Other Trails Chapter 5

[random_xtras]

"Yeah, I think this one's safe."

Shade looked through Starfighter's forward view screen at the frozen lump of ice and dirt that he was scanning. "Comets can be dangerous?"

"Uh, I don't really know. But that's not what I was worried about. Some of these things can wind up turning into natural crystalline lifeforms, and I'd get my boosters kicked for smashing one of those up." Starfighter turned over slowly, his nose still pointed at the comet.

"I feel upside down, even if there is no 'up' in space." Shade glanced at her sister and saw Mist leaning comfortable elbows on the top edge of her stanchion as she too watched the view screen. "Why are we smashing the comet?"

"Huh? Salvage! There are rocks in there that people want. And the water's clean enough to top up the reserves I'm carrying for you guys."

Shade felt a little quiver under the rubber covering of the floor and knew that Starfighter was twitching his wings again as he did when giving emphasis to something he said.

"Don't get so excited. I just never realized that you could find forage on the space trails too." She slapped her stanchion gently.

"Uh... Why couldn't you? There's all kinds of things out here." Starfighter did another slow rollover. "Okay. I'm going in. Brace yourselves."

Mist perked as the Gs display in the corner of the screen echoed Starfighter's words, as it always did, then got herself settled more firmly in the narrow safety station that consisted of two sturdy rails to the sides connected to another in front, and padded sections for her to brace her lower chest against and to rest the weight of her forequarters on. [Ready!]

"I'm ready too." Shade remembered not to grip the rails so that she wouldn't injure her wrists or shoulders. She was a bit wide-eyed, being uncertain of just exactly what "ramming" meant and recalling Angelina's concern for her and Mist's safety if Starfighter were to do it. She was startled and relieved to find out that it just meant that Starfighter headbutted the comet with his shuttle nose after surrounding it with some sort of glowing net of light. And then after the first hit she was enjoying the odd lurching ride. "Woooah! Meep!"

"Huh? Am I hitting too hard?" Starfighter paused, the lights on his nav computer speeding up slightly.

"No." Shade chuckled. "This is fun. It's like riding on a parent when I was didi and the herd needed to run."

"Oh." He went back to work, carefully pulverizing the entire giant lump of space junk. "What does 'didi' mean, anyway? I thought it was just how you said baby."

"It is." Shade winced as she bit herself due to talking while ramming into a comet, then concentrated on her signs instead. [Little stumble babies. "Didi" means stumbler.]

"Ohhhh. Gotcha. And... Heh. Got you too." He carefully used the glowing net to guide the remains of the smashed comet into his hold. "Now we better catch up with the Risky Date. Where did Reggie get a name like that for a scow like that, anyway?"

[Man loves his ship,] said Mist. [Not scow to him.]

"Whatever," said Starfighter cheerfully, boosting along at a speed that made things on the view screen seem to stretch into short streaks of light.

"You're a jerk." Shade snorted and reared out of her stanchion to go visit the water cooler.

"But I'm your jerk!" He gave a rollicking laugh, and then laughed harder when she kicked his wall.

"Ffft!" She snorted, and then sighed as she pressed the button and was able to drink clear, warm water from the fountain. "Thank you."

"Why do you always say that?" He buzzed the view port on the long haul freighter, then fell back to a flanking wing position.

"Say what?" She looked up, frowning with confusion.

"Thank you."

Shade blinked and screwed her face up slightly, trying to understand why he thought she shouldn't thank him when he gave her a drink or something to eat.

"Hey, don't make faces at me. I'll have nightmares!"

She shook her head at his silliness. "No you won't. And I thank you when you give me something. You're supposed to do that."

"But it's your stuff."

"So?"

"Ahahaha. My captain's a weirdo. Wait a minute, is that Hell already? It is! How did this trip go so fast?" Starfighter made a targeting circle around the little point of light on his view screen.

"You said that it would be a standard month to get here at the Risky Date's speed," Shade reminded him.

"Yeah, but... Oh wow. It's been a month since we left the Warlady's station. Time must fly when you're having fun." He barrel rolled, and then scooted under the freighter's bow.

"You're weird." Shade shook her head and had more water, then trotted back to her stanchion to study the readings that surrounded the dot of their destination. "Is Hell a National headquarters too?"

"Nah. The shifters that live there are part of the main Nation. It's just the home base of a really rich family and whatever dregs and riffraff have moved into the lower levels."

"I don't understand 'dregs and riffraff'. The sign and the words from the translator are ones I've never heard or seen." Shade leaned her elbows on the front rail of her stanchion.

"Uhhh. Well, there are criminals, and a lot of really poor people," said Starfighter. "The owners don't really care what happens in those levels, so long as the people down there pay the rent." His voice firmed. "And I'm not bringing you guys there, so don't even ask."

"Why not?" asked Shade absently, even as she frowned over what he'd said about the owners of the station not caring what happened to the people who lived on it.

"Ahhhh! She asked! Oh wait. Different question." Starfighter absently doodled a face with its tongue stuck out on his screen, then erased it. "Because it's too dangerous. I don't even go down there."

"I'm not happy that we're helping to bring things there." Shade folded her arms over her chest and frowned more deeply. "If those people let bad things happen in their own house, and don't care about it, then I don't like them either."

"Relax. Reggie doesn't carry luxury goods. The scow's full of plain stuff for the guys on the servant levels, and surplus Trader co. refugee rations for the lower levels. You're not mad at them, are you?"

"Do the guys on the servant levels care about what happens to the people in the lower levels?" Shade was aware of Mist watching the conversation with a frown of her own.

"I don't know. But even if they do there isn't a lot they can do about it. They're kinda stranded out here with no way of leaving and no way of making money except for doing what the toffs say." The floor trembled slightly as Starfighter shrugged. "They can't even sell stuff to the guys who dock, like the downsiders can."

Shade exchanged a glance with her sister and saw her own expression mirrored back at her.

"I don't understand how people can be so... whatever it's called that those people are being," she said quietly. "I don't think I like toffs."

"Hey, at least these guys don't eat other people," came Starfighter's quick response. "Oh rust. What'd I say that for?"

"Eat... other...?" Shade felt her surroundings spin as she backed out of her stanchion. A thump followed, and then darkness.


* * *


She woke laying on the big soft platform in the sleeping cabin, dimly aware of a hand under her head and a cup being held to her mouth. "Uh?"

"Take it easy," said Starfighter quietly. "Here, try and drink some of this nutri-ade."

Shade sipped, and then turned her head away. "Mist?"

"She drank hers. That's her laying behind you." The cup was presented again.

She scowled and sputtered, but drank rather than wear the fruit flavoured nutrient solution. Then her eyes finally focused and she saw the blue and silver man of her own race who was helping her. "Thrrpt!"

"Whoa! What the rust? Ugh. Now I'm wearing that sweet junk! Thanks a lot, Cap!" He scowled at her, his ears twitching angrily.

"What are you doing making your avatar look like us?" She rolled up onto her lower chest and shoved him away.

"It's called family and belonging! I'm part of your herd, remember?" He jerked on his close cropped mane. "And you're welcome for helping you out of a shock induced faint!"

Shade sucked in air as arms went around her lower shoulders, then realized that it was Mist comforting her. "I... We fainted?"

"Yeah!" His expression softened to worry. "Both of you down on the floor with your hearts doing the funky chicken. I nearly voided all my waste oil into space."

Shade smoothed her cheeks, then groaned softly and curled up, reaching for her blanket as she remembered what he'd said that had so distressed herself and her sister.

"Easy." He grabbed the blanket and spread it over her, making sure to leave her legs uncovered as she preferred. "Just rest till your systems are all back in sync."

Shade used Mist as a pillow as her sister did the same to her, both of them taking comfort from the warmth of the other.

"Sorry," she said faintly.

Starfighter's avatar rezzed out, and then returned to look down with disfavour at the puddle of nutri-ade he'd left behind. "It's alright. I'm mostly clean again." He looked up, his expression unwontedly serious. "Look. Stop being so jumpy, alright? Just stop. You don't need to prove anything to me. When I said I belonged to you I meant it! But I'm Archivist, and we're born hardwired to protect little things. Convertors don't even make babies the same way you do. And you wouldn't give me a charge if I kissed you anyway, so I'm not wasting my time. You're my captain. She's the First Mate. You're my crew. And my friends."

Shade stared at him, feeling confused and ashamed of herself as she tried to understand fully what he'd just said to her. "I don't want to own anybody."

"Fine," he said, looking away. "Business partners and friends?"

"Y... yeah." She hid her face as her cheek fur stood out and and sadness blurred her vision. "I'm sorry."

"You're laying funny. I can't put my hand on your chest." He sounded chagrined.

Mist moved from where she'd been watching the conversation and guessing at the meaning of it since no one had been signing. [Snuggle?]

"What?" Starfighter's avatar stopped to frown at her, signing now as he spoke.

[Friends. Family. Keep each other warm. Good comfort.] She sighed and smoothed her own cheeks, looking down at her weeping sister. [I need that now. So does sister.]

[Okay.] His face creased in an anxious look and his cheek fur standing out slightly, he gingerly settled onto the edge of the bed, then relaxed as both girls lay their heads on him. [Awww. It's like a snuggle pile back when I was in the nursery. Get some sleep, alright? Freighter won't dock this shift.]

[Alright.] Mist sighed and hugged her sister, then pulled Shade's blanket up higher on her upper shoulders before fixing her own. [Sleep. Get well again.]

[Right.] Shade shivered slightly and closed her eyes.

"And don't worry. Nobody is gonna eat you guys on my watch." Starfighter grinned as he got snorted at, then settled down to protect his crew and monitor the activity in and around their little convoy.