Previously: “Didn’t you cross-train on at least basic navigation?” Clovis’s voice held a hint of skepticism and impatience.
“I’m sixteen, ma’am. I’m not old enough yet to sit for starship navigation certification.”
“Understood, Forthright.” The chill left Clovis’s voice. “We will match your position shortly and render aid.”
When Abarca arrived, instead of going to the trouble of a temporary docking tube, they sent over one man in a jetted EVA suit. Maricela chewed on her thumbnail as she waited for him to cycle through the airlock. He came out with a plasma rifle at the ready, aimed straight for her head.
“Please!” Maricela threw her hands up in front of her. “I’m not armed or dangerous or anything.”
The man grunted. “Turn around slowly. All the way round, face back to me when you’re done.” After she complied, he gestured for her to sit down, back against the bulkhead. “Don’t even think of moving.”
Maricela wrapped her arms around her knees and shivered as the man thumped off into the ship. Maybe hailing a UPA ship wasn’t such a good idea after all. Aunt Hetty always said the UPA was solid, especially for her. But maybe whatever good treatment was due Captain Hetty Gaines didn’t extend to a stranded niece.
When the man returned, his rifle was in a holster on his back and he held out his hand with a smile to help her up.
“Sorry about that. I needed to make sure that you were genuine and not coerced. Permission to enter your command deck, captain?” He grinned, strong white teeth framed by a tanned face and close-cropped brown hair. “Captain Etienne Renaud at your service.”
“I’m not captain. Aunt Hetty is the captain. Only she’s gone, and I have to save them and I don’t know what to do!” By the end of this explanation, she was wailing again. Some part of her mind was embarrassed to be crying in front of a stranger. Then again, she was too tired and worried to care what anyone thought.
A solid hand landed on her shoulder and she looked up into Renaud’s concerned gaze. “Well, miss. With the other crew missing, you’re the Acting Captain. You’re doing fine. Ship’s in good condition and you’re almost to Sigma. Why don’t you show me your command deck? We’ll talk options about how to recover the rest of your crew when we meet with Sigma command.”
As they entered the command deck, he paused. “Why is there blood all over the coms console?”
“They stabbed Uncle Constantine! I cleaned it best I could.”
Renaud made her fetch the cleaning supplies again. Then he painstakingly showed her how to clean up after what he referred to as ‘an incident’. Though she did most of the work while he directed, the task was less daunting with another living being by her side. When the coms console looked almost brand new again, he nodded his satisfaction and took the pilot’s seat.
“What’s this?” Renaud put a broad fingertip on the medal affixed to the console.
“It’s my dad’s good luck piece. That’s Saint Christopher, patron of travelers.”
“So your dad was the pilot, and your uncle the coms guy.”
“Don’t say was! The pirates took them. They’re probably going to sell them as conscripts or to an organ farm. I have to get them back before that happens.”
“Who else was on board?”
“Forthright, show the crew roster on the pilot’s screen.” Maricela watched him read for a moment. “And Forthright, give Captain Renaud, the man sitting at the helm, piloting rights until we arrive at Sigma Station.”
Renaud went through the authorization steps with Forthright as though he’d done it a thousand times before. Maybe he had. He didn’t look quite as old as her mom and dad, but he was still the geezer age. Soon they were back underway to Sigma station. A spot on the docking ring was already guaranteed by some magic whipped up by Renaud’s second-in-command.
Renaud made Maricela sit in the captain’s chair for the duration. It was probably because it was the easiest place to keep her stashed out of the way, but he treated her like real crew all the way to Sigma Station.
Sigma Station’s command was not so nice. After ushering her through what seemed like miles of blank white walls, they took her to a stark conference room for ‘debriefing’. Or as she liked to call it, torture. Different people asked her the same questions in different ways, over and over again until she wanted to scream and cry like a little kid.
She laid her exhausted head on the cold white tabletop and tried to rest in between bouts of being questioned and replaying the command deck recording for the millionth time. The door opened and she didn’t even look up.
“Captain Sideris-Mandrapilias?” A sturdy-looking woman with red-brown skin and tight braided brown hair came in. She was wearing the same uniform as Captain Renaud. Maricela straightened up as a flood of optimism washed through her exhausted mind.
“No! Well. Acting Captain, until I get my aunt back.”
“Lt. Commander Clovis of Abarca. You might remember we spoke when our ships met?”
“Yes ma’am.” The temporary optimism went out of her as fast as it had come.
“Captain Renaud sent me to make sure that you’re doing okay. We all know that UPA upper command can be assholes.” Clovis grimaced. “Language, sorry. Stressful to work with, let’s say.”
“Assholes,” Maricela agreed with a grin. “Mom’s not here to yell at me about the swear words.” The thought sobered her, but she was all cried out.
“Good news is that Sigma Station has cleared Abarca to go hunt for your people. Given your location at the time of the attack, we’re confident that we know where the pirates would be most likely to offload your people.”
“Thank you.” Despite Maricela’s thought that she was all cried out, she could feel tears gathering in her eyes.
“Don’t thank us, thank Upper Command.” Clovis leaned in and added in a low voice, “And Renaud for going the extra klick to make sure things went the way he wanted.”
“I see.” Maricela wiped her eyes and gave Clovis a wobbly smile.
“The question is, what would you like to do in the meantime? Forthright’s accounts have more than enough credits to put you up in quarters on station for a while. Sigma command also is willing to provide you with an ensign’s cube for your stay, free of charge. Or you can continue to berth in your ship.”
Maricela opted to stay on board, reasoning that she should take her role as acting captain seriously. Spending Aunt Hetty’s credits didn’t feel right, though she knew that in the circumstances, Hetty wouldn’t mind.
In the long waiting days that followed, she divvied her time between routine ship maintenance and attending the live teenager’s study forum on Sigma Station.
After a week of no word from Abarca, Maricela was afraid that the pirates had got them as well. Frankie, her new friend from the teen forum, disabused her of that worry.
“Renaud’s a legend. He can out-shoot and out-wrestle and out-fly any pirate in the known universe and beyond!” The girl’s eyes sparkled. “Plus he’s so cute, for a geezer!”
Then there was the meeting with the lawyers. Aunt Hetty had left Forthright to her in the event of the loss of all other crew. That led to Maricela’s first new crying jag in days. Her hiccupping sobs half-drowned the lawyer’s explanations of the need for a guardianship appointed by the court. Maricela wondered if Captain Renaud could take that on, or if they would appoint a stranger.
And then Abarca returned. Maricela stood in the concourse, waiting with her heart in her throat. Survivors, the official report had said, but no word on number or names. First through the hatch was Aunt Hetty, looking ten years older and twenty years more pissed off. After her, Mom, and trailing behind, Dad. Maricela couldn’t breathe as she waited for Uncle Constantine. Next was the crew of the Abarca. XO Clovis and Captain Renaud brought up the rear.
“Mari!” Aunt Hester crushed her in a hug, and then they both were crying.
Her mom looked tired and sad. Her dad was limping as they joined the hug.
“Uncle Con?” Maricela choked out as her beloved family squashed her half to death.
Hetty hugged her in tighter. “None of us would be here without you. Brave girl. Thank you.”
“Give me my daughter, Hetty!” Zella, Maricela’s mom tugged Maricela into her arms. “How are you? Have you been eating okay? Have these people been good to you?”
“I’m fine now that you’re back.”
“You’re going to be so behind on your schoolwork!”
“Mom. What happened to Uncle Con?”
“I don’t want to distress you. It’s best to let it go, sweetie.” Her face shut down.
“Mom! Who do you think cleaned up all that blood? Who do you think played and replayed the vid of Uncle Con getting stabbed over and over to discuss with the authorities? I can’t be any more distressed.”
“I’m sorry you had to go through all that. Maybe we should discuss sending you to an on-world academy again.”
“The pirates sold him to an organ farm,” her dad broke in. “He’s gone.”
“Herc! Don’t give our daughter even more nightmares.”
“Sorry, Zella. She has the right to know.”
Maricela threw her arms around her dad. “I’m so sorry they didn’t get there in time.”
He grabbed her chin and kissed her cheek. “He’d be glad to know you’re all right.”
Sigma Station authorities swooped in and took them away for debriefing, leaving her alone once more. Across the concourse, Captain Renaud waved her over to join him and his crew.
“Hey, kid. Come have a beer with us.”
Clovis wrinkled her nose up. “She’s not old enough for beer, Captain. Soda?”
“Sure, okay. All you young things look too young to me.” Renaud “But you kids do good work, I’ll give you that. Especially Acting Captain Sideris-Mandrapilias here.”
They settled around a table at the station bar. Lopez, the young lieutenant whose voice she recognized from the com, leaned in close.
“So you’re Hetty Gaines’ niece? Like in Captain Hetty Gaines, the hero of Antrim VII?”
“Adopted niece, but yeah.” Maricela sighed in resignation. She’d had this same conversation about her famous aunt at least a million times.
“Nice! Seems like you take after your aunt. You wanna go on a date sometime?” Lopez’s buddy asked.
Lopez guffawed and elbowed him. “Wow, Mortimer. Smooth moves. Say yes, Miss Sideris-Mandrapilias. Then we can have a betting pool on whether Renaud lets Mortimer off-duty long enough to go on a date with you!”
At the far end of the table, Renaud lifted an eyebrow at the rowdy lieutenants. “She’s too young to date you miscreants.”
Mortimer gave her a big grin. “I can wait.”
At the end of the evening, Renaud took her aside again. He handed her a heavy rectangular carrier with atmospheric controls.
“I wanted you to have this. I read your logs of the time you spent on Forthright alone and, well. I thought you deserved it.” He gave her an embarrassed grimace. “They keep down pests on board ship, too.”
Maricela opened the little hatch. A tiny white kitten staggered out and mewed at her. She gave it a pat before stowing it in its carrier again.
“Any time you need anything at all, Sideris-Mandrapilias, you get the powers that be to give me a call. Promise?”
“Promise. And thank you. Thank you for the kitten and for getting my family back and everything!”
“You take care,” Clovis added as she joined Renaud. Should you decide to enlist in the UPA when you’re of age you can fly out with Abarca anytime!”
“Anytime,” Renaud echoed as he and Clovis headed out.
Maricela picked up her new crew mate and headed toward Forthright’s dock. “So, if you’re a boy cat, how about we name you Constantine?”
Read the ongoing adventures of Captain Renaud in Novaflight. Available on Amazon or here: https://www.tlryder.com/store/Novaflight-p519760613
