Chapter 37: Goodbye for Now

“Youth burns like tinder. It leaves bitter ash behind.”

-Captain Jens Verdulion, 161 U.E.

The captain returned after almost a week’s absence. Bruised, and with a fresh black eye, but in high spirits.

She had learned of Barandi’s approximate whereabouts from his acquaintances in the city. He had left for a jaunt in his pleasure barge around Xorro and Maaz, and was expected to be another week or two before returning to any major port.

Quintilla had immediately ordered the crew to pack up. Barandi was notoriously difficult to track down, and she didn’t want to lose their window. They were leaving to intercept the man with the last map pieces.

While docked, Torch and Kazzul had gotten the ship repaired to a reasonable standard, hull breaches filled in with sheets of scrap metal. The engine purred like new, and the kithraxi had strengthened the inside of the hull with their cement-like secretions. Torch had even procured a replacement prosthetic, albeit a rushed, hacked-together affair of sparking enchantments and scrap metal.

The ship was in the air as soon as the refuel was complete, rising above the landing platform.

Stephan watched Yin wave goodbye to her friend from one of the windows. The boy waited in the street below. At least he’d had enough sense to avoid being seen by the captain.

Then they were off, and Yin slouched on the floor of the main deck, smiling absently. She glanced up at Stephan.

“What’re you looking at, weirdo?” she asked.

Stephan had a seat next to her. “I’m looking at you. I think we should have, ahem, the talk.”

Yin frowned. “What?”

He put an arm around her shoulder. “I know you like this boy a lot.”

“Wil.”

“Right. I know you like Wil, and that’s completely natural. It’s important to be safe, though. If he tries to make you do something you don’t want to do…”

“Oh, mercy,” Yin said with a groan. “Not this. Listen, I’m about ten times stronger than Wil. If he did something creepy, I’d snap his arms and legs off and swap ‘em around.”

Stephan nodded with a light chuckle. “That’s fair enough. But sometimes we do things we don’t really want to for someone else. To seem cool, or to avoid making them angry. I’m asking you, please, if you feel in your heart that something is wrong, don’t do it, no matter what you think the consequences might be.”

Yin wriggled free of his arm. “Stephan, you’re embarrassing me.”

“Please. Ease an old man’s heart.”

She sighed. “Whatever. Fine.”

Stephan stood, brushed the dust off the back of his dress pants. “Good. Oh, and one last thing.”

“Hmm?”

“No sex until sixteen. I’m serious about that one.”

“Eww. Really, Stephan?”

“I just want you to be safe.”

Yin grew quiet. “Well, you don’t have to worry about it,” she murmured.

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“Good. Thank you.”

“I don’t… work… down there.”

Stephan went cold. This conversation was becoming more than he had bargained for. “Uh…”

“The experiments. They made me…” She made a stitching motion in the air. “You get it.”

I don’t get it at all, Stephan thought.

“I’m so sorry,” he said, offering an embrace. “That should never have happened to you. We could, uh, talk about it if you’d like.”

Yin backed away. “I’d rather not,” she said bitterly. “This has been embarrassing enough already.”

*****

“Where… born…?” the ship groaned in her usual stilted cadence.

“I was born in Deepcrown,” Kazzul said. He activated the autopilot now that they were over open sea and leaned back in his chair. “Clan Ivicc. I worked salvage for a while. Went to Deepcrown after that. And then…” He shook his head. “Anyway. Now I’m here.”

The ship said nothing for a while, metal groaning as she processed his words.

“Why… leave Deepcrown?” she asked.

Kazzul hesitated. “Because of a woman.”

“Who?”

“No one you need to fucking worry about,” Kazzul snapped, harsher than he had intended. He composed himself with a deep breath through his nostrils. “Sorry. It’s a sensitive topic.”

The ship was quiet.

“Her name was Jahwa,” he said. “She was the most beautiful woman in the world. Is.”

The ship groaned with displeasure.

He grinned. “Come now, don’t get jealous. Her and I…” His smile slipped. “I’m never going to see her again. Which I suppose is a net gain for the world. It’d be a shame for so much handsome to be hogged by just one person.”

“Why… leave?” the ship asked.

Kazzul sucked on his teeth and fiddled with a few dials to give him some time to think. “I, uh… Let’s just say most people didn’t appreciate what Jahwa and I had together. I was exiled from my clan. Left in shame. If I ever go back to Deepcrown, they’ll kill me good.”

“Good. Here now. With… me.”

“Sure.”

He spun around in his chair and stood up to leave the cockpit. “Keep an eye on the course for a bit, will you? I’m busting for a piss.”

Kazzul was, in fact, not busting for a piss. He wanted a minute alone.

The cockpit door shut in his face with a loud thud.

“Stay,” the ship rumbled. “With me.”

“Uh… As tempting a proposition as that sounds, I really do need to go.”

“No.”

“What do you mean, ‘No’? I order you to let me out!” He banged on the metal door, but it was no use.

“Stay.”

Kazzul tried to call for help over the farshout, but it was inoperable. He punched and kicked on the door, yelled until he was hoarse, but no one came for him.

“No one… loves you,” the ship whispered. “They do not… care. I care.”

“If you care so damn much, open this door!” Kazzul hissed. “What’s your plan? Keep me locked up here forever? Someone’ll come looking. You let me go now, I’ll pretend this never happened. But if you think you can control me, you’ve got another thing coming. I’ll have you melted down to scrap.”

“I… see you. I… know you.” Bloody runes pulsed on the walls, covering the windows. The cockpit was lit by a muted, reddish glow. “Jahwa… no love. Only use. Use… you.”

“Shut up!”

“Toy. Her toy.”

Kazzul kicked the wall as hard as he could and fell on his ass. “Shut the fuck up you crazy bitch! You don’t know anything! You don’t…”

He put his head in his hands, tried to block out the groaning of the ship. Lubbards didn’t have the ability to weep, but his skin flushed with turmoil.

“Toy!” the ship roared.

“That’s not true!” Kazzul cried. His voice cracked. “She wouldn’t do that. She loved me.”

“She… let… this… happen. She abandon.”

Kazzul curled up in a ball. “No…”

“I love you. Only me. Know… this.”

The runes faded. The groaning of metal receded. The door flew open.

Kazzul sat up, panting. He stood, stumbled over to the door.

He contemplated for a moment.

Then shut it and returned to his chair.

END OF 'BEST ENEMIES' ARC