Tanager's Fledglings (The Tanager Book 1)

by Cedar Sanderson

“That’s.... Probably a good idea.” Jem admitted. Having company would help, he suspected.

  “Have a preference?” The doctor sounded like he was laughing. Jem didn’t get it.

  “Whoever you can spare.” The board chimed at him. “We land in five.”

  Jem switched channels. “Lode, this is the Tanager. Prepare for landing.”

  Barnes’ voice came on the air. “We have five for you walking and three for boxes.”

  Jem vaguely remembered being told about the number of boxes. “We have enough.”

  Jem settled the Tanager gently in the impressions he’d made on the first landing. He knew it wasn’t his skill, but the computer. It still gave him a sense of accomplishment. He spoke to Barnes again. “We have another ship behind us, about two or three hours out.”

  There was a short silence. “Good news. We can cycle through the search teams again. I’d rather not have more injuries.”

  Jem wondered when they had dropped radio procedures. “I can take more on this trip if you want to send people home.”

  “Let me assess. Moskvin’s going with you. He’s done but won’t stop.”

  Jem nodded, then belatedly remembered that Barnes couldn’t see him. “Tanager is on the ground, and out.”

  Jem got up and headed to the galley. He wanted coffee, and food, in that order. His stomach wasn’t happy with all the acidic coffee, so maybe if he ate... He wasn’t hungry any more. He really didn’t care what the protein was, he just chewed and swallowed. Then, mug in hand, he went back to the bridge. The spill-proof covers hadn’t been used for some time, since Walter wouldn’t let Jem have food and drink on the bridge, but Walter used them, Jem remembered. He wondered when he’d become so comfortable with being in charge of the bridge on this trip.

  The comm was beeping at him when he got back to the bridge. “Shit.” Jem muttered. He’d forgotten the earbud. “Tanager.” He toggled it on.

  “I was beginning to worry.” Moskvin’s voice was at odds with his words. He sounded flat. “All aboard, Captain. Let’s go home.”

  “Got it. Tanager out.” Jem toggled the headset. “Dr. Bouler, are we ready?”

  “Sykes?” The doctor asked. A second later, he spoke directly to Jem. “We’re sealed up and ready. I’m sending you company.”

  Jem started the sequence. He heard footsteps but didn’t look up. “Give me a minute.”

  “Okay.” This was an unfamiliar voice.

  Once they were off, Jem looked at the man sitting in the Navigator’s chair. It was someone he didn’t recognize. “Hello?”

  “You’re the captain, I’m Jim.”

  Jem laughed, surprising himself. “Hi, Jim, I’m Jem.”

  The man grinned, revealing a set of snaggled teeth. “The doc said you needed someone to keep you awake.”

  “Yeah. I’m bouncing off my board here. So what’s your story?” Jem pointed, “I have to watch the screens, but I’m listening.”

  “I’ll just natter on, then.” Jim assured him cheerfully. “I was in the split.”

  “You were caught in the quake?” Jem was surprised. He’d thought the man would be one of the search teams on the way back to the hab for a rest. The original team had been turned over twice, he thought.

  “Yeah. I was asleep, and when I woke up, I couldn’t get out.”

  “Were you in a rock house?” Jem asked curiously.

  “Nah. Tent. One of the sort with a nice rigid lock. Only it turns out that if rocks fall on it, it warps out of true and won’t open.”

  “So what happened?”

  “Well, first I got in touch with the nearest camp, and then I went back to sleep.” Jem could hear Jim’s chuckle. “Seemed like there was no point worrying until someone could come get me. My tools were on the outside.”

  Jim told Jem about the rescue, and his family back on Oz, and more that Jem just couldn’t remember later. By the time he swung into the dock at Flinders, he wasn’t really processing any more. The comm chimed, and he answered, “Tanager.”

  “You’re off duty, kid.” Mags told him.

  “Docked.” Jem said.

  Jim and Sykes were both in the bridge with him. “C’mon, kid.” Sykes pulled him out of the chair. “Let’s get you in your bunk.”

  Jem nodded. The board was blank. He could stop. He didn’t resist their help when his legs threatened to give out under him. “I think this is what drunk feels like.” Jem commented.

  “When you wake up, I’ll take you out and get you drunk so you can compare.” Sykes assured him, lowering him onto the bunk. Jem wasn’t sure, later, if he’d said anything else.

  Chapter 13: Returning Toward Normal

  Jem awakened in his bunk, stiff, sore, and surly. He didn’t know how long he’d been sleeping. He looked at his watch, wondered where he had left his tablet, and swung his legs out of the bed. He still didn’t know how long he’d been asleep, for the very good reason that he had no idea what time it had been when they put him into the bunk. He staggered to the head, and emptied the most pressing thing on his mind. After some thought, he got straight into the ‘fresher on the principle that if they needed him, they would have already woken him, and it wasn’t that he was hard to find.

  If there were locks on doors in the Tanager, Jem didn’t know about them. He’d learned to trust that Walter would always rap on his cabin door and not barge in. He’d extended the same respect to the Old Man’s sleeping quarters until very near the end. Jem normally walked out of the ‘fresher and grabbed clothes from storage.

  Until today, when he opened the door of the fresher and immediately closed it again. “Do you mind?” He asked the panel in front of his face, hoping that MacTavish could hear him through it.

  “Sorry, lad. Was just checking to see if you were alive in here.”

  Jem could hear the cabin hatch open and close, and he got hastily dressed after a quick peek to be sure he was alone. He wasn’t accustomed to anyone seeing him in the nude. It made him feel very vulnerable.

  “Coffee.” He told MacTavish, opening his cabin hatch. “Then talk.”

  Mac snorted. “Lead on, Captain.”

  Jem marched into his galley, ignoring the two men who were sitting at his table, and went straight to his coffee machine. It wasn’t on, but he soon had it gurgling cheerfully.

  “Well, I’ll be.” One of the men at the table got up and came over. “I wondered what that gadget was for.”

  “Coffee.” Jem told him. Mac laughed out loud.

  “Man of few words in the morning.” Mac said. Jem turned around to look at him, and realized that Moskvin was the other man at the table. Jem nodded at him.

  “How long?” Jem asked.

  Moskvin answered. “Round about twenty hours. It was the wee hours when you brought her in, it’s round midnight now.”

  Jem nodded. He knew what time it was; he’d looked at his watch. “Didn’t think I’d be asleep that long.”

  Moskvin nodded. “I slept about twelve. Doc said he’d given you something to keep you going, and you’d have a mighty crash when you came to the end of it. We’ve been making sure you were still breathing.”

  Jem went to get a mug out of the cupboard, getting a safety lid without thinking, then looking at it while slowly turning it in his hand. “Was that a possibility?”

  Moskvin shook his head. “We weren’t going to let you die. But you pushed pretty hard, ki... Captain.”

  Jem pushed the lever and filled his mug. It smelled heavenly and his stomach growled loudly. Mac patted him on the shoulder.

  “Sit, Jem. I’ll fix you something.”

  Jem sat gingerly. His muscles protested every move. He shouldn’t have been this sore from mostly sitting for... three days? And then sleeping for almost another day. “I don’t know if there are rations left.” He couldn’t remember when he’d last eaten, or what.

  “Oh, no worries there.” Mac disappeared into the kitchen.

  Jem looked at Moskvin. “When do we go back out?”<
br />
  “We don’t.” Moskvin smiled, shaking his head. “You’re a glutton for punishment!”

  “But...” Jem started to protest this.

  The other man spoke up. “There are two ships from Tas here, and another coming. They have what’s left of the search under control.” He pulled a long face. “Not that there are survivors coming out any more. But we can at least give families a body to put to rest.”

  “Oh.” Jem felt deflated. He wasn’t sure what to do next, but then he remembered the other worry. “The pup?”

  Moskvin answered, “still at Mags’ and doing fine. Pet of the whole hab, from what I saw. He’ll be spoiled rotten when you get him back.” He grinned widely, “if you get him back.”

  “He’s my friend.” Jem tried to keep his voice mild in spite of the anger he felt at the idea of leaving the pup here.

  “So what’s his name?” Moskvin asked.

  Jem had no idea how to answer that, but he was saved by Mac, who slid a plateful of food under his nose. “Eat, and I’ll make more if you want it. Doc said to make sure you put on fuel.”

  Jem dug into the steak and eggs, wondering where they came from, but unwilling to ask too many questions lest they go away again. He was surprised at how much he ate. Mac offered again to make more, but Jem turned it down.

  “I need to check on the pup, and the ship.” Jem stood up, feeling much better, and headed for the kitchen with his plate.

  Mac took the plate away from him. “Ship’s in top shape. We’ve had a crew on her for half a day.”

  “What?” Jem didn’t understand. “I don’t know if I can afford...”

  Moskvin cut him off. “You’re a hero, kid. You saved the day. Did you think Flinders was going to send you a bill?”

  Jem felt a little like a landed fish, gasping for air. He opened and closed his mouth, not sure what to say.

  “C’mon, Captain. Let me show you what’s been done.” Mac clapped him on the shoulder. “We all volunteered for this one. The Tanager meant that friends, family...’ Mac choked up for a moment. “Flinders was mostly out there, at the Lode. If you hadn’t been ready to just fly, more men would have died. We all owe you.”

  Jem let him lead the way, feeling like someone had hit him upside the head. He wasn’t sure if that was the aftereffects of the drug Doc had used, or the news that they had been working on his ship while he was sleeping. Could be both.

  Mac apologized that they were still using some of the stasis boxes. Men that had been badly injured were safer in them, than undergoing surgery here on Flinders. Flinders was proposing they lease the boxes and return them to Jem later. Jem just nodded. He’d plan around not having them. They had refreshed the air, replaced the air bottles full, and stocked his galley. Mac grinned when he said that, and Jem stopped in the middle of the hold.

  “Steak and eggs.”

  Mac laughed. “Took you long enough. Yep, Mags donated another case of steak to the cause.”

  Jem tried not to think about the cost of all of this, and failed. He looked around the hold that had served as sick bay. It was shining. They were starting to repaint it - three men were setting up a sprayer and eyeing him and Mac like they should leave now.

  “What... Why...” He ran out of words, spluttering.

  “How, Who, Where...” Mac pushed his shoulder, getting Jem started toward the hatch so the men could work. He’d finished the sequence Walter had called the journalist’s creed. “Captain Raznick, Flinders is deeply appreciative of your assistance in our time of crisis. To scrape the candy coating off, kid, you done good. Suck it up and say thanks.”

  Jem realized what Mac had called him. “I’m not Captain Raznick.”

  “Yes, you are. This is your ship, you fly her, often alone. You’re the captain.” Mac hooked a thumb over his shoulder. “Want to go check the beeves, or will you trust us to have fed the revolting critters and not butchered them out?”

  Jem shot an irritated glance at him. “Butchering the beeves is tempting at the moment. No, I mean my name isn’t Raznick.”

  “You’re Walter’s son.” Mac didn’t even slow down. “Captain Jem just sounds silly.”

  Jem found himself doing the fish out of water thing again, opening then closing his mouth as comebacks rushed into his brain and he quashed them before speaking. “Legally...”

  Mac stopped and looked him in the eyes. “Jem, have you ever seen the docking logs?”

  “No?” Jem remembered early years, where he was free to roam the habitat and had sat in the control room watching ships come in. But the logs hadn’t interested him.

  “C’mon.” Mac didn’t speak again until they were in the control room. He brought the logs up on one of the screens and ran a quick search. “Look. That’s the first time you came to Flinders.”

  The entry read ‘Scarlet Tanager, complement of two. Captain Walter Raznick and supernumerary.’ Mac brought up another entry. ‘Scarlet Tanager, complement of two. Captain Walter Raznick and First Mate Jem Raznick.’

  “I had no idea.” Jem said. His voice sounded very quiet in the still room. Mac grunted and brought up the last entry, which didn’t list a departure date. ‘Scarlet Tanager, complement of one. Captain Jem Raznick.’

  “Thank you.” Jem wasn’t sure what else to say. He walked out of the room. Mac didn’t follow him right away. Jem was just as happy to have a minute alone. His head was spinning.

  He wound up at the Big Overeasy almost without conscious thought. It was full, and the noise brought him back to the present rather than the uneasy thoughts of the past.

  “Jem!” Mags pounced on him. “You woke up!”

  “Did you really think I wouldn’t?” Jem asked. He bent to accept the puppy kisses. The dog seemed to have grown, which really wasn’t possible in just a few days, but he was still all ears and tongue.

  Mags laughed. “You’re young, you bounce. The pup here was missing you, though.”

  “I figure he’s been overfed and pampered within an inch of his life.” Jem shot back.

  This byplay felt normal, and Jem relaxed. He finished petting the dog and stood up. “Thanks for the food.”

  Mags shrugged. “Doc said you’d been eating crap, and you’d need it.”

  “There was no time to cook.” Jem protested. “And others needed it more. How are they doing?”

  “We haven’t lost a one of the men you got back here. A couple are still in stasis, but the doc says that gives them more than a fighting chance once we get them back to Oz and real modern hospital facilities.”

  “Good.” Jem moved quickly as a man slipped off his stool at the bar, and Jem sat where he’d been. Mags went around to his usual station behind the bar, where a helper was taking care of most of the orders.

  “And for the rest of it...” Mags shook his head, looking mournful. “I don’t think there’s much hope left.”

  Jem nodded. That had been Barnes’ assessment. The split in the surface had mostly closed. Even if there were pockets somewhere, getting to them, with no air... it would be an exercise in futility.

  “What can I get you?” Mags asked. Jem shook his head.

  Moskvin showed up at his elbow, making Jem startle. “If he won’t, I will. The usual, please.”

  He didn’t have a stool, so he stood next to Jem. “I hate to beg,” his voice sounded cheerful as he spoke, though. “But have you considered taking on a passenger?”

  Jem half-turned to look at him. “I’m headed to Tianjin. And as soon as I know I’m not needed here, since I’m behind schedule. I won’t have time to return to Tassie, let alone Altressa.”

  “No, no. I wanted to go on to Tianjin in the first place.” Moskvin took a long pull at the beer he’d been handed. “Ahh... Anyway, I’m on diplomatic courier assignment. Nothing urgent, or they’d have given me a scout ship. But like you, this was an unexpected delay.”

  Jem stared at him for a long moment. He knew he probably looked suspicious. He certainly felt that way. The route Moskvin wa
s taking made no logical sense. It was a trader’s route. The stops on his route were chosen for high trade volume, and scheduled in order of closeness, to one another but not necessarily to other planets and stations. On the other hand, Moskvin had really stepped up when Flinders had needed everything. And he seemed to have eased off on the irritating mannerisms that had set Jem’s teeth on edge.

  “Yes. But I can’t delay for long once it’s all clear. So you’ll need to be ready.” Jem didn’t know of a gracious way out, so he gave in.

  Moskvin tossed back the rest of his beer and stuck his hand out. “Thanks, Captain! I already scoffed one of the cabins on the Tanager, and got my gear tucked away.”

  He shook Jem’s hand briskly and then vanished back into the crowd, leaving Jem staring after him, regretting that he’d agreed to this. That had taken about ten seconds to turn into annoyance from acceptance. He turned back to look at Mags, who was busy.

  “Mags,” Jem said, when the big man had finished. “Do you know this Moskvin?”

  Mags shrugged. “Not more than to speak to. He comes in, doesn’t get drunk, he leaves.”

  “How often is he here?” Jem was happy to hear the not drunk part. He really didn’t want to be alone with a drunk for weeks.

  “‘Bout two, three times a year. I don’t know what he does - he’s not an ore buyer or a miner.”

  “He’s some sort of bureaucrat.” Jem said. “I met him in Customs at Altressa.”

  “I can see why you hesitate.” Mags was smirking a little. Jem gave him a glare. “Really, you’ll just have to put up with him. You run a clean ship, I know that. He’s not trying to bust you for something, he just needs a ride.”

  “Ok. I’m going to go find Mac. Can I take the dog?”

  Mags laughed at this. “He’s yours, isn’t he? Although if you could find one like him, mebbe a tad smaller?”

  Jem, sliding off his stool, looked back at him, but there wasn’t a trace of teasing on Mags’ face. He turned and looked for the dog, who was holding court to three or four admirers. He might just have opened up a new market... “I’ll see what I can do.”