Deeper in the forest, they found more trees upside down and pockets of water that had become ice. In Halfmoon’s light, little ice crystals glittered and littered their forward view.
Irini’s thread, had long since turned into a highway, a ribbon of gold. She banished that ribbon and stared at the scene, without her magic.
Meladee shook her head. “I don’t like this place.” She pointed out the windshield. “I don’t like that thing.”
“But that’s Pen Pal,” Irini said.
Ahead of their windshield was something shaped like an irregular egg. A few cracks ran over its yellowed surface, but the runes that ringed the egg remained strong. It was a time bubble, albeit with a firmer shell.
“There’s no way we can get that back to Iruedim.” Benham shook his head. “We jumped to get here. We can’t jump trailing that thing.”
Meladee shrugged. “No kidding.” She turned to Irini. “So, what do we do?”
Irini paused and stared at the egg. “I don’t know. I’m supposed to bring it back. I have to. But…”
Could Pen Pal tell that they were near? Irini wanted him to know they were trying to help. Irini’s final job, as a follower of thread, was turning out to be a big pain in the neck. Obstacles greeted her at every development, and she couldn’t feel good about any of the work.
Eva stepped forward. “We can’t take the egg aboard. It’s too big. But, there’s a ship graveyard just on the other side of the forest.” Eva gestured over her shoulder. “Back the way we came.”
Meladee’s eyes widened, and she shook her head. “No way. No way am I ditching my beautiful Halfmoon.”
“I don’t think we have to ditch,” Benham said. “But, one of us might have to fly a different ship - if they even work.”
Eva pulled out her tablet. “That’s not why Irini’s fortune teller wanted me along, and that’s not what I have in mind.” She began to draw a rough shape. “This is Halfmoon.” She turned the tablet around. “It could probably carry a piece of the egg, specifically the top part that’s narrower. We could just tuck that inside the cargo door.”
“And cut off the rest.” Meladee made a chopping motion with her hand.
A sound of protest escaped Irini. Belatedly, she realized Meladee’s statement was a joke. One that only Benham appreciated, with a wry smile. Eva remained stoic.
“If you think you can cut through that, then be my guest. Maybe a spell? Decay? I don’t know, what do you think?” Eva asked.
Meladee shooed Eva to continue. “Just keep talking. I can’t cut that thing, and decay is a dangerous proposition. Besides, that’s not the time bubble spell.”
“Are you sure?” Eva asked.
Meladee nodded. “Very. I don’t know that spell, and because it has a shell, I think the decay could hurt the Pen Pal inside. Would be real stupid to come all this way and just kill ‘em.”
“Alright then.” Eva scribbled on her tablet. “We’ll modify Halfmoon.” She flipped the tablet around again.
Both Meladee and Benham’s eyes widened. Eva’s drawing gave Halfmoon a comically large rear. Irini fought back a giggle.
Benham crossed his arms. “No. No way. That doesn’t look the least bit streamlined. We fly this ship through atmosphere more often than not.”
“It won’t be permanent,” Eva said quickly. “We’ll hook the egg into the cargo hold. We’ll tuck it in Halfmoon’s door. Then, we’ll build around it and make it a little travel cage. However, I will have to fully seal it.”
Meladee groaned. “That’s gonna take forever.” She blew out a breath and stared at the egg. “If I could break that spell…I don’t even know what it is. Should have brought Inez. Then again, I’m not sure I want to let it out with just the three of us.”
“If we could get it out, we should.” Eva’s tone was harsh.
Irini turned to Eva, as did Meladee and Benham.
Eva continued, “The sooner we discover if that thing is friendly or not, the better. If we can do that here, we should. Then, if it was hostile, we could do everything in our power to prevent it from reaching Iruedim, even if that meant we didn’t make it back.”
Irini gulped. She didn’t think that Sotir would ask that of her.
Meladee’s mouth dropped open. “I didn’t sign up for no damn suicide mission.”
Benham put a hand on Meladee’s arm. “Relax. No one can break the spell. We don’t even know what spell it is.”
Eva stiffened. She stared at Meladee. “So, I need to modify the ship.”
Meladee stared back. She gave Eva a loose shrug. “Guess you do. Give Halfmoon a badonkadonk.”
Eva smiled a little.
Irini had to admit. She’d rather retrieve the egg than open it. She wanted to live. She had a lot to look forward to, like being unbound.
Eva strolled around the chairs and leaned close to the windshield. “That looks like a lock.” She pointed to something at the bottom of the egg.
The egg floated, but its bottom floated down. Irini couldn’t get a clear look. Halfmoon’s light seemed to glint off a different material, something gold, something that shined. Still, Irini wasn’t sure. It could be anything.
Irini asked her thread – is that a lock?
The thread glittered into existence and streamed out the windshield to the golden base.
“It’s a lock,” Irini confirmed.
“Right.” Eva backed away from the windshield.
Meladee raised her hands. “Hold on. I don’t want to toy with it. Let’s let someone else open the egg. I thought we were going to modify Halfmoon.”
Eva gave a short nod. “We are. I’m just making the observation.”
Meladee exhaled and put a hand to her breast. “Thank god.”
“Although, if we could open the lock, it would be better. I just don’t think we can.” Eva left the front of the cockpit and strode to the back.
“Yeah,” Meladee agreed. She twisted in her seat. “Where are you going?”
Eva turned at the door. “I’m going to begin arrangements. You find the ship graveyard. Then, we’ll be back for this thing.” She nodded at the windshield. Then, she whirled away.
Irini could ask her thread to guide them to the ship graveyard. It would snake, like a highway, through the ruined forest, but she thought Meladee and Benham remembered. Scans were easier to use than her thread anyway.
Not too much longer that this thread and I are linked. Still, if Irini had it, she might as well use it. Irini focused on her hands. Where is Camellia’s friend, Pen Pal?
The thread streaked out the window and tapped the side of the egg. It then wound around and around, until it tied the egg in glittering string.
Did that mean Pen Pal was absolutely their friend? Maybe, just Camellia’s. Maybe, Camellia should be there when they opened the egg.
“Hey, Irini. Get me on the right track.” Meladee got up from the controls.
Irini startled. “You don’t want to use the scans?”
“Nah, you’re good enough at this. Besides, it gives me a break.” Meladee stretched her arms over her head.
“I could use a break.” Benham waited at the main seat. His head rested on his hand, and he gazed at the egg.
Irini slipped into Meladee’s vacated place. She felt helpful, really useful even. Irini smiled as she thought of the graveyard. Her thread shot out. It gained width quickly and became a great road outside the ship. Irini eased the ship onto the golden path and began the journey to find the parts.
Eva stepped off the ladder and onto the cargo deck. She shuffled backwards. She looked up at the open hatch and glanced at the open elevator to her right. It was time to seal up. Eva reached for a nearby control panel. She tapped in a code and pulled a lever.
Machine whirs and scraping metal greeted her ears. A thick panel closed off the ladder, sliding from one side of the passage to the other. It locked in place, between a break in the ladder rungs. Eva glanced at the elevator, just in time to see its doors close. She heard a heavier panel slide shut, somewhere out of sight in the elevator shaft. A final loud click let her know that the others were safe above. She had sealed the cargo bay from the rest of Halfmoon.
Eva turned. The cargo bay stood empty, devoid of objects. They’d moved everything to the upper decks. Food and materials cluttered Engineering and their living space, but Eva got to experience the full breadth of Halfmoon for the second time since she cleaned and recommissioned it. From where she stood, it didn’t seem like such a small ship.
Eva shuffled and faced the exit. The sounds echoed, bouncing from walls to floor and ceiling, and off the closed cargo bay door. The heavy portal remained shut against space, but in a moment, Eva would open the bay. The air would rush out, and when everything was still, Eva would start making a mess of Meladee’s ship.
A sound like a sigh moved through the bay and echoed. It came from Eva’s shifting clothes, but the organic quality of the noise unsettled Eva, just the same. She glanced at the com panel – a small dark screen and embedded keypad, set into the wall. She saw an old message from Meladee, wishing her luck. Below that, she had a message from Sten or Sten BBV – short for brain box version.
I’m sorry you have to do this on your own. Remember the temperature in vacuum will affect your internal processes.
Eva typed a message back. I know. I’ll suit up before I open the bay.
This might call for a full suit.
Eva picked up a long trail of wires, ending in nodes. The android version should do. Besides, I want to be able to move in a full suit, and this will go faster if I can move.
Alright.
Eva untangled the apparatus, laying it out in its true shape. It was a suit of sorts, though it looked more like a collection of somebody’s veins and arteries, ripped from their body for a fashion statement.
Eva knelt by the wires and began to stick the nodes to her body. She put some on her head and neck. Others touched her shoulders and chest. Some she tucked beneath her clothes against her core. The rest she pressed to her arms, legs, hands, feet, and fingers.
With the nodes in place, she needed to secure the wires to her skin. The last thing she needed was for a loose wire to catch on some debris and pop the node free. Some wires came with Velcro straps, and Eva wrapped them tight around her elbows, knees, and other large joints. However, she preferred a tighter fit. So, she pulled medical grade tape from a roll and secured every bump that disturbed her. Each time she tore the tape, the sound echoed through the bay.
Eva spread her arms and splayed her hands. She wiggled her fingers, and watched the wires dance, moving in perfect unison with her digits. The suit fit well; each wire was the perfect length. Each node found its rightful place, and best of all, Eva could move as if unhindered.
The suit was from Sten – original Sten. He acknowledged that they could survive in vacuum for a bit of time, but he informed Eva that androids had to wear their own kinds of spacesuits. While they didn’t need to breathe, they did need to be warm enough – not too hot – and cold enough, but not too cold.
At first, Eva wasn’t sure. Why should she need protection when she didn’t need air and could generate her own heat? Cereus never told her that she needed to avoid vacuum. The subject hadn’t come up. But, Sten spoke with such confidence, and every point he’d made was so detailed that Eva believed someone in Girandola tested the theory – to disastrous results.
In Eva’s new suit, the wires and nodes worked together to heat and cool her body. Blue wires provided cooling, and red wires heat. The nodes could accomplish both, as well as read her temperature. Deep in the wires, information ran to a small, central computer that sat at the back of Eva’s neck.
Eva glanced at a camera. She walked across the bay, stood before it, and performed a slow turn. Then, she returned to the com panel and typed. How is this?
Good. You secured it more than I would, so I’m satisfied, but it might have been faster if you’d just donned one of Rooks’ skin tight suits.
Eva smiled. She did take her time. Her fingers flew over the keys as she typed her defense. I dislike the helmet and how it obscures my view. This is what I have, and this is what I’ll use. Sten and I have put suits like this one to good use for the past year, and you should remember we repaired a lot of ships, more in often in space dock than not.
Sometimes, it was just easier to find the leaks when the air rushed free into vacuum. Lurrien vessels had a lot of leaks.
I remember, but let me worry. I can do little but pepper you with advice. So, if I second guess myself, then that’s my right.
Eva typed another quick message. She still smiled. I believe you are second guessing him.
Ah, right you are. But, what he doesn’t know… Sten never completed the saying. He didn’t need to.
With some reluctance, Eva stepped away from the com panel. She bent and picked up a roll of tools. She unfurled the roll and strapped it around her waist. She faced the cargo doors and looked from the base of the empty bay to its ceiling. All was simple metal, with some visible pipes and shielded wires. It was old but loved.
Though the ship belonged to Meladee, it also belonged to Lurren. It was the very first significant thing Eva had saved from Ul’thetos, and now, she was going to mar it with some Volanter space slag.
Eva stood tall. Then, she walked. Her footsteps rang and echoed. Because the echoes lasted longer than her steps, sound seemed to accumulate in the bay.
Eva hugged the wall. She endured the noise, until she stopped before a red button and lever. Both waited under glass. As the noise died down, Eva pulled the glass up and open. It swung smooth on a hinge and held its new place, fully ajar.
Eva raised her hand and held it above the red button. She touched its smooth surface and applied some light pressure. The button resisted her touch, as she knew it would. Opening the bay while in vacuum had to be hard. Eva needed to get rough. She pressed a little harder, and the button gave a few centimeters. Then, she stopped. Eva withdrew her hand and let it hover, unable to move ahead.
She crossed back to the com panel and typed a quick sentence to Sten BBV. I wish I didn’t have to do this alone. I wish I didn’t leave you home.
It was an embarrassing sentiment. Eva had grown so used to company that loneliness could have an effect on her. Eva stared at the message and realized that Meladee could probably access it.
I’m here with you. I’ll be here, Sten BBV wrote back.
Eva was even more embarrassed to find that message comforting, especially since it wasn’t really Sten who wrote it. Her curious, often diverted, Sten. Eva felt in that moment that she should be nicer to the real one.
So, he took time to explore little detours, like the nanites and other androids. He liked to tinker, and though Eva wanted him focused on rebuilding Lurren, she couldn’t deny that his other pursuits had merit. The nanite exploration paid off quick and made a huge difference in someone’s life – two someones. Actually, more, if Eva counted all the people that wanted Aria to continue in life.
What Sten and Eva allowed to happen with the nanites had a butterfly effect and touched a lot of people, ones far beyond Lurren. And suddenly, Eva realized, that if she was willing to do something without compensation, there would be people willing to do something for Lurren, whether she fought for it or not, whether they got something from it or not. She didn’t need to trade land or technology when she found the right people to help.
Of course, she needed to find the right people, but thus far, she’d had great success with that. And, if she focused on cultivating those people instead of getting Lurren a leg up, she would make Iruedim a better place – and not just for Lurren.
Can you do this?
Eva’s eyes darted to the message. Yes, she typed back. I can. But, before I do, I want you to know that I would give up technological secrets if it encouraged friendship with Lurren.
Sten BBV remained quiet for a few moments. That’s a wonderful sentiment, but you’ll need to tell him – not me. Though, I can say with confidence that he’ll be pleased to hear it.
Stay warm up there.
I will. Sten BBV’s box was still plugged into Engineering’s main console, but he kept a presence all over the ship. Really, I’m not so worried about staying warm. You see – I keep reminding Meladee and Benham that I’m here, and that the box needs to stay plugged in or be shut down properly. I wonder if they’ve listened.
They know. They’re not going to touch you. This won’t be long. I promise.
Eva let her hand fall from the com panel. She unclipped gloves from her belt and pulled them on. They fit a little tighter over the wires, even the more delicate wires on her hands, but the gloves fit.
Eva walked back across the bay to the open emergency release system. She linked her arm with a metal bar and held tight. Then, she pushed the red button hard. She couldn’t feel its surface, but she felt the spring fight her endeavor to compress the button. She pushed it flush with the wall. Then, a ticking started. She had a short time to pull the red lever, while the button slowly popped back up. This time, Eva did not hesitate. She pulled the release lever on the cargo hatch. It started to slide open.
Air rushed out, and Eva held on to the bar with both hands. Dust and other particulates rushed by, and Eva was glad to see Meladee’s ship back to a state of perfect clean. Eva thought a broom might be a good wedding gift for Meladee, whenever she married Benham.
If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
A stray piece of packing straw zipped by, along with some random scraps of paper.
The chaos stopped a moment later, and Eva, with tools strapped to her belt and the suit in place, pushed off towards her space slag.
Meladee slumped in her chair. She’d sat every way she could think of. The cockpit chair just wasn’t meant for long term occupation – not eight hours-worth, at least. One of them had to stay ready at the controls at all times, and Benham kept getting up to do stuff. At the moment, he sat in the bathroom, probably reading to his heart’s content.
Meladee twisted in the chair. She sat backwards. It was small, but she could just throw her legs over the back. She wobbled, but caught herself on the other chair. She rotated both chairs, twisting them to face each other. When she had them just right, she laid her shoulders in Benham’s chair, and her back bridged the empty space.
Meladee folded her hands over her stomach and sighed. She checked the doorway. No Benham, but Irini stared.
“What?”
Irini shook her head.
“This is comfortable.” Meladee shifted, and the chairs almost dumped her out. “Fucking hell. Where’d he go?”
Irini stuttered. “I…I don’t know.”
“Yeah, yeah…” Meladee squealed a little as the chairs again threatened to dump her out. “He better not be taking a shit.”
“Uh…” Irini never got past that part.
“I’d like to use the bathroom too, you know. I think that would be swell.” Meladee steadied her chairs again and wished there was some way she could lock the swivel mechanism.
“I could watch the controls,” Irini said.
“No. If something shows up, I have to be here. We’ve got that forest over there and the graveyard of ships. Who knows what’s lurking out there? Could be space animals. Could be ghouls. Could be space cowboys. Yeehaaaw!”
The chairs swiveled and dumped Meladee to the floor.
Irini sat with her mouth agape, but Benham ran into the cockpit from god knew where.
He knelt by her prostrate from. “Are you alright? What were you doing?” Benham started to pick Meladee up.
She groaned and pushed herself off the ground. “Do you think I could get out of this room for a while? My ass hurts.”
“Yeah. Of course.” Benham helped her sit up.
“Where the fuck have you been, by the way?” Meladee staggered to her feet.
“Bathroom, and then I moved the boxes around in the other bedrooms and the lounge. I realized we didn’t leave much room for Irini to sleep, with all the cargo up top.” Benham rose to his feet. “After that, I went downstairs and checked on the Sten box.”
“Well, now I feel bad for complaining.” Meladee rubbed her tailbone. “That’s a creepy box, by the way.”
Meladee preferred the original Sten. The box version hadn’t done anything to offend her; other than worry about her supposed ineptitude with technology. It just troubled Meladee to think that two Stens thought their own separate thoughts; two Stens occupied completely different places, and two Stens aimed for a romance with Eva.
Meladee’s eyes widened. What was Eva going to do? She could barely handle the one. Meladee supposed Eva could duplicate herself. Uh oh. Meladee wouldn’t like that. It would be too much. Meladee wanted Eva to be the Eva she knew, not some bottled version. Meladee’s fingers itched to tap out a message to Eva – to urge her android friend to remain the one and only. Meladee almost turned. Her eyes started to stray to the helm, but she kept her gaze on the ground.
A moment later, Benham touched her shoulder. “Hey. Something wrong?”
“Oh, no!” Irini shouted.
Meladee jumped.
Irini shot up from her chair and pointed at the windshield. “Space cowboys! Oh, I mean, space animals!”
Meladee whirled to face the windshield. “Dammit. I had to say something.”
Benham dropped into his seat, ready to work the main controls. Then, he froze. His hands hovered over the board. “Eva’s still working. I can’t do anything.”
And, they couldn’t really call Eva either, as she didn’t have a proper space suit, and the vacuum in the cargo bay would throw the whole conversation into silence.
Meladee remained on her feet but leaned over her board. She tapped a message into the helm. She knew the beep wouldn’t be heard to alert Eva, but the light would still blink.
Meladee shook her head. “No answer. I hope she gets it.”
Then, Meladee faced the windshield. “Let’s see. What do we have here? Camellia, any ideas?” Meladee inclined her head to the com station, where Camellia would sit if she were present.
Meladee straightened and watched the animals. They were leathery and grey. On the edge of the forest, they hopped from tree to tree. They landed so lightly, they didn’t even jostle the trees or put them into a spin. Dark wings extended from wrists to ankles. Otherwise, Meladee thought they looked too people like. Actually, the more she looked, the more she saw a resemblance to Volanter.
Meladee cleared her throat and set her voice up a pitch. She did her best Camellia impression. “They probably lived on the Volanter’s home planet or in a time bubble. Obviously, they’re related…I mean…they look kind of like the Scaldin…” Meladee gestured at the windshield and dropped her impression. “Oh damn, the Volanter fucked ‘em too.”
In a small voice, Irini added, “They’re kind of like me. Can they talk to us?”
Meladee exchanged a glance with Benham.
He shrugged. “They live in the vacuum of space. They don’t have eyes like us, and they don’t have mouths. I’m going to go with no.” He crossed his arms. “But, we can still try.”
Meladee almost didn’t hear the part about an attempt to communicate. She was stuck on the part about ‘no-mouths.’ Meladee performed a double-take. She looked to the windshield, back to Benham, and out the windshield again. She stared as close as she could and saw the creatures’ distinct lack of mouths. Skin stretched over the place where their food holes should be. For eyes, they possessed large, dark orbs, almost glass-like.
“They’re just watching us,” Benham said, as he did the same to the things on the edge of the forest.
Meladee sighed and gestured to the com. “I don’t know. Someone try to send a message. In Volanter, I guess.”
Irini ran to the com and stopped. Slowly, she looked at Meladee. “But, how will they receive it? They’re naked.”
Meladee almost snorted a laugh at the innocence and concern expressed in Irini’s tone.
“We can write it and put it in the windshield,” Benham suggested. “Irini, go get some paper.”
Irini took off.
Again, Meladee sighed. “In the meantime, how about I perform a shield spell?”
“Yeah.” Benham leaned on his board and stared out the windshield. “What harm can a shield do?”
“Right.” Meladee began to pace. She needed to plan her spell. “I might set it off-center, just to make sure I get Eva inside.” Meladee also wanted to keep the cockpit out of the shield because a shield spell that could keep those creatures out physically and magically, could keep everything she had to throw at them in. Meladee was about to cast the spell. She pictured the circle, and it hummed lightly around her feet. Then, she stopped. The spell winked out, sounding like bells grabbed mid-tingle. “Oh, wait, what if I lock Eva out entirely?”
“You mean lock her in cargo?” Benham asked. “If she tries to come up, she’ll thin the air. She’s stuck in cargo anyway, till we get home.”
“That’s not what I meant,” Meladee returned. “What if she’s out collecting debris, and I lock her out of the ship entirely?”
Benham sat straight. “Oh. I get your meaning.”
Meladee felt her eyes narrow. She resumed her plan. She had a map in her head of their ship. She pictured the living deck on top; Engineering in the middle, and cargo at the bottom. All the edges were a little fuzzy, but that was only because she didn’t know the exact thickness of the hull. Otherwise, Meladee had a solid idea of her ship’s size. Well, she had a solid idea of the original size. She’d work with that for now.
She imagined little cartoon versions of her and her crew, fuzzily inhabiting the area she knew them to be. Benham and Meladee bunched together in the cockpit. He sat. Meladee stood in a thinking pose. Irini knelt or sat somewhere in the crowded lounge, scribbling away on a piece of paper. Eva worked in cargo. She possibly floated outside. The image of Eva flitted back and forth.
If Meladee put a shield far out in space, to cover far more than Halfmoon’s proposed badonkadonk, she could protect Eva, but Meladee didn’t know exactly where to throw the perimeter or where to set the center.
Quick footsteps came from the hall. Irini burst into the room. She pinched a large piece of paper by its corners. Through the grain, Meladee could see looping lines.
That was one less scroll that Meladee could make, but if it got them a wave out of the mouthless, space-dwelling monsters, then Meladee could be okay with it.
“I’ve got the message,” Irini breathed. “I’ve only learned a little Volanter writing, so it’s really simple.”
Benham gestured to the windshield. “Anything is great. Let’s try it.”
Irini crossed the cockpit. Her coily, white hair bobbed on her shoulders. She leaned over the helm, turned the paper and its foreign writing out, and pressed it against the windshield. Benham helped to hold it in place.
“What’s it say?” Meladee asked.
“Well…” Irini twisted. She kept her side of the paper up and spoke over her shoulder. “It says ‘Hello.’ Also, that we’re related to the Volanter. If you want to know exactly…”
Meladee nodded.
Irini took a deep breath. “I tried to write children of the Volanter, but I only know the word for baby. So, it says, ‘Hi, we’re Babies of the Volanter.’”
Meladee laughed. She laughed hard, and her plans to shield the ship rattled somewhere to the back of her mind.
Irini kind of smiled, but she didn’t laugh.
Benham let his side of the paper drop. “No response. We’ll have to take action though.” He leaned over his board and read the small scanner. “Those on the edge of the forest are leaving us alone, but we’ve got some sneaking up top.”
Meladee thought she heard a light tap on the hull of the ship, but since the creatures could land on a floating tree and not put a twig out of place, she thought she imagined the sound.
Meladee snapped her fingers. “Got it.” She cast a circle of two rings. She set it against the ceiling and enchanted the upper hull.
It glowed there and seeped into the metal. Its song grew distant and blinked into silence. A flash of light, by the top of the windshield, told Meladee it had gone off.
Two of the creatures bounded off their windshield and away.
“Zapped those little buggers.”
“Give them something to play with,” Irini suggested. “Maybe a summoned animal?”
Meladee nodded along, slow. “Yeah. That would be a great idea. How about a space otter?”
Benham kept his eyes on the windshield, caught in a staring contest with the strange Volanter. “Okay, just make sure whatever it is, doesn’t fiddle with the ship.”
Meladee called her otter into existence. She created a circle of waves and droplets and playful runes. She splayed the circle over the outside windshield, and it glowed. She put a lot of shorthand in its two rings, but it was still a simple masterpiece. Everything fell into place, and she didn’t struggle to link waves to runes.
“Whoa,” Irini breathed.
The spell finished, and an otter sat on the windshield. It twisted its body and stared back in at them. Meladee pointed for it to turn around and find the Volanter bat things. It did and sped off in their direction, not to kill but to play.
“Don’t be too impressed. Kind of a simple spell. But, it’s a good idea. Otters love to play.” Meladee dusted off her hands and headed for the rear. “Now, I need to check on Eva.”
“No, you don’t!” Benham called. “If you open that hatch, we’ll all die.”
Meladee frowned and stopped in the doorway. “I wasn’t going to open the hatch, just head down to Engineering. Maybe, talk to the Sten box.” Meladee wasn’t going to open the hatch, but if she thought of an escape route for Eva, she could conjure it. She stared at Benham, and he stared back.
Finally, he swiveled his seat and faced the windshield again. “We can talk to the Sten box here. In fact, he’s already talking to us.” Benham beckoned sloppily over his shoulder. “Come back. You need to watch your otter.”
Meladee needed to get to Eva, but she strolled back to the windshield.
Irini’s failed message lay on the floor, looking childish in unpracticed Volanter writing. Meladee stepped over it. She watched her otter.
It made a fool of itself, among the trees. It spun in circles and swam through space in an otter’s dance. The Volanter things watched the otter. They curled into balls and bunched together. The otter tried to hand a small rock of ice to one of the creatures. The creature refused to take it. Then, the otter bounded on to a tree and sent it spinning. The creatures flew off, further into the forest. Meladee could still see grey move against black; she didn’t think they’d gone.
“Skittish,” Meladee said.
“Yeah,” Benham agreed. “Sten Box says Eva is almost done. We just need to watch the creatures and give her time.”
“Good.” Meladee crossed her arms. “Eight hours was almost long enough, I guess.”
Benham kept his eyes on Sten’s words. He summarized, “Sten has taken a few scans of the things, but he doesn’t really understand what they are. Potentially Volanter. Potentially just a second species that evolved on the same planet. They obviously survive in vacuum. They’re curious but, so far, shy. He’s moved patterns of light over the ship, and that was enough to disturb them.”
Meladee exhaled and relaxed. “Okay. Well, I’m going to use the bathroom while I can.”
Eva floated among the space debris and observed her handiwork. She had built the majority of the expansion. It was a patchwork thing of metal, but it would shield Pen Pal’s prison from the rigors of space and superliminal travel. Though, superliminal travel might help crack the egg, it would also leave Pen Pal, trailing behind their ship, a shell of what he once was.
Eva couldn’t say she disliked the image. She feared Pen Pal. She distrusted him, probably more than she should. If something happened to him through no fault of her own, she wouldn’t mourn it. The key was that his demise had to be outside Eva’s control. Her promise to help him mattered, so she made the best patchwork cage she could.
Under her arm, Eva tucked the last of her space slag. She could weld no more of the expansion, until she got Pen Pal’s egg secure. That meant, she had to ferry the last of her materials back to Pen Pal’s resting place. Eva pushed off a twisted piece of metal and hurtled back to her ship. She grabbed the edge of the expansion and pulled herself in.
Whenever possible, Eva tried to conserve her propulsion, which she kept strapped to her waist. She wanted to reserve enough to weather any emergency.
Eva pulled herself along the interior of the expansion and into the cargo bay proper. She set the final pieces against a wall and strapped them between a couple of bars. She glanced deeper into the bay and saw more materials, hunks of twisted metal – the flattest she could find. She had everything she needed. Eva was ready to move.
They couldn’t jump, with the cargo space still open, but they could lazily make their way back to Pen Pal. There, Eva would finish the job and seal them all in.
She wondered if Sten told the others to start the journey. She knew he watched her, and she found it a comfort. Still, the ship didn’t move. What had distracted him?
Movement caught Eva’s eyes. She grasped a bar and faced out. A thing skittered over the edge of Eva’s makeshift cargo expansion. It stopped and stared in.
What the…?
It was a little, grey man, with full wings. It was one of the few living creatures shorter and leaner than Eva.
For a long moment, they stared at each other. Its stone-colored skin looked darker on the palms and feet, as if singed.
A light blinked from the cargo bay wall. Eva pushed towards that light, keeping her eyes on the little, winged man.
She tapped the com button and saw a message: Space animals have come. Don’t know what they want. Whatever you do, don’t feed them?
Eva felt her eyes narrow. As if she would feed them.
The message came from Meladee, sent several minutes ago. Eva looked back at the creature.
It put a tentative hand on the interior of her patchwork cargo. Its wide, glassy eyes searched the metal. It bent its head close to the material, a little too close for most being’s comfort. It rarely looked deeper into the bay, but when it did, its eyes moved quick from place to place.
Eva could not let it indulge its curiosity. She didn’t plan to indulge hers, though she wondered at its origins and lifestyle. A touch of Volanter seemed to lay in its face. It had a small dot where a Volanter nose would be, and it had a mound where the Volanter would have a slitted mouth. If Camellia had been there, she probably would have watched the creature for hours. The lack of a mammalian nose and mouth would be of no concern to Camellia at all.
Eva hefted one of her tools. She hit the side of her creation. It made no sound, but the vibrations traveled down to the space dwelling creature.
It recoiled.
Eva shooed.
She watched the creature hover there, as she typed a message. I’m ready to go. Just start flying. That ought to scare them off.
Eva gripped the nearby bar tight and held her tool tighter.
Another of the creatures skittered by, just over the open edge. It rounded that edge and clung to the ceiling of the expanded cargo bay. It ran on all fours inside, bolder than its companion.
It came almost into Halfmoon proper before it stopped and watched Eva.
The shy companion grew bolder and pulled itself along the side, keeping eyes on Eva as well.
She banged her tool against the walls again. The creatures didn’t go. The shy one backed off a bit, but the other held its place.
Eva typed a message: They might give me trouble.
Meladee heard the beeping, and she saw the light. It blinked from the helm. They had a message waiting, but neither she nor Benham had a chance to read it. She was too busy keeping the hull charged, just parts of it.
The things swarmed out of the forest and hopped onto the windshield and the top of the ship. They zipped away and startled as soon as they touched it, feeling the charge of lightning on their skin. Then, they would come right back, and Meladee would have to put a new version of the spell into effect.
“What is wrong with them? Do they like this or something?” Meladee conjured a new three-ringed version of her electrical spell.
It glowed in yellow, fizzed through the deck, and stopped on the surface of the hull. Jagged lines of yellow-white danced over the windshield. The creatures would make a monster of Meladee, but they didn’t seem to be friendly. They were hostile animals.
The things paused in the forest. With glassy eyes, they watched. Then, they leapt from the trees, spread their wings, and flew to Halfmoon. Feet collided with the windshield; then bounded away. Every one of the creatures landed; only to propel themselves clear a moment later. They soared in a circle above Halfmoon and didn’t retreat to the forest.
Meladee’s mouth dropped open. She leaned on her board and craned her neck to look high through the windshield.
A singed creature planted all four of its hands – or feet – on the glass and pressed its face close. Meladee felt disgust twist her expression. A line of electrical energy passed over the windshield and tickled the creature’s feet. It vaulted away, singed but otherwise unharmed.
“Why won’t they die?!” Meladee whirled to face Benham.
“You’re trying to kill them?” he asked, with wide eyes. “I thought you just wanted to shock them.”
“No, I upped the charge. This is deadly. Deadly I tell you.” Meladee threw her hands up.
“They live in space. They’re durable. Think of something else,” Benham urged.
Meladee spread her hands. “Like what? The otter is already toast. They’re savage. They ripped my baby to shreds.” She gestured above them. “You hear that? They’re probably tearing our ship apart next.”
Memories of the otter in a semi-alive state, screaming, and pulled into pieces ran through Meladee’s mind. It hadn’t been a mere dismemberment. For one, it took so long for Meladee’s otter to die, as if it couldn’t dispel properly. Meladee also saw bits of blue, stretchy fog inside the otter. It was like the creatures ripped into her new summon, right down to its soul.
Benham tapped the com. “We can go. Eva, says she’s done.”
Meladee waved him forward. “Then go.”
Benham started the engines and pushed the ship. Halfmoon jolted and collided lightly with some of the creatures. As Halfmoon’s progress smoothed, the creatures fluttered away in a panic.
Meladee heard the rest of the creatures scatter. Their light steps dinged and tinged along the upper hull. They could be rough when they wanted to, but their light bodies and airy retreat barely rocked Halfmoon. Meladee watched them flee off the face of the windshield. Hundreds of grey, stone-like butts popped away.
“Eww,” Meladee grumbled.
“Can’t go too fast. But, let’s hope we can outrun them.” Benham’s hopes were in vain.
The creatures swirled back. They caught up, griped the hull of the ship, and walked on all fours over the windshield. Meladee swore they had glee in their eyes.
“They’re making me mad.” She shook her head. “And, I’m a pretty laid back person too. I’ve got to do something.”
“The magic,” Irini said. “They watch the magic. Whenever you do a new spell, they come closer. Maybe, they think we’re Volanter.”
Meladee envisioned the shape of Halfmoon, with its fuzzy edges. She called a four-ringed spell into her memory and began to rework it. She had to leave the back end of Halfmoon out; otherwise, her spell could be deadly for her companions. “So, that’s bad, right? They think we’re Volanter, and they don’t like Volanter.”
“Who does?” Benham asked.
Meladee conjured the circle. Four intricate rings flared in yellow. The light expanded from Meladee’s position in the cockpit and sank into the walls, floor, and ceiling. The spell headed to the forward hull. In seconds, it reached its goal. Streamers of lightning zapped out. They covered every inch of Halfmoon, but Meladee could only see her handiwork through the windshield. The lightning waved. It tickled space and anything within its two-foot reach. The creatures fled, still unharmed.
Meladee growled. “That shouldn’t be! Why can’t I hurt them?”
The only thing that could resist Meladee’s magic so well had been Ul’thetos’ wayward chunk, covered in the black crust that served as a shell against space. Maybe, Meladee could blame it on their space faring abilities. Maybe, it was something more.
“The more we do. The more they’ll come,” Irini warned.
Eva clung to the safety bar and recoiled as the shy creature reached out to touch her hair. She swatted at it with a long hammer. It withdrew its hand and danced back along the new cargo bay walls.
The bold one charged up and grabbed hold of Eva’s hammer. It pulled, but Eva held tight. She tugged her hammer free and swung the tool against the creature’s wing. Without sound, Eva didn’t know if her hammer connected well. No snap alerted her to an injury.
But, the creature jerked away and ran across the makeshift cargo walls. It aimed for the exit and stopped just at the edge. A strange expression molded its glassy eyes.
The shy one stared at Eva a moment longer and then started to back away.
Eva banged her hammer on the walls, and the shy creature hurtled after its friend. Both waited on the edge, too stubborn to leave.
Lights flashed in the cargo bay. Red and orange spun around the room. The creatures flew out.
Eva hadn’t done that. She doubted that Meladee or Benham had the time, as they moved Halfmoon, changing Eva’s view out the back. Eva doubted the idea belonged to Irini. That left Sten BBV.
Eva held fast to the safety bar but twisted to view the com panel.
I scanned them. Very sensitive to light, Sten BBV said.
Eva curled her wrist around the bar. She stuck her hammer back on her belt and typed, Thanks. Get any other information on them?
Yes, actually. A fair amount.
Eva supposed he’d given himself the time.
Irini’s hands hovered over the weapons board. She didn’t know how to fire weapons, but she could tell a trigger when she saw one. Her hand shook. “Should I? Should I shoot them?”
“No,” Benham called. “I don’t know if it will do any good.”
“Of course, it fucking won’t. We’re a brand-new toy here in the wasteland. They’re going to do whatever they fucking want.” Meladee flung her hands up and wiggled her arms to adjust her sleeves. “They better not turn out to be intelligent, and if they are, don’t tell Camellia about this.”
“What are you going to do?” Irini asked. “The magic eggs them on.”
Irini saw the creatures react to each spell. Every spell gave them courage. Every spell narrowed their wide, glassy eyes, which reflected fire at their dark centers.
Meladee ignored Irini. The spell she cast had many rings. It sang its song and expanded over the deck, reaching out. It sailed through the windshield, and as the sickly colored rings passed Irini, she felt nauseous.
“Meladee,” Benham scolded.
“It’ll work,” she said back. “I worked so damn hard for this ship. I’m not letting them tear it apart. They already broke off some of our sensors and damaged a gun turret.” Meladee exhaled and shook her head. “They deserve this.”
Benham mumbled; a torn look passed over his face.
“If they live out here, they can survive anything. What else can we do?” Meladee shrugged.
A bang pounded on the upper hull.
Irini jumped.
A few of the creatures tumbled by the windshield, struggling to regain their equilibrium. Burns covered their skin, and a few seemed to be missing chunks of flesh. Otherwise, they seemed okay. The other creatures backed off. They flew a distance ahead of the ship, into the broken forest and watched the Halfmoon.
“Oh, shit.” Meladee froze. “That should have killed them. That killed Ul’thetos.”
Benham pushed the ship a little faster, but he too stared at the creatures. “I know. Maybe, they’re magic resistant. How did the weapons do?” Benham concentrated on piloting, but he aimed the question over his shoulder, to Irini.
“I didn’t check,” she admitted.
“Next time, we check.”
Irini realized that she saw the result of a failed decay spell. It was an insidious but slow-moving thing. It was something the Volanter hadn’t invented, and thank the Mother Tree because the first Scaldin to receive that power would have been worse than a reaper. Yet, the creatures came out of it no worse than the combatants of a light skirmish.
A ring came from the com.
Benham hit the button. “Eva’s concerned.” He sighed.
Irini pulled her hands close to her chest. A dozen questions ran through her mind, and she struggled not to focus on any of them. She didn’t want answers. She’d had her fill of the thread. She was ready to be unbound.