How’s Nova?”
“Pissed at me. She hasn’t spoken to me since Gavriel left. If I didn’t know better, I’d say she was in love with him.”
“Don’t be stupid. Nova loves you. And you love her.”
“I could make love to you, though.”
“Kazim…”
“Sorry. But I have to try. Especially since Gavriel hasn’t had the decency to take action yet.”
“Don’t get involved.”
“Why not? I’m going to shake him and tell him you’re more into him than a vampire’s into blood.”
“Don’t tell him that!”
I finally doze off. When I wake up, Jaen’s lying next to me. Kazim’s at helm. She’s facing me, staring at me as I sleep.
“You’re creepy,” I mutter.
“No. You’re… beautiful. Weirdly beautiful. All purple.”
“Hm. You’re brown…”
“Get out of bed. We’re nearly there.”
“Perfect. I’ll put on a big happy smile and act like I’m happy to see everyone who cast me out into space.”
“I’m happy to see them.”
“You’re naïve.”
She kicks me in the shin, and I groan. I deserve the kick. I’m far too much of a grouch. And even if everyone on the ship thinks I’m a traitor, at least I can count on fresh food showing up on my table every day without me having to hunt. It would have been an interesting life, stuck on an abandoned colony with Jaen. But it wasn’t a life meant for either of us.
I sit on the other chair next to Kazim. He nervously checks the star charts, even if we’re clearly in unoccupied space.
“Thanks for coming.”
“I owed it to you.”
“I haven’t forgiven you yet.”
“I’ll be honored if you ever do.”
“Why are you bringing me back?”
“Poke’s orders. Something’s rotten on the ship. Someone.”
“You thought that person was me. Why the hell should I want to help any of you?”
“Because Poke nearly killed all of us after they attacked Garth. She’s made four people walk the plank on a whim and she had Jisoo rewrite the contracts for your return. Your earnings will increase by a factor of 5% with a tax taken from everyone else’s.”
“I suppose that’s worth returning.”
“You were the best quartermaster the ship had.”
I scoff.
“Flattery will get you nowhere. I’m not one of your women.”
“Aye. But you’re still a person. Flattery will get me at least part of the way.”
“Bastard.”
“I brought plum wine.”
“Kiss ass.”
“Fine. If you don’t want me to kiss your ass, I’ll give you a hard time. Let’s talk about Jaen.”
She’s in the back sleeping and can’t hear a word of what we’re saying with her human hearing.
“T
here’s nothing to talk about.”
“You’ve kissed her. I know that.”
“Yes.”
“But no sex.”
“She doesn’t want sex.”
Kazim scoffs.
“I hate to break it to you, but every woman wants sex.”
“Kazim. Pay attention. The ship’s on our radar.”
“Damn you… I’ll pester you over beer in the mess hall later. I’d better send a message to Poke.”
Chapter 52
The New Arrangement
“It took a lot of work to rearrange the ship, but until tensions die down, you both have individual quarters. I’m sorry, but I’m using sensors to track when you come and go through the doors. Those are my conditions.”
“Yes, Captain.”
“At ease, Gavriel. We all owe you an apology for jumping to conclusions here. I’ve restored your position as quartermaster effective until our next shift. I’m meeting with members of the crew and interviewing and interrogations. We’ve locked down sick bay. Xanth is the only one who can come and go. We can’t risk anything.”
“Who guards sick bay?”
“Horus works double shifts and we have another Arietan.”
“I recommend adding the Devoran if you can.”
“She’s not telepathic anymore, if that’s what you’re thinking. The confederacy lobotomized her telepathic lobes.”
“I know. But I’d wager her instincts have kicked in to replace the missing sense. Plus Devorans have stamina.”
“Aye. Change the shifts once you’re on duty tomorrow.”
“Thank you, Annabel.”
Her face contorts into a rare softness.
“I’m truly sorry, Gavriel. I hope you believe me.”
“Of course, Poke. I wish I could have had the same confidence extended in my direction when I needed it.”
“Jisoo’s heartbroken over Garth. She reckons whoever did this was jealous of them.”
“What do you think?”
“I think Garth was too naïve to sort this out. He might be an excellent Captain but he’s a soft investigator. Once you’re off duty, you’re confined to quarters. No more mess hall. Licker delivers all the meals. It’s our best hope of making it to the damned salvage site alive.”
“Think you can get us there?”
Poke stands, balling her hands into fists.
“If any bastard tries to get in my way, I’ll kill them myself.”
Her ruby lips curl into a wicked smile.
“Aye. I’ll be there to help you.”
“People say pirates aren’t honorable, but they’re wrong,” Annabel whispers, “We’re as loyal as it gets out here. So loyal that we’re collapsing in on ourselves now that someone’s betrayed us.”
“Why don’t you think I had an accomplice? Why did you bring me back?”
“It was too convenient, Gavriel. I may not trust you the way Nova does. But nothing in life is ever that simple. We all had to learn that to end up here. You were getting close. That’s what I think.”
“Aye.”
Jaen clears her throat. Poke had been ignoring her distance until now.
“Excuse me, Captain. I mean no disrespect, but will I have a duty shift?”
“Xanth wants you back in sick bay.”
I cast Jaen a sidelong glare. But she ignores it, if she notices it at all.
“I’d be happy to assist the doctor.”
Poke glowers.
“No. Didn’t you hear me, human? Xanth works alone. Gavriel can assign you at his discretion, but I recommend engineering. Got it?”
“Aye,” Jaen mutters, “Thank you, Captain.”
Poke raises an eyebrow.
“Yes… I understand Gavriel getting away, but I don’t understand what you stood to gain from helping him defect. I have my eye on you, human. Cross me and I’ll rip your large intestine out.”
“Aye, Captain.”
“Poke. Lay off her.”
Poke snorts.
“Men,” she mutters, “Nova’s right about the lot of you. Now get out, both of you.”
Poke’s rougher around the edges than Garth, but maybe she’s right about his abilities as an investigator. As we’re walking behind guards to our quarters, Jaen whispers to me, “How are we going to see each other?”
“What do you mean?” I murmur.
“We’re confined to quarters off duty.”
“Ah.”
We walk a few more feet and I whisper back to her, “We’ll have to sneak out.”
“Are you crazy!?”
“What were you suggesting?”
“Duty shifts together. You know. It’s your job to assign them now.”
“Wouldn’t sneaking out be much more fun?” I whisper.
“Stop it, Gav. I’m serious.”
Before we can finish our conversation, we stop at Jaen’s quarters. Lower Deck 7, Room A7. Right next to the sewage processing tank. Poke sure has a sense of humor. Once a week before waste processing begins, the tank smells like what Kazim calls “hot, wet ass and not in the good way”. Poke’s definitely exacting revenge. I leave Jaen at the door without an emotional goodbye. There are guards watching, and I know Poke well enough to know they’ll report anything to her.
She wouldn’t have a right to be angry with me considering the compromising position I found her in with Horus. But Poke doesn’t need to be right to be angry. She’s a hot head.
My room is on a higher deck, back amongst the senior crew but isolated at the end of the hall. It’s no bigger than a broom closet, which might work if I were Jaen’s size, but means a tight squeeze for my large Odilian body.
Kazim’s voice comes into my intercom.
“Roomie. I miss you.”
“What do you want, Kazim?”
“We’re going to have to take a rain check on that beer. Poke’s beefed up security on the ship.”
“Aye.”
“I shouldn’t use this channel to talk about this, but I’ve encrypted the message. Are you sure you trust her?”
“Poke?”
“Yes.”
“It’s Annabel.”
“Aye. It’s everything going on. It’s made me paranoid.”
“What happened to your eye?”
He never answered me properly before.
“I did it to myself. Someone drugged me the night Garth went into the coma. Annabel found me trying to gouge my own eye out. Luckily, I was only moderately successful. Xanth healed most of it. But I’ll have the patch for another week.”
“Gruesome.”
“Don’t you think Poke had the most to gain from Garth going under?”
“Perhaps,” I mutter, “But it’s Poke. She brought me back here. If she can trust me, I owe her my trust.”
“Aye. I figured as much. But that’s the problem, isn’t it? We all trust each other too much.”
Chapter 53
15 Minutes In A Supply Closet
I split my assignments between guarding sick bay and a shift as Poke’s first officer while Kazim doubles up as first officer and helmsman. Even if it means I can’t see her, I assign Jaen to mess hall with Licker. No one eats in the mess hall anymore so even if we’re confined to quarters between shifts, at least I know she’ll be safe. No one complains about my blatant favoritism because Jaen’s the only person who enjoys working with Licker. She can’t bring Bonbon anywhere near the food, though. Licker handles rats in kitchens with unmitigated aggression.
But after a few days, I can’t stand not seeing Jaen. I need to see her, even if Poke will skin me alive if she finds out. I make an excuse to go to the mess hall while reviewing duty assignments. I suffer through Licker’s complaints about rotten onions, an outbreak of carnivorous mold on the meat supply, a wooden spoon broken on the counter, and a plea to reassign John Paul Ramsey to another part of the ship. He’s the half-human, half-Taurean who helps when Jaen isn’t on duty, and he shares a mutual hatred with Licker.
I patientl
y listen before I ask Licker to speak with their associate. I pull Jaen around the corner. Licker has dull hearing, thankfully.
“I need to see you tonight.”
“We’re confined to quarters. Haven’t we been in enough trouble?”
“We have a way of weaseling out of trouble when we work together,” I mutter.
Jaen rolls her eyes and folds her arms. I can tell she wants to be responsible. I want to be anything but responsible. I want to hold her and kiss her and make love to her.
“Don’t you want to see me?”
“Stop it, Gavriel.”
“I asked a question.”
“Yes, stupid. I want to see you. I want us… Is it dumb that I wish we were back on the planet together? We didn’t have to worry about someone blowing us up.”
“Or worse, making us walk the plank.”
“I’m not sure which is worse.”
I take her hand.
“Jaen. I’ll come to you tonight. That way it will be easy for us not to get in trouble.”
“Poke’s sending me to see Garth tonight at the start of night shift,” Jaen explains, “She’s making an exception for me because we used to be… you know.”
“Do you want to see Garth?”
I don’t know why I’m jealous. He’s only her ex. And he’s in a coma. So it seems pathetic to be jealous of a man in a coma. But I want Jaen all to myself. I don’t want her to share her heart with anyone else.
“Yes. But only so I can whisper in his ear what a bloody idiot he is for putting you in prison.”
“So you will not confess your love?”
She scowls.
“Don’t be stupid, Gavriel. I don’t love Garth. I love —
She stops herself and turns red.
“Can you leave?” She snaps, “I need to get back to work.”
I smirk.
“I’m suddenly curious about who it is you love.”
“Get out of here.”
“Fine. There’s a supply closet near sick bay. When I ought to be confined to quarters, I’ll meet you there. We can talk for fifteen minutes. That’s all. Nothing bad can happen in fifteen minutes.”