Chapter 16

Interstellar space, en-route to the Kratta System
Timestamp 7 / 7 / 2296
04:00 Sol standard time.

Jack ran the keycard across the lock to Lucinia’s quarters and ducked in. She was currently out, so he took liberties and started up a pot of coffee, expecting her within a half hour or so. In the common area, she had a small kitchen complete with a single sink, hotplate and a minifridge. It was capable of handling simple meals, but she rarely used it. Inside her fridge sat a few drinks, some cream and a couple of plastic containers with fresh fruits. Despite being the Captain, Lucinia wouldn’t indulge in a bunch of luxuries that the rest of the crew could not. The extent of her indulgence was primarily on what her quarters provided. Jack occasionally felt self-conscious for taking advantage of it. He sat at her workstation and pulled out a tablet, looking over some items for sale on the League-wide marketplace. When Lucinia entered, she had a worn expression on her face but cheered up some when she saw Jack and smelled the fresh coffee.

“You are a miracle worker,” she said as she poured a cup.

“Contrary to popular belief, I do use my brainses every now and then,” Jack smiled as he stood up and showed her the tablet. “What do you think of these?”

She looked on the screen and saw a pair of kissing cranes, stuffed animals sewn together at the beak in a cute kiss.

“Uh...” Lucinia bit her lower lip.

“Yeah, look, they’re really cheap! I mean look at ‘em, they’re so ... us!”

“What was that you said about using your brains a moment ago?”

Jack burst out laughing. “I know you don’t go for that stuff, this is what I really mean,” He swiped the cranes away and showed her a winning bid on a pair of tickets to her favorite orchestra, ‘Solar Symphonia’.

“Ah! Is this for real?” Lucinia took the tablet and looked closely. “Jack...”

“Yeah?”

“This orchestra is impossible to get tickets to. It is always sold out over a year in advance.”

“Yep.”

“These tickets are only two months from now.”

“Look where, too,” Jack nodded his head.

“Oh, wow, Karderak Prime. At the South Sands Resort...”

“Yes ma’am.”

“Are you messing with me?”

“Me? Never!”

“Jack...”

“Well, I figured I ought to take Kaz there since it’s where we first meoomph.” He stepped back and laughed as she back handed his belly. “Better make sure you got a clear schedule for that. These tickets cost me a fafillion lucs.”

“Consider it cleared.” Lucinia wrapped her arms around him and gave him a kiss. “We all could use some rest. I’ll make it a couple of weeks down time for the crew. Give them a chance to travel and visit relatives or just relax on the beach.”

“I could use it,” Jack grinned. “Being worked into an early grave around here.”

Lucinia smirked and kissed him again, before stepping back to down her coffee and head off to get changed.

A few minutes later, they sat together in the common area of her quarters, sipping fresh cups of coffee.

“Things going ok?” Jack saw Lucinia still carried a tired expression.

“Things are ok, Jack,” Lucinia assured him. “Just some stress and concern over meeting the contract on time.”

“We have time to find the drone ship,” Jack spoke confidently. “Most contracts we’ve done in the past barely see a day cycle before we’re done.”

“That is true,” Lucinia took a sip. “However, the nature of our quarry is very different. With the missiles, we can strike them. We need to find them before we can do that, however.”

“Yeah,” Jack nodded. “I understand.”

“Any worries or concerns circling around the crew?” Lucinia inquired.

“Most of the stuff I’m seeing is of a personal matter.” Jack said. “Pri’s quiet about her close call, but maybe that bothers me more than it does her.”

“I caught up with her too, not too long ago. She is so withdrawn that I have a hard time reading her. I feel she may have become, tolerant of such things. When you hear about them all the time, and have poor treatment cast upon you by many...”

Jack leaned back and looked up at the ceiling. “Maybe it means nothing for me to say now, speaking here, after the event, full of bravado, but I would have fucked that station up looking for her.”

“I know.” Lucinia replied. “I saw that look in your eye.”

Jack closed his eyes and let out a huff. “I told her I’d have her back, watch her six anywhere I could.”

“You always do.”

Jack looked as if he wanted to say more on the matter, but he was silent for a few moments, then went on to a new topic.

“Kazzie’s doing good with her training and retention. She should be good and ready when I pass her off to you for her final round of training so she can get her OVM [Ordinary Voidsmariner] certification.”

“Right on.” Lucinia smiled. “She might just be able to make a competent officer out of you yet.”

“Hopes and dreams.” Jack shot back.

“Anything else of a serious matter?”

“Nothing serious, no,” he took a sip. “What about your end?”

“Nothing of a major issue,” Lucinia replied.

“Get any more info on what’s going on with the aft cargo hold?” Jack asked.

“No,” Lucinia replied. “Nyka’s camera has not caught anything other than the standard fare. Lights turn on and off occasionally, sometimes there’s some interference on the camera itself. Nothing else to speak of.”

“The plot thickens...” Jack scratched his head.

“My ship’s a bit broke, I want it fixed...” Lucinia lightly joked.

“Speaking of broken ships,” Jack cleared his throat. “Are you alright with me hiring Spurius to do some extra work to my Scapa? I hadn’t the time to fully service it before I left Artema and it could use some work.”

“Yes, absolutely. Can you work out a plan with him so he can do the work, and maintain his duties?”

“I can, “Jack nodded. “It’s nothing that could affect my capability to use it in the immediate future, but it will need to be done at some point. Gonna need to see what kind of parts are available at any ports we stop at.”

“Does it need a lot of work?”

“No, not really,” Jack shook his head. “Some basic maintenance and some parts are wearing out.”

“If you need Nyka’s help, you should talk to her too. Just make the arrangement like the one with Spurius.”

“I will,” Jack assured her.

“Zakia and Andor might be able to help as well,” Lucinia offered.

“Zakia possible, Andor, Eh...” Jack shrugged.

“Not a fan?”

“Not a Frenon fan, no,” Jack shook his head.

“Well, whatever you feel you need to do, make it happen,” Lucinia nodded.

They lay on the bed a short time later, still clothed and on top of the blankets. Looking up at the glowing art on the ceiling, Jack cleared his throat.

“You asked for my company tonight. Was there something specific you wanted to talk about?”

“In the fight today, I think killed someone,” Lucinia replied, tearing up a little as she felt the realization sink in. “I saw them in the window, and I fired my gun at them. I saw them fall back from a wound that had to be fatal, it had to be.”

“You might not have killed them,” Jack tried to assuage her.

“I hit them in the eye...” Lucinia let out a deep breath.

“Oh,” Jack bit his lip momentarily. “They were trying to take Pri. They were willing to kill us to take her and turn her into a pit slave or worse.”

“I know, I understand.” Lucinia answered. “It’s just...”

“Doesn’t make it feel any better.” Jack finished and she nodded against her pillow. “Knowing that they were going to harm or kill someone you care about, eases the conscience a bit. On my part it does, at least.” Jack said.

“Sita and Cardox, they seemed happy about the fight. Is there something I’m not understanding about what happened today?” Lucinia looked at him and he shifted to better face her.

“They’re coping in their way. Both have nearly a decade of combat under their belts. The fact they survived that fight relatively unscathed would be cause enough for their celebration. I don’t think they worry too hard about the lives they took. After a while you grow cold to it.”

“I don’t want to get like that, Jack.” Lucinia said quietly. “It scares me to think people can get that way. We have had very little in the way of gunfights in our line of work, nothing even on the level of today. I want it to stay like that.”

“I agree,” Jack replied.

“This mission became contradictory to its intent. The whole plan of purchasing these missiles was to keep you safe on board. Instead, the whole team became caught up in a conflict. I had to hear it from Proculus about how dangerous that was. I finally had to put him in his place which left a bad feeling between us.”

Jack reached over and took her hand, feeling her grip back.

“The consequences of a decision can be long lasting. Don’t let this cloud your judgement. You made the right call. I let you down out there.” Lucinia shifted on her side and put a hand on his cheek. “The second year into the Artema war, I was asked to pick a building for my section to have a few hours rest in. It was a simple command, almost a joke really, since most of the buildings in the town we were in were rubble. I chose the best looking one and we went in and found a couple dozen refugees of other races. The loyalists hated other races by that point and these ones had paid dearly for that.” Jack let out a deep breath. “I remember there was a pair of Kakrin kids, a brother and sister like Nyka and Rusu. A Praeminian couple was looking after them. Anyway, we briefly discussed moving to another building, but decided to stay. As we were warming some food and our medic tended to a few of the wounded, a Loyalist airstrike hit the building. Half my section was incapacitated, so were most of the refugees. Many didn’t make it. A bad decision can come at any time, completely unintended or unforeseen.”

“I’m sorry for that,” Lucinia said sympathetically.

“Don’t be,” Jack replied softly. “It was a loyalist bomb that ultimately killed or wounded everyone. That’s what I keep telling myself when I start thinking of those kids lying dead beside their guardians. Kakrin share so many features with Lexocanus, it gets me now and then when I see Nyka and Rusu.”

“So, I need to tell myself that it was ultimately those gangers that started the fight?”

“When it starts to bug you, you’ll have to, because in the end, it’s reality.” Jack answered.

Lucinia nodded and was silent for a few moments. “Is that why you have such a sympathetic stance with Nyka and Rusu, because of that event?”

“I never really considered it,” Jack thought in depth for a few moments. “I don’t know.”

“Was that what you went back to Artema for?”

“No,” He shook his head. “No, that was for some things ... worse than that.”

Lucinia had a hard time imagining the man beside her, fighting in a brutal war with the capability of doing what he needed to survive, no matter how ugly it may be. She wondered what kind of things had happened that he considered so much worse than what he had just told her.

“I don’t know who you were,” she said intently. “But I fell in love with you for who you are today. That kindness and compassion for the others no matter their culture or race, I saw it time and time again. I see it with Kaz and with Pri. I see it with the Lexocanus. I’ve seen it with Spurius, Charm and Saito. I see how easy you get along with most of the crew. I saw it with that young Praeminian we had on board, Tako. Some of the old crew were getting carried away with the joke about his name, but you stepped in before I even caught wind of what was going on.”

“I found him in the fore cargo hold, mad, and almost in tears.” Jack said.

“He made sure he said goodbye to you specifically, when he left.”

“Too bad we lost him. Wish he didn’t keep it a secret for so long.” Jack sighed. “Shoulda fired that fuck head who was tormenting him much sooner. Don’t even say his name,” Jack said. “Fuck doesn’t even deserve to be remembered.”

“He didn’t last long,” Lucinia stated. “ I made sure he got a proper citation on his file. Went right to the top of the voidfarers union. I doubt he found work anywhere else.”

“Beautiful,” Jack smiled. “Hope he’s working for a vet somewhere, shoving suppositories up some sick animal’s ass, though even that job would be above his grade.”

“Did you ever keep in touch with Tako?”

“Yeah,” Jack nodded. “I have his contact information. He’s on the deck of a cruise liner, about four hundred light years coreward of us.”

“Good place to be,” Lucinia noted. “Much safer than out here on the frontier.”

“He’s doing well, always asks about everyone that was on board during his time here. He wants to call you, but I think he feels uncomfortable with his sudden departure.”

“I wish I could have stopped him,” Lucinia said. “But the damage was done. I think he needed to escape the ship itself, to shake the memories.”

“I think so too,” Jack concurred. “You could send him a message though, if you want to make contact. I think he’d like that. Might help him to put the past to rest.”

“Pass on his contact information and I’ll get in touch.” Lucinia said.

“Where do you see yourself in another five years?” Lucinia asked Jack a short time later.

“Not too sure,” Jack scratched his chin, looking up at the art on the ceiling. “Things are becoming much deeper than I anticipated.”

“How so?”

“Well, our relationship has grown, for starters,” He looked into her eyes. “If you asked me when I first joined, I would have said either a first officer of a commercial vessel, or some sort of pilot, maybe some other line of work.”

“Do you wish to go back to pilot training?” Lucinia asked.

“Now, I don’t know,” Jack thought for a moment. “I had a year before the war. Joined the air force and got some experience there, but then they asked if I was interested in combat controller training. I accepted and from there it was largely infantry training and carrying out operations with army elements. When the war was done, I needed to get away and went to merchant voidfarers training and got my certification for deck department.”

“You intend to stay for a while then, I would imagine?” Lucinia looked at him intently.

“Ah, I mean, the pays alright, the chows ok. I get to mess with my First Officer now and then and the living quarters are pretty enticing too,” Jack looked around. “Just imagine if I left though, how would everyone make it?” He laughed to himself.

“I’m not sure but they would need to open up a large enough hole on this ship to let your ego escape.” She laughed.

“I’m happy here,” Jack touched her cheek. “I’m happy helping where I can. I have a kid sister in a twenty-two-year-old Vandean deck cadet. I have a strong bond of friendship in a Sezar that would have my back in any situation. Most of all, I’ve found someone who I respect, admire and follow with no hesitation. Someone who sees value in me and who I see similar values in. Someone who, someday, I hope to sink some deep roots with.”

“I would very much like that,” Lucinia gave him a soft smile.

“Oh, you thought I meant you”? Jack said playfully.

“I know you meant me,” She replied and clocked him with a pillow.

He caught her wrist as she was pulling it back and she tried to pin him by getting on top of his torso. He tried to slide out first, but her legs pressed against his sides, holding him in place. He tried to sit up next, to make her fall over backwards but she was too agile. She rolled away and sat just out of reach grinning, waiting for him to make his next move.

The Astral Feather had entered the Kratta system and approached the fourth planet. Kratta had a dozen mining posts scattered throughout the system. Some were planet side operations that ferried ores off planet up to star ports above. Others were on moons, asteroids, or large star ports, using industrial ships to mine and transport minerals to be processed, then gathered at the primary starport over Kratta Four for loading onto freighters that would take the minerals out system. The broken moons were visible on the dark side of Kratta Four, looking like shattered eggs enveloped in a dust cloud. Whatever geological event had caused such destruction, had also given the planet a ruined, volcanic makeover. Around the planet’s equator, a giant, brown ring circled the planet as the dust from the moons fell into a steadily failing orbit. The Astral Feather halted about two hundred thousand kilometers above the north pole of Kratta Four. A brief exchange of information occurred with Kratta Station before the ship was on a new course to begin patrolling for the intended target.

Jack took a sip of coffee and stepped into the telecomms room. No-one else was there so he took the third booth, the one with the best audio. He tapped in the system area code, then the planet code, then entered the individual’s specific residence number. The name Ben Wallace came up on the screen with an animation signaling a connection attempt.

“Hey fucknuts,” came from the console as Jack saw the blurry image of one of his friends come into focus on the comms screen. “Guess you made it back to that giant metal coffin, huh?”

He was well tanned save for some burn marks on his face, with dark hair, a sharp nose and soft brown eyes that focused on Jack, seeing Jack give him the middle finger in response.

“You didn’t get my text huh?” Jack inquired.

“Nope.”

“Fuckin’ commpads...” Jack huffed. “Anyway, you been causin’ trouble since I left?”

“Eh, fuckin at it with the neighbor, you know the one,” Ben remarked.

“What? He tell you to mow that fucking jungle you got in your front yard?”

“Haha, not yet. The Dyson’s boy went on safari and got lost in there, we’re still trying to find him,” Ben grinned and Jack had to spit out his coffee as he laughed.

“Well, you haven’t been vote kicked off the block so I guess things are going good.” Jack noted.

“Eh, sorta.”

“What’s the beef with your neighbor now?”

“Parking their vehicles all over the street.”

“Nobody shares parking spots?” Jack asked.

“No, listen, All ... Over ... The ... Street...” Ben emphasized each word.

“Ok? What the fuck?”

“We got blocked in yesterday by Screw Brains McGee and his fuckin supertanker of a boat trailer. After we came to an agreement about parking courtesy via some verbal reinforcement, his offspring, Dip and Shit got hammered and ran their vehicles into each other in the middle of the street. Like father, like fuck heads, I guess. Left one vehicle in the street, the other took out the seventy-year-old Vicoro tree up by the intersection.”

“Fuckin clowns ... can’t believe they still live at home.” Jack shook his head.

“Probably never leave Jack. Mom and pop ain’t like those fuckin birds that nest high on those cliffs and fuckin boot their young out, then watch the little fucks tumble down a couple hundred feet so they can ‘be free’, find their own way.” Ben shook his head.

“Hard to believe they’re in their forties.”

“Yeah, no shit.” Ben shook his head.

“Did you ever have any fallout after we ruined their block party on the last night I was there?” Jack asked.

“Nah, not a clue on account of all them being full screwed idiots. Using those smoke canisters was a good call.”

“Yeah, well your nefarious deployment of those CS-9 cans was what really made it though. That stuff fucking reeks, and their faces...” Jack laughed. “ ... all those shit-faced clowns started puking as they tried to run, oh man.”

“Learn to respect your fucking block mates,” Ben said.

“No kidding,” Jack took a sip of coffee. “How are the kids?”

“Youngest is shittin in his diapers and playing with it like its play-doh,” Ben shrugged. “You know, standard stuff.”

“Good stuff to look forward to,” Jack noted.

“Eh, why? You having a kid?”

“Maybe, someday.”

“You still breaking down that captain of yours? Convincin’ her you’re hot sauce n’ all that’?” Ben grinned.

“Trying,” Jack leaned back. “She means a lot to me and I’ feel the affection is mutual.”

“Crew still in the fuckin dark about it?”

“Yeah, no reveals yet.” Jack replied.

“Blast her in the face with the big question yet?”

“No,” Jack shook his head. “We need to have some stability for that to work.”

“Yep. Gotta stop fucking about amongst the stars there. Get your feet back on the ground so you can sink some roots.”

“Not sure if Artema is where we’d sink roots though.” Jack turned a little serious. “Too many fucked up memories for me.”

“Look brother,” Ben also became serious. “That was a while ago. All that fucking jaundiced government full screw bullshit is over. We beat those shit-head adjacent, fuck knucklers and now the planet is at peace. Other races can live here without that fucking persecution bullshit and we had a part to play in that. Keep your chin up, eh,” Ben spoke sternly.

“I try to,” Jack said.

“Just gotta call me, man.” Ben told him. “Just make a call. In fact, here’s a number you can call for better help than even my fantastic self can offer.”

Jack caught the little card that printed from the console and pocketed it.

“Try them, don’t suffer in silence. It helped me, as much as I could be helped. Don’t be a limpy weenie and give them a chance.”

“Ok, ok,” Jack said. “I’ll think about it.”

“Good, then, well...” Ben had to push the family Trexocat out of the picture as it sniffed at the screen. “Voxo, you big goof mewzer, get outta here.” He said playfully.

Trexocats were large, docile felines that Artemans often kept as house pets. Alert and friendly and far more patient than house felines of Terra.

“Your reunion with your crew went all goodie good?” Ben asked.

“Pretty good here,” Jack nodded.

“Your little sidekick still kickin ass?”

“Oh yeah.” Jack said a bit enthusiastically.

“Kaz right?”

“Yeah, it’s Kaz,” Jack took a sip of coffee.

“Vandean right?”

“Yeah.”

“She makin out ok in the wide world of electronics?”

“Very aptly,” Jack chuckled. “She got game.”

“Kaz-she’s-awesome,” Ben said with a smile.

“Still nicknaming, huh?”

“Yeah, she should like that. How’s the Sikarran doing?”

“Pri? She’s up and down but truthfully, I feel there’s some shift in the right direction.”

“Good. It’s pretty fuckin rare their lives don’t suck outside their empire. For her to leave, you know, all that shit you told me bout how her family is pretty much darkness incarnate...”

“They’re not evil, Ben, fuck...” Jack almost scolded him.

“She wants to do her thing, do her arts. They should fuck off to the corner and let her do it.”

“Different culture, different values.” Jack said. “Not that I don’t agree with you, it just is the situation, and she can’t find support with them. They pretty much disowned her for leaving and not ‘carrying on the line of Sikarran warriors’.”

“She did her tour though, right?”

“She was discharged honorably, yeah.”

“And her mate died, so no kids anyway, so what the fuck?”

“I think she was expected to stay and train or carry on with active service. Most ‘Spears’ do, given the prestige of such a title in their empire.”

“Well, if she needs to talk, she can call me.” Ben offered.

“I’ll pass your number on,” Jack replied. “Though I don’t know bout her getting a bunch of info on me.”

“Me drop dirt?”

“Yeah, you drop dirt pretty easy.”

“So long as it’s embarrassing.”

“No number to be passed on then.” Jack middle-fingered him again.

Ben grinned. “You back into routine, then?”

“Yeah, pretty much,” Jack nodded. “Eight months off didn’t make me a flump. Thanks again, by the way, for letting me crash at your place while I was there.”

“Anytime fuckstick.” Ben smiled. “Hope it wasn’t too chaotic.”

“It was fine,” Jack assured him.

“Wouldn’t be fine now,” Ben said. “Thing one and thing two are on the ‘my toy’ warpath. Got all up in each other’s grill yesterday over the blinky clackers. Ever see an eighteen-month-old pull off an elbow slam?”

“What the fuck?” Jack tried to hold back laughter.

“Yeah, fuck, right?” Ben chuckled. “Stumbling all over the place yet managed that with flawless execution.”

“Follows in his old man’s footsteps then, huh?” Jack remarked.

“Yeah, yeah, I sure can stumble, but I can keep my fackin dignity,” Ben said. “You on the other hand ... remember the fountain at Rickson’s Square? All them late night students witnessing your generous donation to the fountain water with all them lil duckies?”

“Facka you,” Jack remarked, “I was just trying to help the poor lil fuckers out by feeding ‘em.”

“Not quite spoon feeding, but that’s how it starts. That changes fucking fast though, like mine for instance. One minute his hands are sifting through the rug, chewing on Voxo’s hairballs, next minute, he’s trying out for the League wrestling circuit.”

“You encourage the both of them,” Jack heard another voice in the background and saw Ben’s wife, Melanie, appear in frame. She pushed her long black hair behind her shoulders, blue eyes looking at Jack warmly. She had unblemished brown skin with a beauty mark on her left cheek.

“Melanie! How are ya?” Jack asked.

“Keeping things under control, with three kids and all.” Melanie replied as she gestured at Ben.

“Goo goo, me want sandvich.” Ben said in a childish manner.

“Now, now, bennie, you’re on a timeout. Boys who misbehave only get carrot pablum.” Melanie put him in a headlock.

“Me fucked now,” Ben tried to break free but he couldn’t get leverage.

“Ah, that’s where the kids get their wrestling inspiration from.” Jack laughed.

Ben and Melanie looked up at him together and smiled.

“You might want to watch the night-time wrestling though, you two are louder than you think,” Jack saw them both display shocked expressions.

“You uh, heard some of that?” Ben questioned.

“I couldn’t tell if you two were, you know...” Jack clasped his hands together. “ ... or if you were really wrestling. The countdowns are what confuse me...”

“Alright, I’m out,” Melanie left the frame. “Not sure how embarrassed I should be at the moment.”

Jack looked at Ben, who, after a pause, gave him a wink.

“Yeah...” Jack laughed. “What the fuck though...”

“New adventures Jack, you aught to try it with your C.O. there.”

“Maybe,” Jack concurred. “So what’s with the countdown?”

“Well...” Ben smiled. “ ... let me explain it.”

Jack leaned in and listened curiously...