by Sara King
“What?” Rabbit gave her a perplexed look. “Are you feeling all right?”
Wobbily, Dallas lifted her head and peered at him. “Are you hard of hearing?”
“What?” Rabbit blinked.
“I just spent seven hours on manual, doin’ stuff that ain’t supposed to be possible by a human brain, coming inches from being pasted at least a dozen times, generally giving myself a migraine saving your fool asses, and now I’m gonna take a nap.” She pointed down the hall. “Gurney. Now.”
Rabbit must have seen his little red dot about to get crossed off on her mental map, because he got up and darted off.
Deciding to get an early start on her beauty rest, Dallas fell face-forward into the hallway and passed out.
The Fate of the Shifters
“Well, that’s six hours of my life I’ll never see again,” Rabbit said, heaving a huge sigh. He engaged the autopilot—it took him a moment to figure out where it was, Athenais noted—then reached up and rubbed his eyes. “Gods… I don’t know why anyone would willingly spend their lives staring at a debris field.”
Disengaging the chair swivel-lock and turning from the console, Rabbit took the two minutes it took to completely unstrap himself from the complex safety harness. Every line, right down to his impact-prevention ankle straps—which would supposedly keep a man’s knees from snapping off, if the ship’s grav system went down before an impact—had been cinched into place before he ever picked up the controls.
He always has been a stickler for the rules, Athenais thought, watching. Part of what made him a crappy pilot. Personally, she’d rather risk being thrown around a bit in order to have faster access to an escape pod. She’d been in plenty of crashes where seconds meant lives.
Well, not her life. Angus had made that pretty clear. Athenais immediately squeezed her eyes shut against the images that followed, gut clenching.
Getting up from the console beside her, Rabbit stretched, yawning. After a moment, he motioned to the pilot’s seat. “Your turn, Attie. You can try the intercom again, but I’m pretty sure Dallas is still out of it, and Tommy already had his go.”
Realizing he wanted her in the pilot’s seat, Athenais froze. “No.”
“It’s your turn,” Rabbit said, irritation flashing across his lean face.
Athenais gave him a stiff smile, the thought of being back behind the controls leaving her stomach to curdle. What’s the matter, Attie? Angus’s voice was like blades in her mind. Got another crew killed? How long’d you have this one? A few months? “I really don’t feel up to it.”
“Feel like it or not, you need to take your shift.”
“Blow off, Rabbit,” Athenais snarled, lurching to her feet. “Let the damn thing drift for all I care.” She turned to leave.
Rabbit caught her arm with a bony grip. “Look, Attie, Beetle wasn’t your fault. It was Guv Black, pure and simple. And he’ll get what’s comin’ to him just as soon as we get the shifters.”
Athenais wearily glanced at the controls. “As soon as we get the shifters, they’re gonna want me to help them destroy the Potion. There’s too many things on my mind right now to fly.”
“What potion?” Rabbit asked, frowning. “The Potion?”
“Yeah. The shifters think you and I’ve got the right stuff to make an antidote for the Potion, since we’re both originals. They want to dish it out to everybody the same way my father put it in our fruit punch.”
Rabbit stared at her. Finally, he whispered, “Are you serious?”
“Crazy, huh?” Athenais slumped into her chair and stared at the controls. She got another little curl of self-loathing as she looked at the flickering lights, knowing that everything that Angus had said had been completely true. She’d gotten them all killed. Over and over again. Every crew, every friend she ever had, except for Rabbit. And the only reason he’d survived was that he couldn’t die.
Before she could resignedly hit the swivel-lock, Rabbit came up behind her and spun her around to face him, his hands digging into her shoulders.
“Attie, are you serious?” he demanded, in her face.
“You think I’d lie about something like that?” she snorted.
“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” He looked hurt. “I’da come with you.”
“And then we wouldn’t have had anyone to save our asses when Howlen left us there to die.” She scowled at him. “Why did you bring that Utopi hardass along, anyway? This is the shittiest crew I’ve ever seen. You hired a drunkard, a parasite, a Utopi diehard, and goddamn Fairy. I never wanted to see her face again.”
“She could say the same for you. And as for the drunkard, he’s dead. The parasite seems to have taken up residence in Dallas’s head, which I’m not sure is a bad thing, and your Utopi diehard just got finished breaking you outta a government penitentiary.”
Athenais felt her face darken. “And now I’m responsible for another death.”
“Oh, spare me your defeatist horseshit,” Rabbit sighed, straightening. “If I wanted drama, I could go throw in a teary vid and scrounge up some chocolate ice-cream.”
Athenais made a miserable snort and just shook her head.
“Just can the five-year-old self-pity for a moment, okay?” Rabbit snapped, startling her. In all the years they’d known each other, he’d always been unassuming and soft-spoken, and she couldn’t remember the last time he’d sworn. “Doesn’t suit you,” Rabbit continued, “and sure as hell isn’t doing you any good.” As Athenais narrowed her eyes at him, Rabbit gestured at the ship in general. “Everybody dies. It was just as well we gave Darley a good cause to die for.”
“I didn’t deserve getting rescued,” Athenais muttered. “I earned that place, just as surely as if I’d died and gone to Hell.”
To Athenais’s surprise—partially because she didn’t expect it and partially because she didn’t see him move—Rabbit hit her.
“What the hell is your problem?!” Athenais snapped, lunging out of her chair to look down on the wiry little man, fists drawn. “Don’t think I got enough of that on bloody Erriat?!”
Rabbit shrugged, a mountain of calm that was completely unconcerned with how close she was to smashing him into the carpet. “You’ve clearly lost your mind. I was trying to knock some sense into you.”
Oh, he almost got it. Right there. Fortunately, the logical portion of Athenais’s brain remembered exactly what had happened to her the last time she’d tried to take on Rabbit in a melee. The little bastard had a penchant for judo.
…As well as every other martial art, combat style, and dirty trick that humanity had come up with in its last ten thousand years of existence. When he was bored, Rabbit would take up a false identity, leave The Shop under the care of a lieutenant, and go found a monastery on a wilderness planet, where he would live for a few decades teaching students the ways of splitting other people’s skulls open.
Guess being small and weighing a hundred pounds and having the Father of the Utopia still ruthlessly hunting him for some millennia-old heist would do that to a guy.
Bearing her teeth, Athenais forced her fists to unclench. “I’m not really seeing your point.”
Rabbit calmly clasped his hands in front of his stomach. “My point is you’ve got an opportunity to bring down Marceau and the Utopia and instead you’re sitting around, whimpering like a wounded dog. Sure, Erriat was uncomfortable. And yes, I can imagine that Angus was his normal pain in the ass self. But really, Attie, get over it. You’re over seven thousand years old and you’re acting like a toddler that stubbed her toe.”
Athenais bristled. “Getting sent to Erriat was a lot different than stubbing your toe. Maybe you should try it, to put things in perspective.”
“I have plenty of perspective,” Rabbit told her, with that infuriating calm. “And right now, what I see is that you’re off of Errait, you’re on a new ship, with a new crew, and you’ve got the chance you’ve been waiting for, yet you’re too busy blowing it because you’re too caught up in the past.
Shit happens. Learn from it, ignore it, compartmentalize it and stuff it into some twisted corner of your mind, but goddamn it, Attie, don’t dwell on it.”
She leaned down at him and jabbed a finger into his scrawny chest. “You’re lucky this is your ship and not mine,” Athenais growled. “I’da chucked you into space by now if this was Beetle.”
“After my daring rescue?” He grinned at her. “I think not.”
“What do you mean, daring? You stormed in waving flesh-seeking missiles at guards carrying batons and stun-guns. It’s a wonder they didn’t shit themselves.”
Rabbit lifted his chin heroically. “I will claim it was a daring raid by the forces of good and justice until I die.”
Athenais laughed. “If it makes you feel better.”
“It does. And it made you feel better, too, didn’t it?” He winked.
Athenais prickled. “Go to bed you old fart. Last thing I need is a crimelord lecturing me on Zen.”
“I wouldn’t dream of lecturing you,” Rabbit said, innocently. “I have better ways to spend my time than teaching pig-headed mules how not to be mules.”
Athenais narrowed her eyes at him again. “Out.”
Chuckling, Rabbit bowed and departed. Athenais glared after him a moment, then swung back to the controls and took the ship out of auto-pilot, muttering to herself.
…not pig-headed, she thought, bitterly. Who’s he to talk, anyway? ‘Zen master.’ She snorted, loudly. Lecherous old hypocrite.
Hours later, Dallas came stumbling into the control room, bleary-eyed and with half her straw-blonde hair matted to her head in a bloody cake. “Where we goin?”
“Hell if I know,” Athenais said. “Howlen set the course. I’m just drivin’ it.”
“Well, you can take a break,” the little twit said in a tone that sounded suspiciously like an order. “It’s my turn.”
“I’m fine,” Athenais said, casually poring over the debris grid. “Go get something to eat, Fairy. Hell, take a shower. You stink like blood and you look like shit. I’ll have somebody come get you when I’m feeling tired.”
Fairy stared at her so long that Athenais had to turn around and see if she was still there.
She was. The little twit bit out, “My name is Dallas York and I’m the captain of this ship. You go take a shower, you bald leprechaun.”
Captain?! an amused part of her brain laughed. Just who does the little twit think she is? Athenais flipped on the autopilot and turned to face her directly. “What did you call me?”
Fairy squared her shoulders and lifted her chin to look up at her. “A bald, nasty, over-sized leprechaun. You wanna fight about it?”
Athenais looked down Dallas’s petite frame, then laughed. “Here, Fairy. You can drive. I wouldn’t wanna get pummeled.”
Fairy took the controls, glowering. Almost reluctantly, the girl muttered, “You’re doin’ better.”
“So are you, it seems. Finally got your own ship again. Retribution’s a beauty. You’re lucky Rabbit bought it for you. He’s usually not so generous with my money.”
Fairy twitched. “‘Your’ money?”
“Yeah,” Athenais said, loving the way the little twit’s face was paling. She yawned and cocked her head at her. “Why… You didn’t think he was gonna rescue me with his own money, did you?” Seeing that the girl obviously had, Athenais scoffed. “I’ve lost too many ships for him to make a gamble like that. Besides, he spends half his time meditating in the mountains. I’ve got investments all over the Quads. I’m probably one of the richest people in the Utopia, after Angus and Juno.”
Fairy stiffened, her hands gripping the stick with white knuckles. “Retribution’s mine. He said so. That was the deal.”
“Technically, it’s mine.” Athenais slumped down beside Fairy in the navigator’s seat. “But I might sign the title over to you. After all, you did help them rescue me.”
Fairy was staring straight ahead at the debris screen, stiff as an iron statue.
“Maybe,” Athenais stressed. “But before I do, you’ll have to work for me awhile. Just like old times.”
Fairy opened her mouth to object, but Athenais raised a hand to silence her. “Before you say something we’ll both regret, hear me out. Retribution’s worth ten, twenty million easy. For that kind of money, I’m gonna get some more outta you than a few hours of fancy flyin.”
Fairy’s brows furrowed, but she continued to stare straight ahead, saying nothing. In the silence that followed, the dweeb started muttering under her breath, hands bone-white on the controls.
The little fool actually thought the ship was hers, Athenais thought, mystified and amused at the same time. The poor darling. She tisked. “Let me guess. Rabbit said you could have the ship, but then didn’t even bother to sign over the title to you, am I right?”
Fairy was absolutely still as she stared at the debris field.
“Listen, little girl,” Athenais said gently, “Rabbit an’ I, we been around the block a bit. You don’t think we know how to get a little brat like you to do what we want, when we want it?”
“I hate you,” Fairy whispered.
“Of course you do,” Athenais laughed. “So how’s this sound… You’re gonna stay on board as my copilot until I’m done with this shifter foolishness. You’re gonna help me get the shifters back, then get us all through the blockade at Penoi, then fly us all home. After that, I’ll happily part ways and the ship’s yours. Whaddaya say, Fairy?”
Fairy was silent for long minutes. Finally, she unclenched her hands from the stick and turned to Athenais.
“Stop calling me Fairy. My name’s Dallas.” Her blue eyes were like cold, steely diamonds.
Athenais chortled. “You can be Dallas when you own Retribution. Until then, you’re still a Fairy.”
Fairy’s pert face scrunched into an angry mask. “I’d rather work in a whorehouse than work for you.”
“I’m sure Rabbit can arrange that.” Athenais stood, the exhaustion of the last weeks finally setting in. “Until then, drive. If I’m feeling in a generous mood when I wake up, I might forget to mention it to him.”
At her back, she heard Dallas mutter, “No wonder your crew abandoned you on Rinel.”
Athenais paused, the words striking like a dagger. “Who told you that?”
Fairy, obviously sensing a weakness, flashed her teeth like a predator. “Talked to Rabbit on the way here. Lost your second Beetle to mutiny, along with several mil in cargo, from what he told me.”
“They were space-rats,” Athenais growled, furious that Rabbit would disclose her personal life to this snoopy little wretch, “But since you never piloted your own civilian ship, you wouldn’t have much experience with them. Smallfoot, for instance, was a space-rat.”
Fairy’s face showed her surprise and Athenais laughed.
“Yeah. The burly little oaf was after my ship, but he never could cajole me out of the codes. Was constantly trying to get the others to mutiny on me, but they always blew him off. You’re the only one who ever listened to him. Probably wanted to get him in bed, didn’t you, you horny little toad? He played you like a fiddle.”
Fairy reddened until her head looked purple. “He wasn’t my type.”
“Sure he wasn’t,” Athenais snorted, enjoying the way the little twerp was getting her hackles up. “That’s why you told him about the shifters.”
Stiffening, Fairy said, “If you knew Smallfoot was a space-rat, why didn’t you kill him?”
Athenais shrugged. “He was the best surgeon I ever seen. Had him under control as long as he didn’t stand to benefit from turning us in. I just never counted on you blabbin’ to him about shifters like some know-nothing boot straight outta the Academy.”
“I may not have had my own command for very long,” Fairy growled, “But I know you don’t keep an enemy on board your ship. That’s crazy.”
Athenais shrugged. “For someone who’s walking around with a suzait in her skull, you’re one to talk.”
Fairy opened her mouth, then shut it again.
Athenais grinned at the girl’s naïveté, finding it almost cute. “And s’pose he gets it in his head he doesn’t wanna sit in the navigator’s seat any longer?” Athenais continued, stroking a hand down the navigator’s console thoughtfully. “What’ll you do when he decides to take up the controls for himself?”
“He won’t do that,” Fairy blurted, but Athenais detected the fear behind her words.
“So you say.” Athenais shrugged. “It’s your head, I s’pose. But I’ve got a history with suzait. Got nineteen years to get to know ‘em. He makes one wrong move, and I’m shooting you in the head. No questions asked.”
Fairy looked shocked. “You can’t do that! I told him he could take me on a spin if he wanted to.”
Athenais froze, staring at the girl in disgust, then shuddered. “Well, I’m telling him he can’t. I know he can hear me, and if I so much as suspect he’s taken over in there, he’s gonna have a very personal and very brief introduction to the contents of my pistol.”
Fairy’s expression instantly flickered to a smooth, mountainous calm that reminded her of Rabbit, and a soft, much less flippant voice replied, “You won’t have to worry about me, Captain. Dallas and I have an understanding.”
Fairy’s face returned to normal and she scowled at nothing. “You just proved her right, stupid.” Then she cocked her head just a little, as if listening to a response.
Athenais watched Fairy argue with herself with mixed feelings. If the suzait was willing to argue, it meant Fairy had a good chance of him holding up his side of the bargain and keeping his tentacles off the controls.
She watched Fairy continue the argument for a few moments, then left the cockpit, shaking her head. Even a fool knew that the suzait wouldn’t be satisfied with backseat driving. Sooner or later, the girl was toast. Athenais just hoped she managed to eke a few more of those fancy flights out of her before the worm decided to take over.
“If it would please you to stand up, master.” The young man’s voice was accompanied by an uncomfortable prodding sensation in Ragnar’s side, and together they nagged him out of unconsciousness. Ragnar groaned, remembering little of the last few days—or weeks??—aside from the fact that he’d been carted around, bartered, and sold like a prized exotic beast. Most of it, he had been either drugged or in a sealed compartment, which had lent to lots of sleeping.
