by M. D. Cooper
Kylie reached out to deliver another dose of her own nano into Liberty when the woman’s head exploded, covering her in Liberty’s blood and brains.
By this Caretaker? Kylie thought it was highly possible, but if he could do that over great distances, what hope did anyone have of stopping him.
“Shit,” Winter’s voice came from behind her. “Who the hell is going to clean that all up?”
Kylie spun around wide-eyed. “Winter!” She crushed him in a fierce embrace.
Winter laughed and slapped her back. “Damn girl, I go to sleep for a few days and you have brains exploding all over the place. OK, now I’m covered in brains. Gross, yet kinda hot. Am I right?”
“It’s you,” Kylie whispered and pulled back to look at him. He grinned, his eyes shining, Kylie couldn’t remember the last time he looked so happy. “I mean, I’m going to have you clean this mess up.”
“Great.” Winter rolled his eyes. “I’ll do it if it means my skin isn’t splitting open. Thanks for saving me, Kylie.”
She slapped his cheek with happiness. “You owe me a story about how that dirt-bag got the jump on you.”
“Not my finest hour. I ate red gelatin,” Winter admitted.
Kylie scrunched up her nose. “Gelatin? That’s what you’re going with?”
“Poisoned gelatin.”
“Yeah, Bubbs already told us. I was just messing with you.”
Winter groaned. “I’m never going to live that down, am I?”
Kylie just shook her head and grinned.
“How’s about…we go with hot girls with boob guns instead. Speaking of guns, where’s Bubbs? Is she OK?”
Kylie nodded.
“Good, because I want her healthy when I beat the crap out of her for not rescuing me sooner. Mostly though, I want to eat. What’s a guy have to do to get a little food around here?”
FAREWELL
STELLAR DATE: 11.07.8948 (Adjusted Years)
LOCATION: Barbaric Queen, Platform 9, North Docks
REGION: Chimin-1, Hanoi System (independent)
Dinner was a happy occasion featuring steamed green beans, mounds of mashed potatoes, and bacon-wrapped meatloaf. Kylie made a special apple tart dessert served with ice cream surprise—the surprise being that it was tofu, not ice cream.
“Surprise!” Bubbs said as their guests took a bite of the desert, bringing on a bout of laughter from the Barbaric Queen’s crew.
Captain Rastock and her two companions, a man and a woman both with blue-and-purple hair paused and stared at the ice cream on their spoons.
Kylie shook her head and wiped a tear from her eye. “It’s nothing, really. We’re just glad you could join us for dinner.”
“And glad you enjoyed the ice cream,” Rogers said, and another round of giggles erupted around the long table.
Mr. Fizzle Pop leapt onto the table, knocking over a drink as he moved past the dessert, angling toward the mashed potatoes. Bubbs sighed and lifted him gently, setting him back on the floor.
“DON’T TOUCH ME! FOOD!” the cat meowed angrily.
A chorus of laughter came once more at the cat’s expense, and Bubbs joined in. “Even the cat won’t eat that ice cream. So, I’m not touching it.”
Captain Rastock shrugged. “Well, if any of us get sick from whatever’s in this, we’re coming to you for medical treatment. We hear you have the best for a dozen light years.”
Kylie smiled at the woman—who had proven quite charming throughout the evening. “Fair enough. We’ve worked hard for that reputation.”
Rogers brought out two carafes of coffee. One for Kylie, and one for the rest of the guests. The visitors seemed uncertain of which to pick, but when everyone but Kylie chose one, they went with that.
Nearly an hour later, Rastock and her crewmates finally rose.
“Thank you for inviting us aboard your ship,” Rastock said “It’s been an informative night and I, for one, welcome our friendship.”
Kylie stood and shook the good captain’s hand. “As do we. Have you settled your plans?”
“We’ll stay on Chimin and help see things put in order. With the system in such disorder, these asteroids are ripe targets—as we’ve already seen. We’ll remain here and greet your friends when they arrive. If that’s all right with you?”
Kylie nodded. “It is. Good luck, Rastock. And to your people. I can escort you out.”
“Oh please, you’ve done enough. We can find our way.” Rastock smiled and as she left, her two companions followed closely behind her.
Bubbs gave Kylie a knowing look as the large woman rose to follow the visitors out. After the events of the past week, Bubbs had grown more protective of the crew, and Kylie didn’t blame her. They had to watch out for each other. No one else was going to.
Her cat chased after her, the bell around his neck jingling. “ASSHOLE. I NEED COFFEE.”
Was that where Kylie’s coffee had been disappearing to?
When she turned back toward the table, Winter leant back in his chair, a toothpick twirling in his mouth. “You trust her?”
“Bubbs?” Kylie asked. “She’s all right. And yeah, yeah I do.”
“I made a good call getting her to stay.” Winter grinned. “Admit it.”
“You did. You did good, Winter. There’s a first time for everything,” Kylie said, and Rogers burst out laughing.
“But I was asking about Rastock.” Winter leant forward and crossed his arms. “I don’t trust the way she shows up here just in time, but not a moment too soon, you know? I don’t trust the smell of it. Reminds me too much of…hell, it reminds me of a lot of shit I’ve seen.”
“She did help during the battle,” Rogers said. “I know you don’t trust anyone, not that I blame you. If I had just been locked in a box with my body filled with that stinky green gas….”
“No,” Kylie said with a shake of her head. “I don’t know enough about her to trust her. But I don’t distrust her either. Does she have motives? Absolutely.”
“And it’ll take Gray how long to get here?” Winter asked with a narrowed of his eyes.
“Too long,” Kylie admitted. “Two weeks, maybe three.”
Winter rose from his seat. “I’ll stay.”
Ricket and Rogers did a double take and Kylie felt her mouth hang open a moment too long. “Come again?”
“These people were all made sick because of me, right? Everyone on Chimin almost died. The installation is falling apart, their governor is dead, no security force. Seems I have a job to do to make sure someone doesn’t take advantage of that situation,” Winter said.
That someone being Rastock.
Kylie opened her mouth to argue, but Winter held his finger up to silence her.
“Seriously?” Ricket asked with a snort. “We just got you back and you want to stay behind?”
“It’s the right thing to do. Don’t fight me on this, any of you.” Winter’s pale cheeks brightened pink. “Raynes’ assholes got the jump on me, made me their bitch. Used me to almost take you and this installation out. Now these people have no security, no one looking out for their best interests.”
“And that’s going to be you?” Rogers asked incredulously. “Someone tell me what his face looks like right now because I can’t see it.”
“Brave and true,” Kylie said. “Winter, you’re part of my crew. Don’t do this out of guilt. I don’t want to leave you here. Who else is going to tell me how it is? Who else is going to be honest with me like you are?”
“Um, hello?” Rogers held up his hand.
“Rogers and Ricket have your back. Bubbs too. These people have nothing. I won’t let Rastock bamboozle them. They just got out of a situation like that. I can play defense until the SSF gets here. They’ll send her packing, or they won
’t. Either case, Chimin is going to need all the help it can get.”
She couldn’t stop him from leaving, that much was evident. So, Kylie offered him her hand. “We’re coming back for you soon as we can.” Right after she faced Paul again. But the image in her head had Winter standing by her side when she did.
Winter hugged her rather than shake her hand. “I’m taking Dolph back.”
Of course, he was. Kylie wouldn’t have it any other way.
Rogers stood up and wasn’t sure quite where to look, so Winter grabbed his arm. “Any way I can convince you to stay?” Rogers asked.
“I gotta do this. If you try, I’d just have to hit you over the head again.”
Rogers scowled. “Joking with the recently blinded isn’t very nice, Winter.”
Winter shrugged. “Nobody ever called me nice.”
“I did,” Ricket admitted and hugged him. “You’re a nicer man than you’ll admit, nicer than you’d ever let on. This proves it.”
Winter rolled his eyes. “Stop acting like you’ll never see me again. When you plow through here to get me, I want a steak dinner. Lots of crispy bits.”
“Only if you get Grayson to make those twisty fry things he does.” Rogers rubbed his stomach as if he hadn’t just eaten his weight in bacon, and everyone laughed except for Kylie.
Kylie’s stomach roiled with nerves at the realization that the next time she came to Chimin, Grayson might be there. “No killing each other.” Kylie pointed her finger at Winter.
He held his hands up in surrender. “Since when have I ever tried to kill anyone? Shut up, Rogers.” He punched Rogers on the arm and gave Kylie a wink. “Going to pack up, see you guys later.”
“You’ll say good-bye, won’t you?” Ricket asked.
“Sure,” Winter said, but Kylie thought he meant the exact opposite and it put a heavy knot deep inside her throat.
She took a step forward but stopped herself from going too far. “Bye Winter,” Kylie whispered. She never thought she’d have to say good-bye to him. He had been with her almost as long as Rogers.
Kylie didn’t want to see him go, even if it was for the best. Even if it meant she’d worry about Chimin a lot less.
“You’ll see him again, Cap,” Rogers said as he leant in close to her. She slipped her arm around his waist as Ricket stood beside them both.
“I feel like I’m saying good-bye to one of my children,” Kylie admitted.
“The good one?” Rogers asked. “Or the bad one?”
SIGHT
STELLAR DATE: 11.08.8948 (Adjusted Years)
LOCATION: Barbaric Queen, Platform 9, North Docks
REGION: Chimin-1, Hanoi System (independent)
“There,” Ricket whispered close to his ear. “Try blinking a few times.”
Rogers did as she ordered and blinked his eyelids. At first, the medbay was nothing but a haze. Then, as Ricket drew back to gaze at him, her face came into focus like a camera adjusting its lenses.
He soaked in the sight of her beautiful smile, the way her soft brown hair fell over her brow. She bent over him, one hand on the back of his chair, while the other tucked her hair behind her ears.
“You can see me, can’t you?”
Rogers nodded. “Your beauty took my breath away.”
Ricket’s laughter sounded like a spring wind gusting through new leaves, and it made his heart skip a beat. “I didn’t realize you could be so sweet.”
“Oh, you know it. How do they look? You like my new eyes?”
“Very blue. If I was going to name this color, I’d say it’s toxic blue. The women won’t be able to resist you.”
“That’s why I picked them.”
Ricket slapped his shoulder, but he saw a flicker of sadness on her face. “Hey,” he said softly, “you know I was joking.”
“Do I?”
He considered his joke, her response. “No more stupid jokes.” Rogers held two fingers up. “Star brigade’s honor.”
“You were never a brigadier.”
“Maybe not, but I would be if that’s what it took.”
Ricket smiled and Rogers couldn’t help but grin back at how adorable she was. He wasted no time grabbing her hips and pulling her onto his lap. Her knees curled up as she leant in to kiss him.
Gentle and slow, Rogers told himself, he didn’t want to scare her off. With a deep breath, he paused and studied the serious lines on her face.
“What do we do now?” Ricket asked.
“What we always do. Carry on the mission. Keep our heads in the game. Nothing’s changed, at least that hasn’t.”
“And if this jeopardizes everything we’re fighting for?”
“We won’t let it.”
“I wish I believed it was that easy.” Ricket turned her gaze away and Rogers feared he had already lost her, that she had already changed her mind and didn’t want to do whatever it was they were doing.
“We take it slow. See what happens,” Rogers said.
Ricket wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her face against his shoulder. She didn’t say anything, and Rogers didn’t either. He reveled in simply holding her, running his fingers along her back, afraid any words he said might cheapen the mood, disturb what was happening between them.
The last thing Rogers wanted to do was say something stupid.
“There’s so much I don’t know about you,” Ricket whispered, “and that you don’t know about me.”
“That’s what relationships are for, getting to know each other.”
Ricket pushed up and stared into his eyes. “Is that what this is? A relationship?”
Rogers gave a half shrug. “I think so. I mean, I hope so. If you want it to be.”
She kissed his cheek, slowly dragging her lips to his. Then she cuddled closer against him, drawing her arms around his neck, both relaxing into just being together for the first time.
CAPTAIN
STELLAR DATE: 11.08.8948 (Adjusted Years)
LOCATION: Barbaric Queen, Platform 9, North Docks
REGION: Chimin-1, Hanoi System (independent)
Kylie sat back in the plush white chair in her private quarters, rotating the communication recorder she had pulled off Raynes’ body. When a knock came at the door, she looked up and saw it was Winter. Her eyes shone at the sight of him but realizing he wore his ‘going out’ leather jacket with the bag slung over his shoulder, made her heart hurt.
“Got a moment, Cap?”
Kylie nodded. “Guess you can stop calling me that.”
“Nah.” Winter shook his head as he took the chair across from her. His legs spread wide as he leant back in the seat. “I’m still your crew, just going on an away mission for a while, you know? My heart…it belongs with you, this ship. Any ship as long as you’re part of it. We’re family.”
She hadn’t heard Winter talk so openly about family allegiances before. “What happened to you after Raynes took you?”
“That’s part of why I’m here. I had some…revelations. We all have regret, you know? Things we do, things we’ve seen, I was hoping if you get back to Silstrand before I do…” Winter took a datapod from his pocket and offered it to Kylie.
“What’s this?”
“A voice message for my sister, Jenny. Coordinates are on there…where she was last seen. If you could play it, maybe she’ll pick it up. Long shot I know, but some things I just want to make right.”
Kylie nodded. “Long shots sometimes are our only shots. If I get there, you know I’ll do it.” She dropped her voice down low, “I didn’t know you had a sister.”
“Jenny,” Winter repeated. “After our mom’s murder, we got picked up by a smuggler. He needed kids to work for him and we were ripe for the taking. Used us to get things through checkpoints or squeeze through tight spaces.”
Kylie couldn’t imagine what that had been like. “Sorry, Winter. That’s…horrible.”
Winter shrugged. “We got separated. Her way was harder than mine. I just hope t
o find her. Say I’m sorry for…not looking for her when I could have.”
Kylie couldn’t imagine what Winter had gone through to bring all this emotion to the top. She only nodded. “We all have things we’re sorry for. I hope you find her one day, and that you get to make it right.”
“Me too. Thanks, Cap.” Winter stood and Kylie did the same so she could give him a proper hug goodbye. “Thank you, Kylie,” he whispered and kissed her cheek.
“I’m really glad I didn’t space you all those times you deserved it.”
Winter laughed. “Me too. Take care of the old girl for me.” A moment later, he headed for the door.
Marge sent a smile across the Link.
Kylie watched him go before sinking back down into her seat. She had been preparing for him to leave, but now that he was actually gone, she felt a little hollow inside. Kylie sighed and placed the datapod on the coffee table in front of her and picked up the recorder she had pulled off Raynes’ body.
So many questions, not enough answers.
Hell, if she knew.
Pumpkin pie…how long had it been since she had eaten something so homey?
Kylie fell silent and returned her attention to the communication device in her hand. She didn’t know what it was she was waiting for. Finally, she turned it on and the voice of Raynes filled her cabin.
