Chapter 24: In a Backwater Spaceport
When they finally got moving (with many a moan and groan and stretch), both Gary and Avocato agreed a little space and time to think was called for. Well, Avocato suggested it and Gary, not wanting to appear helplessly needy, agreed. Gary recommended waiting until after dinner for Avocato to talk to Little Cato, just to give the teen a chance to level off, and knowing Little Cato had probably retreated to the ventilation ducts to get away from everyone and he or Avocato would just get stuck if they tried going after him, the ducts in the Crimson Light being small in comparison to those in the Galaxy 1.
"Respect the ducts," Gary warned when Avocato frowned, putting a stopper on any argument.
Pursuit of his son not being an option at the moment, Avocato went to scour the galactic newsfeeds to see if there was word of the Tera Con fleet getting underway, but not before taking Gary's hand for a moment and leaning in to touch his forehead to Gary's in that Ventrexian non-verbal mojo that Gary Goodspeed was rapidly falling in love with. The brief but eloquent gesture left Gary speechless. Not since his father had been alive had he felt . . . cherished. And here this uptight, six-foot, teal cat-man in combat boots who he had married by mistake had, without uttering a word, just presented him with more tenderness and devotion and respect than he'd ever received from an adult in all his thirty-two years. It was . . . overwhelming. Little Cato's words replayed in his memory as Avocato stepped away: That's a lot of trust for him to give so soon, so . . . he might be a little crazy for you, too. Struggling to keep the silly grin off his face, Gary watched him leave, waiting for the door to close and giving Avocato a few more seconds to get out of earshot before his excitement reached critical and he jumped and twisted in the air, pumping his fist and letting out an ecstatic whoop.
"Did you hear that? Did you hear that, AVA? I, The Captain, am easy to fall in love with!"
"I always suspected you were easy," teased the AI. "He didn't actually say he was in love with you, Gary, just that you're easy to love."
"Oh, please! He was giving me the goo-goo eyes and the fuzziest lip-lock on record! My man Avocato would never do that without a reason. He is not a tease."
"So, I take it you're in love with him?"
"Hellll-o! Isn't everyone? How could I not be, AVA? Take a look at that uniform and tell me you haven't got the hots for him, too."
"The clothes don't make the man, but . . . I must say those boots are to die for."
He grinned. "Gotcha! I am so going to rub HUE's nose in this. Captain Goodspeed, who, oh, just happens to be married to Generalissimo Avocato, has conquered all."
"You're going to live off this for weeks, aren't you?"
"Months!" he shouted back. He pointed dramatically. "AVA! Play me the good stuff! The Captain needs to dance it out."
She didn't need to ask what constituted 'the good stuff.' It was firmly established aboard the Crimson Light that anything by the Loggins comma Kenneth was 'the good stuff' and playing it at anything less than maximum volume was verboten.
Gary's smile lit up brighter than the lights as Footloose blasted over the speakers in the hall. Unable to keep still, he let out a happy whoop and jumped into action, working off the pent-up energy that was a by-product of being easy to fall in love with.
OoOoOoOoOoOoO
"AVA, where's Gary?"
"In the hall outside engineering."
"Is Avocato with him?"
"The general is presently in the galley reviewing newsfeeds."
Nightfall frowned, curious. "So, what is Gary still doing in the hall alone?"
"A one-man dance-a-thon."
She sighed, knowing what that meant. "Loggins."
"He asked for Footloose on loop. He called it a Footloop. This is the fifth replay."
Typical Gary. "What's got him all fired up?"
"He's easy," was AVA's breezy reply.
"Easy?"
"To love, apparently."
Another frown. She had a sense of where this was coming from, but she didn't like where it might go. "He's just figuring this out now?"
"He needed to hear it from someone official to believe it. Someone in uniform."
She closed her eyes, fighting the urge to growl and the impulse toward jealousy. Avocato. Damn it and damn him. She'd seen similar sequences of events before, though she'd never known the timeline to move so quickly. Then again, they rarely had this much down time.
Gary catching dance fever for a few hours was nothing new in her experience, though Nightfall far preferred when she was involved – or, better still, the cause. He was a surprisingly good dancer, graceful and agile and a pleasure to watch since he derived so much enjoyment out of it. She knew his moves; knew the smile he was wearing right now: it was brilliant and happy and just once flash of it could make her heart ache. It hurt that this revelry wasn't on her account, though she drew a bit of solace from the fact Avocato wasn't with him.
Nightfall closed her eyes for a moment, collecting herself and trying to rise above her petty resentment. For the umpteenth time she told herself Avocato was not to blame. Gary was not to blame. Circumstances were what they were, and as they were, they did not encompass her. She should be grateful Gary had found so much happiness.
"Have you seen Little Cato?" she asked, suddenly anxious to gauge the teenager's reaction to the status change of both parents. Though Little Cato seemed to have taken this rapid series of events in stride, Nightfall was still concerned because he had a tendency to hide his emotions a little too well. The two most important people in his life suddenly becoming an item was a lot to process, not to mention the fact that this young version of Avocato still had to return to Tera Con Prime and rise to become the unholy terror that was the Master of Death. Though comparatively mild in comparison to his reputation, Nightfall knew this Avocato was on his best behavior. That did not mean the capacity and potential for slaughter wasn't there. Little Cato stood to gain and loose a great deal all at once, and she wanted to spare him as much hurt as could be managed.
"No," Ava replied. There was an uncharacteristic pause, then, "He was in the upper turret earlier."
"Maintenance?"
"He wanted time alone."
That wasn't good. Being an AI, AVA was bound by privacy restrictions, and unless told otherwise – such as with Bodek – she did not constantly monitor the whereabouts of the crew. Nightfall knew perfectly well there was access to the top of the ship from the upper turret. Little Cato knew it, too, but she didn't think he'd leave the ship. Yes, he'd given his word to stay on the Crimson Light, but he was also fourteen and on a new planet and was probably antsy to explore a bit.
"AVA! Where is he now?"
"Scanning. He's not in the ship or on it. Scanning the docking bay . . . only one Ventrexian life form detected. There's no sign of him unless he's behind something shielded."
"He wouldn't hide on us. Broaden the scan! Find him! Where are Ash and Fox?"
"Ash is with Bodek. Fox is tending his plants."
"Get Fox to the bridge. Send HUE to relieve Ash and tell her to get up here ASAP!" She keyed the comm unit. "AVA, kill the music! Gary, get to the bridge. Now! Avocato, I need everyone up here on the bridge." She glared up at the ship surrounding her, fear knotting in her belly. "Anything on the scans?"
"Negative. Checking the bay's security system now."
"Keep it up."
This was bad. And frightening. A lot of things could happen in a backwater spaceport like Geegau, not all of it above the board, and as smart and strong as Little Cato might be, there would always be people smarter and stronger who would love to get their hands on a child. Just because Zee Secundus didn't allow slavery didn't mean it was free of that scourge, and she knew there was plenty of trafficking passing through here. Compounding the issue was who Little Cato was - the only son of the second-in-command of the Tera Con Empire. It was a simple fact that control of Little Cato equated to control of Avocato, and that was something the universe did not need to know. It could be a disaster if Little Cato was recognized.
Avocato, being closest, was first to arrive. Cool, professional, and controlled, every inch the battle-hardened general, he stepped onto the bridge of the Crimson Light as if he was stepping onto the battlebridge of one of his super Incinerators. Nightfall wondered how much – if any – of his bearing was an act. She knew what it took to have such a complete lockdown on one's emotions, and while she was damned good at it, she had to concede this young Ventrexian was better. Then again, being from a noble family, self-control had been drilled into Avocato from birth. His interaction with Gary this morning had been a tantalizing glimpse of what he might be like behind closed doors, tender and thoughtful and warm, but with anyone less than his son or Gary, Avocato was all flint and ice. That was fine. Given his position, he needed those defenses. That armor had one weakness she knew of, and now possibly two.
She looked at Avocato steadily and decided no, he'd better have two weaknesses now or they were going to have words and the general was not going to enjoy a one of them.
He did not ask what was wrong. One glance at Nightfall, a quick nod, and Avocato stood back to wait for the others to arrive to save her from repeating herself. She was glad of the courtesy, but he was a professional. Fox arrived, took one look at Avocato, and sidled closer to Nightfall, the questions dying on his lips as he waited for more moral support. Gary came next, breathless and sweaty and still hyper-charged up from his celebration. Avocato, ever poised, took in his bedraggled state with open confusion and curiosity, but Gary just gave him that goofy, megawatt grin in return.
If Gary chose right now to give Avocato The Face, Nightfall resolved to slap it clean off his mug. This was not the time to flirt and she was not in the mood for any shenanigans. Catching herself, she paused and forced herself to take a deep breath, regaining control and patience.
Luckily for both captain and general, Ash chose that moment to step onto the bridge, Mooncake tucked under her arm. Opening her mouth to ask what was going on, she rethought her actions as she cottoned on to Nightfall's tension and slid over to stand between her brother and the rest of the universe.
"S'up?" asked Gary, speaking for them all as he shrugged his coat back on.
Avocato's eyes narrowed to slits, and his voice was just short of a growl as he said, "You said you needed everyone on the bridge. Where is my son?"