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Cait stopped in the doorway of the crew quarters just in time to catch Xiphos in full pursuit of Auburn. The human stomped down the from guest quarters, entering from the other side of the room, her face red. Xiphos stalked behind her, her ears slicked back on her head.
“Why?” Auburn asked, her question weighted down with ice.
“Because it needs to be done,” Xiphos said after her.
Cait held her hands behind her back and let the battle unfold in front of her.
“Not interested,” Auburn said. She sat down on the couch, her arms folded over her chest, and she stared up at Xiphos.
“It’s not a request,” Xiphos said.
“Hmm.” Auburn didn’t break her lock with Xiphos’s eyes.
“Miss Nash,” Cait finally said. Both Auburn and Xiphos jumped.
“Sir,” Auburn stammered, pulling herself up to her feet.
“Have you been ordered to do something?”
“Yes, sir,” Auburn said. Her face grew redder.
“How is your progress?”
“Just starting, sir,” Auburn said.
Cait nodded. “Do not let me stop you.”
Auburn nodded again and sprinted up the steps to the guest quarters.
Xiphos watched from behind Cait, her hands on her hips.
“Why was that an issue, Helmsman?” Cait asked, turning to Xiphos. The girl shrank into herself, her ears dropping.
“She just didn’t want to do it, sir,” Xiphos said.
“Follow me to my office.” Cait started back to the bridge. “Am I correct in guessing little respect was shown when you issued her her task?”
Xiphos was silent a moment, her head bowed slightly in thought. “She doesn’t like me.”
“That is not a requirement of being an officer, Helmsman. What is important, however, is that she respects you.”
Xiphos said nothing to this. They stepped on to the bridge. Cait opened her office and ushered the helmsman in. She closed the door behind her.
Xiphos sat down in a chair. She slumped and sighed. “I don’t know how to make her respect me, sir.”
Cait poured some tea from a pot. She handed a cup to Xiphos. “You have not shown Auburn you trust her, nor that you respect her. Both are important.”
Xiphos stared down at her tea. Cait sat down in her own chair behind her desk. She took a sip of her tea and watched her helmsman a moment.
“Xiphos,” she said. “Stop thinking the worst of yourself. I am not angry. But you can do better.” She took another sip. “Finish your tea and then go repair your relationship with Auburn.”
“But… I don’t know how to do that, sir.”
“You can start by helping her clean the guest rooms. You do not have to talk to one another, just work together to finish.”
Xiphos set her tea cup on Cait’s desk and stood. “Sir.” And she left Cait alone.
Cait sipped her tea, allowing for the distraction another moment before she was interrupted by a knock on her door. Tre waited in the frame.
“Yes, dear?”
Tre motioned for her to join him on the bridge. He handed her the Relay mic.
“This is Cait.”
“What are you doing?”
“Hello, Galle,” Cait said flatly.
“Do you realize you’re heading into pirate territory?”
“It is where our hunch has taken us.” Out of the corner of her eye, Lake came into sight on the bridge. Tre looked at him, and exhaled sharply though his broad nose. Lake seemed to hesitate to come any further.
“You’re mad,” Galle said. Cait could pick out more fear than irritation in his voice.
“I have an able pirate hunter with me, as well as our temporary guests, who have safely navigated these waters for years, they assure me.” She looked hard at Lake, who caught her gaze and gave her a forceful nod, as if harder were more true.
“Even so, Cait,” Galle said. “Be careful. I’m not interested in finding your boat abandoned. Mum and Dad would be quite cross with you if you got sold into slavery.”
Cait cracked a smile. “They wouldn’t bother.”
“I wanted to tell you we that we’re in striking distance of the mystery ship.”
“Galle-”
“If all goes well, we’ll have taken the map back by tomorrow evening.”
“Galle, do not board that ship. They are dangerous.” Cait gripped the mic and held her breath.
“We’ve been training for this moment for months now, Cait. We’re ready.”
“Galle, please. Call La Patrolo. Call Jing. They are far better able to handle that situation.”
“Cait. We’re ready. We’ll call you when we get the map.”
Cait swallowed hard. She hesitated, then said, “Have you given thanks to Nibiru lately?”
“Yes,” Galle said. “The whole lot of us has thanked a couple of different gods. We’re not taking chances here.”
“What about offerings to the Ancestors?”
There was a pause on the other end. “Nooo… I’ll get on that right away. I haven’t said ‘hi’ to them in a while.”
Cait closed her eyes. “Please, Galle, if you get in over your head, there is no shame in retreat.”
“We’ll be careful, Caitie.” There was another pause. “Thanks for your concern. We’ll be in touch.”
“We will be waiting,” Cait said. She handed the receiver back to Tre. He took it from her, but took her hand a little further up. Cait sighed and looked down at him. “We must have faith, dear.”
He nodded, but watched her, still holding her hand. She reached out and patted him on his head. “Faith. Do let me know when they call again.”
Tre nodded. He returned to work.
“And you,” Cait said, turning to Lake. He watched the scene, hands behind his back, his jaw drawn tight.
“I wanted to let you know that Frankie is awake, and in a few hours we can be prepared to depart,” Lake said.
“That is some welcomed good news,” Cait said. She started to the infirmary. Lake followed. “You must be aware, however, that we now suddenly need your expertise.”
Lake grinned. “Conveniently so.”
“However, when we are finished, when we have satisfied our quest, if you will, we part ways. Understood?” Cait stopped, and stood face to face with Lake. The pirate nodded. “Good.” She turned back to the infirmary.
Jace arrive just before they did. Frankie sat on the infirmary’s examination table as Billy took her blood pressure. Jace stepped in and immediately pulled Frankie into a big hug. Frankie hugged back, straining as Jace squeezed harder. “Ow, stitches,” she finally said in a raspy whisper. Jace released her, and then pulled her into a side hug, her arm around her shoulders. Billy looked mildly annoyed as he tried to work.
Cait stood back to stay out of the way of the reunion. Burian caught Frankie’s eye, and she brightened.
“Burian!” He stepped forward and hugged the girl, though not as hard as Jace had. The girl’s tail wagged behind her. They talked happily, Burian, Jace, and Frankie. Lake filled her in on the events of the last day, how she got on board, how Toby had given her blood. Frankie looked up at both of them, her face bright against her tired, recovering body. Cait couldn’t help but smile, while trying to ignore that the pirates in front of her were so desperately happy to see their young crew mate well.
Auburn and Toby entered together, hand in hand. Toby was covered with the dust of whatever he had been making, and Cait noticed a little had made its way on to Auburn. Xiphos was just a little behind.
“She’s okay?” Auburn asked.
Cait nodded. “It appears so. Thank Nibiru.”
Auburn nodded.
“How are you progressing on your task, Auburn?” Cait asked.
“Still working, sir. The first room is done.”
“I will need to steal Xiphos away from you, then. Can you manage?”
Auburn shrugged. “Yeah, it’ll just take longer.”
“We will manage. Please, back to work. I suspect we will all be able to celebrate young Frankie’s health tonight at dinner.”
Auburn nodded and left Toby, letting go of his hand at the last minute.
“You too, dear,” she said down to Toby. “It looks as if you have been a little distracted.” She gave him a small smile.
Toby laughed nervously. “It won’t happen again?”
Cait waved Toby on.
“Sir?” Xiphos said, stepping forward.
“Get Frankie settled in to the first finished guest room. She will need rest, but I suspect she will get more outside the fish bowl of the infirmary.” Cait stepped towards the infirmary, and a moment later, she helped Frankie out to Xiphos. The cat carefully took the girl, draping her arm around her shoulders.
“Hello,” Frankie said. “You’re Xiphos?”
“Yes,” she said, starting the walk towards Frankie new room.
There was something odd about the way Frankie spoke. She used causal speech, but it was almost as if to Xiphos that Frankie wasn’t quite comfortable with throwing words around.
“I’m Frankie,” she said. She wasn’t so much injured as she was still weak, and the walk progressed smoothly. “Billy’s nice,” she said.
“Yeah, I like him a lot.” Xiphos thought a moment, slowly guiding her charge to her room. “Can I ask you something?”
“Alright.”
“How did you end up with Burian Lake?”
Xiphos felt Frankie shrug. “He found me.”
Xiphos slid the door open to Frankie’s quarters. She carefully sat the girl down on her bed. “It’s not much, but it’s bigger than what I have,” Xiphos said, hands on her hips. She looked around the room. She showed Frankie how to turn on the lights and the air controls, and how to call for them on the intercom. Frankie nodded appreciatively. She carefully stretched herself out on her bed. Xiphos started to leave her, but then turned back. Frankie’s ears perked.
“I’m not rescuing you if you get kidnapped,” Xiphos said. She left Frankie to her quarters.
[g]
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