by T. M. Catron
“You’ve met Harrison McConnell.”
Solaris smirked. “I have.”
“I’m glad the prospect of me marrying him amuses one of us.”
Solaris looked up at her, his expression inscrutable. “I don’t think it’s amusing.”
“And I’m different from other Nobles, Solaris. I don’t care about wealth or power. I grew up expecting different things to happen to me.”
“Like meeting me,” he said, smiling.
“Are you fishing for a compliment?”
“I’m open to one, yes. After all, I did save you from Unity’s clutches yesterday.”
“Yes. Thank you.” Rance meant it.
Solaris held her gaze again and then said sincerely, “You’re welcome. I couldn’t have them running off with you.”
Henry swung back over the refrigerators, trilling excitedly. Fine hairs dislodged from the cappatter and floated down over the table. Rance watched them, glad for an excuse to look away from Solaris. He’d been so odd the last few days. One minute, he was pushing her buttons, irritating her. The next, he was serious, unreadable, and strangely pensive.
Rance put it down to starvation.
When she looked back at Solaris, the moment had passed. He stood, taking her cup with his own and putting them in the sanitizer. Then, he sneezed.
In truth, Rance didn’t have a plan for finding Moira if they couldn’t call her. But she had a general knowledge of the section of the city her friend would be in. Rance had always liked Prometheus, mainly because it was the opposite of Xanthes. Prometheus was second only to Triton in wealth and power and looked like it. It contained one of the most advanced and beautiful residential sections in the empire, with tall glass buildings and wide-open expanses of greenery.
With everything done, the crew sat around looking at one another, thinking about their roles and how to execute the plan. Rance’s stomach rumbled, and she thought the first thing she’d do before finding her friend would be to scrounge up some food. She wondered if she had anything onboard that she could bear to part with once they arrived, to buy something to eat. The Caducean Drive was out of the question. After mentioning it to Turkey and seeing his reaction, Rance vowed no one else would know they had the valuable drive onboard. Ever.
Finally, when she couldn’t stand waiting any longer, Rance went to the locker down in the cargo bay and began pulling out weapons and checking them again. Solaris came out of the galley and, seeing what she was doing, joined her.
“You really are worried, aren’t you?”
“Aren’t you?”
“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t. But if you think this is such a bad idea, why are we going there?”
“Number one, we need the money. Number two, we need to eat. Number three, I’m curious about what’s really going on, and Moira is an old friend.”
Amused, Solaris raised an eyebrow at her.
Rance shot him a look. “Those things are in no particular order, of course.”
Solaris’ stomach picked that time to rumble. Instead of laughing, Rance grew serious. She hoped she wasn’t leading her friends into a trap, but at this point, they couldn’t afford to pass up any opportunities. Until they could get back in sync with their regular contacts, she needed to find a way to take care of her crew and her ship.
“I’m sorry for the way I behaved on Ares, for getting mad about that boy,” he said suddenly. “I was out of line to suggest you’d be anybody other than who you are. And I should’ve just let him go. And I should also apologize for thinking you’d betray me to Unity. I crossed a line. Sometimes, I still feel like I work for Unity and the Wizards. I don’t have an excuse for any of it, really. But, well, I wanted you to know.”
“Don’t get all sentimental on me, Solaris,” Rance said, offering him a blaster.
He shook his head. “I have my weapon of choice,” he said, referring to his staff. “Let’s hope I don’t have to use it.”
They both knew the consequences if Solaris used his powers. As soon as someone reported a man with uncommon power and a staff, the Galaxy Wizards would be on their way.
Rance had only seen Solaris in action once, during the incident on Doxor 5. The way he’d tricked Turkey and his buddy to leave the Streaker was proof he had more tricks to use. She had a feeling Solaris was hiding some very impressive moves beneath his façade of swearing off violence. Suddenly, Rance felt bad about not accepting his apology.
“What did you really do as a Galaxy Wizard? To make them hunt you like they are?”
Solaris closed the locker door, using the moment to take his eyes away from her. “More than I care to tell you about.”
His voice was oddly tight like someone was squeezing his vocal cords.
“You know that just makes me more curious, right?”
Solaris looked back at her, his expression composed once again. “It’s more than my life’s worth to share those secrets with you or anybody for that matter.”
“But you don’t work for them anymore.”
“Right. Which is why it would be really smart of me to stay out of anything to do with the Wizards.”
“Are you still going to disguise the ship when we get to Prometheus?”
“Of course.”
“Just checking.”
Just then, an ear-splitting howl came from engineering.
“What in Triton’s name is that?” Solaris asked.
“That’s Tally!”
When they got to him, Tally was in a battle with Henry, who was sitting atop the Graeken’s ridge, tiny fangs dug into his head. Green drops of blood ran down Tally’s head and face.
“What happened?” Rance asked as she hurried over.
Tally spun around, grabbing hold of Henry and attempting to pull him off. But the creature had burrowed himself into Tally’s head like a tick attaches to a dog.
“Get him off!” Tally yelled.
Rance grabbed hold of Henry while Solaris grabbed the cappatter’s arms. Henry took his fangs out of Tally and hissed, the white fangs green with Tally’s blood. Also, Henry had retractable claws, which he extended when Solaris tried to pry him off.
Finally, after getting scratched themselves, Rance and Solaris managed to get Henry away from Tally. The Graeken held his head and fumed.
“I found him in one of the engine housings! When I tried to get him out, he attacked!”
Solaris sneezed and quickly let go of Henry. The animal wrapped itself around Rance’s arms and hissed at Tally again. The little thing quivered in fear.
“You scared him, Tally,” she said.
“I scared him? Does anyone on this ship have any sense?” He looked from Rance to Solaris.
“I guess we know why someone was going to throw him in the river,” Solaris said. “Those things aren’t supposed to have fangs and claws. It’s a mutant.”
Rance shushed the furry creature in her hands and said, “We need a box for him to stay in when he’s not being watched.”
“We need a box, alright,” Tally said, dabbing his bleeding head with a rag. “For its burial.”
“I think you better have Harper look at your head,” Solaris told him, sneezing again.
With much grumbling and a lot of dirty looks at Henry, Tally allowed them to escort him across the hold to the med bay. Harper came out of the control room to dab Tally’s wounds with ointment. The ridge on his head was made of bone, so Henry’s claws hadn’t damaged anything more than Tally’s scales.
After seeing Harper was going to fix him up, Rance turned to go.
“Captain,” Tally said as Harper pulled out a scanner and did a quick full-body check for other injuries. “Can I have a word with you?”
Henry hopped out of Rance’s hands and rolled out of the med bay. “If it’s about Henry,” she said, “I agree he’s a pest.”
She ignored Harper’s hurt look.
“No, Captain, it’s not about Henry,” he said.
Harper finished by sealing Tally’s to
rn scales with a laser. The process took two minutes.
“All better?” she asked when she finished.
Tally reached up and touched the wounds. “Yes. As always—beautiful work. Is there anything you can’t do?”
Harper’s cheeks turned pink. “Plenty. And you’re making too much of it. Anyone can turn on this machine and follow the instructions.”
“After having lived as long as I have, Harper, I doubt just anyone could. But I can say with all sincerity that you are a talented young woman.”
Tally never spoke to the crew of his role as a servant in Rance’s house. Harper didn’t know he’d worked for her father Davos for years, or that he’d helped Rance run away. Even if Harper had, she couldn’t have looked more pleased at his compliment.
After Harper dismissed herself, Rance shut the door and looked at Tally. He rarely asked to speak to her in private. Usually, he spoke his mind in front of the crew.
“Captain, I’m worried about going to Prometheus.”
“I thought we had it all settled, Tally. You’re going to stay on the ship where no one will recognize you.”
“With all due respect, I’m not worried about myself, and you know it.”
Rance sighed and leaned against the wall. “What would you have me do? Cancel the hyperspace jump and run away?”
“It’s not about running away. It’s about staying out of trouble. I’m worried about this one, Captain.”
Tally’s confession surprised Rance. He often hid his worry beneath a scowl or a dismissive wave. But he rarely voiced his concerns in such a serious manner.
“I’m worried about it too,” she admitted. “But I think it’s the right thing to do.”
“We don’t know what is the right thing here.”
“If Moira asked for help that I’m able to give, then that’s the right thing to do.”
Tally took a deep breath and stared at Rance intently with his large green eyes. “I won’t argue with you, but I would be remiss if I didn’t ask you to reconsider.”
“I have reconsidered. My decision is final.”
He nodded. “Okay, then I will support you from the ship. James, Harper, and I will provide tactical help. But if you get into trouble, we’re coming to get you.”
Rance pushed off the wall. “Thank you, Tally.”
The next evening, Rance walked around the ship with a makeshift box in her hand. Henry had caused trouble all day. He kept popping up everywhere, and so did his fur. Fine, ginger hairs floated around the Star Streaker. They drifted and settled everywhere—floors, clothes, beds, and the air return vents.
Harper had used some of it to make an antihistamine for Solaris. But everything she’d tried so far had only made him sneeze harder. Finally, he’d barricaded himself in his quarters to get away from the creature.
“Huh,” James said. He stood on a small hoverboard in the corridor on the top deck, peering into the ventilation shafts. A ceiling grate lay on its side near a bulkhead.
“What?” Rance asked.
“I just figured out how Henry gets into your room, Captain. He’s going through the ventilation shafts. There’s a ton of hair up here.”
“How’s he getting inside? Even he’s too big to get through those slats in the grates.”
“He must be able to flatten himself out.”
“All the more reason to get him into this box. If he isn’t being played with or fed or watched, he has to live in here.”
“Aww, Captain.”
“Aww, Captain, nothing. I keep finding him in my boots. My flight suit is covered in hair, and my entire room smells like cinnamon.”
“That’s not terrible.”
“It is terrible. He won’t leave me alone.”
“He likes you and Solaris best. I can’t figure out why. The two of you don’t like him at all.”
“I just don’t like him on the ship. And after his attack on Tally, maybe we shouldn’t keep him. Maybe we can find a nice home for him on Prometheus.”
James cast her a pitiful look. “He loves the Streaker! We can’t abandon him on a strange planet.”
Rance shook her head. “You only say that because you haven’t found him pushing buttons in the cockpit.”
James paled. “You found him in my cockpit?”
“Yes, about an hour ago. That’s when I went to find a box and make him a crate myself. It seems no one else was going to follow orders and do it.”
James hopped down off the hoverboard and sprinted to the ladder. No doubt to check the instrument panels in the cockpit.
“I’ll just put this hoverboard away, shall I?” she called after him.
Rance hunted the entire ship for Henry, but no one had seen him. If he could climb through the ventilation shafts, he could get stuck up there and die. Then they’d have to take the Streaker apart to get him.
She hoped it wouldn’t come to that.
Finally, she stowed her box down in the galley with strict instructions for Abel to keep looking. She wanted to check on their flight status.
As Rance passed Solaris’ quarters, she heard a happy squeal and soft clink. She paused and knocked on the door.
“Solaris? Is Henry in there?”
He didn’t answer, but Rance heard the unmistakable sounds of Henry swinging around the room. If Solaris were in there, he wouldn’t have allowed that to continue.
Henry’s hair would be everywhere, and Solaris was already sneezing all over the ship. The one place he had been hiding without problems had been his room.
Rance pushed the button at the door. It hissed open, allowing light from the corridor into the room.
Henry sat in the middle of the bed, surrounded by a pile of blankets.
“Solaris?” Rance asked one more time.
But he wasn’t under the covers. Henry looked up at Rance and hummed.
“Get out of there, you little fur ball. You’re going to make him miserable.”
Henry held up one of his arms, and something shiny caught the light.
“What is that? Put it down.” Rance glanced up and down the corridor. She didn’t know where Solaris was, and he would want Henry out of there as soon as possible.
Rance stepped into his room and walked over to the bed. She’d planned on grabbing Henry and getting out, but when she saw what was in his hand, she paused. Henry held it out for her to see.
It was a ring—an intricate, heavy gold band. The top had an old-fashioned ship’s sail with a slash through it. The symbol looked familiar. Rance held it up to the light to get a better look.
It was Pirate Kaur’s standard. Kaur was the most feared pirate in the galaxy. She’d never seen the standard painted on a ship, thankfully, but any captain worth her salt knew what it looked like.
What was Solaris doing with this ring?
“Ahem.”
Rance turned. Solaris stood in the doorway, looking irritated.
“Oh. Umm.” Rance pointed to Henry. “Well, this is awkward.”
“Yes. May I ask what you’re doing, Captain?”
“Henry got in here. I was trying to get him out.”
Solaris waved his hand at the creature. A small, transparent wave of energy shot out of it and pinged Henry. He trilled again, hopped off the bed, and scuttled out of the room.
“I’ve never seen you use magic without your staff, Solaris.”
Solaris looked both amused and annoyed. The struggle played out over his face like he wanted to say something but couldn’t decide which emotion would win out.
The ring was still in Rance’s hand, and she didn’t know how to give it back to him. She half-thought of trying to sneak back into his room later and replace it. Maybe she could blame Henry for its disappearance. But it looked like a personal trinket, and Rance was embarrassed she’d even touched it. The longer she stood there, the more uncomfortable he looked.
“Of course, it’s your ship, Captain, and you can go anywhere you wish,” Solaris said finally. “But what about the rules?”<
br />
“No companions in quarters?”
He smiled.
“I think we’ve established the circumstances around that one already.”
“Oh? You thought I was in trouble. I see.”
Rance snorted. “Next time I’ll just leave Henry in here to wallow all over your bed. What do I care if you have red, puffy eyes?”
“Because I’ll look like a mess. You won’t want to look at me.”
Rance couldn’t figure out why she felt more awkward all of a sudden. She fiddled with the ring in her hand. She smiled, attempting to diffuse the tension. Solaris gave her a puzzled look and backed out of the doorway.
Rance left the room. When she reached the corridor, she turned and held the ring out to him. “Henry found this.”
Solaris nodded and took it. Then he put it in his pocket.
“It’s Kaau li’s,” he said without hesitation.
Rance raised an eyebrow in surprise. Kaau li was the smuggler who had dropped the Caducean Drive, and Deliverance, into their possession. Kaau li was also the mother of Pirate Kaur’s child. Rance had suspected Solaris had a thing for the woman. But she was still embarrassed about trespassing in his quarters, so she decided not to tease him about it.
“You don’t have to tell me why you have it,” she said. But she hoped he would. “Unless you’re a pirate. Then I need to know about that.”
Solaris grinned. “Not a pirate.”
“Okay.”
Rance turned to leave, but her curiosity burned too hotly to just let the subject drop.
“Why do you have it?”
“I thought I didn’t have to tell you?”
“You don’t.” But Rance held her breath, waiting for an answer anyway.
Solaris smirked and shook his head. “I suppose it is odd that a Galaxy Wizard would have something like that. Kaau li gave me the ring after I saved her from the Enforcers. I felt weird about telling you.”
“Why?”
“Because.”
Rance was about to ask more when James’ voice came over the comm. “Exiting hyperspace in six hours, Captain.”
Rance bristled at the interruption, but Solaris looked relieved. As she turned for the ladder into the cockpit, he sneezed.
