by Mark Gardner
“Don’t call me again, Sayid, and pray I don’t ever see you again. I’m not the type for words, if you get my drift, and as for the so-called prisoners, slag happens. We felt threatened. You told us openly that you intended on robbing us, and we took our ship and left yours, peacefully. As long as those crew members of yours get home in one shape, it will be our word, as in us, the victims, against yours.”
He closed off the comm and brushed back his hair, looking at the remains of the bridge that was once one of the most impressive areas of the Kerwood. The deck was a patchwork of metal, welded hurriedly in place, sealing holes that had been blown out in the explosion. His seat and a few others held the black scuffs from the shrapnel, and the entire space had a filthy look that was hard to ignore.
Computer screens, once dancing in emerald and cobalt lights, were now dead and dark. Wires ran across the overhead, pinned in place by electrical tape, and something rattled incessantly. Gauge and the Kerwood’s engineers had performed a miracle, and he felt good for gambling on the genius of Adelaide. Adelaide… His heart skipped, and Savid’s threat echoed in his head.
“Marisol, can you head below? I’m a bit concerned with that call Sharapov answered. Tell the engineers to go light on the Matsue staff. We don’t know what they know about all of this, but it won’t do us any good to harm them. You understand?”
Marisol Vega unbuckled her seat and worked her way toward the rear of the bridge. She opened a locker, grabbed her helmet, pulled it on, and secured it. She pulled open the first hatch, descended the ladder, and then closed it shut behind her. Winchester Hayes watched her go, and then retook his seat with a heavy sigh.
Days Until Home: 26
Marisol Vega sealed the lock on the first level, then punched in her password on the second. These emergency precautions always amazed her because it seemed as if the people who built the Kerwood had literally thought of everything. When everything was functional, they kept two of the central hatches open, giving the illusion that you merely opened a door to walk down the passageway into another room.
With the second level compromised, there was no more illusion. She had to close the hatch and seal it before getting access to the second, which gave the disorientating sensation of walking, and then realizing you are facing the wrong direction. With no artificial gravity, she pulled herself inside, did a front flip acrobatically, then reached up to close the hatch.
She gripped the rungs of the ladder and pulled herself along until she was at the airlock, which she quickly accessed and pulled herself through to the medical bay. Closing the hatch and opening the next, she got inside and looked around.
The medical bay on the Matsue was a palace compared to the Kerwood’s, but nothing was out of place in this room. She walked its length, examining the beds until she got to the hatch that led down to engineering.
When Marisol finally found the area where they kept the prisoners, she already regretted the trip. She stepped inside the door where the prisoners were tied up, and she looked over at Jimmy who consoled a woman.
“Who’s in charge here?” she asked to no one in particular, and they all exchanged glances as if confused. “Captain Hayes does not want the Matsue crew members hurt. They are our guests until we are safely docked at the station. Wait, is that blood?” she said and rushed over to Rebecca, but Jimmy stepped in front of her defensively. “Figured it would be you,” Marisol said to Jimmy, “if there’s something off going on down here, I can almost guarantee you’re in the middle of it.”
“Vega, you’re alive?” Jimmy asked. “Man, I thought everyone with sense was dead on the bridge.”
“I’m sure Captain Hayes will appreciate you calling him crazy, but seriously, Jimmy, what’s going on down here?”
“Everyone is on edge,” Viktor Sharapov said, “The captain isn’t aware of what is going on down here. That crazy engineer tortured this woman. I came down here, and she had a knife to her throat, trying to see if she knew about the explosion.”
“You didn’t bother to tell her that you were the one who did it?” Marisol said, “or did the sight of that knife force you to hold your tongue?”
“Vicky, what’s she talking about?” Jimmy asked, and Siebert backed away as if he expected something to happen.
“It was not me!” Viktor Sharapov shouted. “I have wanted nothing else but to go home to my wife, Miss Vega. How would blowing myself up get me home faster? Can we please get back to reality, everyone? Can we reason like human beings instead of resorting to baseless finger pointing? What happens if you kill me, an innocent man? Will it bring back your friends, or set the Kerwood back to being a whole ship again?”
“Good speech, Vicky,” Marisol said, “but you’re on the radar for a reason. I really don’t think the skipper would feel comfortable with you being around these Matsue people. If you’re guilty, it would mean you were in league with them all along. This could mean trouble, so why don’t you shove off so that I can get these folks situated into their new digs.
She gestured at Jimmy, and he froze for a time, indecisive on what to do as he stared after Viktor. The older man left the room looking tired and pathetic.
“You didn’t have to talk to him like that, Vega, he couldn’t have done this. Vicky is the—”
“Not in the mood, Jimmy, I’m merely the messenger. Untie these folks and put them in the spaces that no longer have owners. Listen up, folks, this is it for a while. I only have a few ration bars so divvy it up however you feel and get comfortable in your new bunks.”
Jimmy went through the motion of untying the crew while Marisol walked over and examined Rebecca’s neck. “Who did this?” she whispered, and the woman flinched, looking around at the men and women who watched the exchange.
“A woman. Adelaide, I think? I-I honestly thought she was going to kill me.”
“It would be her.” Marisol sighed, then patted Rebecca on her shoulder. “She owes you an apology. I doubt that she’ll give it, but this was never the plan, you understand?”
Days Until Home: 24
Winchester Hayes had taken a break to talk to Femke Gerhardt about the Kerwood. This was the official reasoning, but in reality, he wanted to see how she was doing.
They chose the same small space where they had met with Angelo Lu only moments before lifting off from Egeria-13. Winchester leaned against the bulkhead, and when she got close, he pulled her into him and kissed her.
“I missed you, too, Winn, but what could I do? We’re in a room full of strangers working `round the clock.”
“I’m tired, Femke. This has been one hell of a haul. I don’t know what the Kerwood’s future entails, but I’m thinking it doesn’t involve me. Speaking to that woman, Adelaide, made me realize just how much my crew really cares for the ship. We stayed to ourselves for so long, as if we had hamsters manning the engines.” He paused and shook his head as she stroked his hair. “She and all the people who died were damn near insignificant to us. That makes me a poor leader, doesn’t it? I let my crew down, and now the same people I’ve neglected have given us a chance to make it home.”
“Winn, that’s not true, it’s why you have Vega. She has always communicated to them that you appreciate their work.”
“That’s not the point though, is it? It’s what’s going on here.” He hit his chest. “I could barely remember Adelaide’s name, let alone the fellow members of her staff that died.”
Femke touched his cheek and kissed him again, letting her nails comb gently through his messy hair. “What’s going on, Winn? You’re not yourself. What is really bothering you?”
Winchester Hayes let out a sigh as if he had held his breath the entire time. “My chest hurts, doll, my mouth stays dry, and my thoughts are all jacked up. I’ve seen some dark slag in my life, I’ve done my share, and I think it’s a wrap for Winchester Hayes.”
“Winn, you’re scaring me, what do you mean a wrap? Explain it to me as if I was eight years old.”
“From the t
ime that explosion went off, and I saw Angelo’s body, I knew that this was it. If I’m being honest, it was only a matter of time, really. What do I got, Femke, really? A junker ship hauling rocks back and forth to Earth territory. Hell of a life, right? Most captains have things back home that keep them grounded. A wife, kids, a nice piece of property, something that says there’s more to life than the black. I lost all of that a long time ago to a drunk piece of slag, upset over losing his job.” He got quiet and looked at the bulkhead as if he could see through it.
“We have something, don’t we, Winn? Isn’t what we have something to look forward to?”
“To be honest, Femke, before you asked that question, I didn’t really know you considered this real. We’ve been sneaking around, getting it on, but I never knew what to think. May be too late for even us. We screwed up with the prisoners. Sayid was right about that, and they’re going to put that and the lost crew on me, one hundred percent. I’ll lose the Kerwood, that’s for sure, and if I’m lucky, they’ll only throw me in a cell for about ten years.”
“Not if we make sure that those Matsue guests of ours see the torture as something you’re completely against. Have Adelaide take the fall for it, show them you won’t have it. If they can be convinced to see this as a situational mess, the whole kidnapping bit will not have to be in play.”
“Come on, Femke, you know me better than that. You know I would never sell her out. Adelaide acted out of loyalty. She was thinking about us. Sure, her methods are a little unorthodox, but she was looking out for the Kerwood.”
“Seems to me that you and Lady Marmalade have gotten a bit close—”
“If they’re going to put someone’s head in the noose, I’ll happily give them mine. I’m responsible for what goes on here, anyway, so blaming her was never an option. As to the Matsue crew members, there’s no fixing that. Imagine if it was you and they did that to us. You would be fired up about being forced to travel home inside of their rig.”
He sat on the floor and hugged his knees, feeling tired and worn. “Last ride of Captain Winchester Hayes,” he said. “It was a good run. Sorry to sound so pitiful, but it really hit me today, do you know what I mean?”
Femke plopped down in front of him, rubbing her ankles as she watched him brood. “I think this is the part where I tell you that no matter what happens, I’m your first mate. I gotta tell you, Winn, I’m not really okay. You’ve been through tragedy several times over so you know how to find a way to move on. I fight second after second not to break down crying…for Booker, Angelo, and all the people who died. I don’t understand why I made it through when so many, much more important, people had to die.”
Winchester extended his hand, and she took it, crawling to his side so they could embrace. “It takes time, okay, but it’s a wound that never heals. Just take your time and don’t blame yourself for it. Either way, I’ll be with you. Whatever you want. I’ll be with you, okay?” She sobbed into his shoulder, and he kissed her in the top of her head, his body numb with the acceptance of his fate.
When they were back on the bridge, the numbness still gripped him, but he went through the motions that were necessary. Picking up his transmitter, he connected to the ship’s system and spoke into his microphone with authority.
“Kerwood, this is Captain Hayes, we’re twenty-four Earth days until home. If that isn’t cause for celebration, I don’t know what is, so take a moment and let the reality of where we are sink in. Okay. Listen up. The crew members of the Matsue are to be treated as guests on this ship. We all have questions,” he paused and considered his words, “and we’re going to get answers, but let’s keep it classy and fair.
“For those of you who are confused about our decision to retake the Kerwood, let me tell you why. The Matsue Conglomerate wanted to take our supplies, all the work we put our lives at risk to perform on Egeria-13. They were going to take our stores, and you were not going to get paid.
“Well, that doesn’t fly with me, many of you know this. I will not see our work be handed over to this ship that conveniently appeared right after a sabotage. Yes, I said sabotage. That wasn’t a freak accident, and someone is going to answer for what they have done. If you’re guilty, we will find out, but I offer terms to whomever did this, if you would but turn yourself in and save us the time.
“Come clean, and I promise you all I will do is hold you for the authorities back on Earth. If you force me to find you and take the coward’s way out, it won’t end well for you. Lastly, I need my chief engineer and Adelaide Bähr to meet me in the medbay, ASAP. Victor Sharapov and Marisol Vega, I need you there as well.” He replaced the intercom and rubbed his brow roughly with his hand.
“Mr. Schneider,” he announced, and Gauge turned expectedly. “You have the bridge until I return. This may be a lengthy interview, but maybe having Marisol there can make it quicker. Anyway, you have the bridge, just keep us on course while I deal with this slag.”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Days Until Home: 18
“When did your tracker start working?”
Adelaide looked up at the chief engineer of the Kerwood. Her hair cascaded like a weeping willow, and she was forced to part it with her gloved hands to see the concerned look on Jeremy’s face.
“Hey, ChEng,” Adelaide greeted him when their eyes met. “When I was monkeying with the EXT during our escape last week, I brushed against a fiber optic bundle and burned the slag outta my coveralls. Might’ve jolted it back to life.” Her eyes focused briefly on the piece of equipment she repaired, and she returned her attention to Jeremy. “Those were my favorite coveralls.”
Jeremy smiled. “You get zapped?”
Adelaide nodded. “Almost bit my slagging tongue off.”
“What’re you working on?”
Adelaide made no attempt to reveal what she was working on. Jeremy tried to peer through greasy locks of hair to see what she hunched over. He squinted and stared at Adelaide through narrowed eyes.
“Fine!” she declared with a huff. She swept her hair aside and leaned back to reveal a series of pipes and fiber optics.
Jeremy looked at the amalgamation of technology, and he couldn’t hide the fact that he had no idea what it was. “What is it?” he asked.
“Well,” Adelaide began, and then looked over her shoulder to the open doorway to main engineering. “When we burnt the thrusters out—”
“We?” Jeremy retorted.
Adelaide leaned back and crossed her arms over her chest. Jeremy waved his hand for her to continue.
“They burned through the chemical store we, uh, borrowed from the Matsue.”
Jeremy nodded. “We don’t have an easy way to decelerate when we get home.”
“We only depleted our supply of fluorine,” Adelaide explained. “We still have plenty of LOX and LH2.”
“Right,” Jeremy replied. “We can use the liquid oxygen and hydrogen we have for the environment to burn off the last of our acceleration once we get to Earth orbit.”
Adelaide rolled her eyes. “We’d be better off getting someone to kinetically decelerate us. I have another plan for some of our remaining LH2.”
“Better than keeping us from overshooting the Earth and wandering the inner planets until the food we stole from the Matsue runs out?”
“It’s more of an adaptation of an old side project, ChEng.”
“Why are you avoiding the question, Adelaide?”
“Because,” Adelaide hissed, “I don’t want the blue suits to get wind of this.”
Jeremy eyed the device on the tech bench. “Explain,” he demanded.
“It’s better if I just show you,” Adelaide whispered.
Jeremy crossed his arms and took a step back. “Maybe you should just tell me now.”
Adelaide smiled sheepishly. “I built a shower.”
Jeremy blinked. Once, twice, thrice. “A shower?”
“Yeah, um, Erika and I convinced Jessica and a few others to build it in in secret.”
“Why?” Jeremy demanded.
“Well, water is so strictly rationed, and we have so much LH2. Even storing it in storage pods on the outer hull to keep it cryo, we still lose some of it. No one notices that some of it gets diverted elsewhere. Sanitary wipes don’t always cut it, ya know?”
“Slag it, Adelaide, I know why you kept it a secret.” Jeremy rubbed the heels of his hands against his eyes. “What I want to know is why you didn’t you clue me in? I thought we were on the same team here.” Jeremy flailed his arms, stopped mid-gesticulation, and stared at his grimy skin below his rolled-up sleeves. They had run out of sanitary wipes a week ago, and a certain funk permeated the ship. It wasn’t as bad as that slagging contract to Titan, though. Eighty bodies stinking up the Kerwood led to more than one crew member to not renew his contract. The dozen or so bodies on the Kerwood now didn’t stink quite as bad, but… “Where is it?” he asked.
Adelaide mumbled something.
Jeremy narrowed his eyes. “Come again?”
“Aft Xenon storage tank.”
“Adelaide, I was in that space when we repaired that tank. There’s no shower there.”
Adelaide sighed. “Not in the space, ChEng, the tank.”
Jeremy leaned against a panel to gather his thoughts. An alarm sounded when his hip made contact with an open control app. He sighed and tapped the panel to reset the alarm. “How long has it been there?”
“Well—” Adelaide started to say, but she couldn’t meet Jeremy’s eyes.
Jeremy felt his blood pressure rise. “How long, Adelaide?”
“The dirty snowball contract.”
“When we harvested that comet?”
“Yeah, I got the idea when we made the cargo bay watertight. I liberated some of the sealant we used for the contract.”
“Adelaide,” Jeremy shouted, his anger overcoming his better reason, “that was two years ago!”