Welcome back to Earthrise! We are now on our regular schedule, free on Tuesdays, with Thursday and Saturday available if donations or subscriptions that week go over $15 per episode. You can catch up on existing episodes, donate, or set up a subscription here! And now, on to the story:
Her Instruments, Book 1
Episode 15
Reese surprised herself by falling asleep, rocking in her hammock with Allacazam burbling the white noise of a brook. She wasn’t sure if that was his way of lulling her or his version of snoring, but she liked it either way. She woke feeling better, if not completely hale, and decided that was healthy enough to go keep an eye on things. On her way off the hammock, she saw a crow form in her mind’s eye, sitting on the top of a dark building and staring at her.
“I’m just going to the bridge. It’s not like I’m going to take over,” Reese said.
The crow kept watching her.
She sighed. “Look, I’m not going back to sleep. I want to know what’s going on and I’m tired of acting like an invalid. I promise not to strain myself, okay?”
The Flitzbe’s sending transformed into a muted wash of silver and the sound and smell of rain. She took that for resigned agreement and petted his wiggling neural fur. “Thanks. If that busybody Eldritch comes around tell him where I am, okay?”
More wiggling. A picture of Hirianthial rose in her mind, surprisingly clear: as far as Reese knew the Flitzbe didn’t see the same way she did, so this was either Reese’s image of the Eldritch or Hirianthial’s. Since she couldn’t possibly imagine that she thought of him in such bright and pleasant colors and with squiggles of gold and deep scarlet around him like a brocade halo, it must be his.
“Right, him,” Reese said. The image of the Eldritch began to glower comically. “Yeah, I know he won’t be happy. But he’s got to learn he doesn’t run things around here. So just tell him where I am, okay? I have things to do.”
Before the Flitzbe could reply, Reese swung herself out of the hammock and headed for the bridge. Halfway there she detoured to the galley and picked up food for the girls. They probably hadn’t stopped to eat. There was nothing appetizing in the larder, but she grabbed a couple of yogurt-coated protein bars and a jug of water and brought them with her.
Kis’eh’t and Irine were still sitting where she’d left them, though both of them had unstrapped their safety harnesses and were relaxed in their chairs. Reese squeezed past the crates of spare parts and said, “Lunch is here. Dinner. Whatever.”
Irine’s ears perked. “Did someone say food?”
“Not great food, but yeah,” Reese said, handing over a bar. She gave the second to Kis’eh’t and found a place between them to sit. “How’s it going?”
“We’re in good shape coasting with the rocks,” Irine said. “Getting in here was a bit of an adventure, but we made it.” She pointed through the small windows at the asteroids in the distance. “We should be fine here until the repairs are done. Bryer tells me our in-systems are ready… that was the easy part. They’re working on the Well Drive now.”
Reese looked at Kis’eh’t. “Sensors say anything?”
“Can’t see anything past the rock noise,” Kis’eh’t said. “We’re hoping if we can’t see anything, they can’t either. It’s not like pirates have Fleet-grade sensor arrays.”
“Hopefully,” Reese said. “Thanks, guys. You did great.”
“Thank us when we get to Starbase Kappa in one piece,” Irine said, but she purred between bites of the bar.
“Did you have a nice nap?” Kis’eh’t asked.
“Surprisingly,” Reese said. “Though now that I’m awake again I wish I was still in bed. I have no idea what we’re going to do now. I spent almost everything I had on the rooderberries.”
“I guess we’ll just hang out and hope for another assignment, then,” Irine said. “That’s worked before, once or twice.”
“And in the meantime, protein bars,” Kis’eh’t said, eyeing hers with distaste.
“Hey, pass it over if you don’t want it,” Irine said. “I’m hungry.”
The Glaseahn grumbled and unpeeled the wrapper.
“What about you?” Irine asked. “Hungry?”
“Nah. I’m not allowed to eat until Lord High-and-Mighty says I can.”
“—or?” Irine asked.
“Or he’ll cut open my stomach with sandpaper and a boot knife.”
“What boot knife?” the tigraine asked. “He doesn’t have any weapons on him thanks to his keepers.”
“I’m sure he’ll improvise with something,” Reese said. “A nail clipper. A butter knife.”
“We haven’t had any butter in ages,” Kis’eh’t said.
“We’ll have butter again,” Reese said and sighed. “I really meant to take better care of you all.”
“It’s not your fault we can’t seem to keep out of disaster’s way long enough to turn a fin,” Irine said. “We’ll get out of this one, boss, and then you’ll write a book: “Rooderberry Torpedoes and Other Strategies for Outrunning Slavers.” And then you’ll get rich and we’ll all retire.”
Reese laughed. “A nice story—” and the ship shivered. She sat up. “What was that?”
Kis’eh’t frowned. “Not sure. A stray asteroidlet from the outer bands? We shouldn’t be getting those right now.” Her fingers drummed the board as Reese watched, and then they stopped and that unsavory gray color returned to the skin around her eyes. “Aksivaht’h! They’ve followed us in!”
“The pirates?” Reese said, rising to her knees and propping herself on the board to look for herself. Two hazy red blips were showing up in the muted gray and black dapple that represented the asteroid belt. “Two of them?”
Irine strapped herself back in. “Were they shooting at us, Kis’eh’t, or just trying their luck? If they’re guessing I don’t want to light up their arrays by firing the thrusters.”
“I can’t tell,” Kis’eh’t said. “They’re not gunning for us, though. They seem to be drifting through the outer bands.”
“Don’t these people give up?” Reese asked. “What could they want so badly to send two ships into an asteroid belt? That’s crazy!”
“It’s not that crazy,” Irine said. “We’re in here, after all. And we’ve got their pet Eldritch. Angels know how much an Eldritch is worth on the slave market.”
“If they even want to keep him,” Kis’eh’t said. “If he was spying, they might just want to kill him.”
The thought of Hirianthial’s body robbed of its grace, sprawled on the floor at odd angles with all that white hair tangled and bloody, bothered Reese more than she wanted to admit. “The guy’s annoying, but not annoying enough to let someone else kill him,” she said. “Let’s see if these two get any closer or if they’re just hoping for a lucky shot. And finish eating, Kis’eh’t. It might be a while before you have the chance again.”
The Glaseahn went back to chewing on the bar. When Reese passed her the water jug, the other woman said, “You’re taking this well.”
“No, I’m not,” Reese said. “I’m just hiding it better.” She grinned, but privately wondered. Kis’eh’t was right… she was calmer about this than she expected. Maybe she was just tired of worrying about everything herself? Or maybe the Eldritch had drugged her on the way out after all—
—no, that was unfair. He hadn’t done anything to her except make her admit she needed the rest.
The lift opened then for Sascha. “Did someone call for me?”
“I’m always calling for you,” Irine said, purring.
“Is the Well Drive ready?” Reese asked, hoping.
Sascha shook his head. “No, but only one of us can get at it at this point and Bryer’s the better mechanic. He sent me away before I dropped another crate on my other leg.”
“Your leg!” Irine exclaimed. “What happened?”
“I’m fine. The doctor patched me up and I should be good as new in a couple of days. Though I’m famished. Anyone got any food?”
“Here, take mine,” Kis’eh’t said, offering her half-eaten bar.
While crunching it, Sascha sat next to the pilot’s chair. “So what’s cooking?”
“Two ships followed us into the belt and are looking for us,” Reese said.
“Can you drive?” Irine asked.
“As long as my arms are fine I can fly,” Sascha said. “Want me to take over?”
“Please,” Reese and Irine said in unison. The latter blushed. “I’m really good, but not as good.”
“No problem,” Sascha said, sliding into the vacant chair. “We drifting until we have evidence they’ve actually seen us?”
“Yeah,” Reese said.
“Good plan. I can finish eating.”
Which he did. In the ensuing silence, Reese looked over the twins and Kis’eh’t. She wondered if this would be the last run they flew together. What would pirates do with her ship? Convert it into a slaver? She couldn’t imagine it decorated with poorly-mounted weapon additions and used as a pirate ship. The notion of her battered old freighter threatening much larger vessels made her want to laugh out loud. She didn’t, though.
“I could seriously use a vacation,” Sascha said after a while.
“Mmm,” Irine said.
“Someplace warm,” Kis’eh’t offered. When Reese eyed her, the Glaseahn shrugged her wing arms. “You do keep it cold around here, Reese. Even for me.”
“Home is warm,” Irine said.
“Home is hot,” Sascha amended.
“But there are wonderful open houses with stone tiles warm beneath your feet,” Irine said. “And with fluttering scarves to filter the hardest sunlight and turn it colors. And there’s always fruit, the juiciest melons, all cool and crisp and fit to put streams down your chin.”
“Sounds good to me,” Kis’eh’t said.
“And water,” Irine said. Reese handed her the jug, which the tigraine looked at, puzzled, then drank from. “Water splashing in fountains, really soft. And birds at the fountains, bright birds with curious eyes that will eat berries from your fingers.”
“Sounds like a nice place,” Reese said.
“You wouldn’t like it, boss,” Sascha said, grinning. “It’s full of Harat-Shar.”
Reese laughed. “Oh, maybe you two have grown on me.” She sobered. “A vacation sounds nice. We’d just have to win the most improbable gambling streak to be able to afford one. Besides, as nice as your warm paradise sounds, Irine, I think I’d prefer something cooler. Snow, maybe.”
“Snow!” Irine said and shuddered.
“Not the entire year,” Reese said. “Just for a month or two. Enough so you could appreciate a fireplace and hot coffee and bread fresh from the oven. And a blanket.”
“Reese, I think they’re heading for us.”
She looked over Kis’eh’t's arm. “At least, they’re heading deeper into the belt.”
“Doesn’t change that at that angle of approach they’re going to have to be blind to miss that we’re in their sensor cone. We’re in trouble.”
“Irine, man our laser please.”
The tigraine scampered to the corner of the bridge. The laser that had come with the Earthrise had been intended to clear debris, not to provide much by way of protection from pirates. Reese doubted it would prove at all useful but one never knew. “Sascha, can you outfly these people?”
“Normally? No, I don’t think so,” Sascha said, tail flicking. “These two are beefier than the last pirate they sent after us. But in here, gambling with rocks the size of small moons? Yeah, I think we’re crazier than they are. Just say the word.”
Reese watched the blip of the first pirate, strangely distanced from it. She couldn’t quite believe it was in here. She had never carried cargo valuable enough to warrant interest from pirates. The idea that she was dodging two of them in an asteroid belt like some kind of 3deo action star was ludicrous and simply couldn’t be happening.
“Do it.”
Sascha fired the engines and the Earthrise lurched to one side.
AMG! What’s going to happen! We’re only $3 from a bonus Thursday episode! >.>
Writing the crew dialogue was my favorite part of doing this book. :D
