Chapter 10

The few hours that a free shift had given them were used in different ways. For the most part, it was a good time to take a little respite from the tension that their adventure in the 21st had provoked them. By unspoken agreement, everyone went to their own rooms. In order to stop a re run of Three's doggedly watch on a crew member he distrusted, Two asked the Android to keep monitoring Six's movements in the ship, and to lock him in wherever he went. No surprises from that side. Before she retired, Two asked the Android to run a scan on her to check about her baby. Android did a thorough exam and was satisfied that everything seemed to be right. With that, Two went to her room. In the privacy of her room, Two reflected on their situation: They traveled back trying to get to their own time, and finally, they had succeeded. A plus among the many minuses for the crew of the Raza.

Yet, the decision to return to their own era at the exact moment they left had not been an easy one. Six had been of the opinion that if they made it, they had an obligation to return earlier and prevent some of the facts they knew from happening. They discussed this, and everyone thought, and Three openly said, that Six's suggestion was based on his need for redemption about the planet he helped eliminate. Five had been considering that option as well, but her decision not to side with Six in anything stopped her from saying so at the time. In fact, she thought she should reflect and analyze what returning before would imply. There was a lot to weigh in before she made up her mind. Three worried about how they could be sure to be themselves, that is, Two, Three, Five, and Six, and not their 'old' selves if they returned earlier. He really was not sure how it all worked, but he had unknowingly pointed out some of the difficulties that a time paradox such as the one they would force was to entail. Of course, when they had discussed the issue, Two did not know about her pregnancy, but although she knew they could do try to do some good, she had trouble choosing to go back before they departed. It was all too complicated. When they had jumped to another dimension, they made a mess and brought back blood-thirsty mercenaries who roamed freely in their own time, who could tell what more chaos they'd provoke by trying to "fix" things. She felt guilty enough as it was.

Five had requested the Android's help in making as accurate projections as they could about the possible scenarios they were facing. When she got the projected outcomes, they were so dependent on unknown external factors that 'convoluted' was an easy word to describe each possibility. Suffice it to say that, had they printed out the options like they liked to do in the 20th century, each one would be a work of several volumes. In the end, Five had presented to the crew a simplified version of why it was safer for them to try to return to their exact point and moment of departure instead of playing saviors, and indicated her wish to do so. Six still demanded they voted on the issue, but he did not calculate the common front that the others had developed. Three just had to be against him, no matter what. The fact that Five was opposed to the idea of going back to earlier gave him one more reason to vote against Six. When Android had been invited to say her vote, she had explained that she made the calculations and got the outcomes, so her recommendation was to return to their last known time and location as exactly as possible. She could not put the crew at risk by choosing any other option. Two sealed the decision with her vote supporting Android, Five, and Three. Five's explanation had made sense. She could not be happier with their choice when she found out about her pregnancy.

Now, in hindsight, Two kept thinking she was missing something. There were too many factors at play in their lives making it extremely hard to believe they were where they were just by coincidence. There had to be some reason for all of it, she thought.

After a long while tossing and turning in her bed, she got up and went out. She walked by Five's room and checked the integrity of her doorframe. Satisfied with that she moved on to Three's room. She was not surprised to see him all disheveled but holding a gun when he opened the door. "What is it? Are you okay? Where's Five?" She smiled a bit and pushed him back inside before closing the door and locking it. "Just hold me for a moment, will you?" He focused on her and without dropping his gun, held her in a firm hug and was quiet. "Sorry to wake you up. I couldn't sleep, but I know you don't have nanites to keep you going…" "…I can still give you a run for your money, sweetheart, you know that." "I know, I know." "What is it?" "I don't know. I am very happy to have made it here, as incredible as that may sound, with the imminent war and all that is coming. I wanted to let you know that our baby is well. We ran a full scan and it is fine…" "she is fine, you mean." "okay, okay, she is well. Five should be in her room, but even if she's anywhere in the ship, Android has her located and safe. Six is in his quarters as well, according to the latest report." He guided her to the bed. They lay down side by side and he kept an arm around her frame soothing her. "…I keep waiting for the other shoe to fall, as they say." He sighed against her and spoke. "Well, there is this issue of impending war, you know? And a very likely invasion of oily beings from another dimension who wish to wipe down human kind?" "…oily beings…? How did you come up with such description?" "Frankly, I don't know. They are more like mercury, but I like mercury and I don't like those things, so I prefer not to relate them to it. Anyways, I think I understand what you mean. It's as if we are missing a piece of a puzzle, right?" "Yes. Something like that. but I cannot fathom what puzzle it is. So far, the threats have been clear: Ishida and his intent of getting the Blink Drive, our doppelgangers' mischief and the war among corporations, the rebellion of the Androids, and according to future Five, the Black Sails. How will all these come together? It makes me feel as if we are going to be pulled in every odd direction and the only possible outcome is chaos. The best option for us is to lay low, and we definitely will, but I get a feeling we will be dragged into battle and choosing sides eventually." He nodded. "I think so, but we have to get time for you to have our…miracle. We don't know how that will affect you. And to be honest, if the rest of the galaxy kill themselves off in the meantime, the better. We can sow the spoils afterwards." "There's still a lot of the mercenary in you, Three. I'm a tiny bit ashamed to say that I like that."

They stayed in Three's room and finally slept for a few hours. When the Android called Two over the comms system, they were quite relaxed. "Two, this is Android, please respond." "Hmm, yes…, Android, go ahead." "It is the end of shift, and in fact, Five and Six are awake. We are awaiting your orders." Two shook Three. "I'm awake, I'm awake." "Android, give me a status on our location and periphery." A pause, then. "We are deep in a quadrant where lots of energy fluxes allow us to be hidden for a while. No planets or satellites nearby. As we cannot be detected, though, I cannot detect other ships. Weapons system is on standby and defenses on high." "Very well. Please, open a ship wide comm channel." "Channel open. Go ahead, Two." "Good morning, Five, Six…, —she turned to look at Three on her right, —Three. I hope you are well rested. Our priority is to find out where we are, and how things are right now in terms of politics. We will then make an assessment to see how we can accommodate to leave Six in a safe environment and part ways. Six, I suggest you consider what you want to do with the rest of your life and talk to me in a couple hours. Five, please get as much information on…, well, everything as you can. Three, make an inventory of our weapons and ammunitions, please. And prepare some for Six to take with him when he leaves. We will not let you completely without protection, Six. Android, inventories of everything else on board, please. We will reconvene in two hours in the bridge. Over." To Three she said, "I know you don't like this, but we can hardly leave him without as much as a handgun to protect himself." He sighed. "I will give him the very basics, ok?"

Two got up and returned to her room to shower and get ready to go to the bridge. She had things to do herself, but she liked to stand there watching the stars around them. It allowed her to think more clearly. Three was then free to check on the ammunition, gun, and other weapon supplies. Five was working tirelessly with Android's systems to update their libraries and backups to have enough information to protect them. Also, Five was running a sequence to locate Six's family, in case that was possible. She was sure that, given the option, Six would like to see his son grow up, and she believed that if so distracted, Six could not think of them, leaving them safe. Perhaps.

Three had finished his tasks and was back at the bridge where he was sure to find Two. Right enough, she was there by herself. "Hey there, babe. How's it going in here? Where is Five? and the Robot?" "Babe? Do I need to remind you who's the captain here?" The man kept walking towards the woman, and when he was close enough, he wrapped his arms around her middle. "You are the Captain, darling, no doubt about that on my part. I will always address you as 'Boss Lady' when in the company of strangers, but in case you haven't noticed, darling, it's just you and I in this big and dark bridge of ours. I thought we could lapse with the protocol for a short while." She sighed and leaned into his arms, "You're right. Sorry. I j-just…, I don't know. I'm…cranky? There's so much to do, but at the same time, we put ourselves in danger and now… I can't do that so easily. You know? Five, Android and I have been checking up on Zairon and some of our other acquaintances. They, Five needed a break, and I asked Android to go with her." "I think you also need a break, Two. How are you feeling? Have any, ah, craves?" "What…? Any what…?" "Craves? What pregnant women have when they are, you know, pregnant." She thought for a moment, and then understanding lit up her face. "Ah, you mean, cravings? Actually, apart from being horny as hell, I don't think I crave anything, thank you." He smiled his crooked smile at that. "Your wish is my command, Boss Lady. You lead and I will follow you to your quarters if you will." That made her smile in turn. "Thank you, but not yet. Soon, though."

Five returned with the Android at her heel. "We saw Six coming in this direction. He should be here any second." True enough, Six was on the bridge a few moments later. "Is it time yet? Why are you all here?" Three spoke, and without so much as responding to the question, took the attention away from the important stuff "Why do you think, big guy? There's war out there, I'd say we need to be on our toes. Two, what do you say?" "Actually, I need a report from each of you. How did you get on with your tasks?" Android readily started her report, "My scans confirm that we are in our time, dimension, and relatively close proximity to planet Horus VI. The planet has limited defenses, but their strong radio signals are a good cover for our own prints. You can say that by being located here, we are in fact, wearing a costume. The planet will protect us for at least seven more hours. Our systems' check up has finished. All systems are fully charged and ready for engaging as needed. FTL capacity is optimal, as are our defenses. We need to get some parts to improve our food storage capacity, but we can do that either in Horus VI, or on the next station we visit. We need to replenish our medical stores, though. As soon as possible. The sooner the better, indeed." "Thank you, Android. Can we get appropriate medical supplies on Horus VI?" Android blinked a couple of times before answering, "No. Horus VI does not have the medical supplies we need to refill. Braddock Station, 17 hours away from our position does. They also have good part supplies. I suggest we go there and get all the parts and resources we need at once." "I agree. I prefer to make one stop instead of hopping around the galaxy several times. Set course for Braddock Station as soon as we finish organizing ourselves here. Five?" "Our libraries have been updated. We are running a subroutine that will allow us to…, we will be able to scan the horizon for the position of the…, of enemies, if it works as it should. —She then addressed Six, directly. —I also have the coordinates of the most accurate location of your ex wife and son, Six. I thought you might like to be close to them." The big man looked at her; for a brief moment, his expression showed some hope, but it was gone swiftly. "Thank you, Five, but I do not deserve to see them again. They are better off without me." To everyone's surprise, it was Android who replied, "Your logic is flawed, Six. By ostracizing yourself you are putting your former family at a bigger risk. The knowledge you have may be the difference in their survival and yet, you deny them that benefit. You are not protecting them; you are condemning them. Is that how human jealousy works? If she's not your wife, she should not be spared?" "How dare you, Android!? You don't understand! You think that your upgrade gives you an inkling into human conscience? You have no clue…!" Two intervened, "Enough! Six, we are now very well aware that you do not wish to be close to your…, to them. That's fine. We will find a safe place to drop you off. You will be able to decide your next moves from then on, and we will never meet again. Five, is there anything else you need to report?" The girl shook her head. "Ok, Three?" Three had been ready to drop Six if the situation required it. In fact, it was safe to say that Three was never unguarded when Six was in any proximity of the rest of the crew. He did not let Six out of his sight while delivering his report to Two, "Our hand guns and other face to face weapons are checked, loaded and in strategic places in the ship. The internal defenses are in place. I am also working on something, but I will brief you all later on, when only crew is onboard." "Right. Well, it seems to me that after we get our supplies, we can set course for Six's last ride on the Raza. Android, take us to Braddock Station, please." "Gladly. Running at full non-FTL speed. We will be at Braddock Station in 16 hours 59 minutes and… seconds."

Six withdrew to his quarters. Five decided to stay on the bridge a while longer, though. Android was staying with her. Before leaving with Two, Three approached the girl. "Hey, Kid. Don't take it personal, Six is just an asshole, ok? Just like any other asshole in the verse he can't help behave 'assholy' when someone tries to do something nice for them." That got the girl smiling again. "'assholy'? is that even a word?" "it is now. Don't stay up here too long, ok? Father's orders. Robot…," "I know, Three. He will not touch her, if he comes back here at all." "Good to know you've not lost sight of your priorities, Robot. Upgrade or no upgrade, this is the version of you that I like."

Three followed Two to her quarters and entered without asking for her permission. They did not need to talk all the time. In fact, both appreciated that they were quiet individuals and could be in the same room without feeling the need to speak. That did not mean that they were not communicating. Three took his gun holsters off while Two paced the room. He put them on the nightstand and took off his shoes. Three was enjoying the view lazily laying on the bed until suddenly he stood up and went to the woman. He touched her shoulders to turn her to face him. "Wha..?" "Shh, just let me…" He leaned down to crouch in front of her and looked at her belly. "What are you doing? It's not like you have developed x-ray vision, is it?" She said, but she was speaking low, playfully and intimately to him. He then did the most enticing thing he could ever have done, in her eyes. He leaned forward and kissed her belly. Looking up from his position, he explained. "There is a tiny bump. I can see a tiny bump there." He kissed her again. She grabbed a fist full of his hair and said, "It can be what I ate just now, you know? But I am going to sound ridiculously corny when I say that I love you for saying that." "Nothing corny about it, sweetheart. And I don't think it is your kebab in there—standing up he winked at her, but if you insist on calling her that, I must put in a formal complaint. Now finish your pacing and come to bed, woman."

Once wrapped in Three's arms in her bed, Two spoke what was on her mind, "Ever wonder how far we can take our new persona situations?" "What do you mean? I don't feel like a 'Marcus Boone' at all. Do I look like a 'Marcus' to you?" It was her turn to look up. "Hmm, nope. You definitely don't look like one of those." "You see? I'm Three. Absolutely. I don't think I can answer to anything else any more." "I know. I agree. I am Two. But…, I mean…, if our baby is born, I think we should give it a name." "When our baby is born, we will name her. No doubt about that. I just question the wisdom of naming her 'Kebab', is all." She playfully swatted his arm. "I'm serious. What sense of belonging could it…she, will she have without a last name? I don't think I know which last name to pass on to her, but last names are family names. They tell you and others where you belong." "Well, considering that the last name 'Boone' comes from the sonofabitch Larcan, I don't think I would like to pass that name on to my miracle daughter. The only real name I have from my true old self, is 'Titch', but I have outgrown that one, too. Besides, I believe that the world in which we will bring our daughter has no real need for last names. I am more worried about how we are going to fare in the galaxy, than what the remaining humans will call us." Two sighed. "Yes. That is our most pressing issue. Well, that and getting our child to be born healthy." "I am glad we agree on that." He kissed her forehead. She slouched down on the bed and said, "I guess we will talk more about names when we get closer to our birthing. Can you believe it? I bet Android is going to have a system attack long before then." He laughed, "I just hope that I don't get a heart attack as well."