Her Brother's Keeper

by Mike Kupari

  “Okay,” he said over the radio, sounding tired, “I’ve reached the detonator assembly. I’m going to remove it and disrupt the firing train.” Bracing with one hand, he reached into the guts of the missile and withdrew a cylindrical piece about thirty centimeters long. It remained connected to the rest of the missile by an umbilical cable. “When I cut this cable, there’s a chance the detonator assembly will explode. It’s only got about half a kilogram of explosives in it. It won’t set off the missile now that I’ve removed it. Stand by.”

  He retracted the detonator assembly until its umbilical cable was taut, then clamped a cutter onto it. Turning in his suit so his helmet visor was facing away from the detonator, he cut the cable. The cylinder exploded, popping in a silent flash and peppering the hull with fragmentation. Wade went tumbling away from the hull, bouncing back when he hit the end of his tether.

  “Mr. Bishop!” Kimball said. He vaulted forward, as graceful in zero gravity as ever, and grabbed Wade. “He’s alive!”

  “My arm hurts,” Wade Bishop said.

  “You’ve got a suit tear,” Kimball said. “I can patch it. Andromeda, this is Kimball, have the med tech standing by when we get back in. He’s got a few minor suit tears. I’m patching now.”

  “I got fragged,” Wade said.

  “Mr. Bishop, this is the captain,” Catherine said. “Is it safe for us to remove the missile now?”

  He grunted as Kimball applied a second patch to his suit. “Affirmative. I’ve disrupted the firing train. Bring the claw down and yank it out. Gingerly, please, it’s still full of high explosives.” As Wade supervised, the Andromeda’s manipulator arm unfolded itself and came around. The claw clamped down onto the expended rocket motor of the missile. Everyone on the command deck cringed and the hull vibrated as the massive, one-ton missile was pulled out of the ship’s skin. Once clear, it the claw released it, sending the Combine warhead tumbling off into the night.

  Wade keyed his microphone one last time. “This is Bishop. Scene clear. Coming back aboard. Out.” Wade couldn’t hear the relieved cheers of the ship’s crew. Catherine exhaled heavily.

  Chapter 30

  The Privateer Ship Andromeda

  Deep Space

  Danzig-5012 System

  It was somber on the cargo deck of the Andromeda as the crew stood in a tight formation, hands folded behind their backs, flight suits pressed and cleaned. The ship accelerated toward the transit point at a steady one G. The Andromeda didn’t have a chaplain, and her crew held widely varied belief systems, but burial in space was a tradition dating back over a thousand years. All present paid their respects in their own way.

  Annie stood quietly in the ranks as Captain Blackwood presided over the ceremony. Her father and his mercenary team were standing in the back, missing Randy Markgraf. The captain’s brother and his two friends were there as well. Cecil Blackwood, in particular, looked a mess. He had dark circles under his eyes, as if he hadn’t slept in quite some time.

  Captain Blackwood’s voice was solemn and clear as she read an invocation. In her hands was a gold-inlaid, bound-leather Spacer’s Bible, one that was well over a century old. “In the ancient tradition of our forebearers, we will now commit the bodies of the fallen to the stars. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, all things must pass, for even the stars themselves are not eternal. We all share the same origin. We all come from the stars, and to the stars we all must return, one way or another. It is the way of things, and it is the way it has ever been. Only God is eternal, only God is universal, and we now ask that He shepherd the souls of the fallen to their well-earned, eternal rest.”

  The captain closed the Bible, and looked up at her crew. “I have asked much of you on this tour. You have not once disappointed me, not once let me or your shipmates down. A captain could not ask for a finer crew, and serving with you has been my honor. We are fewer in number today, but we accomplished our mission, we rescued the hostages, and we defeated an enemy cruiser well above our throw weight. You all performed phenomenally. You all have much to be proud of. Most of all, let us be proud of our fallen shipmates. They sacrificed everything so that the rest of us might live. They died fighting for their comrades. Please take a moment to reflect, pray, and remember the dead. Thank them for their sacrifice, and bid them farewell. We depart without them now, for they must walk a different road. Mourn the dead, but do not despair; theirs is the road we all must walk, in time. Let us be comforted in the belief that we will see them again, before the end of all things.”

  The cargo deck was as silent as a ship under acceleration could be as the crew took a moment to reflect and, in most cases, pray. Some bowed their heads, others whispered prayers, some quietly wept, but all remained in formation together. Many of them were injured. Some could barely stand, but they stood anyway. Even Mordecai Chang, who hated to leave his personal compartment for any reason, made a rare public appearance, though he wore a surgical mask to protect him from germs. The only one not present was Luis Azevedo, who was manning the command deck alone.

  This hadn’t been at all like Annie had imagined it would be. She had read of the dangers of space travel, of course, but they had always seemed so distant to her. Three people had died on this voyage, and more were injured. The captain’s face revealed little, but Annie thought she looked as if she’d been crying. She had been close to the executive officer.

  Annie thought back to the things that had bothered her before, the things she had considered to be problems, and felt small and petty because of it. You didn’t get to see your friends enough, she thought bitterly. Life was boring. You wanted to meet a cute boy. You wanted to ride in the rodeo. Those things had defined her life before leaving New Austin, but now? None of it seemed to matter. Annie’s heart still ached over poor Sparkles, but she wasn’t even angry with Victoria Alexander anymore. She was just a stupid rich girl, a child, too fried on drugs to even know what she was doing. Annie actually felt bad for her. How screwed up was her home life that that was how she acted?

  Looking around at her shipmates, Annie knew that she was where she belonged. Maybe one ship in a great big universe didn’t make much difference, but it could make a difference. The Andromeda had changed the course of history for an entire world! Maybe that wasn’t normal, maybe that was an exceptional experience, but Annie had had a part in it, and she was proud. The troubles of her old life seemed so small in comparison.

  After a long moment, the captain looked up. “Crew, atten-HUT!” Annie snapped to attention with the rest of the crew. “I will now read the names of the fallen before committing their bodies to the stars.” The bodies of the dead were carefully wrapped in Mylar blankets and secured. One by one, they would be lowered into the ship’s casualty chute, which would drop them out the bottom of the ship. In an instant, they’d be vaporized in the ship’s exhaust plume. Mazer Broadbent stood at attention, sending the bodies off, as Cargomaster Kimball played “Amazing Grace” on a set of old Avalonian bagpipes. “Randall Markgraf, of New Austin. Wolfram von Spandau, First Officer, of Heinlein.” A single tear trickled down the captain’s cheek as her friend, adviser, and second-in-command was laid to rest, but she maintained her reserve. “Charity Delacroix, Assistant Engineer, of Heinlein.” Indira Nair openly wept as her assistant’s body was sent down the chute. One of her shipmates placed a hand on her shoulder to comfort her.

  Annie had never seen her so emotional before. From what she’d heard, the engineer was going to do a damage assessment with First Officer von Spandau, but Charity Delacroix had insisted that she go instead. The chief engineer was more important, she’d supposedly said. She was killed by the same laser strike that had taken the first officer. Annie couldn’t imagine the pain, what it was like to have someone die for you.

  When the bagpipes fell silent, and the casualty chute secured, the captain told the crew to stand at ease. “It has been a long journey, and I’m afraid it’s not over yet. We’ve taken damage and circumstances necessitate that we take the
long way home. Our trip back to New Austin will be substantially longer than the one from there, and we will need to stop at the Llewellyn Freehold for repairs. Until then, we’re limited in how much acceleration we can maintain, and it will be slow going. When we get back to New Austin, we’ll stay planetside for a local week, and everyone will get some well-deserved R&R. I wish I could give you more time, but the mission isn’t over until we return to the Arthurian System. After that, we will head home, to Heinlein, and the ship will remain grounded for some time while she’s refitted and overhauled. Spend time with your families. Live your lives. Make the most of the time you have. If any of you wishes to remain grounded after we return, you can come see me privately and we’ll discuss the matter. There’s no shame in staying home for a while, not after we’ve been out so long and endured so much. Until then, I ask that you all stay focused on your jobs, and don’t let complacency get the better of you. Complacency kills, and we’ve had enough death on this tour.”

  The captain thanked her crew one last time, called them to attention, then dismissed them back to their duty stations. Annie turned and saw her father comforting Devree Starlighter. She wanted to talk to him, tell him she wanted to stay on the Andromeda, but now was not the time. She quietly left the cargo deck. She had a lot to think about.

  Chapter 31

  New Austin

  Capitol Starport, Aterrizaje

  Lone Star System

  Five Thousand Hours Later

  Marcus Winchester waited anxiously in the cargo bay as the landing tower locked into place. The rest of his team was with him, and all were excited to be home, but Marcus was particularly so: he was going to meet his son.

  He’d been gone from home for well over a New Austin year at this point, and sending messages to his family had been next to impossible until they’d gotten to the Llewellyn Freehold. As soon as the Andromeda had arrived in the Lone Star system, he sent word to his wife that he was on his way home, and found himself trying to will the ship to go faster. Now, he could barely contain his excitement.

  Wade laughed at him. “Fidget a little more, Boss,” he said with a grin. “It’ll make the tower go faster.”

  Marcus laughed.

  “Shut up, Wade,” Annie said. “You just want to get back to your gross sexbot.” Wade made a face at her.

  Marcus noticed that Wade and Devree were holding hands. He was glad of that. Devree was a nice girl, and seemed every bit as crazy as Wade. Wade needed a good woman in his life, and to get rid of that ridiculous sexbot he denied ever having used. Jeremiah Hondo had a huge smile on his dark face, so happy was he to see his wife and kids again. Ken Tanaka had no family, but had confessed to his teammates that now that he had the funds, he was going to return to Nippon to find himself a Japanese wife. Benjamin Halifax was grinning like a fool, though no one really knew why; as far as his teammates knew, he had no family, and apart from crudely bragging about his sexual exploits he didn’t talk much about his personal life.

  Then there was Annie. Looking at his daughter, proudly wearing her green flight suit, Marcus knew that she was a woman now. If he had known the tribulations the Andromeda was to face, he would have left her at home, juvenile detention or not. She had seen too much in too short a time. She’d seen combat. She’d seen death. He was so proud of how she handled it, how she carried herself. Wade was right: she was just like him. But he also knew that she hadn’t processed some of the things she’d seen yet, and that they might yet come back to haunt her.

  He just hoped his wife would forgive him. He knew that she’d be proud of what their daughter had become.

  A klaxon sounded, a warning light flashed, and the cargo doors slid open. As the gap between them widened, the mercenaries saw their loved ones waiting for them on the other side.

  Eleanor Winchester stepped forward, and was nearly tackled by Annie. “Mom!”

  “Baby, look at you!” Ellie said. She started to cry. “You’ve grown. You’re all grown up.”

  “Ellie,” Marcus said, embracing his wife. He looked down at the baby in her arms.

  “Marcus, I’d like you to meet your son, David Andrew Winchester.”

  “Hey, buddy,” Marcus said to the child, choking up as he spoke. Little David clutched his father’s finger in his tiny hand. “It’s good to finally meet you. I’m sorry I was gone, but I’m home now.”

  Annie was crying now too. “He’s so beautiful! Mom, can I hold him?”

  “Of course you can, Annie. Here.”

  Marcus and Ellie held each other as their daughter held their young son in her arms, rocking him gently and smiling ear to ear. For all the horrors he’d seen, Marcus couldn’t remember being this happy. Behind him, Wade was grinning ear to ear. Devree, at his side, covered her mouth with her hands and was unable to keep from crying. After Marcus introduced her to his wife, she asked if she could hold the baby. Annie obliged, and Devree carried little David in her arms while Marcus, his wife, and his daughter all hugged. Wade, seeing Devree with the baby in her arms, had a slightly concerned look on his face. Marcus winked at him.

  Meanwhile, as the crew of the Andromeda disembarked to get some much-needed dirtside leave, Jeremiah Hondo was mobbed by his half-dozen kids. His booming, raucous laugh echoed throughout the cargo deck as they pulled him to the floor, laughing and crying at the same time. His wife, a heavy-set but nonetheless beautiful woman, with skin as dark as midnight, cried as she joined in on the group hug of her husband.

  Then there was Ben Halifax. Two women were waiting for him when the doors opened. They came trotting through in very tall high heels. One, a tall blonde with fair skin, wore a slinky red dress that left little to the imagination. The other, a shorter, raven-haired woman of Asiatic descent, was dressed in booty shorts and a halter top. One kissed him passionately, then the other kissed him, while he grabbed both of their butts. The two women then kissed each other before leading Halifax off to whatever debauchery they had in mind. Mrs. Hondo covered the eyes of one of her sons, who had been gawking at the two women.

  Marcus couldn’t help but laugh. He only wished Randy was here with them. One more thing to feel guilty about, he supposed. One more name to remember. But that would come later. For now, he let himself enjoy the moment, his long-awaited reunion with his wife and son.

  Captain Blackwood surprised him when she spoke up. He hadn’t seen her approach. “Mrs. Winchester, I’m sorry it took me so long to get your husband and daughter back,” she said. “Thank you for your patience and understanding. It couldn’t have been easy on you, but I can honestly say I wouldn’t have been able to do this without Marcus. He saved my brother’s life, and indeed my entire ship. I am eternally grateful, and he’ll be rewarded accordingly.”

  “I didn’t do it by myself,” Marcus protested.

  “Of course not. We didn’t spend Cecil’s ransom money on Zanzibar, so I had planned to break a portion of it up and pay your team a generous operational bonus. Unfortunately, I spent most of it getting repairs on the Llewellyn Freehold.”

  “Nothing in the Freehold comes cheap,” Marcus said.

  “Nonetheless, Cecil has promised pay your team from the holdings of Blackwood and Associates. You will all be handsomely rewarded.” She looked back at Marcus’ wife. “Mrs. Winchester, I need to say something about Crewman Winchester here,” she said, putting a hand on Annie’s shoulder. “This young woman is a phenomenal spacer. She’s bright, she learns quickly, and she kept her head on during stressful situations. She’s an exemplary young woman and, if she likes, she’s welcome to become a permanent member of my crew.”

  Annie’s eyes went wide. “Mom? Dad? Can I?”

  Eleanor frowned. “Absolutely not, young lady. You’re behind on your school, but I’m not going to let you just quit.”

  Marcus was about to step in and say something, seeing the crushed look on his daughter’s face, but Captain Blackwood beat him to it. “Annie, listen to me,” she said. “You did very well, and you’re always welc
ome on this ship, but you need to listen to your parents.”

  “But Captain, didn’t you run away to be a spacer?”

  “I did, but I was rather older than you. More importantly, I’d already finished my education. You were a valued crewmember, but you’d be more valuable to the ship with some formal technical training.”

  Annie looked less like she was going to cry, and Eleanor didn’t look angry anymore. Marcus was pleased, but Captain Blackwood wasn’t finished yet. “I’ll make a deal with you, Annie,” she said. “If you stay home and stay in school, I promise you that you’ll have a place on my ship when you’re ready. I’ll send messages via courier once in a while to check up on you. It doesn’t matter if it takes you one year or five, I’ll find a place for you as long as I’m the captain of this ship. Your family has done a great deal to help mine, and returning the favor is the least I can do. Right now, though, you need to spend time with your family. You’ve got a baby brother to raise. Your mother will need your help. You also need to study.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Annie said. She seemed satisfied.

  “Thank you, Captain Blackwood,” Eleanor said, also looking satisfied. “I’m glad she was able to be of service. I like to think we raised her right.” As anxious about losing her daughter to a career in space as she was, Marcus could see the pride on Eleanor’s face. He’d told her how Randy had been killed as soon as the Andromeda arrived in system, but hadn’t gotten into details of the battle, and how close the ship had come to being destroyed. There would be time for that later. Right now, he just wanted to enjoy a moment of happiness with his family.

  “You most certainly did,” the captain said. She nodded and left the Winchester family to their reunion. Marcus was grateful for the mentorship she’d given his daughter. Maybe she’d try harder in school, now that she had a goal she cared about to work for.