On Board the Bebop
Anywhere in Space
Jet let the sounds of another argument wash over him as he programmed the Bebop's flight path into the computer. Ed was up on the bridge with him, playing a game of some sort with Ein. It looked like she was creating constellations and pointing them out to the data dog.
Her endless ease in finding things to do and ways to keep herself occupied was pretty impressive. He didn't think he'd been nearly as self-sufficient at her age. It was sometimes hard to think back that far… 20+ years was a huge gap between being an idealistic child growing into the awkwardness of being a teen, and the burnt out embittered reality that sets in with enough life experience.
He didn't think he was too bitter though. Betrayed here and there, sure. Burnt a few bridges? Maybe, though not by his choice. He'd seen and done some haunting things in the name of the law and that was mostly where he'd lost his innocence.
Growing up on Ganymede had been pleasant, compared to most other terraformed planets. There was endless water for swimming and fishing and exploring. There was no shortage of work available or food available - though property was in high demand due to how few land masses the moon was able to support. And, naturally, crime and syndicates had their presence everywhere in the galaxy.
But he'd had a fairly standard youth. Raised by two hard working parents who adored jazz and blues and would take him out to music shows at the local theater or to the bars. He had been young enough that the proprietors allowed his presence without comment. He remembered the haze in every establishment - smoking had made a huge comeback when treatments of cancer became more prevalent. The music ringing in his ears, the expressive faces and bodies of the musicians as they played from the bottom of their hearts and sang with their souls.
Maybe he could have been a musician in another life.
But when his mother was killed by a stray bullet in a clash between a few rival gangs, that had set a different future in motion for Jet Black. His father had been grief stricken and a hollow shell of the man he'd once been. He never truly got over his wife's death. Jet himself still carried that raw grief in his heart, that rage over such a senseless loss of life. He had emulated his father and bottled up all his emotions. He honed them to a useful edge, tried to give his anger a focus.
Joining the police force seemed the way to give purpose to his fury. He could be a hero. He could take down the syndicates and put a stop to the gang activity and make the world a better place little by little. In retrospect it was a child's dream and he was a fool for ever believing in it, especially for as long as he had.
He couldn't regret it though. His tenure with the ISSP had indeed allowed him to make a difference in lives - he'd saved countless people from pain and suffering, had locked up innumerable criminals to make the streets safer. And, he'd had his eyes opened to the corruption within the system, which he'd never suspected as a law-abiding citizen beforehand. Spike would think him unobservant for that. Faye would think him a blind idiot. They'd both been much less trusting of authority and much more inclined to see the ugly side that wasn't often shown.
But Jet was an incredibly observant person, not blind or idiotic - well, hardly ever. He'd simply been a man of such strong personal conviction, such resilient moral fiber, such purposeful intent to see good and do good that it had been hard to understand why others felt dissimilar or even that anyone could feel differently. He'd never truly understood the motivation for most of the criminals he'd apprehended, not until he had Spike for a partner. Spike, who could cut to the bone of their personal issues at a glance. Spike's ability to understand an individual's character would have made him a phenomenal detective. Getting the gritty perspective had opened his eyes even further to understanding human behavior.
Nowadays he tried to consider everyone from multiple angles. The side they showed the world. The side they kept hidden. The side they refused to acknowledge. People had more sides than they realized. It took some reasoning to sort out why some folks did what they did - motive was not always immediately identifiable.
Like with Ed, for example. It was easy to think she was just a wild child with no concept of how hard life was. This couldn't be further from the truth. She'd forged a path for herself all on her own, and on the ruined surface of Earth of all places. For years she'd managed to survive, perhaps even occasionally thrive - though he was still working hard to ensure her plate was full so she could put some meat on her bones. Much like Spike and Faye, Ed fell somewhere between grossly malnourished and naturally lean.
People often dismissed Ed due to her age, her indeterminate gender, her childish manner of speaking - how did they never catch the intellect in her words?! - and Ed never paid any mind to what someone else thought of her or said. Even Spike often got prickly over the opinion of others - Ed just didn't care. She knew who she was and she was happy. Her desires in life were simple and realistic. She wanted to learn everything, to experience all she could, and ultimately to share it all with people she felt safe with.
Loneliness was one of the things he felt he had in common with her. The universe was a big place and it was good to have companions to accompany you on your journey through life and through the stars. It made the vastness more manageable. It gave moments a firmer basis in reality when you could look back on memories with friends and reminisce.
He was glad she'd chosen them as her crew. Ed was a breath of fresh air and a reminder that you can always choose to be yourself.
Jet had never considered having kids. Even when he'd been with Alisa the topic had never come up. But, even if it had… he couldn't imagine lucking out with a better one than Ed.
The argument down in the living room had escalated from the sounds of it. Jet was glad he was safely out of that room.
He and Alisa had never fought like that.
Spike and Faye poked and prodded at each other fairly regularly. They teased and tormented and gave each other shit. They were rude to each other but never cruel, never callous. It was a weird way to go about a relationship but maybe it was the right call. Despite all the ribbing, the ridiculing, and the faux animosity… they were always ready to go back-to-back into action. They knew each other's weaknesses and could guard those. They knew each other's strengths and skills and could rely on those. They knew the good, the bad, and the ugly… and they never shied away from any of it.
In contrast, his relationship with Alisa hadn't featured any of that. They hadn't shared their darkness, their fears, their deepest desires. They'd been young and immediately attracted to one another and had fallen into an easy routine once they got involved. Dates led to living together more for the simplicity of having a home base together than from any attempts on either of their part to actually make it a home.
He'd been busy already with his career, though he gave her every extra moment he had. Brought her to fancy places for dates, bought her anything she wanted to wear, prepared meals for her with love in mind and all her favorite ingredients. She'd kept the house clean, kept his clothes in good repair, kept the kitchen stocked with food. It had seemed like a good match, like they paired well in servicing one another. He'd certainly bought into that impression.
He had been too distracted by the job. Too compelled to run into danger every chance he had. He hadn't realized the toll it took on her, on himself, on their love. Hadn't realized she wasn't happy as a homemaker when she wanted something more. To be fair, she hadn't known what she wanted so it wasn't like she told him and he ignored her. He'd always done his utmost to fulfill her every desire.
Except the desire she had for him to be there. Present with her. Not with half his mind on the latest case. Not eager to dash off at the first ring of his comm. She'd been as patient as possible but she hadn't tried to talk to him about their issues. Hell, he hadn't realized there were any until she was gone.
It was a mutual fuck up. But it had taught him some important lessons about communication and about being present and about knowing oneself. He had been overprotective and it had chafed at her. That was the hardest one to change but his current crew actually seemed to appreciate it so maybe that part just needed a little tweaking. It was the other stuff, talking things out and being present in the moment, that was what he'd been working on since getting a degree of closure from Alisa months ago.
Spike and Faye, in comparison, were somehow simultaneously excellent and awful at communicating. For the longest time none of them shared any tidbits about their life that they didn't have to - Jet himself included. The more someone knows about you, the more risk you've put yourself in. Keep to yourself, keep your secrets safe, and you might have a longer life... but at what cost?
Whether they'd made a conscious decision to be so open or if it had simply developed naturally, they were revealing more and more of themselves all the time. Not just to each other but to Jet and Ed and even Ein as well. It indicated a feeling of safety. They trusted the others to know their pains and their joys and to not take advantage of that knowledge.
So, while he avoided the fights whenever they arose, he could see how it wasn't always a bad thing that indicated trouble. Somehow they managed to improve their relationship with every argument. They rarely let shit slide and they'd push and push and push until something gave. Jet had never taken that approach with Alisa - he thought he'd had more respect for her than to treat her so roughly, but now he wondered if it would have actually been more respectful to delve into sore points - to show he didn't care about the fallout so long as issues were addressed.
He'd put Alisa on a pedestal whereas Spike and Faye kept themselves on the same solid flat ground. It was more real, more honest, more messy and full of tears. All in all, it was providing plenty of good lessons for Jet and probably for Ed as well - though they'd all continually stressed to her how important it was to take anything they said or did with a shaker of salt instead of just a grain. But, she was a very clever kid so no doubt she understood which parts were healthy and which were ill advised.
Clanging on the stairs gave warning to the approach of his other crewmates. Faye entered first, more swing to her hips than was necessary, but it was obviously being done for Spike who followed her appreciatively. They weren't arguing anymore but Jet was curious now what the commotion had been about in the first place.
Knowing it wasn't the best idea but going ahead with it anyway, Jet looked over to them and bravely asked, "What were you guys discussing down there?"
Faye glanced over her shoulder at Spike as she made her way to stand by Ed and Ein at the main windows. Spike smirked at her.
"Apples and oranges, Jet." He replied, taking a seat at one of the lesser used consoles.
"Come again?"
Spike laughed. "Well, someone owed me an orange and thought they could get away with giving me an apple instead."
"A fruit is a fruit!" Faye snapped back immediately.
Jet laughed too. "No way. The difference between fruits is staggering when you think about it. An apple for an orange is no fair trade."
"Oh really? What makes oranges so special?" She challenged.
"Well," Jet mused. "Okay, you owed him an orange huh? From, I assume, sometime when Spike was all banged up?"
"Yeah? So?"
"You ever notice I do that every time he's hurt? Give him an orange, I mean, as opposed to anything else."
Spike leaned back in his chair, eyes closed and a smile on his face. Faye frowned, looking thoughtful. "Huh. I guess I hadn't realized."
Jet nodded. "Well, it's for a good reason. A few, actually. What happens when you bite into an apple? You meet resistance so you have to really work for it. And when you bite into a wedge of orange-"
"It juices!" Edward exclaimed, jumping into the conversation.
"Exactly! It hydrates, it's easier to chew, it even wards off scurvy." Jet explained. "And, remember after you got cut up? Did you want water to drink right away?"
She sighed. "No. Water is boring. So for the flavor too, huh? Well aren't you just a wealth of common sense knowledge. Okay, fine - so why do they say 'an apple a day keeps the doctor away' then if oranges are so much better?"
"Apple cider vinegar with the mother, maybe," Ed put in. "Incredibly good for your health! It has beneficial bacteria, proteins and yeast. Perhaps even better than that would be peppers - those are full of antioxidants, carotenoids, vitamins, potassium." She nodded when Faye glanced at her with a skeptically raised eyebrow. Ein barked as if to concur. "Peppers are supposed to be good for the eyes, for the memory, to lower blood sugar, and to ward off some diseases!"
"Don't hear me ever complaining about having peppers in every meal," Spike pointed out.
Jet grunted. "No, you just bitch about the lack of meat when we can't afford it."
Spike shrugged. "Protein is important."
Faye gazed out at the stars. "So it shouldn't be an apple a day or an orange a day… the best thing is a pepper a day?" She was tracing a finger along the window, making simple shapes with different stars.
"All of the above!" Ed declared. "Variety is best and different things bring out the best in each other. People used to do silly things thinking they were being smart… eating just greens to be healthy when they wouldn't even get all the proper nutritional value because they weren't preparing the vegetables right! Raw or steamed is okay but anything else ruins the good you're going for. Nutrition all baked out! Also though, there are bonds that need to be made - sometimes you need a connector like… olive oil, beans or rice."
Spike opened his eyes to look at Ed, who was eyeing up the shapes Faye was drawing. "You learn all that cooking with Jet?"
But Jet held up his hands. "I can't claim that. She's got more knowledge than me when it comes to all that!" He gave Ed a serious look when she glanced back at him with a proud grin. "Don't go thinking book learning equates to talent in the kitchen, there's plenty that is only learned through trial and error and taste."
Ed rolled her eyes and turned back to Faye's doodles. "Ed knows! No cooking solo yet." She pointed something out to Ein, who gave a whine as if replying. Then she looked over at Spike. "Sister Clara told Edward and the other children all about important food know-how. She encouraged all of us to help in the garden and to know how to eat the best stuff in the best ways. Kinda hard on Earth but she always told us we might reach the stars."
Faye smiled. "That's awfully sweet, Ed. And I mean who knows - you made it here, after all. Some of those other kids might find a career and life out here too."
The young hacker smiled too. "It helps when someone believes you have a chance. Wanna see the constellations Ed made?"
Faye looked down at her. "Yeah, sure. Got some good ones?"
Ed nodded enthusiastically.
"I've been watching her come up with a few," Jet said. "Makes more sense than the crap the Greek, Romans, Egyptians and all the rest came up with."
Spike chuckled. "Aw Jet, you just gotta have imagination to see that stuff. Besides, if you were looking for those from Ganymede they wouldn't be the same."
"Obviously." Jet replied dryly. "Anyway, naming the stars is one thing because that helps us navigate whether by sea, land, or space. But constellations are so arbitrary - someone way back when saw a cluster and thought they saw a fish of some kind. So now even though no one else gets that impression that's just what we're all supposed to accept?"
"That's why you gotta make your own!" Ed answered. "Like… those over there? They remind me of the vase Spike-person brought back before we had to rain the cure on Mars."
"That I can definitely see," Spike remarked.
"Is your star mom one visible from where we're at now?" Faye asked. "I don't know if I'd be able to navigate by the stars, I can't tell if we're looking at the same ones we were seeing from earth on our camp trip or not. I never thought that the north star was that much brighter than the rest though either."
Ed looked around and Ein did his funny little dog paddle to float-walk to a different window. He pawed at it until Ed moved over to his position. "Aha! Yup! Ein found her over here."
Faye moseyed over to look as well. "Oh yeah, there she is."
Spike got up and went to a window as well to join the fun.
Jet stayed in his seat, content to just watch. These were his favorite moments - when everyone was getting along and just enjoying the time between jobs. No one was hungry, no one was hurt, no one was troubled much at all. These times were few and far between, but becoming more standard for them and Jet was pretty damn glad for it.
xxx
On Board the Bebop
The Next Day
"Incoming message for Bebop Bebop! Ohh Spike-person it is for you! A musical message? Hmm 'the ballad of a good man.' Ed hasn't heard of this one!" Ed set the Tomato down on top of the table in the living room so Spike could see what she was talking about.
"The ballad of a… hmm. Where is this message from, Ed?"
"Way out on Venus! It's not a message or a song! Ed discovered coordinates!"
Faye, vigorously towel drying her hair as she emerged from the washroom, scowled. "Venus? Ughh do we have to go there?"
"You can stay on the ship if you want," Spike offered. "But I need to follow up on this." He got to his feet, intent on heading to the bridge to set them on a new course.
"What about the bounty we were gonna go for here on Earth? We just got here!" She argued.
Halfway up the stairs, he turned to look at her. "Here I thought you'd be curious why someone from Venus is sending me music tracks with coordinates hidden inside."
Faye huffed. "Oh whatever, fine, let's go uncover your mystery music sender." She went to the little fridge in the living room and pulled out a bottle of beer. "Just so you know, I'm going to attempt to be passed out drunk by the time we get there."
Spike chuckled as he continued on his way to the bridge.
Hours later, Jet emerged from the bonsai room to find Faye asleep on the floor between the couch and the coffee table, Spike sitting on the couch with his legs stretched out above Faye, his feet resting on the table, and his attention on the monitor which was playing some cartoons. Ed was nowhere in sight.
"Nothing on that bounty?" He asked.
Spike looked briefly guilty. "Uhhh… something came up."
Ein appeared from somewhere next to Faye, rolling an empty beer bottle along the floor. Once he noticed that, he realized there were quite a few empties laying scattered around the room. Spike was nursing a bottle but all the rest were drained and abandoned to roll wherever they would.
"Is that something the reason our resident lush is snoring up a storm under your feet?"
"Heh, you try telling her she snores, she never believes me."
"Spiiiiike…"
The lanky cowboy took a pull from his beer. "Okay, so we're headed to Venus. A friend reached out to me and I'm concerned with what she wants."
Jet poked around in the little fridge but couldn't find any beers left. He sighed. "Well, it's probably for the best that we go there anyway. We can't just avoid the places we've got bad memories of - half the damn galaxy would be off limits if that were the case. We'll just… see if we can't help Faye make some good memories of the place, maybe."
"I wasn't planning on sticking around there long," Spike told him. "Just need to see why Stella would be trying to contact me out of the blue. She had some interesting goals the last time I saw her. I wonder if maybe it's about all that…"
Faye shifted on the floor, rolling to her other side, and her snoring grew more quiet.
"You wanna fill me in at all?" Jet asked his younger partner. "I know we've had a policy of keeping secrets that don't need to be shared, but if you're taking my ship somewhere I'd kind of like to know why." He sat down on the chair across from Spike and lit a spliff.
"Hmm. Remember that bounty on Piccaro Calvino and his crew?"
"Yeah, they were messing with that medicine for Venus-sickness. You had that plant on board for a while!"
Spike grinned. "Heh, yeah. And… I might have had my hands on some of the seeds for a bit there too."
"What!"
"Well, I didn't keep any or sell 'em. One of Calvino's crew was this kid, Rocco. He saw me fighting on the shuttle when we nabbed those hijackers. Begged me to show him some moves. Anyway when I went out to the desert, I met his sister, a girl named Stella. She was blinded from Venus sickness. Her brother had stolen the plant from his crew - I think he was gonna try to sell it so he could afford to get his sister the operation she needed. Turns out, he'd also finagled some seeds which he'd mailed to her separately. Not sure if his boss ever realized that but the plant itself was destroyed when shit hit the fan."
Jet winced. "Oh that's unfortunate."
"Mm, well, it would have been if not for the seeds. She must have sold a couple to be able to afford the eye surgery to get her sight back, but the last time I saw her… she admitted that she'd kept a couple because she wanted to try her hand at growing 'em. So… now I wonder… did her efforts pay off? And if so, why would she need me for anything?" Spike shrugged and finished off the beer. "I'm a man these days who appreciates answers. And… well, she was a good girl. Her brother was trying to be a good guy. I'd like to do what I can to help."
Jet puffed on his spliff for a bit and then nodded. "Venus it is. I'm sure Faye will come around once she realizes it's for a good cause. She's got a softer heart than she ever likes to show."
"Well, when the world is full of assholes trying to fuck you over… it makes sense to put on a gruff exterior. Being a bitch is just more armor, that's all." Spike mused. He got to his feet and set the empty bottle on the table. He disappeared down the hallway towards the bedrooms, returning a few minutes later with a blanket that he draped over Faye and a lukewarm beer that he offered Jet. "Not the best, but it's all I've got left myself."
Taking the bottle, Jet waved off Spike's words. "A thirsty man doesn't complain." He looked at Faye under the blanket. "Gonna just leave her there?"
Spike put his hands behind his head as he made his way back towards the bedrooms. "She's an adult, she can put herself to bed when she's ready. Besides, she's wedged in there too awkwardly for me to be able to pick her up." He turned briefly back to Jet and flashed him a grin. "And she's got a cuddle buddy so I think I'm off the hook tonight."
Frowning, Jet peered past the table to the heap on the floor. Sure enough, Ein was snuggled up to Faye, tucked beneath one of her arms and with his face near hers. Jet didn't imagine her beer breath was any better than Ein's dog breath and sent a brief prayer out that he wasn't around when they both returned to consciousness. He reached out to turn the monitor in his direction and kicked his feet up on the table. Cartoons, warm beer, and a half gone spliff - not a bad way to end the day!
xxx
Venus Desert
The Next Day
"Well, this is where the coordinates indicated," Jet said. "I don't see a thing myself." He and Spike were in their zipcraft, cruising along above the desert surface. They'd left Faye, Ed, and Ein on the Bebop which was currently docked at one of Venus's space stations. Faye, grumpy from the hangover she'd woken up with, had threatened to take off with the ship if they weren't back by midday and neither man was willing to test her patience.
Everything looked the same out here. There weren't even many plants to help distinguish one patch of sandy ground from another. The yellow of the sky merged with the gold of the desert so the horizon was just one shimmery shade of yellowish gold. It was actually kind of pretty, different from the way blue sky and blue water melds on the horizon but very similar overall.
"Hey, wait… I think I see something…" Spike maneuvered his craft to land on the surface, Jet bringing his Hammerhead down nearby. They'd both taken the pills to fix their voices so neither of them sounded high pitched once they were out in the blistering Venus air. Spike was approaching a pinwheel that had been stuck into the ground. It was very reflective but not very capable of spinning any longer.
Both men considered it for a moment, each thinking back to the depressing day when Ed had taken off from the ship without saying goodbye. Heavy memories, though thankfully that hadn't been the end of their adventures with the young hacker.
Beneath their feet, the ground began to rumble ominously. Jet took a few steps backward, though Spike didn't bother to move at all. The sand was starting to churn in front of them and then it began to rise up. Within moments, a square metal compartment had pushed up from the desert to stand in front of them. Doors slid open with a jerk but there was no one within the chamber.
"Maybe we're supposed to go inside?" Jet mused. Spike was already heading for the interior and barely waited for Jet to scurry in after him before pressing the only button he could see.
The doors slid shut with slightly more ease than they'd opened, and once they were enclosed inside the elevator began to lower back down into the ground. It was a very short trip down and then the doors were opening again to reveal a long but narrow chamber. It very much resembled a train car or a semi trailer. There were vents spraying mist into the air and a door at the far end. Giving each other a look and a shrug, the two cowboys continued into the compartment.
Before they reached the door on the other end, it was already sliding open and a slender woman slipped into the room with them, firmly closing the door she'd just come through. She saw Spike and smiled warmly.
"Oh! So you got my message, Mr. Spiegel," Her blue eyes landed on Jet then. "A friend?"
"I wouldn't bring anyone who wasn't," Spike replied easily. "Stella Bonnaro, meet Jet Black. Jet, this is Stella Bonnaro."
"Very pleased to meet your acquaintance, Mr. Black," Stella greeted him. "I am so happy you came so quickly, Mr. Spiegel. I've almost run out of space to use here and I need some help. See, I was able to convert these abandoned tankers into a hydroponics bay for growing Grey Ash plants. The atmosphere of Venus is too harsh for them, but with the set up I have down here they are able to survive. I've been hoping I could do this for Rocco, as his legacy. He gave me the seeds to restore my vision, but I want his efforts to help more than just me. And, I thought, maybe if we were able to harvest more… then the black market wouldn't be as ruthless." She sighed, her eyes sparkling with tears briefly. "I don't have enough space here, and I can't honestly handle that many more plants. I'm also very worried about being caught and killed - the gangs here are not tolerant of threats to their money or power."
"That's putting it mildly," Spike murmured.
She flashed him a smile. "Yes, you folks are bounty hunters - you'd know." Another little sigh. "I didn't know who to talk to aside from you. I was hoping… maybe you have some connections? Some way to transport some of the plants perhaps? It's my dream to see this plant established on every planet in the solar system. Even if most can't support it outside in the wild… if we have several bases set up like this… well, just think of all the good that could be done! So many suffer from Venus sickness, and who knows what other ailments Grey Ash might be good for. There's never been enough to truly study."
"You know, we might just have some friends who are able to help." Spike said thoughtfully. He glanced over at Jet.
"You thinking VT? This seems right up her alley if you're asking me," Jet told him. "But hauling tankers is one thing - taking care of plants might not be her cup of tea."
"Mm, no, not likely… but… actually I have a couple thoughts on that as well. Like, remember how Ed was telling us Sister Clara is a greenthumb?"
"I don't recall those words, but… well, it never hurts to ask!" Jet grinned. "For that matter, maybe I know a guy as well…"
Stella clapped her hands together with delight. "Oh, good heavens! I am so very glad that you came into my life, Mr. Spiegel. I miss my brother more than words can say, but it is thanks to him that I've met you and that I might be able to make the world a better place."
Spike smiled back at her. "He was a great guy, Stella. But you knew that better than anyone else. He'd be glad to see you happy and doing so well."
xxx
"Thanks a million for this, Tor," Jet said quietly to the woman at his side on the bridge of the Bebop. Her cat Zeros was sitting on the interactive screen of the charting table in the heart of the room, looking for all the world as if she was playing a game of shogi against Ein. Knowing the intelligence of both creatures, Jet wouldn't be surprised if that was really what was happening.
VT was watching out the window as Spider Mike took off with his load of precious cargo safely hidden and secured. Nearby, the RedTail was getting ready to follow with Stella crammed into the small space of the zipcraft with Faye. The Swordfish would have made for an even tighter fit and the Hammerhead wasn't much more spacious so it fell to Faye to relay the young woman to the destination and then back here to Venus.
Knowing how little Faye cared for Venus, it should have made her happy to depart. But Faye had been aloof and claimed they could stay on Venus for the rest of their days for all she cared. Jet hadn't wanted to argue and had let her spout off whatever nonsense kept her feeling confident.
At least she'd been warmly welcoming to Stella when he and Spike had brought her on board. And she'd been enthusiastic about wanting to help Stella's dream come true. Maybe it was her own experience with health care that drove her to want to give people more affordable options. Whatever it was, Jet wasn't about to complain.
The girls and Spider Mike were heading to Ganymede to meet up with Horatio and see about getting a few hydro-tankers settled into some discreet locations. Stella would pass her knowledge about the Grey Ash plants along to Horatio and whichever of the youth seemed to want to test out their greenthumbs. Jet had been as vague as possible when conversing with Horatio about their plan. He'd claimed to have a healthy way for some of the kids to grow into their future and just needed help finding a location to set up a school. It wasn't exactly the truth but it wasn't far from it. And Spike would be launching soon with Ed in his ship with him so they could approach the hoodlums and get assurances of their silence on the matter.
Which left Jet here in the pleasant company of VT and the animals while they awaited the return of the others. Well, they had more to do than just sit on their hands and wait. In fact, they planned to bring another hydro-tanker to Earth while the others were busy further out in the galaxy. Jet himself had been fully trained by Stella and would be able to pass his knowledge along to Sister Clara, who was already looking forward to having something bright and beautiful for the kids in her care to focus on at their home base - a little outpost called Haven. They'd regroup with the others back on Venus to grab the last of the hydro-tankers that Stella had managed to get set up to be taken to space and then they'd try and find a safe spot somewhere on Mars for that one.
It wasn't much. Only four remote locations scattered across the galaxy to somehow supply an entire planet with a cure. But they'd had less resources, a tighter time constraint, and more danger when they'd managed to eliminate the threat posed by the eco-terrorists and again when that ex-military madman had tried to destroy all of one of Mars's crater-cities. This was a piece of cake in comparison.
And it was something that they could stand behind proudly. Their other world-saving exploits were hush-hush, which was fine. None of them cared about fame or notoriety and so the gag order was just something to make the government feel better - it wasn't what kept their mouths shut about those missions. Even this would be something they'd never boast or brag about. It was still incredibly dangerous, especially if the mob and mafia on Venus caught wind of it. Stella was taking a huge risk by pursuing her dream. But she was dedicated to it wholeheartedly. And, dammit, it was a good dream. It was the type of dream you could really devote yourself to and feel good about. No bragging involved, just the pride of doing right burning in your heart.
Which meant it was just the type of thing to impress VT.
She'd been fairly quick in responding to his message reaching out to him, despite how abruptly he'd cut off communication with her before. And she was more than ready to help when he told her it didn't have anything at all to do with bounty hunting, or with rescuing members of his crew. Although she'd also been swift to help him in that instance. Jet was rather suspicious about her claim to dislike bounty hunters and bounty hunting. After all, she'd been the one to contact them when she had learned Decker's whereabouts after she'd first met Spike and Faye. That kind of assistance and her willingness to jump into action of her own accord spoke volumes.
Jet had years of experience now with hearing people say one thing while they actually meant something else entirely. It was how just about every conversation with Spike and Faye had gone until recently. The only person he didn't get the runaround from was Ed but she was often so random with her speeches and songs that it still took a minute to translate.
He knew he had made some progress with VT because she'd shared her actual name with him. Apparently her full name was something of a game to everyone who knew her - people made bets trying to guess what her initials could stand for. She had mentioned that Spike figured out the truth but aside from telling Jet her given first name she hadn't shared the rest. And, while he was always careful to refer to her as VT anytime there were other people present, she had also let him get away with calling her Tor when they were alone. It had slipped off his tongue before he could catch himself but she had been amused and delighted by it and had teased him that his own name was too short to make a pet name of it.
Knowing that secret thing about her - something that by all rights should be well known - It made him feel good. Trusted. And doing stuff that made her pleased was another thing that made him feel good. He was a sucker for making people happy, but was that a bad thing in the long run?
Hell, it made him feel good just seeing the sparkle in Stella's eyes as they went out of their way to help her. And it's not like it was much of a hassle on their part really. A week or two spent running across the galaxy and setting up greenhouses was another nice break from bounty hunting - much better than that strange babysitting bodyguard duty they'd been roped into. Granted, this paid about as much - meaning not at all - but… the payout here wasn't supposed to be money anyway. It was simply meant to help.
"You sure run a strange ship, Jet." VT replied at length. "I know you said that kid isn't theirs, but damn if she doesn't seem like a mashup of both those fools."
Jet chuckled. "Yeah, but she's all the best parts of them and none of the shitty ones. And… to be honest, I kind of enjoy the shitty parts of them anyway. Well. Some of the shitty parts. Sometimes."
She grinned at him. "You're a sucker for humanity. That's a nice thing. You can see the bad and see past it to the good. Not everyone can do that." She stretched and gave him a coy look. "We ought to get truckin' ourselves here. I wanna take you out for a meal when we get the job done. Maybe do a little celebrating if we've got the time before meeting back up with your partners."
"Isn't the gentleman the one supposed to wine and dine the mademoiselle?"
VT laughed outright at that. "In a world where we're not equals? Maybe. But that world can go straight to hell. Anyway I'll buy that you're a gentleman on occasion, but don't you dare go dressing me up as some mad-em-moi-selle," She deliberately stretched the word out into a series of sharp sounds, infusing each syllable with ridicule.
"All right, this time around I'll let you treat me. Though I still think I owe you from that lift from Earth a few months back."
VT walked over to the charting table and scooped Zeros up. "If you're keeping a tab, you owe me for more than that. But just so you know, I'm not keeping track." Zeros claimed a position on her shoulder and VT gave Ein a good scratch behind his ears as she went past the data dog.
Jet wondered if he was supposed to follow her and decided it couldn't hurt. She'd mentioned celebrating after they dropped off the payload but… it was going to take quite a while for Spike and Faye to return with their companions. The way Jet figured it… there was more than enough time to walk VT to her own ship and make sure she was… settled in. Besides, he wanted to make sure she knew how thankful he truly was for all her help. There weren't too many women like her in the universe - willing to put her own job on hold to help a group of misfits with whatever their quest or cause of the moment might be.
It only made sense to adequately show his gratitude!