FOUR: marooned

The four of them crowded around the coffee table. Edward was bent over Tomato, trying to log on to some network, any network, but she soon discovered how impossible it was going to be. She lay back and groaned, sparking interest in the three adults hovering over her. Jet studied the blank screen and then glanced to Ed. "Well? What's wrong?"

"No network," she groaned. "There're no satellites and without a satellite it's hopeless, hopeless, hopeless."

"Hopeless?" Faye asked.

"That's what Edward said."

Faye flopped down into the couch, resting the back of her hand on her forehead, as she let out a heavy sigh. The others didn't even look at her. "Hopeless…" she moaned. That's the last thing she had wanted to hear.

"Well, damnit," Jet muttered. "Can you at least tell us where the hell we are?"

Edward continued to stare up toward the ceiling, though her toes flew over the keyboard as agile as her fingers. The others still couldn't quite get over seeing the spectacle, but at the present Jet was too irritated to give a shit.

"Edward will have to use stars to map our location."

"Stars?" Jet muttered. That was weird.

Faye tucked a strand of hair behind an ear. "So what happened to the satellites?"

"Edward already explained. There are no satellites."

Jet peered down into the computer screen, letting Edward's report sink in. He couldn't make heads or tails of the information scrolling across the screen. He scratched his head, giving the girl a blank stare. "No satellites," he muttered. "Just how far off course are we?"

They couldn't be that far off course. There was only one place he knew of that had deserts like the one they crashed into, and that was Earth. They were probably in the middle of the Sahara or the Middle East or someplace like that. It should be easy to find help to fix the Bebop. They just had to find the right people. He stared at Tomato, never taking his fingers from his bald head. "Maybe it's just broken," he suggested, though he didn't sound convinced, given Ed's reaction to the situation.

"It's not broken, Jet-person," Ed replied without a second thought. She frowned down to the flood of information on her screen. "Huh? This can't be right. The stars are messed up. The North Star is now the South Star and the other stars are mixed up."

She rubbed her forehead as she tried to figure out what she had done wrong.

Spike gawked. "Mixed up? Whaddaya mean, mixed up? Ed, you better start making some sense right now!" He heard weird things out of her mouth all the time, but this was beyond bizarre. Ed was a loony; maybe she'd gotten the calculations wrong. But Spike knew better. Ed was a loony, but she wasn't stupid. Far from it. Which meant…

"Maybe Tomato is messed up," Ed murmured. "It says the North Star is now in the south. The normal constellations are gone. There are only new formations."

"Well…" This was awkward. Jet scratched his head, trying to work out any actual helpful information with the kid. Then again, Jet mused, Ed could almost be considered normal when thrown into this incredulous bunch. "Okay, okay. I think I understand. Did you try every three dimensional overlay to see if you could match anything?"

Well, of course she did, you ding-dong. We're talking about Radical Edward here. Jet moaned. His headache was getting worse.

Faye leaned over Ed's shoulder, trying to make sense of the jumble of numbers, but she didn't see anything that looked remotely familiar. That didn't surprise her. "So what does all this mean?" she asked. "Where the hell are we?"

The girl sat back, peering upside down at Faye, pulling her goggles from her eyes as she stared at the older woman. "Ed tried everything Ed could think of—3D and 2D and more 3D, even upside down and converted. There's not a single match in the database."

"And that means?" Faye prompted.

"It means we're screwed, Faye," Spike muttered, puffing on a cigarette.

Faye gave him a dirty look.

"We're not Kansas anymore," Ed said. Her three partners gave her a look. "Stranded on a deserted planet. Lost in space without a trace."

Faye gave Jet a look. "Is she saying what I think she's saying?"

The old man put his head in his hands and groaned.

"Yep," Spike said, flicking the butt of his cigarette into the ashtray. He ran his fingers through his thick green hair and sighed. "We're marooned."

"You have got to be kidding me!"

"I wish we were," Jet sighed, and picked a cigarette from the pack on the table. He struck a match and lit the smoke. Ed rolled about on the floor for a time, taking a break from her work as the grown-ups stared at each other. "But it's not like we have much of a choice in the matter. We're stuck here, and we don't even know where here is."

Faye fumed. "God damnit, Jet."

"Hey, don't chew me out," he muttered. "I never asked you to come along."

"And just who the hell can I chew out?!"

Jet glared at her. "At least give me a chance to show you everything, okay? Our location isn't even the half of it."

Faye stared. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

----------

The damage was extensive, stretching nearly thirty yards along the starboard hull of the ship, and plenty wide enough for a man to crawl through without much difficulty. Faye sunk to the sand and stared wordlessly at the Bebop's terrible gash. Spike stood over her, scratching the back of his head as he studied the terribly wounded ship.

"Oh man," was all the young cowboy could manage.

Jet was a hell of a mechanic, but they all knew there was nothing much he could do with the damage presented to them. There simply wasn't enough material onboard to seal the breach. Which meant they would have to seek materials needed on the outside. More importantly, they were going to have to figure out where to search. That was Ed's job, though they all knew how difficult it would be. She was inside now, doing her detective work. It would be no less than a miracle if she found even half of what they needed.

"Like I was saying," Jet said quietly as he gazed to the damage, "we need to come up with a contingency plan."

"Like what?" Spike asked. "We're stranded here, remember? There's no guarantee that there's anyone else here. What're we gonna do, melt down the Hammerhead for scrap?"

"Like hell," Jet muttered.

"Well it's better than nothing!" Faye said. "I say we do it. We have to get off this rock somehow."

"There's not enough salvageable metal in the Hammerhead, Redtail, and Sword Fish combined," Jet snapped. "Besides, it'd be easier to fix them."

Spike shot him a look. "And scrap the Bebop? Geez, Jet, never thought I'd see the day."

"Oh, shut up," Jet grumbled. "We're not leaving the Bebop behind."

Faye drew a gloved finger through the sand. "So what about the other ships? How bad are they?"

"Well, the Hammerhead's definitely out of commission. She needed work before our little detour."

"And the others?" Spike said.

The old man pulled out his pack of cigarettes and knocked one free of the foil, holding it out so his partner could have something to grab onto. "Here, have a cigarette so I can tell you the bad news."

Spike stared at the butt for a moment and then slid it free of the pack. "Don't I even get a blindfold?"

Jet smirked and pulled out a lighter, handing it to his friend. "The Sword Fish is out of commission, too. I'm afraid Faye's got the only working ship onboard."

Faye clenched her fists. "Yes," she whispered. "There is a God."

Spike gave her a dirty look and lit his cigarette. "Damn Jet, your piloting sucks. Couldn't you have crashed the ship on the Redtail's side?"

Jet retrieved his lighter and pulled out a cigarette for himself. There was a look of annoyance in his eyes despite his smirk. "We're going to play a little guessing game. And the question is, guess who forgot to anchor his ship down the last time he got back from one of his little private excursions?" He sucked up a fresh lungful of smoke and eyed his partner.

Spike closed his eyes. "Shit."

"Well, it looks like I'm your only hope then, huh boys?"

"Not so fast, hot pants," Jet said. "The only ship with a sufficient amount of fuel onboard was the Sword Fish. The Bebop was running on fumes on the way to Venus, and your ship hasn't been refueled in ages."

"God damnit, Jet!"

Spike smirked. "We are so screwed."

A moment passed as the three of them stood there in silence, fuming over the challenge ahead of them. None of them could see past the seemingly inevitable. No one could possibly survive on this barren wasteland. If there was any life at all, it could hardly be enough to help them. Jet closed his eyes and blew a puff of smoke into the hot, dry air.

"Edward found a satellite!"

The high-pitched cry of success was followed an instant later excited barking as the girl dashed toward them from seemingly nowhere, Tomato balanced atop her head and the dog, Ein, chugging after her through the sand. Ed flopped down before them, holding the laptop high over her head as she crashed into the sand.

"Huh?" Jet shot Faye and Spike a look. "Whaddaya mean, Ed? What kind of satellite is it?"

"The satellite works but it doesn't send signals to other places in the stars," Ed replied. "It sends information to the seeds."

Jet looked at her. "Seeds?"

Ed nodded. "Yeah, but only one seed works. The other seeds are scattered all around the planet, but they don't work. But ya know what, there are people here other than Bebop people!"

Faye leaned forward. "People!" she cried, hope flaring anew.

"Yep!"

Spike frowned. "Wait a second. What the hell is a seed?"

"You lunkhead," Faye retorted. "They're where plants come from!"

"Don't be an idiot! Seeds don't receive satellite signals!"

"Yeah they do," Edward announced.

The two men turned their eyes to her, bewildered. Faye crossed her arms with a smug grin. "So, Ed." She paused, and a frown followed. "How?"

"Well, these seeds aren't plant seeds, they're ship seeds," Ed explained. "They crashed here a long time ago."

Jet scratched his head. "You mean the people came here on ships, and now they're stranded here like we are."

"That's right."

"Damnit, that's not what I wanted to hear," Spike muttered.

Jet shot Spike a look. "At least we're not alone," he said. He wondered what kind of people lived here. He didn't fully understand what Ed had just told him, but at least it was a start. What did make sense was that something called seeds had broken down all over the planet, and that they had somehow brought the people here. If they could bring people here, maybe they could get people off the planet. Plus, Edward seemed to think one of them still worked.

"Okay," he said. "That's a start, Ed. Thanks. Can you figure out where the closest settlement is?"

She studied the flow of information and nodded. "There's a city about a hundred miles that way," she announced, pointing out across the desert. She looked up to him, grinning like a fool. "Edward doesn't know who the people are. Can Edward come?"

"It's a hundred miles, Ed! We have one working ship and it only fits two people if you cram in as tight as you'd fit. Besides, I'm gonna need you here."

Faye shot a look at him. "You mean you want me to go? Hell no, Jet!"

The old man finished off his cigarette and tossed the butt away. "Here's the deal, Faye. Somebody's got to go, and I need Spike here."

"Ed thinks we can repair Bebop with things from broken seeds."

Jet looked to her. "Huh? Well, how far are they?"

Spike had pulled out his gun and was in the process of peering down the site of the weapon. He didn't say anything as he turned and pointed the barrel at Faye. He squeezed the trigger and the chamber clicked harmlessly.

"Get that thing out of my face, dumbshit!" Faye scowled, pushing gun away. "You know, Spike, you're really starting to piss me off."

"This is stupid," Spike said. "Jet, let me go. Faye doesn't have the nerves."

"Oh, like hell! You're a real idiot, you know that? I've got the only working ship, if you didn't remember."

"Pay attention, Faye! I'm the only one with fuel!"

"Would you two idiots stop bitching! I need to think!"

They were silent for a brief, blissful moment.

"So think," Faye snapped.

"Oh great, I'm sure that helps," Spike muttered.

"Shut up!" Jet shouted. He turned to Faye. "Look, we need your help, Faye." Help, Faye. Damnit, that wasn't the right choice of words, Jet. "Faye, please. Spike, Ed, and I will be working as much as we can on getting the Bebop repaired, but we won't have enough here to get the job done."

"Uh, Jet…"

The old man gave Spike a look, as if telling him not to argue. After all, it was still Jet's fuel. Not to mention the tank had to be drained before he could begin repairs anyway. He looked back to Faye.

"But you just said I don't have any fuel. And what are we going to do about food?" She paused, and slumped forward. Her face turned a sickly, pasty color. "Which reminds me, it's been hours since we've eaten anything…"

"Come on, think Faye. There ought to be enough fuel to get you to that town Ed was telling us about. You're just gonna have to siphon it from the Sword Fish's tank."

"Jet…"

The old man ignored Spike. "Come on, Faye. Think you can handle that much?" He offered her his most sincere smile. "And if you get your butt in gear I might be willing to pull out my special." His smile turned into a cunning smirk. "Bell peppers and beef. Remember, we picked up a fresh supply last week."

"God. I think eating Ein sounds like a better idea," Spike muttered. "He can't taste as bad as your 'special.'"

The little dog sank to Edward's side as the kid studied a fresh series of numbers on Tomato's screen.

Faye arched her brow at the mention of Jet's special, and sunk lower to the desert floor. "Wait a sec… Last time we had your 'special' we all ended up with food poisoning." She gave Jet a disgusted look. "I'm not so sure I want to eat anymore."

"Good. Then you can do your part and get to work," Jet retorted. He gave Spike a look. "Let's get to work on that hull breach."

"Do I have to?"

"Damnit, quit your brooding!" Jet rubbed his eyes, trying to force the headache pulsing through his skull to the back of his thoughts. "I'm getting tired of this. We're all in the same boat here, but it's still my ship…or would you rather spend the rest of your days wandering out in the middle of a scorching desert?"

There was silence.

"The heat's enough to cook your blood, ya know."

Jet gave Ed an inquisitive smirk. "Really?"

"You'd be dead in a matter of hours."

Faye stared at the two of them, aghast. "But a lady never stoops low enough to do the commoner's work!" she argued.

"Are we gonna fry Faye-Faye?"

"Shut up, Ed!" Faye turned her nose up at Jet. "Besides, it just so happens that I've already scheduled my beauty sleep, and I can't possibly miss that, now can I?"

Spike chucked a rock out into the desert. "Beauty sleep," he mocked.

Jet lay his forehead between his thumb and forefinger, forcing himself to remain calm. "Faye, we don't have any power. Without power, we don't have any air conditioning. Without air conditioning, it gets hot. Within a few hours, it's gonna be a goddamn pressure cooker in there. It could kill you, Faye." If I don't strangle you first. "You'd be doing yourself a favor taking the Redtail out there right now. Plus, you'd be getting out of what little hair I have left. Got it?!"

Faye groaned. "Geez! Alright already, I'll go!" She rose and kicked at the dirt in frustration. She crossed her arms over her chest and glared over to the old man. "Well, what else? If I'm going to be your errand girl, I need to know what you need done."

Jet smiled. Finally, a little cooperation. "We need all the essentials for life, Faye. See if you can rummage up some food, water, whatever. And find out about the people. I don't want any surprises if I can help it."

"Fine, I'll see what I can do," Faye said quietly after a sigh.

"Come on," Spike grunted. "I'll help you siphon the fuel."

Jet crossed his arms as they turned to walk away. Soon they disappeared into the ship, leaving Ed and Jet alone in the desert.

"Uh oh!"

Jet looked down. "What is it, Ed?" But he understood the moment he saw Tomato's screen flicker and go blank.

Tomato had run out of power.

Ed groaned in frustration and fell flat on her back into the sand.