couldn’t handle any more. “What are you saying? That some of the cargo bins are—”
“There goes number four!” Irine crowed. “Ke-poom! Look at that!”
In the rear windows the pirate ship bucked beneath a brief, blinding splotch of fire; cheap cargo containers were only partially air-tight, but this evidence of just how partially left Reese with the absent thought that perhaps she should invest in better cargo bins.
“Captain, they’re... they’re decelerating.”
“They’re what ?” Reese wheeled from the window to gawk at the sensor display as the pirate vessel dropped speed. “Blood! I think they’re damaged !”
“I’d confirm that,” Kis’eh’t said. “They’re definitely losing speed. And—yes, I’m seeing life pods.”
Sascha grinned, displaying white fangs. “Guess they’re not much for jam.”
“Life pods?”
Hirianthial’s question doused the wildfire merriment on the bridge. Reese barely heard it, staring at the pirate, trying to convince herself that all this was happening.
Kis’eh’t cleared her throat. “Captain? Reese?”
She shook herself. “No. Keep going.” And before Hirianthial could say another word, she said, “No. Not only are they floating above a pirate safehouse which can very well rescue its own maniacs, but those people want us dead. We’re not out of the woods yet.”
“They’re not going to catch us now,” Sascha said.
“No, but—”
And then the ship bucked and the soothing hum beneath the deck-plates faltered. “What the?”
“They just shot us!” Kis’eh’t exclaimed.
“Are they still coming for us?” Reese asked. “Can we still get away?”
“Engines are at half power,” Sascha said with a growl. He punched the comm. “Bryer!”
“Can’t talk. Much repair-work.”
“What did they get?”
“In-systems. Also Well drive.”
“We can’t get out of here?” Irine squeaked.
“You can coast but you can’t ride,” Bryer said. “Bother me later. Or come down and help.”
“Damn,” Sascha said, unstrapping himself. “I’ll be below-decks with Bryer. If we can’t use the Well Drive we’re slavebait. They’ll send someone new after us while we limp out of here.”
“And here we’re out of rooderberries to fire at them,” Kis’eh’t said as Irine slid into her brother’s place.
“Where now?” Irine asked.
“There’s an asteroid belt,” Kis’eh’t offered, studying her display. “We could hide there while we do repairs.”
“Do it,” Reese said. “How long do you think it’ll take?”
“I’ll give you an estimate once I get down there,” Sascha said, and vanished into the lift.
“This is not our lucky day,” Irine muttered.
Reese stood up. “Don’t say that until it’s over, unless you really want to jinx us.”
“Sorry. Say, Boss?”
“What?”
“My ability to concentrate on keeping us hidden would greatly improve if you went somewhere else. It’s not like anything’s going to happen in the next hour or so.”
“How can you be sure?”
Kis’eh’t said, “I’ll call you if something happens.”
Reese looked from one to the other, torn.
“I wouldn’t mind seeing what passes for a clinic on this ship,” Hirianthial said from behind her.
She wasn’t sure what infuriated her more, his assumption that she could afford a ship with a clinic or his assumption that the one she could afford could only “pass” for a clinic. Her stomach churned as she stared at him, trying to decide what to say.
“We don’t have much of a ship’s clinic,” Kis’eh’t said, interrupting her thoughts. “There’s a combination clinic-lab that I converted next to my room... I use it for experiments sometimes. Reese knows where it is.”
Of course she did! It was her ship! She’d approved the change!
“And you could take Allacazam,” the Glaseahn continued. “I think he wants to be with you.” The woman offered her the Flitzbe, and Reese took it by reflex. Instantly she felt
“There goes number four!” Irine crowed. “Ke-poom! Look at that!”
In the rear windows the pirate ship bucked beneath a brief, blinding splotch of fire; cheap cargo containers were only partially air-tight, but this evidence of just how partially left Reese with the absent thought that perhaps she should invest in better cargo bins.
“Captain, they’re... they’re decelerating.”
“They’re what ?” Reese wheeled from the window to gawk at the sensor display as the pirate vessel dropped speed. “Blood! I think they’re damaged !”
“I’d confirm that,” Kis’eh’t said. “They’re definitely losing speed. And—yes, I’m seeing life pods.”
Sascha grinned, displaying white fangs. “Guess they’re not much for jam.”
“Life pods?”
Hirianthial’s question doused the wildfire merriment on the bridge. Reese barely heard it, staring at the pirate, trying to convince herself that all this was happening.
Kis’eh’t cleared her throat. “Captain? Reese?”
She shook herself. “No. Keep going.” And before Hirianthial could say another word, she said, “No. Not only are they floating above a pirate safehouse which can very well rescue its own maniacs, but those people want us dead. We’re not out of the woods yet.”
“They’re not going to catch us now,” Sascha said.
“No, but—”
And then the ship bucked and the soothing hum beneath the deck-plates faltered. “What the?”
“They just shot us!” Kis’eh’t exclaimed.
“Are they still coming for us?” Reese asked. “Can we still get away?”
“Engines are at half power,” Sascha said with a growl. He punched the comm. “Bryer!”
“Can’t talk. Much repair-work.”
“What did they get?”
“In-systems. Also Well drive.”
“We can’t get out of here?” Irine squeaked.
“You can coast but you can’t ride,” Bryer said. “Bother me later. Or come down and help.”
“Damn,” Sascha said, unstrapping himself. “I’ll be below-decks with Bryer. If we can’t use the Well Drive we’re slavebait. They’ll send someone new after us while we limp out of here.”
“And here we’re out of rooderberries to fire at them,” Kis’eh’t said as Irine slid into her brother’s place.
“Where now?” Irine asked.
“There’s an asteroid belt,” Kis’eh’t offered, studying her display. “We could hide there while we do repairs.”
“Do it,” Reese said. “How long do you think it’ll take?”
“I’ll give you an estimate once I get down there,” Sascha said, and vanished into the lift.
“This is not our lucky day,” Irine muttered.
Reese stood up. “Don’t say that until it’s over, unless you really want to jinx us.”
“Sorry. Say, Boss?”
“What?”
“My ability to concentrate on keeping us hidden would greatly improve if you went somewhere else. It’s not like anything’s going to happen in the next hour or so.”
“How can you be sure?”
Kis’eh’t said, “I’ll call you if something happens.”
Reese looked from one to the other, torn.
“I wouldn’t mind seeing what passes for a clinic on this ship,” Hirianthial said from behind her.
She wasn’t sure what infuriated her more, his assumption that she could afford a ship with a clinic or his assumption that the one she could afford could only “pass” for a clinic. Her stomach churned as she stared at him, trying to decide what to say.
“We don’t have much of a ship’s clinic,” Kis’eh’t said, interrupting her thoughts. “There’s a combination clinic-lab that I converted next to my room... I use it for experiments sometimes. Reese knows where it is.”
Of course she did! It was her ship! She’d approved the change!
“And you could take Allacazam,” the Glaseahn continued. “I think he wants to be with you.” The woman offered her the Flitzbe, and Reese took it by reflex. Instantly she felt
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