by S. H. Jucha
When Toby threw off his restraints, he held on to his belt. “You have to come get me, Rules.”
Belatedly, Aurelia caught on to Toby’s needs. She gave him an apologetic smile and crossed the narrow capsule to hook an arm around Toby’s waist.
“Great, isn’t it?” Toby announced, absolutely ecstatic. “My cast weighs nothing. Okay, Rules, walk me over to the cap’s doorway.” When Aurelia positioned him in the opening, Toby said, “See those rails overhead that extend down the arm. Push me toward them. Not too hard though.”
Toby felt the gentlest of motions on his waist, and, as he floated slowly upward, he broke into laughter. “Rules, you’d think you’ve never played freefall. It’ll take me forever to reach the rails. You need to bump me.”
“Bump you?” Aurelia asked. She had no more uttered the question than the capsule beeped alarmingly, and she realized she was standing in the opening, impeding the closing of the doors. Experienced stationers would simply have stepped onto the terminal arm and allowed their shoes to grip the deck. But, being a novice, Aurelia panicked and launched herself upward. Luckily, she flew past Toby, who grabbed her leg. Toby’s action slowed Aurelia, and enabled the pair to reach the overhead.
“Grab a rail, Rules,” Toby yelled. He latched on to the same rail as Aurelia did. Toby couldn’t help the giddy laugh that escaped. “You really are a newbie to freefall, aren’t you?”
Aurelia used her hands to turn around and face Toby. “Does it show?” she asked, with a straight face. Her comment cracked Toby up so hard, he started snorting.
“Okay, Rules,” Toby protested, when he could regain his breath. “Seriously, you can hurt yourself playing freefall if you aren’t careful. When you push off hard, you’ll hit the next surface hard, and you’ll need to have your feet under you to handle the impact. Understand?”
“Understood. One question, Toby: Aren’t we in danger from radiation out here?” Aurelia asked, with concern.
“No way, Rules,” Toby declared. “The terminal arms are like the JOS, the Belle, and every ship. They’re built with double hulls and filled with hydrogenated boron nitride nanotubes. The tiny BNNTs are made of carbon, boron, and nitrogen with hydrogen filling the empty spaces between the tubes. They use boron because it’s an excellent absorber of secondary neutrons, which makes it great for shielding material. And because it’s strong even at high heat, they weave it into fabrics for space suits to protect against radiation. Everybody knows this.”
“Yeah, I forgot,” Aurelia said, and she discerned Toby’s wave of sympathy for her supposed condition.
“Okay, Rules, I want you to watch me for a little while before you try this,” Toby said, and shoved off the rail with both hands. He touched the deck and kicked off with one leg, somersaulting once slowly, before he grabbed an overhead rail.
During the course of several minutes, Aurelia watched in wonder, as Toby, despite the handicap of a full leg cast, performed acrobatic maneuvers up and down the length of the arm. His 8-centimeter long, light red hair waved over the top of his head, and his freckled face wore a dreamy expression.
Toby cycled back to Aurelia, who was in awe of the performance. “You’re marvelous, Toby,” she gushed, and Aurelia witnessed and detected his embarrassment.
“It’s one of the reasons that I’m worried about the BRC, Rules. The only thing I want to be is a spacer. If the operation isn’t successful, I’ll never get a berth.”
“I truly wish I could help, Toby …” Aurelia started to say, but realized the uselessness of completing her statement.
“It’s okay, Rules. Now, it’s your turn,” Toby said, brightening. Aurelia’s earlier sharing of hope was still holding sway over Toby’s worries. “Remember, think where you’re going next before you push off, and keep it gentle. If you don’t reach the deck or a rail, don’t panic. I’ll come get you.”
Aurelia nodded confidently, even though she could have used a little of the positive emotions she’d sent Toby’s way. She shoved off, and it seemed to take forever to reach the deck. She was a little bolder on the next try, and then the next. As her confidence grew, she attempted some of Toby’s simpler performances, and she laughed at both her failures and her successes.
Completing her first somersault, Aurelia was complimented by Toby, who steadied his perch with one hand, while he whistled his approval shrilly with his fingers in his mouth. Aurelia was struck by the realization that the boy was the first person she had ever played with other than Sasha, and the last time she’d enjoyed playing with her little sister was the day before she was placed in Dimitri’s demented care.
Emboldened, Aurelia worked her way to the end of the arm. She faced backwards to Toby and declared, “Watch this one.” Aurelia pushed off, intending to execute a backward double somersault at a shallow angle.
Toby watched Aurelia launch. Then, seconds later, he saw Captain Jessie Cinders exit the docking ramp from his ship. “Look out, Rules,” Toby yelled. Belatedly, Toby realized he should have warned the captain, who looked up at him perched on the overhead rail with his cast.
Aurelia had completed more than a full revolution when she heard Toby’s yell. She was upside down, halfway through her second somersault, when she smacked into a solid body, her legs splaying over a pair of shoulders. Her fear made her latch onto the stranger, her arms encircling his waist.
Jessie Cinders felt the impact, and, his reflexes, as a lifelong spacer, took over. Knocked forward, his deck shoes losing purchase, he curled his body, feeling what he suspected was a child gripping his back. When his hands struck the deck, he converted his forward momentum into an upward vector and executed a lazy somersault. He fully extended his hands to grasp the rails above him to protect the passenger he carried.
“It’s okay,” Jessie said gently, trying to shake the unreasoning alarm he felt. He slipped one leg of his passenger over his head to join the other and guided a hand from his midriff to a purchase on a rail. Much to Jessie’s surprise, he stared at an attractive teenage girl, her auburn hair floating around her head, and, much to his relief, the anxiety he was experiencing disappeared.
Aurelia was aghast at what she’d done and angry for stopping to play when her life was in jeopardy. As soon as she was attached to the rails, she’d hardened her blocks, prepared for the customary male tirade. She barely heard the man’s words when he asked her, “Are you hurt?” The stranger emanated concern, which caught Aurelia off guard.
“Sorry … I was … sorry, sir,” Aurelia stammered. She wanted to explain what she’d been doing, but that seemed contrary to keeping a low profile. As if playing freefall on a station’s arm wasn’t doing the exact opposite, Aurelia thought, condemning her foolishness.
“Aren’t you a little old to be playing freefall?” Jessie asked.
Aurelia heard the man’s words that said she was in the wrong, but she detected no recrimination in his emotions. Luckily, she was saved from replying because Toby came to her rescue.
“Sorry, Captain Cinders. Rules was helping me, and I was teaching her some techniques,” Toby said, after landing lightly beside the pair.
Jessie glanced at Toby’s extended cast. “Waiting for a BRC, are you?”
“Yes, Captain, and I was getting awful twitchy sitting in my chair,” Toby admitted. “Rules was kind enough to help me through the cap, but I don’t think she’s had much practice in freefall.”
“I dare say she hasn’t,” Jessie replied, smiling. “You two be careful out here,” he added, pushing off lightly and floating to the deck. His shoes touched gently, and he strode toward the arm’s exit.
“Oh, Rules, you were so lucky,” Toby gushed, when Cinders entered the translation capsule.
“Smacking into a stranger upside down and forcing him to wear me like a coat is lucky?”
Toby giggled. “You did look kind-a funny attached to his back like that.” When Aurelia glared at him, Toby hurriedly added, “No, I mean, Cinders is about the only captain on this arm who wou
ldn’t have chewed our butts off for that stunt of yours. That’s who I’d like to work for one day,” Toby said wistfully.
“Maybe we ought to end our freefall time for today, Toby,” Aurelia said.
“Good idea,” Toby replied. Then he grinned, shoved off, and yelled, “Race you to the cap.”
Aurelia had to smile at that one. Toby and her sister were much alike.
-4-
Captain Cinders
Jessie Cinders exited the JOS translation capsule into the station’s access corridor and turned right onto the main promenade. He was headed to the commandant’s emergency conference, but his thoughts were still on the young girl, who bumped into him on the arm. Jessie considered himself a good judge of people. His instincts and ability to read applicants enabled him to build a profitable company with the help of the trustworthy group of spacers he’d hired.
Admittedly Jessie had no more than a minute or two to form an impression about Rules, but many things didn’t fit. Her long hair said downsider, but her coveralls said stationer. The state of her clothing said impoverished, but her face and hands said privileged. Then there was her reaction to bumping into him. A downsider would have been politely apologetic, at best, or haughty, at worst, but Rules was frightened.
The Spryte, Jessie’s ship, was nearing the JOS. He would have continued to the YIPS, the processing terminal, to deliver a shipment of high-value ingots, but he received the station’s emergency security alert. Curious as to what constituted the commandant’s broadcast to all captains, Jessie decided to dock the Spryte, give the crew twenty hours of downtime, and attend the briefing.
Before the crew exited the ship, leaving Buttons on dock duty, Jessie had a few choice words for them. “Don’t get started on a binge and get detained by security,” he’d said. “Your downtime is less than a solar day. Anyone not back aboard by 11:30 hours tomorrow is off the crew. Am I understood?”
A round of “aye, aye, Captain” had greeted Jessie’s announcement, and he’d dismissed them. They’d filed past, wearing their usual assortment of spacer outfits — skins covered in all manner of odd clothing. In his days, Jessie had seen intricately decorated vests, brightly colored shorts, flower-printed shirts, and the odd skirt or two worn by both men and women. It was the manner in which spacers declared their independence from privileged stationers, who favored highly decorated skins.
On the other hand, Jessie’s skins were covered by dress ship overalls, and his captain’s stripes were prominently displayed on the shoulders. He took a seat at the back of the small auditorium, his deck shoes propped up on the back of a seat in front of him, while he waited for the commandant to take the stage.
When Commandant Emerson Strattleford marched with his short-man stride to the podium, he waited while security officers and stationers stood for him. The JOS commandant was elected-for-life and served until incapacitated or removed for cause. There was the usual pregnant pause, while Emerson waited for the captains to rise, but none of them did. He signaled the assembly to sit, and his briefing began.
“We have a serious security issue,” Emerson said.
Cinders refrained from chuckling. Emerson inevitably tried for an authoritative manner, but his high-pitched voice and furtive habits betrayed him.
“A murderer is loose on the JOS,” Emerson stated. “Early this morning, Dimitri Belosov, the governor’s nephew was killed by a household member, and she’s fled the domes to the station.
Suddenly, the commandant held the audience’s attention, and Cinders launched upright. The murder of a governor’s relative would mean trouble if the perpetrator wasn’t caught soon.
“Security is searching for her, and, as of this moment, I’m ordering the terminal arm managers to withhold release of any ship in dock for a solar day until all ships are searched. We can’t be sure where this culprit might be hiding.”
The captains grumbled at the commandant’s announcement, but it was limited.
“You’re receiving a photo on your comm units of the girl, Aurelia, who killed Dimitri Belosov.”
Jessie thumbed open his comm unit, pulled up the commandant’s message, and opened the attachment. Rules’ face stared out at him.
“I don’t need to remind all of you, especially the captains, that harboring a criminal is a serious offense,” Emerson said. “Add to that, we’re attempting to apprehend a murderer of a son of one of the domes’ prominent families.”
“Commandant, a question please?” a captain asked.
“Yes?” Emerson replied, preening. He loved to be addressed by his title.
“There are no stats accompanying the photo I received,” the captain said.
“There are none available.”
“Well, what’s the girl’s last name?” another captain asked.
“We don’t have that information,” Emerson replied, the questions appeared to fluster him.
Jessie stood, so that Emerson could see him. “Commandant Strattleford,” Jessie said. His words were formal, but it sounded more like he was about to dress down his third mate. “If this fugitive is a downsider, why hasn’t your office received a complete history of her, which we know the DBs have on every resident? And who reported the crime to you in the first place? Finally, have the DBs provided you with any evidence of the crime … vids, eyewitness statements, DNA sniffs, and so on?”
Emerson felt the heat rise up his neck, and he fought to appear calm. He’d told Lise Panoy that he needed more information about the crime to make a plausible presentation, but she said that would give away her identity to the governor, if he found out the details the commandant had been given. If anyone else, but Captain Cinders, had asked these questions, Emerson might have glossed over them. Unfortunately, Cinders not only ran the most successful mining company, he was one of the most respected captains.
“The investigation is ongoing, Captain Cinders,” Emerson temporized, replying respectfully to Jessie. “We’ve only received the most cursory report and expect follow-up information shortly. Thank you.” Emerson expected the captain to sit down, but he remained standing with his hands behind his back, and the audience’s heads were twisting between the stage and Jessie at the back row.
“Did you have another question, Captain Cinders?” Emerson asked.
“Yes, Commandant. If and when the young girl is found, will she be held on station until the DBs present sufficient evidence of her crime before she’s returned downside?”
Emerson nearly paled at the mention of the one question he didn’t want to hear. Spacers tended to hold downsiders and stationers to a high standard of law and justice.
“Certainly, Captain Cinders. We’d insist on that.”
Captains and security people glanced Jessie’s way, and most of them caught the frown on his face. The captain didn’t believe the commandant.
Rather quickly, Jessie left the small amphitheater when the briefing concluded, instead of staying to discuss the issue with the other captains. He was anxious to hear Rules’, or Aurelia’s, side of the story before he made up his mind what to do. He thought he might catch the two young people still playing freefall.
Thoughts tumbled through Jessie’s mind, as he navigated the main promenade. Something didn’t fit. The girl is accused of murder, but she stops to help a BRC recipient to a terminal arm so he can enjoy some weightless time. In addition, she escapes the domes and rides the El to the JOS, but why come to the station? The only place of refuge in Pyre’s entire sphere was on the old colony ship, the Honora Belle, and Harbour wasn’t going to protect a criminal.
The captain’s final thought, as he transited the ring, was that the security briefing was the oddest one he’d ever attended. It generated more questions than answers. Jessie noticed the boy’s chair was gone on the station’s side, which meant he hadn’t expected to find them on the terminal arm. Nonetheless, he made a quick scan for them. He didn’t know whether to be happy or upset that they were gone.
At the arm’s ramp to th
e Spryte, Jessie glanced around one more time before he made his way inside. Buttons was asleep on duty in the airlock, and the hatches were locked in the open position. Normally, that type of infraction was grounds for a captain’s reprimand, but the old man was one of the last of Captain Rose’s crew.
Buttons was past retirement age but resisted the idea of sitting out his last years on station. The aging spacer was wearing his downtime gear, even though he’d never left the ship. His skins were covered by a long vest that reached past his hips and every inch was festooned with buttons that he collected throughout the years from auctions. He was most proud of a fading yellow button with the peace sign in black ink, a symbol from Earth and more than a half millennium old.
Jessie didn’t have the heart to wake the old-timer, but he did check a monitor to ensure the ship’s portable cam, which had been placed at the end of the exit ramp and pointed down the arm, was functioning. Then Jessie made his way along the ship’s axis to the gravity wheel and around to his cabin. He stripped out of his ship’s overalls and opened a closet door to store it. Rules stared back at him.
“Come out of there, Rules,” Jessie ordered. “Or is it Aurelia?”
“It’s both. My little sister calls me Rules. It’s her joke,” Aurelia said, stepping from the closet. She stood with her arms at her sides. One hand tightly clasped the cap she had worn when pretending to be cargo crew.
Jessie took his time hanging up his captain’s dress overalls and slipping on some work coveralls to buy some time to think. The girl, choosing to hide aboard his ship, had placed him in a tricky situation. Her DNA was all over the place, and there was no hiding it from a sniffer.
“They say you’re a murderer, Aurelia. Is that true?” Jessie asked, when he closed the seal on his coveralls.
“I’m guilty. I did push Dimitri Belosov,” Aurelia admitted.
Aurelia’s confession wasn’t what Jessie expected — a claim of self-defense, a story of an accidental death, or even an outright denial — but not an admittance of guilt. While Jessie considered his options, he felt a sense of calm settle over him and a desire to comfort the girl. He was ready to embrace the feelings when alarm bells tripped in his head, and a surge of anger stripped away the tender emotions.
