Episode 1, Part 7
Bounce
Fen stroked his chin and frowned at the monitor. Eremiah was just hours away and they hadn’t encountered any other traffic during the entire journey from Burnup. Now the scanners had picked up another ship, lagging some way behind them, apparently on the same course.
Chelle occupied the co-pilot’s chair, her attention focussed on massaging her hands with a rose-pink cream. Fen thought she seemed to be back to her normal self after the spat with Doc the other night, and as he watched her, she looked over at him and smiled.
“What’s up, sir?”
Fen sighed. “Ship on the scanners. It’s probably nothing, but…” He trailed off. It made him uncomfortable, and he couldn’t understand why.
Chelle nodded. “I’ll run a bounce on it.” She rubbed her hands on her denim skirt, turned to her keyboard and began typing. Fen knew what she was doing. Each registered ship had a unique IST signal code that contained the make and model number, registered owner, captain and crewmembers and other details. This code could be picked up by IST receivers in the nearby area. Of course, it was possible for unscrupulous captains to hack the code and change the information – a popular choice for those wishing to fly below the radar.
“IST 72K4729347 – the
Romina, crewed by…” Chelle paused, insistently tapping more keys. “No details on the crew. It’s been hacked, sir.”
“What class?”
Chelle recited the ship’s make and model, and Fen tried to remember the specifics on a ship like that. From what he could recall, the
Romina would be a lightship, designed to make fast trips between the planets.
Nocturne was travelling at a relatively leisurely speed, but the
Romina should have been able to outrun her completely travelling at full speed. The other ship was lagging behind. Fen wanted to know why.
“Open a channel to them,” he instructed Chelle, who nodded and complied. Fen adjusted himself in the seat as the monitor before him flickered into life. Blue static hovered for a second before being replaced with a view of the
Romina’s cockpit.
“This is Captain Fenway of the
Nocturne. Hello?” he said into the mic. On the screen, a man lowered himself into view and grinned widely at the camera. He had the face of an angel and a nose like a piglet, framed by golden curls.
“How can I help you, Captain?”
“I noticed your ship trailing behind us. You having some engine trouble there?”
A strange look swept across the captain’s face, and he glanced to his left before answering. “Uhh… yes, actually, we are. I’ve got someone dealing with it right now.”
Fen studied the man. Something was still bothering him. “I saw you weren’t flying up to normal speed. Thought I should check you didn’t need help.”
“Very kind of you, Captain.” The man grinned and scratched his pig nose. “Now, begging your pardon, I have things to see to.”
The screen went dark. Fen looked over at Chelle, saw the quizzical expression on her face and raised his eyebrow. “I’m still not sure about it. Keep an eye on things, let me know if they change course at all.”
“Yessir.”
Fen found Reyna curled on the sofa in the common area with her nose stuck in one of her mechanics textbooks. Humbert the dog was spread at her feet, and he rolled his golden eyes as Fen approached. He sat down at the table opposite Silv, who nodded and offered to deal him into a card game.
“Where are the others?” Fen asked, taking his cards.
“Doc’s down in the engine room with Eggman. He’s still bummed out about the fight he had with Chelle,” Reyna said, not looking up from her reading. “I think… what’s-her-name? Rush is probably in her bunk.”
Fen looked up at Silv. Outwardly, his friend seemed calm and relaxed, but a muscle twitched beneath his eye, betraying his frustration. Fen sighed. His crew seemed tense, especially with the arrival of Rush and Chelle’s odd behaviour, but he suspected it had been brewing for a long time. It wasn’t uncommon for crews to get like this after a few months of travel; simple cabin fever. Of everyone, Reyna seemed the least bothered. It had been a little over a year since she’d joined the crew and the novelty apparently hadn’t worn off.
The past year had been rough – job after tedious job with very little payoff. Now though, Fen thought they deserved a break, a chance to unwind for a week or two, but he didn’t know if they would be able to afford it. He made a mental note to look over the accounts book later and double check the numbers.
“Will we have time to see Sima and Poloro when we get there?” Reyna looked up from her textbook and adjusted her glasses. Fen saw the cards shudder in Silv’s hand, and his calm expression faltered. Sima and Poloro were Reyna’s adoptive parents; they’d raised her on Eremiah since she was a toddler. She hadn’t even known she had a brother until Silv had shown up out of the blue.
“I expect so,” Fen said simply. He carefully placed a spread of cards on the table.
“You win.” Silv tossed his cards down too and leaned back in his chair resignedly. Fen saw him watching his little sister. “I’ll be in my bunk if you need me.”
Silv rose out of his chair and disappeared into the bunkroom. Reyna shuffled uncomfortably on the sofa and flipped carelessly through to the end of her textbook. Finally she glanced over at Fen and spoke.
“We don’t have to stop at the temple.” She made a little frown. “I don’t mind if Silv -”
Fen put his hand up to stop her. “No, you should go. Don’t worry about him.”
She fidgeted, tucked her bare feet beneath her and wrapped her arms around herself, the picture of discomfort. After a moment, she stood up and left, heading towards the engine room. Fen sighed and reclined in his seat, stretching. He definitely needed to get these people off this boat, for a while at least.
Rush sat in her bunk, thinking. She wasn't entirely sure what she would do once
Nocturne reached Eremiah. All her plans thus far had been focussed on getting transport, in getting away from Burnup.
She wished she knew more about Brunswick. What was he doing right now? Chances were he wouldn't just be sitting on his arse, not after coming so close to getting her. Rush had been extremely careful to cover her tracks when she reached Burnup; it had to have taken some serious skill for Brunswick to find her. Either that or someone had sold her out.
It didn't matter though, since the end result had been the same. He'd turned up anyhow. Rush thought she was lucky to have made it out alive.
Shaking her head, she leaned her elbows on her knees and massaged her temples. Eremiah was religious hotspot. Lots of people coming from across the system, so she should be able to blend in quite easily.
"Chelle?" A knock at the entry, and Doc's face appeared. He smiled when he saw Rush. "Sorry. Was just... nevermind."
Rush shrugged, but he didn't go away.
"What's up?" he asked, drawing the curtain all the way back and leaning against the wall, his arms crossed across his chest. "You look worried."
"Oh..." Rush frowned. "I don't know. Nothing, I guess."
"What're you going to do when we get to Eremiah?"
"I don't know." Not that it was any of his business.
"I know the place quite well. Are you looking to settle down or keep moving?"
"I don't know."
"You don't seem the sort to settle down easily." He paused. "You look like the sort who's running away."
Rush didn't reply. She didn't like where this was going. "Sorry, Doc, but I'm not interested in talking to you about this."
He shrugged. "Fair enough. But if you feel like moving about more, you could always stick with us for a while longer. You might find somewhere you like."
Rush hunched her shoulders, still waiting for him to go away. She really didn't want to stay. The last thing she needed was to get involved with more people. The trouble with people was that she couldn't control them, couldn't predict them. How long before they betrayed her?
The captain's voice buzzed over the intercom, breaking the awkward silence, and both of them raised their heads to listen.
"We're beginning the descent into atmo now, people. Arrival in twenty minutes."
The message clicked off, and Doc turned back to Rush.
"Guess you'd better pack your bags then."
"I guess I should," she replied evenly.
"Well, have a little think about what I said. I know this place is small, but we're a lovely bunch once you get to know us." He grinned.
"Right." Rush waited for him to leave, but apparently he wasn't done yet.
"One more thing."
"Yeah?"
"Me and Chelle are taking Reyna up to the temple once we land." He looked hopeful. "She asked if you wanted to come with?"
"I think I'll pass. Sorry."
"You sure? It's a beautiful place. Very spiritual." Doc chuckled and turned to walk away. "You might have an epiphany about what you want to do next."
