Juliet wasn’t sure why, but she felt nervous. She stood near the center of the medical ship’s lower deck, at the top of an access ramp leading to the ship’s boarding collar. The Cybergen medical ship and the Takamoto gunship had at least that in common: they were both built with the ability to dock with other ships. However, their reasons for having that capability were certainly different. In the gunship’s case, the docking functionality was meant to facilitate the boarding and takeover of enemy vessels. The medical ship had been designed with the idea that people on allied ships and stations would need to be transported for emergency medical services.
Whatever their original intent, the docking collars allowed the two ships to pair up mid-flight elegantly, and Juliet was glad. Despite her nerves, she was eager to see her friends from the Cherry Blossom. The Lady Hawk was another story; Alice and Shiro would have to EVA through the main airlock. Alice would hand off control of the interceptor to Athena, who would keep it in a close formation. Juliet shook her head, reminding herself to try to think of Athena as Selene. She didn’t want to slip and reveal the true-AI’s secrets to her friends.
“Less than a meter to go, keep it steady,” Chevy said in comms. He was a friend of Tanaka’s—or, more accurately, a friend of Charles Books—who, by virtue of being first on the scene, had joined up with Tanaka in his hunt for her and the others. Chevy was a veteran who’d gotten most of his piloting hours in minor conflicts around Venus. It turned out Alice knew him from her time in the service. When Juliet had spoken to her earlier, Alice had said he was a decent pilot but “would probably lose his shit in a real dogfight.” Apparently, most of his experience was in the cockpit of large troop-transport vehicles.
“Everything’s lined up and steady. Bring her in,” Athena—Selene—replied.
“You’re nervous,” Angel said, her petite figure leaning against the opposite wall. She wasn’t being judgmental. Her eyes were, as usual, kind and understanding, and she came around the hatch to take Juliet’s hand in hers.
“It’s so weird that you can do that.” Juliet looked down at her fingers in Angel’s slender, pale hand.
“I’m not, really. I’m just tricking your nerves.”
“I know, I know.” It was something Angel had realized she could pull off with her new processor. Her old one couldn’t handle simulated sensations, which, according to Angel, ate up a lot of processing power. Juliet fidgeted, adjusting her jeans; they were a little loose on her, but they felt good, and so did her plain black T-shirt. It was nice to be wearing clothes she’d picked for herself, even if they weren’t quite as comfortable as the bodysuits. She almost chuckled at the thought—she’d only been half-joking with Frida when she’d defended her prisoner attire.
“Are you going to tell Aya about me? I really want to show myself to her!”
Juliet nodded. “I will. She’s going to love you.”
A faint clunk sounded under her feet, and the slightest shiver came through the plasteel decking. Chevy announced, “And that’s a solid dock!”
“Welcome to Furies’ Wing,” Selene said. “As soon as the pressure equalizes, you can come aboard. Juliet is waiting to greet you.” Juliet felt a little jolt of excitement and panic as Selene said her name. She wasn’t just “Lucky” anymore. It was hard for her to wrap her head around the fact that she didn’t have to hide her past anymore. Everyone on comms knew whom Selene was referring to; in the hours since her rescue, Juliet had spoken several times with Aya and Alice, and of course, she’d told them her name. They, along with Frida, had spread the word.
“Who all are coming over?” she asked, wanting Angel to confirm what she already knew.
“Tanaka, Leo, Dora Lee, Hawkins, Bennet, and Aya. Shiro and Alice will join us within the hour. Chevy insists on ‘staying ready’ on the Cherry Blossom.”
“He just doesn’t want to give up that seat. Probably afraid he’ll never pilot a bird like her again.” Juliet felt a vibration as the Cherry Blossom’s docking collar opened. Two more doors, and she’d be face-to-face with her friends. “I’m kind of sorry I didn’t get to see Charles Books. I wanted to tease him a little about trying to duel me in Boulder.”
“Athena says they’re en route and should be able to make up the time while we’re all meeting.”
“Yeah, I know. I just figure I won’t see them in person until after all this is over.” Charlie Books and his six other men stayed behind on Mars to “liberate” a WBD light frigate that had been half-buried in debris when the Cherry Blossom opened fire on the hangars. They weren’t being greedy; Athena had set a rendezvous point that required the Blossom to burn at nearly two Gs, and the Takamoto gunship didn’t have enough acceleration couches for all of Charlie’s men.
Her nerves continued to ramp up as the outer bulkhead door on the Wing opened, and she peered through the diamatex window to see her friends begin to pile into the airlock. She pressed her forehead to the panel, grinning, and Aya saw her. Her friend began to hop up and down, waving as a smile exposed every tooth in her mouth. Juliet had a hard time peeling her eyes off Aya’s beaming face, but she looked at everyone else, going through the formality of confirming each person’s identity before opening the final barrier.
She saw Leo, and when he met her eyes, he rolled his hand as though to say, “Get on with it.” Juliet winked, then scanned over the rest of them. Dora and Hawkins were dressed in bright yellow bodysuits that would have been comical if not for the fact that they’d been prisoners. Tanaka was leaning on Hawkins and didn’t look up. When Juliet saw how wan and almost gray his skin was, she stopped looking everyone over and hit the sequence to open the door. The bolt slid open with a thunk, and the door swung outward. Juliet pulled it wide, and then she was bombarded with attention.
Of course, Aya shoved through everyone to slam into her, wrapping her in a tight hug. Bennet was next out, dressed in new-looking blue overalls under a heavy flak jacket. He grinned as he held up his meaty fist for a bump. “Looking good, Lucky! Er, Juliet, I guess. I gotta say, I’m a little disappointed—looks like you lost a little weight. You know if you don’t use ‘em—”
“You lose ‘em!” Juliet laughed. “Come here, you idiot.” She grabbed his shoulder and pulled him into her hug with Aya. As Aya continued to squeeze her, Juliet put a hand behind Bennet’s head and pulled him close, kissing his forehead several times. “I missed you guys so much!” Of course, Juliet couldn’t help but notice everyone else crowding the door, and she knew it was rude to stand there hugging two people while four others waited, especially with Tanaka so injured. She pulled her two friends to the side, clearing the path. “Come on, now. Let’s let everyone get aboard.”
As Hawkins came through with Tanaka, Juliet pulled out of Aya’s grasp and stepped close, hooking his free arm over her shoulder. “Come on, Boss. I’ll get you to the med bay. It’s a short walk.” She looked over her shoulder at Leo and Dora, saw their awkward expressions, and paused. “I’m so sorry, you guys. I’m so sorry you all got mixed up in this mess. I’m heartbroken about Barns, and…” She trailed off as tears threatened again but blinked them away. “And I just want to say thank you. You don’t know how much I appreciate every one of you. Follow me to the med bay, and then let’s talk, okay?”
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“I can walk,” Tanaka grumbled while everyone else uttered responses to her declaration of guilt and gratitude.
Leo smirked. “I’m still waiting for my kisses.” He had the nerve to wink at Bennet, and Juliet would have punched him if not for her hands being full. Dora just smiled at her and nodded, her face paler than ever, but Hawkins cleared his throat as they started hauling Tanaka toward the med bay.
“Don’t feel bad about Barns. He was a warrior, and died the only way he ever wanted to die. If he grew old and soft, he’d have been miserable. Besides, he told me he liked you, and that was a very short list you got yourself on. I think it was you, his first wife, and his mother.”
“Sou deshou,” Tanaka added, and Juliet once again had to fight tears away. They only had to walk about ten meters before they came to the two med bays. Of course, one was now an operations center, so Juliet pulled Tanaka through the doors now labeled “MED BAY.” She took half a second to wonder if Selene had relabeled the rooms and done the renovations herself or if she’d hired contractors to do it.
Inside the med bay, there were two autosurgeons and half a dozen other pieces of equipment you’d only commonly find on a capital ship or in a hospital, so Juliet knew Tanaka was in good hands, especially when Selene stepped in behind the small crowd. “Juliet, I’ll take care of Rutger. Help me get him to this first table here.” As Juliet and Hawkins helped Tanaka climb onto the stainless, gel-lined table, he glanced at her waist and smiled.
“Good. You have your sword. It’s better than the one I was going to give you as a replacement.”
“Is that right?” Juliet leaned close as she adjusted the gel cushion under his head. She knew she had a dozen eyes on her, but she didn’t care. She softly kissed Tanaka on the cheek. “You didn’t have to do all this for me, but I’m so grateful. Thank you, Rutger.”
Selene pulled her shoulder as Tanaka closed his eyes and released a pent-up breath. It looked like a mountain of tension slid off his shoulders as his face relaxed. Selene tugged a little harder until Juliet backed away from the table. “He’ll be all right, but we need to make room for the machine to work.” She turned toward everyone standing near the doorway. “Welcome, and congratulations on your success, everyone. I’m sure you all have much to discuss, but Rutger will be out for a while; I will have to do some nerve replacements, but I’m confident there won’t be any lasting damage. Frida is waiting in the mess, Juliet.”
Juliet started for the door, trying to avoid locking eyes with anyone. She was struggling with her desire to talk to everyone, hug everyone, thank everyone, and apologize to everyone. She didn’t know where to begin and didn’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings. It felt easier to brush past them and lead the way down the corridor. “Come on, guys. I bet you’re all hungry, yeah?”
“I could use a shower,” Hawkins called after her.
Juliet nodded and turned to smile his way. “I know! I’m sure you’re not alone. Let’s talk to Frida real quick, okay? She’s got the room assignments and everything.”
“Any exercise facilities on this boat?” Bennet asked.
“No, Bennet,” Juliet laughed. “It’s not much bigger than the gunship—”
“Not true!” Aya cried. “It’s got two and a half decks! It’s a lot bigger on the inside.”
“Yeah, but one deck is mostly med bays and…here we are, the mess.” Juliet gestured with her hand in a flourish as though presenting a prize. Aya rushed into the hall to hug Frida, and as the rest of them filed in, she turned and grinned at Juliet, gesturing around, indicating the mess hall.
“See? It’s three times the size of the mess hall on the Blossom!” Juliet had to agree that she had a point. The medical ship had a decent-sized common area. It doubled as a recreation space, so there was room for two long tables, both of which could be collapsed and folded into recessed floor panels. A galley-style kitchen with a long, open serving-window filled the back of the space, and hydroponic planters lined the walls on either side. Frida stood between the two tables and gestured expansively.
“Welcome, everyone! Have a drink! Have a snack. Let’s unwind a little before Selene’s big briefing. You know she won’t kick it off without the boss, so we’ve got time to unwind until he’s up and about.”
As Frida spoke, everyone filed into the room, and Juliet felt a heavy arm over her shoulders and sniffed the unmistakable lemon and sandalwood scent of Leo’s deodorant. He pulled her into a side hug and, surprisingly gently, kissed her above her right ear. “I was worried about you, Lucky.”
“I…” She took a deep breath and turned to face him. “I meant what I said. I’m sorry I got you involved in my mess.”
“Ain’t your mess. This mess belongs to the whole system. WBD’s up to some crazy shit.”
“That’s right, Lu-Juliet,” Aya said, taking her hand and stepping close. “You can’t blame yourself for any of this. If we weren’t involved now, we’d probably become involved eventually. Leo thinks there’s going to be war.”
“Not just me. Books has connections. There’s weird shit going on all over the system.”
Juliet looked from Leo to Aya, then over at the others. Bennet was perusing the trays of treats, agonizing over his choices of meats and cheese. Frida spoke in low tones to Hawkins and Dora, guiding them to sit at one of the tables. She’d given them each a big glass of sparkling punch, which Juliet knew was spiked with vodka. Frida looked pensive; she seemed just as stressed as Juliet felt, and she figured it was because Frida was a people pleaser. She’d just gotten a bunch of new people dropped in her lap, and Dora and Hawkins looked decidedly shell-shocked.
Juliet lifted Leo’s arm off her shoulders and pulled him toward the table. “Come on, let’s sit down.” She held out a hand until Aya took her fingers in hers. “You, too.” As Leo and Aya took seats, Juliet grabbed two chairs from the other table and pulled them over. “Sit down, Frida. Let’s give everyone a chance to decompress. I know things have been wild for me over the last twenty-four hours, and I’m sure you all can say the same. Shall we swap stories?”
As everyone filled plates and cups and took seats around the table, Juliet squeezed in between Aya and Leo. Bennet put a plate of sliced meats and cheese in front of her, and when she looked up at him, he just winked and flexed his biceps. Frida joined the table, but Juliet could see something was bothering her. “What is it, Frida?”
“Oh, um, well, I just want to make sure there’s room for Alice and Shiro at the table. I don’t want them to sit by themselves when…”
“Relax, Frida!” Leo laughed. “How far out are they?”
“Thirty-four minutes.”
Hawkins cleared his throat and gestured at himself and Dora. “Some of us are going to be showering before then.”
“Yes,” Dora nodded. “I want out of this prisoner jumper, and I want to wash the scent of that place out of my skin.”
At the words, Juliet’s mind began to fill with horrible images. What had they done to Dora and Hawkins while they’d been prisoners? Had they been tortured? Had Dora been—
“No, Lucky.” Dora smiled at her, and Juliet blew out a sigh of relief.
“Am I that easy to read?”
She answered in her lilting, almost sing-song way, “Well, it wasn’t hard to connect the dots when I saw your face and thought about what I’d said. Let’s just say the bastards tried to mess with our heads a lot, but they never really hurt us. It was pretty clear they wanted to use us as leverage with you—or were planning to, anyway, before something altered their plans.”
“Yeah. They had a few different factions operating at odds with each other.”
“How’d you do it?” Hawkins asked before Dora could respond.
“It?” Juliet raised an eyebrow.
“Come on. How’d you get out? How’d you blow up that fucking ship? I know you’re good, but nobody’s that good.”
“She is!” Aya said, narrowing her eyes at Hawkins. He was scowling and looked particularly mean with his buzz-cut hair and blood-stained bodysuit.
Juliet squeezed Aya’s hand under the table and then shrugged, looking left and right, making eye contact with everyone. “I had help. The man who was originally in charge of my, uh, what do you even call it? My capture? Investigation? Whatever. He ended up helping me get out of my cell and giving me my weapons. After that, it was a matter of a lot of luck, a little skill, and some massive help from my PAI and Selene.”
“Angel?” Aya asked, arching her eyebrows.
“Yep. I got her back after Kline gave me my sword.”
“That’s what I want to hear about!” Leo grinned, chugging down a full cup of the punch. “How many of those bastards did you slice up?”
“Leo!” Frida’s scowl was like a storm cloud.
“Let’s save the gory details, huh?” Bennet spoke around a mouthful of cheese, then, as everyone looked at him, stuffed in another small pile of sliced meat, bulging out his cheeks.
“I’ll swap war stories with you another time, Leo.” Juliet smiled at him, and, though she was feeling a little stressed from the scrutiny, she really did feel something unwinding in her chest, a knot of tension she’d been unaware of. He looked good and healthy, and she was glad he was okay.
“Fair enough.” He grunted as he stood and walked over to the food trays to peruse his options. “Can I cut this cake?”
“Yes!” Frida jumped up. “I can do it—”
“Sit down and relax!” he laughed.
Juliet saw Dora leaning her head on Hawkins’s shoulder and realized the two of them looked utterly spent. “Hey, you two. Come on. I’ll show you to your rooms.” She started to push herself out of her seat, but Frida jumped up.
“No, Juliet! That’s my job. Come on, Dora and Arndt.” Frida walked to the door and waited as Hawkins and Lee slowly clambered to their feet.
Juliet stared at them until they glanced her way. “Thank you, both.”
Dora nodded and smiled, and Hawkins flatly said, “Don’t thank me. I didn’t do shit.” Then they walked out, and Frida, after a nervous glance at Juliet, hurried after them.
Leo walked back over and sat down, this time taking the seat Frida had vacated beside Aya. “Don’t worry about Hawkins. He just spent a couple of months in a cell, and he’s a guy who’s used to getting things done. He’s going to be grumpy for a while.” With that, he pushed his plate closer to Aya, and Juliet saw there were two pieces of white-frosted cake on it. As she watched, her eyes about to fall out of her skull in abject horror, Aya took a bite. She jerked her gaze over to Bennet, and when he saw her expression, he grinned and shrugged.
“Um, am I reading the body language wrong, or is Aya being awfully friendly with Leo?” Angel asked, suddenly sitting beside her.
Juliet subvocalized, “I’m about to scream. What is going on?”