CHAPTER NINE
Jaime blinked.
The multiple streams of information running through his head — from Dub, the systems controlling the airlock doors, and a dozen other subroutines in the hangar bay that he was manipulating — faded away as he stared with the others at the small box attached to the FTL controls.
“What kind of bomb?” The captain’s voice was deceptively casual, but Jaime could feel his focus as intensely as if he’d been broadcasting it.
Mags tapped a button on her station. “Bo, get up here,” she said through the comm. She nodded at the others. “He’s good with bombs.”
Rylan had released his reassuring grip on Jaime to crouch down low and close to the box. “EMP most likely.”
“But you’re not sure?” Garcia all but hissed.
Rylan yanked a hand through his blond hair. “It looks like the old military standard-issue kind, except those have a big button on ’em and a lot of warning labels.”
An EMP bomb could emit a swift electromagnetic pulse that disabled electronics. It was one of the few weapons that worked against the Singularity, but it also fried Commonwealth ships and equipment within its radius, too.
“Remember how Yoon said she had three ships?” Mags asked in her calm voice, as she studied the screens above her station. “I think that’s one of them launching after us now.”
Bo came into the bridge, panting slightly. He looked to Mags and she pointed to the box. “Bomb,” she said.
He didn’t seem particularly fazed, just got down beside Rylan to take a look. Kaz, still frozen in her chair, stared at them.
“Yeah.” Bo sounded like he’d been given a somewhat interesting puzzle. “That’s an EMP. I’m guessing it’s been modified so it would activate when we try to jump to FTL.”
Garcia rubbed his face. “So instead we putter along until Yoon’s ship captures us.”
“It could also have a remote trigger.”
“In which case it goes off and leaves us drifting. If Yoon is in a generous mood she’ll pick us up before we run out of air or freeze.” Garcia looked at the view screen. “This is ridiculously vengeful, Naree. Even for you.”
“So disarm it,” Kaz sputtered. “Cut some wires and get it out of here.”
Bo looked at her and actually smiled. “Now that would be the tricky part. I don’t know how it’s been modified. Any tampering I do might set it off.”
“I can—” Jaime took a breath. “I can hear it. The bomb, I mean. It’s not an AI, so I can’t talk to it, but I can sense the electronic signals.” He felt a bit faint, but he pressed on. “Maybe you could, like, help me through it?”
The captain gave him a long, measuring look which Jaime tried to return as steadily as he could manage. Garcia nodded once. “Give him some space.”
Jaime didn’t actually need the space, but Kaz got up to let him sit in her chair, and sitting was better than just standing there awkwardly. He closed his eyes and called up an image of the information he was receiving from inside the tiny box.
It was difficult, trying to describe it to Bo, like explaining a thought, but Bo seemed familiar with the inner workings of the bomb — though he did have to call for a pencil and paper so he could draw a schematic to better show Jaime what he needed to do.
“This is just like cutting the wires on a bomb,” Bo said, sounding mildly amused, “except you’re shifting one nano-processor subroutine from on to off, ideally without triggering any of the security measures.”
“Fuck,” Jaime heard Kaz mutter. He was also intensely aware of Rylan watching him, even with his eyes closed, could practically feel the way the other man was clenching and unclenching his fist.
Jaime frowned. He made himself focus only on the data from the bomb and on the delicate balance of changing it from one thing to the other. There were dozens of metaphors his trainers had used to try to explain it: it was like untangling a knot; like building a deck of cards; like picking a lock. It was like none of those things, but at the same time it was all of them, and this was what Jaime had spent years learning how to do.
He opened his eyes and let out the breath he’d been holding. “It’s done,” he said.
The others looked from him to the box. It looked exactly the same as before; there were no lights or sounds indicating anything had changed.
“You sure?” the captain asked.
Jaime nodded, his palms still sweating. “It should be safe to remove it.”
Kaz grimaced. “Should be?”
Bo shrugged. “It either goes off or it doesn’t.” He still waited for Garcia. The captain tugged on his lip.
Rylan spoke up from the back of the bridge. “Jaime said it’s safe.”
Garcia nodded, and Bo carefully pulled the wires out from the panel, releasing the box into his hand. Everyone exhaled.
“I have some shielded containers I can put it in,” he said.
“Do it,” the captain said. “Now.”
Bo moved with smooth speed, the bomb cradled in his hands as he left the bridge.
“I didn’t want to say anything too distracting before,” Mags put in. “But that ship is right on top of us.”
“Fuck.” Kaz visibly stopped herself from yanking Jaime out of her chair and settled for gesturing impatiently for him to move.
“We’re in range if they have magnetic grapples,” Mags said.
“Then we need to be out of range,” Garcia snapped. “We need to—”
“A second ship’s moving in.”
Garcia squinted at the viewing screen. “Another one of Yoon’s?”
“No,” Mags replied. “Commonwealth.”
A man’s voice came over the comm, the accent polished and precise. “Citizens. Prepare your ships for inspection.”
Garcia threw his hands up. “Fuck my life.”
“There’s a hole,” Kaz said. “Sebastian, they left a hole.”
“What?”
Jaime peered in with the rest of them at Kaz’s screen. “Yoon’s ship is blocked by the Commonwealth vessel — their only other option is to head back to the Sprawl. But we can squeeze past ’em both, jump straight into FTL.”
“Do it,” Garcia flung himself back into his chair. “Mags, reply to the Commonwealth in a soothing and stalling manner.” He pressed the button for ship-wide communication. “Prepare to jump, this could be a little messy.”
Kaz’s hands were steady on the controls. “Dub and I are never messy. Ready to jump in three…”
The view out the screen shifted as Kaz banked sharply, angling them towards deep space. “Two.”
Jaime stepped backwards and felt Rylan’s strong hands settle on his shoulders.
“One.”
The stars blurred and streaked as the ship hurtled forward into the freedom of the dark. Jaime felt some of the tension ease from his body. They were clear.
Garcia stretched out in his chair, grinning broadly. “That turned out to be a bit of luck after all.”
Mags shook her head. “I’m positive that’s the same ship from Mamawayawin Outpost. They must have been tracking us the whole time.”
Kaz scowled. “Through FTL space?”
Garcia rubbed at his light beard. “They knew they damaged us. Must have realized the Sprawl was the obvious place for repairs.” He gave Mags a look. “One more reason I was right not to want to go there. I knew this would happen.” Mags tilted her head. “Well, I didn’t know Naree planned to betray me utterly. I just thought she was going to repeat embarrassing incidents from our sex life. Still, I should have trusted my gut.”
Mags sighed. The captain ignored her, surging out of his chair to face Jaime. “I have to thank you. You saved us all, several times today. And you, too, Rylan. No one would have blamed either of you for cutting out.”
Jaime wasn’t sure what to say to that. It hadn’t occurred to him to run at any point — which, for him, was something. He’s spent most of his life looking to run away. “Uh, I guess we’ve got that delivery to make,” he said, and then winced because it sounded like he had just done it for the money.
The captain didn’t seem to mind. “That we do.” He looked to the front of the bridge. “Kaz, you have the rendezvous coordinates?”
“Yep, we’re a few days out from there, but we’ll make the meet.”
“We’ll spend the meantime well, then.” He slung an arm over Jaime’s shoulders. “Tonight, I’m going to break out the good wine.” Mags coughed lightly, and Garcia’s mouth turned down. “After I see in what shape the ship is in, assist with repairs, and do all sorts of captainly duties.” He flicked dust off of Jaime’s arm. “And we both need to get cleaned up. That wasn’t a bad trick you pulled with the fire alarm—”
He started to lead Jaime off the bridge. Rylan following them.
“Oh, and Rylan,” the captain said. “Get the good doctor to take care of those wrists.”
Rylan frowned down at his bruised and scabbed wrists like he was surprised they were there. “I’m fine.”
“That’s an order.”
Jaime looked back at Rylan, seeing him stare back. Jaime wasn’t sure what to do with all his questions, or with the way he’d grown to trust Rylan. Was that trust misplaced? He couldn’t think of what to say, so he stayed silent and let the captain lead him away.
* * *
Rylan was left watching Jaime and the captain walk away down the corridor. He was struck with a sudden thought of the two of them heading to the showers — together — and a very definite and surprising dislike of the idea. He ground his teeth and turned away.
The doctor was somewhat nicer to him than usual when he showed up in sick bay, actually smiling slightly when he turned down her offer of tissue repair.
“Don’t be wasting power or your time on a few scratches.”
“The bones and tendons in your arm may be alloys, but that’s regular skin — your own skin — on top,” she said as she got out some ointments. “You’re going to bruise and bleed if you keep acting like a super-hero.”
“I’m nothing like that,” he muttered.
“It was pretty brave.” She spread antibiotic gel over his wrists. “I wasn’t expecting a rescue from you.”
“That was Jaime.”
Her dark eyes were considering as she studied him. “I’ve seen a lot of soldiers turned mercenaries in my time. Most of them switch allegiances with every change of the wind. You’re loyal, Rylan.”
Rylan squirmed as he sat on the med table. “What about you? You coulda taken Yoon’s offer. No one would have blamed a doctor wanting a more stable life.”
“I knew what I was signing up for when I joined this crew, and I don’t regret it. I know Sebastian seems foolish, but there’s a reason someone like Mags stays with him. Same reason I do. He’s an honorable man.”
In spite of himself, Rylan was startled enough to sputter out. “You heard him, he stole this ship. He’s a smuggler.”
“It’s a different kind of honor, I admit. But he’ll never betray his crew. He’s worthy of your trust, Rylan.”
Rylan dropped his eyes. Lydia finished up, patting his hands. “Get some rest. Doctor’s orders.”
“I should go down to the engine room and then—”
“And check the cargo hold and the other decks and a dozen other things. I know. But then rest. Pass that prescription on to Jaime, too, when you see him.”
He nodded and got up, wanting to be away from her undeserved kindness as quickly as possible.
It turned out there were close to a dozen things to do. He helped Simi and Bo load in the new fuel cells and clean up the engine room. He and Mags did a sweep of the entire ship, looking for any more surprises left by Yoon’s people. He checked the locks on the secret cargo hold twice.
The whole time there was an underlying pulse to his thoughts that he could only name Jaime.
Rylan remembered crawling through the vents with him, remembered how Jaime’s body had felt beneath his, ever so briefly. Every touch they’d shared, even Rylan just grabbing at him, seemed etched on his hands. They itched for more.
It made every moment he spent working around the ship stretch out in a maddening way. They needed to talk or… something. But the anticipation of seeing him, wondering what he would say, whether he would want Rylan to touch him again, made Rylan want to race through the corridors to end this uncertainty.
When he finally — finally — finished, pausing in the galley only to shove a food bar in his mouth, he made his way down to their quarters. Rylan smoothed his hands over his hair before he reached for the hatch.
He opened the door. Jaime stood up from the chair immediately, obviously waiting for him. Rylan breathed in and then out, starting to smile.
Jaime opened his mouth and hesitated, looking at the still-open door. Rylan hastily closed it and took a step closer to Jaime, feeling a flutter of anticipation in his stomach. Jaime had been waiting for him. Maybe they’d both been waiting days for this moment.
Jaime licked his lips and looked up at him. Rylan was close enough to see every sooty lash ringing those soft brown eyes.
“I need to ask you one thing,” Jaime said. “Why were you sending a signal to that Commonwealth ship?”