Back to Part 028 – Forward to Part 030

The Kelonio met up with the Rose a day later, both the boats now tracking the attackers’ boat. Cait and Billy transferred to the Kelonio to plan with Galle how they would precede.

Galle had assembled a good collection of his crew on the bridge, including many of his performers. They gathered around the captain’s station, their mob easily fitting into the expansive compartment. And it was loud, louder than the Rose’s bridge ever got. But then again, Cait had never tried to cram fifty people on to the Rose’s bridge. Celine, his wife, had joined as well. She was never one to socialize with family, but then again, neither was Cait. Cait stood by Celine, arms folded over her chest, focused on nothing in particular.

Galle cleared his throat, and the group of performers and crew fell silent. “It looks as if we’ll catch up to the attackers in less than a day. I would like all of you who choose to board the ship to be prepared.” Galle flicked his eyes over everyone in the room, and then continued. “Yes, we are after a map, and yes, we would like to get that map back, but more importantly, we are after the people that killed Nina. We can do without the map if we must, but taking the Travelers alive is important.”

Cait handed out copies of the Travelers’ papers. The crew took a moment survey pictures.

“Suppose,” a cast member said, “we are unable to take them alive.”

“We do what we can,” Galle said. “Alive would be preferred, but if you must…”

Cait cleared her throat. Galle closed his eyes. “As Molyneux,” he said, forcing each word, “we would prefer to seek justice over revenge.”

Mostly satisfied, Cait nodded.

“How will we attack the boat?” Another cast member asked. He, like many of the others, spoke with a heavy accent, perhaps from the meadowlands state of Préterre, in the 21 Kingdoms.

“I suppose we’ll ram it,” Galle shifted his gaze to Billy. “Mister McGuire may be able to speak better about this subject than I.”

Billy nodded and stood up a little straighter. “We know nothing about the boat, so right now we’re assuming it’s larger than us. Right now, our plan is to fall behind, as if we’re just riding their wake to the next port, and then, when they are forced to surface to recharge, we strike. I’ve sent out a few requests on the Relay looking into the registration number we have, but I haven’t heard back from anyone yet. From there, we board.”

Billy turned to Galle. “One matter I have not discussed yet is who are our volunteers?”

A number of the crew and cast stepped forward, from simple hands, down to the jugglers and clowns. Billy folded his arms over his chest and looked over the volunteers.

“How many of you have firearms or hand weapon training?”

Only a few raised their hands. Billy gave a disappointed sound from the back of his throat. “I’d like the few who do have weapons training to meet with me when they are done. Those who do not, I’m not sure if we can use you.”

“Excuse me,” one of the cast members said. He stepped forward. He was small, lithe, as most of the other performers were, rabbit, covered with well-kept brown fur. He focused on Billy with cool composure, someone quite used to being out in the open. Like many of the others, he too carried a thick accent. “I do not think you have given us a proper chance to show you what we can do.”

Billy looked to Galle.

“Yes,” Galle said. “This is Paul-Henri, one of our jugglers.”

“And what can a juggler offer me?” Billy asked. Cait raised an eyebrow at him; you are coming off elitist. Billy narrowed his eyes; this is valid, and besides, what do you know about not being elitist?

Paul-Henri pulled three knives from his belt. He demonstrated his act, or a simplified version, juggling the knives with precision. He then caught them one at a time.

Billy started to speak, but Paul-Henri stopped him. “Where were you born, Monsieur McGuire?”

“Eight Seas Island, in what had been Beiland.”

Paul-Henri indicated a map on the wall of the bridge, a nautical map of the world. The cast and crew spread out a little, and when Paul-Henri had enough room, without hesitation, he threw the knife. It stuck, point first, perfectly straight, its tip right on the tiny dot of Eight Seas Island.

“You will find that we all have such talents,” Paul-Henri said. “The streets of Ste. Simone were not so friendly, you see.”

Many of the other performers nodded, mumbling their agreement.

Billy stared at the knife, sticking out of the map. “Okay,” he said.

“Nina was our soeur,” another cast member said. “We are invested in this as much as you.”

Galle nodded from behind his podium. “That’s quite touching. Thank you. Yes, I imagine you all can be helpful. But for now, we are very close. Let’s retire until we are ready for the attack.”

The crew left the bridge, Billy speaking to those who had been trained in combat. Celine and Cait stayed where they were while Galle collected his notes. They had not spoken at the funeral, not that Cait could blame her. Her failure of Galle’s trust was also a failure of Celine’s. Finally, after a tense, silent moment, Celine turned to Cait.

“Captain, would you care to join Galle and I for dinner?” She gave Cait a warm smile.

Cait’s ears relaxed. “It would be my pleasure,” she said. “Though I must ask, as always, Celine, that you call me Cait. We are family.”

“Yes, of course,” she said. She was tall, a strikingly beautiful human, and, Cait knew from their hours of conversation, that she was fiercely intelligent. Cait would have expected no lesser a choice from Galle. Celine started towards their suite when the Kelonio’s communications officer stopped them.

“There’s a message from the Rose, sir,” he said. Cait nodded, and followed him to the Relay terminal.

“This is Cait,” she said,

“Sir.” It was Toby.

“Yes, what is it?”

“Tre thinks we need to get under as soon as possible. He says there’s a hurricane ahead.”

Cait looked to the communications officer, who pointed at his weather radar. The hurricane loomed huge on the map. “Yes, of course. I will be here on the Kelonio with Billy. If worse comes to worse, we can carry out the attack, while you stay behind.”

There was a pause. “Tre looks mad,” Toby said.

“I can imagine. Is there anything else, Tobias?”

There was another pause, but Cait could hear why. She heard it on their end first, and then on the bridge of the Kelonio. “He’s pointing to something. They’re a bunch of these little dots, and they’re blinking- what?”

Cait cut in. “Emergency beacons,” Cait said. “It appears the hurricane is leaving the area. Tell Tre that you three are to assist at once, as best you can. Understood?”

“Yes, sir.” And Tobias was off the Relay.

Cait turned to find Galle, and nearly ran into him as he stepped on to the bridge.

“The hurricane has made landfall,” Cait said levelly. “I have ordered the Rose to assist with triage and rescue. I suggest the Kelonio does the same.”

Galle looked over Cait’s head at the view outside the Kelonio’s tiny portal, his jaw set firm. “Not when we are this close.”

“Galle, I understand-”

“I’m sure you do,” he said, still watching over her head. “But Nina’s murders are under a day away.”

“Revenge, Galle, will not fix what has happened.”

Galle broke his gaze and dropped his eyes to Cait. He suddenly softened. “That is a question we can talk about over dinner.” He turned, putting his arm around Cait’s shoulders. “Come on, Celine’s waiting.”

—-

Cait found herself on a couch. She sat up, pushing away a blanket that had been laid over her. After a moment of collecting her bearings, she recognized Galle’s suite from when they had last been on board. She couldn’t tell how long she had been out.

Celine came into the room, her clothes different than before. It was just as Cait had feared: she had slept though the night.

“Good morning,” Celine said cheerfully. “It turns out a little wine and a little food is all it takes to knock you out for the evening.”

Cait frowned and scrubbed her face with her hands. “Well, that is embarrassing.”

Celine helped Cait up off the couch. “Luckily,” she said, “there’s no time for that. There’s a message from the Rose, and they say it’s urgent.”

Cait stretched. Celine led Cait up to the bridge, across the expanse of the Kelonio. A fresh communications officer waited for Cait, saluting when she stepped on to the bridge. Cait rolled her eyes; he must have been a recent hire. He handed the radio to Cait, and she clicked on the receiver. “This is Cait.”

“They took him.” It was Xiphos, her voice panicked, breathless.

“What?”

“They took Toby.”

[g]

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Back to Part 028 – Forward to Part 030

Back to Part 027 – Forward to Part 029

It was six bells into the First Watch when Toby came to the bridge. The way Xiphos looked back at him gave Toby the impression she had thought she was the only one awake aboard the Rose, though he didn’t seem to startle her. Xiphos sat with her lights turned down, the little light she had mingling with the light off her screens. She had pushed the screens away, clearing her view of the world outside the bubble. They were under again, the waves above too choppy to keep sailing on the surface.

Toby carried with him a tea pot and one of the last of his leftover baked goods, a simple cookie on a plate. He set down the tea pot, a cup and saucer, and the cookie , all on a little table next to Xiphos. She turned to him as he started away.

“Hey Cupcake,” she said. “You don’t have to leave.”

Toby paused at the portal, and then turned back around. He carefully took a seat in the empty navigator’s station. Xiphos poured herself some tea, and let the cup sit to cool on the table.

It had been a busy day. Cait had taken the information from the Traders and keyed in the route while Xiphos slept. They were following a boat with no name, just a registration number. They were still a few days off from the boat, and just a little further from Narwe Canal, the link between the South Ocean and the North Ocean. Just a few days, Cait had said, and they’d get to the people who took the map. If Xiphos could coax herself to sleep after tonight, it’d be a miracle.

Toby fidgeted next to her, watching out the bubble just as she did. Then, screwing up his courage, he asked, “What were they like?”

Xiphos cast Toby a sidelong glance. “What?”

“The New Archer Revolutionaries? You said you were friends with them.” He mumbled, his courage disappearing.

Xiphos thought a moment. “They were nice,” she said. “I always felt really lucky to get to be around them. I never had to ask to be around them, they just kind of… allowed me to be there. They always were around each other, and I always got to be there, always invited to dinner when Fink’d cook. You…”

She stopped, her face flush, not looking at Toby. She dropped her voice. “You remind be a lot of him, like how you cook and how quiet you are and stuff. He was pretty relaxed, though, and he loved plants. And he had a huge crush on Manni.” She stopped again. “We all had a huge crush on Manni…”

Toby took all of this in, turned now to watch Xiphos talk. Xiphos gave Toby another quick glance, and quickly dropped her eyes to her controls. “You ever had a girlfriend?” Xiphos asked.

“Yeah…” Toby said, fidgeting again. He dropped his eyes away, too.

“What?” Xiphos said, raising her voice. “You’re, like, eight.” She smiled at him all the same.

Toby shrugged. “It was last summer. It didn’t last too long, like a month I guess. Mostly we wandered around the woods and made out-” He stopped himself, but it was too late. Xiphos watched on, her turn to drink everything in.

“I kinda screwed it up,” Toby continued, his ears dropping.

Xiphos’s smiled faded. “That happens,” she said. She sat back in her chair. “Crash was my first… well, everything. She went after me. How weird is that? I ran away from that. Well, not that, but the whole thing, the revolutions.”

“I’m sorry,” Toby said.

“Yeah, but..” Xiphos said, letting her eyes follow wire conduits on the ceiling. “I mean, I wouldn’t've met Nina, or Cait. We wouldn’t be having this conversation. Also, they kind’ve disappeared, and I don’t know if I’d be included in-”

An alarm went off on Xiphos’s control panel. She swung her gaze around, sitting up, and then instantly paging her control screens through until they showed the long-range sonar. One little dot, a dozen miles back, was on a collision course for them, and getting closer far too quickly. Xiphos fumbled with the radio, her face a mask of stark terror.

“Captain,” she started, “we have a Wanderer-”

Cait was out her door before Xiphos finished, the alarm echoing in her quarters, fully awake. “How much time?” She asked.

“Four minutes,” Xiphos said. She jumped from her chair and, throwing open a locker along the back wall of the bridge, pulled out three bright orange suits. Cait took the radio from the control console.

“Everybody wake up,” her voice echoed through the ship. “We have a Wanderer. Survival suits. Two minutes. Get up to the bridge if you can.” She clicked the radio off. She helped Tobias into his, giving him a quick rundown of his rebreather, how to turn his oxygen on, how to activate his emergency beacon. She then put her own on.

The voices started right after, one or two at first, a low murmur over the intercom. Xiphos tried to turn down the volume, but they got louder, more of them, all speaking at the same time, until there were thousands. Toby couldn’t understand them, any one of them, the languages they spoke sounding at once ancient and alien. The roar of the voices drowned out everything, the hum of the engines, the alarm, the captain. Toby covered his ears, which only muted the sound slightly. And still the dot got ever closer.

Billy and Tre joined them on the bridge, both in their survival suits. That’s when the Wanderer’s dot eclipsed theirs. Xiphos tensed, holding tight to the back of her chair.

The Rose shook violently, listing sideways, knocking Toby off his feet. The bridge was suddenly bathed with light, so bright it washed away the bridge itself. So bright their shadows first stood strong against the wall, and then succumbed to the light. The voices started to fade, and then, as the light disappeared into the haze of the ocean, the voices stopped, the Rose’s alarms seeping back in to the cabin.

The Relay feed came alive, all boats in the area all chattering at once. The sonar showed the dot speeding away, until it left the screen. Xiphos cautiously climbed back into her chair, barely able to slide in with her survival suit on. She was visibly shaking, but Toby, picking himself up off the ground, figured they all were.

“One-hundred eighty-two knots,” Xiphos said, her voice breaking.

“That may be a record,” Cait said. “Anyone need help?”

Xiphos scanned the Relay feed. “Nothing yet,” she said. “Just sightings talk.”

Cait turned to Billy and Tre. “I want a status report straight away. I will help.”

“Sir,” Toby said. “What was that?”

Billy clasped a hand on Toby’s shoulder. “That was your first Krakken sighting.” He gave the boy a quick smile, and then hurried off into the Rose. Tre followed.

“Tobias,” Cait said, removing her survival suit. “I do not believe any of us will be able to sleep tonight. Do you feel up to making us a midnight Tea?”

Toby nodded. “Yes, sir.”

“Thank you, dear.” She left to join Billy and Tre.

Toby struggled out of his survival suit, and he could hear Xiphos doing the same. As he finished, Xiphos took his hand. He turned around, eyes wide, but before he could say anything, she pulled him into a tight hug. Toby gave a muffled protest, then, giving up, very carefully rested his head against hers. They stood together, shaking, hugging if only because they were both alive.

“This doesn’t leave the bridge,” Xiphos said. She let go and, looking embarrassed, sat down in her chair. She turned back to the controls. “Now go make some damn tea.”

[g]

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Back to Part 027 – Forward to Part 029

Back to Part 025 Notes – Forward to Part 027 Notes

We’re leaning towards a Xiphos-heavy middle of this act. Sorry, that’s how this story is flowing. We lost Nina, and that loss is what’s driving a good portion of the story, and since Nina was Xiphos’s girlfriend, Xiphos is going to be doing some grieving.

I suppose I don’t need to tell you.

Things I like in this section:

• Xiphos, even in mourning, can’t resist taking a jab at Billy when he says something close to an innuendo. Yes, that was a “That’s what she said,” joke in my story. I make no excuses or apologies.
• Xiphos and Billy’s closeness. It’s not fatherly, or brotherly, but it is a definite caring.

The point of this section is, more than anything, chance is a bitch. In this case, chance is named Gumes (Goo mez, if you prefer), which you may remember from the act break as being the Servant of Chance. Gumes is often used to explain why things happen. It wasn’t that Nina was killed, Gumes had no hand in that. But why was she there? Why did Xiphos hear things in the cargo bay when she did? How did she get Nina at the time she did? Why did Toby choose the cargo bay rather than the guest quarters? All of that is something Gumes would oversee. So Billy’s goal wasn’t to tell Xiphos that she should feel good about it, but rather his goal was to get her to talk about the incident.

Also, he did want to check up on her head injury. So it all works out.

As always, any questions or comments you have are totally welcome.

[g]

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Back to Part 025 Notes – Forward to Part 027 Notes

Back to Part 023 – Forward to Part 025

Billy laid out scrap paper from the Relay feed on Cait’s desk. He sketched with a pencil the Port of Voys, in Lúme. He moved his hand quickly, marking little boxes for city blocks with ease. Before long he had a simple map of the port. Cait watched, hands on her hips. Traffic from Lúme had increased, and they’d reach the port in a few hours.

“We’ll be landing here,” he said, sketching the docks out from the land. “There’s an avenue here,” dark pencil streaked up the paper, “that splinters off into smaller feeders,” like branches on a tree. Along one branch, he drew a row of boxes. “These two buildings have an alley between them,” a thin line, bent in a shallow unseen slalom, “which will take us to,” quick marks made a box, “the Bloody Courtyard.”

“Bloody like ‘oi, that’s a bloody courtyard, it is’,” Xiphos said, leaning against Cait’s filing cabinent, “or bloody like bloody-bloody?”

“I think,” Billy said, “it’s just a name. Also, no one invited you. Go steer the ship.”

Xiphos sighed, trudging back to the helm. She sat down at the controls, pulled her knees up to her chest and hugged them. Cait watched over her shoulder, then turned to Billy.

“That was mean.”

“She knows we’re playing. She’ll be fine.” He tapped his pencil on the paper. “So?”

Cait looked at the map. “I think you could hang it in the Anchorhead Museum of Modern Art and no one would be the wiser.”

Billy dropped his shoulders. “I’m doing my best here, Cait. It’s been 15 years.”

“Just ruffling your feathers, dear. I think it is suitable.” She traced the route with her eyes. “What does one bring when one calls on an Information Trader?”

“Everyone loves a fruit basket,” Billy shrugged.

“Hmm.”

Toby waited at the door with a tea service. Cait waved him in. “Thank you, dear.”

Toby nodded, and turned back to the door. Tre was right behind, carrying a small container.

“What’s this?” Billy asked, leaning over to look inside.

“Left overs,” Toby said. A few of the little cakes were left, along with some cookies, and what looked like droplets of chocolate. He quickly arranged a small selection on a plate next to the tea pot.

“Is Tre helping you now?” Cait asked, stifling a little smile.

Toby nodded again. “I had a lot to carry.”

“That was big of you,” Billy said, up to Tre.

Tre took a cookie from the box and took a bite, raising his eyebrows at Billy. He turned to walk off the bridge, but not before Toby grabbed a couple of cookies himself, plating one on a saucer from the tea service. He stayed a moment longer.

“Do not go too far, Tre,” Cait said. “I will need to speak to you in just a moment.”

Toby shifted his weight back and forth, from foot to foot. “Uhm… sir?” He said, dropping his eyes away from Cait.

“Yes, dear,” Cait said. She poured tea for Billy, and then herself.

“Do you… when… when do you think I’ll be able to go home?”

“Soon,” Cait said. “We are working on it, but these things can take time. I will make sure you are informed. Does that answer your question?”

Toby nodded. “Yes, sir. Thank you.” He started back to the guest kitchen, which he had taken over as his, but curved his path. He took the plate with the cookie on it and set it down next to Xiphos, before almost darting off the bridge. Xiphos looked down at the cookie, and then back out the hatch. Her tail twitched a little.

Tre slipped back into the office, waiting with his hands behind his back.

“We will need you for this mission,” Cait said.

Tre raised an eyebrow.

“I would prefer having an escort with me when I go to speak to the pirates.”

Tre shook his head.

“No? And why not?”

Tre tapped the medallion around his neck.

“I do not expect trouble,” Cait said. “But I would like someone to intimidate all the same.”

Tre shook his head again.

“You won’t have to hurt anyone,” Billy said.

Tre gave a short, exasperated sigh, and held out his hands, open to Billy.

“No,” Cait said. “We are asking him to go against his oath.” She turned to Billy. “We will just have to work with what we have.”

—-

Bloody Square resembled neither. It was an oblong, half-hearted attempt at a rectangle, notched by doorways and alcoves and little shrines to the various Gods and their Servants. And it was quiet, tempered only by the sound of a little fountain trickling away.

Billy pointed Cait to a perfectly boring door on the edge of the square. It was a door that was trying too hard to be perfectly boring, right down to its perfectly chosen stain and door knocker. Cait lifted the knocker and pounded a couple of times. From inside came nondescript bustling. Cait looked back at Billy, who focused hard on looking tough.

The door opened, but only enough for someone to peek out. “Bonan tagon.”

“We would like information,” Cait said.

The man narrowed his eyes. “Foriru!” He started to close the door. Billy hit it with the heel of his hand, and the door sprang open. Cait stepped inside. There was a small foyer, with steps leading up to what could have been apartments. Off to the side with a door, slightly cracked, light spilling out from inside. Cait motioned to Billy to follow her in.

“Digu!” The man said, trying to block the door. “Ni havas nenio por vin!”

Billy brushed the man aside, and Cait stepped in to the room.

The walls of the room were bookshelves over every imaginable size and shape. Cait took the time to examine some of the spines. They were marked by hand with ever increasing numbers. Every shelf had only these books. In the center of the room was a table, more of these books surrounding a much larger volume, which had been spread open. A couple of scholarly-looking men, their work interrupted, looked up from the table. A doorway led to another room that, from what Cait could tell, looked exactly like this one.

“I am not asking,” Cait said. The man looked between Cait and Billy a few times.

“No,” he said, his Merchant suddenly disappearing. “I should guess not.”

“We want to talk about a map,” Cait said. She turned back to the man. “I am sure you are aware of it.”

“There are a lot of maps,” the Information Trader said. He took a few steps towards the table. The scholars got up and left the room, closing the door behind them. The Trader looked up and swore.

“Hmm,” Cait said. “But none like this one. Perhaps you have heard of it. It seems to be very old, but the continents are incredibly and very accurately detailed. The Gods seem to be watching from the borders.”

“It sounds wonderful,” the Trader said, “but I have heard of no such map.”

“You are wasting my time,” Cait said.

“I could say the same of you.”

Cait stepped forward. The Trader stepped back. “This is your last chance, pirate. Tell me what you know about the map.”

The Trader laughed, and Cait tilted her head. She hadn’t expected that, but she hid her surprise quickly.

“Or what?”

“Him,” Cait said, motioning with her head to Billy.

The Trader snorted. “I’ve seen worse.”

Cait sighed hard through her nose. “Right,” she said, dropping her voice. She looked at the wooden floorboards. Then, looking right at the Trader, her voice stronger, she said, “Billy, punch him in the throat.”

Billy cracked his knuckles, squeezing his hands into fists. He stepped forward, raising his hand. The Trader shielded his face, “Alright!”

“Billy,” Cait said, and Billy stepped back. The Trader stepped around the table to the great book in the center. He flipped a few pages back, scanning the page with his finger. He stopped, read the passage, and then looked up at Cait.

“I think you will find the answer is exactly what you thought it was.”

“And what would that be?” Cait said.

“Pirates,” the Trader said.

“Hmm. And what am I supposed to do with that?”

“You have your hunches,” the Trader said. “But you have a few leads to follow.”

“That means nothing. I am not here to get my fortune told. Is this how you conduct your business?”

The Trader leaned against the table. “A lot of the pirate clans wanted the map as much as you do now. We’ve received numerous visits, just as you have, except usually we play dumb and tell them nothing.” The Trader scratched behind his ear.

“And why is this time different?”

“I like you, Captain Molyneux.”

Cait raised an eyebrow.

“I cannot help but feel responsible for your loss,” the pirate said.

“What do you know of-” Cait started.

The Trader shrugged. “What is it you think we do here? Anyways, I have a name of a boat where the map may be.” He produced a piece of paper and a pen, and wrote a name on it. He then, very ceremoniously, sealed it with wax and stamped it with the Information Trader’s seal. “Find this ship, and you’ll find your map.” He handed the paper to Cait. “And the people that go with that map, I assume.”

“Thank you,” Cait said. She took her leave, letting Billy linger a moment. When they were both gone, the Trader rapped on the door to the next room.

“You can come out now,” the Trader said, adding under his breath, “you jellyfish.” He straightened the books on the table, returning the great tome to the work in progress, and checking over the work of his scholars. Another moment passed, and gradually, the scholars returned to their stations. Another knock came at the door.

“Really? Did I not already give you what you need?” He opened the door. “What is it now, Captai-”

“I’m back.” A former patron.

“No,” the Trader said. He tried to push the door closed, reaching for the emergency alarm next to the door. “You’re supposed to be heading to-”

“Yeah,” the patron said. They rammed the door, spilling in. The scholars tried to get up, but more people streamed through the door. The patron stepped inside, drawing a gun.

“We need to talk about my map.”

[g]

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Back to Part 023 – Forward to Part 025

Back to Part 020 – Forward to Part 022

Toby took a moment to collect his bearings, referring to the little hand-drawn map a dockhand had made him. The intersection looked right, but he wasn’t sure he was where he needed to be. Looking a little closer, a small metal sign pointed down a street, its letters in a language Toby didn’t understand, but a small flag of the Colony told him that was the way to the consulate. He adjusted the small backpack on his back, and started towards home soil.

The streets of the Port of Ganda were narrow, the buildings on either side crowded up to the very limits of their plots. In many places the old bricks and cobblestones showed through holes in the asphalt. Someone, some country had colonized this place centuries ago, but had left, and the island reclaimed itself. As Toby walked, he took in the scenery. Like Anchorhead, the town crowded around the base of a mountain, round and green, its peak hidden in fog. But the port city was much shorter than Anchorhead, much less crowded. On a pleasant day in the middle of the afternoon a few people walked past, off to the market or home. Few vehicles moved around the town, and those that did were like the Dinghy, small and quiet. Any other time, Toby wouldn’t have minded getting lost here.

Behind him, Toby could hear a vehicle approach, and he stepped to the side of the road to let it pass. The little van turned quickly, stopping across his path, blocking him from going any further. Toby stopped, his ears up alert, and he watched the vehicle rock as the driver got out. Just before the driver came into view, he recognized the Dinghy. Xiphos came around the corner of the van, holding something small and pink in her hand. She stomped over to him quickly, her ears flat against her head.

“What is this?” She asked, holding up the pink item. Toby had made it for her before he left, a little chocolate cupcake with pink frosting and sprinkles. He left it on a plate at the helm with a little note that said simply, “goodbye.”

Toby looked at Xiphos’s hand, then back at her. “It’s a cupcake.”

“I know what a fucking cupcake is!” Xiphos threw the cupcake into the gutter. “What are you doing?”

“I’m going to go home,” Toby said. “The captain said I should. She said she wouldn’t be insulted if I left.”

Xiphos grabbed Toby by the arm. “She’s wrong. If you try to go home, you’ll just get sent to the Firebrand again.”

Toby’s ears dropped. He checked over Xiphos’s face for her intentions. She looked tired, her eyes red and heavy. The white fur on her face was still muddied by the blood from the gash on her forehead. Toby caught her eye, and she turned away. “Just… get in the van.”

Toby pulled his muzzle shut, folding his arms over his stomach. He looked down the little street, towards the consulate. He could just barely make out the colors of the Colony’s flag. He turned back to Xiphos, but she had turned her back to him, heading back around the front of the van.

Xiphos came around the back of the Dinghy, and a man, waiting against the edge of the street jogged up to her. He was tall, muscular, a human with his head shaved. He reminded Xiphos a lot of Billy, and she watched him approach with curiosity, her tail twitching behind her.

The man removed a picture from his jacket and handed it to Xiphos. “Have you seen this boy?”

Xiphos took the photo. It was of Toby, maybe a couple years younger, maybe a school photo. Xiphos felt her ears level out, and then fold against her head. “Maybe,” she said. “Tall guy, right. Funny accent, maybe speaks Ysan?”

“Not at all,” the man said, almost growling out his words.

“Then no,” Xiphos said. She turned to the Dinghy, getting the keys out of her pocket to start it. The man shifted behind her.

“You’re lying to me,” the man said. “I know this van. He was picked up in this van.”

“Huh,” Xiphos said. “What do you want him for? He’s not yours.”

“He was supposed to be delivered to a boat near Orcos Island. Never made it.”

“Sorry to hear that,” Xiphos said.

“Where are you hiding him?” The man peered through the windscreen of the Dinghy, looking through to the back. Xiphos followed his gaze, finding, to her fear and relief, that Toby wasn’t there.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

The man leaned his face in, inches from hers. “You lie to me,” he said, dropping his voice, “but your ears are telling me everything I need to know.” He flicked her ear. Xiphos flinched.

“Go away,” she said, “or I’m calling the police.”

The man straightened up. He smiled and handed Xiphos a card. “Here’s my contact information. Call me when you want to stop playing hide and seek. Could be cash in it.”

Xiphos climbed in to the Dinghy. “Die in a submarine fire,” she said. She pulled the Dinghy around the block until she was heading back towards the harbor. When she was a couple of blocks out, she turned to the back. “Toby?”

Toby sat with his back pressed hard against the driver’s seat, holding his ears flat against his head. Xiphos could guess he was shaking as much as she was.

“We should be okay now,” Xiphos said. “Was that the guy?”

“Yeah. From the docks?” Toby said.

Xiphos nodded. She picked up the radio. “Xiphos to Rose.”

There was a long pause. Only the hiss of static came back.

“Xiphos to Rose. Alert, Toby’s escort is on the island. We’re heading back now. Please have the crane ready to get us in.”

There was another pause, this one shorter. “Did I hear that right, Xiphos?” It was Billy.

“Yes.”

“We’ll be waiting.” A small electronic bell sounded over Xiphos’s radio, the sound of the departure bell.

Toby whimpered behind her. “Please don’t give me up to him,” he said.

“I won’t,” Xiphos said. “We can’t lose anyone else.”

Toby nodded. “Why do you care? You don’t like me.”

Squinting against the afternoon sun, Xiphos said, just above a whisper, “she liked you.”

Toby climbed over the seat, sitting next to Xiphos. “What?”

“Shut up,” she said. She turned on to the dock roads, towards the Rose, a bright silver beacon against the harbor.

Back to Part 020 – Forward to Part 022

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Back to Act 2 Notes – Forward to Part 020 Notes

It’s understandably quiet on the Rose. Everyone has kind of slipped away to do their own thing. For the first time, we get a taste of Cait’s religion. We’ve talked about the Gods, if only in the prologues, but not how people worship them. Cait has a certain eastern approach to it: a small shrine to Nibiru in her bunk, an offering, kowtowing. And Nibiru is, seemingly, a good choice for Cait: Nibiru is the goddess of the oceans and very popular among sailors. But Cait wouldn’t just praise Nibiru. If Cait were to set foot on Lat or the 21 Kingdoms for very long, she’d find a temple or shrine Tiamat or Ummo to ask for the safe passage of her crew and herself, if not full on worship. This is the norm all over the world, though not the only religion. And we haven’t even covered the veneration of the ancestors, who themselves become something like gods, though more accurately they’re like a committee of family members. We’ll get into that later.

This is a dark time for the crew of the Rose, but I can’t help but think Toby is being adorable in this scene. That wasn’t really my goal with Toby, to make him adorable, he just kind of turned out that way. More specifically, his way of coping with Nina’s death is to start cooking, especially comfort foods, though I’m not sure he thought about it that much. What he’s doing is trying to make the crew of the Rose happy, or at least happier. Also, I drew a picture of Toby being adorable:

If you’re marking on your calendar, we’re on day 13. Toby has only known these people less than two weeks. They talk like he’s staying, but he’s thinking about going home. What Cait said is surprising to him, but he’s been thinking it, even if he knows going home could lead to bad things.

And thus ends another commentary. What have I missed? As always, and questions or comments are totally welcome.

[g]

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Back to Act 2 Notes – Forward to Part 020 Notes

Back to Act 2 Prologue – Forward to Part 020

The Rose entered Port Ganda with the aid of a harbor master. She flew two flags: one of a pirate attack, and one of lost crew member. The harbor master saw to it there were no ships in her way, and no one entered or left the harbor when the Rose came in. The coroner waited on the docks, and took Nina to be held until the Molyneux’s official envoy could carry her back to Buan Chuimhne. The Rose was docked, and Cait stood the crew down.

There were no traditions of honor guards in the Civilian Navy, but Tre, Billy, and Xiphos all took turns sitting with Nina while the Rose made the remainder of the journey to Ganda.

None of the crew left the Rose, with the exception of Tre. Ganda had become his second home. Ganda was where the Oracle herself made her home, her temple overlooking Port Ganda high in the mountain above the city. He left when they arrived in the port. Everyone else disappeared to their bunks.

Cait closed her own door, taking in the silence of her bunk. The light in her bunk was low, as she always kept it, except for the small reading lamp over her bed. She left it off. She opened her vent, letting cool, fresh air inside. In the far corner of her bunk, covered by a red cloth, was an alter to Nibiru, Goddess of the Ocean Tribes. Cait lit some incense. She knelt before the shrine, and very careful, she bowed, touching her head to the floor, making sure her movements were precise, exact. She kept her head down exactly eight seconds, and then lifted up. Averting her eyes away from the tiny statue of Nibiru inside, she said, “Great Goddess of the Oceans, I thank you for its creation and the bounty you have seen fit to provide myself and my crew…”

Cait hesitated, her jaw trembling. She held it shut until she was sure she could control it. “I will not question why you chose to take Nina at the time you did, but she passed under your watch, and I ask that you please guide her safely to the shores of Mingulay. And please watch over the safety of my crew. I know it is presumptuous of me to say, but you have already taken enough from me.”

She took a deep breath, and exhaled slowly. “If this is not where you want me to be, please let me know.”

She bowed again, touching her head to the floor and counting the full eight seconds. From a basket on the floor, Cait took an orange and placed it in front of shrine. She left her bunk to find her crew.

Cait found the guest quarters empty. She opened the dome, letting in real sunlight, hoping to make the shadows leave.

The crew quarters were silent, and both Billy and Xiphos had closed and locked their doors. Cait retrieved a bucket from under the sink, tossed a soap tablet in, and began to fill it with hot water. She tossed a brush inside, and started towards the cargo bay.

Toby pinged down the steps, stopping in front of her. Neither expected each other, and both jumped back, Cait sloshing water on the floor.

“Sir!” Toby said. He scrambled to the table to unload his arms, and went back to help Cait clean up the water. “Sorrysorrysorry!”

“Tobias,” Cait said, her voice soft, tired. “It is nothing.”

Toby nodded. He went back to the table.

“How are you, Tobias?”

Toby looked up at Cait through his headfur. It seemed to always be styled, but today it drooped down in front of his eyes. Dark streaks tracked down his cheeks, his eyes tired and red. He shrugged.

Cait sat down at the table, setting her bucket aside for the moment. Toby went about setting everything up he had carried down. There were little trays of brightly colored puffs and miniature cakes, various fried-looking things. It all looked unhealthy and delicious.

“What are you up to?” Cait asked slowly, looking over his creations. “Did you bake all of this?”

Toby stopped. He took a step back from the table, and played with his hands. “Yes, sir.” He hesitated a moment. “I didn’t know what else to do.”

Cait nodded, folding her arms over her stomach. “I would worry if you did,” she said. She pulled out a chair at the table and sat down. “Quite frankly, Tobias, I do not know what to do, either.” She cradled her head in her hands.

Cait let the conversation between them sputter off. She took a moment to rest. Toby fidgeted, and the silence was broken by the sound of metal sliding over wood. It stopped against Cait’s arms. She very slowly looked down at the tray of little cakes, colorful little cubes that reminded her of New Year’s presents. Toby leaned over the table, kneeling on a chair, pushing the tray forward with his finger tips. He drew back his hand, watching Cait.

Cait took a little cake. “Thank you, Tobias.”

Toby nodded. He sat down at the table with Cait, and watched her eat the cake. She paused a moment, considering the flavor, and took another.

“That’s quite good,” she said.

Toby’s tail thumped against the chair.

“Why have you not tried to run yet?” Cait asked.

“Sir?”

“There is a Colony consulate here. You could have been in the care of your government by now, on your way home.”

Toby played with his hands. “I dunno.”

“Would you like to go?”

Toby looked up at Cait, meeting her strong but tired gaze. Her ears had flattened out, heavy with defeat. “I don’t… I thought you were going to straighten things out.”

“I do not feel I can keep you safe anymore, which was the reason to keep you here. Perhaps your own people could sort out your problems.”

Toby shrank in his chair, looking away. His ears flattened against his head.

Cait stood, picking up her bucket. “We will be here a few days. My family and I will meet. If you are to leave during that time, I would not hold it against you.” She left Toby at the table, her back to his wide, confused stare.

Cait descended into the cargo bay, and set the bucket down in the middle of the floor, next to the spot where Nina had spent her final moment. The floor was sticky with dried blood. Cait splashed some of the water on to the floor, got down on her knees, and began to scrub.

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Back to Act 2 Prologue – Forward to Part 020

Back to Part 017 – Forward to Act 2 Prologue

“You heard something?” Nina stepped into the cargo bay, pulling Xiphos by the hand behind her. “And so you come find me, who’s smaller than you?”

“Yes,” Xiphos said. She swung her head around, scanning the corners of the cargo bay.

A few small lights glowed in the emptiness of the bay, casting more shadows than they eliminated.

“There’s nothing here,” Nina said, striding further into the bay, towing Xiphos in with her. Xiphos did another sweep with her eyes, her ears flicking around in every direction. She eyed the hatch back up to the crew quarters.

“What’s gotten in to you lately?” Nina turned around and pulled Xiphos to her. Xiphos recoiled from Nina’s suddenness, but relaxed when Nina draped her wrists over Xiphos’s shoulders.

“Whaddoyoumean?” Xiphos’s ears dropped.

“I mean,” Nina said, reaching up to play with one of Xiphos’s ears, “you’re panicky lately. Skittery and all that. And what’s this about you thinking I hate you?”

“It’s not…” The cat struggled, and then faltered her words. She pulled her mouth shut tight, keeping her eyes steady on the corners of the room.

“I love you,” Nina said, her voice even, her smile fading away. “Okay?”

Xiphos nodded. A tear welled in the corner of her eyes. Nina brushed it away, and pulled Xiphos into a long hug.

“What’s gotten in to you?”

Xiphos bit her lip. “Yesterday, on the radar-”

A box in the bay tumbled to the floor, teetering on its side before settling. Xiphos shrieked and jumped back, the fur on her neck bristling. She put Nina between herself and the box, holding on to Nina’s shoulders. Nina watched the box, keeping still as the air in the room cleared.

A shadow darted back into the darkened corners of the cargo bay. Nina took off after it. “Hey!” She called. She rounded a corner, catching a glimpse disappearing behind a set of boxes. Nina stopped at the edge of the shadows. She could see the tail again, and again it quickly slipped out of sight. Except, this time there as no place to go. She put her hands on her hips and, stifling a smile said, “Toby.”

There was shuffling around behind the crates. Very slowly, Toby stuck his head out around the edge, watching Nina. His ears flattened against his head.

Nina bit her tongue, holding the laugh back in her muzzle. “Toby, come out here.”

Toby slinked out to Nina, dropping his eyes to her feet.

“Did you knock over the box?”

“I didn’t mean to!” Toby held his hands out in front of himself. “I-”

There was a scream, an angry, concentrated scream, and Toby snapped back off his feet, falling head over heals, and tumbling to a stop in the corner. In his place, Xiphos panted, trying to catch her breath again. She held her hand, flexing it open and closed. She surveyed her work, and then looked up at Nina.

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING?” Nina ran to help Toby up.

“He looked bigger in the shadows.” Xiphos dropped her eyes.

Nina sat Toby up. “Come on,” she said, “let’s get Billy to take a look at you.” She helped him to stand, and started to lead him to the stairs. Xiphos followed close behind at first, and then decided it’d be best to help Toby, too.

“What were you doing, Toby?” Nina adjusted her hold on him.

“It’s quiet here,” Toby said, his voice shaky. He looked around, trying to catch his bearing back. “I didn’t mean to knock over the box, I swear!”

“Shhh,” Nina said. “It’s not that big of a deal. I’m sure it wasn’t anything important.”

“It’s just that, when I got here, you were… you know, with Xiphos, and I didn’t want to bother you, I just wanted to sit down somewhere, and I kinda pushed the crate off when I sat down-”

“Stop,” Xiphos said. Nina looked up at her, narrowing her eyes.

“Did you say,” Xiphos continued, “you got here after we did?”

“Yes?” Toby said.

Xiphos stopped walking. Nina stopped a few paces out, and steered Toby around to face her.

“I didn’t hear you,” Xiphos said, her eyes getting wider. “I heard people here, I’m sure of it. But not Toby.”

Nina blinked. “Then who was it-?”

The hatch to the engine room slid open, and Tami the Traveler stepped out, holding a wrench in her hand. She was covered in engine grease, and her fur frizzed from the heat.

The three of them, Nina, Toby and Xiphos, froze. They hadn’t been paying attention; they would have noticed the engines had gone silent if they had been paying attention. Now they could hear it, or the lack of it, and they were standing in the audience of the cause.

“Tami?” Toby said, holding the spot on his head where Xiphos had hit him.

“Oh,” she said, looking over all of them. “Hi, kids.”

“What’s going on?” Xiphos said, her ears leveled out. She slowly inched towards the stairwell.

Tami shifted her weight back and forth on her feet. “Look,” she said. “Sorry.”

“Sorry?” Nina asked.

Tami lunged for Xiphos, and struck her across the head with the wrench. Xiphos went down with a yelp, holding her head.

Nina made a break for the stairwell, pulling Toby with her. Tami went after them for a few steps, and then took off into the cargo bay. Next to the stairwell hatch was mounted a big red button on a big yellow box. Nina pounded her fist on it. “Stay here!” She said to Toby, and pushed him against the wall.

The Rose erupted with the mechanical wail of an alert. A calm, assuring woman informed the crew that “an alert has been sounded in the cargo bay.” She repeated in two other languages.

Footsteps pounded down the stairs, and Toby peeked around the corner. Patel jumped the last section of stairs, and bounded through the hatch. He followed the same path as Tami, curving into the depths of the cargo bay.

“Over here!” Tami shouted. A crate splintered open somewhere in the darkness. Nina ran back to Xiphos, sliding to a stop next to her.

Tami and Patel stepped back out from the shadows. Nina stood, facing them. She clenched her fists shut, and started towards them. Toby cried out a panicked, wordless shout. Xiphos feebly lifted her head, blood covering her face. “Nina, don’t!” She tried to stand, and fell again.

The Travelers stopped, keeping some space in between them and Nina. Tami rolled what looked like a parchment up, and slid it into a tube. Patel glanced over at her, and then back at Nina. He locked eyes with her. He stepped forward. Nina didn’t budge. Tami slung the tube over her shoulder and broke into a run at Nina. Patel followed.

“Out of the way, girl!” Patel shouted. Nina took a step forward. Patel swung his fist at her, catching her neck and lifting her off her feet. His free hand guided a knife between her ribs, into her chest. He dropped her, and made a break for the stair well on the far wall.

Xiphos screamed. She struggled to her feet, stumbling into a run. Toby froze against the wall. Heavy footsteps echoed in the stair well. Tre sprinted into the cargo bay. Xiphos pointed up the other stairwell. Tre growled and, picking up speed, climbed the stairs.

Xiphos knelt over Nina. She pushed down hard on Nina’s wound. Nina whimpered against the pain, and Xiphos spoke down to her, tears running down her cheeks. Toby couldn’t hear what either was saying. He waited for Billy. Billy would fix this. Toby looked back up at the button, and next to it was an intercom. He grabbed it and fumbled it on.

“Hurry,” he said. “Nina’s hurt.” His voice echoed through out the Rose.

Billy reached the bottom just as Toby finished, his medical bag in hand. He was at her side immediately. Xiphos opened the bag and began handing Billy tools. They worked almost silently. Xiphos only spoke when Nina cried out. She leaned down and kissed Nina on the cheek. Toby was sure he heard Xiphos say, “you’ll be okay… please…”

Nina’s breathing became shallow. She grabbed Xiphos’s arm, and Xiphos stroked her ears back. Billy was doing his best to try to stop the bleeding, his and Xiphos’s hands covered in Nina’s blood. He pushed down on the wound, just as Xiphos had done, and Nina cried out again. Her voice was weaker now, her breathing ragged. Cait hit the bottom last, and joined the group. She carried a gun, and Xiphos pointed her to the far stairwell. Cait began to run towards the stairs, just as Tre descended. His hands covered in blood, but he had no Travelers with him.

Toby slid down the wall, covering his head with his hands. Nina whimpered again, weaker still. Billy called for a shot of anesthetic. Nina grew quieter, her breathing still ragged. Billy called for a scalpel. Xiphos pulled up Nina’s shirt, exposing the wound. Toby picked up “internal bleeding” from Billy. They would operate. Cait made herself available. Billy barked orders to Xiphos, to Tre. Nina’s heart rate became erratic, and Billy moved to chest compressions. When Xiphos finally lost her cool, Cait stepped in to relieve her. Nina held tight to Xiphos’s hand. Xiphos kissed it as Billy tried to stabilize her heart.

Nina’s hand slipped out of Xiphos’s.

Nina died.

[g]

Back to Part 017 – Forward to Part 2 Prologue

Back to Part 016 Notes – Forward to Part 018 Notes

So, Toby tries to run again, and again, Cait sends Nina out to bring him back. It’s because she’s the nicest. Also, because she’s probably the most stable on the boat. Nina has her life together, as simple as it seems. At least, she’s getting what she wants out of life.

I think it is important to note that Toby is being brave enough to hop on to not one but two random boats, interpret signs he doesn’t understand, and just all out go for it. Despite how nice (minus Xiphos) everyone is to him, he just wants to go home, back to his bed, back to his room. I think we can all understand that.

It’s been hinted at a little bit, but quillsandzebras called it about two months ago: Toby would make a great chef. For Cait, it’s a matter of trust. She wants to show him that she trusts him, and to do that, she puts him in charge of one of the most important aspects of the ship: the food. Every day, Toby will touch most everything the crew eats, and Cait has more or less said to him “I trust you will not poison us and then run away.”

And for Milly, another Manni reference. I can’t go too deep into who Manni is, but Milly knows. Like everything else, we’ll get there. I bring these things up for a reason, you know.

Anything I missed? As always, your questions and comments are absolutely welcome.

[g]

Back to Part 016 Notes – Forward to Part 018 Notes

Back to Part 016 – Forward to Part 018

The windows of the ferry were sticky with condensation, and Andrewston passed outside as a silent gray blob, nullifying any of the pleasure Toby could have received from the sight. Still, it was better than nothing. More importantly, it was on the way back home. Toby closed his eyes and listened to the hum of the boat, and thought about the next step in his plan. The ferry terminal would have been hard enough to find in the city of Andrewston, but Standard Lat made everything worse. If it hadn’t been for the little pictorial signs and a few eager-to-help Islanders, he’d never have gotten here.

He transferred at another, larger terminal, set out on its own island. The shock of the humid air hit him hard, and his fur frizzed a little. The terminal was laid out in a big ring, with docks fanning out every 20 feet or so. The larger boats were on one side, the smaller charters on the other. Toby located the departure boards, and tried to decipher the text in front of him. He found a gate that looked like it said “New Haven,” and decided it was close enough. A woman behind the counter announced the boat would be leaving in five minutes, and Toby scrambled to get inside. He sat down in a seat against the window, closed his eyes, and waited for the boat to leave. After a moment, the boat sealed itself, and puttered off to the mouth of the harbor.

Toby did the calculations in his head. At this rate, a nonstop trip like this would take him four days or so to get back to Lat, and then a day train ride across the continent, and then another…

Toby took a moment to look around. He had been so caught up in escaping, he hadn’t realized he was the only one aboard. The cabin was dark, only a few small lights in the ceiling to reveal the inside. There were maybe 20 seats total, arranged in rows across the wide hull. In the back were a few lavatories. There were a few small portals along the side, which meant, more than likely, this was a sub.

But there were no people. Toby clutched the small bag the Captain had given to him a few days before, tracing his eyes around the interior of the cabin.

The intercom crackled. “This is almost mean,” the voice said. Toby recognized it at once. He sank down in his seat, his ears flattening out.

“Toby,” the voice said, “you may as well come up to the helm.”

Toby sat for a moment, his stomach wrapped around itself, and folded his arms across his chest. Outside the boat, Coupland Island passed by. They rounded Dagmar Point, and as the point slid away, Toby could make out the Rose in the distance. He sighed, pulled his legs up to his chest, and hugged them.

Nina opened the door to the helm. She watched him for a moment before she decided to approach. She sat down next to him, but didn’t say anything, not at first. She followed his gaze out the portal, watching the Rose amble across their field of view.

“Aunt Cait knew you were going to run away again,” Nina said, still watching out the portal. “Don’t ask me how she knows all of this. She’s very intuitive about people.” She waited for a response, but didn’t get anything from Toby.

“I know it sounds weird, but we need you to go along with all of this. I know you barely know us, and we barely know you, but we’re trying to help. We actually do care about you. Xiphos, too, but she’d never say so. Well, I suppose she kind of did…”

“I want to go home,” Toby said, each word forced out, just above a whisper.

“I know.” Nina patted his shoulder. “We’re working on it. Everything’s just really complicated right now. And please realise, it’s us or the Firebrand.”

Toby’s eyes widened. “Is that a threat?”

“NO NO NO!” Nina held her hands out in front of her. “You’re safe with us, though. You’re outside their national boundary with us. As soon as you set foot on Lat, they can take you and send you right back.”

Toby narrowed his eyes, and rolled his head back to the portal.

Nina sighed. “I know. Hug?”

Toby didn’t budge. Nina very carefully put her arms around him, pulling her hug tighter. Toby didn’t accept, but didn’t try to push her away, either. She squeezed. “Tacit approval,” she said, a little sunnier than before. “That’s the best I could hope for.”

—-

Cait didn’t seemed fazed by Toby’s begrudged return. She looked at him, and with a hint of a smile said, “welcome back, Mister Shaw. I have a job for you.” Within a span of a moment, Cait handed Toby over to Billy in the kitchen.

That night, on their way to Peck Harbor, the crew, along with the Travelers, gathered around the table in the crew quarters. Xiphos even made her way down from the helm for a little bit to join in. The table was spread with simple dishes: a beautiful pot roast that was falling apart amid a sea of vegetables, a still-hot loaf of bread, and a large bowl of salad. A couple wines had been placed in the center of the table, and two pots of tea steamed away on either side.

Cait sat at the head of the table and, looking entirely pleased, said to Billy, “you’ve outdone yourself this time.” The crew returned an excited, though hungrily distracted agreement.

Billy opened his hands. “I… can’t take the credit for this.”

“Is that right?” Cait said.

“I started to prepare everything, and Tobias just sort of took over.”

The crew at once shifted its attention to Toby, who sank in his seat under the weight of their gaze. He laughed nervously.

“You did all of this, dear?” Cait propped her head up with her hand.

“Yes?” Toby said, squeaking out his answer.

“Huh,” Xiphos said, reaching out to the bread. She tore a hunk off. “I was thinking how entirely edible all of this looked. That would explain it.” She winked at Billy and stuck out her tongue. Billy threw his napkin at her, and she giggled wildly, deflecting it away.

The crew started to pass the food around. They all talked excitedly as they took their fill and, as they started eating, the sound in the room dropped away. Toby tried not to smile as he watched the crew stare in disbelief at their meal, processing the bite they had all just taken.

“…Wow,” Tami said at last, her voice just above a whisper. And then everyone else, all chattering away excitedly. Billy even patted Toby on the back. Cait turned to Toby.

“Tell me,” Cait said, “given what’s in the cooler right now, what would you make for dinner tomorrow night?”

“Roasted duck with a marmalade sauce, steamed vegetables, and potatoes roasted in olive oil.” He answered with no thought, and realized he had blurted all of that out. He added, “if I have time.”

“And if you do not have the time?”

“Grilled salmon with stir fried asparagus on brown rice.” He peeked out of the corner of his eye, watching for approval. The crew stared at him, astonished.

Cait, still looking pleased, said, “I do believe we have found a new chef. Billy, I am afraid you will have to go back to being a professionally trained doctor.”

“Demotion accepted,” Billy said.

“Where does all that come from?” Patel asked.

“My parents own a restaurant in the Red River Valley,” Toby said. “When I didn’t have school, I’d go and they’d teach me how to cook whatever was on the menu. Most of our customers didn’t know I was cooking their meals. After a while, I started coming up with my own dishes, and they usually let me have one or two items on the menu.”

“That’s brilliant,” Nina said.

“It is,” Cait said.

Toby smiled again, dropping his eyes to his plate. He let his headfur fall in front of his face, and hid. “Thanks,” he said.

Toby and Billy cleared the table after dinner wound down, and set about washing the dishes. The Travelers cleaned out the crew area, and then sat down at the shah board. Cait ran through her evening checklist, and when everything had been completed, she joined the rest of the crew. The Travelers, it seemed, had been on a couple of other boats together, through the years, and were telling stories about living in Lingguo.

“It’s such a closed country,” Tami said, “they don’t know anything about the outside world.”

“We lied to them all the time,” Patel said.

“They think all Islanders have Krakken for pets.”

“Seriously?” Nina sat forward, absorbing everything the Travelers said.

Tami grinned wide. “No joke. So we told them we raised tame Krakken and fed them birds and small models of boats.”

Billy and Nina laughed. Tre watched on from a little further back, smiling, but he kept his distance.

Xiphos played with her hands, and then, not looking at any of the other people at the table, said, “When I was in New Archer, Fink and Manni had this habit of-”

“Okay, I’m going to stop you right there,” Patel said, holding up his hand. “There’s a couple of things wrong with this story. Do you actually mean to imply that you were friends with Manni. THE Manni?”

“Yes,” Xiphos said. “So anyway, they would-”

“Okay, but this is what I mean,” Patel continued. “You, sitting there, are trying to tell me you hung out with, on a fairly regular basis, enough that you are comfortable talking about her she was Billy or Tre, Manni, the revolutionary from New Archer.”

Xiphos ears flattened out. Nina slid Xiphos a quick peek, and patted her arm.

“Yes,” Xiphos said, her voice dropping.

Patel tilted his head. “That’s just such a weird claim to make. Next you’ll tell me you ran around at night with Crash.”

Xiphos pushed her chair back and started back towards the bridge, mumbling to herself “…got work to do…” Nina chased after her. Tami elbowed Patel in the ribs, her ears back in the striking position. “Dude…” she said.

“Well,” Cait said. She stood and adjusted her coat. “I think that might be the sound of the end of dinner. Take until the next bell, and then finish your evening chores, please.”

The Travelers left together, taking a mop and a bucket between them. Tami whisper to Patel, her words soft hisses that floated down the stairs. Toby wandered back to the sink to finish the rest of the dishes.

“That’s a shame,” Billy said. “I have this great story from when I was stationed in Beiland, back when it was still a Lat Crown Possession. There were these kids, and they had just pulled this fish out of the bay, and the bay was so polluted that they didn’t want to eat it, so they wanted to trade it for something we had. Well, I remembered the captain was coming in-”

Cait sighed. She patted Billy on the shoulder. “I fear it will have to wait for another time. In the mean time, let’s meditate on how wonderful it is to not have to be a teenager again.”

“Oh gods, yes,” Billy said. He straightened the chairs around the shah board. When Nina came down the steps from the bridge, he watched her, and then said, “I am grateful it was a passing phase.”

“What?” Nina said.

Billy shook his head. “Nothing. Just reminiscing.” He slid his hands into his pockets and strolled back upstairs, to the infirmary.

Nina took a seat at the table, folding her hands in front of her. She stared out past the table, but really to nothing.

“What is bothering you, dear?” Cait asked. She took a seat on the couch.

“It is a weird thing to make up,” Nina said. “Xiphos doesn’t do that.”

“No,” Cait said. “She does not.”

“Then why would she?”

“I do not believe she is, dear.” Cait said.

Nina considered this. She dropped her eyes to her hands.

“Do you not have work to do?” Cait asked, though her tone did not change.

“I do,” Nina said. “May I take a moment? These last few days have been weird.”

The intercom gave a short blip, a signal that the helm wanted the captain in person. “Of course,” Cait said. She squeezed Nina’s shoulder as she passed her on her way to the bridge. “Take all the time you need.”

Xiphos sat in the low light of the bridge. She stared at her screens, her legs pulled up to her chest, ears down.

“Helmsman,” Cait said as she entered the bridge.

“Sir.” Xiphos waved Cait over, and tilted a screen so she could see. It was a map of their surroundings, triangulated from Relay towers, and their sonar display. The Rose was in the center, with little green dots around them. There was a small line of dots behind them, zig-zagging up the map to the Rose. Another boat, a few miles out, followed along, tracing each turn the Rose took.

“I think we’re being followed,” Xiphos said.

“Indeed,” Cait said, leaning over Xiphos for a better look.

“Is it pirates, sir?”

“Pirates would have attacked by now, most of them,” Cait mumbled. “Who ever they are, they are waiting.”

“What for?”

“I could not tell you, helmsman. Hopefully we will not find out. How is our travel time looking?”

“Four and a half days to Peck Harbor.”

Cait frowned at the screen, furrowing her brow. “Reroute to Ghanda. That is two days away.”

Xiphos punched her keyboard, and their directional lines changed. She steered to match the line. A moment later, the other boat on screen did the same.

“Full speed,” Cait said. “Do not worry about fuel.” She sat down in the helm chair next to Xiphos.

“Do we go to alert, sir?”

“No,” Cait said. “We do not need a panic on board. For all we know, someone is just riding our wake.” She thought a moment. She leaned over to the intercom. “Tre, we need you on the bridge, please.” Cait folded her hands in front of her, watching the boat trace their path on the monitor.

That night, in the silence of her quarters, Cait prayed to Nibiru for her protection.

[g]

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