by T. M. Catron
Harper had begun to make more tea, which was her answer for everything, when Solaris’ voice echoed on the comm.
“Captain, do you know exactly how much stuff your mother has?”
Jane’s cheeks tinged with color.
Rance sighed. “Go ahead and bring it all, Roote.”
“Captain, we have a problem.” Solaris’ voice sounded tinny on Rance’s handset. The crew had been bringing Jane’s things aboard all morning. Jane was down in the hold, directing traffic.
“What is it?” Rance asked. She was in her quarters cleaning. Since she didn’t feel right about putting her mother on a top bunk in Harper’s tiny room, Rance had decided they would hot bunk in her quarters—sleep in shifts, using the same bed.
“I think we might have to sacrifice your firstborn to ensure we get out of the atmosphere with all of this,” Solaris said.
Rance smirked. “I’m not going to have a firstborn.”
“That’s a bit pessimistic, don’t you think?”
“It was a bit presumptuous of you to assume I would have children.”
“True. Hey, are you alone?”
At this question, a strange thrill ran through Rance. She glanced at the open door where Henry was swinging from the light on the wall above it. She grabbed the creature and closed the door.
“What’s up?” she asked, trying to sound casual.
“This may be a bad time to ask, but after we drop off your mother, why don’t we explore a bit?”
Rance sat on her bunk. “Are you tired of being cramped on a ship?”
“A little. But the Five Sisters are pretty spectacular. I’ve never been. It would be a shame to miss the sights.”
“Harper would love that. She would try to take samples of everything, probably bring aboard some mutant virus she found in the snow.”
“…and then we would die horrible deaths,” Solaris continued. “A ship would find our exploded bodies on the Star Streaker, which would be quarantined and studied as a science experiment gone wrong.”
Rance smiled, enjoying the way Solaris had finished her story without even being in the same room. Henry trilled and then kneaded her with his gummy fingers, coaxing for a treat. Rance didn’t have any close by, so she petted his soft head.
“I thought we could leave Harper to her own devices,” Solaris said.
“Go on a secret mission?” Rance asked.
“It could be secret if you want.”
Rance froze. “What do you mean?”
“Don’t be coy, Captain. I mean just the two of us, make a day of exploring, being tourists. A date.”
Henry trilled again and grabbed Rance’s handset, pushing buttons like a toddler. “No!” she said firmly, taking it away from the mischievous animal.
“No?” Solaris said. He sounded more disappointed than Rance would have thought.
“I was talking to Henry.”
“So it’s a yes?”
Rance’s throat went dry. She would love to go on a date with Solaris. They had been dancing around this for a few weeks now. The captain reached around to an inset shelf that held a canteen of water. An old, scratched handset lay next to it. When Rance saw it, a twinge of guilt passed through her. It reminded her of a promise she had made to herself years ago. Getting too close to another crew member was a bad idea. She had drawn the same conclusion every day for weeks, the reason why she agonized over it.
Rance turned away from the handset and took a sip of water. “Can’t. I have a policy.”
“That rule about no companions in quarters? That’s moving a bit fast, Captain, I thought we’d date a bit first.”
Rance choked on her water, sloshing some from the canteen onto Henry. He whistled disapprovingly and jumped off her lap. Rance stood.
“Solaris—” What could she say? He wasn’t the only one with hang-ups.
“I would love to hear about this policy of yours, but why don’t we talk later?”
“Later?” Rance asked, irked. He had broached the subject first. Why was he changing it?
“Yes. We may have a problem down here.”
Rance grabbed her handset off the bed and brushed the water off of her clothing. “What is it?”
“Two Galaxy Wizards are checking out the Star Streaker.”
Rance forgot the water and ran out of her room. Henry squeaked in fright as she passed him in the hall. On her way down the stairs, the thought occurred to Rance that she was too impetuous, too eager to rush headlong into danger. But, she had never seen another Galaxy Wizard besides Solaris, and she wasn’t about to pass up the opportunity. Crates, boxes, and trunks had turned the hold into a maze. Rance navigated through it, thinking Solaris had been right about having trouble during takeoff.
A blast of warm air hit her as she drew closer to the ramp. Solaris stood in the shadows to the side of the open bay doors. Outside, the crowd looked the same. Rance skirted around the back side of the last boxes to stand beside him.
“I might need to have a firstborn just so I have something to sacrifice,” she said, eyeing the carefully balanced cargo reaching over their heads. “Where are they?”
“Keeping a low profile at ten o’clock and two. See the man with the weather-beaten jacket?”
The man Solaris nodded to was picking his nose.
“He’s a Wizard?” Rance asked.
“No, but the woman standing beside him is.”
Rance squinted in the bright lights of the docks. She hadn’t noticed the woman at first. The Galaxy Wizard blended in perfectly with the crowd. Plain tunic, leggings, bored look on her face. “She looks too normal,” Rance said. “I wanted to see hoods and cloaks.”
“I’ve told you, cloaks are a hazard. They get caught in everything and trip you when you’re running.”
Rance grinned. “Someday, please tell me that story.”
“The man standing over there,” Solaris said, jerking his head toward a throng of people waiting to board the neighboring ship.
“The one with the shaved head?”
“Yes. You have a good eye.”
“How did you know they were Galaxy Wizards?”
Solaris stepped away from the door to look at her incredulously. “How did you know you were looking at your mother earlier?”
“Do you know them?”
“No.”
“You can sense them?”
Solaris smiled and whispered, “I know their techniques. Used them myself for years.”
“Why are they watching the Streaker?”
“Don’t know.”
Rance narrowed her eyes. “You’re putting me on.”
“Captain, I swear I’m not.”
They locked gazes a moment. Rance was trying to decide if she believed him. Solaris’ gaze turned warm, reminding her of their other conversation a few minutes before.
“Are they looking for you?” she asked, attempting to divert his attention.
“More likely, they are looking for you,” he said, smiling. “Maybe your father got tired of Unity letting you slip through their clutches.”
“They are looking for me,” said Jane.
Rance and Solaris turned. She stood in the shadows behind them, staring out at the crowd.
“Mother?”
Jane shot Solaris a disapproving glance, then looked at her daughter. “The Galaxy Wizards are looking for me.”
Rance’s mouth hung open. The captain was used to being a fugitive. Used to living a life on the run. But she had never imagined her mother dealing with the same thing. “Why are they looking for you, Mother?” she hissed.
“They want to question me.”
“Why, your Ladyship?” Solaris asked.
“I will explain later. When will we depart?”
“Abel and James are bringing the last load now.”
“Mother, we can’t have Galaxy Wizards chasing us!”
Jane turned. “No one wants the Wizards to pursue them.”
“But our circumstances are—�
�
Solaris nudged her discreetly.
“—dangerous,” Rance finished. “What if they find out who I am and tell Father?”
“The Galaxy Wizards have more important things to do than to hunt down wayward heiresses. Unless you’re plotting to take over the galaxy, your infractions are beyond their purview.”
Rance sighed. She couldn’t tell her mother their real concern without giving away Solaris’ true identity.
Jane looked at Solaris. “Thank you, Roote, for being careful with my cargo.”
“My pleasure, your Ladyship.”
“Most of it we can leave on Persephone. I’ll arrange to have someone pick it up once we arrive.”
“I see the resemblance,” Solaris said as Jane wound back through the crates. “Your mother likes to get her way.”
Rance scoffed. “I’m not that bad.”
He raised an eyebrow.
Rance ignored him and turned to look for the Wizards, but they had disappeared into the crowds.
“They’re gone,” she said.
“Trust me, they’re never gone.”
Chapter Six
Stuff was everywhere. Boxes, crates, suitcases, trunks, all packed and jammed into the Star Streaker. Abel was still trying to figure out how to secure all of it before they left for Persephone. Finally, he gave up trying to fit it into the hold and stored the rest in the galley, which didn’t have any room for it, either. Some of it went into Rance’s quarters. She only had one real wall, one empty corner, which was now stacked high with boxes of unknown valuables and clothes.
As the shock about her mother’s double life wore off, Rance couldn’t be too surprised about it. She’d always known Jane didn’t love Xanthes. And their relationship had always been complicated.
Perhaps the greatest shock was finding out that Davos knew about Jane’s double life and seemed okay with it. Suddenly, a lot of things clicked into place for Rance, who had always wondered about her parents’ strange relationship. As much as her father irritated her, she realized how much it must have cost him to watch his wife fly about the galaxy on her own, chasing down ancient artifacts or whatever else she did.
“Please, call me Jane until we get to the museum,” her mother was telling Solaris. Rance had just exited her quarters after securing the last of the bags. Solaris and Jane stood at the top of the stairs.
“Of course, Jane,” he said. “How long have you been an archaeologist?”
“Thirty years.”
“You don’t look old enough.”
“I’m old enough to dismiss flattery when I hear it, Roote.”
Solaris smiled. “It wasn’t flattery.”
Rance rolled her eyes and turned toward the cockpit. Solaris was chatting with her mother like he had known her for years. Somehow that irritated Rance. She couldn’t figure out why her crew’s instant adoration of Jane got under her skin. Perhaps because Rance knew her mother would quickly abandon them all as soon as they had served their purpose.
She plopped into her captain’s chair and stared out the window at the docks. James sat forward of her in his own seat, doing pre-flight checks.
“Tough day, huh?” James said, peering over his shoulder. “Your mother doesn’t seem all that bad, Captain.”
“Right.” Rance ran a hand through her hair, sweeping it back into its usual braid. “Watch out—she knows how to manipulate people. She likes getting her way.”
“Just like someone else I know,” James said. He swiveled around to give Rance a wise look. “Captain, last time you left Xanthes, you regretted not being able to see your mother. Now, you have a prime opportunity for family bonding.” He winked at Rance. Then, he ducked as she threw her handset at him. It clattered onto the console, smashed into a button, and caused an alarm to go off.
Deliverance went on alert as well. How may I assist, Captain?
“You can’t, Deliverance.”
“What is Deliverance?” Jane asked. She climbed off of the ladder, gazing around the cockpit with appreciation.
“Deliverance is our AI,” James said. He picked up Rance’s handset and tossed it back to her.
“Don’t touch anything, Mother.”
“I just wanted to see what you look like sitting up here.”
James shot Rance a gleeful look. Rance fought not to roll her eyes again, which would become a regular thing now that her mother was on board.
“Feel free to take a picture, Jane,” Solaris said, coming up the ladder behind her. He smiled at Rance.
They were determined to tease Rance about this situation. Well, let them. She smiled back deviously. Revenge would be sweet—Rance had yet to do their laundry.
The cramped cockpit seemed smaller than usual. With four people, two standing, the room grew hot.
“Getting ready for takeoff,” Rance told her mother. “We’ll get you strapped in a crash chair next to Tally. It’s not glamorous, but it’ll keep you safe. As soon as we’re out of atmosphere, you can get up again.”
“Nonsense,” Solaris said. “She can sit in my chair up here. I’ll sit down in the hold. Rance and James have this under control. I don’t do anything important during launch anyway.”
Rance sighed and pulled her harness over her shoulders.
“I don’t want to interfere,” Jane protested.
“No, I insist,” Solaris said. He started to attend to Jane while she buckled herself into the seat. But Jane only smiled, waved him away, and buckled in with expert hands. Whenever Jane wasn’t looking, Rance shot Solaris as many dirty looks as she could. Solaris grinned without looking at her. James’ shoulders shook with stifled laughter as he hunched over his controls.
During the launch, Rance thought of all the horrible things she could do to James and Solaris. It wasn’t that Rance hated Jane, but she didn’t know what to say to her mother. She hadn’t spent much time with her. Ever.
Rance didn’t have long to agonize over it. Immediately after they entered hyperspace, it was her turn to sleep. Rance had never been so grateful for her private quarters. She had just changed into a t-shirt and leggings and crawled under the covers when someone knocked on the door.
Rance dragged herself out of bed, taking the blanket with her to ward off the chill in the air.
When she opened the door, the light from the corridor nearly blinded her. Solaris stood there holding a stuffed bag. “My laundry, Captain,” he said, the light dancing in his eyes. “I didn’t want you to forget.”
“I’m sleeping.”
“Yes, Captain. You are surprisingly alert for someone who is sleeping. I’ll just leave it here for when you wake.”
Rance grabbed the bag and tossed it on the floor of her room. “Any special instructions?”
Solaris paused. “You want me to tell you how to do the laundry?”
“I know how to do it.”
He pressed his lips together, then glanced at the bag on the floor. A worried look crossed his face. “Hmm,” he said and left.
Rance kicked the bag into a corner before crawling back into bed. She had just closed her eyes when the door opened without a knock and Jane walked in. Once again, bright light from the corridor made Rance’s eyes water.
“Mother, this is my shift to sleep, remember?”
“Yes, I remember. But I wanted to thank you.”
Rance sat up. “For what?”
Jane moved over to sit on the edge of the bunk. Her slight weight barely even sagged the mattress. “I know I haven’t been the best mother. But I wanted you to know that I’m grateful for your help with this.”
Rance smiled. “I do think this is a crazy coincidence to meet like this. Too big a coincidence.”
Jane pulled back. “You think I contacted you on purpose?”
“The thought crossed my mind. At first, I thought you were helping Davos.”
Jane sighed. “I will not help Davos. As I recently told him, your father must deal with the consequences of his actions. I won’t get him out of the m
ountain of trouble he is in with you. He must ask your forgiveness.”
Rance snorted. “He will never do that.”
“Probably not.”
“I notice you avoided my original question.”
Jane stood to touch the cords that secured her crates against the wall. She looked at them a minute, hesitating. “I didn’t know who to trust, Devri.”
“So you did contact me on purpose. Why didn’t you just tell me you needed help?”
Jane turned, her eyes meeting Rance’s. The only emotion that showed in them was a quiet strength. “I didn’t know if you would accept.”
Rance stood and walked the two steps to put her arms around her mother. Generally, hugging Jane felt awkward, but not this time. Rance’s relationship with Davos would never be repaired, but she didn’t want to lose her mother, too.
“I’ll do anything to help you, Mother. We’re family.”
When she pulled away, the facade on Jane’s face slipped, and she looked happy. Then, she squared her shoulders and looked around the room. “Thank you.”
When Rance was a little girl, she had always wished her mother would tuck her in at night. Instead, a servant made sure Rance was ready for bed every night. She always hoped her mother or father would come in and tell her story or just sit with her until she fell asleep. When she got older, she had wanted to talk to them, tell them her troubles, but they didn’t make it easy.
That was all water under the bridge now, she supposed. When Jane didn’t move, Rance felt she should say something more. She sat back down on the bed and pulled the blanket around her. “I went to see you a few months ago, but you weren’t there.”
Rance cringed. Her words were more accusing than she had intended. She didn’t want to argue.
“I haven’t been back to Xanthes in almost a year,” Jane said. Her own voice sounded bitter.
“Why not?”
“Why do you think? Your father still hasn’t forgiven me for you running away.”
Rance shifted uncomfortably and pulled the blanket around her shoulders. “But that didn’t have anything to do with you.”
“Deep down, he knows that. But he thinks I should have tried harder to persuade you to stay. He thinks that if I had put my foot down about it, you wouldn’t have run away.”
