Here's today's delivery! Hope you've enjoyed the little "let's go get the ship" arc. Now we'll move into the second half of the book.

Thanks,

Plum

22 – Happy Early Birthday

As Black Wing came to life, and Gladia’s crew worked on offloading Elephant, stowing most of the more expensive equipment from Maidensong in the cruiser’s ample cargo bay, Hector explored his new quarters. He would have felt guilty taking the captain’s quarters, but Black Wing had extensive crew accommodations, including suites for seven senior officers, so he set up Gladia, Iris, and Lemon in the best ones. Freddy, Flint, Sass, and Mathews got the others. As for the rest of the “team,” they had nothing to complain about; their rooms were larger with more features than the ones they’d had on Gladia’s ship.

He made those assignments sight unseen, based on Mori’s descriptions, and while everyone was busy unloading their gear or helping with the transfer, he made his way to the captain’s quarters for the first time. He got an idea that things were going to be nice when he stepped off the “elevator” onto the officers’ deck. Polished marble—some kind of synthetic material, he was sure—covered the deck; smooth ivory paneling dressed the walls, and accents of what seemed to be genuine mahogany appeared throughout.

When he got to the captain’s door, it slid open at his approach, and he stepped into a room that would have been at home in a luxury resort. The far wall was curved and wholly occupied by a massive viewport. Elephant hung outside the glass. He stared for a moment, watching AI-operated drones haul a trail of cargo out of an open bay.

After a moment, he looked down. The floor was warm composite the color of wood, mostly hidden under thick rugs. A broad, dark-wood desk sat in front of the viewport, a single chair pulled out on its left. Closer to the door were a low couch and a pair of chairs arranged around a small table. To the right, through an alcove, Hector saw a wide bed with neatly tucked cream-colored linens.

Everything was nice, but none of it made as much of an impression as the previous captain’s things—the suite looked lived in. Hector walked over to the desk first, his fingers seeking out the leather jacket hanging on the back of the chair. It was genuine leather—dark brown with a high collar. It looked like something that would cost fifty thousand bits in a fancy shop on Luna. He lifted the lapel and whistled at the material. Under the jacket, hanging on the same chair, was a pistol in a leather holster.

It looked like a collector’s item—a slug thrower in gunmetal blue with artistic etching in the metal and a polished wooden grip. “How is everything in such good shape?”

“I sealed the room under an inert atmosphere after ten years,” Mori replied.

Hector turned away from the gun and ran his eyes over the desk and table—papers were stacked as if someone had been going through them the day before. An empty coffee cup sat on a sandstone coaster, and books were stacked on the desk, the coffee table, and even on a nightstand beside the bed. “Havish liked to read?”

“Yes, and he had a fetish for paper books.”

“Huh.” Hector sat in the chair and watched Elephant for a few minutes, letting himself catch up to everything that had happened. He was currently sitting in the captain’s quarters of a ship that was a match for almost any other ship in the system. A ship like Black Wing was a threat—and a promise. Controlling it made him more dangerous than half the so-called Great Houses.

Those thoughts occurred to him—he was human, after all—but he discarded them. He had more important matters to consider, starting with vengeance. One ship, even Black Wing, wasn’t enough to go head-on against the Empire. The ship’s railgun, assuming he acquired some ammunition, was powerful, but it wasn’t the only weapon like it in the system. The Emperor took measures to avoid being annihilated by such a thing, primarily by never leaving Luna or the protection of the Earth-space orbital defense network.

Still, it was a heady feeling being in control of such a vessel, and Hector took a few moments to absorb it. A few minutes were all he got, because the door chimed, and Mori said, “Your soldier friend, Sass, is without.”

“Come in,” Hector called, and the door slid open. Sass came through, and Hector saw she was carrying his stuff. “Oh, you didn’t have to—”

“It’s nothing. I only had one bag, so I grabbed your things, too.” She looked around, eyes widening. “Damn! I thought my room was nice!” She set his bags down and walked over to the desk, sitting down across from him. “Are all these books and things the old captain’s?”

“Yep.” Hector gestured to the viewport. “How do you like the view?”

Sass smiled, nodding. “My room has something similar…but smaller. I watched for a while.” She looked back at him, fidgeting as she avoided eye contact.

“What?”

“I know you’re busy, but do you think we could talk about my aura system? You know Merlin thinks I have enough for two levels, but he also gave me some options that aren’t levels. Do you have a minute?”

Hector smiled, nodding. “Yeah, sure. What’s he tempting you with?”

“A boost for my strength, um, something that’s a ‘shield construct,’ and some kind of reinforcement for my skeleton.” She sighed, blowing out a breath, and Hector saw her skull tattoo was slowly darkening.

“Hey,” he said, laughing, “will you please relax? There’s nothing to be stressed about.”

She nodded, glancing toward the viewport again. “Sorry—this is all so new, and, like, you’re busy, you know?”

“Do I look busy right now? I was just sitting here staring into space, thinking about how crazy it is that I got my hands on this ship.”

“It is crazy, isn’t it? I heard Iris say something about it being as good as one of the Emperor’s warships.”

Hector nodded. “Yeah. But let’s stay focused on you right now. If you want my opinion, then take levels before anything else—at least five. Now, that advice comes with an exception: if you get offered an ability that will improve your aura pool, then talk to me about it. Same goes if you get any kind of phase ability. Other than those, raw levels will be more valuable for you at first. They’ll give you attribute and aura pool boosts. What’s Merlin think?”

Sass nodded. “He agrees with you.”

“Easy then.”

Sass didn’t look relieved or relaxed, and she still wouldn’t look him in the eyes, so Hector stood up and looked around the suite, his eyes drifting to the sides of the main room where cabinets lined the interior walls. “Mori,” he asked, “did Havish have any booze in here?”

As always, Mori’s voice was bodiless and sounded like he could be standing right beside him as he replied, “Why, yes. If you look in that cabinet across from the couch, you’ll find a stock.”

Hector walked over and opened the cabinet, aware that Sass was watching him. He whistled softly as he took in the crystal and glass collection of bottles, most of them labeled in languages that Evie had to translate for him on his AUI. He picked up a bottle that was half-empty but sealed with a cork. “Some kind of brandy from Luna—a thousand years ago.” He looked at Sass. “What do you say?”

“Um, seriously?”

Hector picked up two crystal tumblers and walked back to the desk. “Probably the wrong kind of glass, but what do I know?” He set them on the desk in front of Sass, careful to place them on an already-stained manila folder. After pulling the cork, he held the bottle to his nose and sniffed; the aroma of alcohol was strong, but it carried distinct notes of spice and maybe something floral. “Smells good.”

Sass watched him pour a couple of fingers’ worth in each glass. When he picked up a glass and held it out to her, she took it, licking her lips nervously. “I’ve never seen you drink.”

Hector shook his head, taking his glass and walking around to his chair again. “That’s not true. I took a pair of shots when Gil was toasting Vicki. You were there—with Freddy.”

Sass might have blushed, but Hector couldn’t tell; her tattoo darkened to menacing depths. “Oh, right.”

He held out his glass, and she hesitated, then clinked hers against it. Hector took a sip and smiled at the rich, smooth flavor. “I’m no expert, but that’s damn good.”

Sass sniffed her glass, then took a sip. Her eyes widened. “You’re not lying!”

“So?” Hector asked, leaning back in his chair and throwing his boots onto the desk. “What’s the deal, Saskia? You worried about something?”

“Promise you won’t start any fights or anything if I tell you? Promise you’ll just listen and, I don’t know, reassure me?” After pushing the words out in a rush, Sass took another drink.

“Don’t start any fights?” Hector cocked his head. “Did Freddy do something?”

Sass put her glass down, looking to the side. “No, it’s not Freddy.” She groaned and looked at him, finally locking her purple-tinted irises on his. “I was getting our stuff, and Flint came over to me. I mean, he’s scary—I always thought so—but he usually smiles my way, you know? Like he tries to be friendly. This time, though…” Again, she trailed off and looked out the viewport.

“Sass, if you don’t start talking,” Hector said, “I might do something stupid.”

“Okay, well, he was like, ‘Listen, girl’”—Sass’s voice got husky and low as she tried to imitate Flint’s voice—“‘Freddy’s a good kid, but he’s a Royal, and he’s going to wind up hurting you.’ I was like, ‘I’m a big girl,’ and he cut me off and said, ‘If Freddy hurts you, Hector might kill him, and dammit, I’m not what I was—not since Lux. I don’t think I can defend the damn kid.’ So, yeah, he wants me to quit hanging around with him.”

Hector took his feet off the desk and set his glass down. “Did he hurt you? Threaten you?”

Sass’s eyes widened, and she shook her head. “No. I mean, he was scary, but he didn’t do that.”

Hector nodded. “Okay, listen. This is how Royals operate. Flint’s been working for Gladia for a long time; he’s her bodyguard—Freddy’s too. Anyway, it’s his job to do unpleasant things, and that includes trying to scare off girls the family might not approve of. Don’t let it worry you. I’ll talk to Flint—I’ll talk to Gladia—and make sure he leaves you alone. You gotta understand, though, that he’s probably not wrong. Freddy’s second in the line of succession for House Ventress. If things go the way they plan, then…” Hector sighed, watching as tears pooled in Sass’s eyes. “Then they’ll probably have plans for him.”

Sass furiously scrubbed her sleeve over her eyes, growling in frustration. “I’m not crying because of Freddy; I’m just frustrated because I hate the idea that people are talking about my damn business! I’m not just ‘some girl’—I’m not a kid. Okay, sure, I’m young, but I’ve had boyfriends! I’m not an idiot. I know how Royals work; I watch plenty of serials!”

Hector held up his hands, palms out. “Hey! I didn’t bring this up.” Don’t you dare say anything about how I wanted to, Evie.

//My proverbial lips are sealed.//

“Anyway,” Hector said, “Flint doesn’t get to say who you spend time with, and if you two end up a little heartbroken, don’t worry about me. I’ll stay out of it.”

Sass heaved a mighty sigh and blinked, allowing a final, frustrated tear to slip its bounds and run down her cheek, then she picked up her brandy and took a healthy sip. Hector kept pace, leaning back in his seat again, and they both watched the cargo drifting from Elephant to Black Wing for a while. When the silence grew heavy, Hector shifted in his seat and tugged Clay Havish’s pistol from its sheath and put it on the table.

“Want to see something neat?”

Sass leaned forward, and they both examined the ancient gun, admiring the delicate filigrees and whorls that decorated the thick, businesslike barrel. Hector removed the magazine—made of the same blued steel—and ejected a thick old bullet from the chamber, then he handed the gun to Sass. “Mori, tell us about this gun.”

“Captain Havish was fond of that weapon, Hector. He won it in a card game in Seattle. It’s a Redford Arms Nogales Model-2—designed to fire eleven-millimeter, electrically primed, high-pressure cartridges. There should be several boxes of ammo in one of the cabinets, but if you run out, I have the specifications for its manufacture.”

“It’s pretty,” Sass said, weighing the gun in her hand.

“Yes, Miss Sass,” Mori said. “Redford Arms was a boutique gunsmith shop, and they hand-finished all of their weapons.”

“Do you like it, Sass?” Hector asked.

She looked at him sharply. “I wasn’t trying—”

“I won’t get much use out of it. You need a backup in case you’re low on aura.” Hector turned and slid the gun belt and holster off his chair back. “Here, I bet this holster’s one of a kind, too.”

“Are you being serious right now?” Sass asked, taking the leather belt.

“Havish was a slender man,” Mori said. “I imagine you can find a hole in that belt that will fit you, Miss Sass.”

“Go on,” Hector said. “Put it on.”

While she stood and started fidgeting with the belt, Hector poured them each another shot of brandy. He sat back and sipped, pleased with himself for thinking to give her the pistol. It was a nice gun, and, sure, he might have liked to wear it around, but it wasn’t really his style. He’d never been one to lean on a firearm in a fight or for intimidation.

Still, it would have looked nice hanging on my wall…

//What use has a revenant for pretty décor?//

Hector smiled crookedly at Evie’s playful words. She’d hit a true enough note, though; how many times would he have to catch himself thinking and acting like a man with a future before he started to doubt his own convictions?

//That wasn’t my point! I was teasing, and trying to make you see—//

Yeah, I know, but it’s a good point.

“How does it look?” Sass asked, turning to the side so he could see the gun hanging low on her right hip.

“Let me see where your fingers fall.” He watched as she lowered her arm and let her fingertips tap the side of the gun’s grip. “Looks like it was made for you.”

“I could see the worn hole on the belt,” she said. “I only had to tighten it one notch.”

“Guess he was slim,” Hector said, nodding. “You know…” Frowning, Hector stood up and pulled Havish’s leather jacket off the back of his chair. “I bet this damn thing’s too small for me.” He tried to put his arm through and, sure enough, found the sleeve two inches too short. “Bah!” He tossed the jacket to Sass. “Happy early birthday.”

Sass caught the jacket and immediately pressed it to her face, inhaling. “Is it—is it real?”

“Smells different than the synthetic stuff, doesn’t it?”

“I think I smell something faint—like smoke, too, and maybe some kind of cologne.”

“Well, it’s not new, so…” Hector shrugged.

Sass smiled as she slid her arms into the jacket’s silky lining. “Gosh,” she said, sniffing as she looked up and smiled at Hector. “I should come to you in tears more often.”

Hector ignored the comment and looked at her critically. “It fits—damn well, too.”

Sass put her hands in the coat pockets, and her eyes widened as she pulled out a small metal object. Hector recognized it right away and held out his hand. “I’ll take that, you brat.”

Sass tossed it to him. “What is it? Some kind of memory storage? A deck?”

Hector chuckled, flipping the top of the old lighter and clicking the igniter. It sparked and the wick flickered to life, but only briefly. “Guess the fluid dried up.”

“It’s a lighter!” Sass cried, smiling.

“Yeah, not too useful these days, but neat. I always wanted one.” Hector slid it into his pocket, and then the door chimed.

“Lady Ventress is without, sir,” Mori said.

“Just a minute,” he said. Then, he walked around the desk and put his hand on Sass’s shoulder, squeezing the supple leather. “Feeling better?”

She nodded. “Thank you, Hector.”

“Just don’t be afraid to talk to me, okay?”

Her tattoo was almost invisible, so he knew she wasn’t lying about feeling better. When she said, “Promise,” he believed her.

“Okay. Let me talk to Gladia for a while, then. We’ve got to figure out our next move.”