Spacer's Creed

by Michelle Levigne

  Bain woke up enough to realize that if there was a problem, or something he was supposed to do, Ganfer would have contacted him through his own collar link. The boy kept his mouth shut instead of blurting the question he had been about to ask.

  “I still say you're tormenting the boy and yourself,” Ganfer said. “This silence isn't necessary.”

  “All right.” Lin sighed. She rubbed at her eyes with one fist. “So I'm a coward. But I don't want to ruin it.”

  “How could you ruin any of it? The boy adores you. Even if he couldn't stand you, he wouldn't notice for the joy of staying on the ship and living out his dream.”

  “But what if he doesn't want—”

  “What boy wouldn't want it? What about what you want, Lin?” Ganfer scolded gently, with a touch of laughter in his soft voice.

  “I want what's best for Bain.”

  “What's wrong? There's something you're not allowed to tell me, isn't there?” Bain demanded, and stepped into the room.

  “Don't scare me like that!” Lin's shoulders started shaking. She hid her face in her hands. For a moment, Bain thought he had hurt her. Then she lifted her head and she was laughing—but she had tears in her eyes.

  “Yes, Bain,” Ganfer said. “There is something very important Lin wants to tell you, but she isn't allowed. It could affect the decisions the authorities on Refuge make, regarding your future.”

  “It's my future, isn't it?” the boy asked. He knelt on the other side of the bed and watched Lin wipe her eyes. “Is it really bad?”

  “No, Bain. It's very important.” Lin managed a crooked smile. “I think it's something that—I think it's good news. I hope it's something you'll like. But you're not allowed to know, and I'm not allowed to tell you until we go back to Refuge.”

  “If you tell me now, Chief Malloy won't let me take any more trips with you, will he?”

  “Do you want to take more trips with me, Bain?” she nearly whispered.

  “Yes!”

  “You see?” Ganfer drawled.

  “I won't tell anybody, if you tell me,” the boy pleaded. “I keep secrets really good.”

  “Yes, I know you can be trusted, Bain.” Lin nodded and looked hard at him. She didn't blink for nearly a minute. She looked at him, but at the same time her eyes didn't seem to really see him. “I promise you, Bain, when this trip is over, I'll tell you what the secret is. But you have to promise me something in return.”

  “Anything.”

  “A promise like that can get you into trouble.” She smiled, and it didn't look as sad as the last one. “Promise me you'll think very seriously about what I tell you. Promise me you'll consider your future and what you really want to do with your life. Promise me you'll make a wise decision, and not just choose what you think would please me or Ganfer.”

  “Okay. I promise.”

  “Good.” Lin wiped at her eyes again, though there were no more tears to dry away. “Now, you'd better get back to bed. We only have two more hours until dawn, and I want to reach two farms today for evacuation.”

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  * * *

  Chapter Nine

  The Cooversy family had already been told to evacuate—twice. The first time, Captain Gilmore had come out and told them they had to be ready to evacuate within a moon. The second time, a pirate team pretending to be Commonwealth Fleet officers came to the farm. The pirates didn't know the Rangers had already been there. Master Cooversy was suspicious the moment the pirates’ shuttlecraft landed, and downright angry when he saw their uniforms. He had served in the Fleet and knew these uniforms were fakes. He pulled out his long-range pellet gun and started shooting at the pirates before they got halfway from their shuttle to the farm's main house.

  Lin and Bain made the same announcement at the Cooversy farm that they made at the Barton mining camp. Bain wore his green clothes when he went down the cargo ramp, so he could blend in with the farm plants if he was shot at and had to hide. He stood there for nearly twenty minutes before Master Cooversy stepped out of the house and walked toward him.

  It took another fifteen minutes of talking and explaining before the rest of the family came out of hiding. They were hidden in underground supply bins, behind thick stone walls and even among the farm animals. Lin had to take Master Cooversy on a tour of the ship and let him talk to Ganfer, before the family decided Sunsinger was a genuine Spacer ship.

  Sunsinger arrived at the farm just two hours after dawn and it was far into the afternoon before the family loaded everything they could pack into bags and crates and walked into the cargo hold dormitory. There were Master Cooversy and his wife, Ida; her parents, Master and Mistress Doorti; their son, Gimmy and his wife, Anna, and their three little boys; and their daughter, Genna, her husband, Paulo and two little girls. Every single person in the family was tall and skinny, even the baby, with curly red hair and gray eyes and long noses. Bain had a hard time not staring at them.

  The minute Ganfer fired the engines to prepare to launch, all five grandchildren started screaming and crying, and the ones who could walk tried to run away. They couldn't get down the cargo ramp because Lin had already closed it. The oldest boy was nearly Bain's size, and he tried to run up the access tube to the bridge. Bain saw that, and ran and leaped at the boy. They fell into a heap and rolled back down the tube into the cargo hold.

  “Lemme go!” the boy screamed, and kicked at Bain.

  “Can't go up there!” Bain shouted, just as loud. He clamped his hand over his bloody nose and rolled out of the way. He wanted to kick back, but Bain knew Lin would be disappointed with him. He still remembered the lecture she had given him when he teased Toly Gaber and got into a fight with him in free fall.

  “Why?” one of the little girls shrieked. “I want to go home! Mamma, go home now!”

  The other grandchildren were crying and shouting and kicking and screaming the same thing. Bain thought they were the stupidest children he had ever seen. What was so frightening about Ganfer's engines?

  “That's the way up to the bridge,” he said, and struggled to his feet.

  “What's the bridge?” the other boy asked. He stopped looking scared, just for a few seconds.

  “That's where the captain works.”

  “I want to see!” He tried to get past Bain again.

  “If you get in the way, the ship could crash,” Bain said, and spread his arms out to block the tunnel so he couldn't get by him.

  “Daddy?” The boy turned around and ran to his father, who was busy with one of his little brothers. “If I get in the way, does the captain crash?”

  “She could,” Gimmy said. He raised his head and looked at Bain, who stayed in the opening of the access tube. For a long moment, man and boy looked at each other. Bain wiped more blood off his upper lip. The man winked at him and turned back to talk to his son.

  “Isn't that kind of a whopper, son?” Master Cooversy said. He was the only adult in the cargo hold who wasn't busy with a crying, screaming child. His long, lanky face started to thaw into a smile.

  “Sir?” Bain tilted his head back—Master Cooversy was the tallest man he had ever seen.

  “A whopper is kind of a lie.”

  “Oh, no sir! Well, maybe a little bit.” Bain swallowed hard. “If he got in the way, maybe something would break, and maybe Lin would miss seeing something important, and if something went wrong ... “He swallowed hard again and shrugged. “Nobody but the captain and crew is allowed on the bridge, sir. Just to make sure something doesn't go wrong.”

  “Shouldn't you be up there, then?”

  “Yes, sir.” Bain didn't wait for a response. He turned and ran up the access tube.

  Lin didn't say anything, but the moment Sunsinger was up in the air she got out of her seat, found some ice and wrapped it in a cloth for Bain to hold against his nose. She didn't smile, but she didn't look worried, either.

  When Sunsinger landed at the Danimoore farm, Master Cooversy went down th
e ramp with Bain. Nobody carried any guns or knives or any other weapon when they came running from the house and their hiding places. Bain wondered if they should take some passengers on every trip, to convince the settlers on Dogray that they were there to help and not hurt them.

  “We thought nobody could hear us,” Mistress Danimoore cried. She skidded to a halt at the bottom of the ramp and threw her arms around Master Cooversy. “Uncle, you are an answer to prayers.”

  “What's wrong, Lindsy?”

  “Pirates, that's what. And our power plant was burned out just before they landed and the lieutenant's half out of his head with infection.”

  “Lieutenant?” Bain broke in. He tapped his collar link. “Lin, Ganfer? Did you—”

  “I heard,” Lin said as she ran down the ramp. “I'm Captain Fieran. Is there someone sick?”

  “Two Rangers came out to help us get started for the evacuation,” the silver-haired farm woman said. She gestured back at the sprawling farmhouse, built low to the ground. “They were inside eating dinner with us and their sled was in the barn. We had to put it away, or the boys would be trying to fly it every time we took our eyes off them.” She nodded for emphasis and traded grins with Lin. “Next thing we knew, a shuttle landed and two men in Fleet uniforms stepped out and told us we had to evacuate. The Rangers came outside and before they could say word one the other men started shooting at them. Well, they weren't Fleet, I can tell you that. One of the Rangers died, and the other's too badly hurt for the type of healing we do. We've been calling for help for two days, and we just don't dare leave the farm to fly for help. We don't know who's out there.”

  “It's all right. We'll get your family loaded into my ship and we'll be back at the spaceport in a few hours.” Lin clasped the woman's hands and looked into her eyes as she spoke.

  “That sounds perfectly grand to me. You don't mind if I do some extra praying, though, just in case?”

  “I'd mind if you didn't pray. Now, where's this injured lieutenant?”

  Bain ran back to Sunsinger for Lin's portable medical kit. He didn't get much time to see the injured Ranger, other than to notice the white bandages, stained with blood and sweat wrapped around the man's left leg and middle, and the burn marks on his face where half his curly red hair had been scorched away. Bain had to get the Danimoore family started on packing to leave while Lin and Mistress Danimoore took care of the Ranger's injuries.

  The barn was built just like the house, sitting low and dug deep into the ground. The walls were dried mud brick mixed with grass, and the curving roof was made of plastic bars and thin slabs of stone. Bain asked about it and one of the boys told him how they chipped it out of the steep banks lining the creek running past the back of the farmhouse. As they worked, filling crates and bags with clothes and tools and dishes and food, the boys told him how they would camp out by the creek at night and swim when the double moons were bright, or go hunting for grain-stealing rodents with slingshots full of sharp pebbles. Bain wished he could take just an hour and go swimming. It sounded like fun.

  Mistress Danimoore's four sons wanted to take all their animals on board Sunsinger.

  “We don't have room,” Ganfer said, when Bain contacted the ship-brain. “We also don't have time to clean up the hold between trips—or enough disinfectant or deodorizers to handle the smell. We certainly can't take farm animals into space when we head for Refuge.”

  “Sorry, sir,” Bain said, turning back to face the four Danimoore sons. He wished he had been talking to one of the grandsons because they were at least friendly with him.

  All four men were nearly as tall as the Cooversy men, with wide shoulders and dark, hairy arms and thick lips that looked angry as they stared at Bain.

  “What do you mean, sorry?” the oldest Danimoore son said. His hair was more gray than black, so Bain knew he had to be the oldest. He stepped closer to Bain and clenched his fists. “It's pure cruelty, leaving those animals behind. Do you know what you're saying, telling us we can't take our animals with us?”

  “I'm sorry, sir.” Bain jammed his hands into his pockets to keep them from shaking. “We can't take you and the Cooversy family and all your gear and the animals. There isn't enough room. Aren't people more important than animals?”

  “I raised every one of those chickees by hand,” another Danimoore son said. His hair only had a few streaks of silver in it. He ran his thick hands through his hair and swung his arms back toward the barn in a helpless gesture. “They're like family. You wouldn't leave family behind, would you?”

  “But you eat chickees, don't you?”

  “What does that have to do with it?” the first man said. “Look, boy, I don't care if you're a Spacer. I don't care if you can go to any planet in the galaxy. You're just a little boy, and I'm telling you that we're bringing every one of our animals with us.”

  “But Ganfer says—”

  “Don't care what a stupid machine says, either.”

  “Ganfer is not stupid!” Bain stepped forward, fists clenched at his side. “Ganfer makes this ship work. You don't know anything about Spacers or ships, so don't tell me what we can do or what we can't do.” He stopped, gasping for breath. His face felt hot and his throat hurt.

  Around them, all the running and shouting and the sounds of crates being dropped and dragged inside the ship stopped. Bain had the awful feeling everyone was staring at him.

  What would Lin do? He knew he had to figure that out, or everything would go wrong.

  “I'm just a kid, but that doesn't mean you're smarter than me. We just know different things. I know this ship, and what I don't know, Ganfer tells me. Ganfer says there's no room for animals. That means there's no room for animals. Do you want to stay behind so a couple chickees can ride with us?” Bain took another step forward and stared up into the eyes of the big man towering over him.

  “He has a point,” Master Cooversy said from the doorway of the house. He crossed the open, dusty yard, carrying a bag of clothes. “People or animals, Brock Danimoore. What'll it be?”

  “He's just a kid,” the man grumbled. “A kid and a machine.”

  “He knows Spacer ships, and you know farming. Why don't we ask the Ranger you got in your house? Rangers know Mashrami and the war, don't they?”

  Bain thought that was the best suggestion anyone had made in days. He ran inside the house to look for Lin. He found her and Mistress Danimoore helping the Ranger walk from the back bedroom to the kitchen. When Bain explained what happened, the Ranger chuckled. Then he started coughing. He bent forward, resting his elbows on his knees. His face got red, his eyes watered, and he wheezed, rocking back and forth for nearly a whole minute.

  “No, no, I'm okay,” the lieutenant said, his voice a squeezed sound. “Nearly got pneumonia, but I'm okay.” He rubbed at his eyes and grinned at Bain.

  “That has got to be my oldest,” Mistress Danimoore said with a sigh. “He thinks the world of those animals of his.”

  “It is your livelihood he's worried about,” Lin said.

  “We raise grain and medicinal plants,” the older woman said with a snort of laughter. “Those chickees of his started out as a hobby. He sells them for luxury items. Don't you worry about a thing, son.” She patted Bain on the head and turned to bustle out the door. “I'll settle that boy of mine.”

  “Did I just get him in trouble?” Bain asked.

  “He got himself,” the Ranger said. “He was starting that argument with me over dinner, just before the pirates arrived.”

  “Speaking of pirates, we'd better get you into the ship. How's the loading coming, Bain?” Lin bent down and wrapped the Ranger's arm around her shoulder. When she stood, the Ranger leaned on her for support to walk.

  “Fine. We're nearly ready. Just a few crates of food and some more blankets, and we can lift.” Bain stepped around to the other side of the lieutenant. “Can I help?”

  “Thanks.” The Ranger rested a hand on Bain's shoulder. “I never thought I was go
ing to get out of that bedroom.”

  “You're going right to sleep the minute we get you on board the ship,” Lin said. “Those stim-shots I gave you won't last long. I want you asleep before the pain-killers wear off.”

  “The medical bay is prepped and waiting,” Ganfer reported, his voice coming from Lin's collar link.

  “Good. Might as well get the engines warming, too. I want out of here as soon as possible.”

  “Are the pirates coming back?” Bain asked.

  “With more weapons and soldiers,” the lieutenant said. “I've been lying in there trying to figure out how to protect these people. We had surprise on our side the first time the pirates landed, but we won't when they come back.”

  “The best surprise is not to be here,” Lin said.

  * * * *

  The medical bay was a compartment in the wall of the bridge that stayed out of sight when it wasn't needed. When Bain and Lin reached the bridge, supporting the Ranger, they found everything ready and waiting. The sliding panel had slid up out of sight, revealing a cabinet of medicines and a panel full of medical screens and controls and diagnostic wands. A healing bed stuck out into the floor of the bridge, lights flashing, waiting for the Ranger.

  The healing bed was a drawer that slid into the bottom of the medical bay. It let all the medical scanners and dispensers reach the patient, studying every part of the injured body and injecting medicine when needed. It also had enough padding to protect the most injured patient through the worst ride Sunsinger could take. It had a separate life-support system, just in case the ship was damaged and lost air, pressure and heat. Lin had lived in the healing bed for nearly a month when she was a child, after her parents were killed, while Ganfer repaired the ship and made it livable enough for her to come out.

  They put the Ranger into the healing bed. Immediately, the sensor lights down the sides of the bed changed from blue to red and yellow and a dark green that flickered in an uneven rhythm.

  “Doesn't look good,” the Ranger whispered, looking at the flashing lights.

  “It just means my diagnosis was correct, and we won't have any surprises fixing you up. Now, close your eyes and go to sleep,” Lin said. She brushed his sweaty hair off his pale forehead.