What May Come

Please see chapter 1 for author's notes. Thank you to those who have reviewed, I appreciate the input to the story.

Chapter 5: Who Are You People?

Aslinn sighed, indicating the cushions littering the floor. "My suggestion would be that we all take a seat and you tell us again what exactly happened."

"We already told you once!" Harlan objected.

"Yeah, well, let's just say the details we were listening for weren't really the ones that would be useful for finding a ship…more those we could use to discredit you."

"Before we answer anything," Goddard said firmly, "I want some information about you. One minute you're saying you can help us, then you're locking us up, and now you're willing to help us again? Out of some sense of obligation that won't let you let us leave? You'll have to forgive me for being suspicious."

"It's not…you can leave, if you like," Jacie said with a shrug, glancing at Aslinn. "I didn't mean that you couldn't. But you'll be in the same position that you were before—no information about your friends, and no idea where to look for it. And likely to get yourself killed trying to find some."

Harlan shook his head. "You keep saying that, but no one's tried to kill us yet. You're just trying to scare us."

"If I wanted you gone, you'd be gone. What would be the point of a scare? Give them time."

"Ask your questions, we'll answer what we can," Aslinn said in the silence that followed. "What can it hurt, really, you staying here for a bit longer?"

Goddard nodded slightly, but he didn't look pleased. "You make a good point. Who are you, really? How did you get here?"

"Aslinn Mallory, at your service. Born in New Chicago, once upon a time, although I don't really remember it. Dad was a small-time trader; we spent the next few years there on the rim. Mom left to join the StarDogs when I was four or so, and we—Dad and I—started moving farther from the Sol system. Got word when I was nine…maybe ten…that she'd been killed in the war. It didn't mean much to me, but Dad…he wanted to get even farther away. By then the ship was in lousy shape, so we'd go as long as we could, stop at a station and sell what we had, work to get enough money to fix the ship and pick up more goods, and move on. Met up with Jacie on Tindles Orbital when I was about thirteen…Dad died shortly after and we've stuck together since. We—I—couldn't stay there, so we took the ship to Ventainia." He glanced over at Jacie.

"There's not much to tell about me beyond what Az already told you. Spent the first part of my life as a slave—I will not talk about that so don't ask—but I got lucky and managed to escape. Met up with Aslinn not too long after that, on the docks. Surprised the hell out of me when I got contacted by a member of the In'Tssai—a resistance group. Don't ask us about them either…we still don't have any guarantee you aren't going to betray us to the Spung and/or Triiad, we certainly aren't handing over anyone else. For the last few years we've been evacking people. Salvage is our cover…the ship is nothing special, but that works as much for us as against us. By choice I'd build my sensor nets, and Az would design power sources and engines, and we'd both fade nicely into obscurity, but we don't get that choice. Well, I don't…I didn't realize it at the time, but I'd never have escaped without help, and I owe it to those still trapped to pass on the favor."

"You're in, I'm in, brother," Aslinn said firmly. "You know that. So that's our story…dock rats by day, inventors at night, and resistance workers when the need presents itself."

"But you've got a ship…you can help us get to them!" Harlan pointed out.

"We have a salvage ship in lousy shape with cobbled together hull plating that occasionally loses pieces on landing. The weapons system consists of two badly-mounted forward lasers that even Jacie can't aim worth anything, and don't get me started on the current state of our battle screens. We'd have a hard time taking out a Spung transport shuttle, never mind a Killcruiser." Aslinn shook his head. "Look, the first thing we need to do is find out where your crewmembers are or having a ship doesn't do any good. So could you please start your story again from the beginning? And have you ever had any run-ins with the Spung before?"

Radu listened absently as Goddard told their story yet again, but most of his attention was focused on Jacie, where it had been since Aslinn had given his description of the Ashrach. Staring was incredibly impolite, but since occasionally he caught Jacie studying him out of the corner of his eye, he figured he would be forgiven this once. The idea of hatching, starting life as a slave to the Spung and knowing no other life…. He could still see Jesh, and the scars he'd carried from the mines…still hear the horror in the stories he'd told late at night. The others in the sleeping quarters never woke during his nightmares…no few of them, at least the older ones, had nightmares of their own from their time with the Spung, but none like his. Radu had been the one who'd gotten up with him, who'd listened when the memories got to be too much. And even now, so long after, those talks gave his mind too much fodder for nightmares when he thought about the Spung. He shook himself back to the present when he heard Goddard mention Warlord Shank. And just in time.

"Real nasty dude," Harlan was agreeing. "Although we did meet a girl at the same time who's sweet on Radu…"

"Harlan!" While he was glad Harlan left out the part that the girl was Elmira, the daughter of Warlord Shank, it was still embarrassing to have it talked about in front of strangers.

Aslinn and Jacie snickered, and Commander Goddard shook his head. "Mr. Band…"

"Yeah, yeah, I couldn't help it. Sorry, Radu."

Radu shook his head, dismissing it. Harlan never—almost never—meant any harm when he teased; it was just his way of showing friendship. A strange and bizarre way that didn't really make sense to him, but he'd come to accept that humans were confusing. "The last time we saw Warlord Shank, Pezu had him trapped on her station."

"What's a Pezu?" Aslinn asked.

"She was a station we met," Goddard took over the explanation. "Apparently she was just lonely, but her ideas on how to make and keep friends really weren't healthy. She gave his ship computer systems a virus, so I'm not sure he could have gotten away from the station even if he did escape her traps."

"They always do, somehow," Jacie put in dryly. "Although…it seems you had an interesting time since you hijacked your ship. Or it hijacked you…not really sure how that works. Never heard of that happening before."

"Then again, we've never heard of Lumanians before either," Aslinn pointed out. "And that's unusual; we know most all the species out here. Of them, anyway. So, back to your crew. Aside from Shank and this…Amirge guy, you haven't had any other contact with the Spung Empire?"

"Well, we don't know who was in command of the Killcruisers that were destroyed coming off the planet we crashed on, but I suspect Shank was behind it," Goddard said after a moment. "He's the one we embarrassed by escaping—twice, at that point. Whoever they were, they're dead now."

Radu was glad that he left out Elmira's psychic warning…the story was hard enough to believe without it. "Do you have any idea where they might be taking the others?"

"Ch'cov is in lousy shape. Took too many hits in the war to ever be repaired fully. I'm assuming the others on your crew are intelligent enough to figure that out. So either they aren't going far, or there's another ship somewhere nearby waiting to take over."

"Contrary to popular belief, you don't find Killcruisers floating at random in Spung space. There's only about 100 of them out currently…and none are within five days' flight." Jacie frowned slightly. "There's half a dozen light cruisers that could have gotten to them by now though, and at least one of the heavy cruisers."

"Damn, I didn't realize there were any of those in the area." Aslinn made a face. "I'm not sure Galzaz has the authority to command it, but…how good is the weaponry on your ship?"

"We haven't found any weapons on the Christa," Goddard answered. "The shields are pretty good…"

Jacie looked appalled. "No weapons? At all?"

"Well, that rules out them having fought their way free," Aslinn muttered.

"They might have hyperjumped," Harlan offered. "That's how we've gotten away before."

"Please. The Spung would have seen the buildup of power in your engines and fired considerably more than a warning shot long before they could jump," Jacie disagreed. "I've contacted who I can—do not ask—they'll get word out quickly. We should know within three or four days where your ship was taken."

"By then the Killcruisers could have gotten here!" Radu protested. "And j-just because you'll know where they were taken doesn't mean they'll still be there!"

"And what if they get split up?" Harlan demanded. "We need to get to them before that happens!"

"Kid," Aslinn said calmly, despite the fact that he couldn't be that much older than Harlan. "It's quite possible that that's already happened. The odds of getting all of your friends away from the Spung are basically nill…we'll do what we can, but you might as well face reality."

"If—if—the Spung keep them all on your ship it might be doable," Jacie said after a moment, "but don't count on it. Do any of your crewmembers have any particular talents that the Spung might be able to exploit?"

"Bova is Uranusian, but not full adult," Goddard answered after a moment. "He can channel something like 20,000 volts…"

"They've got staffs that do that," Aslinn said dismissively. "Non-sentient, and easy to control. Same deal with the Mercurian girl…just not that useful. So that leaves who?"

"Miss Davenport is good with computers," Harlan offered. "Thelma is an android. And Suzee is an engineering genius—literally."

"And she's telepathic…she can go into people's minds."

Radu thought for a moment, remembering the contact they'd had with the Spung since the Yenisidian girl joined the crew. She hadn't come into contact with Warlord Shank, and she'd remained on the ship searching for the Rhomby when Amirge had taken them captive… "I don't think the Spung know that. I don't think she ever used it around them."

"Hm. Well, if she keeps her head in…well, her head, she might be okay." Jacie shrugged. "Reliable telepaths aren't real common in this area. They'll break her and use her if they find out. As for the computer person…they might have some use for her if she's good enough. The android would be left with the ship if she's willing to work with them. I'm assuming that won't be the case so she'll probably be disassembled and melted down. That wouldn't be a priority though, for transport they'd just deactivate her."

"Only we can pilot the Christa," Harlan said suddenly. "I don't think we mentioned that, but it's true."

"It can't be that complicated," Aslinn objected.

"No, he's right. She bonded to them, not even TJ—Miss Davenport—and I can fly her. The controls just freeze."

"So they'll force the issue," Jacie said, with a lack of concern indicating that objects being difficult to move had never been much of a problem for him.

Radu shook his head. "It wouldn't work. The controls would break, or be electrified, or something. The Christa is…different. She has a mind of her own."

"No kidding?" Aslinn looked interested; Jacie didn't seem convinced. "Well, then at least a couple of them should be kept with your ship. That's a plus for us. Unless the Spung decide to dismantle it, of course." Aslinn shrugged. "There's not a lot we can do until we find out where they're being taken. You might as well go back to your quarters—you have quarters, right?"

"Uh, yeah, a couple levels down," Harlan answered.

"Good. Go back, get a couple hours sleep if you can. You and Radu are working, right? All right, I'll take you—" that was to Commander Goddard—"around tomorrow, check with the people I couldn't find this evening."

"I'll finish up what I need to in the labs, lock down the stuff that can wait, and meet you two on the docks at lunch. We'll need money…for repairs to get the Rockhopper spaceborne if nothing else."

Aslinn frowned for a moment as they stood to leave. "A suggestion? Your uniforms make you stand out here. I'd suggest stopping by the commissary tomorrow and picking out civilian stuff…better to blend in. I'd say borrow some of ours, but none of us are quite the same size."

Goddard thanked him for the advice, and the three of them headed back to quarters. Radu looked over as he settled himself at the computer terminal in the room rather than taking his bunk. "Commander? Aren't you going to sleep?"

"We made a mistake once, trusting people without checking their information. I'd like to verify what Aslinn and Jacie told us as much as I can. You two get some sleep."

"Are you sure? We could help," Harlan offered.

"There's only one terminal…I don't think you two reading over my shoulder will make that much of a difference. Best rest while you can."