On the airfield, the gathered colonists were startled by the sudden static burst that preceded Nickie’s twenty-minute warning when it boomed from the ship’s speakers. Grim caught Keen’s eye and nodded toward the ship.
Keen was finding it hard to say goodbye—or rather, he was finding it difficult to say goodbye to so many people at once. He was swamped by hugs and handshakes, and his heart swelled with the warm wishes he was receiving from the friends he’d made over the years.
Grim hooked one of his arms through Keen’s and extracted him from the knot of people surrounding him. “If you’re coming, it’s time to go. Nickie doesn’t joke. If she said she’ll leave without us, then she will leave without us.”
Keen grinned and allowed Grim to tug him toward the ramp. “I’ll be back, and I’ll have a story and a half for you all.” He paused at the top of the ramp to wave one last time to the colonists, who all waved and called their goodbyes once more. He scanned the faces below, regretful that Raynard hadn’t been there to see them off. “Hey, Grim, did Addie come aboard yet? I can’t see her or Raynard anywhere.”
Grim shook his head. “I haven’t seen her since she went to find Raynard, but we still have a few minutes for her to get here.”
Keen hesitated and looked out over the airfield again.
“Come on. She’ll be here if she’s coming.” Grim headed into the ship.
Keen took one last look at the colony and set off after the Yollin.
Adelaide clung tightly to Raynard in the dimly-lit room. “This is a far cry from the storage cupboard,” she teased, attempting to lessen the sting of their parting.
Nickie’s boarding call blared across the airfield, drowning Raynard’s reply.
Adelaide disentangled herself from the sheets and slid out of the bed. “That’s my final call, so I have to go.” She leaned over kissed him one last time and grabbed her coverall, hopping from one foot to another as she dressed. “I’m glad we didn’t leave things unresolved.”
Raynard’s satisfied smile melted into something altogether more pensive. “I’m going to miss you. This all came out of the blue.”
Adelaide looked up from lacing her boots. “It really didn’t. But I’ll be back before either of us knows it, and we can talk about it then, okay?”
His forlorn expression brought a hot sting to her eyes, but she remained resolute. Raynard had made his choice, and it was the right one. She just wouldn’t be a woman who sat around waiting for a man. She refused to waste her life that way. She had her own gifts to explore, and her own path to forge. She was leaving with Nickie, and no amount of sadness from Raynard could mute the quiet joy she felt at the knowledge that she was leaving the colony behind for however long the trip took.
Raynard’s eyes shone as brightly as Adelaide’s. “I wish you weren’t going.”
“And I wish you were coming with me.” Adelaide released him and held him at arm’s length. “You understand that this is what I have to do for myself, right?”
Raynard nodded sadly. “Of course I understand! I really do. It just hurts that our paths are taking us in different directions.” He captured her hands. “You know I love you, Addie. I’m sorry I’ve been so cold since the attack. I’m sorry I’ve wasted our time together.”
“It is what it is,” she told him gently, then pulled her hands away, grabbed her bag, and hurried to the door before the tears overwhelmed her. “I love you too, and I’ll be back. Maybe the distance will remind us to appreciate each other. It’s not goodbye, just au revoir, sweetie.” She smiled and blew Raynard a kiss from the doorway. “You make sure to look after yourself, do you hear me? Everyone needs you to stay strong and lead well.”
Aboard the Penitent Granddaughter
Nickie was still feeling less than hospitable, but she had to admit that the pre-mission vibe was contagious. Grim and Keen were laughing and swapping stories for Durq’s wide-eyed entertainment while Nickie made the final-final preparations for liftoff and John sat quietly in the chair nearest hers observing the performance.
Keen recounted an especially disgusting anecdote about an alien world he’d visited in his youth where they used psi-trickery to lure in males of all species. “My crew only just escaped with our balls intact. I was lucky enough to have been thinking a lot about a particular woman at the time, and there was no way she could have been there, so we hightailed it out of there.”
John nudged her with his elbow. “Was that almost a smile?”
Nickie glowered at him. “Fuck off and smile at yourself.”
John grinned. “I could…but don’t you need the coordinates to our destination?”
“You can give Meredith the coordinates. What I need is for Adelaide to hurry her ass up so we can get going already. Time’s a-wastin’. Grim, is she aboard yet?”
“Why does everyone keep asking me?”
“I can go look for her,” John offered.
“Adelaide has just boarded the ship,” Meredith informed them from the speaker. “The final launch sequence is complete, so we’re good to go as soon as everyone is securely in their seats.
Keen cut his story short and he and Grim got to strapping themselves into their harnesses while Durq did the same.
An out-of-breath Adelaide hurtled onto the bridge a minute or two later. “I’m here, I’m here!”
Nickie raised an eyebrow. “Nice of you to join us.”
“Sorry I was almost late.” She dashed over to the remaining empty chair and strapped in.
Nickie took in her rumpled clothing, hastily-done hair, and the stubble rash along her jawline. “As long as it was worth it.”
Grim was delighted. “You and Raynard made up?”
Adelaide blushed and looked down to adjust her restraints. “Uh-huh.”
Nickie smirked. “Then it wasn’t a wasted minute. Now let’s go find a magical plant. Meredith, take us up.”
Adelaide and Keen exchanged a glance as the Granddaughter lifted off. Their eyes were bright with the prospect of adventure mixed with the bittersweet sadness of leaving their home behind.
Chapter 11
Nickie
Rebus Quadrant, Aboard the Penitent Granddaughter, Mess
Nickie grabbed the dish of mixed vegetables and passed it to Keen, who was waving at her from a few seats down to get next dibs on the veggies. She took the platter he offered in return and piled her plate with meat.
“I hope you didn’t just take everything but the greens,” Grim admonished. “After I put all that effort into them just so you would eat some.”
Nickie smirked and cut into a chop. “Do you see any on my plate? I’m happy with what I’ve got here, thanks.”
Grim shook his head sadly as he filled his plate from another dish. “Heathen.”
Nickie waved her fork. “Food is food. As long as it’s edible, it will do. I’m just not that fussy.”
Grim laughed. “If you want to put it that way.”
Nickie grinned. “Food’s good, Grim. Thanks, you’re the best.”
Grim put a hand to his chest and pretended to swoon. “All the compliments—it’s too much!”
Nickie leaned over and slapped his arm. “Don’t be such an ass, Grim.”
Adelaide’s chuckle was quieter as she worked her way through her food. “It’s nice to all eat together. Makes it a bit easier to be away from home.”
Nickie laughed. “It’s a change from sitting by myself in my chair on the bridge. I didn’t even know this place existed. I thought the only mess on the ship was the one I leave in my wake.”
The house bots can definitely attest to that, Meredith piped up. Lefty says if you don’t start hanging up your wet towels he’s going to file a complaint.
Grim noticed Nickie’s faraway expression. “What’s Meredith saying.”
“Nothing,” Nickie denied.
“Not true,” Meredith informed them via the ship speakers. “I was merely confirming the truth of Nickie’s statement about her slovenly housekeepin
g.”
“We don’t need it confirmed,” Grim replied. “We live with her. We know.”
Nickie huffed. “I’m sitting right here! I take back my compliment, Grim. You suck.”
John finished loading his plate and came to sit across from her. “This is all fantastic, Grim. It’s so damn good to eat something cooked with care after so long on rations.”
“They’re going to miss you on the colony, my friend,” Keen agreed.
Grim beamed with pleasure. “I’ve got to say, it was nice to cook for people who understand the difference between a meal I spent the whole day preparing and a can of cold beans.”
Nickie looked up from her plate and pointed her fork at him. “I never said that. I said that when you’re hungry, it doesn’t matter where the calories come from. You all should be grateful that we evolved beyond needing blood to survive. That shit would not be pretty at mealtimes, let me tell you.”
“Who is ‘we?’” Durq inquired in a trembling voice.
Grim put a hand out to comfort him. “Nickie is referring to the enhanced humans of the Federation, Durq.”
Durq’s fork landed on his plate, forgotten. “Like Ranger Two? When I was a Skainlet, the older Skaines told stories about the Ranger that gave me nightmares. If she came, Skaines died.” He picked up his fork to resume eating. “Not that they probably didn’t deserve it.” He went on to tell them about a distant relative. “She must have been feeling merciful that day since she only arrested my uncle and his cohort. The few who survived her massacre, anyway.”
Nickie thought the story sounded familiar, but Durq’s take on it was far bloodier than the one she’d read in her aunt’s diary. “You can bet they deserved whatever she gave them,” she assured Durq. “My Aunt Tabitha always knew a scumbag when she saw one, and apart from you, I’ve never met a Skaine who wasn’t a scumbag.”
Durq shrugged and looked down at his food. “That’s true. I’ve met a lot more Skaines than you, and none have ever treated me with the kindness you have.”
Keen slapped the table and guffawed. “That reminds me of the time I visited this planet full of these pod-like creatures. We came across them on a jungle trek when we were lost, out of comm range, and low on supplies. When we saw them we thought they were fruit and went to cut them down, only the suckers spit nasty, foul-smelling gunk all over us. You can guess we weren’t too pleased by that.” He wrinkled his nose at the memory.
John clapped Keen on the back. “I feel for you. There was this delegation that visited our planet to trade with us. Beautiful, and I mean beautiful, women. Every one of them. I was their chaperone while their queen met with my parents. I wanted to take them to the theater, shopping—all the things women like.”
“Women all like that stuff, huh?” Nickie interjected. “You do know that we all have distinct personalities? Makes me wonder if you’d even know what to do with a woman if one looked past your flaws.”
“I have flaws? You’ll have to tell me what they are so I can try to get you to look past them.” John fixed her with a lopsided grin. “It’s neither here nor there, but you’re welcome to do so.”
Nickie snorted. “In your dreams. So, what happened with the delegation?”
John waved a hand. “Oh, I took them out to the forest like they wanted and they transformed into arachnids and tried to eat me. All I had was my belt knife and my will to survive. My father wasn’t very happy with me when I turned up at the palace covered in blood and spider silk. Of course, when he realized I’d uncovered an assassination plot, he calmed down some.”
Nickie snickered, and Adelaide giggled a little.
John winked at them. “True story, every word.”
Nickie listened to them banter back and forth for her and Adelaide’s amusement as she ate. Grim threw in a couple of anecdotes too, although his were a little drier than either Keen’s or John’s. She hadn’t wanted any of this, so she had to wonder why she didn’t completely hate the easy rhythm they were beginning to settle into with the help of Grim’s good cooking.
How are you feeling about the intrusion now?
Why do you always want to know how I’m feeling? I’m fine, obviously.
The time lock on your aunt’s next diary entry has expired.
Nickie considered leaving to read it immediately. She even went so far as pushing her chair back to stand, but then a fresh wave of laughter went around the group in response to whatever Keen had just said. I think I’ll wait until after dinner, Mere.
Meredith paused a beat before replying, That’s fine, Nickie. It will be there when you’re ready.
John leaned over with a bottle in his hand. “Top up?”
Nickie held out her glass and grinned at his slightly flushed cheeks. “It was decent of you to bring this over from your ship.”
Grim held up his own glass. “It was more than decent. This is damn good wine. Of course, the sugar content could be higher, but human vintners all seem to prefer these dryer varietals.” He paused a moment. “Hey, I don’t suppose you have anything like amaretto in your stash? Oh, the things I could do with that…” Grim was lost in fantasies of desserts.
John refilled Adelaide’s glass and inclined his head. “Only the best for the two most beautiful women on the…” He looked around, his face reddening further. “Well, on the ship. Damn, that was so much smoother in my head.” He sat down and shrugged. “It’s the good wine, good food, and good company.”
That brought amicable chuckles from them all, and the pockets of conversation resumed.
Nickie eyed him carefully as she sipped her drink. “You know that trying to be smooth rarely results in success, right?”
John raised his hands in supplication to Nickie. “A man has to try.”
Nickie wagged a finger. “No, he doesn’t. They should teach you that shit in prince school, or whatever. But you can bring wine whenever you like.” She lifted her glass and snickered at the look of confusion he wore as he tried to work out the sting in her reply.
John started to speak a couple of times before he gave up and shook his head. “No, you’ve lost me. Are you saying bring wine, and don’t try too hard?”
Nickie sighed. “No. I’m saying don’t try at all. But yes, you should definitely bring wine while you’re not trying.” She stood and gathered the empty plates. “And just to prove I’m not such a terrible housekeeper, I’m going to take care of the dishes.” She looked pointedly at Grim before she stalked out with them.
They heard her mutter as she left, “Can’t be that difficult. It’s just soap and hot water…”
Grim got up to follow her. “I’d better go help.”
Durq smirked. “She doesn’t know about the dishwasher, does she?”
Grim cackled as he left. “Why would she? She only comes into the galley to raid the food stores.”
Adelaide smiled. “It’s the thought that counts. Come on, let’s all help.”
An hour later Nickie dragged her tired feet into her quarters. She’d said goodnight and left everyone to finish up in the galley, unable to resist the siren call of her Aunt Tabitha’s diary entry any longer.
She activated the light and took a step back. Meredith, what the fuck?
Her cold, hard slab of a bed had been topped with a thick mattress. She went straight to the bed and lifted the soft blanket, which was also new. What is all this? Where did it come from?
Ah, yes. John had it brought from the Briar Rose. It’s new and unused. I checked before I let Grim bring it in here.
Nickie didn’t know what to say. As much as she hated to admit it, John’s gift was actually pretty thoughtful. She wondered why she felt the need to be such a bitch with him when he’d treated her with nothing but respect.
Are you okay? You’ve gone very quiet.
She heard the concern in Meredith’s question. I’m fine. Just tired, that’s all. She changed out of her coveralls and shook out the blankets before getting into her bed. Oh, wow. That’s just…
How is it?
Nickie stretched out and snuggled into the pillows. Can’t talk right now, too comfy. She closed her eyes for a moment and savored the luxury. Mere?
Yes, Nickie?
Having everyone on the ship…it’s not as bad as I expected. She stared at the ceiling, unseeing. I’m not saying it’s great, but I thought I’d have spaced them all already for pissing me off, and instead, we all had an okay dinner.
It was good to see you laughing again.
Nickie turned that over in her thoughts for a moment. I suppose it felt good to laugh. I’m even starting to look forward to the mission a little bit. I don’t know how I’m going to work with them all, but I’m going to try.
So you’re coming around to the idea that isolating yourself isn’t the way to move forward?
Whoa, that got deep fast. All I’m saying is that I want to succeed in the mission. Don’t have to read so much into it.
If you say so.
I do say so. I also say it’s time to read my Aunt Tabitha’s journal entry before I fall asleep.
Chapter 12
Tabitha
K’nthel System, Zaphod, QBS Achronyx, Armory
The information they’d wrung from Tallinger had brought them to a spot above one of the many temples of Zaphod. Tabitha glanced at the console screen as she strapped on her weapons.
This temple below was a far cry from the lovingly-crafted monuments Tabitha had seen so far. Even with the approaching twilight to soften it the lines of the building were harsh and unforgiving. “Um, guys? It looks more like a prison compound than a place anyone gets taken care of.”
Hirotoshi agreed. “I believe this temple’s isolation is not accidental.”
Tabitha grunted with frustration and banged her hand on the console. “I wish Achronyx wasn’t in hiding. He gets so much more out of the scanners.”
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