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Miranda thought boarding a tiny shuttle and launching into space to dock at a space station had been nerve-wracking. She’d been the only one. Adam had squealed and kicked his feet, Lexi had been fast asleep the entire time, and Fanian hadn’t said a word as they blasted from the planet’s atmosphere and into outer space. Miranda was too busy swallowing the stomach acid burning the back of her throat.
It had all been nerve-wracking, but now, as she stood on a metal plank waiting to board Fanian’s spaceship, she realized this was nerve-wracking on steroids.
Although Fanian had described his spaceship as “small,” the thing docked in one of the ports was anything but. It was dark and looked to be made out of some kind of superior metal. There were dings across the body, and it looked very much like it had been around a while.
If she could compare the size to anything, it was probably the same size as a four-bedroom, two-story house. It was long and, despite the height, appeared flat. It was a structure she’d never seen before. Totally alien.
Miranda took gulping breaths, forcing what was in the back of her throat down. Her main concern was not letting Adam know her fear. When they reached Az’ud’s, she had to act normal for as long as possible.
Is that thing even safe? How far are we traveling? What if it breaks down somewhere in space? Who would come to fix it? Are there space mechanics? What about a crew? Does he have one? Oh, Jesus, do I have to meet even more aliens?
Hot sweat prickled against her forehead. Her nostrils seemed too small to allow air into her lungs. It was getting harder and harder to breathe.
“Is that a for-real spaceship?” Adam asked, turning his head to glance up at Fanian. They were holding hands.
Miranda would prefer it if Adam held her hand, but she didn't press the issue with it shaking as bad as it was.
“I’ve named her Fortitude. She isn’t much, but she’s mine.”
“I think she’s awesome!” Adam pulled away and ran ahead.
“Adam!” Miranda called.
“He’ll be fine.” Fanian pressed a button on his comlink.
Bradliix had removed their old ones and given them all-new ones while Fanian was provided the one he’d had before. Hers could do more than her previous comlink—no calling for pods, ordering food, or anything like that—she had to take some time to figure it out. Later. Right now, she didn’t have the brain bandwidth to devote to it.
The door to the spaceship opened with a groan of metal grinding against metal and churning gears. As a ramp descended, Adam danced from one foot to the other.
“I don’t want him touching anything.”
Fanian smirked. “Are you worried that he’ll break my ship?”
“I’m more worried about him hurting himself. I don’t care about your ship.”
When the ramp finally met the floor, Adam darted up. Miranda cringed at the loud sound of his feet, pounding on the metal. The sounds bounced off the walls amplifying it.
“No need to be quiet any longer,” Fanian said softly.
“Is it obvious noise still bothers me?”
“You’ve been traumatized. It’s expected.” He waved a hand forward. “After you.”
She held Lexi tightly and made her way up the ramp. She stopped short at the entrance, as big as a cargo door, and took a deep breath. She wanted away from this place, which was about to happen, but her path was now laid clear. Once she went inside Fanian’s ship, there was no turning back. They were on their way to a new life.
“It isn’t much,” Fanian said. “But you’ll be comfortable and well-fed. It might not have all the comforts you had at your home on Earth, but it’s a lot better than what you had on Turolois.”
She took another deep breath and stepped forward, entering the ship to the sounds of Adam’s squeals and a “Cool” coming from him every few seconds. While Adam was gung-ho about wanting to explore, she stood rooted at the entrance, unable to move.
It smelled old, not foul, but stagnant like it had sat empty for a while. The yellow and soft lights lining the area made it dim.
Fanian placed a hand on her back, gently pushing her forward. When she was entirely inside, he stepped around her and went up metal stairs on the left-hand side. He hadn’t waited to see if she would follow. Why wouldn’t she? Adam was somewhere up there, and what was her other option? Return to Turolois to be hunted? No, she was out of the game. The Hunt was over for her.
Now that she was alone, she looked around. The area wasn’t big. There was a round doorway on the other side of the stairwell. Hanging from the walls were belts, harnesses, and other things that didn’t seem threatening. The fast thumping on the level above her was Adam running. She was sure of it.
“Is this where I sit to fly it?” Adam asked.
That was the motivation she needed to move her feet. She adjusted Lexi on her hip and took the narrow stairs. Upstairs was larger and brighter than below. There were four chairs placed in front of different instruments in the room. Adam sat on the larger chair Miranda assumed was the Captain’s chair. Fanian sat in another chair. He didn’t bother looking up when she entered. He concentrated on a screen as his fingers moved fast over the instruments. A few seconds later, the ship grumbled, and she guessed the ramp was retracting.
“It’ll take a few minutes for the ship to power up and the systems to come online,” Fanian said. “You’ll begin to have better air in a little while. The circulation systems are powered on high.” When she didn’t say anything, he continued, “There are some spare cabins on deck three. You can have your pick, except for the last door at the end of the hall. That’s where I am. There are a few with adjoining cabins. Three and seven. One of those should suit your needs. Give you and the children extra space.”
“Deck three? How many floors does this have?” She’d thought maybe two levels? She glanced up, wondering about the actual size of the ship.
“You entered on the ground level. That’s where the engines and cargo bays are. You’re on the second level, the bridge.” He pointed behind her. “That way is the dining area with the kitchen, the medical bay, and a recreational room. The third floor is where the living quarters are, and the top-level is where the tactical equipment is kept.”
“Tactical equipment? What’s that?”
“The weapons.”
“Why would we need weapons?” she asked slowly.
“To defend against space pirates or anyone else who wants to take what’s mine,” he said.
This was a lot of ship. He couldn’t possibly run and maintain it by himself.
I guess this is the part where I meet new aliens.
She glanced around again, expecting them to come forward. “So, where’s your crew?”
“I don’t need a crew. My ship is equipped with an AI. Omni, say hello, please.”
“Hello,” the voice came from everywhere at once. “Fanian, I have taken the liberty to mask their biometrics. They will register as Sket to anyone scanning the ship.”
“That’s my girl,” Fanian chuckled.
Adam launched from his chair and went to stand next to Fanian. “What’s an AI? Another robot like you?”
Miranda cringed as Fanian’s face became an unreadable mask. “Not exactly. She doesn’t have a body. She’s an artificial intelligence that lives in the system of the spaceship.”
“Can I see her?”
Fanian turned his attention away from the controls and leaned forward, so they were eye level. “You can’t. You can only hear her. But the good thing about not having a body is that she’s able to be everywhere at once. She can be with you while you’re eating breakfast and also be here to help me navigate the ship through meteors. She’s special.”
Adam slapped his hands over his cheeks. “Wow!”
“Wow, indeed,” Omni said.
“If you have any questions. Any at all, just call her name. She can tell you how to work something or tell you the name of a planet that you might see out the porthole.”
“What’s a porthole?”
“It’s a fancy way of saying a window on a ship.”
“What access should they be granted?” Omni asked.
“Guest.”
“I’ve taken the liberty and made the dangerous areas of the ship inaccessible to the children.”
“Thank you, Omni.” He glanced at Miranda. “We’re going to leave soon. I suggest taking a seat. You too, Adam.”
The ship moved under her feet. Adam ran back to the oversized chair he’d been sitting in.
Shit was getting real. Quick. “Whoa. Where should I sit?” Miranda asked.
“The closest chair will do.”
Miranda planted in the chair nearest to her. Fanian crossed the distance and took Lexi from her. “Hey, wait a minute!”
He placed Lexi in the other seat and pressed some buttons on the armrest. It immediately conformed to her little body then Fanian locked her in place with a harness. He picked up Adam and moved him to the seat he’d been sitting in and secured Adam in. Fanian then took the Captain’s chair.
“Hold tight to the bag,” Fanian told her. Miranda, wide-eyed, gripped the bad she’d had with her through The Hunt tight to her chest. Fanian turned back to the controls in front of him. “Omni, secure the ship for take-off.”
“Yes, Fanian. The ship is ready for take-off.”
The ship jerked and moved slowly at first, then rocked back and forth. If she didn’t know any better, she would think they were on water.
Miranda had a death grip on the armrests. “You’re good at this, right? Even if you aren’t, please lie to me.”
Fanian laughed. “I learned to fly a spaceship when I was Adam’s age. You’re in good hands.”
The humming grew louder and louder. The floor beneath her feet vibrated.
“Oh, God. Oh, God. Oh, God.” She squeezed her eyes shut.
“This is fun!” Adam yelled over the growing noise.
The ship rocketed forward. The back of Miranda’s head smashed into her headrest. “Ahhhhh!”
“Best adventure ever!” Adam squealed.
“Say goodbye to Turolois!” Fanian laughed.
* * *
FANIAN COULDN’T HELP but smile and laugh while watching Adam as he kicked his feet and laughed at the top of his lungs. He’d wondered if Adam would like space travel, and so far, he did.
“Faster! Faster! Faster!” Adam yelled between laughs.
“No. No. No,” Miranda yelled in response.
Fanian swung his gaze to where Miranda sat. Her face now had a green tint to it, and her eyes were opened wide. She was terrified. The whites of her knuckles were pronounced as she clutched the armrest of her chair.
“Don’t look at me!” she yelled over the roar of the engine. “Watch where we’re going!”
“I’m not steering the ship,” he told her. “Omni is navigating us.”
“Oh. My. God. We’re going to die.”
“Relax. Nothing is going to happen.”
“Says the person who can’t be killed! Turn around and pretend to do something useful!”
Fanian threw his head back and laughed again, then did as she said.
This was an odd experience. He’d bought the Fortitude six years ago when he’d decided to take his own bounty hunting jobs and left the agency he’d been with. Since then, he’d always been alone. He’d never allowed anyone on his bridge before. There’d never been a need. When he transported his bounties back to whoever had hired him, they’d always been locked in one of the cargo bays that he’d transformed into a holding cell. Besides, none of his bounties would’ve reacted as Miranda and Adam had to take off. Space travel was the norm for practically everyone besides humans.
Fanian found that he liked watching them having this new experience. There would be many other unique experiences, and a part of him wanted to be a part of those too.
He pushed that lingering thought from his mind quickly. He wasn’t going to hand them over to Az’ud. He had already considered that option, but now it was firmly in his head. But he couldn’t keep them either.
He had to remove all thoughts of pretending they were his family. He’d lost his family years ago, and he would never set himself up to lose another one. But if he did want another family, he wouldn’t mind if it was them. A mate who fiercely protected her children, a son as smart and curious as Adam and a daughter as cute as Lexi.
No. They aren’t mine.
He just had to keep reminding himself of the fact. Don’t get attached to them. The family life wasn’t for him, not with the threat of the Thruul hanging over his head.
Fanian watched Miranda from the corner of his eye. Her eyes were squeezed shut, and her mouth moved. Would she eventually get the hang of space travel? Would she enjoy it? Or would she be happier to keep her feet planted on solid ground?
Adam had turned toward the porthole and watched the nothingness of space. Lexi played with her harness, seemingly not caring about the engines’ roar or the slight change in gravity.
A thought hit him. Many areas on the ship would be harmful to both Lexi and Adam that Omni might not have thought of. His ship wasn’t childproof. He could think of ten things on this level alone that could harm them gravely. Omni might’ve closed off the ship sections to keep them safe, but had she instructed the mechanical bots to remove the containers full of food processor fluid that was poison and shouldn’t be ingested? What about the weapons he’d stashed around the ship in case he was boarded and taken unawares by space pirates?
After they left Turolois’s airspace and Omni leveled out their speed, he would sweep the ship and remove all things harmful to the children. Miranda would never forgive him if they hurt themselves, and truthfully, he would never forgive himself either.
Fanian turned his attention back to the control panel and plotted their next destination. He’d only gotten supplies for himself and one other guest. He inwardly chuckled at that. When he’d planned his departure from Turolois, he’d thought it would be with a female in his holding cell, provided the barest of amenities
The first thing needed was food. Miranda and the kids had lived off protein bars for far too long. They needed something good to eat, and for that to happen, he needed to stock his food processor properly. At the moment, it only had the pre-set food the machine had initially come with and his synthetic blood. There was enough food to last until they reached the nearest planet.
The planet he charted a course for wasn’t ideal. It was small and wasn’t known to be very welcoming to strangers, but they would have the items needed until he could travel to a hub where they could get the other needed supplies such as clothing, fuel, and toys for the kids.
He could get those items from any of the three hub planets to choose from. He ultimately picked the one he thought Miranda would enjoy best. Why should that matter to him? He glanced at Miranda again. Her eyes were still squeezed shut.
He realized it mattered because he wanted her to know not all planets were like Turolois, and not all aliens were like the hunters. She’d been through so much. She deserved happiness.
He couldn’t keep her, but he could make her happy for however long he had her.