In the Void

by Sheryl Nantus

  “Bad night. Or day. Or whatever time it is.” His gaze flickered over to what she assumed was a clock. “I don’t even know how long you’ve been on board.”

  “It’s been busy.” She felt her cheeks begin to burn at the wakened memories.

  His smile was forced. “That’s the problem with space travel, it’s easy to get disoriented when it comes to time. Two days can seem longer because there’s no schedule here, no sunrise or sunset. We sleep when we can, eat when we can, and do what we want when we feel like it. It’s rough when we make landfall because we’re running full speed for two weeks almost nonstop as long as we’re willing to take appointments.” He paused to take a breath. “Some of the women don’t even sleep while we’re on base, or at least they don’t seem to. A lot of coffee and caffeine pills and they rush right on through to collapse when we get back into space. I usually end up giving out tranqs to get them some proper rest. It’s no good to grab a nap every now and then. You need a few solid hours of sleep at some point.”

  He was babbling to try and keep her from thinking of the battle outside the thin walls of the Belle, of the possible quick death from being blown into space like her friends had been.

  So long ago.

  Catherine blinked, trying to process the idea of so much happening in so little time. It seemed like weeks since she’d stepped onto the Belle, weeks since she’d been in bed with Sean, weeks since—

  “I—” Sean swallowed loudly. “I want to apologize.” He glanced upward. “I lied when I told Belle it was an ‘appointment.’ I slept with you because I wanted to.” He licked his lips. “I panicked because I was afraid of what I felt for you, what you did to me. I haven’t felt that way in years and couldn’t deal with it.” He gave her a sheepish smile. “I wanted to say all this to you in person but it seems Belle is getting fussy about who she lets break the rules.”

  The ship shuddered once, rocking from side to side. The overhead lights flickered, giving the room a warped and surreal look.

  A mechanical scream came over the speakers, deafening them both for a good ten seconds. Catherine covered her ears to try and drown out the high-pitched wail.

  She saw Sean talk but couldn’t make out the words. Her attention dropped to his lips, trying to read.

  Get ready to fight. If they come on board—

  The scream stopped abruptly.

  “Are you okay?” Sean yelled, louder than he needed to.

  “Yes.” She resisted the urge to grab onto the table for support. Unless it’d nailed itself down to the floor when she wasn’t looking, it was as much a danger to her as anything else in the room if the ship lost gravity.

  She didn’t call for Belle. If the ship had been compromised the last thing she needed to do was distract the AI.

  A loud click signaled the unlocking of her cabin door.

  Catherine charged at it and ran into the corridor.

  Everyone, it seemed, had the same idea.

  Sean jumped out of his own hatch to stand beside her. He hadn’t bothered with a shirt, wearing only the same tight jeans she’d seen earlier.

  Bianca stood next to Harry, her hand around his waist. She snuggled in closer to the dark-skinned man, her eyes wide with fear. He pulled her into his side and whispered something into her ear.

  April and Kendra stood in front of their own doors. April was balanced on the balls of her feet, rocking back and forth. Kendra crossed her arms and glared at all of them.

  “So much for staying in our cabins,” she said.

  “Please go to the galley.” Belle’s voice was strangely neutral. “Please go to the galley.”

  The organized stampede had Sean next to Catherine. She took his hand, grateful for the human touch.

  He didn’t have to say he was sorry. His face said it all.

  Sam and Daniel were already inside.

  Daniel sat at the table, staring off into space. He didn’t react to the courtesans’ entrance.

  Sam looked like hell. She wiped her face on the sleeve of her olive-green T-shirt, ignoring them as well. She stumbled to the control panel and punched at the buttons, almost blindly.

  The two of them looked like they’d run a marathon.

  Catherine swallowed hard, seeing the shock in the marshal’s face. Whatever had happened, it’d rocked him to the core and Sam wasn’t far behind.

  Jenny wasn’t anywhere to be seen.

  Jenny—

  Her grip on Sean’s hand tightened.

  He squeezed back, keeping a firm grip on her fingers.

  “What’s happened?” Kendra took the lead, stepping toward the captain.

  Sam grabbed the moist towels from the dispenser and walked toward Daniel.

  Kendra stepped in front of her, blocking the way.

  She looked at Kendra with a blank, numb expression.

  Kendra took both towels from her shaking hands. She dabbed at Sam’s cheek with one hot cloth, gently ministering to the captain. She didn’t speak, didn’t say anything.

  April stepped up behind Kendra. Without looking, the lead courtesan handed her the second towel.

  April moved toward the marshal, who kept staring at the wall. She sat down at the table opposite him and refolded the cloth into a small, compact square before placing it in front of Daniel. She gave a polite nod and sat back, waiting.

  Bianca bit down on her lower lip hard as she tugged Harry closer. He shook his head slowly, his eyes wide as he took in the scene.

  Catherine looked at Sean, who gave a slow shake of his head. Whatever had happened had been enough to traumatize both a military vet and a seasoned UNS marshal.

  Daniel picked up the towel and unfolded it before wiping his face.

  “When you’re ready,” Kendra murmured to Sam, “we’re here.” She continued to swab at Sam’s trembling fingers.

  Sam drew a shuddering breath and stood up straight, her muscles tensing up. She took the towel from Kendra and wiped down the back of her neck and hands.

  “Thank you,” she said.

  Kendra smiled and gave a slight bow before retreating to where the rest of the courtesans stood.

  April hadn’t moved, still sitting across from Daniel.

  Sam spoke first. “It was a full flight, five in total. Scout-sized, unmanned and all loaded to the hilt with explosives.” She looked down at the cloth. “We wouldn’t have had a chance if it weren’t for Jenny’s modifications and Etts.”

  “Daniel’s AI,” Sean reminded her in a whisper.

  “Jenny’s idea of dumping our garbage helped with two of them.” Sam smiled. “They slammed into the trash straight up, detonated on impact. They underestimated what the Belle could do to defend herself.”

  “The missiles went for the nearest solid object thinking it was the Belle,” Harry offered, looking at Bianca. “It’s standard issue for most military ships.”

  “But not for Mercy ships,” Sam continued. “Etts took out two more with his weapons. We—” she licked her lips, “—we watched from the cockpit while Belle took evasive maneuvers based on Etts’s orders. We zigged and zagged like a drunk trooper trying to get into the strip club.” She paused. “Sorry if we tossed anyone out of bed.”

  Daniel coughed and wiped his mouth with the towel.

  “But the last ship—” Sam looked at Daniel, who continued to ignore them. “Etts couldn’t target it. It was too fast and he was out of time.”

  “So what happened?” Bianca asked in a tiny voice. “We’re still here so he must have gotten the last drone. Right?”

  Sam opened her mouth but didn’t speak.

  “It killed Etts.” The low, dry voice startled them.

  Everyone turned toward Daniel who continued to stare at the wall. “Etts threw himself right in the path of the last dro
ne just before it hit us. It blew up my ship and killed Etts.”

  It was like setting off a shock grenade in the room.

  Sam crossed the room in a few steps to stand by Daniel. She wrapped her arms around the grieving marshal, who stayed seated, still focused on the wall.

  He turned toward her and returned the gesture, burying his face in her shirt. She lowered her head to place a kiss in his snow-white hair.

  April slid away from her chair and rejoined Kendra.

  No one spoke.

  Catherine moved closer to Sean, needing his body heat. It was as if the room’s temperature had dropped twenty degrees.

  It was only an AI.

  Wasn’t it?

  A small hatch in the ceiling opened to discharge Jenny, who dropped down into a crouch. Her grease-stained coveralls matched her face and hair, black smears under her eyes adding to the dark circles.

  She stood up with the speed of an elderly man, grimacing with each move.

  “Hi.”

  Her attention went from the gathered courtesans to the couple in the corner and back again to settle on Catherine and Sean. Jenny frowned as she took in the emotional scene, obviously confused as to what was going on.

  “I’ve assessed the damage. The explosion didn’t make as much mess as I’d first feared. A few microholes in the hull but nothing that won’t hold up until we make landfall. Welded some of the sheet metal we picked up to the spot and it’s good to go.” She wiped her hands on her knees. “Did Etts make it okay?”

  Her tone startled Catherine, as casual as if she were asking what was for dinner.

  “Well?” Jenny said, scanning the group.

  Sean gave a curt shake of his head.

  Daniel let out a heavy sigh, his face still buried in Sam’s shirt. Whether you believed AIs were alive or not, it was obvious the loss was having a devastating effect on the man.

  Sam stroked the back of his head and ran her fingers through the short cropped hair. She stayed silent but the pain on her face said it all.

  “That don’t make sense. Belle?” Jenny put her hands on her hips. “Belle?” Her voice rose to a yell. “Belle!”

  A low grinding noise came out of the speakers.

  They all looked up with expressions ranging from panic to curiosity.

  Except for Daniel and Sam. They remained in their own little cocoon, dealing with their loss.

  “Belle,” Jenny growled. “Get it in gear. Bring it back up. Like we talked about.”

  “A—ffirmative.” The AI sounded sluggish but aware.

  “Hold on.” Jenny went to one of the panels and popped it open with the help of a screwdriver. She reached inside and let out a loud grunt. “Rerouting now. That should do it.” She glanced upwards. “Come on. It’s no time to be shy.”

  Beeps and tweets shot out of the speaker, echoed off the black box clipped to the marshal’s waist.

  Daniel sprang to his feet and stared at the ceiling. “Etts?” He spun around, wearing a wide smile. “What did you do?”

  Jenny grinned and stuck her hands in her pockets. “I read an article in a tech magazine months ago about emergency retrievals of AIs. All theory but it seemed pretty sound at the time.” She scratched the back of her head. “Packed it away in my mind until now. Never tried a full archival process on an AI.” She giggled. “Guess it sorta worked.”

  The toots and chirps ended to be replaced by Belle’s gentle voice, now back up to speed. “Marshal LeClair?”

  “Yeah.” The man wasn’t crying but was darned close to it.

  “I have managed to isolate Etts in a partitioned area of my memory. He will be available to you and will remain secure for eventual transfer to another vessel once you are assigned one.” There was a pause. “I assume this is satisfactory?”

  “More than.” He charged at Jenny and swung her off her feet in a bear hug, twirling the little mechanic around. The woman let out a loud squeak as she spun with her boots flying at waist level.

  Sam put her hands on her hips and grinned. “Damned sweet trick, woman. Remind me to tell the Guild to give you a bonus when we’re out of all this.”

  “But—but without his ship we’re pretty well screwed, right?” Bianca said in a quiet voice. “That was our one line of defense and it’s gone.”

  Daniel put Jenny back on her feet. The mechanic wobbled but remained steady as he turned to the courtesan, his smile gone.

  “I’m afraid so. It was probably the plan all along, fight Etts to a standstill and then take him out. Best bet is they’ll try boarding us next to make sure the job’s done and done properly. They won’t take the chance we’ve got more chaff to toss their way and more tricks up our sleeve. The next one is likely to be up close and personal, if for no other reason than to make us pay for all the trouble we’ve caused them.”

  The mechanic smiled. “I’ve got some surprises for them if they try to come on board.” She rubbed her grime-covered hands together. “I’ll start setting things up. They won’t be coming through any place other than the main docking door in the landing bay.”

  “How did you manage that?” Harry asked. He swept a hand at the galley wall. “They could attach to any spot on the Belle and cut their way through.”

  Jenny plucked a tiny metal rod from her tool belt. “That’s true, to a degree. There’s only so many thin spots on the Belle where you can cut through without risking massive decompression on both ships. I’ve reinforced those with the salvage we picked up with the life pod and I’ve also rerouted the discharge ports to protect those spots.” She gave him a devilish grin. “I’ve also been tweaking with the magnetic field. It was the marshal’s idea. They won’t be able to get a clear attachment to the hull and their mag-boots won’t be able to keep a grip. Except where I want them to and that’ll be down there.”

  She pointed past them into the corridor and, by proxy, the landing bay. “In a nutshell, the only place they can board us is via the main hatch. Funnel the assholes into an area we can defend.”

  Daniel chuckled. “You’ve been around Sam too long. Picking up her bad habits.” He wagged a finger in the air. “Swearing too much.”

  Sam rolled her eyes. “Only when you’re involved.”

  Jenny shook her head. “I’m not letting anyone take this ship.” She jabbed a finger at her oil-stained chest. “Over my cold, dead body.”

  Catherine suppressed a shiver.

  “Let’s see if we can avoid that at all costs, okay?” Sam looked at the nearest speaker. “Belle, anything on sensors yet?”

  “No contacts,” Belle responded. “I must warn you my responses may be delayed due to the amount of resources dedicated to keeping the UNS AI secure.”

  “Understood. Max out the sensors as best you can, maybe ask Etts if he can help boost the signal. Any blips show up you let us know.” She rubbed the back of her neck. “Looks like it’s coming down to the line, folks. Let’s get ready to repel boarders.” Her attention went to Kendra. “May I ask everyone to bring their weapons here for assessment?”

  Catherine frowned at the delicate phrasing.

  Weapons?

  Kendra nodded before turning to the other crew members. “You heard the lady—bring ’em all out.”

  Sean released her hand. “Be back in a minute.” He joined the rest of the courtesans as they filed out of the galley.

  Weapons? On a Mercy ship? What the—

  Jenny, with the help of Daniel, climbed back into the vent. He grunted as she stepped up onto his intertwined hands.

  “I shall return,” she announced with a bold laugh before vanishing into the darkness.

  The room seemed much larger with just Sam, Daniel and Catherine inside. When it came down to it, the Belle wasn’t built for luxury.

  “I thought the Belle wasn’
t allowed to carry weapons.” Catherine looked at Sam.

  The captain perched herself on the edge of the table and crossed her arms. “True. The ship is unarmed other than what we’ve rigged up.”

  “But—” Catherine paused, seeing Sam’s upraised hand.

  “Watch and learn.” She gave a wan smile. “Never a boring day on the Bonnie Belle.”

  Daniel sat down and let out a low whistle. “Never thought I’d lose the Razor’s Edge.” He managed a half smile. “Kyle’s not going to let me live this down anytime soon.”

  “You should have left when I told you to.” Sam’s tone was soft but still firm. “You’d still have her.”

  “And I’d have lost you.” He took the captain’s hand and pressed it to his lips. “Ships can be replaced. You can’t.”

  Catherine turned away, giving them some privacy. She watched the hatch for any returning crew members.

  They returned in what looked like a parade of barbarians, all six carrying items she’d only read about or seen in movies.

  As each entered the galley, he or she went to the table and laid the weapons on the polished metal surface.

  Sam nodded with each delivery, a weary smile on her face mixed with a cynical look.

  Jenny dropped down with catlike stealth. Her contribution of a handful of small screwdrivers and knives didn’t seem very impressive until she unveiled a thick metal wrench almost the length of her arm.

  Harry raised an eyebrow as she placed it on the pile. “You know how to use that?”

  She gave him a dazzling smile. “You want to find out?”

  He raised both hands. “You’re full of surprises, missy.”

  Sean was the last to arrive, cradling what appeared to be a wooden cane with a large ball on one end. He grinned at her and swung it in front of him before leaning it against the table.

  Catherine glanced at the knives, throwing stars and brass knuckles spread across the table. One strange bladed item, looking like a small sickle, teetered on the top of the stack.

  She looked at Kendra. “Who are you people?”

  Kendra smiled. “We’re the crew of the Bonnie Belle.”