“What did you do to my toy?” Rick exclaimed as he tried scooping the disassembled hover disc into his arms.

Raisa sat on the floor of the engine room by Viktor’s tools. She hadn’t meant to work there, but once she started, she just kept going.

“Turns out it has some of the same technology as my molecular gastro-spectrometer.” Raisa glanced up at the pilot and laughed at his stricken look. “Lochlann told me I could scavenge it for the repairs.”

“Oh.” He dropped the parts on the ground. “I suppose that’s all right.”

“Thanks,” she drawled. “I’m glad you approve of me making space credits.”

“So, hey, about that box I gave you,” he said. “Any chance you remember where you put it?”

“I hid it in the ESC meal pack crate in the secret lab. It’s buried toward the bottom.” Raisa bit her lip as she tried to connect the small wires inside the unit. She didn’t touch them as she threaded it with her hovering finger.

“You are a star.” Rick clapped his hands.

“What’s on the information discs in the box?” Raisa finally managed to slide the wire into place and took a deep breath.

“Something very valuable.”

He didn’t look like he would say more about it, so she didn’t pry. “Aren’t you supposed to be piloting the ship?”

“Violette’s at the controls so I can eat,” he answered.

“Then what are you doing in the engine room?” Raisa picked up a soldering wand, held it over the wire, and pushed a button. A current surged, welding it into place.

“Wasn’t hungry,” he admitted. “There’s no one chasing us so it’s not much fun flying the ship.”

“Hand me that plate?” Raisa pointed toward the cover.

Rick leaned over and picked it up. “You and Jackson.”

Raisa arched a brow, not sure where he was going with his comment. Her hand dropped as she studied his face.

“You know about his curse, right?” Rick waved the plate, reminding her to take it from him. “I’m trying to figure out where you fit in.”

Raisa reached for the cover plate. “What curse?”

“When we were on Lintian, an ancestral spirit cursed Lochlann, Dev, our old shipmate Evan, and Jackson and me. She said that the secret to our future happiness was hidden within the five Lintianese elements—metal, water, wood, earth and fire. The element holds the secret to our future happiness, but if we don’t recognize it when it comes, we will lose it and be forever alone. Lochlann, Dev, and Evan found their matches. And now Jackson found his.”

Raisa didn’t believe in curses, but she could see that Rick did. “And you’re wondering what element is left for you?”

“Nah.” he waved a hand in dismissal. “Just making conversation.”

Raisa could tell he was lying. “Then, conversationally, what elements do you think are taken?”

“Dev is fire. Obviously. Evan is probably earth, since Josselyn was imprisoned in stone. Or maybe water because she was on an ice planet.” Rick lifted part of the disassembled hover disc and pretended to study it.

“That sounds like a story I might want to hear sometime.” Raisa fitted the metal casing into place. “Hand me those screws?”

Rick sat on the floor and gathered the handful of screws laying in a pile. He handed her one. “Josselyn is Violette’s sister. Actually, it’s a long story.”

“And Lochlann?” She aligned the screw and held her hand over it to force it to move into place.

“Metal. Alexis was filled with nanobots and is like half computer.” Rick handed her another screw.

“So that means Jackson is either wood, water, or earth,” Raisa concluded. “I’m not sure I can help you out. When we first met, he kept saying I needed a bath. Maybe that makes me water, since I had to make a water-based concoction to bathe with. Or earth because I was dirty and…” Raisa thought about clawing out of the shallow grave. She didn’t like thinking about it. Things could have gone so much differently that day. If not for Jackson, the Dokka would have killed her. “Then again, I have an affinity for planets with trees and cooking by campfire, which is wood.”

“Not that it matters,” Rick said. He handed her another screw.

“Wood,” Raisa told him. “I think you’d be wood.”

He lifted his fist and dropped the rest of the screws in her offered hand. “You and Jackson.”

Raisa nodded. “Me and Jackson.”

“It’s good.” Rick nodded and gave her a playful grin as he stood. He whistled as he left the room. The pilot acted like nothing bothered him, but Raisa knew better. He cared deeply for his makeshift family. He’d taken a beating to secure their hiding place. He was one of the first to grab a weapon to go after Jackson when they’d learned the Federation had him.

“Rick bothering you?” Jackson appeared in the door and her whole world felt like it brightened. He leaned over her.

“No. We were just talking about the curse.” Raisa pushed her hands into the floor to lift high enough to give him a quick kiss. “We were wondering what element you were.”

“Ah, the curse.” Jackson chuckled. “I think I’m fire, because that’s what I feel when you’re near me.”

Raisa laughed. “I thought Dev was fire.”

“That’s a little obvious isn’t it?” Jackson waved his hand in dismissal. “Did Rick tell you how we became cursed?”

“He said an ancestral spirit did it.” Raisa finished screwing the plate onto the molecular gastro-spectrometer.

“Did he say why Zhang An did it?”

Raisa shook her head in denial.

“Rick came on to her. She didn’t appreciate his brand of humor. I remember him saying something about twisting her panties. To tell you the truth, half the time Rick says stuff, we don’t know what he’s going on about.”

“Spirit, as in ghost, as in transparent person?” Raisa tried to picture Rick propositioning a ghost. Jackson nodded. “How exactly would that work?”

“I find it best not to think about it.” Jackson offered his hand. He nodded at the molecular gastro-spectrometer. “Were you able to repair your machine?”

“We’ll find out.” Raisa wrapped her arms around Jackson’s neck and lifted up on her toes. She gave a small groan. “I should have probably picked a better workbench. That metal floor is hard on the hips.”

“You’ll just have to let me massage them for you,” Jackson offered, letting his hands glide down her sides. A tiny shiver worked over her, as it always did at his nearness.

“So, what have you been up to my darling?” Raisa asked, enjoying his closeness.

“Alexis decoded more of the message. From what we can piece together, after their village came down with this mutating blood disease, Blue’s husband built this ship while he tried to find a cure for her. Since she drank blood, he needed a supply. That’s where the Kintok came in. He used the traveling sex ship to feed her. Tank-boy Greg must have been part of the cure process. That part’s a little unclear. The cure kept her from being contagious but didn’t change what she had turned into. He put her in stasis, and eventually, when none of his ideas worked, he locked up the lab and killed himself by jumping out of an airlock.” Jackson sighed. “I don’t know if I feel sorry for the doctor. I mean, he must have loved her greatly to go to all this trouble, but on the other hand, he funded a pleasure ship and probably syphoned blood from the clients.”

“If you were to tell this story to anyone outside of this ship, they would think you wove a tale of fiction.” Raisa let go of him and gestured down to the molecular gastro-spectrometer before rubbing one of his strong bicep muscles. “Would you mind carrying that to the dining hall?”

“I am yours to command.” Jackson winked. He lifted the unit and waited for her to walk out of the engine room first. They left the hover disc parts on the floor by Viktor’s toolbox.

She looked up at the lights. “I have to say I feel much better now that the ship has power. Though, I suppose I should say I feel better now that Blue’s off the ship.”

“Speaking of secret labs, we’re going to see if we can sell any of the medicines. There has to be someone who would want that setup for something other than blood feeding. We could stand to make a lot of money if we tear it down and sell off the pieces.”

“I don’t know, having a secret chamber is kind of neat,” she countered.

“We’ll keep the chamber. We just don’t need all the medical supplies as badly as we need space credits.” Jackson followed her into the dining hall and set the device on a table.

“You realize, if I get this working,” she patted the molecular gastro-spectrometer, “I can earn space credits. I still have a job. And, with this ship roaming the high skies, I can find food samples from all over. It’s steady pay.”

“I do not expect you to support me,” Jackson said. “I will provide for you.”

Raisa smiled. “That’s incredibly sweet of you to say, but I like my job. I like figuring out the puzzle of how to make something others enjoy. I like helping to feed people their native foods and sharing those culinary adventures with others who may never have tasted Syog ale or stew from Palpaton.”

“I’ve never had stew from Palpaton,” Jackson admitted.

“Don’t. It’s awful.” Raisa chuckled. “And I don’t recommend visiting with the people of Syog for too long. They have some rather aggressive customs that include kicking each other in the…” She glanced downward at his hips so he’d get her meaning.

“Oh, ow.” He winced and his stomach tightened. “Thanks for the warning.”

“How about we support each other?” Raisa loved the feel of being in his arms. She felt safe when he was near.

“It’s a deal.” Jackson cupped her cheek and gazed into her eyes. “You’re one of us now.”

“A pirate?” she chuckled at the very idea.

“Family,” he corrected. “And, being one of us, you have a right to know what we’re doing.”

“What are we doing?” She placed her hand over his.

He let go of her and walked over to the food simulator. “I need to figure out why the Federation wants me.”

Raisa felt as if a weight settled over her. She stared at his back as he lifted his hand to rest on top of the unit without programming a meal. She didn’t like where this conversation was going. They had just come out of danger, and he was talking about finding it again. “How?”

“There is a general I used to report to named Ogden. I’ll find him and ask.” Jackson pushed several buttons. “Until I clear this up, they’re not going to stop looking for me. Their coming for me put everyone in danger, and after that rescue, I’m worried they’re not going to be as friendly next time.”

Raisa automatically watched his selection. “That is a high-carbohydrate-level dish. You really should program in something with vitamins.”

He turned to eye her questioningly as the unit dinged. Without looking, he opened the door and reached in. He pulled out a plate full of noodles with a white sauce. “You knew what I was getting without looking?”

“I program the simulators for a living. I have most of the recipe codes memorized.” Raisa shut the door and hit the buttons to materialize vegetables. When the unit dinged, she pulled out a steaming plate of green cubes and dumped them on top of the pasta. “There.”

Jackson grinned. “I kind of like this you-taking-care-of-me thing.”

“Well if you eat like that all the time, someone has to.” She wasn’t baited with his smile. Worry still filled her. “Do you have to face the Federation? Can’t we keep flying? Can’t we change the name of the ship? Or the manifest?”

“Or my face and name?” he added with a shake of his head. “It’s better I deal with this head on. We can’t be looking over our shoulders all the time. We have important work to do.”

“The repossessions Alexis was talking about.” Raisa nodded. If the Larceny Casino was taking possession of people and selling them to cover debts the delinquent gamblers owed, they needed to be stopped.

“Yes.” Jackson placed his plate on the table.

“What if they make you reenlist?” Raisa asked.

He didn’t answer as he sat at the table.

“It’s obvious you don’t like talking about that time in your life, so I won’t pry, but I can tell you don’t want to go back to that.” Raisa hated the distance she felt building between them. She wanted to go back to holding him and laughing, but their relationship was relatively new and there was so much they hadn’t had time to learn about each other. She loved him. She knew that. When he was near she felt better, whole. The idea of losing this opportunity to be with him was devastating.

But was her desire and love enough to stop the forces of fate?

Was it enough to stop the Federation from taking him away from her?

Raisa wasn’t naïve. She had traveled extensively and knew that, as good as the Federation could be, and as important as the organization was, they were also a giant superpower within the galaxies, and with that came politics and corruption.

“There is nothing to tell. The things that happen in battle are not stories anyone needs to hear. I find comfort in the fact I always did what was right. I never harmed an innocent person and I always did my duty.” Jackson picked up a fork and stabbed the food a little too hard.

“That doesn’t mean it wasn’t a hardship. The things you must have seen.” Raisa almost added, “the things you must have done,” but stopped herself. She tried to place her hand on his shoulder in comfort, but he tensed so she let it drop to her side. She took a deep breath and moved toward the doorway to give him space.

“It’s the nightmares after,” he said quietly, stopping her departure.

Raisa turned to study him as he spoke. He didn’t look at her and she didn’t move as she waited for him to continue.

“Everyone I killed had done something bad, but even bad guys scream and plead when it is the end.” Jackson took a small bite and then dropped his fork as if he’d lost his appetite. “That’s not what I dream about though. I remember the things those bad guys had done—transporting women against their will, overtaking villages, and…” He took a deep breath and she stepped closer as his voice grew softer. “Horrible things. The worst things you could imagine one being doing to another.”

“Then it sounds like you have nothing to be sorry for,” she said.

Green eyes lifted to meet hers. “It’s what I couldn’t do that I’m sorry for. There was a political diplomat visiting Trag Seven. My unit was supposed to clear the area of threats before she landed but we were told to stand down because the diplomat wasn’t part of the Federation Alliance and Trag Seven was. The diplomat, her husband, and their twelve children were murdered, and all because their homeworld wasn’t part of the Federation’s plan. I’d traveled with the family. I knew them. They were good people who were trying to make life better. I could have stopped the attack. We knew there was danger. We were right there, on-world, and we were ordered to do nothing. It was then I realized that if I wanted to make a difference, it wouldn’t be under the banner of politics but out in the galaxies. Out here is where my talents are best put to use. In the high skies, I don’t have to wait for orders to do the right thing.”

Raisa approached him slowly. She leaned against his shoulder and pulled his head against her stomach. She stood, holding him, not knowing what to say. She heard the pain in his voice, felt it in the tremble of his body.

“The others don’t know.” He wrapped his arms around her, keeping her next to him as she stroked his hair.

“I have no reason to tell them,” she answered. “But you are a good man, Jackson. You have to forgive yourself. Worrying about a threat and knowing the future are two different things. What happened is the fault of the person who ended their lives. If you had been there, if you had seen it, I know you would have done something.”

“Ew, Jackson, what are those green things on your plate?” Viktor entered. He wrinkled his nose and shook his head as he crossed to the food simulator.

Jackson released her. Even though she had heard the pain in his voice and felt him shake, when she looked at his face it was expressionless. He reached for his fork and took a mouthful of the food.

“They’re call vitamins,” Raisa said, keeping her tone light as she deflected the conversation to give Jackson time to collect his emotions. They might not show on his face, but she knew they were in there, churning around his tough demeanor. “And you’re going to have some too.”

Viktor pressed the buttons to materialize his meal. The simulator dinged, and he took out a large square base piled with meat and other unrecognizable toppings. It was not a recipe Raisa had programmed. He folded the base in half and lifted it like a sandwich. His eyes met hers defiantly as he took a bite.

“Keep it up and I’ll program the simulator to give out nothing but healthy, enriched super paste.”

Viktor gagged, nearly choking on his food. He swallowed hard. “You wouldn’t.”

Raisa crossed her arms over her chest.

Viktor reached for Jackson’s plate and stole two of the green cubes. He popped them into his mouth and mumbled, “Mmm, so good.” The expression on his face said he thought they were anything but.

“That’s better.” Raisa nodded in approval.

“I’m going to get out of here before you try to feed me anything else,” Viktor said. He carried his folded food out of the dining hall.

“Hey,” Raisa called after him, leaning into the corridor. “How’s your brother?”

“He woke up for a few minutes earlier mumbling nonsense. The medical booth says he’s getting better.” Viktor did not look heartened by the information.

“That’s a good sign,” Raisa said.

“I suppose.” Viktor walked down the corridor toward the medical booth, where he’d spent most of his time since the fueling dock.

When Raisa turned back to Jackson, he was almost finished with his food, as if he’d shoveled it quickly into his mouth. “Want to help me test the molecular gastro-spectrometer?”

“How?”

“I’ll put something from the simulator into it and see if it can correctly break it down to its molecular levels.” Raisa knew her job sounded boring to those who were not scientifically enthusiastic. She didn’t expect him to stick around for a demonstration. Most of the time people tried to make excuses and ran away from her when she started working.

“Yes,” he answered, to her surprise. “I would like to see how you do what you do.”

“Really?” She couldn’t stop the word from passing over her lips.

“Of course.” Jackson nodded. He stood, moving to look at the unit as if waiting for her to start. “You thought it important enough to risk your life stealing it back from the Dokka. I’ve been curious to see what this molecular gastro-spectrometer does.”

Raisa smiled. “I promise, it’s fascinating.” She reached for the food simulator and disconnected the power supply so she could insert it into her machine. The molecular gastro-spectrometer instantly began to vibrate. It sounded louder than normal, but the indicator lights turned on. “Now hand me your plate. Let’s see if we can break down what you just ate for dinner.”