Because she had her own fear, packed away inside. It wasn’t like she needed their fear like an extra side of gravy. But she got it anyway. She couldn’t help it.
The thug was watching her, his fear making him nasty. Or just bringing the nasty out. “First time in space, huh.” The steady 2.5Gs pushing at them flattened his face a little, making it uglier than it would otherwise have been. Grace was sure her own face would have been stretched or pulled. A near-solid G from Enia Alpha, plus the 1.5Gs from thrust, meant this was uncomfortable. If the fear hadn’t made her want to pee already the pressure on her bladder would have done the trick.
“No,” she said. “First time in space on a ship that’s about to explode, though.”
He gave a short, angry laugh. Angry, because he was afraid. “The Tyche won’t explode.” There was a yawning, creaking groan from the ship, the noise coming from the belly of it where their cargo sat. It was a groan of metal and ceramic stressed too many times, unhappy with its lot, ready to let go its grip and tumble them into the hard black. “Uh. That noise? Happens a lot.”
She laughed, the sound higher pitched than she would have liked. Time for some conversation. Time to get to know them. “So … you’re a deck hand?” Grace had to raise her voice a little, the massive roar of the fusion drives muted by the hull, but something of their power vibrated its way inside anyway.
Kohl looked at her like she was stupid. “No.”
“But—”
“Ship’s manifest says I’m a deck hand,” he said. “Ship’s manifest says our Engineer is ex-Guild. Ship’s manifest says you’re an Assessor. Way I see it, none of those things are true.”
“I’m an Assessor,” she said. “It’s what I do.” And I’m assessing you right now. “I know the stuff that’s valuable. The things that are—”
“I know how to lift heavy shit,” said Kohl. “Doesn’t make me a deck hand.”
Okay. “What is it you do?” Grace closed her eyes for a moment. Don’t feel their fear. Don’t be their fear. Let it wash over you like the endless tides of space. It is nothing. She opened her eyes again. “I mean, aside from lifting shit that is heavy. There are loaders for that kind of thing.”
“That there are,” he agreed.
The silence sat between them for a while. “And?” she prompted.
“And,” said the thug, “when the captain figures you need to know what I’m here for, you’ll know.”
His fear was ebbing away. Which was not a usual thing. This man might have been many things — a deck hand, some kind of enforcer, maybe even a passable card player — but he wasn’t scared by the ship taking off. No. He’d been scared by not knowing her, and now he thought he did.
She could work with that.
• • •
Grace didn’t have long to wait for more fear. More anxiety. From the cockpit, she heard the chatter of the comm.
“Tyche, this is the Republic Navy destroyer Torrington. We have you exiting a lawful lockdown of Arlington space port. Please cease thrust and prepare to be boarded.”
Grace’s head jerked towards the cockpit. She wanted to shout something, maybe run! or we need to leave, just leave, but it wouldn’t help. The Navy would be waiting for them at a blockade somewhere else. And it would be worse, because they wouldn’t be leaving a lockdown; they’d have refused a boarding order from the Navy.
“Torrington, this is Tyche.” Grace could hear the Helm’s voice — El — as calm, professional. She knew this music. “Our ship was released from the lockdown. We are carrying cargo on spec for the Republic Navy, destination Absalom Delta. Transmitting flight plan.”
There was a pause. “Tyche, this is Torrington actual. Lieutenant Evans sends his regards. Please cease thrust and prepare to be boarded.”
“Well, fuck,” said Nate. Grace could feel what sounded like tension and relief warring in his tone. Like this was good and bad at once. If only he knew how bad. “I guess we best cease thrust and prepare to be boarded. Hope, you listening?”
“I’m listening,” she said. No relief there, just pure tension.
“You going to be okay?” The Tyche’s acceleration was easing off, the ship rotating in space as the Torrington negotiated docking protocols. Artificial gravity from the deck below made this feel like a gentle rollercoaster. Like it was something fun, and something she shouldn’t be afraid of.
“You said probably,” said Hope. Her voice cracked a little. “That they probably weren’t after me.”
Kohl chuckled, the sound nasty. He turned his head towards the ceiling as he spoke, as if Hope were the ship itself. “You fucking criminals, all the same. You want a free ride on the system, the same system that’s looking after us, putting people back on top again, and—”
“Secure your mouth,” said Nate, standing at the airlock leading to the flight deck. “It’s making noises again.”
Kohl gave him a glare, looked like he would finish a series of thoughts verbally that would lead to uncomfortable words and possible violence. Grace could tell the man was picking at an old wound, something that bothered him right to his core, and right here might well be the hill he would die on. Because outside their ship was the Torrington, and the Torrington was Navy, and Navy meant the law, and the law meant Hope would be put in a box and taken somewhere to mine salt until she died.
At least if they caught Grace they’d kill her quick.
Neither fate was a great one, and some quick mental math showed that if this was the time she threw Hope to the wolves to buy an escape, it wouldn’t work. First, because if the Republic found one criminal on board, they’d look for another. Second, because Hope was the one who knew how the engines worked, and on a ship that made horrible sounds as it was taking off, that was a prize asset.
Putting your neck out was not a thing that was sensible, but it could make friends. And she needed these people to like her, right until she found another ride somewhere else. She cleared her throat before Kohl could start on his road to the nuclear option, and said, “I’ve got an idea.”
Kohl and the captain both looked surprised as they looked at her. Nate spoke first. “We can’t cut them down with that fancy sword of yours—”
“She’s got a sword?” said Kohl. Something about him said interested/fascinated/challenged, and none of those were good, but they were problems for another time.
“You updated the manifest yet?” said Grace.
“Uh, no,” said Nate. “You know. Time. Breaking the lockdown occupied my thoughts. You understand.”
“I understand,” said Grace. “Here’s what we’ll do.”
“Wait,” said Nate. “Why does everyone but me try and give orders on my ship?”
“Because in this particular circumstance,” said Grace, “I have done this before. We don’t have much time.”
“You’ve got about a minute and a half,” said El’s voice, from ahead of them.
“Then listen,” said Grace, “and be amazed.”
• • •
The clang as the Torrington coupled with the Tyche rang through the hull like a bell. Grace looked out from Engineering at the gangway below, metal looking back at her. Nothing out of place, nothing to worry about. Good. She turned back to Engineering, took in the cowls of the drives to the sides of the room, the empty acceleration couch where Hope should have been, and felt the warm glow of the reactor above her.