“Yeah,” she said, shaking her head. “Its mouth is just…” She shuddered.
“You said it,” Bear said. “Once they bite down, they don’t let go, especially if they’re mad. If they get your throat or your abdomen, you’re a goner. And they chew on everything when they’re in a breeding frenzy. Walls, skiffs, scrap, fuel cables, well pumps, you name it.”
“That’s why they’re such a problem when they swarm,” Nib said. “In their dormant phase, they just cluster in the crags. They don’t come out unless something gets close enough to piss them off.” He gave Ember a pointed look. “But every year or two, they fly out en masse, flinging spawn everywhere and chewing on everything. It only lasts a couple days, but if you don’t protect your property, you’ll lose everything. That’s what happened to the first settlers here. They showed up during dormancy and were totally unprepared for the first swarm.”
Ashby started to wonder why the settlers had bothered rebuilding at all, but he already knew the answer. To some Humans, the promise of a patch of land was worth any effort. It was an oddly predictable sort of behavior. Humans had a long, storied history of forcing their way into places where they didn’t belong.
“See how much goo’s in the sac?” Ember said. “This one was definitely ready to breed.”
Nib nodded in agreement. “We are overdue for the next plague.”
Ember was eager to explain. “The goo becomes spawn once it’s fertilized. They keep it close to their maw so they can protect it. It’s so gross. They just fly around for days, humping each others’ heads.”
“Ember,” Bear said, cuffing her shoulder. “Guests.”
Ember ignored him, speaking with horrified relish. “And when they’re done, they hurl the goo out of their mouths. I bet they’re gonna swarm in the next tenday.”
“What do you do when they swarm?” asked Sissix.
“Hunker down and wait it out,” said Bear. “Nib and I upgraded the shields of the entire colony after we settled here. Ketlings can’t get through once folks fire them up. Of course, we can’t get out, either. Swarms are a great time to get caught up on vids.”
“What about the spawn?”
“We shoot it. Or set fire to it. Sounds mean, I’m sure, but trust me, it doesn’t matter. They’re always back in the thousands. And it’s not like they’re sentient or anything.”
Nib nodded toward the ketling. “You should clean it before it goes bad,” he said to Ember.
“That was the plan,” she said, pulling a large utility knife from her belt. “I just wanted to show you guys before I put it in the stasie.”
Rosemary’s eyes were fixed on the sticky puddles beneath the ketling’s damaged head. “You’re going to eat that?”
“No different than little bugs,” Ember said. “Easier to clean ’em, too.” Without warning, she brought the knife down to sever the ketling’s head. The outer shell was thick, and Ember had to twist the dangling head around a few times to break it free. Rosemary’s mouth twitched.
Nib gave a little chuckle and patted Rosemary’s shoulder. “If you stay for dinner, maybe we can change your mind.”
“Ooh, yes please!” Kizzy said. “I have a million stories to tell.”
Bear smiled at the group. “You’re all welcome to stay. I make a crazy good marinade, if you’re up for barbecue.” He looked to Ember, who was admiring the ketling’s gruesome head. He sighed with resignation. “You want a pike for that? There are a few spare support poles left in the workshop. You could shave down a nice point with the metal grinder.”
“Oh, hell yes,” Ember grinned. “I should finish cutting it up, though.”
“We’ll leave you to it,” Nib said, with a quick glance at Rosemary. “I think our guests have seen enough gore for one afternoon.”
Ember smiled and nodded. As soon as their backs were turned and they had taken a few steps away, a wet splintering sound came from behind. Ashby didn’t look back. He wasn’t the squeamish sort, but there were some things in the galaxy he didn’t need to see.
“Damn, that girl’s a kick in the ass,” Kizzy said. “I remember when she couldn’t shoot a rock. And she was like, half my size at one point.”
“So?” said Jenks. “I’m always half your size.”
“You know what I mean.”
“She’s getting to be a better shot than me,” Bear said. “And she’s strong as hell. I’d like it if she spent more time in the shop with us, but these days she’s more interested in climbing rocks and running around.”
“Which is fine,” Nib said. “But we need to have another talk about provoking ketlings.”
“Yeah, because she’ll totally listen this time.”
Nib frowned. Ashby was almost certain by now that Nib was the elder brother. “I’d like for her to reach her seventeenth birthday in one piece.”
Ashby gaped. “She’s sixteen?” That was enough to warrant a glance back. The girl was dismantling the ketling with confidence, humming as she hacked its legs off.
“How old is that?” Sissix asked. “Put that in Aandrisk context.”
“She’s only got half her feathers, and she’s molting constantly.”
Sissix raised her eye ridges. “Remind me to never get on her bad side.”
“Well,” said Nib. “What say we get on to the reason you’re here?”
He led them over to the bay doors of the grounded cargo ship. With the press of a palm lock, the doors groaned open. A few light globes revealed a cluttered work space filled with industrial tools. Beyond, a small forest of storage racks stretched from floor to ceiling, holding shield generators of all shapes and sizes.
“Where’s the fun stuff?” Jenks said.
“Up out of the way,” Bear said.
“Well, come on,” Kizzy said. “Let’s see things that go boom.”
Ashby frowned. He didn’t want to disrespect the brothers’ work, but… “I hope Kizzy was clear about the fact that I’m only in the market for a shield grid.”
Nib smiled. “I gleaned that from her message,” he said with a wink to Kizzy. “Don’t worry, we’re not going to push anything on you. We’re not weapons merchants, strictly speaking. Custom shields are our bread and butter. The weapons we make are just for fun. But they are available to you, should you change your mind.” He gestured a command at a control panel. There was a clanking sound above. Several flat racks descended from the ceiling, weapons hanging from them like heavy, frightening fruit. Ashby looked around in amazement. It was enough to equip an Aeluon assault squad, and then some. He wondered what Pei would think.
“Wow,” Sissix said.
“I know, right?” said Jenks.
“And this is all just for you guys?”
“It’s our hobby,” Bear said. “We only sell them to neighbors and trusted friends. We’re not in the business of equipping bad guys. But if you want to discourage bad guys, oh yeah, we can do that.”
Rosemary said nothing, but her face was tight. Ashby could relate to her apparent discomfort. They were standing in a cargo hold filled with things designed for killing. He doubted quiet Rosemary had even seen a gun before the Akaraks.
“A little overwhelming at first, I know,” Nib said with pride.
Nib seemed to be an agreeable sort, so Ashby didn’t mind being honest with him. “I don’t mean to offend, but I really don’t want any weapons aboard my ship.”
“Let me guess. You’re from the Fleet?”
“That obvious?”
“A bit,” said Nib with a smile. “We have different philosophies, you and I, but I can understand where you’re coming from. Violence is always disconcerting, even if it’s only potential violence. But after the trouble you recently found yourself in—not to mention the place you’re headed to—it sounds as if you could do with some basic tools of self-defense. If that only constitutes shielding for you, that’s okay. But you need something.”