It was conversations like that and many others that got her feeling like a teenager all over again these past few days. It almost let her forget that she wanted to get revenge. Almost. More than revenge she wants freedom. She wants to be able to just be. Like this with Knox and Gale, without having to look over her shoulder. It was something she had realized coming back to the last place she called home. While Ryker is still after her, the ship, and the AIs, there wouldn’t be any place for her to call home. He would make sure of that. She needs to figure out a way to get him off her back, permanently. It’s just the question of how. It's not that she wants to kill him. That would be a nice bonus but not really all that likely. She needs to get his attention off of her and onto something else but what, she doesn’t know.

  Knox brings his face in close, almost to the point where his nose touches hers, and says, “Kat you listening?”

  She stumbles back a few steps, not expecting to see Knox’s face so close to hers. “What is it, Knox?”

  “The ships gonna need a name, any thoughts?”

  “Isn’t Crucible a good name?”

  Knox scratches his beard, “It’s what they called it, right?”

  “It is what they called it. I take it you don’t think I should use that.”

  “I would make it meaningful to you, this is going to be your home after all.”

  Home. She hadn’t thought about Crucible that way but it would be where she is going to be for the majority of her time for the foreseeable future. There has to be something she could call it that would make it a home to her. Some name that would make her want to come back to it.

  “How about something happy and lucky. Like Felicity?”

  “Felicity is a good name.” Knox says nodding, “Like how you were when you lived here with me and Gale. Now with that done, I just need to sign right here… Ok done. The Felicity is now registered to my daughter Katrice Steel. Which should give you some anonymity. You can now use all the official jump points and routes.”

  “That’s great Knox, I can’t believe it’s already been over a week here.”

  “Time goes by faster than we want in times of peace and slower than we need in times of strife. All things considered Kitty Kat, you can stay as long as you want.”

  “I know Knox but I can’t stay here indefinitely. Ryker is bound to start searching for me soon, if not already. I bet Mars Security will still be on my tail for a few more months or longer. If either of them find me with you, you’ll be in the crossfire.”

  “You don’t need to protect this old war dog. I still got a few tricks up my sleeve.”

  “Still, I would rather you not have to use them unless it’s necessary. Crucible… I mean Felicity is a great ship, with a lot of space. It is the most advanced ship out there. I’ll be safe inside her.”

  “Once you set your mind on things, It’s a losing battle to argue with you. Let’s get her supplies loaded up and when you’re ready, Gale and I will see you off.”

  Kat hugs him tightly around the neck. “Thanks, Knox, I’m glad I have you in my life.”

  “No thanks needed wee-one. It’s what any good father would do for their daughter. God blessed us when he brought you into our lives. Don’t ever question that.”

  As she pulls away her face is soaked in tears. It was becoming a daily event. Knox has a smile on his face and walks with Kat back to his place. The aroma from Gale’s cooking wafting out of the open window as the two of them walk up.

  16

  Knox’s house is at the edge of the space station, in an open field. Not a typical place for a home on a space station. The room they are in was at one time a large cargo room before all of the little touches that turned it into a home. She remembered when Gale made Knox fill in the whole area with dirt and grass. Gale then guilt-tripped Kat into helping with the artificial light/night cycle, painting the ceiling to look like a cloudy filled blue sky and hooking up the artificial stars. There was a boy Kat wanted to go on a date with at the time that Gale sweet talked Knox into allowing—which is the only thing she remembered about the boy.

  Knox built a house right in the middle of that cargo room, per Gale’s orders. Three bedrooms, three baths with an office and large kitchen. It is a stone exterior Tuscan-style home. Gale had been dreaming about that home since she was a little girl and Knox made it happen for her. It had been the strangest thing she had ever seen on a space station and still is.

  Kat follows Knox in through the side door that leads into the kitchen. Gale is standing in front of the stove in a white shirt and blue jeans. Her blond hair is tied up in a ponytail and she’s stirring a pot.

  Knox says, “Hey there, hot stuff.”

  Gale says, “Don’t you hot stuff me. I made enough for three and Katrice better be coming over or you are going to be the main ingredient in the next thing I cook.”

  Kat says, “I’m right here Gale, no need to cook him just yet.”

  Gale turns around revealing her deep hazel brown eyes. She might have been close to sixty years old but she still looked like she was forty. Kat can feel her eyes start to sting as Gale hugs her. She tells herself no, that she isn’t going to be crying anymore on this trip. That there has been enough crying for at least three months.

  Gale says, “Katrice are you alright dear? You look like you’re about to cry.”

  Kat says, “Knox and I were just talking about how I felt like he is a father to me and how you two felt the same about me being like a daughter to you.”

  Gale looks at Knox with a big smile on her face and gives Kat another hug. This one tighter and longer.

  Gale says, “I have been pushing this big lug for days to talk to you about this.”

  Kat says, “I’ve been meaning to do it for years.”

  Whisper breaks into the conversation, “Sorry to interrupt here but we have a problem, Kat.”

  Within seconds, Gale had taken Kat to the ground in a defensive position with a blaster pistol drawn as she scans the room. Knox has one too up against a wall looking out the windows. Kat looks up from the floor with her mouth open. Then sighs.

  Kat says, “Knox, Gale, it's ok. This is one of my AIs Whisper. She’s actually this fancy new bracelet I have.” She holds up her wrist.

  Whisper says, “Hello.”

  “And the other one is Fury. He’s in this pistol that I haven’t let leave my side since I’ve got here.”

  Fury says, “Hi there.”

  Knox says, “Well…” Glancing over to Gale and then back to Kat. “Are you alright with this?”

  Kat shakes her head, “No I’m not. Not because of them, though. Whisper and Fury are great and I have no trouble with them at all. Which isn’t completely true; Whisper is a pain in my ass.”

  Whisper says, “And you are a wretched ape that sways too much when you walk.”

  “See what I mean?”

  “Now that we have the introductions out of the way, Fury has something to tell you.”

  Kat says, “What is it, Fury?”

  Fury says, “You and Graven just got a three million credit bounty placed on each of your heads. The physical state they bring you back in doesn’t matter either.”

  “Three million huh, I bet I know by who. So just tell me.”

  “Ryker Mallory.”

  “Yup, I knew it.”

  Knox says, “Gale go call Wrex, tell him to get over here because it’s time I called in a favor.”

  Gale places the pistol back under her counter and walks into the next room.

  Knox says toward Gale, “Thank you, honey.” He faces Kat saying, “Wrex is the local big named bounty hunter. Anything two million and over he takes and if another bounty hunter gets in his way they don’t make it in the business for long. He probably already knows about the bounty, I’m contacting him to see if he can give you a few hours to get ready, and possibly a pair of fake IDs.”

  Kat doesn’t know what to say. First, he and Gale pull out guns so fast it almost made her head spin. Now Knox knows the local bounty hunter guy and he owes him a favor large enough for holding off or passing up on her and Graven’s bounty. There are just so many questions she wants to ask, she’s not sure where to start.

  She asks, “That's awesome Knox, but how do you know this guy won’t just push your request aside for six million credits and possibly a little more for finding the ship? Where were you and Gale hiding those weapons and where did you learn to draw them so quickly?”

  He smiles, “That's a lot of questions, Kitty Kat.”

  “There’s more after that.”

  “I bet there would be. Let me just say, I know a lot of people. They owe me for deeds done in the past. As far as the guns and training, call it an occupational hazard from another life. But let's not get caught up in the questions. We can talk later about all of this. Right now we need to get you secure and then safely to Felicity. After a bounty like that is six months old or so, most of the big guns lose interest. Harder to track, and most of the time not worth the effort.”

  “So you used to be a bounty hunter?”

  “No. I have done the style of work a bounty hunter does here and there. Good try on the questioning. That almost got me to spill a little. You would’ve been good at what I used to do.”

  Gale comes back in the room with a stern face. “Wrex said he’s on his way and that you better damn well be even after this one. If he tries anything…”

  Knox cuts her off, “I know dear. We promised not to do anything like that anymore but if we have to for Katrice’s sake.” He looks over to Kat with tear-filled eyes, but not a drop on his face. “I wouldn’t regret it and would do whatever it takes for my girl.”

  Gale says, “So now you cry but couldn’t at our wedding.”

  He shrugs with a smile on his face.

  Kat says, “Seriously, you have to tell me. What were you two?”

  Gale says, “Not tonight dear. That's a conversation that needs a place more private. For now, just know that we will do anything for you that we have the ability to because we’re your parents.”

  17

  Parents. Kat smiles at that. It had been way too long for her to think she had real parents again. Not that she wanted to replace her biological ones. She would have wanted them here first and foremost, but Knox and Gale are also not a second placeholder in her heart. They are just in a different category. All four of them hold a different place in her heart because each of them has loved her in different ways.

  Knox asks, “Gale, how long did he say?”

  She answers, “He’s already here. The perimeter got tripped but I don’t see him.”

  “Hit the switch and everyone including the AIs stay quiet.”

  Kat watches out the window as the artificial stars turn into daylight. There’s a single person out in the field behind a six-foot display shield that is showing what is behind him. Red dots encircle him and Kat tries to find where they are coming from.

  He drops the shield and says, “Knox, it's me Wrex. You called.”

  Knox steps out through the side door, and calls out, “I did. Drop ’em.”

  “Come on now Knox, you know I’m not stupid enough to try anything against you.”

  “You heard me.”

  Wrex reaches behind his back slowly. He drops on the ground a pistol, two knives, three clips, a collapsible metal asp, two sets of handcuffs, a sawed-off shotgun, and one grenade. Kat just watched in amazement. In all of her training for being an undercover agent, she never saw so many weapons in utter concealment.

  Gale appears behind him with a rifle pointed at the back of his head. Kat does a double take to her side and then back to where Gale is now. She was just standing right next to her.

  Gale says, “Take off your boots.”

  Wrex says, “Hey there Gale, do you have enough of whatever you’re cooking in there for another?”

  “I might. But you need to remove those boots first. I know what you hide in there.”

  “Don’t give away all of my secrets.”

  Knox says, “She’s being over protective is all.”

  He says, “I can bet. Six million credits are just enough for all the big guys to come out and from the way you’re playing this I bet you got both of them already inside the house don’t you?”

  Gale says, “Don’t press your luck, just take off your boots and come inside.”

  “I could never disobey such a lovely woman with a gun pointed at my head.”

  Wrex bends over and takes off both of his boots, placing them in the growing pile of his stuff. He walks over to Knox and they give each other a long hard stare. They each throw their arms up in the air and give each other a hug.

  Wrex says, “How the hell did you see me in the dark like that?”

  Knox says, “How the hell did you miss the trip line at the door.”

  “Damn, that wasn’t there last time.”

  “You’re getting soft on me, Wrex.”

  “You’re getting old on me, Knox.”

  “Just get yerself in the damn house so we can talk in private.”

  Gale lets her rifle drop to her side and walks up behind them.

  A few minutes later, everyone is in the house at the table with a huge plate of lettuce and a pot filled with chicken teriyaki. Kat hadn’t gorged herself with Gale’s lettuce wraps in years. The table is quiet while the first round is being served.

  Wrex breaks the silence first pointing at Kat, “So this her?”

  Knox says, “Yes.”

  “Where’s the guy?”

  “On her ship.”

  “Tell me why I’m not going to collect six million for these two?”

  “She’s mine and Gale’s daughter.”

  “You mean this is little Kit Kat.”

  Kat says, “Hey how do you know about me?”

  Wrex says, “They wouldn’t shut up about you that's why. Wait, you don’t know about me?”

  “No, I don’t.”

  “Knox, seriously.”

  Knox says, “Kat, I would like you to meet my brother Wrex.”

  Wrex says, “That's right, looks like you’ve got yourself an uncle. So…” He turns and looks to Knox, “Why am I not collecting three million on the guy?”

  Knox says, “He’s under her care right now and I’m pretty sure she could take you.”

  “So the bounty isn’t just because rich boy lost his girl and is in a jealous rage. Alright. You know I can’t hold them off for long. A day max.”

  “I know, what about some IDs.”

  “You really weren’t shittin’ me about calling in a favor. Yea I can get them. Might take till tomorrow evening, though.”

  “That's fine. She’ll be on her ship by then stocked and ready to go.”

  “You got names you want?”

  “Katrice Steele and Graven Steele.”

  “You're going for the in-plain-sight mistaken identity. Might not work, then again, it could be perfect. I know I’ve fallen for it a few times. I’ll get them to her ship, but I better leave now so I can get them started.”

  “Thanks, Wrex.”

  Gale says, “Yes thank you, Wrex.”

  Wrex smiles, “Any time for my brother, sister-in-law, and niece. Just don’t make it a habit of pissing off trillionaires.”

  Kat says, “Not usually my first choice, trust me.”

  Wrex puts his whole lettuce wrap in his mouth with food nearly spilling out as he stands. He waves as he leaves heading for his pile of stuff. Kat watches as he leaves, thinking she has an uncle. Which is a weird thought for her not ever having one.

  Knox says, “Now that’s out of the way. Kat, there is someone I want you to contact once you leave. He can help you get set up.”

  Gale says, “You’re not going to tell her to contact who I think you are?”

  “He’s the safest bet, you know that.”

  “This is Katrice. Can’t we tell her to contact William or Jacob?”

  “They don’t have anything she can do with her ship. Bob might be hard to deal with at times, but he should be nice enough to her.”

  “You mean harass her.”

  Kat asks, “Who’s Bob?”

  Gale says, “A lecherous man, that’s who.”

  Knox says, “He just likes to talk. You’re never going to meet him in person.”

  Gale says, “But the things he says.”

  “Are just words Gale. Kat can handle it and get some money while she’s out there keeping her head down for the next six months or so.”

  Kat says, “So you want me to call this guy to get what kind of jobs?”

  Knox says, “He mostly deals with transport jobs. Medical supplies, food, hardware, and the like. He is a little on the eccentric side but they are just words, Kat. As long as you cover yourself up he shouldn’t dote on you too much.”

  Gale shudders, “It's like he undresses you with his eyes and knows what you look like underneath your clothes no matter how many layers you wear. Then he tells you about it.”

  Knox says, “Gale, please. Don’t scare Katrice.”

  “You’ve never had someone look at you like you were a piece of fresh meat before.”

  “Sure I have, the first time we met.”

  Kat says, “Alright, I think that’s my cue on where I leave this conversation and go get me some sleep before I have to tell you two goodbyes in the morning.”

  Knox and Gale laugh.

  Gale says, “Goodnight dear.”

  Knox says, “Yes goodnight. Gale and I still have a lot to talk about tonight and you do need some rest. It's going to be a long day tomorrow.”

  18

  Knox was not lying about the long day. He wakes Kat up almost exactly six hours after she went to sleep. Gale had pancakes, waffles, sausage, and coffee prepared before Kat goes into the kitchen still rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Knox is already back on the phone talking with a few different shop owners buying supplies and pulling in favors by the time she sits down. A feeling of pride and thankfulness crept over Kat. One she didn’t know was there. Knox and Gale doing so much for her, when she isn’t even their blood, to be revealing themselves as much as they are to her right now. It's all she can do to keep from interrupting, hugging, and telling them how much she loves and appreciates all of this.

 

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