Maybe it's the stomach ache talking, or the stasis drugs, but I've traded one crisis for another. Sure, Adiron loves me when we're by ourselves and snuggled in bed. But how does a baby fit into his life?
Or is he going to ask me to get rid of it?
72
JADE
To my everlasting relief, this ship has foods other than noodles. I nibble on a protein bar and drink a cup of hot tea, curled up in Adiron's lap as he strokes my hair and the cleaning bots whirr in action behind us.
The crew of the Jabberwock—whom it seems showed up and hijacked the pirates, of all things—are busy in action, stripping the ship, overriding systems, and arguing with someone named Bethiah, who wants the ship and doesn't like that they're taking everything.
"Bethiah's a friend," Adiron murmurs into my ear when I ask. "An absolute lunatic, but a friend."
I'm still having a hard time digesting everything that went on while I was in stasis. Though I wasn't “under” for longer than a few hours, a lot has happened. After the pirates took Adiron captive, he schemed with Bethiah to turn on the crew, but it seems that Shaalyn was onto them, double-crossed her men and killed them before she could be taken, hid on the bridge, and then the Jabberwock showed up.
It's a hell of a lot of coincidence, but Adiron and the others seem to take it in stride. Of course the Jabberwock was nearby—Zoey has been looking for Adiron and his brothers. Of course Bethiah was on the ship and offered to help Adiron. It seems that space pirates are a lawless, hijacking lot who are unsurprised by constant double-crossing.
And I'm pregnant with a space pirate's baby. So, you know, no pressure or anything.
I keep the news about the baby silent, though. There's so much other information flying around that stepping forward and blurting that I'm carrying Adiron's baby seems like bad timing.
Adiron and I sit together on the bridge. He's found a seat big enough for the two of us to sit, me with my legs over his lap and a little tray in mine, so I can have my tea and crackers. I'm still wearing nothing but his shirt, but no one seems to notice my nudity…or the fact that I'm human. They're too busy. I listen in as Zoey talks up a storm to Adiron. She's not what I expected his sister to look like when he said she was human. I don't know why, but for some reason I pictured Zoey with impish features and red hair. Kinda like Pippi Longstocking or some shit, the ultimate sisterly vibe. Zoey is nothing like that, of course. She's a little short, even for a human, and top-heavy. She's white, with flat brown hair and an average face, but when she smiles, it's that naughty smirk similar to Adiron's and it's obvious that they've grown up together.
She also cusses a blue streak, which I would expect any pirate to do, really.
Adiron won't leave my side, so Zoey leans against a nav panel that an overdressed someone named Kivian is working on. She tells Adiron that they found the brothers' ship at someplace called V'tarr Station, and it had been found abandoned. Adiron, in turn, tells Zoey all about meeting up with Lord Straik and teaming up together to hunt down the Buoyant Star. "Really, no one should have picked up the Little Sister, considering we left her floating in the middle of nowhere with no distress signal. We figured we'd just swing by and hop in once we were done."
Zoey just rolls her eyes. "You fucking idiots lost your keffing brains when I left, didn't you?" She crosses her arms over her chest. "Lucky for you guys, the Little Sister's safe. Jerrok and Sophie took her back to his station, and he's going to give her a quick tune-up while we were out hunting for you."
"And no sign of Mathiras or Kaspar?" Adiron asks again. He's already asked more than once, but I know how it feels to not want to accept what you're hearing.
"Not a goddamn peep," Zoey says, frowning. "I'm sure they're out here somewhere. We just have to find them. Think like them. If you were Kaspar, what would you do?"
"Run head-first into danger?" Adiron smirks, even as he rubs one of my feet absently.
"Exacta-mundo." Zoey says. "Plus, if Shaalyn really did rendezvous with his escape pod like she said, we'll have coordinates in the ship's