by Trevor Scott
The dual engines’ many copper gears churned silently under the noise of the turbines within its metal casing. The room was hot and sticky with the increased strain on the engine. It was beginning to seep out into the other chambers of the ship and the crew was miserable. Their sole shower was working overtime, using sound waves to reverberate the grime off their bodies at regular intervals. Ju-Long seemed to be the only one not having a problem with the humidity. He’d already grown quite accustomed to the steam put off by the engines.
“Keep an eye on it but take shifts with Nix. I can’t afford either of you to be out of commission. I shouldn’t have to remind you to eat and drink, should I?”
“Not as long as someone keeps the Leguma coming.”
Liam clapped him on the shoulder and nodded before taking his leave. He climbed the steep staircase to the cargo bay, taking note of the rushing purple energy overhead, and closed the hatch behind him. The metal latch was hot to the touch as he clicked it shut. They were halfway there, only one more day of hell to endure.
Liam hadn’t slept the night before. Perhaps it was a combination of Astrid inhabiting his quarters and Saturn’s attitude, but he didn’t feel much like sleeping. Instead, he wandered the ship fixing what he could. A loose coupling here or a blown fuse there. Some of the ship’s components were similar to technology on Earth, a fact that was surprising to Liam until he considered that some advances in technology must be similar regardless of where you are in the galaxy. Eventually, intelligent humanoids were going to invent heavier-than-air flight, even if the result looked far different.
Liam turned the corner to the cockpit’s corridor and bumped into Saturn. She wore a loose-fitting cloth top whose white fibers clung to her soaked body. Her hair was frazzled with long strands breaking free of her ponytail and sticking to her cheeks. Liam couldn’t help himself and he tried to suppress a laugh. She avoided eye contact and skirted around him, taking off toward the living quarters. It seemed the humidity didn’t agree with her either.
It wasn’t just Saturn who was acting distant. Nix had spent most of his time in the kitchen splayed out in a chair, trying to keep cool. He didn’t have sweat glands but his scaled skin still looked wet and drool dripped from his mouth like a dog. When Liam asked him how he was sweating, he said he’d poured a pitcher of water over himself.
Astrid was another story. She’d been in the engine room with Ju-Long for hours before she finally couldn’t take the heat and retreated to Liam’s living quarters. Liam didn’t want to know what they were doing down there so he steered clear.
Liam continued on to the cockpit. As he passed the kitchen, he saw Nix taking a sip of a clear liquid and by the Dinari’s wince, Liam guessed it wasn’t water. He continued on and took the pilot’s seat. He began examining the readings from the Reapers. This was probably the closest anyone had ever been to one while still being able to talk about it. Liam felt like they had an obligation to store as much information in their memory banks as possible.
The Reapers had maintained their distance of one million miles. It was impressive that the Kurazon ships could keep up with them for so long. It made Liam wonder if their ships were having the same kind of trouble as The Garuda. Liam brought up a hologram of the Kurazon ships and The Garuda, the stars passing by in the image. He put his hand up to the hologram and zoomed in on the two Kurazon vessels. They were sleek and shaped like long arrowheads, bearing almost no resemblance to the patchwork ships Liam had seen before. When Liam zoomed in further on one of them, he noticed a deep dent in the shiny hull from where it had been struck by debris. Liam took note. It was a weak spot in an otherwise immaculate ship.
“What are you looking at?” Nix asked.
Liam turned his head and saw the dazed Nix staring at the orange hologram. He looked like he could hardly stay on his feet.
“One of the Reapers took some damage from the moon fragments.”
Nix collapsed into the co-pilot’s seat and slurred, “It won’t matter. Destroying two Reapers is a fool’s errand. It can’t be done.”
Liam frowned. It was clear Nix had been drinking, but he wasn’t entirely wrong either. The only ship to defeat a Reaper was The Garuda, but in the same token, that was one ship. They’d barely managed to escape before and now the circumstances wouldn’t be as favorable for them. In an open battle they’d be toast.
“How much have you had to drink?”
“I don’t know what happened,” Nix mumbled. “There I was having one glass of Thecla and then boom. I can’t feel my lips.”
“You don’t have lips.”
“Well I’m glad I can’t feel them, then!”
Liam stood up from the pilot’s seat and helped Nix to his feet. He said, “Come on big guy, let’s get you some water and put you to bed. You’re too dehydrated to be drinking liquor and I need you in pristine condition tomorrow. That means no more booze.”
“No more?”
“None.”
“No more,” Nix said with a sigh before poking Liam’s scar with a clawed finger. “How’d you get this, anyway?”
Liam batted the Dinari’s hand away and replied, “It was a long time ago. It’s nothing.”
“Have I told you you’re my best friend?” Nix garbled. “No, more than that. You’re my brother. And brothers, we stick together.”
Liam had seen Nix drunk on several occasions since they first met, but he usually kept to himself, brooding uselessly in a corner. This was a different side of him to say the least. It pained him to admit that Nix the funny drunk wasn’t so bad.
“That’s right, we do,” Liam said, leading Nix into the kitchen and drawing him a glass of water from a small nozzle on the wall.
Liam put the glass up to the Dinari’s mouth and started pouring slowly onto his tongue. Nix took several gulps before being unable to swallow any more. He spat up, liquid trickling down the sides of his mouth. Nix wiped his chin, his expression changing from drunken bliss to depression in an instant. Liam sighed. Just when he thought drunk Nix wouldn’t be so bad.
“Why is she here, Liam? She can’t be here. The Heiress is dangerous.”
Liam regarded his Dinari friend with a look of confusion and asked, “The Heiress? Who are you talking about?”
His golden eyes grew, nearly popping from his head, and he exclaimed, “The Ansaran. The Heiress will inherit the Alliance. She has terrible powers. Frightening. She can’t be allowed to lead them!”
Liam started trying to push Nix out of the kitchen and into the hall, but the Dinari wouldn’t have it. He grabbed Liam with his good hand and regarded him with a look he almost mistook as sober. He was serious. Something about this woman had him spooked. Liam said, “You can’t be talking about Astrid. You’ve seen her. She’s anything but frightening.”
“I saw The Heiress manipulate Ragnar. I saw her kill three Dinari in an instant with nothing more than her charm. The Ansaran will kill us all!”
“Let’s get you to bed,” Liam said. “We’ll talk about this in the morning.”
Liam half dragged Nix back to his quarters, with the Dinari yelling obscenities about The Heiress the whole way. He couldn’t possibly be talking about Astrid. Killing someone with charm? The notion was ridiculous. Astrid didn’t hold that kind of power over—
Liam stopped outside Nix’s quarters. Astrid had gotten close to Liam and now she was getting close to Ju-Long. If Astrid was anything, she certainly was charming. Liam placed his hand on the square pad and opened Nix’s chambers, plopping him down on the thin mat on the floor. He rolled the Dinari on his side and left him there to sleep it off.
28
Liam stood in the hallway outside Nix’s quarters, running through his prior interactions with Astrid. She’d had plenty of opportunities to kill him if she really did have the kind of power to which Nix was referring. Still, something didn’t sit right with him. Liam started toward the cargo bay, his footsteps resounding off the curved metal walls.
When he arrived, th
e door to the engine room was still firmly shut. Liam put a hand on the handle and immediately removed it, the sear of scorching heat sending white-hot pain through his nerves. It was far too hot. When he’d left before it was a fraction of the temperature.
Liam removed his cloth shirt and began wrapping his hand until it was thick and bulbous. He quickly pressed down on the handle, bracing his forearm with his free hand, until finally the lever gave way. When the door opened, a burst of steam came rushing past him. Liam released his grip and moved to the side to avoid the brunt of it.
He descended the stairs quickly, the heat from the engine room fire against his skin. Liam called Ju-Long’s name through the dense mist. There was no reply. He moved faster now, blocking the steam from his eyes as best as he could but failing to keep his eyeballs from heating far beyond the level of comfort.
Liam tripped over something solid and fell to the floor. Ju-Long’s body lay lifeless on the metal grates, sweat covering his skin which was burned from the hot steam. Liam came up to one knee and lightly slapped his crewmate’s face. He yelled, “Ju-Long, wake up buddy. Don’t do this.”
There was no response. Liam cursed and flipped the muscular man onto his back so he was lying face up. He lifted Ju-Long up by his armpits and began to drag his heavy body toward the staircase. If they made it through this, Liam was going to have to get on him about slimming down.
“Ju-Long?” A voice cried from the top of the stairs. “Is anyone down there?”
“Here,” Liam shouted. “I need some help down here.”
Feet clanked down the steep staircase and a disheveled Saturn appeared.
“What the hell happened?” she shrieked.
“Just help me get him upstairs!”
Saturn nodded and picked up Ju-Long’s legs. The steam made keeping a grip on his sweaty body a challenge. After several minutes, they were able to finagle Ju-Long’s dead weight up the stairs and drag him away from the entryway. Liam hovered over his body, pressing two fingers on his neck and trying to find a pulse.
“It’s there but it’s weak,” Liam said. “Get some water, we need to get him cooled down.”
“Right,” Saturn said before disappearing down the corridor toward the kitchen.
Liam examined the burns on Ju-Long’s face and chest. They could have been a lot worse. In time they should heal without issue, but that’s not what worried him. Nix was supposed to have traded out with Ju-Long, so there’s no telling how long he was down there. He would have lost a lot more than water. He would need to replace the salts he’d sweated out.
Saturn returned with a large bucket of cool water and handed it to Liam.
“Do we have any Leguma left?”
Saturn said, “I think so, why?”
“Just grab some, even if it’s cold. I need something salty.”
“I’ll see what I can find.”
Saturn moved once again toward the kitchen while Liam turned his attention back to Ju-Long. Liam propped up his head and first poured a little water down his forehead before getting some in his mouth. Ju-Long wasn’t swallowing any so Liam turned his head to the side so it could spill out. He was going to have to go intravenously.
Liam set the bucket down and went to find the medical kit. He opened the top and found a glass bottle with a tube hanging from it. It looked like something he would have found on Earth before plastics were invented, but it would have to do. Liam returned to the bucket and poured a small amount of water into the glass container.
Saturn arrived with a bowl of Nix’s special orange soup he affectionately called Leguma. Liam gestured for her to set it down. He handed her the glass bottle and ordered, “Take this and keep it elevated.”
Liam removed the bundled shirt from his hand and tossed it to the floor next to him. He quickly found a vein near the crook of Ju-Long’s elbow and did his best to hit it. A spurt of blood shot out of his arm and Liam cursed, holding pressure over it with his thumb and retracting the needle. Ju-Long’s arm was too red with blood to make out his veins. Liam let go and decided to make another attempt on the other arm.
“Take a deep breath,” Saturn said. “You’ve got this.”
Liam nodded and breathed out, carefully inserting the needle into Ju-Long’s arm. He took a strip of cloth from his shirt and lightly tied it around Ju-Long’s arm to keep the IV in place, and then wrapped up his other arm where he’d missed the vein, tightening it over the wound and soaking up the dripping blood.
Liam picked up the bowl of Leguma and picked out one of the Nerva plants. The long seaweed-like plant acted as a good spoon when folded in half. He scooped up a small amount of the orange broth and dripped it into Ju-Long’s mouth, several drops missing and trickling down his square chin.
“He’s not responding,” Saturn said, half to herself.
Liam checked Ju-Long’s pulse again. It was still weak, but getting stronger. Liam continued to drip the broth into Ju-Long’s mouth slowly until his mouth closed. The muscular Asian man shot bolt upright and gripped his neck, fingernails scratching at it. He breathed out a puff of air, unable to form words.
Liam smiled and turned to Saturn. “Where did you get this?”
“I don’t know. I guess it was on Nix’s shelf.”
“You know he waters it down for us, right?”
Small tears formed around Ju-Long’s eyes and then poured down his face. He tried to speak several times before being able to breathe out, “Trying to kill me?”
•
Liam taped the glass IV to the wall next to Ju-Long’s bedroll and helped him into a comfortable position. Ju-Long winced as his back hit the mat.
“Do you remember what happened?” Liam asked. “Was anyone else down there with you?”
Ju-Long looked to the ceiling and closed his eyes. He replied, “There was you, and Saturn, and Astrid.”
“What happened with Astrid?”
“A gentleman never tells.”
“It’s a good thing you’re not a gentleman.”
Ju-Long looked disappointed and said, “Nothing happened. It was too hot in the engine room and I couldn’t leave, so she left.”
“This is important, I need you to remember. Did she say or do anything to you that seemed weird or off in some way?”
“She was just being her old charming self. You know her.”
Liam did know her, despite only meeting her days ago. That was the problem. He left Ju-Long to rest and moved to the door. He told his crewmate, “I’m going to lock you in, but if you need anything, use this intercom to communicate.”
Liam tossed Ju-Long a small earpiece. He caught it and inserted it carefully into his ear, grimacing and clutching his side when he finished. Liam exited the room and put his hand up to the square pad. The white pad turned red and he heard a distinct click from somewhere inside the door.
Ju-Long might not have been able to articulate it, but there was definitely something to Nix’s suspicions. For that matter, whatever vibe Saturn had gotten off her might have been accurate as well. All Liam knew for sure was that he had a number of questions to ask their Ansaran guest.
29
Liam and Saturn stood in the living quarters, hovering over a sleeping alien body. Liam raised up a bucket of cold water and splashed it over the top of the bed’s occupant, eliciting frightened screams. Saturn gripped her energy weapon tighter in her hand while Liam said, “You’ve got some explaining to do.”
The alien’s head shook, sending flecks of water all around. They gazed up at Liam bearing a look of confusion.
“I was sleeping,” Nix yelled.
“So is Ju-Long. It was all we could do to put him to bed after what happened.”
Water continued to drip from Nix’s face, his brown cloak soaked through to his scales. His eyes were marked with confusion, darting around the room, calculating.
“Ju-Long is hurt?”
Liam nodded and confirmed, “Almost died, possibly, thanks to you.”
“What do you me
an?”
Saturn chimed in, “Tell us everything about The Heiress.”
The Dinari’s golden eyes stretched wide and his mouth froze, slightly ajar. He said to himself, “Gods, what have I said?”
Liam picked Nix up by his soggy cloak and pressed him against the wall.
“I don’t have time for this. Is Astrid this Heiress person, or does she hold the same power?”
“The Caretaker of Taleris is Astrid’s uncle, meaning her father would be someone high ranking on Ansara. If not her, then maybe she’s The Heiress’ sister or cousin. I’ve only met the two Ansaran females, they keep them guarded.”
“Why?” Saturn asked. “Are they afraid of them?”
“Only a small percentage of Ansarans born are female. They prize them. The disparate ratio of men to women is a result of tampering with their genetic structure. You saw Xara on Surya’s moon. He was a monster.”
Liam released Nix’s shirt and eyed him coldly. He seethed, “This is exactly the kind of thing we need to know about before it escalates. When we get out of this, you’re going to tell me everything you know.”
Nix nodded meekly. He appeared genuinely ashamed to have withheld knowledge. Even if he had his reasons, they were part of the same crew. If they couldn’t trust one another, who could they trust? It was like working for Vesta Corporation all over again.
“We’re going to pay our Ansaran friend a visit.”
Nix’s face turned grave and nodded. He said, “Let me help. What do you need me to do?”
“I need you to be your normal, Ansaran-hating self. The gloves are coming off.”
Saturn shot him a surprised look that quickly turned into a smile. Liam had seen that look before, but not since their last protection job. She was turned on.
•
Saturn held her palm over the square scanner and the door to Liam’s quarters opened. She raised her energy weapon, a ball of energy pulsing between the crescent tips, Liam and Nix following suit. The room was empty.