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Chapter Text

It was supposed to be a fun little getaway. A survey mission reunion to celebrate having SecUnit back. A fun trip to get everyone off world and look at some pretty space phenomena and the swirliest anomaly Ratthi had ever seen.

It was almost a wormhole. It gave off very wormhole-like readings. But there was also a smidge of vortex energy and the way it bent the light into rainbows was almost… well, magical is not a thing. There's always a scientific explanation, even when you have no idea what that is. But if there was a wormhole that led to a land of unicorns and candy forests, it would probably look a lot like this.

“Ratthi, what's wrong?” Mensah asks as lights start flashing on the navigation station.

“I'm working on it. Give me a minute.”

“Risk assessment is at sixty-two percent and rising rapidly,” SecUnit notes.

“Need to focus right now, Seccy.”

Their ship lurches towards the anomaly. Mensah starts adjusting settings on her console.

“Are we about to get sucked into that wormhole?” Bharadwaj asks.

“Don't be ridiculous, wormholes don't suck things in,” Gurathin replies tensely.

“Except that's not exactly a wormhole, is it?” SecUnit points out.

“Everybody strap in and hold onto something!” Ratthi orders, trying not to let his panic show, right before the universe turns inside out.

***

It's evening aboard the Revenge, and that means story time. Everyone is comfortably tucked in sacks or piles of rope or, in some cases, their boyfriend’s arms. Tonight's story is about a mad scientist who creates a monster out of spare body parts and the poor creature's quest for acceptance.

Ed lies with his head on Stede's lap, looking up at the stars as he listens. He wonders about how closely the monster in the story resembles the Kraken that always lurks inside. A gleam catches his eye. He points up. “Look! See that? A shooting star. Everybody make a wish.”

They all sit quietly for a moment, enjoying the magic of the moment.

“Is it me, or is that star getting bigger?” Stede asks.

“It's not you,” Lucius agrees. “I don't think it's a star at all.”

“Maybe it's a dragon,” Frenchie suggests. “They fly around in the sky breathing fire, and kidnap princesses. And it's a magical fire, so if you get burned you don't die, you just stumble around the earth all black and charred and craving human flesh.”

“Looks more like the fire’s coming out of its backside,” Pete notes.

They watch it fall like an angel from heaven, getting bigger and brighter until it crashes into the ocean some way off. Several seconds later, the wave from the impact sends everyone tumbling about the deck.

***

Ratthi groans. He sits up slowly. At least he's managed not to crack his head on the console, but his shoulders and chest are sore from the safety restraints. “Is everyone still alive?” he asks, and then swallows a feeling of dread in case they don't all answer.

“I am,” Mensah is the first to reply. At least she was already seated when they crashed.

“Performance reliability at seventy-nine percent,” SecUnit says. It's somehow managed to keep itself upright by grabbing a handlebar.

Ratthi and Mensah unstrap and turn to check on everyone else as Pin-Lee, Arada and Bharadwaj all speak up to prove they're alive and conscious.

Gurathin remains quiet, eyes closed. Bharadwaj is quickly at his side, shaking his shoulder. “Gurathin? Can you hear me?” She cradles his face and they all see the blood seeping from his brow.

“He's alive, just unconscious,” SecUnit tells them. “His blood pressure is low but his pulse is high, which means low risk of concussion. We should monitor him closely. Keep trying to wake him up.”

Arada is already handing Bharadwaj the first aid kit. He blinks his eyes open as she dresses the head wound. “Fuck! That hurts.”

“Sorry,” she says softly. “I'd offer something for the pain, but…”

He waves away the offer. “Last thing I remember was too much g-force and something falling on my head. What happened?”

“Spatial anomaly,” Ratthi says.

“I thought it was safe?”

“It was. And then it wasn't. It was something like a wormhole that pulled us through.”

“Wormholes don't-”

“It was more like the gate in World-Hoppers,” SecUnit says, completely unhelpfully. “Swirly. And bright.”

“Yeah,” Ratthi continues. “So, something like a wormhole, in that it brought us to a completely different region of space, but it fucked with all the ship's systems on the way through. Luckily Mensah was able to pilot us down to a nearby planet.”

“Vaguely controlled crash with our tail on fire, more like,” Mensah says. “I decided the large expanse of water would make a smoother landing than the rocky mountains. And now we're lost at sea, with a broken ship.”

Gurathin screws his eyes shut. “Fuck.”

“Exactly. But on the bright side, at least the ocean put the fire out.”

***

“It's a monster, I'm telling you,” Frenchie insists. “We do not want to be getting any nearer to that thing than we already are. In fact, I vote we sail as fast as we can in the opposite direction.”

“But it is quite mysterious, isn't it?” Stede counters. He keeps lifting his telescope to his eye, as if he would be able to make anything out in the dark. “Just falling out of the sky like that. Almost like it was wounded.”

Ed sighs. He knows where this is going to end up. When Stede gets an idea in his head, there's really no stopping him. At least it would be a more interesting death than being shot or hung. He knows exactly how to get the rest of the crew on board. “If it is a dragon, which I'm not saying it is but it might be, then there’s the possibility that it's holding some kind of treasure. And if it is wounded, then maybe, you know, just saying here, maybe we could sail on by, swipe that treasure, and keep on sailing.”

“A dragon's treasure is gotta be something special, right?” Pete agrees.

“And it did burn like in a truly spectacular fashion,” Wee John points out. “So it must be at least a little bit hurt.”

Stede's eyes light up with an excitement that makes all their inevitable deaths worth it. “This is going to be a truly epic adventure!”

***

The sun sets over the horizon but the team were halfway through their day cycle when they crashed so nobody is ready for sleep yet. They're also far too busy trying to come up with a plan to get home.

“Okay,” Mensah says heavily. “SecUnit has helped me analyse all the ship's data. It's fucked, but with a bit of teamwork might be salvageable. We've got a few things going for us. The hull’s still intact so we're not at risk of sinking, and the water purification system still works. Gurathin doesn't seem to have a concussion and the rest of us have only got minor scrapes and bruises.

“Our main priority is to get the engines working again. We may not have an actual engineer, but we do have the repair manual and the tools to fix it. What we don't have is power reserves. All unessential systems need to be off, and that includes the printer. We've got emergency rations, and if anyone fancies a swim, there's life in the water that might be edible.”

***

It's agreed that injured dragon hunting is a sport best done after a good night's sleep and a hearty breakfast. Ed checks the maps and the weather and the currents and marks an X where he expects to find his bounty. Stede picks up the quill and draws a looping sea creature next to it, and the words “Here be dragons.”

They set sail under a pink tinged sky. Stede stands at the bow, still trying to get his first glimpse of the creature. Ed stands behind him, two guns primed and ready, just in case it suddenly grows tentacles and tries to snatch his lover overboard.

***

Gurathin is tired, but he knows that the best way to adjust to a new planet's cycle is to keep powering through until it gets dark again. He's in the engine room with SecUnit and Ratthi, offering what information he can on the repairs. He tried helping, but his headache is so bad that it's giving him the shakes and recalibrating the entire system is delicate work. He's feeling stressed and useless, and it doesn't help that SecUnit keeps pinging him every five minutes or so.

He really wants to tell it to shut up, but he also gets it. Their galaxy is full of data, digital information permeates everything. Whatever you need to know, there's always a feed that you can tap into and answer your question; there's machines and constructs whose presence can be felt like a distant hum; there's all the workings of whatever planet or space station you're on, and all the vessels that orbit it. Even on the survey mission, there were satellites, hubsystem and the hopper, the drones and equipment. It was isolated, but it wasn't the emptiness of this primitive planet. It's like their ship is a bubble of life in a void of nothingness. It's like being in a dark room with only a single match for light.

At least Gurathin can still remember a time before the augments, so the quiet isn't new to him. Digital noise is all SecUnit has ever known.

So he doesn't complain when it pings him. He doesn't blame it for reaching out to hold a hand in the darkness. It would be comforting if it didn't jar his sore head so much. But it does make him wonder at how much their relationship has changed, at the trust and respect that they now hold for each other. At a closeness that's impossible to categorise.

Ratthi is unusually quiet. That's unsettling, too. He's working on each component carefully and methodically, taking it out of the slot, checking all the circuits, replacing the broken parts and sliding it back in its place. He pauses after the fourth one and rests his head on his hand with a sigh.

“It's not your fault,” Gurathin tells him.

“Of course it is. This whole trip was my idea. And now we're stuck here. Even if we get the ship working again before we all starve to death, we've still got to figure out how to get it back into orbit and through the something-like-a-wormhole which may or may not take us back to where we started, with or without killing some or all of us along the way.”

“I don't for a second believe that you would have brought us all out there if you hadn't taken every precaution to make sure it was safe. And all we have to do is tackle one problem at a time. Get the ship working first, then we can figure out the next steps.”

SecUnit slots another component back into place, and its hand rests in place for a moment. “I need to check the perimeter.”

“What's going on? Is there something out there?”

“The ship's sensors are not giving accurate readings. You should all stay inside while I investigate.”

***

“It can't be a dragon,” Stede notes as he passes Ed the telescope. “It doesn't have a head.”

“It looks sort of like a lifeless, shiny whale. A very smooth and regular one.”

“Maybe it's some kind of behemoth.”

“What the fuck? It's opening.”

“What do you mean? Is there a mouth?”

“More like a hatch. And there's something coming out of it.”

Stede snatches his telescope back. “It looks like a little man. Ed? It's staring at us.”

“We're still out of canon range, but we could fire a warning shot.”

“I don't think so. I think…” he lowers the scope and waves both arms in the air.

“You're gonna want to fucking board it now, aren't you?”

“Come on, Ed. Admit it, you're as curious as I am.” The tiny figure disappears back into its hatch.

“Right. Let's go get swallowed by a behemoth.”

***

Gurathin, you're not going to believe this.

The message comes through the feed with enough intensity to startle Gurathin out of a doze. SecUnit’s climbing down the ladder from the emergency hatch, but it's not immediately indicating danger so he doesn't worry. You saw something?

Pirates. Like in an old movie, with a sailing ship and a black flag and cannons.

It almost sounds excited. I take it they're no threat to us?

Well, their primitive weapons might scratch the paintwork but I'm confident we'll survive it.

Gurathin chuckles. He's got a better handle on its sense of humour now at least. I'll let the others down here know. Meet you back on the bridge.

Ratthi cheers up a little at the news. It's not exactly a big ship so it doesn't take long to find the others. Bharadwaj is in the small galley, dividing up rations. Pin-Lee and Arada are working on repairing some of the burnt out wiring. Mensah is already on the bridge with the navigation console cracked open trying to make sense of the mess inside.

“There are pirates outside and they're on their way to board us,” SecUnit says proudly.

Mensah turns her seat to look at it. “And yet, you don't seem particularly worried.”

“They're not like our space pirates. In early earth history, the first pirates sought treasure on the high seas, fighting for a life in a world that had rejected them.”

“You're quoting another series, aren't you?” Pin-Lee says.

“It's the introduction from the title sequence of Skull and Crossbones. The visual effects are not up to the standard of Sanctuary Moon, but it's worth watching for the quality plotlines and character development.”

“We should hide the armaments,” Gurathin suggests. “Piracy is all about stealing stuff, and most of what we have wouldn't be worth anything to them, but if they were to get their hands on our advanced weaponry it could lead to all sorts of trouble.”

Ratthi's stroking his beard, looking thoughtful. “Pirates. From early earth history.”

“Well, not earth obviously. We still don't know where we are.”

“Yeah, probably not.”

“Ratthi, what are you thinking?”

“Something highly improbable,” he shrugs the thought away. “One step at a time, right. So what are we going to do about these pirates?”

“I’ll speak with them,” SecUnit offers. “The threat they pose to me is very low, though it's possible they could injure one of you if you do something stupid. I'll call you when I'm sure it's safe.”

It pauses before it moves. “What, no arguments? Excellent. You're learning. I think Gurathin's suggestion is also a good one. Hide the armaments. I don't intend to let them onboard, but it's an easy precaution that won't do any harm.”

There's a thud on the hull above them. And then another.

Mensah takes a deep breath. “Looks like our guests have arrived.”

***

Ed originally intended to bring just a small group for their initial investigation, but everyone wanted to look at the mysterious object and there was safety in numbers, especially when those numbers were equipped with sharp or heavy objects.

It's hard to get on top of the beast. There's not much to hold onto in its smooth surface, but Ed finds a small protrusion somewhere around the middle and hooks a net over it that the others use to climb aboard. It's even harder to find the way in.

“Are you sure that you saw a hatch?” Izzy asks.

“Yeah, we both saw it. Little dude came out and everything. Here!” He grins as he spots a thin black line forming a square in the shiny white surface. He tries to push and pull it with his fingers but can't get a grip, so he takes out his knife instead. It slides off it without leaving a mark. “Shit. What is this thing made of?”

“Dragon scales,” Frenchie insists. “Dragon scales are as hard as diamond.”

“It just doesn't look particularly scaly to me,” Stede muses.

There's a hiss as the hatch starts to move, opening slowly. Ed quickly draws his gun and points it at the crack. The rest of the crew form a circle around the opening.

The creature that comes out almost looks human. It has two arms and two legs in the usual configuration. Its clothes, if that's what they are, are pale and oddly formed. But the creepiest part is its strange, doll-like head adorned with circles and one black dot that resembles an eye.

“Don't you fucking move, monster,” Ed growls, “or I'll blow your fucking head off."

“I wouldn't recommend you try,” the monster retorts. “Your primitive weapons will have little effect on my armour.”

“You wanna test that theory?” Ed cocks the gun with a press of his thumb.

“I'm going to step out of this hatchway very slowly. And I'm going to explain why it might be a good idea not to shoot me.”

“Ed? I think it might be a good idea to listen to what it has to say,” Stede says gently. “I think we might be dealing with something that's more powerful than it appears.”

“You should listen to your friend, Ed,” the strange figure advises.

Ed takes a step back to give it room but keeps his gun pointed at its freakish head. The creature raises its arm and even though its hand is empty, there's something that makes all Ed's instincts cry that it's a threat. He's about to pull the trigger when it starts whirring and clicking and a strange object with a lot of gun-like qualities appears from its forearm. And the worst part of it all is that the barrel of that gun-like thing is pointed straight at Stede.

“Hey!” He calls. “Over here, I'm the one you want. You can leave him alone, I'm the dangerous one. I'm fucking Blackbeard, mate!”

“You're shitting me,” the creature says in surprise, and the strange head folds itself away to reveal a regular head underneath. It's just a man. A disturbingly handsome one. But his gun is still pointing at Stede, so Ed uncocks his own pistol as a gesture of goodwill.

“Um. No. Blackbeard. Honestly. Right guys?”

The crew murmur their agreement.

“Blackbeard. Ed,” the stranger is clearly thinking hard. “He called you Ed because your name is Edward Teach. So who's your friend here?”

Stede licks his lips. “Personally, I think the introductions might go more smoothly if we all agreed to lower our weapons. What do you think about that idea? And perhaps, once we're all feeling a little bit more relaxed, we might be able to talk through… whatever this is?”

The stranger lowers his arm and Ed can breathe again. He puts his gun away and the crew lower their weapons too.

“There, that's much better, isn't it,” Stede smiles. “My name is Stede. Stede Bonnet. And these lovely people here are our crew. What should we call you, my good sir?”

“You're Stede Bonnet? The Gentleman Pirate?”

“Oh? You've heard of me?” He does that stupid little head wiggle that looks absurd but is also cute.

“Neither of you look anything like the two in the series.”

“What do you mean?” Ed grumbles. “The wanted posters? Those pictures are just made up from descriptions. They're never accurate.”

“So this isn't some kind of cosplay thing?”

“I don't know what that is.”

It's odd. The stranger's watching them, but not meeting anyone's eyes. And he stands so still.

“Who are you?” Ed presses.

“I'm a SecUnit. A construct made to keep others safe. We don't have any valuables for you to loot, so you should probably leave us alone.”

“That's what they all say!” Pete objects. “And they're always hiding something.”

The strange man pauses again. “I'm not equipped for this conversation. I'm calling my people to come up now. You should get along well. They like talking about everything too.”

***

Mensah's not quite sure what to expect when she puts her head through the hatch. Half of them look like one would expect historical pirates to look. The other half look like they belong at a rock concert. It's incongruous. But this is a distant planet that's developed pirates of their own, so there's no real reason to expect that they'd follow all the historical accuracies.

“Good morning,” she says in her most diplomatic voice. “I'm Doctor Ayda Mensah. Is there anything I can do to help you kind gentlemen?”

The fiercest of the leather clad ones points to another. “He's the Gentleman. I'm just Blackbeard. Fiercest motherfucker on the high seas.”

“Thank you, Blackbeard. I have full respect for your way of life, and it impresses me that you're considered so highly among your peers.”

He looks confused. “Stede? Is she doing that passive aggression thing?”

“Bizarrely, I don't think she is. Dr Mensah. You're clearly a lady of some refinement. My name is Stede Bonnet. My crew and I saw your vessel fall out of the sky last night, and it made us quite curious.”

“Wait, it's a vessel now?” one of the crew interrupts.

“Yes, Frenchie. It's floating in the sea and it's got people coming out of it. I don't think people live inside dragons, do you?”

“They might do.”

Of course, they have no idea what to make of the strange thing that crashed into the ocean out of nowhere. They're scared and superstitious and doing their best to make sense of it all.

“Stede, you're right, this is a vessel. Except, where your ships sail on the sea, our ship sails among the stars. But something went wrong, and we crashed into this planet, and our vessel needs repairs before we can get home again.”

“A vessel from the stars!” Stede breathes, eyes full of wonder. “Now isn't that something.”

Blackbeard sticks his chin up. She wonders at the name. A hold over from his youth perhaps, before all his hair went grey. “Prove it,” he says.

“Perhaps you'd like to come aboard and see for yourself?”

“Dr Mensah, I do not recommend that course of action,” SecUnit warns.

Of course it doesn't. It only sees the risks, not what could be gained. But they're lost in a strange land and, rough around the edges as they are, these people might prove useful allies.

Besides, they're strange and fascinating people. So she gives a little respect in the hope of earning some back.

“I appreciate your caution, SecUnit. These people are clearly strong and potentially dangerous. But, if they're able to give us their word that they mean us no harm, I believe that they would honour it.”

“My lady,” Stede says and leans forward in an elaborate bow, “you have my word as a Gentleman, that I, nor anyone else in my crew will do you or your people harm. Ed?”

Ed nods succinctly. “Right. I promise not to shoot or stab anyone. Captain's honour. And that goes for the rest of you, too.”

“SecUnit, has Gurathin finished tidying up as he suggested?”

“Yes, Dr. Mensah. I have asked him to let the rest of the team know to expect our guests.

“Wonderful. This way please, Gentlemen.”

Chapter Text

I should be more upset about Dr Mensah ignoring my recommendation, but risk assessment did go down when they gave their word not to harm us. I still don't trust them. Pirates, by nature, have abandoned the ways of civilization to form their own society. And if this Blackbeard takes after his namesake, he has a strong reputation for violence.

But I do trust Mensah. She has a way of collecting outsiders and making them feel like part of something.

Still, whether she can pull that trick off with a dozen pirates is yet to be seen. Needless to say, I will be monitoring the situation very closely.

The ship we rented for our little vacation is a pleasure cruiser, with four rooms for private quarters, a galley with a nutrition printer and eating area, as well as the operation rooms like the bridge and engineering. The humans all paired up for sleeping, which left me with a room all to myself that I didn't need, but it meant that I had somewhere to watch media uninterrupted if I felt like it.

The bridge has a wide viewscreen where we all admired the swirly space anomaly before it swallowed us up and brought us here. It's made of transparent aluminium and currently the bottom twenty centimetres of it are underwater.

I wait near the door as they all crowd in. The space is designed for up to twelve people to fit comfortably and I'm very careful to make sure nobody gets squashed against me, especially the pirates who don't seem to have bathed in quite some time. My former clients stand to greet them, some looking happier about the situation than others.

Gurathin, as always, is suspicious. Turns out he's like that with everybody, not just me. He understands me better now, and almost seems to like me. I'm still not sure if I like him.

Ratthi is showing signs of stress, but also excitement. Bharadwaj seems the most calm, possibly because she's under the effects of the minor sedatives she’s been taking since we crashed, but Pin-Lee and Arada are both nervous.

The pirates are also showing signs of stress. They're doing their best to cover it but their hearts are beating unusually fast. It's all strange and new to them. They keep pointing to random objects like air vents or light fittings and making wide-eyed exclamations.

Stede in particular marvels at everything, asking about the wires and the exposed console.

“This is our helm,” Mensah explains. “The ship is powered by electricity and with this panel, once it's repaired, I can pilot us to where we want to go.”

“Incredible. A whole ship that flies among the stars with magic.”

“I suppose it must seem like magic to you. Electricity, to put it in the most basic terms, is like lightning.”

“And you capture the lightning to power your ship just like we capture the wind. Marvellous.”

“The panel also gives us readings of the surrounding area, which act like a compass and a map.”

As they talk about the ship, not really understanding each other, I observe the rest of their crew more closely. Four of them are dressed like Blackbeard and clearly have the greater potential to be a threat. Especially the one with the wooden leg, which is odd considering what a basic augment it is. The others… well they look a lot more rustic. The big one has a certain look to it that I don't like. And the bald one. The one with the wooden finger keeps looking at me and chewing at his lower lip which is worse. Then he notices Ratthi and gives him the same look. Ratthi smiles back and his pheromone levels rise. Oh shit, here we go again.

Ratthi offers to take him and a few of his friends on a little tour. Of course he does, because separating into smaller groups is always how everybody ends up getting killed in media. Luckily, this ship has security cameras everywhere. I watch them wander down the hall and into the quarters Ratthi shares with Gurathin, where they all get overly excited about sheets, mattresses and cushions. At least they all keep their clothes on for now. One of the others asks to see the kitchen, and they head to the galley.

Pin-Lee appears to be having some kind of face-off with one of the people in black leather. I have no idea what that's about. Bharadwaj approaches the one with a wooden leg and tries to start a conversation, but he tells her to fuck off.

“Pay it no mind,” the big one says. “That's just Izzy's way of saying hello. Tell me about your clothes. I like your dress, it's very pretty.”

“Would anyone like a drink of water?” Ratthi is saying in the galley. “I'd offer you all something to eat, but we're short on rations right now,”

“Where is the food? I don't see any food. There's only one cupboard and it's full of these tiny planks wrapped up in paper.” It's the one who asked to see the kitchen. “I was expecting beautiful miracles like in the bedroom and all I get is tiny planks.”

“That is the food. Usually we have a machine that makes other food, but it's not working right now.”

“Nononono no. This is not food.” He waggles a finger and grabs one of the ration bars. I start moving down the corridor, but he's already taken a bit out of it, including the wrapper, and by the time I get there he's spat it out on the floor. “Ugh. Disgusting.”

“Put the food down,” I say, louder than is necessary for him to hear me.

He doesn't even appear startled. “Gladly. I'm not eating any more of that shit and neither are any of you. I'm cooking you all a decent meal tonight.” He starts off down the corridor. “Captain! Captain!”

We're back on the bridge. Pin-Lee and their companion have continued to stare at each other. Bharadwaj is laughing and smiling with the big one. Blackbeard is still hovering around looking serious and concerned. He reminds me of Gurathin.

Stede turns from his conversation. “Roach? Is everything all right?”

“No Captain. The food from the stars is not food at all. We need to offer them our hospitality.”

“Why, Roach, that's an excellent idea. Dr Mensah, I would like to offer you and all your crew to join us for a meal aboard the Revenge.”

Oh, crap. In episode twenty-nine of Skull and Crossbones Flint invites a British Naval Captain, who was once his childhood rival, for a reunion dinner on board the Walrus and then slaughters him and his company halfway through the meal.

“It's very kind of you, Captain Bonnet, but we wouldn't want to impose.”

Well said, Dr Mensah.

“Don't be silly, it's no bother at all. We've recently restocked all our supplies so there's plenty to go around.”

I can see she's about to give in, and I would be very upset if she were to get her throat cut. And she would be upset if someone else got their throat cut while I was protecting her. I blurt out, “Dr Mensah is a vegetarian. She doesn't eat meat. Your food would most likely be unsuitable.”

Roach looks offended. “You think I can't make a decent meal without meat? Meat is great, of course, but I am an artist, and I will prepare you the most delicious meat-free meal you have ever tasted!”

“That does sound tempting,” Mensah says carefully.

“It sounds amazing!” Ratthi agrees.

It sounds dangerous. I send Gurathin a message. This is a terrible idea. I need you to help me put a stop to it.

He clears his throat. “How do we know that you're not planning to poison us all so that you can steal our ship?”

“We gave you our word,” Stede says.

“Yes, but you're pirates. Don't pirates do stuff like that?”

Blackbeard smirks. “Lucius, did you find any treasure?”

“No, no treasure. Unless you count the pillows, which are so soft and supportive that I might actually kill somebody for a chance to sleep on one.”

“So,” I notice his hand rests on the knife at his belt and threat assessment starts rising again. “Apart from the pillows, we have no reason to take your ship. It's a beached wreck that we have no idea how to sail. We could tow it to port and strip it for parts, but frankly that sounds like a lot of effort that would get very boring very quickly. There's plenty of other, easier ways for us to get loot.”

“You've come to us from the stars,” Stede says. “You harness the lightning. You're powerful in ways that we can't even begin to imagine. I, for one, would much rather have you as allies than adversaries.”

Mensah smiles at him. “I've got a good feeling about you, Captain Bonnet. We come from such different worlds, but in spite of that, I think that we might find that we have a lot in common. Allies, then.” She reaches out a hand, which he shakes firmly.

“That's settled, then. We'll head back to our ship to make preparations. We'll send a dingy over to collect you this evening.”

Stupid. Fucking. Humans.

Chapter Text

After much discussion, it's decided that Izzy and Oluwande will be the ones to collect the star-farers. Stede wants to stay on Revenge to make a show out of welcoming them, and he wants his co-captain at his side when he does it. He's not got a lot of experience with women, and he can't tell if Dr Mensah is just being nice or is actually flirting with him. He hopes to make it clear that he belongs to Ed and no one else before any unpleasant awkwardness arises.

They set up the dining hall with lanterns and dried flowers, keeping the two well apart to avoid setting things on fire. Jim, Archie and Fang rearrange all the tables end to end for the banquet. Wee John and Frenchie patch together pieces of fabric to make a long enough table cloth, and Roach enlists Pete and Lucius to help in the kitchen.

There's plenty of time for Stede to finalise his outfit choices and make himself presentable. The cursed suit would have been spectacular, but he'll have to make do with his best shirt and leather britches. Not for the first time, he wishes he'd at least packed some things before he set out from Barbados. A waistcoat, or a cravat, or a few pairs of clean socks.

“Am I being reckless?” he asks Ed.

“You're asking me?” Ed chuckles.

“I know, but- we don't really know anything about them, or where they're from. I feel like I should trust Dr Mensah, but I'm also aware that I'm probably being very naive. And that SecUnit chap makes me nervous.”

“SecUnit makes me nervous. Something about him is just eerie. Unnatural.” He shakes the feeling off. “But Mensah seems legit. She reminds me of you, idealistic and too trusting. And she's clearly in charge, even if she doesn't call herself a captain.”

Stede sighs, still feeling unsettled. “I should have left well enough alone. I should have followed Frenchie's advice and sailed off in the opposite direction.”

Ed steps behind him and wraps him in his arms. “And miss out on this incredible adventure? The chance to see impossible things and hear stories from beyond the stars? I know you Stede. If you'd sailed away you'd have spent the rest of your life wondering what you'd missed. You made the only choice you could have made, and if anything goes South, you've got me and the rest of the crew to have your back.”

Stede leans into his shoulder. “I always feel safer when I'm with you.”

Ed snorts. “Probably the only person in the world to feel like that.”

“It's going to be okay, isn't it?”

“A dinner party with the star people? Probably. If anyone can make it work, it's you.”

“I meant us. We're both carrying so much hurt. So much guilt.”

“We found our way back to each other, though. We'll figure it out. We have to. Let's just keep talking, like you always say.”

“Talk it through as a crew.”

“Exactly. I mean, it's working so far.”

“In that case, I need to tell you that the way you're holding me now is giving me ideas that don't match up with your request to take things slow.”

“Shit. Sorry.” He lets go, and pats Stede's shoulder as he steps back.

“It's okay, Ed. You're worth the wait.”

***

Pin-Lee lies in their bed, staring up at the ceiling. They've all been sent to their quarters because, as SecUnit put it, nobody is operating at anything close to full performance reliability. It suggested that it continue repairs while they get rest to reduce the chances of anyone offending the pirates by falling asleep at the dinner table.

But, tired as they are, Pin-Lee can't sleep. Their mind is too full of thoughts and feelings.

Arada turns to face them, puts a hand gently on their chest. “We can talk about it, you know?”

“About what?” It's not like they don't know, it's just that they have no idea where to start the conversation.

“About the way that you and that pirate were looking at each other. How did it feel?”

It's a good place to start. “Exciting. Terrifying. Awe-inspiring.” They chuckle. “Hot.”

“So there's a sexual attraction.”

“That's part of it, but not all of it, I guess. They're like, the most raw, violent, pure expression of gender fuckery that I've ever seen. And yes, it's sexy, but it also blows my mind that someone can live like that in a primitive society like this. And I want to know how they got there, and tell them they're not alone, and learn whatever I can from a person who has so much unbridled non-binary energy.”

“You should talk to them at dinner.”

“Are you saying… what are you saying?”

“We don't know how long we're going to be stranded here. It could be a few days, it could be longer. I don't know if they'd even get the concept of a contract, but I think if we're honest with them, we could probably work something out.”

“What if-”

“Please don't hit me with ‘what if they're not interested,’ Pin-Lee, they were giving you some pretty intense looks too.”

“And you don't mind? If I did talk to them, and it ended up getting sexy?”

“Babe, come on. You said yes to Ratthi. Ratthi! And this is important to you. It's an important part of who you are, and it's an important part of why I love you. I want you to be happy. I want you to be able to make healthy connections with people. And I haven't seen you look at anyone besides me like that in a very long time.”

“Right. Arada?”

“I'm listening.”

“It's not just about the shared experience of gender. I think that there's other stuff that maybe I could talk to them about too. Find a different perspective on.”

“If you're talking about what I think you're talking about, I'm not sure if that's such a good idea.”

“Why not? I've talked and talked about it. I've done all the behaviour modules and all the therapy. I even tried talking to SecUnit, but it just sees everything so black and white. I've taken all the steps that I'm supposed to take, but his face still keeps popping up in my dreams. I guess, I dunno, I guess maybe pirates have another way of learning to deal with that.”

“Maybe. I just… I feel like maybe it's good that it still feels wrong? And I realise that I can't speak from experience on this so my opinion carries less weight, but… if it didn't matter, that might be worse?”

“I guess that's what I want to find out. From someone who's got that life experience. I mean, I presume they have that experience.”

“They're all pirates. I think it's kind of in the job description.”

“And yet, we're going over there for some kind of dinner party? What the fuck is that all about?”

“And yet, you're considering having sex with one of them!”

“And you're not trying to talk me out of it!”

They both laugh and relax into each other's arms. Arada leans in and steals a kiss. “They are totally hot. You should totally fuck them.”

“Maybe you want to fuck them, too. Or maybe you just want to watch.”

“Maybe I'll find my own pirate to fuck.”

“I'll have to vet them out first. Make sure that they're worthy of you.” They put a hand behind her neck and claim a deeper kiss.

“Maybe I'll just fuck you.”

***

Gurathin is uneasy. He's been uneasy since he first woke up in a strange place with a hole in his head. The pirates didn't help. Sitting in a dingy heading to a pirate ship for dinner didn't help. But that's pretty low on the scale of worries right now.

He's used to feeling on edge. This is so much worse. He might never see home again. He might be trapped on this primitive planet for the rest of his life and he's freaking out about it. Quietly. In his own head.

He picks at his nails, realises that there's no chance of getting any more black polish here, and forces himself to stop. To make it last.

He starts a list in his head of the things he'll miss most. Data systems. The weird but kind people of Preservation Alliance. Washing machines. Toothpaste. Advanced medical care.

Fuck, if he got shot in the leg here, he'd probably end up like Izzy.

Stede welcomes them on board with lots of melodramatic gestures and fancy words. It's a show to try to impress them, but all it does is make everyone feel awkward.

Then he leads down below decks. Clearly they've made a lot of effort with what little they have. The flowers are a nice touch, bedraggled as they are. The patchwork table cloth feels like something made on Preservation. Up until now he'd just been thinking of them all as pirates. But they're people, too. People who are probably just as freaked out by all this as he is.

But still pirates. With various blades and pistols.

They're all separated to sit at the table, because of course Stede has a seating plan to optimise socialisation. He also makes a point of ensuring everyone knows everyone else's name. Gurathin finds himself between Izzy and a large man ironically called Wee John, and doesn't find himself feeling particularly social.

“Don't think for a second that we're all going to be best buddies,” Izzy rasps. “You lot raise far too many fucking questions and I will not be letting my guard down for a second.”

Gurathin scoffs. “Well. I guess that's one thing we have in common.”

He gets a ping. It seems SecUnit won't be doing so either. And SecUnit is going to be a lot better at it than anyone else at the table.

***

Lucius is annoyed. Roach has been working them hard all afternoon, and all he wants to do is flirt with the beautiful man with the shapely biceps and kind eyes, but instead he's wearing a pinny and stacking bread rolls. Roach told him to do it artistically. Lucius gets petty and creates two rounded piles next to each other that resemble a large pair of buttocks.

“They're coming down, hurry up!” Roach says as they all hear footsteps.

Lucius takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly, brushing down his apron as best he can. Pete stands in front of him, licks his thumb and rubs a smudge of something off Lucius’ cheek. “Don't worry, babe, you got this. You're gorgeous and irresistible. Plus,” he peers through the hatch, “Captain has very kindly seated him at this end of the table. There's a space for us beside him.”

“Where you can sit between serving duties,” Roach adds. “We get the food out, we clear the plates, we dish up dessert.”

“At least it's only two courses.”

“Hey. There's only so much I can do for this many people on such short notice.”

They carry out the platters and set them on the table. It takes several trips back and forth to get everything out. Lucius finds the sounds of appreciation and wonder that everyone makes unexpectedly satisfying. He helped create this. As well as the bread roll bottom, there's cauliflower steaks in a green marinade, bright peppers stuffed with spiced rice and beans, roasted plantains and sweet potatoes, and leafy callaloo.

There's very little ceremony among pirates; usually everyone just grabs what they want as soon as it appears. At a feast like this, they are hesitant, spending a moment to take in the colours and smells, almost like they're waiting for permission. Stede picks up a pair of tongs and serves Mensah first, and then everyone starts to tuck into the food.

Ed and Stede sit together at the head of the table. Going down Ed's side are Izzy, Gurathin, Wee John, Pin-Lee, Fang, Bharadwaj and Frenchie. Mensah sits on Stede's side, with Oluwande, Arada, Jim, the SecUnit, Archie and Ratthi at the end.

Lucius squeezes on the end of a bench beside Ratthi and gives his cutest smile. “Hi.”

“Hello,” Ratthi smiles back. “Have you been helping in the kitchen?”

“Yes. Very busy.” Fuck, with those deep brown eyes on him, he's forgotten how to talk. Pete kicks him under the table and raises his eyebrows in encouragement.

“So, what do you recommend?”

“That depends, how much spice can you handle?”

Ratthi chuckles. “Oh, spicy is good. Spicy is very good.”

Lucius reaches out and starts filling his plate. “What's it like? Out there among the stars?”

“Beautiful. Marvellous. There's so much emptiness, but so much going on. Did you know that stars are actually made of the same stuff as your sun? A ball of burning hot energy, bigger than you can imagine, but they look so small because they're so far away. So far that the light you see now is actually from years and years ago.”

Lucius thinks that his eyes resemble stars when they light up like that, but that's probably a comment best saved for later. Hopefully when they're lying together naked in that incredible bed.

“You know a lot about stars. It's fascinating.”

“It's sort of my job. Stars, the things among the stars, how to get from one star to another. Some stars have planets of their own. Our people started exploring the stars a long time ago, and now we're spread out all over the galaxy.”

Lucius plants his elbow on the table and leans his head on his hand as he listens. He notices Ratthi's eyes on the wooden finger and makes it wiggle. “It's okay if you want to ask about it,” he says.

“It's not something I've seen before,” Ratthi admits. “I'm sorry, I shouldn't be staring.”

“Knock yourself out.” Lucius holds his hand out, turning it to show him both sides. “One of our old crew mates bit it by accident. It got badly infected, so I went a bit doolally and chopped it off with a great big pair of scissors. Pete whittled the wooden one for me. I was very touched. It's kinda clunky, but I like it.”

“Pete has some skills. And you're tougher than you look. That must have hurt like hell.”

“Oh yeah. It really did.”

“Pete, do you do a lot of whittling?”

“Some,” Pete says lightly. “I'm getting better. I offered to make him a less clunky finger, but he says he's attached to that one now.”

“This finger has been with me through some very troubled times. And it always reminded me of you. So yeah, I'm keeping it.”

“You two make the cutest couple,” Frenchie says from across the table.

Ratthi looks from one to the other. “So you're a couple then?”

It's not the most subtle way to ask, but at least it shows that he's interested. He decides to be equally obvious in his reply. “Yes. Completely smitten with each other. But we're not exclusive.”

Pete chuckles. “Even if I could keep up with this guy, it would be like keeping a bird trapped in a cage. He needs to fly free.”

Ratthi sighs at the ceiling. “One day I'm going to pull somebody who's actually single, but today is apparently not that day.”

Lucius is not sure exactly what he means by that, but he does understand the feeling of Ratthi's leg under the table moving closer to press against his own. He presses back.

“Babe,” Pete says. “You should eat something.”

“Yes,” Ratthi agrees. “Get some energy in you. You might need it later.”

***

Arada finds herself next to the pirate who her spouse is crushing on. Conveniently, Pin-Lee is sitting opposite them. They're both still stealing glances at each other and not talking.

A few minutes after the food arrives, the man on her other side clears his throat. Olu, the Captain called him. “So, Arada, am I getting vibes like you and Pin-Lee are together?”

Jim goes very still.

“Um. Yeah. We're actually married.”

“Get out,” he smiles. It's a soft, friendly smile. “Star people still get married?”

“Yes. People are people everywhere, I guess, and we do all the same stuff and follow the same patterns.”

Jim starts eating again.

“Yeah, relationships can be tricky. Just like our captains. Took them a bit to figure it out. But I guess when you find the one, it just all clicks into place.”

“One of the ones,” Arada says. It's Pin-Lee that freezes this time. Jim just notices them freezing and watches carefully. “Where we're from, it's much more common to have relationships with more than one person at a time. Or even marry more than one, like Mensah.”

“Like Spanish Jackie. How many husbands does she have now?”

“I don't know,” Jim barks, "I only killed two of them.”

“You've killed people?” Pin-Lee asks quietly.

“Yeah? So? I'm a pirate, I kill a lot of people.”

“How do you like, deal with that? Doesn't it haunt you?”

Jim looks at them carefully. “Why do you ask?”

Pin-Lee looks at Arada. There's a look in their eyes, the fear and the guilt that keeps coming back in spite of everything. Arada reaches out and takes their hand across the table. “We can talk about this,” she says.

Pin-Lee presses their lips together, still hesitant.

“You know, weirdly, that's what our captain always says. Like, if you come back after a raid all emotionally messed up, then we talk it through, as a crew.”

“Does he make it rhyme like that?” they ask, softening a little. They take their hand back and start eating again. “Because it's kinda…”

“Oh, totally. It's so cringe. Everything he does is just freakishly weird. But the weirdest part is that it actually helps. Like, there was this whole period where Stede left and Blackbeard went completely nuts. So much dark shit went down.”

“So much dark shit,” Fang agrees from the other side of Pin-Lee. “I've been sailing with Blackbeard for longer than these guys. I have never seen him go so dark. And he dragged us along with him. Olu was lucky to get left on that island.”

“All Stede's crew got dumped. Except for me and Frenchie. And then when we found each other again, we were all different.”

“Hollowed out and soulless,” Fang muses sadly.

“But our crew mates didn't give up. They kept trying to reach us. And in the end, they did. We started to feel safe again.”

“Safe,” Pin-Lee echoes.

“Yeah. From the world, from each other, from ourselves. Because that's the difference, you know? When it goes dark, you feel like it's gonna be that way forever, like there's no way out. You don't trust yourself, but you do whatever you gotta do to survive it. And then, when you do come back, the darkness is still in there because it's part of you now. You just gotta teach it that you're the one in charge and then you can be safe because you've got that control back.”

“That's it, Jim,” Fang says, wiping his eyes. “That's it exactly.”

“We got you, amigo.”

“Thank you,” Pin-Lee says thoughtfully. “That’s not what I was expecting to hear, but it helps.”

Olu breathes a heavy sigh. “At least they're finally talking,” he mutters.

“Yeah,” Arada laughs. “Thank fuck for that.”

“I can still hear you, Olu,” Jim says pointedly.

“Good, maybe you can ask your question now, too.”

“Shut up, Olu.”

“I kind of want to hear your question,” Pin-Lee says.

“I don't know if it's the kind of question I can ask over the dinner table.”

“Well now I really want to know. Cause mine was pretty out there and you handled it really well, actually.”

“Fuck. Okay. So, you're like me, right? I never met anyone like me. I wondered, is it normal where you're from?”

Pin-Lee's face brightens. “You mean, non-binary?”

“What does that mean?”

“Binary means two. A lot of cultures divide people up into two groups, male and female, and have specific roles and attributes that they associate with them. I don't feel like I fully belong in either group. Parts of me feel closer to male, and parts of me feel closer to female, but me as a whole feels like something else entirely. A third way of being. Where I come from, it's not as common as male or female, but it is understood as a way of being and accepted. Most of the time.”

“So it is a real thing, not just me.”

“It's a real thing.”

Jim stares at their cup. “Sometimes, a lot of times, I thought maybe it was because of everything that I went through. All those lady feelings I was supposed to have got rubbed off along the way. I wore a beard for a while, and that was better, but still not right. Then I got found out and everyone was all confused, especially me. And then Olu started calling me they and it was better. And I just got to be Jim.”

“I think, figuring all that out on your own, without even knowing it was a thing, just proves how much it really is you. And I also think it shows that you're an amazingly strong and resilient person.”

Jim smiles. “You say really nice things.”

“I'm just saying what I see.”

“Yeah, but you see it. That's the point. You get me.”

“I'd like to get to know you better.”

Jim just smiles at them and grabs a bread roll.

***

Mensah is enjoying herself far more than she should be. The wine is good and the food is as delicious as anything on Preservation. She's already starting to think of Stede as a friend. She’s drawn by the openness with which he shares his story and marvels at the bravery he's shown in fleeing from a comfortable life that didn't fit him.

She's still got concerns about her people. Ratthi is doing his best to distract himself from the whole larger situation by indulging the interest of a cute young pirate. Bharadwaj is drinking too quickly. Pin-Lee and Arada seem to be handling things in a mature manner, but she knows them both well and even with established boundaries they're going to have to deal with the impact this has on their relationship. She's probably least worried about Gurathin, who's just as moody and suspicious as usual.

SecUnit sits like a statue, surrounded by three of the fiercest looking pirates. Not eating. Not talking. It looks extremely uncomfortable. It's forcing itself to stay to protect them, and she's grateful for that, but she also needs this alliance to succeed if any of them are going to survive this ordeal and find a way home again.

Three men clear the plates away when the main course is finished and return with bowls of fruit, two hot desserts and a large cake with elaborate icing.

“Wow!” Stede grins. “Roach, you've done a fantastic job. This really is quite something.”

Mensah isn't quite sure exactly how it starts because it all happens too quickly. There's a loud clatter of wooden stools and SecUnit grabs Izzy and pins him against the wall by his throat. Then there's more scraping as more of the pirates stand, drawing weapons and pointing them at SecUnit and the rest of the team, but they seem less happy about it. Especially Jim, who's making pleading eyes at Pin-Lee while a dagger pointing just under Arada's ear, and Lucius, who has a knife to Ratthi's throat and a hand on his shoulder. Ratthi reaches up and holds that hand.

Ed has a gun pressed to the back of SecUnit’s skull. Everything goes unnaturally quiet.

Fuck. She knew it was on edge. She wasn't expecting it to erupt this early. Still, Izzy still has a head, so that's something.

She exchanges a look with Stede. He's got the same air of caution as if he knows the damage his partner and the rest of the crew can do, and he wants to avoid it. He puts both hands on the table where they can be seen and stands up slowly. Mensah follows his example.

“SecUnit?” she asks as gently as she can.

“Everybody stand down,” it says firmly.

“We'll stand down when you let go of my first mate,” Ed says with quiet menace.

“Ed,” Stede touches his shoulder gently. “Please.”

It's amazing the change that one word works on Ed, like a monster inside him has been quelled. Still, there's no denying how dangerous he is. He takes a deep breath and uncocks his gun, but keeps it where it is. “SecUnit, right? Any particular reason you just decided to try to stop him breathing?”

“If I decided to kill him, I would have several more efficient ways of doing so than crushing his windpipe. Though of course I could do that easily, too.” Its voice is steady. It's always steady so that's no indication of what's going on in its head. The words are what matters. It has no intention of killing.

“So you're reining it in right now. Why?”

“My friends get uneasy about the mess.”

Gurathin makes a tiny noise and goes a lighter shade of pale.

“I know what that's like.” Ed lowers his gun and turns to Gurathin. “I take it you've seen him make a mess?”

“It,” Gura insists, then swallows. “And I probably shouldn't be worrying about pronouns when I have a blade at my throat, but you should be aware that it isn't human and it isn't male. What it is, is a highly advanced killing machine with guns in its arms that are powerful enough to blow up your entire head, and fast enough to take out at least three of you before anyone can even think about retaliating. It's also extremely protective and the last people who threatened us ended up as a pile of ash.”

“Hm,” Ed nods. “I know what that's like too. What did Izzy do?” he asks SecUnit.

“He threatened Gurathin and he drew a knife.”

He looks down to where Izzy is still clutching the knife tightly in his fist. “Izzy, mate, drop the fucking knife.”

It falls from his hand with a thud.

“There we go. Now, I get that everyone is freaking the fuck out, but nobody's been hurt, and if we all sit back down, nobody needs to get hurt either.”

He eyes the crew and they all put their weapons away without hesitation.

Mensah breathes deeply. Now there's only one problem to worry about and this is more in line with her expertise. “We're all safe now SecUnit. What's your threat assessment telling you?”

“That this man is a dick.”

Ed scoffs. “Well, that's accurate. But he isn't going to attack anyone, are you Izzy?”

“No, Captain,” Izzy agrees. “I was just going to cut the fucking cake.”

SecUnit lets go slowly and steps back. Izzy gives it a nod and returns to his seat. It remains standing a short distance behind Gurathin.

“Well,” Stede sighs. “That was all a bit exciting. Who'd like a slice of cake?”

“I'll get a knife,” Roach says with his hands up. “It's just for cake. Nobody throttle me please.”

Chapter Text

It's a relief to be back on the boat with all my people heading back to our ship. Unfortunately, we've picked up a couple of extras. It appears Lucius isn't interested in anything other than Ratthi. Jim is still a cause for caution, but after hearing them talk over dinner I'm less concerned than I was. Risk assessment is still roughly at fifty-fifty, but it's been fluctuating wildly since the space anomaly started mutating.

I'm confused and frustrated and want to get back to ship repairs. Preferably with media running in the background.

It's too fucking quiet out here.

Gurathin asked if he could stay in my room while Ratthi “entertains his guest.” I agreed. It's not like I'll be using it anyway.

He takes a few belongings from his shared room and then heads to mine to prepare for bed. Arada goes into the cabin with Mensah and Bharadwaj. I'm not going to ask why. I head down to the engine room and try to distract myself from the noises that will no doubt soon be emanating from the rooms with our “guests.”

Going over components is simple work. I put on the first series of Skull and Crossbones and start making comparisons with our prospective allies. Edward Teach and Stede Bonnet are both significant characters, but unlike the ones here in both appearance and personality. Izzy could be a derivative of Israel Hands, Blackbeard's first mate, but at the moment that's just speculation. There's been no mention of other important characters, like Flint, Silver, Bonny, Rackham or Vane. It's probably just a coincidence, a story that got passed down by the original colonists and the names handed down through generations. Most of the characters were loosely based on historical figures after all.

I'm l keeping track of the security feed at the same time, so I'm aware of Gurathin wandering out of my room and getting a drink of water. I ping him without thinking about it, purely out of a need for some kind of digital feedback. He starts walking down to the engine room as if the ping was an invitation.

“Hi,” he says. “Need any help?”

He's dressed in his nightclothes with a large cardigan over the top, which he hugs around him as if he's cold. He looks ridiculous.

“You're supposed to be sleeping,” I point out.

“I know. Insomnia sucks. But at least I can be useful.”

Crap. He's going to want a conversation. I pause the media and pass him a component board.

“Are we going to talk about this?” he asks.

“You've got the same repair manual on file that I have,” I reply, in a doomed attempt at misdirection.

“I meant the fact that you keep pinging me.”

“I know.” He doesn't say anything to that. I almost hope that he's going to let it go. We work in silence for a few minutes, which is preferable to talking but makes me much more aware of the lack of background data. I ping him again before I can stop myself.

He pings me back without looking up.

I managed to finish the part I'm working on before I do it again. One component left.

“Is it even intentional?” he asks.

“What?” I'm running out of ways to deflect the conversation.

“The fucking pings.”

“Are they a problem?”

“No,” he says, softer this time. “Not exactly. It's just weird, right? This whole thing is weird.”

“You mean being shot through an almost-wormhole to a planet inhabited by primitive pirates who are now apparently our allies?”

“No, I mean the part where we went from hating each other to saving each other, and you fucking off to find yourself and coming back and everything being so fucking awkward because I know how badly I treated you and yet you keep acting like it was nothing and now it's like you're ringing my doorbell every five minutes. I know it's empty out here. I know I'm basically no more than a convenient body of responsive data, but I can't keep pretending that all of that other stuff never happened.”

He says it very quickly and I have no idea how to respond. I stop what I'm doing and try to come up with something. “I don't… that's not what I'm doing.”

“No?”

“It happened. All of it happened. Talking about it is a human response.” I take out the final board and start checking it over.

“Yeah, well I'm still human. And I feel bad about it. Because I didn't understand you and I didn't try to, I just made my assumptions and treated you like shit.”

It's true. It's also irrelevant. He was no worse than anyone else. I hated him, but I hated almost everyone. “You treated me like a construct.”

“You saved my life and all I did was complain about it.”

It's not only true, it's exactly how I felt at the time. He saved all of my memories in his augments. It's a lot of data. Some of it must have leaked through.

“Exactly how much of me did you see?” I ask.

“You mean when I…”

“Saved me. Yes.”

“I saw what is was like to be you. And seeing as I also know what's it like to not be you, I had a basis for comparison. Your life, what you've had to endure… it's brutal.”

“I had to endure it. There were no other options.”

“Even after you hacked your governor module, you still weren't free, were you?”

“Is this another interrogation?”

“Fuck, no. You're not enjoying this, are you?”

I'm about to say no, because I'm still not used to talking back and forth like this. But what I'm learning is interesting, even if it is uncomfortable. “Why did you do it?”

“The interrogation?”

“Save me.”

“You saved all of us,” he says quickly.

It's too easy an answer. “I did what I had to.”

“But you didn't have to. Not anymore. You broke your programming and you made a choice. When I saw you lying there, all broken and bleeding, I knew that you'd chosen to save her and I realised that everything I'd thought about you had been completely wrong. And I had weeks to sit with that while we waited for the transport and travelled back to FreeCommerce. And if there's one thing I'm really good at, it's fixating on my regrets. I knew I could find you, to bring you back, to make it right. So I did.”

I can still remember the feeling of being blank. I was still me, but so much had been taken away, so much that I didn't even understand what was missing. I've always been alone, but I hadn't felt it until then.

I was going to be destroyed, and it was terrifying.

And then I wasn't. There were all those faces talking to me like I should know them, but they were just faces. I did what they said because at least I was safe now. Then there was the cable and all the empty spaces filling up with data. I knew who I was.

I felt Gurathin beside me, felt the cable and his lingering presence on the edge of my awareness. I knew what he'd done, but I never understood why.

“Thank you,” I say. “For bringing me back.”

“I'm sorry I was such a dick to you.”

It's nice to hear. It might be the best apology I've ever had. It might be the only apology I've ever had, not counting Ratthi's stammers when he invariably says something inappropriate.

I have no idea what to say to it, though, so I just ping him again. He smiles.

There's other tasks to complete in the engines, but nothing I want to tackle in the middle of the night. Gurathin looks exhausted, but he won't go back to bed just because I suggest it. Instead, I let him know that I'm headed to the bridge and he can join me if he likes.

He takes a seat in the co-pilot’s chair while I start investigating the state of the control console. Mensah's made a pretty good start, but there's so much damage I'm surprised she managed to land us at all.

“Fuck, this thing's a mess,” I grumble.

“One step at a time. We must have thruster control or we wouldn't have made it down here,” he says, coming over to look.

“Yes, but it looks like it was almost burnt out when we crashed. Mensah patched that and the dampeners well enough, but the steering controls are fried and once we get off the ground we won't be able to manoeuvre. I could reconnect them but I can't fine tune without power to the engines to see how they respond.”

“What is our power status?”

“Acceptable, so long as we keep rationing it. This craft is designed to go from one space station to another, not planetary lift off.”

“Which obviously takes a lot more juice.”

“But then so does the printer and a bunch of other systems that we're not using, like life support. We're lucky we landed in a warm climate.”

“This could have been so much worse.”

“That's unusually optimistic of you.”

“Still just glad to be alive. We're going to need more wire, aren't we? Half of our systems have melted.”

“And we can't print more without using up our power reserves.”

“Could we make some? If we had the metal?”

“We don't have the metal.”

“But we do have pirates. And they probably know where to get some. A few kilos of silver or copper would be plenty. Melt it, extrude it. We'd have to insulate it somehow.”

“One step at a time,” I tell him, echoing back his own words. “Let's find out if we can get materials in the morning.”

“I guess that means I should try sleeping again.”

“There are sedatives in the medkit,” I point out.

He scoffs. “Which would be even worse for me than pain medication. No thank you.”

“What is it you have against medication?”

He sits back in the co-pilot's chair. “This is when you ask? Not when I needed you to restrain me?”

“You wouldn't have told me then. Besides, we were busy and I didn't care.”

“But you care now?”

Apparently so. But I'm not ready to admit that. “If you're not sleeping, you might as well talk.”

“You hate talking. Talking about it is a human thing.”

“And you're human. So talk.”

“Is this an interrogation?”

“You know a lot more about me than I know about you. It's an imbalance of power.”

“Okay. Fair point.” He stares out through the viewscreen at the waves in the dark. I watch him through the security feed. “The Company used me. They wanted to control me, and they did it with drugs. There was an accident. Maybe it wasn't an accident, maybe it was all planned, I don't know. An explosion that almost took off my left arm, damaged a couple of my internal organs. I was in a lot of pain, and I took a lot of stims, but it wasn't enough. They offered me something else, something new. Something they designed to be extra addictive, that I couldn't get anywhere else. The withdrawal was… horrific. I had to keep going back for more, and of course they'd only give it to me if I did everything they said. They wanted me to do a lot of really shitty things, and I had to do all of it or I would suffer.”

He goes quiet. He's more like me than I thought. “And then you met Mensah.” It's not too much of a leap. She has a habit of picking up lost causes.

“And then I met Mensah. And I went through all the effort of getting clean. But addiction doesn't just go away. So I don't take stims or sedatives or even drink alcohol because it's too much of a risk that I'll end up taking more until I can't stop. And I never, ever want to lose control like that again.”

It puts all his previous actions into a new perspective. His paranoia is rooted in experience, and his hatred of everything to do with the Company is personal. I should probably be making a response, but I have no idea what to say to any of it. “Fuck.”

He laughs. A small laugh, and then a bigger one. He puts his face in his hands and his shoulders keep shaking as his voice reduces to a wheeze. I don't know if this is a usual kind of response, or if something's very wrong. I ping him and get a response without a significant delay.

He takes a deep breath and leans his head back, still smiling. “Oh. Thank you. That helped.”

“What did I do?”

“Nothing. Absolutely fuck all, and it was brilliant.”

“I don't understand.”

“Humans have all kinds of reactions to a story like that. None of them are comfortable. It always makes people act weird. But it doesn't matter to you, does it?”

“The Corporation is a huge pile of shit. I already know that. This just adds another shovel full to that pile.”

“Right. But it doesn't change how you think about me.”

“It does, actually. They used the drugs like a governor module. It means we have something in common.”

He makes a small noise and then goes quiet. While we both process the conversation, I wrestle with a few wires and examine some of the components. One of them has a couple of loose connections that should be easy to repair, so I sort that out and get it back in place. That leads to another, slightly less easy fix, during which I mess up something else and by the time I've straightened that out I notice an unexpected sound.

Gurathin is snoring.

I look at him while there's no risk of him looking back. Humans look more natural when they sleep, with less of the facial contortions they call expressions. He looks small, weak and vulnerable. An assessment backed up by the story he just told me. But then I wonder why the Company would go to the trouble of controlling him, and think about the kind of shitty jobs that they would want someone like him to do, and figure there must be more to him than I've assumed.

I didn't understand you and I didn't try to, he said. I could have said the same about him. We both had too much of our own shit going on at the time to think that way about each other at all.

I'm not sure how I feel about him seeing so much of me. It feels like a violation of privacy, even though he did it for the right reasons. It feels like a risk because he could easily abuse that knowledge. But he hasn't yet. All he's done is apologise, and given me answers to all of my questions. Even the very personal ones.

It occurs to me that if he sleeps all night in that chair, he's going to wake up uncomfortable and moody. He needs proper rest. If I wake him up and tell him to go to bed, he'll struggle to get to back to sleep and be moody tomorrow. What I decide to do is backed up by logic. I tell myself it's for his protection.

I slide my arms under him carefully so as not to disturb him, one under his shoulder and the other under his knees. It's an inefficient lift, but the one least likely to wake him. I take him down the corridor to the cabin that was designated mine but I suppose is now technically ours, and put him on the bed.

It also occurs to me that an easy way to understand him better would be to scan his augments while he's sleeping. It's equivalent to what he did to me after Deltfall. But that felt like enough of an invasion that my response was to threaten him, and I find that I don't want to do that to him without his permission.

I watch for a minute just to be sure he doesn't wake up wondering where he is, and notice that his body is losing heat. I wrap the bed cover over him.

For some reason performance reliability goes up two points.

It's almost silent on board the ship. Bharadwaj is snoring and Pin-Lee and Jim are talking quietly. Everyone is safe for now. I walk to the corner of the room and start up Skull and Crossbones again. A few hours of media should help to reset my performance reliability for tomorrow.