Starship Magic 1: Broken, page 10
part #1 of Foremid Saga - Starship Magic Series
Having the money for three months is more than enough for her and she figured she could wait for Bob to have something come in. Time flew by faster than she could have believed as she scooted across the Guild and Empire spaces. She felt free for the first time in ages but there is something missing.
The medical bay has been quiet for months, save for an occasional snore. Kat has been watching over Graven, praying that he wakes up, so she can get some answers out of him. It had been two months and three weeks since she left Bexar Omega and today was her birthday. She is now wandering around in space with no goal of where to go. There are still a few planets she had wanted to visit, where Knox and Gale had told her stories of their travels. She could start registering for cargo hauls from other dealers but none of that seems like the right thing to do.
She could always go back to Bexar Omega and check in on her family. The last communication said that everything is good there and the Mars Security Forces had officially stopped looking for the rogue Guild ship that attacked their outpost. More than anything she wanted another person to talk to that isn’t on a screen. It is just like before she called Knox. Whisper and Fury are great company but it just isn’t the same to her. It is almost easier to talk to Graven, who is still in a coma, than to the AIs. Her funds were starting to run low and her free time is almost up.
“Graven, what do you think I should do?” She says aloud, even though she knows he won’t answer. “Today’s my birthday. Another year has gone by and I am now even further away from everything I wanted when I joined the Earth Forces. It sounds silly, but I grew up dreaming about having a wedding and marrying the man of my dreams. When I was around Ryker, some part of me thought he might be the one. Then he does this to me.” She looks at her hands and clenches her fists. “I told him no cybernetics and that I didn’t care if I died. Of course, he probably planned to keep me as an obedient pet or something.”
She gets out of the chair she is sitting in and begins to pace around the room. She didn’t know why she is telling him all these things, it is bordering on crazy but it is helping her settle her nerves.
“It’s funny the way things turn out. I always told myself that I would never be one of those frontier people. Drifting along, barely making it, and look at me now.” She reaches out and grabs his hand. “Please… Wake up and have the answers I want.”
“Are you about to have a nervous breakdown?” Whisper asks.
Kat screams, “Damn it Whisper, why did you have to do that?”
“Because you are talking to a person who is in a coma.”
“People do that. They say the body can still hear and it might be comforting to the coma victim.”
“Yes, the monkey wants the meat-bag to feel better.”
“Whisper!”
“Yes, yes. I will leave you alone for now and go back to reading my romance novels.”
“How are you getting the money to pay for those?”
“I’m not, I scour the internet for free downloads. I don’t always understand what is going on but it’s fascinating.”
“I bet it is.”
Kat realizes she’s been holding on to Graven’s hand through the whole conversation with Whisper and let's go. She could feel her face getting hot and wonders if Whisper notices. Not that it would matter. It isn’t like she is starting to have fantasies about Graven waking up and being this super awesome guy that she could run away with and have his babies.
With that last thought passing through her filters, she turns to the door and needs to dive into a game. Any game with guns or explosions or both. Anything to make her feel like she isn’t losing it.
Graven takes in a quick breath and mumbles, “Katrice… Run… Get out of here… Leave me.”
21
Another day goes by with Kat ending it by sitting down in the medical bay next to Graven holding his hand. She tells him about her day and her past. This is her new daily routine since he first mumbled just under two weeks ago. Run around the ship, do maintenance, monitor the net for work, eat, and talk with Graven. She told him about her time with the Earth Forces, her tours of duty during the rebellion, and her time with Ryker. The last part of her life is a terrible mixture of happy and muddled memories that she can’t trust all were of her own choosing.
She is doing this because it felt like she is talking to someone. It makes that feeling of loneliness go away which is a welcome change. Why she didn’t do this sooner is a question she keeps asking herself.
She asks, “It’s been two weeks, why won’t you wake up?”
There is no answer, like usual.
“Alright, I guess I will tell you the rest of the story I started last time.”
Kat feels like there are eyes watching her as the hairs on the back of her neck stand up straight. She looks up to the camera. “Whisper, you’re not recording this again are you?”
A week ago Whisper recorded the whole talk between her and Graven. She then replayed it for Kat, asking if she thought this was a healthy exercise. Kat did not like the idea of Whisper recording her whenever she pleased and told her not to do that again.
Kat can almost hear a smile in Whispers voice as she replies, “Who, me? Never.”
“Just leave me alone for a bit.”
“But it was just about to get good. I have my digital popcorn here and everything.”
“Please.”
“Alright but you’re going to have to tell me how the story ends.”
“You already know how it ends, I’m right here.”
“I know that ape but there is no flare, no music to that. It’s just a dull tone, I want the song.”
“Fine. You can stay but no comments from the peanut gallery ok?”
“What’s a peanut gallery?”
“It’s an old Earth saying, it means stay quiet.”
“I’m not sure I like that tone in my monkeys but I’ll let it slide.”
Kat rolls her eyes. “Let’s see where did I leave off last. I told you about how I met the general and how I became known as Wyldefire.”
“I liked that one, lots of explosions, and dead meat-bags.”
“Is that someone in the peanut gallery just now?”
“Nope, not a word.”
“Good, now let me continue.”
Graven squeezes Kat’s hand and she drops his hand shooting up out of the chair. Almost squealing in fright. Only letting a small squeak get out before her hands cover her mouth. Graven moans and smacks his lips before opening his eyes.
He says, “Where am I?”
Kat can feel her heart about to beat out of her chest. She doesn’t know what to say. It’s been so long without him speaking back. She wants to run away to hide and wants to sit back down to hold his hand. He starts to look around the room and finds her.
He says, “Katrice?”
His eyes open wide and he tries to lift himself up but the restraints he’s in hold him down. He tries again and stops.
“So.” He says, “What are your plans for me?”
That is a loaded question if she’d ever heard one. It's a good one, though. One she hadn’t really thought through yet because he was still out. She’s still in shock that he’s actually awake. Her brain is telling her words to say like the restraints are for keeping you on the table not making you a prisoner.
He asks, “Are you ok?”
She finally gets out, “Hi.” With twiddling her fingers at him like a shy school girl. This isn’t how she wanted to act but couldn’t help it.
He cocks up an eyebrow and says, “Uh, hi.”
She pushes her hair back around her right ear and says, “Let me get those restraints off.”
His body releases its tension that had been building since he woke up.
He says, “Good.” He takes in a sharp breath, “Wait the bomb, your bombs, the trackers.”
“Hold on now, it's ok. Whisper was able to take out the bombs and disable the trackers. That was months ago.”
“Months? How long was I out?”
“About four months give or take.”
“You must have messed me up good when I heal it doesn’t normally take that long.”
Whisper says, “I did a perfectly good job stitching you back together.”
He says, “That must be Whisper and we must be on the…”
Kat interrupts, “Felicity.”
“Felicity, huh. Nice name.”
“Thank you.”
“So we’re free.”
“Not quite.”
Kat walks around the table and unstraps his arms, legs, and waist. She tells him about the bounties on their heads placed there by Ryker. About the ship now being a legit registered cargo freighter, complete with smuggler holds. She then tells him about the plan of waiting it out for about six months so the initial heat around the bounty wears off and other juicier ones fill the time of the bounty hunters.
Graven sat up while listening. He stretched and flexed every part he could move. It is a very distracting display for Kat to talk through. She had been placing him in so many little fantasies in her mind. To watch him move now made her feel like she is in school all over again, crushing on some guy just short of writing their names together over and over again in a notebook.
Graven says, “So we are sort of free and this Knox fellow is sure about the bounty thing?”
Kat says, “Yes he is, he is like a father to me, and family. I trust him and his judgment.”
“Alright so how much longer do we have left?”
Whisper says, “One month, three days, two hours and thirty-four minutes. If I need to be more precise I can.”
He says, “No, that’s plenty good.”
Fury says, “Daily systems check complete. Everything is green, supplies are down to about 35%. Backup supplies are still 90%.”
Kat says, “Thanks, Fury.”
Graven says, “So you have both of them still and the ship. No wonder Ryker is pissed. I bet he thinks I helped you escape. Not that I give two shits about what he thinks.”
He swings his legs off the side of the table he’s on and stands up. His stomach rumbles loud enough that Kat can hear it. She can’t help but giggle.
She says, “I guess you would be hungry.”
His face is a little flushed and he says, “I guess so. What do you have for grub on this boat?”
22
The rest of that day and the next two days after that they talk. It is so good to have someone else to talk too. Kat almost didn’t remember what it really felt like. Then the shine started to come off. Graven isn’t saying the things she thought he would say in her fantasies. She knew that would be the case but it still bothered her. All the times she replayed their first meeting in her head, she started to see him as a white knight coming to save her. Sure he might have shot her but that wasn’t him. It was that ass Ryker using him like he used her. A wound she still hadn't got fixed. It was more a reminder of everything that has happened to her than anything else. She doesn’t want to forget that she’s now a cyborg thanks to that bastard.
She leaves her room and heads for the common area. It was another day and breakfast is calling her name. With Graven now awake, they are going through supplies a lot faster than she planned. She figured he would eat but he is eating twice what she planned for which was twice the amount she would eat.
He is already in the common area eating, again. It’s like he really is a wolf. She isn’t sure if it is just because he hadn’t eaten in so long or if it is because he just had a super metabolism. Whatever it is, it’s going to cost more money than she has.
She waves at him and goes to get her packet of soylent—which is part of her backup food supply. Today is soylent purple, which is supposed to taste like grapes, but it’s the medicine grape, not the sweet kind she was hoping for. They came in six different flavors and colors and act as a liquid full meal replacement. She started using them for breakfast because they are easy, quick, and cut down on her use of the real food. Food that Graven is burning through.
“We need supplies,” says Graven in a matter-of-fact tone.
Kat shoots Graven a look. She knows that already and they had been talking about it on and off all day yesterday. Her fantasies are crumbling around her making her wish she never had them in the first place. She was so excited that he woke up, another person to talk to. Then he went and started talking. He wasn’t living up to the idea of him and that is putting her on edge.
She says, “What’s this ‘we’ business you’ve been pushing for the last couple of days? We aren’t anything.”
“I just think that we need to work together. Ryker is coming after the both of us, why not pool our resources?”
This is her ship and he is getting far too comfortable there. Maybe she shouldn’t have brought him onboard. She could have listened to Knox. Left him at the spaceport on Bexar Omega. She sighs, knowing she couldn’t have. It isn’t in her nature since he did help her.
“You did try to kill me. I still have the missing skin to prove it.”
“I know but you saved me and kept me alive till I woke up. I owe you, one soldier to another.”
Kat looks into his soft blue eyes and can feel butterflies in her stomach begin to flutter again. When he first woke up they discussed how they could get to Ryker and that’s when Graven started to make suggestions. Each of which she didn’t like. His eyes pierce through the armor around her heart, making it flutter and his voice is so commanding. She tries to mentally shoo the butterflies out of her stomach because she is supposed to be frustrated at him, not smitten.
Graven continues, “Seriously, you seem to have been getting along till now but how much longer can you just get along. Don’t you want to have a life without looking over your shoulder all the time?”
Duh. Of course.
She says, “Yes, I would like to not have to run anymore, but I don’t even know where to start. Yes, I need supplies, but I have already asked Knox for them once and I’m not about to put him in harm’s way for helping me again. It’s too risky. Wrex already kept some bounty hunters away and I bet there are still some there just waiting to see if I come back.”
“That’s why you should let me help. You saved my life and I want Ryker dead as much as you do. I can try to contact General Ajax. See if he can offer support.”
Kat takes a deep breath and says, “General Ajax is dead.”
“What!? When did that happen?”
“Two months ago. They claim it was a terrorist raid, not connected to the remnants of the rebellion. I got a communication from an old secured line I hadn’t used in years from a subordinate I had before I got Compelled. He said Ryker ordered the hit.”
“But… how? He was in a secured Earth military base.”
“I stopped a plot like that before, remember?”
Graven looks away from Kat’s face. She could tell the news hit him hard. It hit her hard two months ago and it is still hard to talk about it now. He always treated her kindly and always expected great things out of her. It was nice to have someone so committed to her future in her corner and his death is a great loss for the Empire.
He says, “The General is– was a good man and didn’t deserve to die that way.”
“No he didn’t, but there isn’t anyone else we can go to now in the Earth Armed Forces. We got branded as traitors a few days later with every other covert operative under his direct orders. Add the bounties on our heads in every territory and you have a perfect storm situation. I don’t think there needs to be a ‘we’ because it will just draw more attention to ourselves.”
“Wait. There is one more person I can contact.”
“Who’s that?”
“My friend Zane Richmond.”
“Zane Richmond!? As in the other guy that Ryker hired to replace me. Why would he help you?”
“He’s an old military buddy. I asked him to apply for the detail with me originally, but he didn’t know why I was. He’s someone I can trust.”
“That’s insane. Your plan is to go into Ryker Mallory’s headquarters and resupply there. Brilliant.” Kat sarcastically emphasizes brilliant.
“He isn’t looking for us there and wouldn’t expect us to just show up for supplies on his door steps. So yes, I do think it's brilliant.”
“Then you’re a bigger idiot than I gave you credit for.”
“Maybe you should listen to him, Kat,” Whisper butts in.
“Maybe you should stay out of this, Whisper.”
“I can see your biometrics are off slightly, should I explain it to your primitive monkey brain?”
“Whisper,” Kat says angrily.
“I just figured I should tell my ape when they are about to make a bad decision.”
Graven asks, “What is she talking about?”
Kat replies sharply, “You definitely need to stay out of this conversation.” She motions her fingers between her and the ceiling.
“Ok.” He raises both hands in the air as a show of surrender.
“Whisper, this isn’t something we need to discuss right now and I am not going to go along with that plan anyway.”
“From my experience in monitoring you, which you asked me to do by the way, your metrics become skewed around him. I have told you before about this and you keep ignoring me. It’s like your fleshy processor of a brain won’t see what I keep telling you.”
Graven smiles asking, “Is she saying what I think she is, Kat?”
Kat’s face gets very hot and she averts her eyes from his. “I don’t know what you’re talking about and Whisper I will tell you again. I do not have impaired judgment around him.”
Whisper says, “I don’t have to tell you that your face just flushed and your heart rate increased when you looked at him after I said your decisions around him are impaired. That is all the proof you should need.”
