by Cheree Alsop
With the anesthesia covering his pain, Gage let his thoughts drift. A memory came to the surface.
***
The streets of Dult Kesson were even more crowded than he remembered. Gage couldn’t walk more than two steps without being jarred by someone’s elbow, spikes, wing, or even a huge knee in the case of a wandering Torkan.
Gage was forcing himself to get used to being in a crowd again. He used to enjoy visiting planets like Dult Kesson where people came from all walks of the Macrocosm to trade and barter. It wasn’t quite as controlled as on the Gauldeds, but because of that more of the exotic items could be found.
Hedge, the Kratos cook, was on the search for some spices he had used up and couldn’t find a replacement for in the Gauldeds. He had hoped that since they were passing by the trade planet that they could check. Gage hadn’t seen the harm in it. They hadn’t stopped anywhere to resupply since running from Titus. His wounds had healed physically, but Gage was still finding that unexpected encounters set him off.
He hadn’t taken well to being chained and tortured without the ability to defend himself. His senses were frayed and violence ran through his core, something he had never experienced before. If someone bumped into him especially hard or he felt an object that could have been a weapon at his back, Gage’s first instinct was to snap the person’s neck and ask questions later. That didn’t exactly bode well for the captain of a starship, even if it was a pirate one.
He had left the crew with Hedge’s list of items and was forcing himself to walk through the crowds without a weapon so that he didn’t accidentally kill someone. His hands itched at the absence of his old military blade at his side. He had already reached for his missing gun on several occasions only to find that the situation didn’t call for it after the person who had upset him would have been shot.
Gage ran into a particularly rowdy band of Beardans. The race was known for being gruff, crude, and hung out in packs to dissuade any who wanted to argue back. One jostled Gage with enough force to nearly knock him off his feet. His hands were up before he realized what he was doing.
“Watch where you’re going!” one of the Beardans barked.
“Maybe you should get out of the way so others can move past,” Gage replied.
The Beardans stared at him. “What did you say?” the first one demanded.
Gage couldn’t help himself. He knew he should back down, but he had been dying for a fight since he reached the planet. At least if he picked a brawl with the thick, stalky Beardans, he was the only one who could really get hurt. “I was suggesting that you could be a little considerate and not take up the entire aisle.”
The group surrounded him.
“I think you need to watch what you’re saying, little Human,” the first Beardan said. “You could get yourself in a lot of trouble.”
Gage gave his rogue’s smile. “I could say the same about you.”
The Beardan took the first swing.
Gage ducked and connected with a right hook. He heard the air escape the Beardan’s lungs. Shocked that he had landed the first punch, silence filled the group and the crowd that had spread around them.
“Get him,” the winded Beardan shouted.
After landing more punches than he took, Gage ducked into a shop whose awning promised boiled ganthum and fried tuga frols. He heard the gang of angry Beardans rush by. A sigh of relief escaped him at the sound of the footsteps fading. His hands ached, but the pain was welcoming. The tangy, sharp scent from the ganthum cleared some of the adrenaline haze from Gage’s thoughts.
“Can I interest you in some boiled meat or fried turtle weed?” a girl asked.
Gage shook his head automatically.
“Of course not,” the girl replied mostly to herself. “Who wants boiled meat? It tastes as disgusting as it sounds. Also, fried weeds? Who came up with that as a delicacy? If you ask me, Frau Shockta made it up. She probably picks it in her yard. I wouldn’t know; she doesn’t tell me so that if anybody asks, I won’t be able to rat her out.”
The rattle of a chain sent chills of sympathy down Gage’s spine. He looked at the girl for the first time, really looked at her. She was older than he had guessed, perhaps close to his twenty-one years. The gray and orange strips of the Taipan race that lined her face and arms made it more difficult to guess her age.
“What are you looking at?” she asked. There wasn’t bite in her voice, merely mild curiosity as if wondering why anyone on Dult Kesson would take an interest in her.
“Your chain,” Gage replied. “Unpleasant. Have you worn it long?”
He felt her gaze linger on the cuff marks that had not yet left his wrists despite Cisco’s ministrations. His struggle against the torture had worn raw, red rings deep into his skin. The medic said they would take a long while to heal.
“Not long,” she replied. She tugged on the metal collar around her neck with a grimace. “Will I ever get used to it?”
“I hope not,” Gage told her.
“Why would you ever say something like that?” she asked.
Gage took a step closer to the counter where she was cutting up more raw ganthum to boil. “Because once you accept that you belong on a chain, they own you.”
“Nobody owns me,” she said with an edge of defiance to her voice.
Gage nodded. “So don’t get used to it.”
The girl watched her dull knife slice through the ganthum for a moment. “Five more years of this just might do it, though,” she muttered to herself.
The thought of anyone being at the end of a chain for five years riled him. “Why so long? I thought slavery was against the laws of the Council for the Unification and Order of the Cosmos.”
She laughed, a pleasant, light sound. “CUOC laws don’t exist out here. Why else do you think I was sent to this dismal planet? There’s nowhere else a girl can repay her debts.” She stabbed the ganthum with sudden anger. “Leave it to the University to leave a person hanging.”
That caught Gage’s attention. “You were at the University?”
She nodded.
“I planned to go there once.” He cleared his throat and held out a hand across the counter. “I’m Gage Metis.”
“Ruck,” she replied. She shook his hand with a self-deprecating smile. “The one serving boiled ganthum.” She made a face. “Not my favorite.”
“So what happened to you?”
She gave him a straight look. “You ask a lot of questions.”
He returned with an apologetic smile. “Sorry about that.”
Ruck shrugged. “That’s alright. Did anybody ever tell you that you have a charming smile?”
He realized it was the first time he had really smiled since escaping Donovan’s clutches. It felt like a relief, letting down his walls just a little bit. He wondered how the stranger chained behind the counter could put him at ease.
“You really shouldn’t be here,” he said without thinking the words through before he said them.
The Taikan’s eyes flashed. “Are you making fun of me now?”
He shook his head quickly, his thoughts racing. “No, but I have a ship.”
She gave a disbelieving shake of her head. “You’re a bit young for a captain in the militia, aren’t you?”
He nodded. “That’s why I’m a pirate.”
Ruck’s mouth twitched as if she was waiting for him to say he was joking. When he didn’t smile or give any indication otherwise, her brow quirked. “A pirate, huh?”
“Yes, and I could use some more crew members. We’re a bit short staffed right now.”
She watched him closely. “Why does it sound like you’re offering me a job?”
He lifted a shoulder. “It’s more like a way of life. Once you join a pirate ship, that’s it. You’re marked.”
She smirked. “It sounds like a death sentence.”
He put his hands in his pockets. “Something like that.”
Despite her flippant attitude, Gage could see it in
the way she watched him. There was hope in her eyes. It was jaded by disbelief as though she thought perhaps he was just playing a cruel joke on her, but deep down, he could see that she needed to believe what he was offering to her.
Several forms came into the small shop. Gage’s instincts tingled. He glanced back and found himself face to face with the leader of the Beardans.
“Someone said they saw you sneak in here, little worm,” the man said. His hot breath washed over Gage in a putrid wave.
“Did they also tell you to brush your teeth?” he asked innocently.
The Beardan’s eyes narrowed. “What’s your problem, Human?”
Gage shot Ruck a knowing look. The Taipan watched the proceedings with her mouth open, showing her pointed canines. “I’m not a Human, I’m a pirate,” he replied.
The Beardan glared at him. “Pirates aren’t welcome here.”
“Pirates aren’t welcome anywhere,” Gage shot back. “That’s why we’re called pirates.”
“I’m tired of your smart lip,” the Beardan huffed. “Time to close it.”
At his cue, the rest of the Beardans attacked. Gage took advantage of the limited space inside the shop. He ducked beneath huge, sweeping arms that connected more often than not with other Beardans. Blocking and returning punches made them even more angry. The angrier they got, the more wild their attacks became until the small tables got knocked over, Beardans tripped over each other, and enough chaos ensued that Gage was able to duck beneath them and crawl through the tangle of limbs to the counter. On his way, he slipped a knife from a sheath at one of the Beardan’s belts.
He rose behind the counter. Ruck stared at him.
“You’re insane!” she said.
He shoved the knife into the manacle on her left wrist and forced it to turn. “Perhaps, but I have a ship and you’re welcome to join me.”
The manacle fell away. As she looked at her free wrist in shock, he turned to the other one. “I can undo these here, but the metal collar around your neck will take a bit more time. If you want to join the Kratos, my weapons’ expert Klellen’s an Iridian. He’ll have that off you in no time.”
“There he is!”
“Get him!”
Gage winked at Ruck. “That’s my cue. We leave at zero eight hundred if you want to consider the pirate way of life. It’s an adventure to say the least.”
He ducked under the backside of the canvas and lost himself in the crowd.
***
“I didn’t know that’s where she came from.”
Sienna’s voice made Gage’s eyes open. He felt groggy from the anesthetic. “Did you see that?”
She nodded. “I think when you were asleep, you pushed without meaning to.” She gave him a smile that belied the tears in her eyes. “That was a beautiful memory.”
“She was so strong,” Gage replied. He sat up slowly.
“You should take it easy,” Sienna urged with a hand out to steady him if he needed it. “You’ve been through a lot.”
He sat on the table with his head bowed. “I intended to pay off her debts to the University so she could go back and complete her education.” He pushed his hair back from his forehead with one hand. “But whenever I brought it up, she always said she didn’t need the University because she got a better education roaming the Macrocosm with us.” A slight smile touched his lips. “She said the best way to learn about planets was to walk on them, so she joined the groundcrew and ended up being the best sharpshooter on the ship.”
“But she was horrible with a knife,” Yukan said from beside the table. Tears showed on his face and his eyes were red as though he had been crying a long time. “Though she was better than she thought. I always told her that.”
“I know you did,” Gage said. He motioned to his gun belt that lay on a chair. “I brought one of her guns back. I know she’d want you to have it.” He eased to his feet and picked up the gun. He put it in the older Zamarian’s hand. “She valued your friendship.”
“And I, hers,” he replied, blinking back more tears. “I’ll keep practicing my guns for her.”
Gage nodded. “She would like that.”
“And I’ll keep her knives sharp for her,” the Zamarian said, his tears breaking free.
Gage didn’t know what to say. The same heartache threatened to break him in two. He drew in a shuddering breath, searching for words. Gratitude filled him when Sienna stepped in and hugged the Zamarian. She told him quiet things Gage chose not to overhear. It must have helped because the Zamarian wiped his eyes and when he stepped back, he gave her a grateful smile.
“Thank you, dear. I appreciate it,” he said.
She patted his arm. “You take care of yourself. Ruck would be proud of you.”
He smiled a watery smile. “I know.”
Gage watched the Zamarian leave. When Sienna turned back to him, he told her, “Thank you. I didn’t know what to say.”
“I know,” she said. “You’re dealing with it, too. You’re a good captain.”
Gage drew in a shaky breath. “I’m not quite sure where to take them now,” he admitted.
She leaned against the table next to him. “You mean the dastardly Pirate Gage Metis is lost?”
That brought the hint of a smile to his face. “Something like that.”
“Well,” she replied. “You have a stop to make, then you can decide. There’s no rush, right?”
“Unless Donovan shows up.”
That brought a small chuckle from her. “Then you’d better rush.”
He smiled as she ducked under his good arm. “Come on, Captain. Let’s get you to bed.”
He allowed her to help him up the hallway to his quarters.
“How’s little Jakko doing?” he asked.
“He’s feisty,” she replied. “He shredded one of my socks. I should give him one of yours. I doubt he’d touch it.”
Gage chuckled and put his hand to the panel by the door. “I doubt he would. It might kill him.”
Sienna lowered him to a sitting position on his bed and was about to leave when she paused.
“You need something to tie up that arm. It’ll help ease some of the pressure from your shoulder.” She pulled the dark green headscarf from her pocket.
Gage gave her an apologetic look. “Sorry for earlier.”
She shook her head. “You were being a leader for your crew. I shouldn’t have undermined you in front of them. I’ll work on that.”
The feeling of her fingers on the back of his neck sent tingles along his skin. He cleared his throat. “Won’t Parrothead be a little jealous when he sees that you gave your Dola silk headscarf away to the captain who kidnapped you?”
“It’s Parragosh, and I’ll tell him the truth,” she replied. “He deserves at least that.”
Gage reached out and caught a strand of her red hair that had worked free from her braid. He tucked it behind her ear. “But you deserve so much more,” he said in a voice just above a whisper.
She watched him with an unreadable expression.
The intercom beeped and Gage lowered his hand.
“Captain?” Tersha asked.
“Yes?”
“Majoria keeps calling, Captain. Klellen’s worried.”
Gage rose. “Thank you, Tersha. I’ll be right there.”
“You should rest,” Sienna said.
He gave her his rogue’s smile. “You know me better than that, and I already rested on the table.”
“That doesn’t count,” Sienna replied. She followed him out the door and toward the bridge. “So who’s this Majoria?”
Gage was silent for a moment before he said, “A beautiful woman who thinks I owe her my heart.”
“Why?” she asked as she followed him onto the bridge.
“It’s complicated,” Gage replied.
“Are you talking about Majoria?” Hyra guessed.
“Did you guess by my overly-thrilled expression?” Gage asked. He took a seat in the captain’
s chair.
Hyra grinned. “I know you’re excited to see her.”
Gage sighed. “Put the transmission through.”
“It’s a recording,” Hyra told him. “I can’t get through to her now. It’s patchy. I’ll make it as clear as I can.”
A woman with white skin, long white hair, and striking blue eyes appeared on the screen. “Gage, I need your help,” she said. Her image wavered.
“She’s a Balanelf,” Sienna said with awe.
Gage straightened up. There was a smudge on Majoria’s cheek and her hair was mussed around her gracefully pointed ears. He had never seen her in such disarray.
“How old is this transmission?” he asked.
“Hours,” Hyra replied. “It took me a while to decode it. There was some interference with the signal, as you can see.”
The image cleared again. “…gold…shifting…for us.”
The transmission vanished completely.
“We need to help her,” Klellen said.
“Where is she?” Gage demanded.
“The transmission came from Balan,” Hyra replied.
Gage made up his mind. “Head to the Ice Fray Nebula. We need to see what’s going on.”
“Yes,” Hyra replied. “Off to help Majoria!” She grinned at Klellen. “I love Majoria.”
“What about Mattie?” Sienna asked.
“With a little luck, we’ll be on time,” Gage replied. “Otherwise, I know she’ll forgive me where Majoria’s concerned.”
“She knows Majoria?” Sienna replied in surprise.
Gage nodded, but didn’t explain. When Manax engaged the AB drive, he stared at the pilot. “I thought we were out of Trilithanium.”
A sheepish smile crossed the Amphibite’s lips. “When you told us to leave and we refused—”
“Going entirely against my orders,” Gage reminded him.
Manax nodded. “Yes, we did, and we have no regrets.” He waved a webbed hand. “You’re getting me off track. While we were waiting, Yukan and Vinian found a stack of pods waiting to be loaded onto a freighter.”
“So you commandeered them?” Gage guessed.
Manax grinned. “I pirated them. We figured the Terrarians wouldn’t mind since you pretty much saved their planet, and now we have enough that we could sell a few if funds get short.”
