by S. J. Bryant
"Maybe because I didn't want anyone coming in."
Tension poured off Ryker and Aydin in thick waves that filled the corridor.
On the other side of the two big men she could just see Piper peeking out from her room. No surprise, the noise the two were making was enough to shake the floor.
"Whoa, okay," Kari said. "Ryker, apologize for entering his room."
Ryker spun on her, mouth gaping. "What? But I needed the tools so that I could fix that damn support you've been harassing me about."
Kari glared at him. It was fine for Ryker to talk to her as an equal in private, but not in front of guests; they had to believe that she had absolute control. Ryker should know better than that. "Ryker!"
His eyes flashed and a muscle in his jaw twitched. "I'm sorry I went into your room. Even though I needed to, and I knocked."
Kari stopped herself from rolling her eyes. It was better than nothing. "Now, Aydin," she said. "Apologize for overreacting."
Aydin didn't look at her, didn't stop glaring at Ryker. "I'll do no such thing."
Kari's heart fluttered. This was it. If she was going to maintain control of her ship, then she needed to be in charge here. She strode forward, shouldered Ryker out of the way, and glared up at Aydin, forcing him to look at her. "That cargo is legal?"
"Taylor already told you that."
"Right, so whatever the hell you were doing in your room is not worth killing over." She gestured to the gun in his hand. "Therefore, you overreacted and Ryker deserves an apology for having a gun shoved in his face."
Aydin's steel gray eyes showed nothing.
"Hey," Taylor said, stepping forward. "Hey, let's all calm down. You're sorry, aren't you, Aydin?"
"No."
Kari placed a hand on the gun at her belt. "I'm happy to throw you out if you're going to cause trouble on my ship." She'd never actually spaced someone before, but she could do it if she had to. Probably.
"Whoa, no need for that, Captain," Taylor said. "Is there, Aydin?"
Aydin's lips thinned. Taylor laid a hand on his shoulder. "Say you're sorry."
"Sorry," Aydin said, with all the authenticity of a used-ship salesman.
Kari nodded once, then turned to Ryker. "Did you get the tools?"
"No. That maniac got—"
"Get them," Kari said.
Ryker pushed past Aydin into the small room.
"That's my space," Aydin said with bared teeth. "I paid for it."
"And I'd be happy to reimburse you for the interruption," Kari said. "Except that you pulled a gun on one of my crew. So I guess we'll call it even."
"Sounds fair," Taylor said. "Very fair. It won't happen again."
"And I'll make sure to clear it with you personally if we need access to either of your rooms," Kari said.
"Good," Taylor said. "It's settled then."
Ryker returned to the corridor with a bag of tools.
"Why don't we all have a nice cold drink?" Taylor said.
Aydin shrugged Taylor's hand from his shoulder. "I don't want a drink." He turned and stormed into his room, slamming the door behind him.
Everyone in the corridor shared a look before shuffling toward the dining room. Ryker fell into step with them, apparently the broken support would need to wait a little longer for him to fix it. Not that Kari could blame him, she probably wouldn't feel like doing manual labor after having a gun pressed to her stomach either.
"Don't worry about him," Taylor said. "He's alright, just a bit of a hothead."
Kari lingered by Piper's door as the others disappeared around the corner. "Are you coming?"
Piper shook her head, ducking deeper into her room. "I don't like him."
"No, me neither," Kari said, studying Aydin's door. If he caused that kind of trouble just because Ryker went into his room, what else might set him off? She did not need that kind of volatility on her ship.
Oh well, she'd just make sure everyone stayed out of his way, and hopefully they'd make it to Ferion unscathed.
CHAPTER 3
Two days after leaving Ryevo, Atticus sat with his tools spread out on the dining table, cogs and gears dotted between. He held up his current work in progress, a tiny clockwork duck that could be wound up so that it moved its flat-footed legs.
"That's a beauty," Taylor said.
"Not my own design, unfortunately," Atticus said, turning the tiny gear on the duck's side and setting it on the table so that it could waddle along the length. "I saw it at a market on Parakush."
"Parakush?" Taylor said. "That's a long way from here."
"I travel," Atticus said with a shrug. In truth, he preferred not to think about his time on Parakush. He'd still been with the Imperium forces then and it had been ugly. That brief respite in the market stall was the best memory he had of the whole year, and what did he have to show for it? A metal duck.
The duck reached the end of the table and fell over the edge. It clattered to the metal floor with a loud crack.
"Whoa!" Taylor said, standing and rushing to pick it up.
"Don't worry," Atticus said. "I made it tough."
"That you did," Taylor said, holding the duck high. "Not even a dent."
"You can keep that one."
Taylor grinned. "And what will it cost me?"
Atticus returned the smile. "You'll have to buy the first round when we get to Ferion." He'd enjoyed having Taylor on board and was going to miss the other man when they got to the drop-off point. It was nice to have someone else around who'd traveled and seen planets and systems outside of Raxis. It gave a certain broad perspective that Atticus sometimes found missing in Kari and Ryker, as much as he enjoyed their company.
"Deal!" Taylor said as he sat and placed the metal duck on the table in front of him. "Although I think you lose this one because the drinks on Ferion are cheap."
"Then perhaps you should buy two rounds?"
"Ah." Taylor held up a finger. "Too late to change the deal now."
Atticus chuckled. "Alright then, but I will—"
A deep thump rattled through the ship and they lurched to a stop, falling out of FTL travel like a comet falling out of orbit. Everything inside the ship hurtled forward, including Atticus and Taylor, who were thrown out of their chairs.
Atticus careened across the table, taking his tools with him, and landed in a crumpled heap on the other side. His spanners and hammers crashed around him, dinging on the metal floor. He wrapped his hands over his head as his stomach twisted and bounced at the sudden loss of velocity.
Taylor groaned at Atticus' side, clutching his ribs.
Crashing and shouts sounded from the rest of the ship before settling into startled silence.
"Alright?" Atticus said, pushing himself upright. He hadn't broken anything, and other than a few dents, his tools seemed unharmed.
"Yeah," Taylor said, sitting. "But I landed on one of your wrenches." He shoved the wrench across the floor to Atticus' now-empty tool bag.
Atticus used one of the chairs—bolted to the floor so they hadn't moved—to stand. "Is everyone alright?" he called.
Kari staggered in from the corridor. "Are you alright?"
"We're fine," Atticus said. "What happened?"
"Damn katium drive failed. I've got to make sure it's not leaking. Can you check the rest of the ship, make sure everyone is okay?"
"Yeah," Atticus said. "Do you need help with the engine?"
"Not yet. I have to see what the hell happened first."
She dashed down the corridor. Atticus followed but turned right, toward the sleeping quarters.
Wren crouched outside her door, back to the wall and knife in hand.
"Whoa, what's with the knife?" Atticus said.
"What happened?" Wren said.
"Something about the katium drive."
"No sign of attack then?"
"No."
"Hmm." Wren returned her knife to the sheath at her belt and stood. "Shame."
"Wouldn't l
ike to run into you in a dark alley," Taylor said.
"You have no idea," Atticus said. He banged against Piper's door—he hadn't seen much of her lately. Hopefully the time in the forest hadn't caused her any problems. She'd seemed happy enough at the time, but with her history it was hard to say what might cause lasting damage. "Piper?"
The door inched open and Piper's large, brown eyes appeared in the gap.
"Are you alright?" Atticus said.
"Bruised tibia."
"Do you need help?"
"No. It will heal itself within two to five days." Piper glanced once at Taylor then disappeared into her room, pulling the door shut behind her.
"And you think I'm weird," Wren whispered.
"That's because you are weird," Ryker said, coming out of his door.
Atticus peered down the hallway to the door at the end. "That just leaves—"
"Mister Sunshine," Ryker grumbled.
"Allow me," Taylor said, taking the lead. He strode down the corridor and wrapped his knuckles on Aydin's door.
Aydin opened it a second later. "What the hell was that?"
"Something to do with the katium drive. Just making sure you're okay."
"Of course I'm okay. But if we've fallen out of FTL then we're going to be late—"
"That might be the least of your problems," Kari said from the head of the corridor. "Everyone to the dining room, now."
There was a sharp tone in her voice that Atticus hadn't heard before. He shared a look with Ryker as they traipsed after Kari. Piper fell into step beside them.
Atticus took a seat at the table. Aydin's eyes flashed as he sat on the chair nearest to the door.
Rusty had poured himself a new drink, although coolant formed a puddle around his legs from where his last glass must have spilled during the fall out of FTL.
Kari stood at the head of the table, eyes like hard steel. She splayed her hands on the surface and looked each one of them in the eye.
"If your ancient ship can't even hold it together long enough to get us to Ferion," Aydin said. "Then you can give us our money back."
"This wasn't my ship's fault," Kari said.
"What was it?" Atticus said.
"Sabotage."
Atticus took a few moments to process what she had said. "How?"
"That's exactly what I'd like to know. The damn line for the katium has been cut. The engine used up the reserves and then when it had nothing left, threw us out."
"Cut. Are you sure?" Ryker said.
Kari tossed a piece of black rubber tubing onto the table. The smooth end could only have been severed with a sharp blade.
"Is this some kind of joke?" Aydin said.
"Does it look like I'm laughing?"
"When did it happen?" Ryker said.
"Last night," Kari said. "It's the only way the reserves would have lasted until now."
"Are we in danger?" Atticus said.
"No. The main tank didn't leak so we've got enough to make it to a nearby system. Once I work out where the hell we are. But we're not moving one inch until I find out who did this."
Atticus' gaze slid along the small group. Surely Kari wouldn't think he, Ryker, or Piper would have done it? She probably didn't suspect Wren either, although after what had happened on Ryevo...
But no, surely Wren wouldn't try to strand them all out here? So that only left Taylor and Aydin. Unless… Atticus stared at Rusty. He seemed oblivious to the conversation and was in the process of pouring coolant down his throat at a rate that would have drowned a human.
"The cameras would have seen," Wren said.
"Offline," Kari said.
Wren raised an eyebrow. "They got into the system?"
"Yes."
Atticus' shoulders tensed.
Someone on the ship had deliberately sabotaged them. Someone who had managed to get into the systems. Even Atticus didn't have the passcodes. He could have hacked in if he'd had enough time, and the inclination, but who'd done it?
"It had to be one of us," Ryker said. "And I only know one person who's tried to kill us recently." He stared at Wren, one hand on his pistol.
Wren's hand flicked to her waist and a moment later a silver knife appeared in her hand. "I told you that was done."
"And we're supposed to believe you?"
"Yes."
"You've got no evidence. For all I know you've decided to go back to your precious Guild."
"Excuse me," Wren said. "But we were all getting on just fine until we let two new people on board."
"What are you saying?" Taylor's usually bright expression darkened.
"We've been fine on board until you two came on," Wren said.
"I would never—"
"Maybe it wasn't you." Wren looked pointedly at Aydin.
He shot up, huge shoulders bulging. "Excuse me?"
"She's right," Ryker said, also standing. "You've barely said two words to any of us since you got on. You spend all your time hiding in your room doing stars-knows-what, and you nearly shot me."
"What I do in my own room is my business."
"Not if it destroys my ship," Kari said.
"I didn't destroy your bloody ship!"
Taylor held up his hands. "Everyone take a deep breath. I'm sure Aydin didn't do anything wrong. Is there any evidence?"
Kari shook her head and folded her arms over her chest, narrowed eyes glaring at Aydin. "What's your cargo?"
"Private," Aydin said.
"No," Kari said. "Not when someone sabotages my ship."
"I said no."
Taylor turned slightly so that he spoke into Aydin's ear but Atticus could just hear the murmured words.
"Come on, it doesn't matter if they see."
"It's the boss's private business. He said his eyes only."
Taylor squeezed Aydin's shoulder. "I don't think he predicted something like this happening. I'm sure he'll understand."
"They see it," Aydin said, dropping a hand to the pistol at his belt, "over my dead body."
Kari looked ready to accept that offer and Atticus couldn't blame her. What was so secret that Aydin had to hide it? If Taylor knew what it was then it couldn't be so bad. But if neither Taylor nor Aydin had sabotaged the ship, then who did?
Atticus' eyes drifted again to Rusty. "Where were you?"
Rusty pulled the bottle of coolant away from his mouth long enough to say; "What?"
"Where were you when the ship was sabotaged?"
Rusty shrugged. "Right here, probably."
"Wouldn't you have noticed someone fiddling with the cameras?"
"Don't pay much attention to you humans, do I?"
"Atticus," Ryker said. "It's not Rusty."
"No?" Atticus said. "How can you be sure?" The robot had almost let Atticus die at least once. He didn't care about anything except himself and his next drink.
"Are you accusing me of sabotage?" Rusty said.
Atticus drew a deep breath. "Yes."
Rusty snorted and took another drink. "You're wasting your precious breath, human. I would sell you out in a heartbeat—"
"See!" Atticus said, turning to Ryker and Kari, but they seemed unaffected.
"But not for less than a thousand tokens," Rusty finished.
Atticus scowled at the robot, but no one else seemed to be paying him any attention. "Didn't you hear what he said? He'd sell us out."
"He says that all the time," Kari said. "Ignore him. He's had too much coolant."
But Atticus feared that Kari and her crew had been ignoring Rusty for far too long. How many times had he let them down? A failed maintenance or two could see them all dead. What if he'd decided to do some repairs whilst deep under the influence of the coolant and he'd damaged the katium drive instead? That could have happened, accidentally if not intentionally.
"So what now?" Wren said.
Kari looked around the table, staring each one of them in the eyes. "Everyone is confined to their rooms. No exceptions. I will personally
escort you to and from meals."
"Kari—" Taylor began.
"No," Kari said. "No exceptions. We have just enough katium left to make it to Ferion. You're all confined until then. And I've restored the cameras. So, whoever this was… I'm watching."
Atticus stood with the others and shuffled down the corridor toward their private quarters. He half lifted his hand to Taylor, slipped into his room, and let his door slide shut behind him. He could vaguely hear the others moving into their own rooms, and then Kari's heavy boots stomping toward the engine room. Rusty had stayed in the dining room… unsupervised.
Atticus slumped onto his bed and fiddled with a screw he'd left on the nightstand. What a bloody mess. What if they'd lost all the katium? They would have been stranded. Not to mention the cost. But that was only a small problem compared to having a saboteur on board.
He twisted the screw between his fingers, picturing Rusty sneaking through the ship at night and cutting the pipe. But why? What motive could the robot have? Although apparently a thousand tokens would be incentive enough.
Kari had sentenced them all to isolation, which meant that she didn't trust any of them. Even him—Atticus. It left a bitter taste in his mouth that couldn't be drowned out by sugar cubes. They'd been through a lot together and yet she still thought he would sabotage them? For what? And what about Piper and Ryker… surely Kari would trust them?
But it seemed the captain didn't trust anyone but herself.
CHAPTER 4
Wren sat on her bed and glared at the wall opposite. It was stupid of Kari to lock them all away. Obviously the saboteur had to be either Taylor or Aydin, but of course after the incident on Ryevo none of the crew trusted Wren. Could she really blame Ryker for thinking she'd damage the ship?
Yes, dammit. She could. He should be able to see that she'd made her choice. And that she was risking her damn life for it too. Ungrateful lug.
She pulled a short knife from a hidden sheath strapped to her calf and threw it up. It spun end-over-end, reached a peak near the roof, and fell back into her waiting palm. The familiar weight of the knife gave her some comfort.
What did it matter if she was confined to her room for a few days? It wasn't as if she particularly enjoyed spending time with the others anyway. At least now she'd get some peace and quiet.
