A sob caught in my throat, but I continued. “We tried to get Mort to come into the pod with us. We told him we could get the overrides done in time, from the inside… Honestly, we thought he was stepping into the pod to join us, when he stepped back at the last minute and pulled the lever.” Glancing around the room, I saw tears falling from Angie’s eyes, but she wasn’t the only one—it seemed the story had hit home with everyone.
“Aurelius came up behind him and… well, he saved our lives by sacrificing his own,” Navan added, noticing that I was struggling to finish the grim tale. “He meant it when he said he would do anything to keep Nova alive and safe. If we’d stayed on that space station, I’d be dead, and Riley and Nova would be slaves, kept around until Ezra and Aurelius decided they didn’t need them anymore.”
“Well, Nova doesn’t have anything to worry about anymore,” Bashrik said, breaking the sad silence. “We’ll follow Mort’s lead. You can count on us to do whatever it takes to keep Nova safe.”
Lauren nodded. “We’ll care for her because she’s family. She’s come from the two of you. We come as part of the package.”
“You’re damn right!” Angie wiped the tears from her eyes.
“Aye, I’ll keep the wee one from harm, right enough,” Stone added. “I’ll teach her all hundred ways to slice off a bloke’s low-hangin’ fruit without him even realizin’ they’re gone! And I’ll teach her to fight, and to see a scam a mile off, and to win at stabscotch. S’all in the action o’ the wrist.”
“Maybe when she’s older,” Lauren said, putting a gentle hand on Stone’s shoulder. She flashed me a look, making me laugh through my tears.
“We’ll all help you take care of her, and raise her as part of this mad family we’ve created,” Ronad said, gazing down at Nova still. “I know they say you can’t choose your family, but Nova’s gone ahead and chosen us… and right now, she’s all cozy in my arms and she’s going nowhere. So, you two should make the most of it. The pair of you look exhausted. Go on, head into the sleeping quarters and get some rest before you collapse.”
Xiphio also seemed entranced by the baby. “We shall take care of this small miracle, starting now. There are rooms prepared at the end of the corridor; I hope you find them to your liking.”
I stared at the clustered group in awe, watching Nova’s slate-gray eyes flitting toward each of the faces above her, a gurgle rising from her throat. Her tiny hands reached for Ronad’s shirt, gripping the fabric inquisitively as her gaze traveled from person to person.
She truly seemed to love the variety of faces that surrounded her, from gray-skinned coldblood to fish-scaled merevin to human and ambaka. It cheered my heart to know that Nova was going to grow up with such a wonderful, if unconventional, group of people around her. Although, Stone’s lessons in scavenging would definitely have to wait until she was eighteen… if at all.
“We’d love to get some rest, but we need to find somewhere that sells sweetblood first,” Navan said grimly. “We’ve only got three bottles left, and they’re not going to last long. I don’t want to put my daughter through the hunger pangs, but I also don’t want to put you all through the sound of her suffering. It’s not something anyone should have to hear.”
“I can check some local marketplaces if you want,” Bashrik offered, turning to the dashboard to begin a search.
I nodded. “That would be great, Bash, thank you.”
“I could run a wee check of the darkstar, if ye’d like?” Stone chimed in. “Ye might be able to get yerselves some in bulk, if ye know where to look… which I do.” He flashed us a grin, his eyes twinkling.
“I mean, we’d prefer to get it from safer—” Navan began, but I cut him off.
“Would you do that for us?” I didn’t care where the sweetblood came from, as long as we had a lot of it. I could deal with my own addiction, but I couldn’t bear the sound of my daughter in agony. The need for sweetblood was built into the fiber of her being; she couldn’t live without it. I could tell Navan was worried it might be tampered with or fake, if we purchased it from the darkstar market. Then again, it was supposed to be a common commodity, as easy to find as sugar or coffee in a supermarket. Surely, it wouldn’t be too hard to pick some genuine stuff up on our way to the dying star?
“Aye, it’d be me pleasure. Call it a baby gift. Ambaka like me normally give stories and suchlike in place of a gift ye can hold in yer mitts, but ye can have some sweetblood as an exception.” He pulled out a device and began to type on the screen, his eyes darting side to side as he scoured the darkstar market for what we needed.
Bashrik frowned as he read the results of his own search. “That’s weird.”
“You seein’ what I’m seein’?” Stone asked, peering over Bashrik’s shoulder.
“Shortages?”
Stone nodded. “And prices like ye wouldn’t believe. I’ve seen serrantium go fer cheaper!”
“Yeah, I’m seeing that too. Even in the normal marketplaces, they’re either sold out of sweetblood or they’re selling tiny bottles for a huge amount of credits.”
“What? How can that be possible?” Navan stepped forward to glance at the results.
“Not sure, pal,” Stone replied. “Sweetblood ain’t the kind o’ thing that’s usually in short supply. ‘Til now, I could go to any corner of the universe an’ find me a vial to put in me tea. Looks like somethin’ might o’ gone awry. I know there’ve been a couple o’ crackdowns on the traffickin’ of organic goods—might be an export issue.”
Navan’s face fell. “Do we still have Killick’s credit devices?”
“We gave a few to the Fed for repairs, but we’ve got twenty thousand credits left between the ones we still have,” Lauren replied.
“That’s not good enough,” Navan murmured. “Twenty thousand credits will barely buy two vials.”
“Are you kidding me?” My voice caught in my throat, as though a hand were squeezing it.
If we couldn’t afford to buy sweetblood at all, then how the hell was Nova supposed to survive to the end of the week, let alone years and years into the future? This was a total disaster. I thought of the simmering pot of overly potent sweetblood that I’d thrown at Bosen and Rini, and hated them even more for their selfish actions. They could have taken a few more bottles for themselves, and we’d still have had enough to last us for six months at least. Why did they have to use it all? Maybe they’d known about the shortage already—maybe they’d seen an opportunity and snatched it up. I cursed at them silently, using every expletive I knew.
Navan shook his head. “The cheapest vial is almost eight thousand credits.”
“And on the darkstar market?” I looked to Stone in desperation.
“They’ve got crates o’ the stuff, Ri, but they’re goin’ fer millions a box.”
“Then what the hell are we supposed to do?” I knew I was shouting, but I couldn’t hold my feelings back. This was my daughter’s life on the line.
“Might I make a suggestion?” Xiphio cleared his throat, a faint flush of purple coloring his cheeks.
I turned to face him, my eyes wide. “Anything.”
“I may have mentioned this place to you before, though it’s not somewhere I would ordinarily point out as a destination. It’s not a nice place to end up,” he replied nervously. “Vitriol Tower is no more than a couple of days away. It would mean postponing our journey to the Stargazer planet and going back on ourselves somewhat, but we cannot press on anyway, for fear of putting Nova at risk. I believe I told you it was a waystation for the lost and desolate travelers of the universe, where they might ask for help in their moment of need. I would say we fall under that category in this instance.”
Lauren nodded in agreement, which seemed to please Xiphio greatly.
“We could ask for information about the Stargazers themselves, too,” she said. “I mean, Stone can only remember bits and pieces—the black lakes and crystal oceans of the planet itself, and a few other, hazy memories. It
might be worthwhile to collect as much intel as we can before heading for their planet so we’re a bit more prepared.”
“Aye, sorry me mind’s full o’ holes when it comes to those odd folks,” Stone said. “I keep pushin’ to remember more, but me brain just pushes back. If I were a bettin’ man, which I am, I’d say the Stargazers did somethin’ to me head to make it that way.”
I looked around the room, before my gaze settled on Navan. “If Vitriol Tower is our only chance, then that’s where we have to go.”
“Learning more about the Stargazers can only help us,” Navan conceded. “After all, we still have to convince them to help us once we reach Aeon. Getting there is the easy part.”
Ronad nodded. “If someone at Vitriol Tower knows what we could offer them, in exchange for their assistance, then that benefits us massively. We could go through the gateway knowing what we have to ask them, targeting the conversation to our advantage.”
I had a feeling it wasn’t going to be as simple as a straightforward exchange, nor did I think we’d get the chance to bend the conversation to fit our agenda. The Stargazers were unlike any other species we’d ever encountered—they were the stuff of myth and legend, witnessed only by a select few. They lived on a different astral plane than the rest of us. These weren’t people to be trifled with. If they wanted to help us, they’d help us. If they didn’t, I doubted they would. No amount of trickery, bribery, gifts, or rhetoric would change that.
After all, how could anyone persuade a secretive, all-knowing race to fight their battles for them? Surely, people had tried before us. Had they failed? Had they succeeded? Had they ever been heard from again? It was impossible to know. No, I was sure that it was going to take something else, something special… Soon enough, we’d know what would be required.
Chapter Eight
I stirred from a restless slumber, leaving Navan asleep as I slipped out of bed. As tired as I was, I just couldn’t drift off for longer than an hour at a time. I dipped in and out of consciousness, my anxious mind waking me up in a cold sweat every so often, my heart pounding. I knew what was responsible. I was constantly terrified that Nova was going to go missing, the maternal instinct in me unable to fall into a deep slumber. I’d left her in the cockpit with Ronad and Bashrik, who’d promised to take care of her, but six hours had gone by, and I was ready to have her in my arms again.
Grabbing my clothes, I pulled them on and stole out of the chamber we’d retreated to, casting an affectionate look back at my sleeping husband. We’d been too exhausted for anything other than rest, but it had felt nice to have his arms around me, spooning me close. I really loved that man.
I was halfway down the corridor, heading for the cockpit, when the sound of people chatting distracted me. I knew I needed to get to Nova, but I couldn’t help my curiosity. She would be okay without me for a few more minutes.
Through a door to the left, I found Stone, Xiphio, and Lauren sitting around a table, eating while they talked. It was a kitchen of sorts, with a central island and worn chrome worktops wrapped around the food-stained walls. They looked up as I entered, smiles spreading across their faces.
“Hello, sleepyhead,” Lauren teased. “You hungry?”
I nodded, rubbing my stomach. “Starving. Although, I should probably get to Nova.”
“Hey, you need to eat, too,” Lauren reminded me. “Besides, she’s fast asleep. You might as well get some food in you while you can. And it’s your lucky day. We managed to nab a Fed ship with a food printer, but it isn’t as good as the one on Killick’s ship. I think he spoiled us.” She lifted a plate of gray-tinged mystery food and a rock-hard bread roll, a chuckle rising from her throat. The sound of her laughter drew the eyes of both Stone and Xiphio, who gazed at her adoringly.
“Right now, I’d eat anything,” I said.
“Anything, coming up.” She moved over to the food printer at the back of the rudimentary kitchen and typed in a few symbols. The machine got to work.
“What are you all talking about in here?” I wondered. “I take it Angie and Bash are… otherwise engaged?”
Xiphio blushed. “I do not feel it is appropriate to discuss the behaviors of our fellow crewmates.”
“Xiph, ye old junkhound, not everyone’s as horny as ye, wantin’ to go at it all day, every day,” Stone teased. “Bash is at the helm, pilotin’ like a boss. Ange is catchin’ some zeds. She ain’t slept too good since ye got snatched, Ri. Think she can rest easy now yer back, nestled in our bosom, so to speak.”
“I am by no means ‘horny!’” Xiphio protested.
Stone laughed heartily. “Nah, now ye mention it, I’d say yer more of a scaly sort.”
“Did you just taunt him so you could set him up for that joke?” Lauren rolled her eyes, though a small smile turned up the corners of her lips.
I could tell she was even more smitten with Stone than she’d been the last time I’d seen her at his bedside. Still, it looked like part of her was still torn. The way she defended Xiphio, and placed her hand on his shoulder as she brought my food over, made things all the more confusing.
Maybe she still hadn’t made up her mind as to whom she preferred.
“It were a good jest though, Ren—couldn’t resist!”
“Ah yes, a very good joke, Mr. Stone.” Xiphio laughed, but the sound came out strained.
“Back to your question, Riley,” Lauren said, steering the conversation away from the boys’ banter. “We were just talking about the Stargazers, and what we might do about them when we reach Aeon. Stone keeps trying to remember more about his time there, but that block on his mind keeps getting in the way.”
I nodded, taking a seat at the table. “I’ve been thinking about the same thing.”
“What’s yer take on it?” Stone asked.
“I think it’s going to be more difficult than we realize to convince them to intervene on our behalf. I mean, what assistance can they actually provide? Surely, if they knew something like this was going on, and wanted to do something about it, they’d have stepped in already.”
“Maybe they need a little push in the right direction,” Lauren suggested. “They’ve stayed out of other species’ issues for so long that perhaps they’ve forgotten that they can intervene.”
Stone grimaced. “Aye, or maybe they want us to wreck ourselves. Maybe they’re sick o’ our crap, all o’ us startin’ wars and killin’ each other all the time.”
“Or, it could be that nobody has come to ask for their help in a long while, and the only way they will intervene is if they are asked,” Xiphio said hopefully.
“Aye, but why’d they come an’ get me? I never asked nothin’ of ‘em, but they came an’ got me anyway. They knew I was on me ass, close to toppin’ meself and endin’ it all, and they swept in an’ stopped me.” He paused in thought. “They never had to do that, if what yer sayin’ is true, but there they were, savin’ me from meself.”
“Maybe it’s their duty to protect the last of a species,” I suggested.
“Cheers fer the grim thought, Ri.” He flashed me a smile, though his eyes twinkled with sadness. “Makes sense, I s’pose. Wouldn’t want the last of a species puttin’ a blaster through his head, right?”
“Can you remember anything about the ones that picked you up? Anything that might help us?” I pressed.
“Oh, aye, I can see one of ‘em clear as day,” Stone replied. “I think there were three of ‘em came to swipe me, but I can only see that one’s face.”
My eyes widened. “You remember one of them?”
“Aye, funny-lookin’ critter called Orfaio. I can remember ‘em holdin’ out their hand and tellin’ me that, but after the intro, all gets proper fuzzy.” He took a sip of his drink. “All feels way too personal, like I shouldn’t be delvin’. Feels like I’m dippin’ into me darkest parts, y’know?”
“That’s really good progress, though,” Lauren said. “I didn’t know you could remember what they looked like. It’s a grea
t start. If you can work backward from meeting this Orfaio person, then you might be able to remember more and more.”
“I didn’t know I knew about that critter ‘til just then. Like I say, odds an’ ends come an’ go in me head. One sec it’s dead clear, like it went on yesterday… next minute it’s gone.”
“Do you remember the kind of ship they took you away in?”
Stone frowned. “Shimmery is all I can tell ye. Like water glistenin’.”
“See, it’s all a puzzle. You just need to put the pieces together!” Lauren was grinning. “This is amazing stuff.”
“Ye think?”
“Of course! Hardly anyone in the universe has seen these beings. Even a small amount of information is going to help us out. Now, can you remember whether they were friendly or not?”
Stone shrugged. “Aye, gotta warmish vibe from ‘em. Never felt afeared or ought like that. While I were there, I felt like I were in a good speck, y’ know? A safe speck, far from all the bad in the ‘verse.”
“Why did you leave, if it felt like a safe place?” Lauren asked.
“Couldn’t tell ye.”
“Hmm… well, we’ll sit here and go through everything, see if we can’t jog your memory a little bit more.”
Stone smiled. “Sounds grand to me.”
“Alas, I must leave you both to your investigations,” Xiphio said, standing sharply. “There are many things I must attend to before we arrive at Vitriol Tower. I’m due to receive passes from the Fed, to assist in getting us to the front of the line when we reach the Hall of the Voice of Judgment. Otherwise, we may waste weeks there, waiting in line.”
“Voice o’ Judgment?” Stone laughed. “Couldn’t ‘ave called it anythin’ less doom an’ gloom, could they?”