passed him the shotgun.
‘Thanks, Carveth. But I got us into this, and it’s my job to get us out.’
‘ They got us into this. The Ghasts, I mean.’
‘Yes, mainly.’ He gazed back at the ship, his eyes vacant.
‘You know, the Empire really sent us out here as a decoy, a lure to draw the Ghasts out, like a goat left out for a tiger. But the Ghasts were smarter than they thought and blew up the Tenacious before it could get them. So now there isn’t any hunter any more. It’s us, the goat, against the tiger.’
‘I know,’ she said. ‘But you’re doing alright, considering.’
‘Let’s get going,’ Smith said. He turned and stalked into the woods, Suruk strolling by his side.
Four hours later, Smith returned.
‘Burning,’ Suruk said.
It was approaching dusk and the light was deep and ripe. Insects made the air shudder. The white, battered tail of the ship stuck into the air like the fin of a shark that has let itself go and turned to beer and pies. On the bank, Carveth and Rhianna were sitting on packing crates. Several beer bottles and a good deal of food wrappers lay around their feet. Carveth glanced up and passed Rhianna the strange device she had acquired on New Fran, the one she had described as an ant farm. There was an odd smell in the air, like paper and spice being cooked together, a dry, herbal smell. Carveth looked up. ‘Hey, Captain. You joining us?’
Smith strode towards her.
‘Find anything? Settlements? People? Pirate treasure?’
Smith got close, and his face was hard. ‘What on Earth is this?’ he demanded.
Carveth blinked. ‘Nothing much. We’re just having a bit of… ’ she glanced at Rhianna hopefully.
‘Quality time,’ Rhianna said.
‘Right. Quality time for us ladies. You gentlemen are welcome to join us, of course.’
‘Certainly not! You are a British naval operative, and you are quite obviously drunk! You should be manning a lookout, or building a house out of sticks or something.’
He paused and sniffed the air, turning his neck as if to inspect a halo. ‘And it reeks of marijuana.’
Carveth said, ‘Among the cognoscenti, one does not pronounce the J.’
‘Well I’m not the cognoscenti, thank you, and I intend to complete this mission without being pot-crazed on blow reefers. While you have been tripping the fantastic light with Jenny Spliff—’
‘Mary Jane,’ Rhianna said quietly.
‘Whatever – I’m not a drug fiend – I have been out on a recce to get this transmitter set up. I have had to climb every mountain—’
‘And ford every stream?’ Carveth asked. She sniggered.
‘Right! That’s it! I’ve walked an awfully long way just to come back and find you lazing around off your head. What’ve you done to help, eh, other than get squiffed and blow bubbles in your ant-farm?’
‘It’s not an ant-farm, it’s a bong. Christ, Captain, just try to relax, would you? Calm down.’
‘I will not calm down! I am a British officer—’
‘I know that. And I’m not.’ Suddenly, she seemed very calm. The bank was silent other than the lapping of water against the ship. Far off, geese honked. ‘Please, sit down. God, Cap, if you get wound up any more your head’ll pop. Just sit. We’ll talk about it.’
‘Alright,’ he said. ‘But I don’t condone any of this, young lady android, not for one moment. And I think you’re a disgrace to your job, taking illegal substances when we have a duty to repair our ship.’
‘Can I say something?’ Rhianna said.
Smith lowered himself onto one of the boxes. ‘Well, alright. I suppose so.’
‘Why don’t we just talk it through, okay? We don’t have to fight. Come on, guys. Let’s be nice about this, huh?
Let’s just calm down, find our happy space, make a truth circle and begin to deal with our issues through dialogue instead of shouting, okay?’
‘Bollocks to that.’
‘Excuse me.’ Suruk stepped forward. They had forgotten about him, all of them. The alien seemed
‘Thanks, Carveth. But I got us into this, and it’s my job to get us out.’
‘ They got us into this. The Ghasts, I mean.’
‘Yes, mainly.’ He gazed back at the ship, his eyes vacant.
‘You know, the Empire really sent us out here as a decoy, a lure to draw the Ghasts out, like a goat left out for a tiger. But the Ghasts were smarter than they thought and blew up the Tenacious before it could get them. So now there isn’t any hunter any more. It’s us, the goat, against the tiger.’
‘I know,’ she said. ‘But you’re doing alright, considering.’
‘Let’s get going,’ Smith said. He turned and stalked into the woods, Suruk strolling by his side.
Four hours later, Smith returned.
‘Burning,’ Suruk said.
It was approaching dusk and the light was deep and ripe. Insects made the air shudder. The white, battered tail of the ship stuck into the air like the fin of a shark that has let itself go and turned to beer and pies. On the bank, Carveth and Rhianna were sitting on packing crates. Several beer bottles and a good deal of food wrappers lay around their feet. Carveth glanced up and passed Rhianna the strange device she had acquired on New Fran, the one she had described as an ant farm. There was an odd smell in the air, like paper and spice being cooked together, a dry, herbal smell. Carveth looked up. ‘Hey, Captain. You joining us?’
Smith strode towards her.
‘Find anything? Settlements? People? Pirate treasure?’
Smith got close, and his face was hard. ‘What on Earth is this?’ he demanded.
Carveth blinked. ‘Nothing much. We’re just having a bit of… ’ she glanced at Rhianna hopefully.
‘Quality time,’ Rhianna said.
‘Right. Quality time for us ladies. You gentlemen are welcome to join us, of course.’
‘Certainly not! You are a British naval operative, and you are quite obviously drunk! You should be manning a lookout, or building a house out of sticks or something.’
He paused and sniffed the air, turning his neck as if to inspect a halo. ‘And it reeks of marijuana.’
Carveth said, ‘Among the cognoscenti, one does not pronounce the J.’
‘Well I’m not the cognoscenti, thank you, and I intend to complete this mission without being pot-crazed on blow reefers. While you have been tripping the fantastic light with Jenny Spliff—’
‘Mary Jane,’ Rhianna said quietly.
‘Whatever – I’m not a drug fiend – I have been out on a recce to get this transmitter set up. I have had to climb every mountain—’
‘And ford every stream?’ Carveth asked. She sniggered.
‘Right! That’s it! I’ve walked an awfully long way just to come back and find you lazing around off your head. What’ve you done to help, eh, other than get squiffed and blow bubbles in your ant-farm?’
‘It’s not an ant-farm, it’s a bong. Christ, Captain, just try to relax, would you? Calm down.’
‘I will not calm down! I am a British officer—’
‘I know that. And I’m not.’ Suddenly, she seemed very calm. The bank was silent other than the lapping of water against the ship. Far off, geese honked. ‘Please, sit down. God, Cap, if you get wound up any more your head’ll pop. Just sit. We’ll talk about it.’
‘Alright,’ he said. ‘But I don’t condone any of this, young lady android, not for one moment. And I think you’re a disgrace to your job, taking illegal substances when we have a duty to repair our ship.’
‘Can I say something?’ Rhianna said.
Smith lowered himself onto one of the boxes. ‘Well, alright. I suppose so.’
‘Why don’t we just talk it through, okay? We don’t have to fight. Come on, guys. Let’s be nice about this, huh?
Let’s just calm down, find our happy space, make a truth circle and begin to deal with our issues through dialogue instead of shouting, okay?’
‘Bollocks to that.’
‘Excuse me.’ Suruk stepped forward. They had forgotten about him, all of them. The alien seemed
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