Resolution

by Ell Leigh Clarke

  Nickie ran for the elevator at the end of the main corridor. If they do, then we have already tested the security system. I’m sure Addie would be interested to know whether her drones are as effective as my aunt’s in close quarters.

  She got into the elevator and waited until Meredith halted the car a couple of decks from the cargo bays. We good?

  Of course.

  Nickie climbed out of the maintenance hatch in the ceiling and steadied herself before drawing the pistols made for her by her grandma. Let’s go.

  The elevator began to move again, slowly this time.

  Nickie heard voices getting closer, matching what she saw in her HUD. That sounds like Skaine.

  It is, Meredith confirmed.

  Nickie repressed a giggle. Fuck my life. Can you hear what they’re saying? This shit’s hilarious.

  She turned up the volume in her ear as the quartet of Skaines turned into the corridor. Nickie mentally named them Spooky, Snarky, Suck-up, and Stick-up-the-ass. Not too original, but she hadn’t played this game for a while. Come on…

  It would be much faster to reveal yourself.

  Nickie’s lip curled. I know. This skulking doesn’t suit me at all, but this is a marathon, not a sprint. Drawing smaller groups into kill zones is the right move here. Open the door.

  “Look,” Spooky quavered. “Another one opening by itself. I reckon this ship is haunted.”

  Snarky laughed cruelly, and Nickie heard the sound of an open palm on flesh. “Shut up, idiot. It’s got an EI, is all.”

  “I agree with Bloat,” Suck-up sucked-up. “It’s the EI.”

  “It’s neither,” Stick-up-the-ass told them all. “But I still don’t like it. This is a merc ship. Where is the crew? The slaves?”

  Close the door, just slowly, Nickie told Meredith.

  “Get in there before we’re trapped here!” Snarky ordered.

  Nickie was rewarded a moment later when two Skaine hands were thrust into the door to prevent it from closing. I wish I had time to play with these fuckers.

  The elevator is still holding, Meredith offered.

  Nickie almost fell into the elevator. Who the fuck are you, and where’s Meredith?

  You are operating as you should be, so I have no reason to advise caution. Damn, I should have saved the “welcome to the fold” speech for this moment.

  Nickie put a hand to the ship. Fuck. That was a day.

  Um, the Skaines down there? Meredith reminded her.

  Nickie snapped out of the memory. Shit. Yeah.

  She’d hoped for all four, but the gods of shit going just how you want it to were only half-listening that day. Stick-in-the-ass and Suck-up poked their heads into the elevator, and Nickie shot them off.

  Fuck it. I haven’t got all day.

  She dropped into the elevator and shot Snarky.

  Spooky stood there with her hands in the air, her head turned to the side and her eyes squeezed tightly shut.

  “Aw, dammit,” Nickie groused. “You’re not even a fucking pirate, are you?”

  The female opened one eye and shook her head rapidly.

  Nickie noted her glance at Snarky. “That was your boyfriend?”

  She nodded again.

  Nickie rolled her eyes. “Fuck my life.” She crossed to the Skaine and shoved her into a storage compartment. “Stay there until this is over, and I’ll try to help you.”

  The Skaine took in Nickie’s glare and pointing finger and nodded mutely.

  “I mean it,” Nickie told her. “If you decide to join up with the others, you’ll die with them. Do I make myself clear?”

  She closed the compartment, then thought twice and opened it again. “Do you know anything about humans being kidnapped?”

  The female’s eyes widened, and she nodded again. Her mouth opened to speak, but nothing came out. She tried again, her voice as wobbly as Durq’s. “They’re at Bloat’s place. He wanted to sell them, but nobody will touch humans. Even I know that.”

  Nickie pointed again. “Change of plan. Come with me.” She pulled the surprised Skaine out of the storage compartment and into the elevator. “You just saved me a hell of a lot of work, Missy.”

  “That’s not my name,” the female told Nickie as the elevator ascended to the bridge level.

  Nickie shrugged. “A name’s a name, right? I mean, you can call me Nickie, but all the other motherfuckers on my ship are going to die knowing a scary-ass bitch named Grimes killed them. It’s all subjective.”

  The elevator opened on the bridge level and Nickie escorted Missy to the small holding cell in the outer corridor. “It’s for your own safety,” she explained at Missy’s odd look. “And, you know, mine.”

  Once Missy was locked up tight, she secured herself on the bridge.

  Adelaide’s security system? Meredith asked hopefully.

  Well, yeah. Nickie dropped into her chair and pulled up the controls for the elevator holding forty or so pissed-off pirates. That’s a complete U-turn on the system.

  Meredith chuckled. When the system gets us to QT2 within the hour, I’m not going to argue, mess or no mess.

  Nickie let out a huge yawn as she sat back. Yeah, me either, Meredith. She closed her eyes and opened the elevator doors to let the pirates out into the empty bottom deck. Release the drones, and wake me up when we get there.

  QT2 System, QBBS Helena, Shipyard, The Penitent Granddaughter

  The crew waited outside the ship for Meredith to drop the ramp.

  Adelaide shifted from one foot to the other, impatient to get aboard. “Come on,” she muttered.

  Grim put a hand on her shoulder. “She’s just fine, I keep telling you.”

  “Then why isn’t she responding to the comm?” Keen demanded, just as agitated as Adelaide.

  “Nickie will be asleep,” Durq predicted. “Otherwise she would have picked up.”

  The ramp touched the ground and the four headed aboard with varying degrees of haste, Grim bringing up the rear.

  They all paused on entering the ship.

  Grim almost bumped into Keen. “What's going o…ohhhhh. That's a hell of a mess. Meredith?”

  There was no reply.

  Adelaide ran for the bridge, yelling at the top of her lungs as she went. “Nickiiiiiiieeee!”

  The others followed close behind, scrambling for the elevator.

  Grim was first out. He ran as fast as his two legs could carry him until he reached the carnage in the access corridor.

  Adelaide hid her face in her hands. “None of those are…”

  “No,” Grim told her. “Look, the door is opening.”

  The four walked onto the bridge somewhat hesitantly, Adelaide and Durq taking cover behind Keen and Grim.

  Keen almost shot Lefty when the house bot whirred inquisitively. “Dammit, Lefty.”

  Lefty whirred again and got back to cleaning the dried blood on the center console.

  The noise was enough to make Nickie stir. She murmured in her sleep and settled back when her senses told her she was safe.

  Durq smiled softly and left the bridge. “I knew she was fine. No one gets the better of our captain.”

  Adelaide and Keen looked at each other, then at Nickie, who was lying blood-soaked and fast asleep with a faint, satisfied smile on her lips, then at Grim.

  Grim snorted. “Like I said, nothing to worry about.”

  Chapter 13 Nickie

  QT2 System, QBBS Helena, Shipyard

  Jean regarded the damage to the Penitent Granddaughter with a critical eye. “Sweetheart, you might want to consider upgrading. This ship’s better days are so far in the past I wouldn't want to embarrass her by talking about them.”

  Nickie's heart fell. “Grandma, no! I love this ship.”

  “Really?” Jean flicked a finger at the partially-burned name on the hull. “What's with this? I keep meaning to ask.”

  Nickie felt her cheeks burn. “Um…” She considered making something up. No, fuck it. I'm not going to lie. Sh
e shrugged. “I did it because I was pissed at Grandad, but then I kind of grew into it. It's my ship, Grandma. It’s my home.”

  Jean sighed. “Don't give me those sad eyes, child. I’ll fix your ship.”

  Nickie flung her arms around Jean, jumping up and down. “Thank you, Grandma!”

  Jean snorted. “Don't thank me yet. I'm going to have to squeeze it in around Bethany Anne’s orders, so you might have to stick around a minute or two.”

  Nickie pursed her lips, thinking of Missy. “That's fine. My crew could do with a break after the briefing. If we're staying, I'd better get my shit together and report to Barnabas.”

  Jean patted Nickie’s cheek, pride in her smile. “That's my girl. Want to do something once you're done with duty? You owe me for deciding not to turn up for dinner the last time you were here.”

  Nickie floundered for a second before coming up with a way to make it up to Jean without getting stuck talking about her mom the whole time. She smirked as she gathered Jean in for a hug. “That would be great. I have just the thing in mind for us to do together.”

  QT2, QBBS Helena, Shipyard, Aboard the Penitent Granddaughter

  Grim was getting dinner on the table when Nickie arrived in the mess.

  Grim spotted Nickie slipping in and grinned. “You’re just in time!” He placed the large covered dish he was holding on the table and waved her over. “Come and sit before it gets cold…er.”

  Nickie took her seat and looked under the cloche at the mass of shiny-looking tentacles. Fuck my life. “Looks great, Grim. Mmmm.”

  “Just wait until you taste it,” Grim promised. Threatened?

  Nickie wasn’t too sure.

  Adelaide, Durq, Keen, and Missy looked on in silence as she cut a bite-sized piece off and put it into her mouth.

  “Is it good?” Adelaide whispered while Grim's back was turned.

  Nickie moved the piece of meat around her mouth and bit down. Her ability to reply was lost to the party in her mouth.

  “Well?” Adelaide pressed, glancing at the whatever-it-was with a mixture of hunger and horror. “Are those tears of pain or happiness?”

  Nickie pulled the dish toward herself. “Mmf, no. You wouldn't like it at all. You should totally let me take care of the whole thing.” She cut off another piece as Grim returned with the side dishes.

  He took one look at Nickie and shook his head. “And you were so anxious to eat anywhere but here tonight.”

  “I take it all back.” Nickie waved her knife at Grim. “Sit, eat.”

  Grim sat by Nickie, and the crew got to work on the meal.

  Nickie looked around the table, her gaze lighting on the female Skaine. She looked terrified, and more than a little bit confused by Durq’s presence among the mostly human crew. “So, Missy…”

  The female’s head ceased its constant roaming and snapped to Nickie. “Y…yes?”

  Nickie gestured for Keen to pass the dish down the table. “You’re not hungry?”

  Her eyes flicked to the dish, then back to Nickie. Hunger and confusion—or maybe gas? Nickie didn’t claim to be an expert on Skaine physiology beyond how to dismember them—on her face. “Not really. What are you going to do to me?”

  Nickie rolled her eyes. “Nothing. Durq, can you tell Missy we’re not going to eat her?”

  Durq winced when the female squeaked in fear. “Really, we’re not. What kind of name is Missy for a Skaine?”

  The female sneered and spoke in Skaine. “It’s not my name. Just what the human keeps calling me.”

  Nickie’s expression hardened at the disrespect. “The human’s name is Captain Grimes,” she cut in, also in Skaine. “I am the niece of Ranger Two, and this is my ship you’re aboard. A touch of gratitude for not just blowing your head off with the rest of those assholes you had the shitty sense to hook up with wouldn’t go amiss.”

  Missy nodded, subdued. “I apologize, but my name is…” She uttered a string of syllables that made both Nickie and Durq snicker.

  Nickie waved her fork at the female. “I’d stick with Missy if you’re planning on hanging out with us for a while. I’m not gonna lie, humans would have a field day with that.”

  Adelaide, Keen, and Grim got the translation from Meredith a moment later. The guys cracked up, and Adelaide looked confused for a moment longer before covering her mouth with both hands.

  She turned to Nickie. “Meredith doesn’t lie, does she?”

  Nickie shook her head, biting the inside of her lip so she didn’t laugh at the beetroot shade her unworldly engineer had turned.

  Adelaide’s eyes widened. “Wow.”

  Missy had other concerns. “If you’re Ranger Two’s kin, what are you doing with a Skaine on your crew?”

  Nickie blew Durq a kiss, which he caught. “Because he’s an absolute sweetheart. Missy, my aunt and I know better than anyone that not all Skaines are dicks. I heard that asshole hit you, and to me, you’re no different than any other young woman who got in over her head.” She waved her fork at Missy. “I give exactly no fucks about wasting your asshole boyfriend, but I’m gonna help you if you want to quit being bum-gum. Your help finding our missing people would go a long way toward building trust between us.”

  Missy considered Nickie’s offer. “Okay, I’ll tell you where the humans are. What then?”

  Nickie shrugged. “It’s up to you what you want to do once you’ve shared what you know with my boss.”

  Grim snorted. “You have a boss, Boss?”

  Nickie lifted a shoulder. “I’m sure Barnabas sees it that way. It doesn’t hurt to humor him. The point is that Missy here knows where the crew of the Lucky Run is being held. The dead Skaine on cargo deck B, Missy’s ex, was the one who kidnapped them.”

  Everyone turned to Missy, who nodded hesitantly. “He really was a dick,” she admitted. “My parents wanted me to go to school in the Federation. I wish I’d listened.”

  Nickie sat back in her chair and dropped her fork onto her plate. “Then it’s settled. You come with us when the ship gets back from my Grandma Jean’s workshop, and we get you to school if that’s your jam.”

  Adelaide looked up from her food, her fork hovering halfway between the plate and her mouth. “When the ship gets back from where?”

  Nickie winced internally as she turned to Adelaide. “From my grandma’s workshop,” she repeated. “She’s giving the old girl an overhaul.”

  The color drained from Adelaide’s face. “I’ve put a lot into this ‘old girl,’ and I don’t want some other engineer taking liberties.” She paused a second. “Even if that engineer is Jean Dukes. It’s like inviting a stranger in to look at your,” her eyes flicked to Missy, “underwear or something.”

  “Or something?” Nickie teased. “Grandma Jean can get it done fast, and we need it done fast.”

  Keen wiped his mouth and dropped his napkin onto his empty plate, a wry smile twitching under his mustache. “I think what Addie was trying to say before her pride overcame her sense is that she would appreciate the opportunity to learn from the master.”

  Nickie drained her cup and got to her feet. “If you want to spend your leave hounding my grandma’s teams, I’m not going to stand in your way. You might wanna avoid my grandma, though.”

  “Leave?” Grim echoed hopefully. “I could use some time.”

  Adelaide tilted her head. “Why should I avoid Jean?”

  Nickie nodded at Grim. “We need a break. You’re all free until the ship is repaired.” She pushed her chair in and turned to leave. “As for Grandma, she always gets grumpy after a shopping trip.”

  QBBS Helena, Main Concourse, Commercial Quarter

  Nickie held up two pairs of shoes, unable to decide between them. “Which ones?”

  Jean glanced at Nickie and shrugged. “They’re exactly the same.”

  Nickie groaned, putting both pairs back on the display. “Are you kidding? Grandma, you can strip any piece of machinery and reassemble it by eye, but you can’t tell t
wo completely different shoes apart?”

  Jean rolled her eyes. “They’re shoes, so who cares? You sound just like your mother. Why the two of you can’t just get along is beyond me. You’re…” she paused to reconsider what she had been about to say, “nothing alike. But still. You should call her, she misses you. And I hate shoe shopping.”

  Nickie’s arms dropped to her sides. “Dammit. There goes my good mood.”

  Jean’s eyebrow went up. “Meredith Nicole Grimes, you drop that attitude right this second and apply some of the good sense you’ve gained these last few years to look at things from your mother’s point of view.”

  She turned on her heel and left Nickie standing in the middle of the store with her mouth hanging open.

  Maybe you should have chosen a different activity, Meredith suggested.

  Maybe you should have spoken up earlier. Nickie hurried after Jean. “I’m entitled to my attitude,” she argued, falling into step beside her. “You don’t know what it was like after you left, just me in that house and her always at work.”

  Jean grunted. “Poor you, having a parent who worked her ass off to put a roof over your head, clothes on your back, and food in your stomach. It must have been so hard for you.”

  “What about having someone at home when I got in from school?” Nickie retorted. “That would have been good, too.”

  “It would have been,” Jean agreed. “If you had gone to school. Your mother raised you right despite the challenges she faced as a single parent.”

  Nickie rolled her eyes. “Sure, make her sound like the perfect mother. You weren’t there, Grandma. She’s cold, and she’s always been cold.”

  Jean snorted. “I’m not saying Lillian is perfect by any means. God knows she drives me crazy.” She stopped Nickie with a hand on her arm. “But she loved you from the moment the doctors put you in her arms, and she’s never stopped for a second.”

  Nickie pushed away from Jean, her eyes stinging. “Grandma, don’t.”

  Jean’s voice was soft. “She’s your mom, but she’s also a human being. Did you ever stop to consider how she felt about losing your father the way she did?”