Chapter Text
Juno dreamt of flying.
It wasn’t a good dream. All Juno knew for certain was that he was out of control. His stomach plummeted as he left the ground behind, rising higher and higher as a voice screamed his name- deep, familiar and cracking under a force Juno couldn’t bear to listen to. That he’d do anything to fix.
But no matter how Juno fought, he couldn’t answer. He couldn’t do anything but fly higher and higher. No matter how much he struggled, it didn’t matter. There was nothing to hold onto. Nothing tethering him to the ground. Nothing keeping him where he belonged as domeless red skies turned black, and the air grew thin.
Juno opened his mouth to scream.
And hit the ground. Hard.
“Ow…” He groaned from the bedroom floor, more than a little disoriented. He sat up, staring at the bed he had somehow fallen off from, cradling an arm that crackled with static electricity from his elbow to his fingers. “What?”
“Love?” Nureyev mumbled, rising blearily from his side of the bed. He made quite the sight, his hair sticking up from where it had been pressed against the pillow as he squinted without his glasses. “Are you alright?”
“Like hell I am,” Juno said, shaking out his hand as the numbness started to fade. Even though he had landed hard on his bad shoulder, it seemed like the only thing that had been injured was his pride. “Why did you kick me out of bed?”
“I beg your pardon?” Nureyev asked incredulously, reaching across the bedside table for his glasses. “Are you certain you didn’t just roll off the bed? You were quite restles—“
The Carte Blanche rolled onto its side, sending Nureyev crashing back into the wall behind him.
“Nureyev!” Juno shouted, even as the Carte Blanche righted itself.
Nureyev fell back down to the mattress with a muffled grunt. He sat up, rubbing the back of his neck, a hiss of pain whistling between his teeth as the ship’s metal frame groaned in protest.
Above Juno’s head, the lights flickered- plunging them into darkness before slamming back into life. He caught Nureyev’s eye as the thief struggled to detangle himself from the sheets, his own panic reflected back at him.
Something was very wrong.
“Hello Darlings,” They both whipped around as Buddy’s voice crackled over the ship-wide PA. “If everyone could please meet in the kitchen for a family meeting. This is non-optional, I’m sorry to say.”
“Yeah, no shit,” Juno said, rolling his eye as he reached for the nearest shirt. It perhaps wasn’t the cleanest, but it would have to do given the circumstances. Because no way was he hanging around long enough to try and find anything better.“What’s even happening?”
“I haven’t a clue,” Nureyev said. And Juno had to hand it to the guy, he sounded cool as a Europian sea cucumber. Hell, if it wasn’t for the way his eyes darted behind his glasses, Juno might have actually believed it. “But I suppose there is only one way to find out, after you my dear.”
With a hand on Juno’s back, he ushered them out into the hall. They ran to the kitchen, the floor trembling beneath their feet.
They made it halfway there before the ship bucked again. As Nureyev staggered, Juno grabbed for his arm. He would have to apologise later for the bruise his grip no doubt had left behind, but at least Nureyev stayed on his feet as the lights slammed off once more. But this time instead of coming back on, they were replaced with the emergency lights.
The harsh red lights cut through the lines of Nureyev’s face, carving panic into sharp relief. He reached for Juno’s hand– clinging to it so tightly that Juno could feel the bones grinding together even as his expression folded into calm nothingness.
“Come on, love,” Nureyev said as the ship levelled itself, the lights turning back on as if nothing had happened at all. Somehow the restored peace was even worse. “We have to hurry.”
Juno nodded. “Right, let's go.”
They made it to the kitchen without any more incidents. But what met them there was hardly a comfort. It was like a bomb had gone off- leaving furniture thrown haphazardly across the floor, drawers hanging open. Juno winced as he stepped gingerly around the shattered remains of their cups and dishes. It was a good thing he was wearing his boots.
“What the hell is going on,” Vespa snarled, her hand tight on Rita’s shoulder as Juno and Nureyev joined them. They both looked shaken, but thankfully in one piece “Did Steel mess with the auto-pilot again?”
“Hey! That was one time,” Juno protested, ignoring the rising heat in his cheeks. It's not like it was his fault that none of the ship’s controls were labelled properly. “We were asleep damn it, how could we have done anything?”
“He’s tellin’ the truth!” Rita said in his defence. “I went to go see if Mistah Ransom wanted to finish our top model marathon hours ago, but I could hear Mistah Steel snorin’ away so I didn’t bother- it always sounds like a sewer rabbit had picked a fight with a cameraman. Which is still better than the sounds normally coming from under their door, ain’t no one should have to hear—
“See?!” Juno's voice cracked under the urgency to interrupt her. He tugged at the suddenly too loose collar of his shirt, trying to pull it up over the marks that lined his collarbones. “There’s no way this is our fault.”
But Vespa wasn’t having it. “Gross,” she gagged. “So if you idiots were in your room, then what the fuck is going on?”
“What’s going on, Vespa Darling, is the very reason why I called this meeting.”
They all whirled around as Buddy and Jet joined them in the kitchen. And if Juno had been hoping for some kind of platitude, that illusion was quickly shattered in the wake of Buddy’s grim expression.
Hell, even the big guy was looking more stoic than usual, his face, hands and clothes streaked with black grease. The same grease that covered Buddy’s fingers as she attempted to wipe them clean on a cloth. But that only seemed to spread the mess further around.
“I’m sorry to say that we might be in a spot of trouble,” Their captain said, punctuated by a rattling groan as the lights flickered. “Actually, revise that, we are in quite a bit of trouble.”
“Uh, Bud?” Vespa stared wearily up at the ceiling. “You going to tell us what’s going on?”
“The Carte Blanche is a good ship,” Buddy said, her lips folding into a bloodless line as she reached for her preferred bottle of breakfast whiskey. She paused, pouring herself a glass that was downed all in one go. “Why, she runs better than most ships half her age! But her age, in fact, is the problem.”
“What?!” Juno exclaimed. “What does that mean?”
“The catalyzer is failing,” Jet said, blunt as ever. He passed Juno on his way to the sink, where a valiant attempt was made at washing his hands. But it was a hopeless cause. “It is a critical part of the engine. Without a replacement, the ship will not run.”
“Okay cool,” Juno said, despite not having the faintest clue what a catalyzer actually was. The name sounded familiar, though it took him far too long to figure out why. “Wait, didn’t you fix that last month? That’s why you made me go down to that god awful asteroid, to find the tool you needed.”
“Yes, I have repaired it multiple times,” Jet said. “However, those repairs were only temporary, and they have failed.”
Nureyev’s hand found Juno’s shoulder, squeezing gently. “Just how severe is the damage?” He asked. “Is this something we can patch once more?”
“Unfortunately, from what I have gathered there is precious little of the original part left to salvage.” Buddy said grimly. “We need to find a suitable replacement. If we can’t, why I fear we will be dead in space. And I am not just referring to the ship.”
Juno’s blood ran cold.
He glanced out the window- staring into the starlight void that lay just beyond the suddenly too thin plane of glass. They had escape pods of course, and the Ruby. But he had no interest in discovering just how long the crew could last in either option.
Juno had heard stories, back on Mars, of people who had been forced to abandon ship. Most of the time the pods even made it to the nearest planet in one piece. Too bad the same couldn’t be said for the people inside them. That long trapped in space: no food, no water, no plan… if you were lucky, you died.
Silence filled the room, Juno knew he wasn’t the only one weighing their odds right now. In a rare display of public affection, Buddy’s arm curled its way around Vespa’s waist as she kissed the side of her head. Who, exactly, she was trying to comfort, Juno wasn’t sure. But he found himself reaching instinctively for Nureyev’s hand as well, who caught it without hesitation.
“We’ll be alright, dear detective,” Nureyev whispered for Juno’s ears alone. He laced their fingers together, kissing the back of his hand before pitching his voice louder. “I’m sure Buddy has a plan. Otherwise she would have summoned us to the emergency bay, instead of the kitchen.”
“Right, yeah,” Juno took a deep breath, as if that could magically slow down his heart rate. “Good point.”
“Oooooh! This is just like that stream Mistah Jet and I were watchin’ last week!” Rita’s hands waved excitedly in the air, her eyes sparkling behind her glasses. “It's the one where a dashing smuggler breaks into the engine room of a star hauler to rescue the super pretty captain, but the ship is about to self-destruct! They have to find a way to stop it, but the timers a tickin—“
She broke off with a scream as the ship bucked wildly, sending them all careening painfully into each other. The world went pitch black; but this time the emergency lights didn’t kick in. There was nothing. No movement. No sound. The ship was still.
It was so quiet that Juno could hear the stilted steadiness of Nureyev’s breath from behind him; a realisation that made him shiver.
Because yeah, there’s a lot that Juno didn’t know about space travel. But even he knew that between the rumble of the engines and the hum of life-support, a ship this size was never meant to be silent.
“Errr…” Juno managed intelligibly as the ship jolted back to life. It was so sluggish it reminded him of waking up the morning after a bender, unsteady and moments away from a meltdown. “So I’m going to take a stab in the dark and say that the new part is a sooner rather than later kind of deal.”
Vespa shot him a dirty look.”Figured that out did you.”
“Hey!” Juno exclaimed, matching her glare with daggers of his own. “You know what—“
“Enough you two,” Buddy intervened before the inevitable fight had a chance to escalate. “To answer your question Juno, yes, we need that part yesterday. Thankfully I have a plan, but we will need to act quickly if it is to work.”
“How much time do we have, exactly?” Nureyev asked, righting one of the chairs. When he sat, his posture was easy, one leg crossed neatly over the other with an ease that screamed otherwise.
“Not nearly as long as I would like, Darling.” Buddy poured herself another glass of whiskey. Juno had never pegged her for being a nervous eater. “By Jet’s calculations there is a limited number of destinations we can reach before the engines fail, and even fewer that actually have what we need. But I believe I have lined up a seller.”
“But that’s good, right?” Rita asked, sounding shaken. “If they have everything we need, then everything’s gonna be fine, right?”
“I hope so, Darling. Although…” Buddy paused, turning towards Juno. He wasn’t sure he liked the look of the sympathetic smile being thrown in his direction. “I would be remiss not to mention that the seller I've found is in the Cerberus Province.”
Juno blinked, taking far too long to process what Buddy had just said. The Cerberus Province. That wasn’t a name he had expected to hear again anytime soon.
By the time his brain finally caught up everyone was staring at him. He bristled, shoulder’s hunching under the weight of their gaze. “Mars you mean?”
“Exactly so,” Buddy’s smile didn’t reach her eye. “I know it's been a while since you last returned to your home planet. And given the circumstances of your departure from Hyperion, I would understand if you wanted to stay aboard the ship.”
“Huh,” Juno didn’t know what he was meant to say here. Neither option actually sounded good, but he didn’t want to admit that either. “Nah, I’m good. It's just a place, isn’t it? Who cares.”
“Only if you’re sure.” Buddy asked, intolerably careful in a way that made Juno want to crawl out of his skin. “If it’s any consolation, we won’t be heading to Hyperion on this trip.”
“Right.” Juno said. “I said I’m good.”
He knew he should be appreciative, that it was a sign that she cared, but the best he could manage was fighting down the urge to snap. He rolled his shoulders, fighting the urge to rub at his eye behind the patch. Of all times for it to start aching…
Thankfully, Buddy seemed to catch onto the fact the only thing Juno needed right now was a change of topic.
“Well, That settles that then,” She said with a clap of her hands. Even though Juno knew without a doubt that they would be talking about this later, for now at least, she seemed willing to let it go. “I’m glad, because I have a hunch it’s going to be all hands on deck for this one.”
“For a trip to the Cerberus Province?” Juno asked, confused. “Won’t all of us showing up at once just draw attention to our broken ship?”
“Our detective may have a point,” Nureyev said, with far more tact than Juno had managed. The Cerberus Province was a dangerous place. If the locals spotted any sign of weakness it would be game over. “I can’t help but wonder if a small group would not be… more ideal for a trip of this nature.”
“You’re quite right, Pete, on both accounts.” Buddy said. “However, we have more than one stop to make once we’re planet side. Which is why we will divide and conquer. Vespa darling, if you would.”
“We need medical supplies.” Vespa growled, her arms crossed. “And if we’re going to be on Mars anyway.”
“What do we need?” Jet asked.
“Pretty much all of them.” Vespa put her comms down on the table. At the press of the button the screen projected up into the air. It was a list of the medbay inventory, itemised and colour coded. More than half of it glowed an ominous red. “It wouldn’t be so bad if some people” She glared pointedly at Juno, “Could keep themselves out of my medbay for more than a day at the time.”
This time, Juno didn’t rise to the bait. No matter how badly he wanted to. “Can’t we just get what we need in the Cerberus Province?”
“Well we could,” Vespa said with a shrug. “For the price of the god damn ship and everything in it. Even then, there’s a good chance it’ll all be cut with rat poison.”
“How charming,” Nureyev sniffed, leaning back in his chair.
Vespa ignored him entirely. “If you drop me off near Olympus Mons I can go raid a hospital for what we need. I’ll just meet you back here when I'm done.”
It was a good plan. Except for all the reasons why it wasn’t.
“Can I see your comms for a second?” Juno asked, already reaching for the table.
Vespa grabbed her comm before Juno could, the hologram fizzling to nothing as her eyes narrowed. “Why?”
“I just want to read the list close up, alright?” Juno huffed, holding out his hand expectantly. ‘Let me see it, I’m not going to do anything.”
Vespa’s lip curled. but nonetheless she tossed the comms at Juno, who nearly dropped it. Under the weight of Vespa’s murderous glare, he only just managed to recover it, certain that if he had dropped it, returning to Mars was going to be the least of his concerns.
As he scrolled through the list of what they were missing, it didn’t take long to confirm Juno’s fears. “You’re going to have a hell of a time finding this stuff in Olympus Mon.” He said, tossing the comm back. “Retirement town like that? They’re stocked for face lifts and heart surgery, not trauma. We’d be better off in Hyperion.”
“Are you sure, Juno?” Buddy asked, leaving two separate questions hanging heavily in the air.
“Positive,” Juno said before he had the chance to regret it. “Oldtown might be gone, but I doubt Hyperion has changed so much that they won’t have everything Vespa needs.”
“It's settled then.” Buddy said. “Juno, you will accompany Jet and I to the Cerberus province. Rita will remain on the ship. Pete, you and Vespa will go to Hyperion City.”
“I beg your pardon?” Nureyev asked, even as Vespa’s jaw dropped.
“No way.” She said, slashing the air with her hands. “I’m not working with the thief, I’d be better off on my own.”
“I am also quite capable of handling this task on my own.” Nureyev said. “If our good doctor would just hand me the list, I can gather everything we need.”
“I’m not trusting you with that either,” Vespa sneered. “Bud, it will take twice as long if I have to babysit him.”
“Neither of you are doing this job on your own,” Buddy’s voice was firm, her hand on her hip as she addressed her crew. “And Pete, even if you were to go, you would hardly understand what we need. Vespa is the best suited for this kind of mission. Am I understood?”
“Let me take The Hacker, then,” Vespa said, changing tactics. “At least she actually listens to instructions.”
“Rita is needed on the ship,” Buddy said, “Jet assures me that he will require her assistance once the part is acquired.”
This was getting nowhere fast, Juno realised, watching as Vespa tried to come up with yet another alternative. At this rate the ship was going to shut down long before they ever figured out a game plan.
“So, I’ll go,” Juno volunteered, more out of necessity than any actual interest. “Vespa and I may not work well together, but at least it won’t end up in a murder.”
“Dear, you hardly need to.” Nureyev was quick to reassure him, despite how loud his previous protests had been. “Vespa and I have the task well in hand, I assure you.”
“Like hell we do.” Vespa snapped. “I’d take Steel over you any day.”
Juno could feel the weight of Buddy’s gaze. She had a way of making a dame feel like she could right through them. “Only if you’re sure, Juno.”
“I wouldn’t have said anything if I wasn’t.”
Buddy sighed. “Well thank you then, that solves a problem.” She said, placing her empty glass back down on the table. “Jet, if you would be so kind as to keep the ship in one piece until we get there. Rita can help.”
“Yes Ma’am!” Rita said with a jaunty salute. She scurried after Jet, chatting at him merrily as they walked, loud enough that Juno could hear echoing down the halls. Even though he normally hated engine maintenance, he’d give just about anything to join them right now.
“To the rest of you,” Buddy said. “Our ETA is four hours. Get yourself ready.”