“And we’re not going to fail,” Kaspar adds, following after Adiron and Jerrok.
I swallow hard, crossing my arms over my chest and glancing around. Every inch of this place is covered in dust, broken metal parts—or both. The lights here in the bay flicker as if they’re about to go out, and it’s so shadowy that I suspect most of the lights are ALREADY out and we’re one unlucky break away from total darkness. In outer space.
With an asshole.
Yeah, I really don’t want to stay here. I think about Sleipnir, dozing on my bed, and fight back the worry I feel. I don’t want to abandon the carinoux either, and I worry that if I push too hard, they’ll consent to let me go with them, but Sleipnir will have to stay behind.
And that won’t be possible because he hates men.
Shit. Maybe I need to try and talk to this junker—this Jerrok—myself, and see if I can reassure him I’ll stay out of his way. Me and Sleipnir both. I follow the path Adiron took, noting the unwelcoming vibe of this place. The walls are sheer metal, some of it different shades, as if it’s been repieced together. The lights flicker here, too, and it reminds me a bit of a haunted, broken-down space station from a horror movie. This is absolutely not where I want to spend the next few months.
The doorways and halls seem like a maze, but I hear voices distantly and follow the sounds.
“She’s nice,” I hear Adiron protesting. “Soph isn’t the type to give anyone any trouble. You’ll like her.” There’s a pause. “Even if you don’t, it’s not for all that long.”
“I moved out here because I wanted quiet, va Sithai,” the junker says in a harsh voice. “Not to be saddled with bored playthings. It may be no big deal to you but it’s a huge pain in the keffing ass-cheeks to me.”
“You know we’ll make it worth your while. And think of the salvage you’ll get if we actually find the Buoyant Star.” Adiron’s tone is sly. “It’ll be enough to keep you in luxury for decades.”
“Yes. Luxury. Clearly one of my top priorities,” Jerrok retorts sarcastically, and I picture him gesturing at his surroundings.
“All right, then. It’ll be enough for you to get new cybernetic limbs. Ones that don’t malfunction.”
I peek around the corner, just in time to hear Jerrok give a reluctant grunt.
They both look over as I arrive.
“Hi.” I take a few steps forward, ignoring the unpleasant glare that Jerrok is sending in my direction. “I thought I’d introduce myself.”
“Why? Do I look like I’m interested in human cunt? Spreading your legs isn’t going to convince me one way or another.”
I recoil, shocked at his abrasiveness. “Jesus Christ, I just came to say hello. Do you have to be such an asshole?”
“How’s being nice working out for you, human?” he sneers.
“Guys.” Adiron shoots us both looks. “It’s just for a little while, okay? You can hang out at separate ends of the station and never run into each other. I know it’s a pain in the ass and inconvenient.” He steps in front of me as if to shield me from Jerrok’s scowl. “But we need Sophie and our cargo safe. She’s not whoring for anyone. She’s not a slave. She’s like our sister.”
Jerrok grunts, picking up a wrench and turning to the wall. He tightens at rusty-looking bolts, and I suspect it’s so he won’t have to look at us. “Where is that sister of yours? The one that never comes off the ship?”
“She mated a friend. Sentorr of the Jabberwock. You know him.”
“They’re calling it the Jabberwock now?” When Adiron nods, Jerrok continues. “She was a good kid.”
“You know she was human, right? That’s why she never liked to show her face.”
Jerrok turns and stares at Adiron, goggles whirling as if trying to focus on the big space pirate’s face. “You keffing with me?”
“I’m not.” Adiron puts a big hand on my shoulder. “And Sophie is like a sister to me, too. That’s why I wanted to bring her here. If we leave her with anyone else, they’ll toss her back into chains again. You and I know how important freedom is.”
Jerrok glares at him, and then at me, and goes back to tightening bolts on the walls. “I get all the salvage,” he grumps. “All of it.”
“All,” Adiron agrees.
“And she stays on her end of the station. We don’t have to run into each other.”
“That won’t be a problem,” I say stiffly. The less I see of this jerkface, the better. Already I kind of hate his guts. Spreading my legs, indeed.
“Fine.” The single syllable is utterly grudging. “Get your work done and be quick about it.”
“Great. You have my thanks, my friend,” Adiron exclaims.
Jerrok just waves him off and returns to repairing the wall.
That’s it? “But what about—”
Adiron pops a big hand over my mouth and shakes his head.
Uh oh. Something tells me that Sleipnir’s presence is going to be a big surprise and I’m going to be the one dealing with the fallout.
7
JERROK
I get back to work in my “junk lab” while the brothers settle their human pet in the one room I have set up as “guest” quarters for those unfortunate times when I’m unlucky enough to have someone stay overnight. They’re on the far end of the compound that I’ve reinforced and secured, so we won’t run into each other too much. It’ll be annoying to avoid half of my damn home, but I’ve lived through worse.
I do have to admit I’m intrigued by the wreck of the Buoyant Star. If they can find that and bring it to me…it’ll be an interesting diversion for a long while. Lately that’s been worth far more to me than credits. I have enough to do just fine. But entertainment? That can be sorely lacking when you live on an asteroid alone in the middle of nowhere.
Not that I would ever complain. I chose this life, and I have no regrets.
I sink into my work, carefully pulling apart the wires from an old shipboard processor. This particular model is no longer in use, but the pieces themselves are worth quite a few credits to the right buyer. So I carefully dismantle the bits, sorting them by metal and make. There’s a few transistor chips that can be placed into my broken-down bots and get them working again. A working bot brings a lot more on the market than a busted one, and I like tinkering with the bots. With a pair of tweezers, I carefully extract a chip, study it, and then place it into a safe compartment for testing later.
A shadow falls over my workstation.
I ignore it.
Someone clears his throat behind me, trying to get my attention.
“You’re in my light,” I say irritably, even though I can flick on the headlamp on my goggles just as easily. It’s the principle of the thing.
“We’re about to go,” Adiron says, shuffling to the side. The shadow disappears and I can see my tweezers again. “You got any requests?”
“Take your female with you?”
He laughs. “I meant in general. You need anything? Guns? Food? A personality overhaul?”