Truthfully, it was nice to put the Junkyard behind us. With so many revenge bounties on my head, I hadn’t felt comfortable sticking around any longer, even though I knew the pirates could attempt to seek me out in the depths of space. However, I’d come to learn that pirates didn’t like exerting any more energy on something than they really had to, and me being far away definitely worked in my favor. They wouldn’t try to track me unless they really wanted to, which I doubted any of them would.
Things weren’t exactly peaceful on board the cruiser, though. On the agreement of almost everyone else, Lauren had let Stone out of his storage closet prison, much to the chagrin of the only one who’d objected—Xiphio. He seemed to think it was his right, as a Fed agent who’d been personally slighted by Stone, to arrest him and see to it that the ambaka stayed locked up. Still, he was reluctantly abiding by the majority vote, though I could see it pained him to do it.
“I really think he ought to be placed in one of the cruiser’s bedrooms. I’m not suggesting we put him back in the storage cupboard, but he really shouldn’t be permitted to roam free,” Xiphio complained, as we sat around the cockpit, utilizing the fold-out table by the floor-to-ceiling windshield. “It goes against every moral fiber of my being.”
“Maybe you could help Lauren with the diagnostics?” I suggested, knowing we were moments away from an all-out dispute. Stone was keeping to the other side of the cockpit, but his mere presence was a constant source of irritation for Xiphio.
Xiphio glanced over to Lauren, who was standing at the far side of the windshield and scanning a flat device that scrolled with a list of the ship’s diagnostics and inventory. Well, that’s what Lauren had told me it contained, anyway. With her contact lenses, she could read the alien language, but Angie and I were stuck with our regular human vision, the alien words nothing but a jumble of symbols.
“I would not wish to intrude. She looks so very peaceful,” Xiphio said, admiring her from afar.
“She won’t mind, I promise.”
Angie nodded. “Carpe diem, my man, carpe diem!”
“Excuse me?” Xiphio mumbled, confused.
“Seize your moment with the beautiful woman before the three-eyed thug does it!” Angie hissed.
Xiphio smiled excitedly. “Carpe diem indeed, Miss Angie!”
No longer needing encouragement, he got out of his chair and strode over to where Lauren stood, instantly becoming shy and awkward as he neared. It was like watching the evolution of man in reverse. He’d started out confident enough, strutting a little, only to retreat more into himself the closer he got to the object of his affection.
“Might I assist you in your endeavors, Miss Lauren?” he asked, clearing his throat. His gills were flapping rapidly, betraying his inner panic.
She looked at him, moving to push up the bridge of the glasses that were no longer there. “I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to not having my specs,” she said, giggling nervously. “I have phantom glasses syndrome!”
He laughed in response, the sound warm and genuine. “You are very amusing, Miss Lauren. It’s rare to find humor, intellect, and beauty in one person,” he said quietly. “If you were a gemstone, I imagine you would be the very rarest of finds.”
Lauren blushed furiously, reverting to her shy self, worlds away from the steely-eyed, ferocious woman she’d been with Stone. From where I was sitting, it was almost like a completely different person. Angie and I exchanged a knowing look, both of us stifling laughter. In truth, it was nice to see a glimpse of the old, softer-edged Lauren.
I’d expected Angie to be more upset about Mort leaving, but she hadn’t said much about it at all. His departure certainly hadn’t led to any tension between us, even though she knew it was because of me that he’d gone. All she’d said was a simple, “It had to happen sometime.” Bashrik had been relieved, knowing he wouldn’t have to witness their weird friendship anymore, but after our previous disagreements, I kept expecting Angie to blame me.
“You sure you don’t mind about Mort?” I asked for the thousandth time, leaving Xiphio and Lauren to their shy flirting.
“Like I said before, I honestly don’t mind at all. He had to go sometime, and I’m glad it happened before we made our way to Earth,” she replied. “If his goal was only to get revenge on Orion, then it’s no skin off my nose. He wouldn’t have helped in our fight, and I’ve got no time for people like that. Yeah, he was fun, but I’m not sad to see him go.”
I sighed in relief. “That’s good to know.”
“I’m never going to let things get bad between us again, Riley, if that’s what you’re really worrying about,” she said, her tone comforting. “I like to think we’ve learned our lesson. We’re better women now, right?”
I grinned. “Right.”
“I mean, if I didn’t have you, who would I gossip with?” she teased. “Speaking of which—it looks like I’ve got a love rival.”
“What do you mean?”
She tilted her head toward Bashrik, who was sitting at the control panel with Stone beside him. He was chattering away animatedly, while the ambaka simply stared at Xiphio and Lauren, a frown visible above the line of his bandana. I wasn’t about to pick sides and say who would be a better choice for Lauren, but there was an undeniable sadness in Stone’s eyes.
“And then you move these dials to alter the different levels within the cruiser’s systems,” Bashrik enthused, unaware that Stone wasn’t listening. “Hey, you catch that?” he asked, nudging Stone in the arm.
“Sorry, mate, I was miles away. Keep thinkin’ of me crewmates,” Stone said. “What were ye saying?”
Bashrik repeated his statement about the dials, before moving on to the various mood settings of the cruiser. This seemed to hold the ambaka’s attention a little more readily, and his eyes went wide in delight as he watched what Bashrik was doing. It appeared a fledgling bromance was blossoming between the two of them, with them bonding over their shared love of all things mechanical. Bashrik clearly thought Stone was the height of cool, too, though he’d never have admitted it.
“Hey, Bash,” Navan said from his spot across the cockpit, but all of Bashrik’s attention was turned to Stone, who kept asking what all the different buttons did. “Bashrik!” Navan tried again, to no response. He slumped down in his chair and shot me a wounded puppy-dog look that made me stifle a laugh. I gave him a sympathetic pout, and he smiled a little. It seemed that Stone was stealing all his brotherly attention.
“You know what, lads and lasses, I think we should have a wee hootenanny!” Stone announced suddenly, standing up and slamming his fists down on the dashboard. A grin spread across his face.
“A wee what?” Bashrik asked excitedly.
“A hootenanny, a shindig, a celebration, a party—call it what ye want!” he replied brightly. “You mightn’t realize it, but everyone on this ship is bound together for life. All of ye have survived near-death ordeals together and faced the wrath of the cops together. That’s the way of the ambaka—ye run together like that, you’re bound together for the rest o’ your days!”
“That’s awesome!” Bashrik cooed.
“Aye, you’re all me brothers and sisters now. We’re a big ol’ family. We should celebrate the start o’ this journey together!” he insisted.
Navan frowned disapprovingly. “We can’t afford to lose our wits with drinking and revelry, Stone. It’s a nice idea, but I don’t think it’s appropriate.”
“You gotta learn to let go, Navan. True focus comes from releasin’ all your qualms and strains,” Stone replied casually. “How can you target the important things if yer mind is swimmin’ with all sorts? You’d be surprised what a good shindig can do. You’ll feel like a new bloke!”
Bashrik nodded eagerly. “That’s so true!”
“He knows what he’s talking about, Navan,” Lauren chimed in, much to Xiphio’s discomfort. “We used to have parties all the time on the scavenger ship, and they never did us any harm. Most of
the time, they cleared away the cobwebs and got us all energized again. I imagine we could all do with letting our hair down a bit, right?”
“But you look just as lovely with your hair up,” Xiphio protested.
She giggled coyly. “It’s a human saying, Xiphio. It means we could all do with a bit of relaxation.”
He nodded, laughing. “How foolish of me,” he said. “Thank you for setting me straight. Your Earthen ways are deeply fascinating to me.”
Stone shot him a look. “Ren’s right, as per usual. You’ve all been through a helluva lot. I say we celebrate, though we’ll keep it restrained fer your sake, Navan,” he teased. “A drink, then we pass around some food and offer up some tales of our lives. It’s an old ambaka custom I’d love to share with ye.”
I grinned. “I think it sounds like just the thing to cheer us all up before we head into the unknown!”
“Yeah, why don’t we go all out?” Angie suggested. “The three of us can grab some decorations and make some party food, like we used to back at your place in the city, Lauren!”
“Absolutely!” Lauren agreed.
“Plus, this ship was stolen from Killick—I bet it has a party mode,” I said, remembering it was a leisure cruiser. “Boys, you see if you can jazz this ship up a little! Oh, and someone should probably wake Ronad and tell him what’s going on.”
Navan still didn’t seem pleased at the prospect, but I hoped he’d soon cheer up. Bashrik and Stone got up eagerly and made for the door, while Xiphio trailed them reluctantly. Ronad was sleeping off the last of his injuries in his bedroom. He’d taken medicine to heal his wounds, but it had resulted in some side effects that had left him feeling worn out. Even so, I knew he’d be game if he heard there was a celebration going on.
“Cheer up, this’ll be good for us,” I said, sidling up to Navan and looping my arms around his neck.
“I still don’t think it’s a good idea,” he mumbled sullenly.
“We need this. Think of it as a long-overdue service on the engine of our morale.”
He chuckled, leaning down to catch my mouth with his. “Very poetic.”
“I thought so. Now, hop to it and get this ship in party mode!”
“I’m just warning you now, you might not like Killick’s version of ‘party mode,’” he replied, arching an eyebrow. “You have no idea what these merevin playboys get up to behind closed doors.”
“Considering Ronad found a set of cuffs in one of the bedrooms, I’m pretty sure I can guess,” I joked, pulling a face.
“Hey, do not tarnish us all with the same brush!” Xiphio said, popping his head back into the room. “We aren’t all playboys, and we are certainly not all deviants like young Killick Loligo. He’s of the merevin elite—they have somewhat warped views of things. I’m from much humbler beginnings.”
Lauren smiled at him. “You’ll have to tell me about them sometime.”
“Perhaps that shall be my tale, Miss Lauren, to be passed around.”
We hurried toward the expansive storage closets as the boys set off to find the party room. Inside, there were rows upon rows of boxes and drawers, stacked full of exactly what we were looking for. There were streamers in a rainbow of colors, crates of indoor fireworks, self-lighting lanterns, glitter fountains that puffed up plumes of sparkle, statues of unusual creatures and deities, and boxes filled with party plates and glasses. We kicked whatever we wanted out into the hallway, planning out the design of our celebrations. So far, it was looking like haphazard rave-chic.
“How about these?” Angie cackled, pulling out a string of lights that were shaped like… well, something inappropriate for a family party.
“Or these?” Lauren countered, removing a case of boob-shaped Jell-O molds from a refrigerated icebox.
“Oh, Bashrik would definitely like those,” she joked, collapsing in a fit of giggles.
“I would never have guessed he was a boob man. I always thought he’d be a butt man,” Lauren replied thoughtfully, before joining Angie on the floor of the closet, her body shaking with laughter.
“He’s more of a takes-what-he-can-get guy!” Angie shrieked, clutching Lauren to her as the two of them descended into hysterics.
I stared at my friends laughing on the floor, feeling the sting of tears prick my eyes at the normalcy of it. They were happy tears, reminding me of times we’d spent back in New York, rummaging through cupboards and boxes for party stuff at Christmas and New Year’s Eve, and on our birthdays. I pictured the three of us in Lauren’s backyard during a winter snowstorm one New Year’s Eve when we were thirteen. One of us got the idea that it would be fun to hide out in the shed from the adults. I remembered the three of us giggling like lunatics in that freezing shed as Lauren’s parents tried to find us. It had been ridiculous and we’d all gotten sick from the cold afterwards, but I wouldn’t have traded the memory for anything. I didn’t need alcohol when I had my friends for company.
“We really missed you, Lauren,” I said quietly.
She grinned up at me, reaching out for my hand so she could yank me down onto the floor. “I missed you guys, too.”
“It wasn’t the same without you,” Angie agreed, wrapping her arms around us both.
As we pulled away, I looked back at Lauren. “You wouldn’t really join the scavengers again, would you?” I asked, unable to help myself. It was something that had been playing on my mind since Stone had mentioned it.
She hesitated for a moment. “No… I’d rather go home.”
“You don’t sound sure,” I pressed.
“It’s a hard question, that’s all.”
Angie frowned at her. “Why’s it hard? You wouldn’t seriously go back to them, right?”
A sigh stirred her chest. “It’s just… I felt needed with them. I felt necessary. It’s hard to explain, and even harder to understand, but it’s the truth.”
“You’re necessary to us, too,” I insisted. “We couldn’t have done half of what we’ve done without you.”
Lauren shook her head slowly. “It’s not the same. I told you, it’s hard to explain—it was more than just knowing stuff. I was integral to something, and I don’t know if I’ve ever felt that way before. You two have always been the fierce ones, and I always felt a bit left behind. With the crew, I felt like I was on an even playing field… or something. I don’t know. I’m talking nonsense.”
Angie looped her arm through Lauren’s. “You wanting to stay with the scavengers doesn’t have anything to do with your feelings for a certain someone, does it?”
“What? No!” she protested, visibly embarrassed.
“I bet eyes aren’t the only thing he has three of, am I right?” Angie teased, flashing a devilish grin at our mortified friend. “Hey, if you ever find out, you’ve got to let me know—but don’t expect me to help. I can barely handle one!”
“Can we not talk about this!” Lauren said, covering her ears.
“Stockholm Syndrome!” Angie and I yelled at the same time, giggling raucously.
Lauren looked at us both, but she didn’t seem as amused as I’d hoped. “Look, Stone has a lot of good qualities, despite what you guys might think. He’s nice, but I’m not going to lose my mind over a guy,” she said somberly. “You might not believe me, but I know Stone is bad news. I’m not stupid. His life is trading and stealing, and that’s not the life I want. Nothing will ever come of our ‘relationship,’ or whatever it is. So, we’ll stay friends and crewmates, and that’s all. I’ve come to terms with that, and it’s honestly okay. Our priorities just don’t match.”
I put my arm around her, pulling her to me. “And what about a certain charming Fed agent?”
“I have no idea how many he has, so don’t even ask,” Angie quipped. “What if they don’t have anything at all? Maybe he’s completely smooth!”
Lauren’s cheeks flushed an even deeper shade of red, though she ignored Angie outright. “I don’t know… He’s sweet. I don’t think I’ve met anyone like him
before.”
Over the top of Lauren’s head, Angie and I exchanged a look. It seemed there were two horses in this unexpected race, though right now they were neck and neck.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Letting Lauren off the hook, we gathered up the boxes of party decorations and wandered through the ship, calling out for the boys. The vessel was eerily silent, considering we were preparing for a party. Then again, only three of our male crew were in a celebratory mood. Navan and Xiphio were undoubtedly sulking about the whole thing.
Ronad poked his head around the door of the observatory. “In here!”
We stepped through, expecting to see the glass-fronted room we were used to. To my delight, however, the place had been transformed, the plain metal walls and ceiling having morphed into a glowing light-scape, with atmospheric music flowing through unseen speakers. Gauzy red curtains had been dragged across the floor-to-ceiling windows, which ordinarily looked out on wherever we were, giving the room an underground, speakeasy vibe.
A bar had been pulled down from one of the metal panels, as well as what looked like a DJ booth, and the boys had evidently found fluffy cushions and beanbag-type chairs to sit on, and had scattered them about the observatory, giving it an Arabian Nights feel. It was a mishmash of things, but I liked it. It certainly matched the current inhabitants of the cruiser.
“Nice job, guys—you found party mode!” Angie whistled, dumping her boxes on the floor. “Now, who wants to give us a hand with these?”
Within half an hour, the observatory was covered in streamers and glowing strings of lights, with the lanterns casting a romantic glow on the room and everyone within. Angie had wanted to put up the naughty lights, but Bashrik had yanked them down when Angie wasn’t looking and stuffed them in a hidden cupboard with the rest of the unused decorations. Meanwhile, Lauren and Xiphio had gone off to make the party food, with Stone insisting he go with them, since it was part of his tradition. I saw Xiphio grimace at the prospect of his love rival tagging along, but Lauren didn’t seem to mind. She was happy to have them both with her, and so was I. Maybe it would help her figure out which one she liked most, though she didn’t appear to be in any rush to decide.