Embrace the Passion: Pets in Space 3

by Smith, S. E.

  It was possible these enemies had learned from the mistakes of the last spider. Random ships were broadcasting surrender demands, bouncing the signal off the blockade ships and some satellites they’d popped out when the first ships arrived, so they couldn’t get a fix on where the signals originated.

  City nodded at the image of an even bigger, scarier spider that was going out with the surrender demand. Apparently it planned to eat them.

  “I wish we knew what ship this bad boy was on.”

  Bull said nothing. No surprise there. A tired half grin appeared and disappeared on Kraye’s face. She returned the grin, then looked away as guilt stabbed her.

  “That’s a tight net,” she observed. She frowned. “Could they know something about our comet drive that we don’t know? I mean, I don’t think I know how far out we have to get before we can turn it on.”

  This silence felt different. The HUD hologram flickered as if Rita were thinking. Or looking? It was not a surprise that her thinking or that Bull’s thinking didn’t take long. It did surprise her when Bull’s cranium turned her direction.

  “It would be inadvisable to activate the comet drive from inside a ship.”

  Did she know that?

  “We’re not inside a ship.”

  City was glad it was Kraye who pointed this out. Gave her a chance for a half second nap.

  Activation requires some forward movement, but I can find nothing that prohibits an in atmosphere launch.

  “It can create instabilities in the area,” Bull added his cents.

  Rita put up a simulation of in-atmosphere activation.

  “And a hole in the mountain,” City noted. “Should that bother us?” It’s not like they’d received a warm welcome here and the area was Harparian free. The simulation continued through the launch out of the atmosphere. More instabilities. Looked like it would either blow a hole in the blockade or send them into tumbles in a variety of directions. Couldn’t see the downside of that either. She frowned. “What’s the downside for us? Risk assessment?”

  It is possible we could blow up.

  That always seemed to be on the table.

  “The risk is higher than normal because our hull has been weakened,” Bull said. “But it is still within the acceptable range.”

  She swiveled to face him. “What’s the acceptable range?”

  He pointed a metal finger at the blockade. “It is better than attempting to get through that.”

  “Good point. Let’s get everyone secured. I’m guessing it’s going to get bumpy while we’re trying to catch our hurricane force headwind.”

  * * *

  It took about a half of one of Caro’s hours for her men to report that all personnel were secured. She also took time for a status report on their passengers.

  Dr. Danniels had a bad spider bite. She’d been put into stasis in the small infirmary for transport back to the Central Outpost in the Garradian Galaxy. Faxton had bruises and a sprained wrist. Their new passengers, both Harparian and humanoid, were dehydrated, hungry and tired. Quarters and food had been provided. Rita was on guard duty because Caro’s Mikes were as tired as she was.

  Kraye admired the way she commanded this ship and the people on it. When she needed to be the one to do something, she did it, but when it was optimal to let her best people act, she stood back, she trusted them and treated everyone with respect. And she kissed, well, he lacked experience with which to compare this to, but it been a more than optimal experience that he longed to repeat as soon as possible.

  For this last, risky play, she’d turned over the flight controls to Rita and OxeroidR. Kraye was in the second position and she was behind them in navigation.

  “Rita and I have made the comet drive calculations,” OxeroidR said, the lack of emotion in his voice somewhat comforting to Kraye.

  Almost, he could believe he was back on the Najer.

  To minimize power drain, we will drop the cloak and use the vertical lift until we are in the full force of the wind.

  “We believe that the mountains will continue to mask our movement,” Bull added.

  He glanced back at Caro, wondering how she felt about this belief that was not a certainty. She gave him a wry grin and a thumbs up.

  “Once we have a sufficient tail wind, we will activate the drive at half power.”

  This should minimize the impact on our surroundings and lessen the stress to the ship’s hull.

  “What about the blockade? Does it soften the impact on them, too?”

  No.

  “Good.” She activated the ship-wide comm. “All personnel, prepare for lift off. I repeat, lift off in two minutes. It’s going to get bumpy but it won’t last long.” There was a pause, then she said, “Make it so, Bull and Rita. Make it so.”

  Kraye did not understand the hint of humor he heard in her voice but it helped as the engines began to fire up. Did he feel regret at leaving this place with his questions unanswered? Perhaps. Life, his captain had told him more than once, was not tidy.

  “Making it so,” OxeroidR said.

  “Cloak down,” Kraye said.

  The engines came fully on. Kraye could sense nothing concerning in the hum where his feet rested on decking. The forward view screen showed the snow blowing in broken patterns as the ship began to rise. The slope of the huge mountain had sheltered them somewhat from the raging winds and it appeared they had collected snow on top of the ship, because it began to slide off, obscuring the view for a several seconds.

  The ship jerked when the full force of the wind found them, but the engines held. The ship spun so the all that wind was on their six.

  And then the ship quit fighting the wind, let it take them. The force of it slammed him against the back of his seat. Only the robot and AI could have steered them through the peaks at their current speed.

  “I hope everyone believed us when we said strap in,” City muttered from behind.

  Several orbiting ships have launched weapons at us.

  “So much for, they won’t see us,” City said. “How long to comet drive ignition?”

  “Ten of your seconds,” OxeroidR said.

  Caro had long seconds, Kraye observed, as he tracked the incoming missiles and their launch clock.

  “Initiating comet drive,” OxeroidR said.

  Space stretched around them, first wide, then long, and finally in both directions. Inside the stretched bubble, he thought he saw flashes of light, then the stretching stopped. His body returned to its regular configuration.

  There was a long moment of silence on the bridge.

  “How close?” City asked.

  “Not close enough,” OxeroidR said calmly.

  Kraye saw the data and arched his brows, but the robot was right. If the incoming missiles been close enough, they’d be dead.

  “Do we know what we did to them?” City asked.

  Sensors don’t work during comet drive initiation.

  “Oh well, you can’t have everything.” She unstrapped and stood up. “I’m going to catch some z’s, get some rest, if you don’t mind taking the bridge, Bull?”

  “I do not mind.”

  Kraye hesitated. He wished for sleep, too.

  “You should rest, too,” Caro said, looking directly at him. “And, I need a word with you, if you don’t mind?”

  “I do not mind.” How could he mind? Each moment in her company was a gift. And possibly there would be kissing. He followed her into the passage way. She glanced around, bit her lip, then lead him back into the ready room. Though they’d kissed here, he sensed this meeting was not about kissing.

  “We’re less likely to get interrupted in here,” she said. She walked away from him, coming to a stop in front of the image of a planet with high mountains and beautiful lakes.

  He joined her. “Is this where the Harparian wishes to relocate to?”

  She nodded, took a deep breath and turned to look at him. Her eyes were wide, worried, and lines of exhaustion had dug groo
ves around her eyes and her mouth.

  “This can wait—” he lifted a hand and smoothed an errant strand of hair back. He felt a deep longing to hold her while she slept, to be there when her eyes opened fresh from her dreams.

  She reached up and caught his hand, clasping it with both of hers.

  “It can’t.” She stared at him. “I don’t know if you saw, but Bull freed some humans in that camp, too.”

  He frowned, trying to recall this from the jumble of the action. “I…no, I was focused on the Harparians.” Why had OxeroidR freed humans, too? Except he knew. None of his shipmates could see captives and not try to free them. “I know it was not the plan, but he, I do not know much of what they think, but I know they are most opposed to slavery and captivity.” He breathed in and then out. “They freed me.”

  “I’m not angry, okay, I might have been annoyed. It did make it more interesting than I’d planned down there. But…” Her clasp on his hands tightened. “Kraye, there’s a woman, a mother, at least, I think she’s his mother, she acts like his mother to the little boy. He—” She paused, then released the words in a rush. “He’s a mini you. Your short twin. Maybe your…brother?”

  He heard her words, but it was as if the winds of Teuhhopse surged into this room. It roared through his mind, forming a vortex around his heart. The only thing that kept him from being swept away was Caro, her hands holding onto him.

  “I’ve been thinking about it. If the turtles talked, maybe they realized you were on board and brought them to the encampment as hostages. We know they kept the Lady’s kids to keep her in line.” Perhaps something in his face alarmed her. “It didn’t work. Bull, well, Bull was Bull. They are here. Free.”

  His lips moved. He swallowed, his other hand coming up to clutch hers. “I do not know what to do.” Or what to feel, he admitted. He’d lived too long with robots who were emotionally challenged. He’d believed he had no family. That he’d come to being as a slave.

  She gently freed one hand and turned them toward the door. “Why don’t we start by saying hi?”

  Her fingers curled into his and the buffeting calmed a little. “I could…that seems…possible.”

  Just shy of the door opening, she turned suddenly, her arms sliding around him and holding him tightly against her. He felt her heart pounding against his chest and his heart leaped in response. Her head tipped back. “You looked like you could use a hug.”

  The hand he lifted to her face shook. “I…yes.”

  She turned, leaving one arm around his waist. “Let’s go meet your, well, let’s go meet them.”

  * * *

  City entered the quarters where Kraye’s possible mom had been taken. She’d hoped to smooth things, but she wasn’t needed. The woman had looked up, the cry she gave bringing tears to City’s eyes. She’d stepped back from Kraye, letting him take one step toward her. Then another. His shoulders heaved and she could still feel the way his heart had pounded when she hugged him.

  One hand reached out toward the woman and she ran toward him, throwing her arms around him, and pulling his head down on her shoulder. City didn’t understand the words she said, but the stroke of her hand on his head was universal, as were the tears that rained down her face.

  10

  City emerged from her quarters feeling almost as human as their humanoids. It had taken her a while to fall asleep. The tosses and turns hadn’t been about what she wanted. She was a Marine. Marines knew how to home in on a target.

  No, the question that came between her and her sleep was: what did Kraye want?

  The guy had been raised by robots. He’d probably been given a data file on the facts of life, but without the context, did he—could he know what he wanted?

  Okay, she had a feeling he figured out want, but what about love?

  City’s target was the happy ever after. She wanted what her parents had and what too few people believed in anymore. She could give up the walk down the aisle, but not the “I dos.” It was ironic that it felt like she’d be taking advantage of his inexperience with relationships if she told him she loved him. Oh, she wasn’t worried about him managing the mechanics. Couples had been figuring that out since the beginning of time and he’d caught on quick during their kiss.

  But…just because she could see a future with him didn’t remove the fact that he’d probably never seen a healthy romantic anything. Could he be in love? Could he know love when he saw it?

  He’d experienced loyalty. She could see that in him. She knew he was both brave and clever, that he fought like a Marine, and refused to give up. The thing was, inside her Marine exterior was a woman. She had emotions, and she hadn’t seen a lot of that around Kraye or his crew mates.

  Could the man who’d been raised by robots learn the tender emotions?

  Exhaustion had finally won the battle. She’d wakened more rested but with her questions unanswered. Taken them with her through her one-minute shower and out into the mess area for breakfast. She fabricated something and sat down, activating the table’s built-in systems unit.

  The last thing General Halliwell had said to her when he handed over the symbolic keys to the Emissary was, “Don’t break it, don’t bend it.”

  Well, it wasn’t broken, but it was bent. She’d landed one diplomat in stasis and it looked like Dr. Dauwn had a broken ankle. She should probably look into how that happened. Faxton had come out a bit like the ship, with some bruises and bangs. But for three people who’d shown up wearing red, well, they weren’t dead.

  Her Mikes had also taken some damage, but they were all going home.

  This did not mean she wouldn’t have a lot of explaining to do.

  She pushed her food around on her tray, looking up when the lift swished open. She tried not to look disappointed when Faxton entered. She started to rise, but he waved her back and sank into a seat opposite her. He leaned back, adjusting his sling and then offered her a wan smile.

  “Are we really on our way back? No more stops?”

  “No more stops.” They didn’t have enough resources on board to do anything but get back.

  “How long?”

  “Are we there yet?” She countered with a grin that quickly faded. Had the Testudinians betrayed them or been captured? She’d never know, and that was going to haunt her. It wasn’t going to be fun reporting to the General that the Expedition and outposts might have been exposed. None of their passengers had had access to the command deck, but they had ears. Had they taken care in what they said around them? And they’d know who was with them. Everyone they’d taken home would be a target of the spiders.

  City looked up and caught the same shadows in Faxton’s face.

  “Did we do any good?” he asked.

  City half shrugged, but with the memory of Kraye and his reunion with his mother in her mind, there was no way she could call it a wash. “What kind of outcome do you get in an Earth-based diplomatic effort?” she countered.

  He acknowledged her hit with a wry look.

  “My grandfather served in the Korean War,” she said. “Not long before he died, he told me he thought they’d failed. That all they’d done was destroy Korea, left it devastated. Then my cousin came back from a trip to Seoul and told him about a visit with the man he’d met. My cousin told the man that his grandfather had been there and the man teared up. He told my cousin that my grandfather needed to return and see what he’d done, that he needed to see what they’d done with the freedom so many had fought and died for.”

  City pushed her plate away and leaned back, her gaze on Faxton. “Some things take time. You plant the seeds and wait.”

  He nodded slowly, rose awkwardly to his feet. “Thank you, Sergeant.” He started toward the lift, then turned to ask, “You never told me how long?”

  She chuckled. “Longer than it took us to get here. That’s all I know.” She waited until he’d entered the lift to gather up her tray and take it to the disposal and cleaning unit. She lifted the lid and set it ins
ide, then started the cycle.

  Maybe that’s why she didn’t hear anything until he spoke.

  “Caro.”

  She tensed, then turned around. He’d rested, too, though like her, it would take more than one good night’s sleep to recover. He had bruises, some she could see, some, well, those she could see in his eyes. She wanted to hug him again and maybe get a kiss. She waited, though, seeing him again for the first time.

  The first time she’d seen him, she thought him a Jack Sparrow look-a-like. Now the idea seemed crazy. His features were a bit Sparrow, his skin—sporting a couple of bruises—as smoothly brown. His shoulder-length brown hair lacked the dread locks, but had added to the impression. He’d combed it, tied it back and shaved. Without the facial hair he looked younger. Not even twenty-four hours with a mom and even his posture seemed better. And the expedition-issue jump suit definitely toned down the pirate vibe. His brown eyes were wary, but some of his shadows retreated.

  He met her gaze without flinching or looking away though it appeared to City that he struggled for words. Finally his lips twitched.

  “I do not know what to say,” he admitted.

  “Words aren’t streaming into my brain either.”

  He took a step her direction, so she did, too. It was a small room. At this rate it would only take a couple of days to get within touching distance.

  “I learned many things from the crew of Najer,” he said, turning as if to look into the distance, or perhaps the past, “but…”

  “You didn’t learn how to talk about your feelings,” she finished when he seemed unable to go on. “Funny thing, where I come from, guys sometimes have trouble talking about their feelings.”

  His lips twisted. “Do they know the name of the feelings they cannot talk about?”

  “You have a point there.” Thanks to all the chick flicks, it was hard for her to talk about her feelings with a guy. Maybe coming at it sideways would help. “Are you happy about your…mother? Is she your mother?”