“Yes, they did it to me, not to you. I'm perfectly satisfied with Bain's plans to take Trevnor and his men to face Commonwealth justice."
“I'm not!"
“What you want and what satisfies you really doesn't have any bearing in this. Go home, Haddan."
Caderi reared back and took a deep breath. Bain fully expected the man to bellow a stream of abuse at Lin. But Caderi closed his mouth and slowly expelled his breath in a hiss through his nostrils. Lin met his burning glare with a slight smile and a returning sparkle of mischief in her eyes.
“Just tell me one thing,” the man said as he slowly backed away from Lin's cubicle. “Why did they take you?"
“They wanted me to convince you to let them through the blockade you and your partners set up around Borreal and its four moons. When I refused, they argued with me and tried to bribe me. Then they decided that if I wouldn't help them, I was probably planning on telling you what they wanted. They couldn't afford for you to find out they were trying to break your blockade."
“What made them think you would even ask me? What made them think I would listen?"
“They believe Lin is your mother,” Bain said.
“What?” For a long moment, Caderi wavered between shock and laughter. He kept his silence though, and his face slowly calmed. “Ridiculous,” he finally spat.
“There must be something to support their belief,” Lin said. “Look at the way you reacted when you heard I'd been kidnapped."
Caderi had no answer for that. He threw his shoulders back and held his head high and stalked across the bridge, back to the hatch. In another minute, he was gone. Bain closed the hatch very quietly.
“As soon as I can, I'm going to reconnect the boards that control the hatches and the rest of the ship,” Bain said. “I have too much work to do to play doorman all the time."
Lin's response to that was a snort of laughter.
“All clear up there?” Trinia asked.
“It's safe to come up now,” he said with a chuckle. “Now I need your help with something else."
“What are you planning, young man?” Lin drawled.
He refused to answer until his Scouts were back on the bridge, gathered around the opening of Lin's cubicle.
“Ganfer, how long until Sunsinger is fully functional?” he asked.
“It is not a matter of time, but of resources,” the ship-brain responded after a few seconds.
“Meaning?” Lin prodded. She frowned, then covered her visible concern by sipping at her cooling tea.
“Obtaining the crystal boards will take time. I am, after all, an ancient model of Spacer craft. Replacement parts exactly fitting my specifications are not that easy to find. Only a few specialists continue to make the boards, and they aren't settled on one planet."
“All right, we'll have to travel ... Oh.” Lin nodded. “How can we travel if we can't control the engines, much less navigate?"
“You could sit for months, even years on Fengrath, waiting for messages to get around and for the spare parts to arrive here. Then there's the matter of depleting your credit reserves,” Bain said. “Why don't you let the Scout Corps pay for it all, and tow Sunsinger to Drasti while we're at it?"
“Why would I want to go to Drasti?” Lin glanced at the other Scouts, questions in her eyes.
One by one, they all shrugged or shook their heads; they had no idea what Bain was leading up to either.
“You taught me, Lin. Everything that I am is because of your training. You said you wanted to set up a school to train Spacers—why not locate on Drasti and train Scouts while you're at it? We need pilots and we're building wonderful new ships,” Bain hurried on. “They aren't as good as Sunsinger because we can't get ship-brains like Ganfer to guide them, but between you two every Spacer who becomes a Scout will be able to handle any ship they're given."
“Train Scouts?"
Immediately, the other six added their voices to Bain's, pleading with Lin to at least consider. It was nearly ten minutes before the clamor calmed enough to let Bain speak again.
“If you won't do it for yourself, do it for Ganfer,” he pleaded.
“For Ganfer? Would you enjoy being a teacher, Bucket of Bolts?” Lin asked. The drawl had returned to her voice and Bain dared take it as a good sign.
“It would be a change of routine,” the ship-brain said. “You did say you wanted to see Drasti and make sure Bain wasn't being run ragged by the Rangers."
“Too bad part of his memory wasn't erased,” she muttered. Laughter followed her words; Lin's grumbling fooled no one.
“Just think about it, all right?” Bain dropped to his knees next to Lin's bunk, and took hold of her free hand. “Let Star Arrow tow Sunsinger to Drasti. Look around. Think about what you could do, and what we need. Let us take care of finding the parts to repair Sunsinger and Ganfer. Then if you don't like the idea or you think it won't work, you don't have to stay around once all the repairs are done."
“All right—I'll think about it.” Lin twisted her face into a scowl that sent the other Scouts into giggles. “Besides, I need to make sure you know what you're doing in that fancy new ship of yours. No apprentice of mine is going to embarrass me in front of the entire Commonwealth."
Bain laughed, despite the tears trying to come to his eyes.
* * * *
Silver and white streaks of energy swirled around blue pulses as Star Arrow dove into the Knaught Point. Abruptly, all the colors vanished into utter blackness, then a moment later the white and pale blue and yellow pinpricks of stars returned as the Scout ship emerged into normal space again.
“Not bad,” Lin said. She sat in the acceleration couch behind Bain's in the piloting dome of Star Arrow.
“So, do I pass?” He grinned and didn't bother turning around. He knew what expression she wore.
“Of course you pass. Do you think I would let any student of mine leave my ship without being fully capable?"
“Nope.” He loosened his straps and slid off the couch to grab at the guide bar on the side wall of the little dome. “Ready to go down?"
“In a little while. It's been too long since I was up among the stars like this.” Lin smiled gently. In the shadows of the dome, it was hard to tell, but Bain thought he saw a glimmer of tears in the corners of her eyes.
“Star Arrow to Estal'es'cai. How did you come through?” Bain said, knowing better than to even acknowledge what he saw.
“Just fine,” Rhiann responded. “Any chance we can hire you to work for us?"
“Not a chance. Why don't you come work for the Scouts?” he returned, laughing. His voice caught, though. Lin's head turned sharply and Bain knew she had heard.
“I might be tempted. With the right offer. We'll see you on Drasti at the end of the week. Estal'es'cai out."
“See you there. And thanks.” Bain waited until the slight whine of the inter-space link cut off.
“That girl...” Lin sighed.
“What?"
“I don't like to pry, Bain. Not when it comes to matters of the heart, but—"
“Lin, don't.” He hated the sudden dropping sensation in his stomach.
“How do things stand between you and Rhiann?"
“She says I'm her best friend.” He settled down on his couch again and wrapped his fingers around the straps to stay down.
“How about you?"
“I think ... she's the best friend I'll ever have."
“Enough that all this long-distance friendship is getting irritating?"
“More than irritating,” Bain admitted through a growing lump in his throat. “I can't ask her, Lin."
“Why not?"
“She's a Leaper."
“What does that have to do with it?” Lin laughed, a short, sharp bark of a sound. “You heard her just now. All she needs is the right offer."
“She can be a Leap captain, Lin. Why should she give that up? I don't think I could give up the Scouts to be with her, so how can I ask her to do i
t for me?"
“Leapers and Scouts can work together, you know. Scouts would be a thousand times more efficient if Leapers could take them to the trouble spots."
“I know, but that makes it look like I'm asking her to marry me just so I can get Leap-ships for the Scouts."
“Amazing.” She chuckled, and this time the sound was more pleasant. “You said ‘marry’ without choking. I never thought that would happen."
“You don't know how miserable I feel right now."
“Yes, I do, Bain. Common sense has made me say ‘no’ often enough, when everything else in me was shrieking ‘yes'. I know how you feel."
“Do you still regret..."
“Not marrying Mordor Caderi? Sometimes. It would have been fun. I might even have been a good influence on him. But I had no guarantee of that. You should never marry someone believing you can change him or her. Marrying a Caderi would be a betrayal of my beliefs and values and my sense of right and wrong. That doesn't apply to you and Rhiann, though. You two were made for each other. Lorian and I could see that from the moment you two first met."
“Really? Was it all right with her?” Something started to loosen inside his chest. Bain thought he could breathe normally again.
“Every woman wants her daughter to find the man who is her best friend and her completion. And every woman wants her son to find the woman who makes him a complete person, too.” Lin reached out and crossed the space between their couches and took hold of Bain's hand. “I meant it, Bain. You're the best son any woman could ever want. I'm proud of you. Reach for all your dreams and hold to all your high ideals. Take the chance and ask Rhiann."
“I don't know if I could take it if she said no,” he murmured.
“Is that any better than wondering about her answer for the rest of your life?"
He thought about that a moment or two, then shook his head. Knowing the answer, even if it hurt, was far better than wondering for the rest of his life.
* * *
Chapter Ten
Three days later, the crew of Star Arrow had reached Drasti and made their report. The Estal'es'cai arrived just as the celebration began—Lin had agreed to stay on Drasti and teach Spacers and Scouts. Ganfer would be installed in the new Scout training headquarters, as teacher and administrator and confidant. The entire crew of the Leap-ship was invited down for the festivities.
It took nearly two hours before Bain could leave the party without anyone noticing. He had Rhiann in tow, ostensibly to take a tour of the half-built facilities.
“It's going to be huge,” she said, looking around at the main hall of the administration building. The webwork of the ceiling towered over their heads nearly three stories.
“It's the work of a lifetime,” Bain agreed. “Did you ever find yourself in the middle of a dream-come-true, and get really scared?"
“Sometimes."
“Rhi—remember when we were on Sunsinger and Ganfer had just told us who kidnapped Lin?"
“What a relief that was. I didn't let myself hope she was going to be all right until that moment."
“Remember what we were talking about, right after Caderi broke in on us?"
“Yes.” Rhiann smiled wider, even as her face darkened to a bright pink. “You were working up the courage to kiss me."
“Nope. You were getting ready to kiss me."
“Bain—"
He kissed her, just a quick brush of his lips across hers, but more than enough to quiet her.
“Now, what I was trying to ask you, but I never got a chance, was why you aren't a Leaper captain yet."
“Oh. Is that all?” Rhiann shrugged and turned and started to walk away. Bain caught her by her shoulders and stopped her and turned her back to face him.
“Why aren't you a Leaper captain yet, Rhi?"
“Why does it matter?"
“Because—” For a moment, he was startled by the flicker of fear and hurt in her eyes, there and gone again so quickly he thought maybe he imagined it. “Because I want to ask you to marry me and join the Scouts, but I can't ask you to give up being a Leaper, that's why."
Rhiann's mouth dropped open. Now there were glimmers of tears in her eyes. She tried to speak, swallowed hard and blinked until the glistening vanished, and stared up at him.
“Ask me,” she nearly whispered.
“Rhiann—"
“Bain, kiss me again and then ask me. Please?"
He wanted to kiss her again. Something told him if he didn't do as she asked, he would never have any of his question answered. Rhiann slipped her arms around his shoulders as he bent down and kissed her again.
“Rhiann ... will you give up being a Leaper captain to marry me and be a Scout?"
“I can't give up being a Leaper captain because I can't be a Leaper captain. But I'll marry you and be a Scout if you still want me,” she added with a slight giggle.
“What do you mean, you can't be a Leaper captain?” Bain thought the floor was about to open up and swallow both of them.
“I didn't inherit the talent, like Herin did. Maybe one out of five Leap captain daughters never inherit.” She swallowed hard and started to blush again. “But one of our daughters could show up with the gift. Are you willing to take that chance?"
“Daughters? I never let myself think that far ahead!” Bain whooped, tightened his arms around her and spun her around in circles for a few dizzy steps.
“You'd better think far ahead, Commander Bain Kern,” she scolded. “The entire Scout Corps is depending on you."
“On us, Rhiann. They're depending on us."
END
* * *
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Michelle lives in North Royalton, Ohio, just about half an hour from Lake Erie and Cleveland. She graduated from Northwestern College, Iowa, with a BA in theater/English, and from Regent University, Virginia, with an MA in communication (film/writing). She has over 40 short stories and poems to her credit in fan fiction—Star Trek, Highlander, the Phoenix, Beauty & the Beast, Stingray, among others. Her first professional sale was also a first-place win in the Writers of the Future Contest, with the short story “Relay". This story introduced one of her favorite “Barbie Dolls", Rhea Jones. She's a pivotal figure in a series of books Michelle calls Wildvine County. Someday they'll even see print....
“Sunsinger” belongs in a universe Michelle created called “The Commonwealth". Bain and his adventures are about 3/4 of the way through the planned books—there's a lot of history she's still fleshing out. It's great fun, having thousands of people and stories running around in her head. And someday she'll get them all on paper.
Keep track of the entire ten-part series on Michelle's author page:
www.writers-exchange.com/author.php/96
* * *
Visit www.writers-exchange.com/epublishing for information on additional titles by this and other authors.
Scouts [Sunsinger Chronicles Book 10] Page 9
