us?”
“Yeah,” Reese said.
“Good plan. I can finish eating.”
Which he did. In the ensuing silence, Reese looked over the twins and Kis’eh’t. She wondered if this would be the last run they flew together. What would pirates do with her ship? Convert it into a slaver? She couldn’t imagine it decorated with poorly-mounted weapon additions and used as a pirate ship. The notion of her battered old freighter threatening much larger vessels made her want to laugh out loud. She didn’t, though.
“I could seriously use a vacation,” Sascha said after a while.
“Mmm,” Irine said.
“Someplace warm,” Kis’eh’t offered. When Reese eyed her, the Glaseahn shrugged her wing arms. “You do keep it cold around here, Reese. Even for me.”
“Home is warm,” Irine said.
“Home is hot,” Sascha amended.
“But there are wonderful open houses with stone tiles warm beneath your feet,” Irine said. “And with fluttering scarves to filter the hardest sunlight and turn it colors. And there’s always fruit, the juiciest melons, all cool and crisp and fit to put streams down your chin.”
“Sounds good to me,” Kis’eh’t said.
“And water,” Irine said. Reese handed her the jug, which the tigraine looked at, puzzled, then drank from. “Water splashing in fountains, really soft. And birds at the fountains, bright birds with curious eyes that will eat berries from your fingers.”
“Sounds like a nice place,” Reese said.
“You wouldn’t like it, boss,” Sascha said, grinning. “It’s full of Harat-Shar.”
Reese laughed. “Oh, maybe you two have grown on me.” She sobered. “A vacation sounds nice. We’d just have to win the most improbable gambling streak to be able to afford one. Besides, as nice as your warm paradise sounds, Irine, I think I’d prefer something cooler. Snow, maybe.”
“Snow!” Irine said and shuddered.
“Not the entire year,” Reese said. “Just for a month or two. Enough so you could appreciate a fireplace and hot coffee and bread fresh from the oven. And a blanket.”
“Reese, I think they’re heading for us.”
She looked over Kis’eh’t’s arm. “At least, they’re heading deeper into the belt.”
“Doesn’t change that at that angle of approach they’re going to have to be blind to miss that we’re in their sensor cone. We’re in trouble.”
“Irine, man our laser please.”
The tigraine scampered to the corner of the bridge. The laser that had come with the Earthrise had been intended to clear debris, not to provide much by way of protection from pirates. Reese doubted it would prove at all useful but one never knew. “Sascha, can you outfly these people?”
“Normally? No, I don’t think so,” Sascha said, tail flicking. “These two are beefier than the last pirate they sent after us. But in here, gambling with rocks the size of small moons? Yeah, I think we’re crazier than they are. Just say the word.”
Reese watched the blip of the first pirate, strangely distanced from it. She couldn’t quite believe it was in here. She had never carried cargo valuable enough to warrant interest from pirates. The idea that she was dodging two of them in an asteroid belt like some kind of 3deo action star was ludicrous and simply couldn’t be happening.
“Do it.”
Sascha fired the engines and the Earthrise lurched to one side.
“Are you heading for that asteroid?” Reese asked.
“Boss if you can’t handle the view, get off the obdeck.”
“Right,” Reese said, and clutched at side of the station. Now she was getting worried.
“They’ve seen us!” Kis’eh’t said. “They’re both changing course to follow.”
“Let them,” Sascha said. “We’re heading for the mid-belt, where the asteroids are small enough to cluster and big enough to kill us.”
“Joy,” Reese muttered. “I hope you know what you’re doing.”
“As long as I know just a little more than they do we’re in business.”
“Just try to keep
“Yeah,” Reese said.
“Good plan. I can finish eating.”
Which he did. In the ensuing silence, Reese looked over the twins and Kis’eh’t. She wondered if this would be the last run they flew together. What would pirates do with her ship? Convert it into a slaver? She couldn’t imagine it decorated with poorly-mounted weapon additions and used as a pirate ship. The notion of her battered old freighter threatening much larger vessels made her want to laugh out loud. She didn’t, though.
“I could seriously use a vacation,” Sascha said after a while.
“Mmm,” Irine said.
“Someplace warm,” Kis’eh’t offered. When Reese eyed her, the Glaseahn shrugged her wing arms. “You do keep it cold around here, Reese. Even for me.”
“Home is warm,” Irine said.
“Home is hot,” Sascha amended.
“But there are wonderful open houses with stone tiles warm beneath your feet,” Irine said. “And with fluttering scarves to filter the hardest sunlight and turn it colors. And there’s always fruit, the juiciest melons, all cool and crisp and fit to put streams down your chin.”
“Sounds good to me,” Kis’eh’t said.
“And water,” Irine said. Reese handed her the jug, which the tigraine looked at, puzzled, then drank from. “Water splashing in fountains, really soft. And birds at the fountains, bright birds with curious eyes that will eat berries from your fingers.”
“Sounds like a nice place,” Reese said.
“You wouldn’t like it, boss,” Sascha said, grinning. “It’s full of Harat-Shar.”
Reese laughed. “Oh, maybe you two have grown on me.” She sobered. “A vacation sounds nice. We’d just have to win the most improbable gambling streak to be able to afford one. Besides, as nice as your warm paradise sounds, Irine, I think I’d prefer something cooler. Snow, maybe.”
“Snow!” Irine said and shuddered.
“Not the entire year,” Reese said. “Just for a month or two. Enough so you could appreciate a fireplace and hot coffee and bread fresh from the oven. And a blanket.”
“Reese, I think they’re heading for us.”
She looked over Kis’eh’t’s arm. “At least, they’re heading deeper into the belt.”
“Doesn’t change that at that angle of approach they’re going to have to be blind to miss that we’re in their sensor cone. We’re in trouble.”
“Irine, man our laser please.”
The tigraine scampered to the corner of the bridge. The laser that had come with the Earthrise had been intended to clear debris, not to provide much by way of protection from pirates. Reese doubted it would prove at all useful but one never knew. “Sascha, can you outfly these people?”
“Normally? No, I don’t think so,” Sascha said, tail flicking. “These two are beefier than the last pirate they sent after us. But in here, gambling with rocks the size of small moons? Yeah, I think we’re crazier than they are. Just say the word.”
Reese watched the blip of the first pirate, strangely distanced from it. She couldn’t quite believe it was in here. She had never carried cargo valuable enough to warrant interest from pirates. The idea that she was dodging two of them in an asteroid belt like some kind of 3deo action star was ludicrous and simply couldn’t be happening.
“Do it.”
Sascha fired the engines and the Earthrise lurched to one side.
“Are you heading for that asteroid?” Reese asked.
“Boss if you can’t handle the view, get off the obdeck.”
“Right,” Reese said, and clutched at side of the station. Now she was getting worried.
“They’ve seen us!” Kis’eh’t said. “They’re both changing course to follow.”
“Let them,” Sascha said. “We’re heading for the mid-belt, where the asteroids are small enough to cluster and big enough to kill us.”
“Joy,” Reese muttered. “I hope you know what you’re doing.”
“As long as I know just a little more than they do we’re in business.”
“Just try to keep
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