Hunt for the Pyxis

by Zoë Ferraris

  She sat down. “I told Santher about my mom and dad,” she said.

  “What?”

  “I know. It’s crazy. But his parents died because of the Queen. And even though he’s not talking about the rebellion all the time like Laika, when he heard that the Pyxis transmission happened, he got really excited too. And when he told me, I…” Herbie was giving her a terrible scowl. She tried not to quail when she said, “I felt like I owed him the truth.”

  “I can’t believe you did that.”

  “He’s not going to tell anyone.”

  “He might!”

  She wasn’t hungry, so between looking out the window and twiddling her spoon in her soup, she explained everything that Santher had told her about the Pyxis. Herbie listened, half interested, half fuming.

  “So basically,” he said, “by starting the Pyxis, you set a galactic war in motion.”

  “It wasn’t my fault my parents were pirates and didn’t tell me about it,” Emma said.

  “You didn’t have to tell Santher the truth just to get this information,” Herbie said. “There are other ways you could have found out.”

  “Yeah, like my parents?”

  Herbie sat back and blew the air from his cheeks. “Okay, the bottom line is that the Pyxis is putting everyone in danger.”

  “Yeah,” Emma said. “But if it’s that important, why didn’t my parents just destroy it?”

  “Laika said it’s protected by some enchantment or something.”

  “Wait…you’ve been talking to Laika about this?”

  “No!” he said quickly. “She’s been talking about it. In fact, everyone’s been talking about it ever since they saw the notices on Delphinus. And there’s something else I learned. It turns out…” He blushed. “Well, it turns out that before she was a pirate, your mom was a princess.”

  Emma got a shock. Her mom was a princess? She should have been used to it by now—hearing wildly improbable things about her parents. But it stung to think that the whole galaxy knew more about her mom than she did. “A princess,” she said.

  “Yeah, I was going to tell you—”

  “What kind of princess?”

  “Uh…a princess from Virgo. She was next in line for the throne.”

  “She was the Queen’s daughter?”

  “Not exactly,” Herbie said, looking uncomfortable now. “She was her niece or something. Apparently Virgo queens aren’t allowed to have children.”

  “So…that means…I’m a princess too?” Emma couldn’t help grinning.

  “I don’t think you should go around—”

  She cut him off. “That’s ‘Her Royal Highness’ to you.”

  Herbie gave her a massive roll of the eyes. “Will Her Royal Highness Emma Brightstoke Garton of Monkey Butt please sign in for a reality check?”

  “Okay, what?”

  “What I was going to say,” he went on, “is that this might be good news. I’ve been thinking about it, and I know the navy has your mom, but now that we know she’s a princess, it makes me think it’s not going to be that easy for the Queen to execute her again. She’s probably going to have to bring her to trial. And everybody will want to hear where she was all this time. But we won’t let it get that far. Once the Markab’s finished, we’re going to find her. And until then, she has a good chance of staying alive. Laika said she was a badass. Remember how she fought with the kidnappers?”

  Emma nodded, hoping frantically that Herbie was right. “I know,” she said. “But we don’t know where she is.” And anything could happen, she thought.

  “We’ll find her,” he said.

  “The Markab’s almost finished,” she said. “You should come and see.”

  A few hours later, as she and Santher were sanding the wood panels on the Markab’s new railing, they heard a monkey’s angry squawk and turned to see Herbie coming down one of the aisles.

  “Sorry!” he said, his hands in the air. “You came around the corner really fast. I didn’t see you…. ”

  The monkey gave an indignant hoot and marched off.

  Herbie approached the Markab. “Hi,” he said a bit defensively.

  “Check it out!” Emma stood on the new deck and motioned proudly to the boat. Herbie’s eyes roamed over the work they had done. “Isn’t it cool?” she said. “It’s like a real boat now.”

  “It was always a real boat.” Herbie sniffed. “Are you sure it’s seaworthy?”

  Emma stared at him. He wasn’t usually this grouchy.

  “Sure, she’s seaworthy!” Santher exclaimed brightly, his head popping over the railing. “I work on the Argh; I’ve got plenty of experience with—”

  “The Markab is a different kind of boat than the Argh,” Herbie said.

  “Sure, but—”

  Herbie ignored Santher and wandered critically around the boat. Emma leapt down and went after him.

  “You’re not mad at Santher, are you?” she asked.

  Herbie spun on her. “No. I just want to make sure that the Markab won’t sink when it hits the water.”

  When Herbie had done a full circle around the boat, he stopped and crossed his arms.

  “So what do you think?” Emma asked.

  “I suppose they didn’t have any better materials than this old wood?”

  Santher came down from the deck with a smile. “Well, actually,” he said, “this is the best wood on the seas. I chose it for that reason, but I also figured that since the navy was coming after you and all, you’d want a new look for the boat, you know…. ” He motioned to the hull. Now instead of sleek, white, industrial fiberglass, it was a rough-hewn dark-brown wood.

  “I personally prefer the way it used to look,” Herbie said.

  “…and I don’t think the look is quite there yet,” Santher was prattling on. “I really think we need to go for a full disguise, so I’ve been talking to the monkeys and we’ve come up with a plan.” He turned and gave a loud whistle. In the distance, a few monkeys hooted in response. Moments later, a dozen monkeys came down the aisle, carrying two large but light and shapely objects made of wood.

  “What are those?” Herbie asked.

  “Wing masts,” Santher said with a grin. “Dragon wings.”

  Herbie’s expression went neutral. “Dragon wings?” he asked.

  “Yeah, like they have on a dragon-of-war,” Santher said. “I know what you’re thinking: how can a ship fly? But I tell you, if a big, old galleon like the Argh can fly, then a little spit like the Markab will have no problem at all.” Santher patted Herbie on the back. “We’ve got it worked out. We’ve got the wing masts, the propeller system, and the sails. We’re going all out here. I know it’ll just be a baby dragon-of-war, but she’ll be pretty fierce anyway. I was even thinking of a dragon carapace for the hull. It’s really not that hard to do. And do you know how the Draconi ships set their sails?”

  Herbie shook his head.

  “They do this incredible thing with triangular sails. I could sketch it. Come here, I’ll show you.”

  Herbie and Emma followed Santher to the worktable.

  Herbie turned to Emma. “Laika wanted me to tell you that we’re probably going to reach Cygnus tomorrow.”

  “I thought it was in two days!”

  “Don’t worry,” Santher said. “She’ll be ready by tomorrow, even if we have to work all night.” He and Herbie exchanged a look. “We could use an extra pair of hands. Do you feel like joining us?”

  Herbie glanced at Emma. “Well, I guess I could,” he said. “Just for a while.”

  After showing him the sails, Santher put Herbie to work immediately, and while Emma coughed up a “Ragnar” and Herbie shot her a scowl, she couldn’t seem to wipe the huge grin from her face.

  It took another whole day of hard sailing before the Argh found itself at the cusp of the star Albireo on Cygnus. The ship had made excellent time with storm winds behind them.

  They were still a few hours from the vostok bridge when one of the e
agles returned with a warning cry that signaled a navy fleet ahead. Just to be absolutely sure, they sent the eagle back out with Nelson, the spyglass, attached to its collar. Nelson returned to report that a navy fleet had taken up position in front of the bridge to Albireo and was inspecting every vessel that wanted to pass through.

  Lovesey was troubled. The Queen’s navy had no reason to put up such a blockade at the edge of a quiet star like this one. And this was a whole fleet! He turned the Argh hard to starboard and sailed in a wide arc to avoid the navy’s detection, heading back up the Strand to the section where it split off to a connecting Strand toward Lyra and one of its smaller stars.

  It took another two days of sailing to reach Lyra. Yet to everyone’s dismay, the Strands around Sulafat were heavily patrolled by navy ships as well.

  “Is she posting fleets in every vostok zone in the galaxy?” Lovesey cried.

  Over the next week, the Argh cut a crazy course across the Strands. The Queen’s navy was everywhere. The Argh was forced to avoid Lyra completely, dipping instead into Hercules, then sailing through Corona Borealis, and then being routed upward into Boötes waters before hitting a long stretch of Strand outside Alcaid, which would take them to the relatively quieter Strands of Ursa Major.

  It took nearly a week before they reached the Strand to Ursa Major, and by then their food and water supplies had run dangerously low. Because they couldn’t dock on any systems, they were unable to stock up on the necessities. The captain ordered water rations, and the crew was served two meals a day—breakfast and supper, which were always the same: a bowl of porridge and a slice of dried sausage.

  Emma felt a gnawing anxiety—this was all happening because of her, and the crew suspected as much. Santher assured her that he hadn’t told anyone about her mother being Halifax Brightstoke. The Argh always avoided the navy when it could. But Emma heard people talking and felt their stares at her back in the dining hall. The Arghs knew there was something unusual about her. Maybe, like Santher, they had already guessed who she was—she arrived shortly after the first Pyxis transmission in twelve years. And she did look like the notorious Halifax Brightstoke. Now that the navy was everywhere, the Arghs were fairly certain that the Queen had posted ships all over the galaxy to catch Emma. What would they do if they found out that she was on the Argh?

  By the time they reached Ursa Major, the crew was disappointed again. There were simply too many navy ships at the port zone of Alcaid, the tail star, and Lovesey was worried that the navy would soon surround them.

  Unfortunately, they were in a bad position. To one side of them was Draco—an unfriendly, dangerous system that was patrolled by the mighty Draconi fleets. Although Draco was loyal to the Queen, it was also an independent system. When unwelcome ships sailed down its Strands, they had a habit of getting sunk.

  On the other side of them were the sweeping Strands of Leo. Going there would risk drawing the attention of some of Lovesey’s worst enemies, captains of the Leo navy who would give anything to capture the Argh and return the precious ship to King Cor Leonis. They couldn’t go back the way they’d come. The Argh had no choice but to head off down a great connector Strand that led to Cepheus, a very remote system.

  The journey was going to be a long one, and there was doubt that they could even make it that far before running out of food and water, but Lovesey and Nisba took careful inventory of the cargo hold and determined that they stood a good chance of reaching Cepheus without losing anyone to starvation or misery—as long as they stuck to their rations. So the Argh headed off before more time was wasted.

  The Markab no longer looked like a yacht. Santher and Herbie had outfitted it with the makings of an authentic dragon-of-war: now her hull wore spiked wooden beams that jutted forward from the bow like claws. Her mainsail was trimmed with two black sails and three smaller red ones, which were sharp and triangular and tilted rearward like spikes. The wing masts had been attached to her sides, and they were enormous. Stretched out fully, they dwarfed the small boat. According to Santher, they would lift her into the sky with lethal speed. The hull had been painted black and red in true Draco colors. The finishing touch was a pair of long-snouted cannons that protruded from two forward holes in her bow.

  Emma arrived at the hold early that morning to find Santher waiting for her. She gaped at the ship in amazement, unable to stop smiling. They had done it! They had actually fixed the Markab. She hadn’t thought it was possible, but it looked even better than before.

  Feeling giddy, she let Santher help her onto the deck. There she noticed that someone had polished the cannons. Beside them, two stacks of cannonballs were fixed in wooden casks. They were glittery and black.

  “Cannonballs?” she said, turning on Santher.

  “Vostok cannons,” he said. “Every ship needs them. They’re for opening a bridge from a Strand to a planet. I’m going to show you how to load them, but first I want to make sure you know where everything is.” He’d already done this, and she already knew where everything was, but she could tell he was nervous, so she didn’t protest as he flipped up one of the benches to reveal the chest beneath it. “Here’s where the tools are. And you remember how to repair a leak, right? Here’s cork. Here’s extra wood—”

  He was never going to finish, so she interrupted him. “Thanks again for doing all this work,” she said. “I really don’t know how I’m supposed to thank you.”

  He grew quiet then. “I believe what you said—I mean, that your mom really is Halifax Brightstoke. And because of that…well, I guess…I just think it’s important that you find her.”

  “Yeah,” Emma said. “Thanks.”

  “Anyway, there’s just one more thing I want to show you…. ”

  Emma was relieved when Herbie finally came down from breakfast. Santher immediately started from the top, taking Herbie through the entire inventory again. Gratefully, Emma crept into the cabin and looked around in silent awe.

  It was beautiful. Santher had pulled out all the old wood paneling and replaced it with real wood. He’d kept the same design with the kitchenette, the booth table, and the large nook with the sofa. He’d also kept the bedroom intact. But now everything was made of solid, dark wood. It gave her the feeling of being inside the captain’s office on an old pirate ship. She sat down at the desk and ran her fingers over the grains in the wood. She could have sat there all day, but she heard a noise above.

  Going topside, she was startled to see Captain Lovesey standing by the Markab’s side. He was frowning, and Nelson was bobbing at his side, giving small harrumphs. Herbie stood frozen by the mast, and even Santher looked nervous.

  “Uh, sir, thanks for coming by,” Santher said awkwardly.

  “Did he know you were fixing us up?” Herbie whispered.

  “Yes, Yee,” Lovesey called up to the deck. “I have known about Santher’s generosity for some time.” His eyes fell on Emma and rested there a moment. “But you are aware that we have been unable to land the Argh for more than a week now, and it looks like we’re not going to be setting down anytime soon. So I’m afraid your expedition on this lovely little dragon-of-war is going to have to wait.”

  Emma came forward. “But, sir…” She glanced at Herbie. “I was under the impression that the navy is after us because of me and Herbie. So wouldn’t it be better to let us go? I mean, we’re only causing trouble.”

  Lovesey blinked. “Garton, while that is very true, I believe that it’s not any safer for you to be out on the Strands by yourselves, especially on a small boat like this one.” He motioned to the Markab with his good arm, and Nelson nodded vehemently. “The truth is, this may look like a dragon-of-war, but it is much too small to take on a whole fleet, and if you are going after your mother like I think you are, then you will have to take on a whole fleet.”

  Emma and Herbie exchanged a look, and Herbie mouthed: He knows?

  “Yes, Yee,” Lovesey intoned. “I know.”

  “Then you know this is an impor
tant mission,” Santher interjected. “They could find Halifax!” He breathed this last word with a kind of desperate secrecy.

  “Yes, it’s noble,” Lovesey said, “but it’s not worth the risk. Even with the Argh, I wouldn’t dare take on the navy. My primary goal is to protect the children on this ship. I cannot endanger their lives, and so I can’t let you endanger yours either. If you leave on this boat, you will only get captured by the navy”—he broke off and gave Emma a significant glance—“and that, Miss Garton, is something I’m quite sure you do not want.”

  Slowly, as if his leg was paining him, Lovesey motioned to Nelson and began walking away. He paused by the door and said over his shoulder, “Santher.”

  “Yes, Captain.”

  “I expect you to get back to the shipwright’s workshop this afternoon. Shucks has been asking for you.”

  “Yes, sir,” Santher said, trying not to sound dejected.

  They waited for Lovesey to leave the room before turning to one another in disappointment.

  “And here I thought I was keeping a secret,” Emma said.

  “Lovesey’s very sharp,” Santher replied bitterly. “I guess we have to wait.”

  “No,” Emma said. “I’m not going to wait.”

  Santher looked at her keenly.

  “I don’t want to get you in trouble,” she said, “but think about it: the minute we’re gone, the navy is off your tail. And this boat is perfect. It’s small enough that we can hide. It’s fast, and if we use the wing masts, no one’s going to catch us. You’ve said so yourself.” She could see a gleam of approval in Santher’s eye.

  “Well…,” he said slowly. “I do need to get back to the workshop. But before I go, I should explain one last thing to you guys. There’s a trick to getting a ship out of the cargo doors…. ”

  They leaned closer to listen.

  Herbie made his way down the hallway, looking desperately at every group of Arghs for some sign of Laika. He had already checked the aerie and the dining hall twice; he’d even waited for ten minutes outside the girls’ bathroom door. Now he was wandering up and down the hallways. He didn’t know where her bedroom was, or he would have gone there.