part0052

The beacon safely tucked away inside Kaesare’s most secure hold, Craze trudged up the ship levels to the bridge. He peeked inside the living area. Kaesare slumped on a galley chair, her eyes rimmed in red, her nose swollen, and she stared as if her mind had been sent out an airlock.

He paused. “You got supplies on this ship from which to brew drink? You could use one. Me, too. When this mission is over, I’ll get somethin’ special goin’. Dependin’ on supplies.”

She didn’t glance up. She didn’t move.

“We learn the true meanin’ of war today. It’s worse than an attack by twelve million swarms of sting beasts. But you know what, Kaesare?”

The ends of her curls gave more of a shrug than her shoulders.

“It’s goin’ to be all right. You is goin’ to be all right.”

Her damp, green gaze latched onto him. “You is a fool, galoot.”

“I don’t make promises I can’t keep.” His knuckles drummed against the doorframe. “This war requires your presense, Kaesare. Join Temerity ‘n I in ten. Okay? Shatterin’ to pieces is too easy.” Nothing about the future was easy.

He had no idea if Kaesare would get it together, but she’d never do more than grieve if he didn’t believe she had the strength. With the most useful BAA personnel injured, he needed her. “Ten minutes,” he repeated. “No longer.”

Letting her be for the moment, he checked in the medical bay, waving for Bemmy to come over. “How is everyone doin’?”

Her eyelids drooped more than when they had negotiated the alliance with the Foreworlds. “Everyone will live. Not sure if the sergeant will make a full recovery. His back was pulverized.”

“That’s sorry news.”

“Yeah.” She swept her purple bangs out of her face.

“Do you need anythin’?”

“Okay. We is on our way to Photwit.”

“Understood. I can handle everything here until the mission is done.” She saluted.

Craze saluted back. He marched onto the bridge and sat down next to Temerity at the freighter’s controls.

“How long until we can engage the quantum tunnel drive?” he asked.

“I could do it now if you want to risk this solar system. Kaesare said she wasn’t sure of its effects ‘n we’ve no time for tests. Caution is best. The Quassers destroyed enough of this system. I don’t think we need to add to it.”

Since being dumped by Strom, Craze had been in agreement with his sister more often than not. They were both the galaxy’s bastards now, and he wanted their getting along to last. “You is right. Wef’s gifts was unique. Maybe not everythin’ here is dead. We’ll come check some time, huh?”

What if she didn’t want to go to Photwit? He couldn’t repeat past mistakes by forcing her to do what he wanted. “I can drop you somewhere if you don’t want to join the mission. I unwittingly put your life in peril once, I won’t do it knowingly.”

Her fingertip traced the side of the navigation console. “You need me to get the task done. Your heart ‘n my lack of it should get us through intact so the Backworlds live to see another day. So you can become envoy to the next alliance.”

It sounded like the proposals she used to make when he went to the city on Siegna. Your coin ‘n my information should get us into fine business , she’d say while scuffing her bare toes along the forest floor.

Craze twisted in his chair to face her. “I botched this alliance. My envoy days is done.”

“That’s bwatshit. The Fo’wo’s wouldn’t have worked with us as long as they did without you.”

Craze’s hair lifted from his scalp. “Did Strom tell you?”

“Not in those words, but she obviously respected you. She treated you better than most.”

“She wasn’t bad for a Fo’wo.” Craze crossed his arms and leaned back in his seat. “Midge Marlin is a better one. You’ll see when you meet her. You friendship would be well placed with her.”

“I don’t need a Fo’wo friend. Not until I want to get you pissed angry again.”

He snorted a laugh through his wide nose.

“What about the Quassers?” she asked. “How do we survive their mind control when they answer the signal from the beacon?”

“This freighter is outfitted to defend against it.”

They fell silent for the rest of the flight to the edge of the solar system, to the point where it’d be safe to open a quantum pocket. For the first time since Temerity had waged war on Pardeep Station, it was a comfortable silence, one of kinship. A smile mulled in Craze’s heart at the idea of family. The kind with which he shared blood.

He did the calculations for the quantum travel. Temerity and the computers checked them ten times. During the final recalculation, Kaesare slogged onto the bridge.

“This is my job. My ship.” She sounded more like a robot than the saucy captain of a mercenary freighter.

Temerity handed her the tab with the arithmetic and scooted over. “Craze did it. He’s very good with numbers ‘n they keep checking out as accurate.”

“You can count more than chips, galoot?” Kaesare plopped into the captain’s seat, unable to summon the energy to square her shoulders. If she slumped any further, she’d become a puddle.

Craze bit back a retort. Strom had given him a lot of practice. “Yes, Captain.”

Before setting course, Kaesare gave him a double take. “I like it better when you hate me.”

“I don’t hate you.” What was wrong with his tongue?

Her finger moved to the icon that would take them to Photwit in less time than it would take to chug a malt. Craze was about to say go when his tab went off, blinking a furious red. He held up a hand to delay their departure.

“It’s an emergency ping…” he started. The message cut in without his permission.

Frantically running a hand through her hair in front of what looked like a cave, Meelo implored for him to send help. Pardeep Station was under attack. “Rinner left us.”

“Left you?” Craze sat as still as the dead of Ronu and Lletaboor. For ten heartbeats, he didn’t dare breathe. “They… they…”

“The best way to help her is to plant the beacon on Photwit ‘n turn the Quassers away from Pardeep Station as quickly as possible.” Temerity scooted to the edge of her chair, leaning over to take his hand. “We must go. Now.”

Kaesare’s chin quivered until her teeth grabbed hold of her lower lip. She took two deep breaths. “It’s going to be okay, galoot. You is going to be okay.”

His gaze met hers. He could barely croak, “Let’s go.”

Twenty blinks later, the freighter entered Photwit’s star system. It sailed toward the green planet of despicable vines. Down there, entrapped in the parasitic plants, Gattar and her fellow Jixes had become another species. No longer Jixes. No longer vines. If they beat the Quassers, then what? With any luck, the answer would be found before the battle ended. “May it be a battle that lasts decades,” he whispered.

“Roger that.” Kaesare entered a course for orbit. The ship bucked then stalled. “What the effer-luvin frick…” She stabbed at icons. The freighter listed, adrift. And too far from their goal.

Wincing, Craze chewed his lower lip. The beacon was too delicate a device to drop down. It needed to be set down. He wouldn’t leave the future to chance, he’d make sure the beacon would remain on Photwit until he or another Backworlder came up with a better strategy. “Is there a shuttle aboard, Kaesare?”

“It only holds two.” She stood, hovering beside her chair. “Only one if you take the beacon ‘n the transmitter. I should go.”

“No.” Placing his hands on her shoulders, Craze guided her back into her seat. “This is my mission. You can cover me with the defenses on the freighter.”

“While you is in range, sure.” She stared into him, as if she instantly knew everything about him. “Not once you hit atmosphere.”

Temerity tugged on his sleeve. “It should be me. Let me save Pardeep Station. I owe them for destroying it.” Her plea stuttered.

Craze straightened to his full height and his hair braided itself into five plaits that spilled down his back. “Stay with Kaesare. Stay safe. I’ve lost my homeworlds, my family, my friends. Somethin’ has to remain.”

“Don’t be an idiot. Maybe I can’t join you on the shuttle, but you don’t have to do this alone.” She glanced at Kaesare. “How big is the device that defends against the Quasser mind control?”

“The size of a keg.”

Craze grinned, despite facing what could be his last effort in the Quasser wars. “I’m great with kegs.”

Kaesare laughed then addressed Temerity. “What is you thinking?”

“I don a spacesuit ‘n jet boots, tether myself to the ship, ‘n extend the range of the device as far as the tether will allow. I’ll keep Craze covered as long as possible.”

“It should be me.” Kaesare kicked at the floor.

“It’s best you repair the ship. Get it workin’ ‘n we’ll be fine,” Craze said.

“Yup, we’ll be fine.” Temerity hurried off the bridge and down to the lockers beside the airlock.

Craze saluted Kaesare then followed his sister. They put on their spacesuits without talk. Once completely dressed, they stared at one another, fiddling with fasteners and buckles.

Leaning up on her tiptoes, Temerity pecked his cheek. “Don’t die.” She spun away and trotted toward the hatch.

“You neither.” He clomped the other way to the bay containing the tiny shuttle. Shaped much like a coffin, it was more an escape pod than a shuttle. It barely fit him and the beacon.

Inside the tiny vessel, he squirmed about to find a smidgeon of comfort, then he hailed Kaesare. “I don’t have time to record messages for everybody. You know everybody who means somethin’ to me.”

“I do, but there’s no need—”

He huffed out a breath. “Just do this for me, please. There’s no time for our usual dance.”

“What’s your message?”

“Just tell them they was loved. A lot. Everythin’ I’ve done was to give them a tomorrow.”

She couldn’t meet his gaze. “Please come back. I’ve lost enough today.”

“Is you sayin’ you’d miss me?”

“You take care, Captain. Keep the lights on.”

She blew him a cheeky kiss and cut their video link. “Bay door is opening.”

The controls to the shuttle were simplistic. Craze had no problem maneuvering it off the freighter. Its mechanical instincts were to set its passengers down safely. He only needed to point it toward the planet on which he wanted to land.

The endless black sky rushed past the tiny porthole. He stood more than sat. Entering upper orbit, the shuttle shot around to the far side of Photwit. Craze powered on the beacon, hoping he’d make it to the surface before the first Quasser arrived. He hated the aliens more than space travel.

“Come to me,” he whispered, “leave Pardeep alone.” He broadcast the signal on every communications channel. “Universe ‘n the twelve next door, don’t plague me now.”