Lalia is cradling Zane’s head. Limping to them, I crouch and scoop my arms under his back and legs, hauling him up.
“Aaron—?” Zane slurs, head dropping back.
“We’re fine,” I tell him, not sure he hasn’t passed out again. “Everyone get in the ship, come on.”
Yvonne herds Anya toward the airlock. The little girl is holding her unattached prosthetic, on the verge of tears, but I don’t have the headspace to deal with that right now. Zane still mostly unconscious is not a good sign. And I don’t know many places where it’ll be safe to take him for medical treatment, not after all the extra bounties and drama.
Bat leaps into the airlock, letting down the gangplank so I can get Zane up easily.
“Lalia,” I say.
She’s looking at the wreckage of their ship. In all the panic, it didn’t register for me. That was their home, the same way my ship is mine. Sure, it’s not the only home they have, but it hardly matters.
“I’m sorry,” I say, and she turns to look at me, scrubbing at her face.
Her eyes drift to Zane, then she nods, following me up the gangplank.
I lay Zane along my bed, letting Lalia in to take care of him the best she can for the moment. I fire up the ship, staring uncomfortably at the crack along the viewport made by the number’s gun. It’ll hold, but I’m going to need to get that fixed before I push this ship any harder than a casual flight. We need to find a close planet, one as far out of the way as we can, as quickly as possible.
“Bat, are you hurt?”
He leaps onto the console beside me, and I rub his ear, watching the dead Amerov numbers outside, just in case.
“I’m fine. Only a little rattled.”
“Do you think you can try to help Zane? I know he’s not the same as me, but you’re probably the best here at fixing…anything.”
If nothing else, he’s good at stitching wounds. Better than I’ll be at the moment. My hands are trembling.
“I’ll do my best.” He rubs his head against my arm and heads into the bunk room.
Behind me, Yvonne is talking softly to Anya. I can’t understand what they’re saying and I’m not sure I want to. The little girl just watched me shoot a cyborg a dozen times at point-blank range.
“Aaron?” Lee’s voice comes up the gangplank, his face appearing around the corner a moment later.
Despite myself, my shoulders hunch. “Get out.”
I don’t look at his expression, but he sounds pained. “I had no idea Kel would call Amerov—”
“Yeah, you mentioned that.”
“I don’t even know how they would’ve gotten here so fast if she did.”
“They’re everywhere. They sent the nearest numbers.”
“Aaron—”
“Do you want something?”
There’s a pause. I don’t understand why he won’t get out of my ship. He never should’ve had anything to say to me in the first place, let alone now. I wait for him to leave.
“I’m sorry I made you stay and talk,” he says.
I glance at him. He isn’t much of a heartfelt person or one to apologize. I don’t think he would if it wasn’t genuine. Then again, Zane got blown up, Bat could’ve been killed, Anya is probably traumatized as hell, and I’m even more beat up than usual.
He can shove his apology. “Fine.”
He sighs and still doesn’t leave my airlock. Unfortunately, he’s not in a position where I can just shut it on him.
“I’d like to get out of here before any more surprises show up if that’s fine with you and your first mate.”
Well, maybe that one was unfair, but he knew I didn’t want to stay here, and he still essentially threatened me into it.
“I mean it, Aaron.”
“Yeah, you said that.”
He glances back at Kel finally getting to her feet and stomping out of the hangar. “She’s not my first mate anymore. Not after that. If I can’t trust her, that’s done.”
“Why,” I say, in a tone I realize probably isn’t my wisest, but I’m fully prepared to push him out of my airlock. If he was going to shoot my ship down, he would’ve done it by now. “You humans have to stick together, don’t you.”
Behind me, Yvonne scoffs. I don’t look at her, but I appreciate it.
Lee takes a long, deep breath. From the corner of my eye, I see his arm move like he’s scratching the back of his head. Hard to tell without looking. My eyes are not happy, and I’m not seeing clearly.
He steps closer, probably just because he doesn’t want the humans listening, but it’s enough I shift away. He stops.
“Look, I invited you to eat for selfish reasons—”
“Ya don’t say.”
“I wanted to know how you’ve been and I figured actually getting you to sit down and relax for a minute would help. I genuinely had no idea Kel would do this and had no bad intentions, no matter if you believe it or not.”
“You really expect me to believe you just wanted to chat.”
“I did.”
I snort, which hurts about a dozen separate places on my body at once. Putting a finger on his chest, I back him out the airlock and down the gangplank. He doesn’t fight me, but looks more concerned than he should have a right to given the circumstances. I know it’s not his fault, not technically, but if he hadn’t bullied me into staying, well…taking a glance at Zane limp and injured on my bed, breath unsteady, isn’t putting me in a forgiving mood.
“You don’t have to accept my apology, but you better not tell me I’m lying right now,” Lee says while I slide the gangplank back in, crouching in the airlock. I thought my injured knee was healed, but apparently not as much as I thought, not after all that.
“Why not?”
He folds his arms, rubbing his eyebrow. “Look, I… Hmm. Look, I’ve always felt bad about how things went on that job of yours.”
My eyes narrow.
“I mean that it wasn’t your fault the way everyone went off about it being. You were barely an adult and I made a bad judgment call putting you in that position. You shouldn’t’ve had to deal with that job and you shouldn’t’ve had to feel like you had to take off afterward.”
“I took off of my own accord.”
“Yes, I’m aware. But I know you felt unsafe and as captain, I shouldn’t’ve let that situation happen.”
I stare at him. Why does he even care? I didn’t take him for someone who would be bothered by the emotional state of some cyborg criminal teen he picked up a few decades ago.
I feel like maybe he expects me to say something, but I’ve got nothing.
After a moment, he asks, “Are you grasping what I’m saying?”
“What does making me sit down and eat with you have to do with any of that?”
He shrugs. “Like I said, I wanted to know about you.”
“Why?”
Another shrug. “I guess I just wanted to make sure you bounced back, that none of that did any permanent damage.”
“You’ve got to be joking.”
His entire expression turns into a frown. “I’m not. I wanted to make sure you’re doing well.”
I grind my jaw, staring at him. At least the rest of the hangar is empty. No Kel. No one else I used to know. He never made any attempts to contact me after what happened. Hell, he never even checked in on me after I got shot. And the medic here barely wanted to touch me. I don’t hold it against him, never have, but now that he’s bringing it up…well, I don’t feel much about what he’s saying.
If I got a debilitating injury now, I’d have a solid three people who would care. Maybe five if I include the princesses, which I’m inclined to, at least until I drop them home. And at least until I find out if Zane and Lalia mean as much to me as they think they do.
Bat, I’ve had, and always will if people like Kel and situations like this stop coming into my life.
“I just want to make sure your life has been okay,” Lee says again, folding his arms.
I shake my head, looking away. He doesn’t get to say such things, not after this much time and everything that’s happened today and the fact I have a ship full of people who care more on any given day.
“Well, it hasn’t,” I say, and close the airlock behind me.
Lalia is cradling Zane’s head. Limping to them, I crouch and scoop my arms under his back and legs, hauling him up.
“Aaron—?” Zane slurs, head dropping back.
“We’re fine,” I tell him, not sure he hasn’t passed out again. “Everyone get in the ship, come on.”
Yvonne herds Anya toward the airlock. The little girl is holding her unattached prosthetic, on the verge of tears, but I don’t have the headspace to deal with that right now. Zane still mostly unconscious is not a good sign. And I don’t know many places where it’ll be safe to take him for medical treatment, not after all the extra bounties and drama.
Bat leaps into the airlock, letting down the gangplank so I can get Zane up easily.
“Lalia,” I say.
She’s looking at the wreckage of their ship. In all the panic, it didn’t register for me. That was their home, the same way my ship is mine. Sure, it’s not the only home they have, but it hardly matters.
“I’m sorry,” I say, and she turns to look at me, scrubbing at her face.
Her eyes drift to Zane, then she nods, following me up the gangplank.
I lay Zane along my bed, letting Lalia in to take care of him the best she can for the moment. I fire up the ship, staring uncomfortably at the crack along the viewport made by the number’s gun. It’ll hold, but I’m going to need to get that fixed before I push this ship any harder than a casual flight. We need to find a close planet, one as far out of the way as we can, as quickly as possible.
“Bat, are you hurt?”
He leaps onto the console beside me, and I rub his ear, watching the dead Amerov numbers outside, just in case.
“I’m fine. Only a little rattled.”
“Do you think you can try to help Zane? I know he’s not the same as me, but you’re probably the best here at fixing…anything.”
If nothing else, he’s good at stitching wounds. Better than I’ll be at the moment. My hands are trembling.
“I’ll do my best.” He rubs his head against my arm and heads into the bunk room.
Behind me, Yvonne is talking softly to Anya. I can’t understand what they’re saying and I’m not sure I want to. The little girl just watched me shoot a cyborg a dozen times at point-blank range.
“Aaron?” Lee’s voice comes up the gangplank, his face appearing around the corner a moment later.
Despite myself, my shoulders hunch. “Get out.”
I don’t look at his expression, but he sounds pained. “I had no idea Kel would call Amerov—”
“Yeah, you mentioned that.”
“I don’t even know how they would’ve gotten here so fast if she did.”
“They’re everywhere. They sent the nearest numbers.”
“Aaron—”
“Do you want something?”
There’s a pause. I don’t understand why he won’t get out of my ship. He never should’ve had anything to say to me in the first place, let alone now. I wait for him to leave.
“I’m sorry I made you stay and talk,” he says.
I glance at him. He isn’t much of a heartfelt person or one to apologize. I don’t think he would if it wasn’t genuine. Then again, Zane got blown up, Bat could’ve been killed, Anya is probably traumatized as hell, and I’m even more beat up than usual.
He can shove his apology. “Fine.”
He sighs and still doesn’t leave my airlock. Unfortunately, he’s not in a position where I can just shut it on him.
“I’d like to get out of here before any more surprises show up if that’s fine with you and your first mate.”
Well, maybe that one was unfair, but he knew I didn’t want to stay here, and he still essentially threatened me into it.
“I mean it, Aaron.”
“Yeah, you said that.”
He glances back at Kel finally getting to her feet and stomping out of the hangar. “She’s not my first mate anymore. Not after that. If I can’t trust her, that’s done.”
“Why,” I say, in a tone I realize probably isn’t my wisest, but I’m fully prepared to push him out of my airlock. If he was going to shoot my ship down, he would’ve done it by now. “You humans have to stick together, don’t you.”
Behind me, Yvonne scoffs. I don’t look at her, but I appreciate it.
Lee takes a long, deep breath. From the corner of my eye, I see his arm move like he’s scratching the back of his head. Hard to tell without looking. My eyes are not happy, and I’m not seeing clearly.
He steps closer, probably just because he doesn’t want the humans listening, but it’s enough I shift away. He stops.
“Look, I invited you to eat for selfish reasons—”
“Ya don’t say.”
“I wanted to know how you’ve been and I figured actually getting you to sit down and relax for a minute would help. I genuinely had no idea Kel would do this and had no bad intentions, no matter if you believe it or not.”
“You really expect me to believe you just wanted to chat.”
“I did.”
I snort, which hurts about a dozen separate places on my body at once. Putting a finger on his chest, I back him out the airlock and down the gangplank. He doesn’t fight me, but looks more concerned than he should have a right to given the circumstances. I know it’s not his fault, not technically, but if he hadn’t bullied me into staying, well…taking a glance at Zane limp and injured on my bed, breath unsteady, isn’t putting me in a forgiving mood.
“You don’t have to accept my apology, but you better not tell me I’m lying right now,” Lee says while I slide the gangplank back in, crouching in the airlock. I thought my injured knee was healed, but apparently not as much as I thought, not after all that.
“Why not?”
He folds his arms, rubbing his eyebrow. “Look, I… Hmm. Look, I’ve always felt bad about how things went on that job of yours.”
My eyes narrow.
“I mean that it wasn’t your fault the way everyone went off about it being. You were barely an adult and I made a bad judgment call putting you in that position. You shouldn’t’ve had to deal with that job and you shouldn’t’ve had to feel like you had to take off afterward.”
“I took off of my own accord.”
“Yes, I’m aware. But I know you felt unsafe and as captain, I shouldn’t’ve let that situation happen.”
I stare at him. Why does he even care? I didn’t take him for someone who would be bothered by the emotional state of some cyborg criminal teen he picked up a few decades ago.
I feel like maybe he expects me to say something, but I’ve got nothing.
After a moment, he asks, “Are you grasping what I’m saying?”
“What does making me sit down and eat with you have to do with any of that?”
He shrugs. “Like I said, I wanted to know about you.”
“Why?”
Another shrug. “I guess I just wanted to make sure you bounced back, that none of that did any permanent damage.”
“You’ve got to be joking.”
His entire expression turns into a frown. “I’m not. I wanted to make sure you’re doing well.”
I grind my jaw, staring at him. At least the rest of the hangar is empty. No Kel. No one else I used to know. He never made any attempts to contact me after what happened. Hell, he never even checked in on me after I got shot. And the medic here barely wanted to touch me. I don’t hold it against him, never have, but now that he’s bringing it up…well, I don’t feel much about what he’s saying.
If I got a debilitating injury now, I’d have a solid three people who would care. Maybe five if I include the princesses, which I’m inclined to, at least until I drop them home. And at least until I find out if Zane and Lalia mean as much to me as they think they do.
Bat, I’ve had, and always will if people like Kel and situations like this stop coming into my life.
“I just want to make sure your life has been okay,” Lee says again, folding his arms.
I shake my head, looking away. He doesn’t get to say such things, not after this much time and everything that’s happened today and the fact I have a ship full of people who care more on any given day.
“Well, it hasn’t,” I say, and close the airlock behind me.
