Warhawk's Amnesty - Ch. 7 - Two Lives in Tragedy - Final (Patreon)

With two vigorous pulls, Seb leaned his body into the torque wrench. He gritted his teeth as his muscles flexed from the tension. At the last second, he felt the bolt give, loosening itself from the steel frame. Seb wiped the sweat from his forehead before taking a sip of water out of the plastic pouch.

With the single engine running and power being restored, the heat was rising. The skinsleeve left him with an unnatural feeling. Even without it turned on, it did a miraculous job evaporating the perspiration on his body. However, this still left his neck and head exposed.

Since Francisca left the room, Seb busied his mind doing what he could to get the ship operational. He found the box of floridium rods downstairs like Toros said. He wasn’t sure if he was impressed or worried that the man had survived snapping one open. Maybe what Francisca said was true, he thought. Maybe they are built differently.

It was hard to argue the logic. The man-bun-wearing beast lifted Seb with one arm. And based on the last time he weighed himself, lifting two hundred pounds of lean muscle with one arm was an impressive feat. Although, all the muscles in the galaxy wouldn’t matter against my Lawbringer, Seb reassured himself.

Seb grabbed the torque wrench and set it back on the next bolt. Luckily, the three other bolts on the assembly cover weren’t nearly as rusted. As Seb ratcheted the bolts free, he heard several steps coming down the hallway. He turned when he heard a knock on the wall. Toros and Captain Francisca were both wearing their coats, hats, and gloves.

“Hey, you got a minute?” Captain Francisca asked.

“I’m kind of in the zone right now,” Seb said, pulling out a bolt. “Mind if I work while we talk?”

“Yeah, that’s—”

“Oh, before you start. I’ve got bad news.” Seb nodded his head backward. “Those weren’t pure floridium rods down in the cargo bay. I popped a new one in the FTL core, and it didn’t pass all the checks.”

“What does that mean? How does that happen?”

“It means you got robbed. The guy who sold them to you probably gave you a really good deal, didn’t he, Toros?”

Captain Francisca turned and slapped Toros in the chest. “Can you do anything right?”

“How was I supposed to know?” Toros growled.

“If the deal seems too good to be true, it likely is,” Seb said. “Fake floridium rods are a pretty common scam. Thieves will steal a shipment of floridium rods and look to make even more profit by draining the rods using aftermarket tools and then splicing it with whatever.”

“So, you’re telling me we’re stuck here?”

“Not necessarily. The rods seem pure enough that they could run. I could remove the safety protocol, and we could give it a shot. We won’t know if it will work until we attempt to jump. However, that should be our very last resort. I would highly recommend you check Samael’s and see if he’ll sell you one.”

“Theoretically, what would happen if we used the bad rod?”

Seb turned around and leaned against the engine. “Theoretically, if it’s clean enough, we could jump, and it gets us to where we’re going. Option two would be that the FTL core attempts to use the rod, it doesn’t have enough juice, and the backup safety system ejects it. Option three is it fails catastrophically, and we all die in a fiery blaze.”

“Sounds like we don’t really have a choice,” Captain Francisca said, slapping Toros again. Seb nodded and resumed his work while Captain Francisca gave her and Toros’s reasoning for the visit. “It looks like you were honest about the job, by the way. As soon as the power came back on, we were able to establish a connection with the comms tower and could access the boards again. The only job around here was for the Williams Correctional Corp for a three-phase mission. And you weren’t kidding, the offer is substantial.”

Seb forced a smile as he pulled off the engine’s electronics hatch. “Yeah, like I said, it’s time sensitive, which is why I am trying to get us up and running.”

“We’re supposed to meet with a . . . Lieutenant Dover first. Is he the associate you mentioned earlier?”

“Yeah. From what I overheard, he was supposed to wait at the comm station to rendezvous with whoever accepted the job.”

“Well, it’s an open contract. I’m guessing to try to get more people involved. However, it didn’t look like anyone else had taken it up yet.”

“I’m not surprised. It only seems like people who are unlucky are the ones who get stuck out here.”

“I would agree with you on that,” Captain Francisca said, chuckling. “But our luck will change if we can pull this off.”

“I’m just ready to get out of here,” Seb said, sticking his hand into the housing. He pulled out the control board that was charred black. “That’s not good.” His focus blocked out a question asked while he continued to work. He turned and threw the fried board into a pile of scrap he’d accumulated since he started taking the engine apart. Already on autopilot, Seb bent down, turned on his flashlight, and started pulling out rolls of fried wiring.

“Seb!” Francisca shouted, pulling his attention toward the door. “Didn’t you hear me?”

“No, sorry, like I said . . . in the zone.”

“We’re going to meet with the lieutenant, and I want to know how well you know him?”

“Not very. I only met him today. We came down in the same lifepod together. He seems like a good kid. Why do you ask?” Seb heard some quick shuffling and looked over to see the two mercs standing around the corner. Based on Captain Francisca’s wide eyes and jerking movements, the two seemed to be in a deep argument.

Seb yanked the last bit of wires, balled them up, and threw them into the trash pile before walking toward the door. When Captain Francisca saw him approaching, she pointed her finger up at Toros, giving him a stern look.

“Everything okay out here?” Seb asked, wiping his gloved hands with a cloth.

“Yeah, we’re just discussing how we want to handle everything.”

Seb noticed a hesitation in her voice that made him think there was something she wasn’t telling him. “Anything I can help with?”

“Nope, you just stay here and get the ship ready.”

“Fair enough. It shouldn’t be too much longer. I just need—”

Captain Francisca waved a hand in front of Seb’s face and smiled. “I don’t care. Just get it done.” Seb was certain he felt his eye twitch. The disrespect was enough for him to blow up in her face. However, he needed her ship. So, he just smiled and nodded. He watched Francisca and Toros walk down the hallway toward the airlock door.

Once they turned the corner, he kicked the pile of trash, sending parts all over the place, which he immediately regretted having remembered there were parts in there he still needed. He took in a deep breath before walking back to the engine and resuming his work.

Based on his diag-tool read out, the engine needed to be replaced. But, he didn’t have the luxury of a spare engine. Through a combination of poor maintenance and the sudden FTL deceleration, he was trying to keep a mechanical beast alive with duct tape and gum. He had to use what he had on hand and get it good enough.

His first problem was the control board and wires that were completely fried. He knew he already had what he needed to fix the problem. The control board was basically a dumb computer with a particular instruction set. He had a spare computer in his pack and just needed a copy of the instruction set. Thankfully, he had a perfectly good duplicate engine with a working control board on the other side of the room.

Seb walked over to his bag and pulled out the datapad he bought earlier. He plugged his diag-tool into the secondary engine to download a copy of the control board’s instruction set. Once it was complete, he transferred the program to his datapad. With Orion-manufactured ECBs and other human-manufactured electronics, many of the circuit boards ran the same hynix operating system, allowing for quick compatibility. All it took was for him to plug in his datapad into the secondary engine’s dataterm port and test it. Seb grinned from ear to ear when his diag-tool’s control test came back green. He grabbed some extra duct tape and strapped the datapad to the exterior of the engine’s housing.

With one problem solved, Seb moved on to the next. Because of the engine’s age and how much it flexed decelerating out of FTL, several of the bolts had sheared completely off. This was causing the stability readings to be in an excess of what was acceptable. He easily fixed this with a drill and an extraction bit. Since the bolts were secured into the ship’s frame, Seb had to be careful not to damage the holes themselves, otherwise the replacement bolts wouldn’t fit. After a half hour of slow, methodical work, he replaced each bolt, and the readings, while not perfect, were within flyable parameters.

Seb saved the last part because it was the easiest. Several of the hoses and couplings had become loosened. It took him a few minutes to secure and tighten them. When he reran the diag-tool again, there were still a lot of yellow triangles but no more red exclamation points. Good enough, he mused. If any of my instructors saw this, I don’t know whether they would have been impressed or aghast. Now we just need to worry about the FTL core. I really hope this isn’t my last jump.

While Seb was disconnecting his diag-tool, he heard the sound of metal crashing on the floor of the ship echoing down the hallway. He set his tools down before wiping his hands and jogging down the passage. When he reached the kitchen, he found his long-tailed savior hunched over, picking up metal silverware from the floor.

His eyes gazed at the thick, long tail that flexed to her side, easily longer than her entire body. As it swayed with her movement, her white jacket slid upward, revealing the uniqueness of her bottom wear. Given that the waist of her pants was secured with a belt, the cut tapered in an upside-down triangle, leaving room for her tail and revealing the upper top of her plush bottom. Seb caught himself in a haze, having to force himself to look away.

He knocked on the wall and cleared his throat, signaling his approach. “Need any help?”

Nalla jumped upward and swung around, slamming her tail into the wall where Seb’s head was. Fortunately, he was quick enough to duck. He looked up and jerked back when he noticed the dent left in the ship’s metal panel, thankful that wasn’t his head.

“Oh, I’m so sorry,” Nalla said, holding her hands up to her chest and looking down at the floor. “I forgot that you were on the ship. And when you spoke, well . . . you startled me.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Seb said, smiling. “I’m sorry that I startled you.” Seb thought he was going to melt into the grates on the floor when she glanced up at him and gave a fanged smile. That’s all it took for him to become smitten.

“Well . . . um . . . I guess I’ll get back to cleaning up,” she said with a nervous laugh.

“Do you need some help? I heard the metal clashing all over the floor.”

“Yeah, I’m just a bit clumsy sometimes. Captain Francisca said we were going to be picking up passengers soon and asked me to clean up the ship.”

“It looks like you all have had a rough go of it. Based on how it looked when I came in, you all had been cooped up in here for a while, am I right?”

“Not that long. Toros just eats a ton and never picks up after himself. But I’m not complaining! I’m happy to serve the captain.”

Her fake smile and increase in tone gave Seb pause. It was as if she were speaking to someone not in the room. Seb twisted his lips as he thought about Nalla’s sudden change in behavior, but he ignored it for now.

“Well, what can I assist you with? Do you need help picking up the trash?”

“Oh, no,” Nalla said, waving her hands back and forth. “I couldn’t ask you to do such a thing. It’s my task given to me by Captain Francisca.”

“Come on, it’s the least I could do to thank you for saving me from falling off the ladder earlier.”

“Don’t you have to take care of the engine?”

“It’s as good as it’s going to be for now.”

“Will we be able to depart?”

“Oh yeah, she’ll fly. The only question at this time is whether or not those rods Toros bought will allow us to jump to FTL.”

“Oh, is something wrong with them?”

“They didn’t tell you?” Seb asked, smirking. “Toros got scammed. They’re not pure rods.” Seb leaned in, bringing his hand up to his mouth and whispering. “Just between the two of us, he doesn’t seem like that smart of a guy.”

Nalla burst into a giggle fit. Every attempt at stopping was restarted once she glanced back up at Seb. When she got her laughing under control, she nodded in agreement. “He’s definitely not the sharpest claw.”

Seb laughed and took a few steps toward Nalla before extending his hand. “I’m Seb, by the way. I don’t think we’ve done introductions, but I think I overheard Captain Francisca call you Nalla?”

The shy woman tugged at the turtleneck that was under her white doctor’s coat, pulling it slightly over her chin as she looked down at Seb’s outreached hand. She hesitated before reaching out and grabbing it. The two shared a smile before she spoke. “Yeah . . . I’m Nalla Lumin.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Nalla, but judging by that coat of yours, should I be calling you Dr. Lumin?”

The question restarted Nalla’s giggles. “I’ve studied enough to be considered a doctor in sepix-controlled space. However, I don’t hold any official doctorates or certifications that are required in human settlements. Plus, I prefer to keep things casual.”

“Fair enough. I can get started on the trash.”

“There is a plastic bin underneath the counter, and the garbage shoot is in the side wall.”

Seb thought he felt Nalla’s hand stride along his as he pulled away, a feeling that bolstered his confidence. He walked around the counter, opened the bottom drawers, and pulled out the bin. He started picking up the trash, catching Nalla’s glances as she picked up the remaining silverware.

“So, how long have you known Captain Francisca and Toros?”

“About three years now.”

“How did you all meet?”

“Through a card game.”

“Oh, I never would have taken you for a gambler.”

“I’m not. I was the prize.”

Seb nearly dropped the bin full of trash when he heard Nalla’s declaration. “Wait, what?”

“Barkas Raia was my previous employer. He and Captain Francisca were playing cards. All he had was five thousand credits to Francisca’s twenty. He needed collateral to keep betting, so he offered up my contract. Barkas lost, and I found myself employed by Captain Francisca.”

“But you can leave any time, right?”

“Not until I fulfill my obligations. I still owe about two hundred thousand left.”

“Hold on,” Seb said, holding up his finger taking a deep breath. “First off, that doesn’t sound like any employment contract I have ever heard of. Second . . . you’re two hundred thousand credits in the hole?”

“I don’t think they are common in the human systems, but I could be wrong. In sepix systems, they are very common. It wasn’t anyone else’s choice but mine. I had to study. It was the only way I could . . .”

Nalla’s head drooped as she trailed off. Seb questioned whether he should ask what was wrong and decided that he would let her set the boundaries. He leaned across the counter, looking up at her black-and-pink eyes. Her lip trembled as she stared blankly down at the counter.

“I-I’m sorry if I hit a sore spot. I didn’t mean—”

Nalla sniffed before smiling, sorting the silverware into a tray as she spoke. “No, it’s fine. It’s been years. Just an old feeling that crept its way in.”

“I’m happy to lend an ear if you ever want to talk.”

“I appreciate that,” she said, smiling. Seb resumed picking up trash until he heard Nalla let out an exasperated sigh. “I went to school and had accrued my debt because of a friend. We both grew up together in one of the many orphanages on Mahad.”

“Isn’t that the sepix home world?” Seb asked.

Nalla nodded. “I never knew my parents. It wasn’t even until later in life that I learned I was part human and part sepix. I knew I was different but didn’t quite know how much. But, trust me, all the kids at the orphanage made it very clear.”

“Kids can be cruel that way.”

“Yes, even more so than adults. But there was one girl who was always there with me.”

“What was her name?”

“Kayda,” Nalla said, smiling.

“That’s a beautiful name.”

“It didn’t compare to her own beauty, I can assure you. She had these beautiful iridescent scales, big brown eyes, and curves for days. Once we were too old for the orphanage, it was just me and her. We did everything together. We struggled, grew, and loved. We weren’t making that much money, just working as waitresses at a local bar, but it was enough for us for the time being . . .”

Nalla trailed off again as she stared wide-eyed at the counter. Her eyes were unblinking as her arms continued to sort the silverware, like a drone controlling a body. She didn’t blink until Seb reached a hand out to her.

“Hey, you don’t have to tell me if it’s bothering you so much. I’m just happy to get to know you better.”

Nalla palmed her eyes and shook her head. “No! This has been buried deep too long. It’s good for me to get it out.” She dropped her hands and forced a smile as she continued. “There was one night she didn’t come home when she was supposed to. I called the bar and found out she had passed out while working and was at a nearby hospital. I rushed there as fast as I could. The worst part was that they wouldn’t let me see her because I wasn’t family. Can you believe that? We’d been together for years, but because we didn’t have some official form that said we were together, they wouldn’t let me in.”

“It’s all bureaucratic bullshit to allow for someone to fill their pockets.”

“Sepix are always about their money.”

“It’s not just a sepix thing. Everyone’s out for their own slice of pie.” Nalla’s piercing gaze left Seb wondering if he had just said the wrong thing. He knew he wasn’t wrong, but that didn’t mean it was the right thing to say. He cleared his throat and nodded back toward her. “So I’m guessing Kayda’s sickness had something to do with you going into medicine?”

“Yeah, she had a genetic disorder that caused severe septicemia.”

“What’s that?”

“It’s where bacteria and toxins she naturally produced spread into her bloodstream and throughout her organs. It’s not always fatal, but because of Kayda’s underlying genetic disorder, there was no way for the doctors to fix it. I should have seen the signs, but because we were working so much, I just assumed it was due to us both being overworked. I didn’t even get to say a last goodbye. She died in the bed alone.”

“Maker . . . I don’t know what to say, Nalla. I’m so sorry.”

“Thank you,” she said, wiping away a tear. “I was a mess for almost a year until I could pull myself out of the hole I was in.”

“That just shows how strong you really are. Few people can do that.”

“I don’t think I could have done it without the thought of her with me. I just kept coming back to what she would have wanted me to do. That’s why I took a bunch of bad loans out from the wrong people to get my education and ended up here. Sure, it’s not ideal, but it got me off of Mahad, which was what we both always wanted. Since then, I’ve jumped from contract to contract until I can finish paying off my debt.”

“Can’t Captain Francisca just forgive the debt?”

“Yeah, but why would she? I’ve saved hers and Toros’s lives on more than one occasion.”

“I don’t know. Out of the goodness of her heart?”

Nalla’s giggle morphed into gut-busting laughter. Seb was happy that he was able to make her smile, but he felt rather stupid, reflecting on what he’d just said.

“Thank you for that joke,” Nalla said, pulling on her sleeves. “I needed that.”

“Happy to be of service, ma’am,” Seb said, smiling.

Grabbing the full trash bin, Seb poured its contents down the trash chute. When it was empty, he placed the bin back under the counter. He watched Nalla slide the silverware tray into one of the drawers, joining him at his side.

“So, what’s next?”

“Hmm,” Nalla said, tipping her chin. “If you’re still feeling helpful, I wouldn’t mind having you help me—”

Nalla’s words were cut short when Captain Francisca’s frantic voice shouted over the intercom. “Nalla! Lower the cargo bay door. Be ready with your medical gear.”

“What’s wrong?” Nalla asked, looking up at the ceiling.

“Toros has been hit multiple times.”

“What kind of wounds?”

“Laser.”

“All right. We’ll be ready.” Nalla turned and waved at Seb to follow as she sprinted into the ship’s medical room. She was like a completely different person as she shouted orders. “Grab that bag and start filling it with the contents of those three drawers.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Seb said. He opened each compartment, grabbing all the gauze, bandages, and medical tape they had. However, it was clear just how short on supplies they were. “All right, done.”

When Nalla turned around, she had two vials pressed up against her fangs. Golden liquid sprayed from her teeth, filling the containers. When they were halfway full, she put a top on them and slid them into what looked like a small fridge.

“What are you doing?” Seb asked.

“I’m draining my venom sacks for now. I’ll use the contents for a variety of things later.”

“Like the stim pens I’ve used?”

“Yeah, exactly. But I’d like to think mine are a bit better at their jobs.”

“That’s hard to believe. Those things are a godsend.”

“Just wait until you get a bad one,” Nalla said with a smirk. “You’ll see what I mean.” Nalla grabbed a few more things from the cupboards and threw them in the pack before sprinting out of the room. “Bring the bag and come on.”

Seb followed close until they rounded the corner to the stairwell that descended into the cargo bay. He was astonished at Nalla’s athleticism and familiarity with the ship once they reached the stairs. She grabbed on to a few pipes with her tail and swung her body into the open. When she was halfway down, her tail acted like a spring, absorbing her momentum as she cleared the two levels in a matter of seconds.

“Well, that was fucking cool,” Seb whispered. He sprinted down the first set of stairs and ran across the mid-level platform before descending backward down another ladder. By the time he reached the ground, Nalla was already lowering the platform. The first flurry of air that blew through the room was a frigid reminder that he needed to recharge his skinsleeve. He did the best he could, holding his hands under his arms and bending his knees to try to keep his body warm.

“Seb, bring me the bag!” Nalla yelled, pulling the man’s attention. He sprinted across the room as he watched Captain Francisca making a poor attempt at shouldering the massive weight of the man who was down on one knee. Seb threw the medical bag to Nalla as he sprinted by. He crouched underneath the front of Toros’s chest, letting the man’s entire weight lean forward on his back before wrapping his arms around him.

Letting out a few primal grunts, Seb carried the man into the center of the hanger before falling over, panting. By the time Seb stood up, Nalla was hovering over Toros, trying to pull his armor off of him.

“Seb, go shut the door while I handle this,” Nalla said.

He slowly made his way over to the edge of the door, holding up his hand as the harsh wind pressed into his body. The strain he endured, fighting against the wind, was almost as exhausting as the weight of Toros’s body. With a final leap, Seb grabbed on to the ship’s ramp controls and raised it. He was thankful once it raised halfway and the assault on his body was concluded. Once it closed, he took a moment to catch his breath.

Seb rubbed his hands together as he returned to the group, doing anything he could to get some warmth back into his body. However, nothing was as cold as the chill that fell down his spine when something in the captain’s hands reflected off of the interior lights, catching Seb’s eyes. It was a necklace he’d seen before. That’s when he noticed the twin bag he’d bought from Samael’s slung around Captain Francisca’s shoulder. Seb’s lip curled as he grabbed the grip of his revolver.

“Hey, Captain, where’d you get that necklace?”