Star Wanderers: Tales of the Far Outworlds (Omnibus V-VIII)

by Joe Vasicek

  “I’m doing okay,” she said as she took his hand. He helped her to her feet and let her lean on him as she gradually regained her balance. Her gun was on the floor—she reached down for it, but he stopped her.

  “That is no longer necessary,” he said. “Your colonist friends have taken over station. The pirates are no longer threat to us.”

  “What? How? What happened?”

  He grinned. “Ah, there is Mariya I know. Questions, questions, always questions.” He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, making her laugh.

  “No, really—what happened? The last thing I remember, you and Salazar were fighting, and he pulled out a—”

  “You!” boomed a threatening voice, making her flinch. It was Salazar, his face battered and bruised, with a dark spot around his eye and a scar across his nose. She shrunk away from him, but Lucca shielded her, making her feel safe. That was when she noticed the restraints on Salazar’s wrists and the colonists in navy-blue jumpsuits with assault rifles in their hands.

  “You bastards,” said the pirate corporal, his eyes seething with rage. “You think you’ve won, do you? Well, I’ve got—”

  “Not just think,” said Lucca, patting him condescendingly on the head. Salazar scowled and moved as if to strike him, but one of the colonist escort energized the restraints, making him wince from the electric shock.

  They led Salazar off without another word. It was just as well—Mariya didn’t want to spend any more time around that man than she had to. She put her arm in Lucca’s and followed him out to the main hallway.

  “So the colonists took over? When—how?”

  “Your hacker friend, I think. That would explain sudden gravity change.”

  “What do you mean?”

  A crowd of unarmed pirates walked by, their hands on their heads as a squad of colonists led them. One of the boys recognized Mariya, his eyes lighting up, but she made no move to speak with him and he marched on with the rest of the escort.

  “When we led Salazar and other pirates onto station, your hacker friend accelerated rate of spin in order to increase apparent gravity. That was what made us pass out, and other pirates as well.”

  “Really?” Mariya looked around—the air smelled of smoke, but the hallway seemed relatively undamaged. Another squad of colonists smiled and nodded to them as they walked past.

  “So Noemi spun the wheel fast enough to make us pass out, then slowed it down and sent the colonists to take the pirates prisoner?”

  “It appears so, yes.”

  “Where is Noemi?”

  He shrugged. “How should I know? This friend of yours, I have not met her. But I think we will find your friends at station hub—that is where colonist ship has docked.”

  “Right.”

  They walked into the concourse by the elevator, stepping over the foul residue from the pink-smelling foam and the pools of dried blood. Scorch marks from the grenade blast were still visible on the walls, as well as the bullet holes from the firefight. But the worst part—the part that made Mariya sick to her stomach—were the bodies with the off-white sheets draped over them.

  “How—how many people do you think we killed?” she asked in a hushed voice. Lucca took her hand and squeezed it for reassurance.

  “Difficult to say,” he said. “We will find out before long, I am sure.”

  “I hope none of them died because of me,” she said, her mouth going dry. “I mean, of course they did, but I hope I didn’t … you know?”

  “We did what we had to,” said Lucca. “Perhaps we killed some, but how many more lives did we save? If not for distraction, perhaps pirates would have won and killed all your friends. We fought to save them, no?”

  “Yes,” she said softly. “I guess you’re right.” It didn’t erase the blood or the bullets or the bodies lying there, but at least it gave her some small degree of peace to know that they’d saved more lives than they’d taken.

  Lucca let go of her hand to palm the access panel for the elevator. “Come, let us go to your ship. I am very interested to meet these friends of yours.”

  “Of course,” she said. I’m eager for you to meet them too. Especially her parents.

  Strange how so much could change in so little time.

  * * * * *

  Lucca held Mariya’s hand all the way up the elevator to the hub of the station itself. It felt so wonderful to have her next to him, especially after what they’d just accomplished. He smiled as he thought back to what he’d told her in the emergency shelter: it is better to have girl and win than to win and be alone. How true that was!

  The elevator came to a stop, and they let go of each other to undo the shoulder restraints for the low-gravity areas. Before the door opened to the main concourse on the hub, however, she slipped her hand into his and squeezed. Even though they’d only met less than two weeks ago, it felt like they’d known each other for years, with a whole lifetime to look forward to. Perhaps there was some truth to that sentiment.

  The hub was bustling with activity. The colonists were just starting to offload, evidently taking the pirate station as their own. A handful of officers tried to direct the crowds, but if there was any order to the chaos, Lucca couldn’t see it. A baby wailed in the distance, while teary-eyed mothers met their sons who were just coming back from the station. For all the coming and going, though, there were no pirates to be seen—the colonists had all but erased every last sign of them.

  “This way,” said Mariya, pulling him eagerly into the crowd. “Noemi’s on the Hope of Oriana—I’m sure she is!”

  He did his best to keep up, bumping shoulders as they pressed against the traffic. The airlock was tight, and it took them a minute to get through, but once on the other side there was at least a little more space.

  The main corridor of the Hope of Oriana was fairly narrow, but several large control rooms branched off on either side. These were mostly empty, with the majority of the colonists already on their way out. As they stopped to let a family pass, Lucca admired the design. It was a bit older, with large display screens and bulky control panels, but the terminals reminded him of the ships back home. The wave of nostalgia was like an aged wine, sharp and strong.

  Up ahead, an older man in a crisp white dress uniform and a less meticulous snowy beard directed a group of officers in navy blue. From the sense of presence about the man and the way the officers deferred to him, Lucca guessed that he was the captain. As they finished and the subordinates nodded and went their ways, he turned until his eyes fell on Mariya. The moment he saw her, his whole being seemed to light up with shock.

  “Mariya!” he exclaimed, hurrying over to her. “Mariya, you’re alive! How are you? I hope those bastards didn’t—”

  “I’m doing fine, Captain Elijah,” she assured him. “There’s someone here I want you to meet. Captain, this is Lucca Tajjashvili—Lucca, this is Elijah.”

  “Good to meet you, sir,” said Lucca as he gave the captain’s hand a firm shake.

  “And you as well, Lucca. What can you tell me about yourself?”

  “Well, sir, I am star wanderer from Tajjur system. I heard about your colony mission some two or three standard months ago and decided to see it for myself. That was how—”

  “Lucca rescued me,” Mariya blurted, unable to contain herself. “We escaped the pirates and crash-landed on the surface—Captain, you won’t believe what it’s like down there! I hope we have plenty of guns, and at least some electric fencing, otherwise …”

  Captain Elijah gave a deep belly laugh, cutting her short. “I see you’re doing just fine, Mariya—perhaps even better than before. But come! Your parents have been worried sick about you ever since you left.”

  “Really? Where are they?”

  “Last I saw, in the mess hall. Are either of you hungry or thirsty? I don’t know how you came from the surface onto this ship, but let me assure you, our facilities are all yours.”

  “I could use some food,” said Lucca. “Perha
ps even small meal. It has been long time since last we ate.”

  “I’m famished,” Mariya agreed.

  “Very well. As you can see, I’m currently a bit preoccupied, but I’ll join you all shortly. You remember the way to the mess hall?”

  She laughed. “Of course! It’s not like it’s hard to get lost.”

  “Quite right, quite right.”

  As quickly as they’d met, Mariya led them off again, swallowed up in the flurry of activity all around them. Lucca could tell she was anxious to see her parents as soon as possible.

  The corridor opened into a large room with steel benches and tables, like a cafeteria. The crowd was considerably thinner in here, and the air smelled of synthmeal mixed with Orianan spices. Mariya stopped only long enough to survey the scene, then made a beeline for a table in the corner where a middle-aged couple sat with their backs to the rest of the room. She was so eager to meet them that she let go of Lucca’s hand mid-way in order to get there faster.

  “Mom! Dad!”

  At the sound of her voice, her parents turned and rose immediately to their feet. The next few moments were a blur of hugs and tears, which Lucca observed from the periphery. Mariya’s mother was short and plump, and sobbed almost uncontrollably, but her father was much taller and more reserved. Though he addressed her in that foreign language which all three of them spoke, his eyes kept wandering to Lucca, a strange mixture of gratitude and suspicion on his face.

  At length, Mariya turned and gave Lucca an exhausted but happy smile. “Lucca, these are my parents,” she said. “Mom, Dad, this is Lucca Tajjashvili—the star wanderer who rescued me.”

  “I hope you’ve been treating my daughter well,” said her father, stepping almost into Lucca’s face. He gave him a handshake that nearly crushed his fingers.

  “Of course, sir.”

  “And by well, I mean that you didn’t do anything to take advantage of her.”

  “Dad!”

  Lucca chuckled. “I assure you, sir, nothing else was further from my mind.”

  Her father’s eyes narrowed, but Lucca met his gaze without flinching. Evidently satisfied, he let go of his hand and folded his arms.

  “So Mariya tells me you’re a star wanderer,” he said. “That you come from the Tajjur system, out near the Good Hope Nebula.”

  “That is right, sir.”

  “How long have you been out starfaring?”

  “A few years,” said Lucca. “I built my starship from old shuttle. She is best ship I have ever had privilege to fly.”

  The man grunted in admiration. “So you’re a mechanic then? An engineer?”

  “When it is needed, yes. But in Outworlds, it is important to be many things at once, no? I do my best.”

  “You must have quite a gift of gab to talk your way onto this station. Is that how you rescued my daughter? Smooth talked them until they let you on board?”

  “Well, sir, with pirates of this kind, nothing is ever smooth. But yes, you are right about that.”

  A smile crept around the edges of the man’s face, the first sign of anything close to approval. Mariya’s father was tough, but Lucca wasn’t worried—he knew how to negotiate his way through just about anything. Besides, he kind of liked the man, and that gave him a suspicion that the feeling was mutual.

  “One last thing,” Mariya’s father said. “I understand that you hijacked a transport and used it to bring my daughter back up to this station before we’d captured it. She tells me it was all a part of your plan to help us take it over, but I find it alarming that you’d knowingly put her in danger like that.”

  “Dad! I told you, I—”

  “Sir,” said Lucca, a grin slowly spreading across his face. “With all respect, I think that pirates were in much worse danger. You should see her with assault rifle—I swear, I have never seen more frightening sight!”

  His answer elicited a snort of laughter, deflating the tension like a hull breach. Evidently, the question had been more of a test than anything. Mariya’s father offered Lucca his hand.

  “Well, I’m glad she fell into your hands. Thank you for taking good care of her.”

  “Of course, sir. I would not do anything less.”

  “Also, don’t call me ‘sir’ all the time. The name’s Jakob—Jakob Varvavli.”

  “Certainly, Jakob. It is pleasure to meet you.”

  “Oh no,” said Jakob. “The pleasure is ours, I’m sure. All of ours.”

  Lucca didn’t know exactly what he meant by that, but from the glint in Mariya’s eyes, he gathered it meant well for them, whatever their future entailed.

  * * * * *

  Mariya was overjoyed to see her father and Lucca hitting it off so well. As they fell into a more casual conversation, she left with her mother to bring over some food.

  “So, do you like him?” her mother asked, a sly grin on her face.

  “I think so,” said Mariya, glancing nervously over her shoulder. Even though no one else on the ship knew Deltan, she spoke with her mother in hushed tones.

  “He seems like quite a catch. Reminds me of your father, actually.”

  “He does?”

  “Sure. He was a star wanderer too, once, you know. And I don’t doubt he could have stood up to those pirates like your boyfriend.”

  “Mom, he is not ‘my boyfriend.’” At least, not yet.

  “Oh, don’t think I can’t see what’s going on between you two,” said her mother with a wink. “That boy hasn’t stopped making eyes at you since you walked in here. I’d say you have him hooked.”

  “You do? You really think so?”

  Her mother chuckled. “Of course, dear—I’m not blind. Now, how far have you two gone?”

  Mariya frowned. “How far have we—what do you mean?”

  “Oh, don’t pretend to be so innocent. You don’t get stranded alone with a hunk like that and stay a saint, even if you were one to begin with.”

  “Mom!”

  “Just tell me. And don’t worry, I won’t tell your father.”

  “We didn’t do anything—honest,” said Mariya. “Most of the time, he was recovering from some pretty nasty wounds. But—”

  “Yes?”

  Blood rushed to her cheeks. “Well, we did kiss once.”

  “Only once?”

  “Okay, a few times. But that’s all—honest.”

  Her mother picked up a tray from the end of the buffet line and started loading it with platters of lukewarm food. Mariya helped her, grateful for something to do with her hands.

  “Well, if that’s the case, I think we should marry you two off as soon as possible. How about tomorrow?”

  “What?” said Mariya, her legs going weak. She had to admit, she’d daydreamed about something like this in the few non-eventful moments of the past few days, but to have it so close to becoming a reality—that was something else entirely.

  “Well,” said her mother, “it’s clear we aren’t going to keep you two apart from each other. And he seems like an outstanding young man. To rescue you the way he did, and take care of you until you made it safely back—”

  “To be honest, I think I took care of him more than he took care of me.”

  “Even better! I don’t see why we shouldn’t marry you off right now.”

  Mariya’s cheeks burned, and her head spun. “I—I don’t know,” she said, her throat constricting. “I want to, but—”

  “But what, dear?”

  “Don’t you think we should try to plan this out a little more? I mean, we only just met each other ten days ago. This whole thing is so unexpected, I don’t know what to make of it.”

  “Are you scared? Is that it?”

  “No—well, maybe. I don’t know—it’s all just happening so fast.”

  “Mariya, dear,” said her mother. She put a hand on her shoulder and looked her in the eyes. “I know how scary these things can be. But I’ve also been around long enough to know the chance of a lifetime when I see it. If you tw
o marry each other now, I don’t think either of you are going to regret it.”

  “I hope not. But—but what about our plans from before? I don’t think Noemi and Jeremiah will—”

  “Trust me—a man is never heartbroken to lose his second wife. And even if it does turn into a mess, you can always clean up later. But with star wanderers, you always have to act quickly. Now’s your chance—seize it.”

  Mariya’s heart pounded as if it would leap out of her chest at any moment. She felt as if she stood at the top of a pinnacle, where her whole life, past and future, lay before her view. Her footing was unsteady, and the way ahead was unclear, but with the right person beside her she knew she would never have anything to be afraid of. And that person, she realized with a gut-wrenching start, was talking with her father at the table on the far side of the mess hall.

  “Do you think it will work out?”

  Her mother grinned. “Only one way to find out, isn’t there?”

  She’s right, Mariya realized, chills shooting from the back of her neck to the ends of her fingers and toes. Even though she couldn’t remember ever feeling so scared, nothing in her life had ever felt so right.

  * * * * *

  Lucca followed Mariya down to the observation deck of the Hope of Oriana. Large fishbowl windows offered a magnificent view of the newly-christened Zarmina Station superimposed over the pearly-white cloudscape of the planet below. It had been a long day—or dayshift, as the colonists called it. They’d just finished a long and extensive debriefing with the captain, which had gone extremely well. It wasn’t the first time he’d been called a hero, but never had it been anything like this. Now, though, he just wanted some time out of the spotlight to relax and process it all. Fortunately, with most of the colonists offloaded onto the station, he and Mariya were alone.

  “It’s a beautiful world, don’t you think?” she asked, squeezing his hand. “I mean, aside from the fact that it almost killed us.”

  He chuckled. “Yes, certainly.” But not as beautiful as you.