19


“The second facility is located closer to a planet,” Jelly explained. “It will be another seven hours before I am near enough to do a full scan and determine if there is a station there or just another debris field.”
I stared at the screen, marveling at how spectacular starfields were this far from the sun. The distant stars were brighter and I felt I could see the point we were heading to, even though it was impossible. The mind played tricks on mortals. “Have you detected any transmissions, maybe a distress call or something?”
“There is nothing to indicate the facility’s presence. If I wasn’t actively searching for something human made, I wouldn’t have noticed it,” Jelly said. “X-37 has been co-piloting for most of the voyage, checking over data to give me a second opinion. I have to say, your limited AI makes the most out of every bit of its processing potential.”
“Good to know. I thought he spent most of his spare time working on his next snappy comeback,” I said. “Which are all lame, by the way.”
“Shall we debate this issue?” X-37 asked.
“For seven hours? We better not. I’d like to get some food and some sleep, maybe a quick workout,” I said. “Let me know the moment you have something useful.”
I wandered the ship with no real aim in mind. There were several benefits to this. One, it was good to know the environment, whether it was on a ship or a planet or something else. Two, it helped me relax. I didn’t know if it was part of my personality or my training, but I hated sitting still. Only the rare occasions when I had both good companionship and the proper consumables could I truly relax.
The last place I’d seen Path was in the training room, of course. I checked in on him, and saw him sitting cross-legged meditating over his sword. Or taking a power nap. Or whatever.
I wasn’t in the mood to get thrashed again. There was still some tension from his actions in the debris field and we’d discussed this more than once. But all in all, he still wanted to teach me and I still wanted to learn. My encounter with Uriah had been a major wake-up call. Until then, I’d doubted any person could take me in single combat.
Which was stupid. My father taught me there was always somebody bigger and stronger and meaner. It was just a matter of time before that person showed up.
I backed out of the room and let the door close as quietly as possible.
A short time later, I located Elise on the observation deck. She looked like she had just showered and dressed for what we considered a formal dinner here on the Jellybird. Her jumpsuit looked new, and she’d actually dried and braided her hair. I almost backed out of this room as well, because she looked thoughtful and content.
“I like the observation deck,” I said, alerting her I had stepped into the room. There wasn’t a door to this area, only archways to the hallways beyond.
She turned to face me, then smiled, which surprised me. Apparently, I’d caught her in a relatively good mood. She waved a hand to one of the nearby chairs, inviting me to have a seat. “I’ve been looking back toward the debris field. Jelly has magnified and digitally enhanced the image, but it’s still crazy-far away. I’m always amazed how big a system is. Crossing one can take longer than traveling a slip tunnel, which I never expected when I was little.”
“How long have you been traveling slip tunnels?” I asked, sitting down. I started to reach for the cigar case but left it in my pocket.
“My father traveled a lot when I was young and brought me whenever he could. My mother traveled with us most of the time but not always. It’s hard to remember that far back,” she said.
I contemplated the starfield.
“Have you heard anything about my father?” she asked. “Not that I want to have anything to do with him.”
“Both Jelly and X-37 have standing orders to search any computer systems or data storage centers we come in contact with for mention of him,” I said. “So far, there hasn’t been any news.”
She nodded and studied the view. “I hate EVA suits.”
This made me laugh. “I’ve never met anyone who likes them.”
“There’s probably one freak out there that thinks it’s fun,” she said. “Kind of like there’s always someone who thinks sitting and meditating over a sword is a good time.”
“Path has his reasons. I don’t think he’s had an easy life. If discipline and quietude help him, I’m not the person to judge,” I said.
“That’s surprisingly insightful from someone like you,” she said.
“You think I’m judgmental?”
“You’re the most opinionated and foul-mouthed person I’ve ever met,” she said.
“But that’s not the same thing as being judgmental. As far as I’m concerned, people can live however they like so long as they don’t threaten anyone I care about. Then it’s irrelevant, because they don’t live much longer after that,” I said.
“How cheery,” she said.
“Path brought up a good point. Whether or not his actions were a justified lesson, I can’t really say. But it’s us against the Union. Neither of us should ever forget what that means, but we do. Because that’s how we make it through each day. But when the Union comes at us hard, we’re going to need everything we’ve got to survive. That includes technology, personal skills, and loyalty,” I said.
She focused on the stars. “You’re right. We should be training right now. Maybe you should be practicing with the mask. Tom said he can improve the weapons we have and build new ones. I should have a gun.”
I wanted to argue but I knew she was right. “You should have two guns, minimum. I’ll start teaching you how to shoot after the mission is done.”
“Really?”
“Sure, kid,” I said. “There will be a lot of things I need to teach you. It will take a lot of hard, consistent, and often boring work on your part. You have to train every day, give it your best effort. Treat every new skill learned like your life depends on it.”
“I can do that,” she promised.