Flounder's boat followed in its wake. Its engine seemed twice as loud in the muted night. The rear propeller shot up a wide cloud of gray mist.

  A series of shouts echoed down from the Raft and the docks. Someone had heard them.

  Petal pulled her throttle back and clung to the steering wheel. Her boat jerked forward, speeding out to sea, hydroplaning across the wave tops. Since the ocean and sky were both black and featureless, it was hard for her to tell if she was standing still or moving.

  After a few seconds of feeling the wind in her face, Petal noticed her boat was banking left. She tried to compensate for the drift, but the steering wheel was unresponsive. The boat continued its sharp turn, and her body became heavy from the gees. She was being pulled toward the side of her boat by a strong centrifugal force that threatened to throw her into the water.

  Petal fought to regain control, but the steering wheel did nothing. Her little boat spun around in circles, careening back and forth a few hundred feet beyond the pier. She ripped apart the jury-rigged wires to kill the boat's engine so it would stop spinning. Once it went dead and her craft was still, she heard Jack's boat coming up behind her.

  Petal spun around, waving at Jack for him to stop and help her.

  "Jack! Jack! Something's wrong! Here! Come get me!"

  Back on the dock, a dozen armed men ran down to the pier and pulled the gate open.

  Petal continued to call to Jack, but his boat swerved straight past her like she wasn't there. Within moments he melted away, becoming nothing more than a low rumble, barely audible over the ocean.

  Petal was now in a full-blown panic. She could hear the noise on the pier. She examined the tangle of wires next to the ignition. She had no idea how to hotwire a boat, but had to try something. She touched each of the copper wires together with shaking hands and noticed that Jack had severed all the wires that fed into the steering wheel.

  It was disconnected.

  "He - he must of. . .Why did he?"

  A spot light swung across the surface of the sea. Petal watched it swivel left and right as it worked its way up to her. It was mounted on the bridge of a freighter that towered four-stories tall.

  He screwed me over. . .

  As Petal's frantic mind tried to process a way to escape, she heard a series of cracks and pops cut across the water.

  Fhit. Few. Pop. Chit.

  A spray of bullets impacted the side of her boat, throwing bits of wood into the air. It took a second for her to realize that she was being shot at. Without thinking, she jumped over the opposite side of her boat and swam as fast as she could, out into open ocean.

  The bullets didn't let up. They hit the water on either side of Petal with high-pitched hisses. Each round cut through the water with a bubbling contrail. Petal dove under the surface and fluttered her legs, dumbly trying to outrun the fire. When she resurfaced, she could feel the warmth of the spotlight shining down on her.

  Petal continued her futile attempt at escape, trying to swim all the way to the horizon. She could hear other boats now. Their engines grew louder as they closed in. She glanced back at the Raft, to see how far away it was, but was blinded by the spotlight. She dove underwater one last time. When she resurfaced, a patrol boat cut in front of her. Its high wake hit her in the face, and she coughed to keep from choking on seawater. She stared up at the boat, holding her hands in front of her face to try and see past the glare of the spotlight.

  There were three men inside of the boat pointing assault rifles at her.

  - 33 -

  Petal opened her eyes at the sound of the heavy brig door creaking open. She'd been crying for a while, and her vision was still blurry. She saw two smudges walk into her cell. A young woman and a black man.

  She knew in her gut that Quill had come for her.

  Quill scowled at Petal. The girl was curled into a ball, her clothes still dripping wet from the night before. The water had pooled on the cold steel floor at her feet, forming a wide puddle.

  Petal returned Quill's glare. She was freezing in her little cell. She felt so defeated she wanted to melt into the puddle.

  "You're damn lucky you know Quill, and that you aren't a year or two older," Mordecai seethed. "Around here we hang people for boat thieving."

  Petal didn't react. She looked away from him.

  "What did you think you were doing?" Quill crossed her arms.

  "She's been hanging around with that little gang – the Barnacles," Mordecai grunted. He took a step toward Petal and motioned for her to make eye contact. "You do realize they used you as bait to slow us down, keep us from catching up to them."

  Petal looked into Mordecai's eyes. His stare was withering.

  "That little punk, Jack, is only thirteen and already has a price on his head. Quill tries to help you and instead you hook up with him? Become a criminal? Yeah, I knew from the second you got here that you'd cause trouble. One thing the Raft doesn't need is another starving urchin."

  Petal stayed silent. She rubbed her arms to try and warm up.

  Mordecai had been smoking a cigarette which had now burned down to a tiny butt. He flicked it into the puddle in the middle of the cell and turned his stone cold gaze to Quill.

  "You owe me for this. I would have liked to make an example of her since we didn't catch the others. They probably moved to another settlement. She better be out of here by tomorrow."

  "Don't worry. . .and thanks."

  Mordecai nodded. He glared at Petal one more time and then walked back down the brig's lonely hallway.

  Petal didn't look up at Quill. She was trying not to cry. Quill was the last person she wanted to see. Her presence infuriated her.

  "What the hell, Petal? Why did you do that?"

  Petal took her time answering. "Jack promised me silver. I needed it. You were gone. You didn't care anymore."

  "What do you mean I was gone? I was looking all over the Raft for you last night. I couldn't find you anywhere."

  "You got high and kicked me out! Don't you remember?"

  Quill leaned back against the far wall and slid down to the floor.

  "Look, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to kick you out. You were driving me nuts and berating me. I just needed time to cool off. I get really bitchy when I'm on khat. I didn't mean to hurt you."

  "You abandoned me."

  "No, I didn't. I was just angry. These past two weeks have been hell for me and you haven't made them any easier. I know it's not your fault, and some of the things you said about me were the truth - but this." Quill gestured around the cell. "Why would you do that?"

  "I did what I had to. I need to find that ship and you said you were done helping me."

  "Yeah, but you can't just steal someone's boat."

  "That's stupid! My sister was kidnapped! No one here cares about that! These people care about nothing but themselves. They'd watch me starve to death. Why should I care about stealing from them?"

  "You're better than that. I know it."

  "There was no other way."

  Quill stood up. "I got a job on a ship. It will pay Dahmlam off fully. All you had to do was wait another few hours and none of this would have happened. You're so impatient. A little child."

  "You got a job. Good for you."

  "Listen to me. I'm sorry about the way I acted last night but you said some pretty mean things. You must realize I care about you or I wouldn't be here right now. If I didn't care, I wouldn't have pleaded with Mordecai to release you."

  "So? You're leaving now. What do you care - really?"

  "Didn't you hear Mordecai?" Quill smiled. "You're coming with me. We're leaving in a few hours."

  "What? I don't want to go anywhere with you. From now on, I'm taking care of myself. Again."

  "You don't have a choice. Mordecai banished you. You have one day to get off the Raft."

  "Fine. I'll take my boat and leave."

  "It's gone." Quill savored saying the words. "Mordecai took your boat and gave it to the owner of the ships your friends stole as compensation."

  "What!" The blood drained from Petal's face. "He – he can't do that. That was mine not theirs! Its - it's gone?"

  "Long gone. You're coming with me. We're leaving. Now."

  "No." Petal began to cry. "I'm not going with you! I hate you!"

  Quill walked up to her and went to hug her.

  Petal wriggled away.

  "You really hurt me. . .but that's behind me now. Be mad at me if you want. I think you'll see that I've been doing my best. I don't want to be your mom, and I don't have to be your friend, but I still care about you. Sometimes I'm too immature or depressed to show it. Now come on. Our ship is setting sail."

  Petal slowly rose to her feet. "Where is it going?"

  "The Salvage Yard."

  The Sea of Sighs

  - 34 -

  Giles stubbed his toe on a jutting tree root. He muttered a curse under his breath and pulled his coat tighter around himself to try and block out the biting cold.

  "What's the matter?" Naris watched him stumble. "Left your land legs back on the boat? I've really got to take you out more often. . ."

  Giles sneered at him and looked up at the surrounding trees. He and Naris were in the middle of Enoch's thick evergreen forest.

  Enoch was a small island, a little outcrop of rock and snow, three hundred and fifty miles northeast of Kudu. Its unforgiving climate and thick permafrost had spared it from Hesperian colonization. The only man-made presence on Enoch was a tiny landing strip that lay clear across the island.

  Naris scrambled up a clump of rocks and scanned the woodland. It had been a long time since he'd last been on land, and solid ground felt unfamiliar. The dim woods completely surrounded him and his men. Evergreens suffocated the gray sky with their thin and sickly branches. The all-encompassing mass of green and brown made Naris feel trapped, hemmed in by the forest.

  As he lingered on that claustrophobic feeling, he became a bit somber. The trees reminded him of something. Or rather, someone.

  Quill. . .

  Naris and Giles continued to bushwhack their way through the brush. They were followed by four other members of Naris's crew, including Sail and Diggs, who were both slipping on the icy rocks, unable to get sure footing.

  A bitterly cold wind shook the surrounding trees, and Naris broke his slogging pace, now jogging through the snow drifts. He skipped up to the top of a hill that rose up a few yards in front of him.

  On it was an entire company of P.R.K. soldiers. They wore body armor and jet-black chemical warfare suits, faces completely hidden under riot masks. The whole phalanx bristled with machineguns, assault rifles, RPGs, and other modern weapons.

  The soldiers had their guns trained on Naris and the other pirates, tracking them as they approached.

  In front of the formation was a pale man in a tight, blue Kudu suit. His silver tie and pleated pants flapped like a flag in the brisk wind. He motioned for Naris to approach.

  "I don't like meeting you on land." Naris slowly walked up to the phalanx with Giles at his heels. "And I damn sure don't like meeting you if you're going to bring half the fucking Kudu Army."

  "I apologize." Catalin bowed, slightly. "It's standard P.R.K. protocol when operating this close to the Continent."

  Naris glanced back at his men. "You see, Giles, that's why dry foots come to sea people to get things done. We've got no protocols."

  "I congratulate you on completing your last assignment. The chairman was very pleased. I trust you received your payment?"

  "It was my pleasure. Now why did you call me all the way out here? Just to see me shiver?"

  "I have another job for you, if you're still interested. It will pay double."

  "If the pay is good so am I." Naris chuckled.

  Giles wrinkled his face. He glared at the phalanx of featureless Kudu soldiers and hocked a phlegmy wad of spit at them. It plopped into the snow.

  Catalin reached into his coat and pulled out a thin manila file. He ran his fingers along its crease and then handed it to Naris.

  "Ah." Naris flapped the file in his hand. He peeked inside and carelessly shuffled through the various photographs, maps, and typed documents.

  Catalin cringed at the sound of the papers being bent and crinkled.

  "Very nice file." Naris enjoyed watching him squirm. "All these neat little clasps inside. All smart and official."

  "The People's Republic needs you to retrieve a girl. Her name is Petal. All known information on her is contained in that file. Once you find her, you should bring her directly to Baffin Island."

  "Ha," Naris snorted. "No way I'm sailing anywhere near there. I'm not stupid. If I find her, I'll tell you where to meet me for a rendezvous."

  Giles peeked over Naris's shoulder, curious to see what he was looking at.

  After Naris reached the end of the file, he flipped back to the beginning. He studied a color photograph that was taped to the inside cover. The picture showed a teenage girl standing inside a night club. She looked like she didn't want to be there. She had fiery red hair and a distinctive facial tattoo. A woman was standing next to her, almost cropped out of the photograph.

  Naris recognized her instantly.

  "Aww. Poor Quill."

  "Yes." Catalin took a step forward. "Regarding her, I am curious why you chose to ignore my instructions. I was quite clear that after serving her function, the navigator was to be eliminated."

  Naris looked up from the photo. "What do you mean? Quill's dead. That's what you wanted."

  "We threw her overboard," Giles added with satisfaction.

  "That photograph was taken a few days ago - after you delivered the wreckage. The navigator is still alive, and now she is with your new target."

  Naris grinned.

  Good for you, Quill.

  "That bitch must be a fucking fish to have gotten out of that," Giles muttered.

  Catalin's eyes narrowed. "Why didn't you just shoot her?"

  "Because. . . that's not how sea people do things. You hired me because I don't do things like a dry foot. You don't like my methods; you get someone else to do your work for you."

  "I see. Yet your explanation leaves me unimpressed."

  Naris laughed. "You also never made that aspect of the plan seem particularly important."

  "The People's Republic does not like to leave loose ends lying around. Quill is a loose end. There is no greater danger to the Republic then the educated ex-patriots we have living abroad, on our soon-to-be-enemy's soil. People like Quill always become anti-Kudu agitators once they leave land. They use the training the Republic has been kind enough to bestow upon them against the interests of their homeland. Quill's association with this, Petal, merely strengthens my initial suspicion of her. This time ensure she is dealt with properly."

  Naris shut the file and tucked it into his arm pit. "Sure. Any idea where they are now? Where I should start looking?"

  "My sources on the Raft have told me they will soon be sailing to the Isle of Mann. Perhaps you can intercept them at sea, before they make landfall."

  - 35-

  Petal leaned over the starboard deck of the Deep Star. She was just below the bridge tower. To her left was nothing but open ocean. The water had been rough earlier in the morning, but had settled down by late afternoon. Now, the sea was full of tiny waves that gently lapped against the salvage vessel. She was helping Joab check all of the Deep Star's hauling gear. The ship would reach the Salvage Yard in less than an hour and all of its equipment needed to be tested and easily accessible.

  Joab stood next to Petal. He was a gangly seventeen-year-old boy with bashful brown eyes and a tiny, fish-like mouth. He'd taken a liking to the strange red-headed girl, amused by her brash and fearless personality.

  Joab was the Deep Star's greenhorn - the lowest ranking man on the ship's totem pole. However, since her arrival, Petal had taken his lowly spot at the bottom, and he seemed to revel in being able to give someone else orders for a change.

  Petal enjoyed working with him. They'd become deck mates in the few days since the ship left the Raft. Joab didn't treat her like most of the men she'd come across. He didn't pity her, didn't come on to her, and didn't ask her any personal questions. Although he teased her and bossed her around, he did so with a smile. He also always made sure to take the time to teach Petal the purpose and necessity behind each of her tasks, as well as how to do them correctly.

  In all the time the Deep Star had been at sea, Petal barely saw Quill. She'd always been busy up in the bridge, out of sight and contact with the deck crew. At first, her absence hadn't bothered Petal. In her heart, Petal hadn't forgiven her. Joab had taken her place as Petal's only friend. His even-keel temperament and positive attitude were the exact opposite of Quill.

 

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