Defying Mars (The Saving Mars Series) - By Cidney Swanson Page 0,42
back to ‘em with a golden spoon.”
Jessamyn wasn’t sure she could picture that clearly, but she understood. Mei Lo was strong enough to punch back if she had to.
“Listen, kid. I know you’n’ the captain didn’t see eye-to-eye all the time, but I sure hate to think of her so bad injured she ain’t fit to re-body,” said Crusty, shaking his head.
Jessamyn frowned. Could that have been why Kipper hadn’t been re-bodied? The doctors at New Kelen had said Harpreet wouldn’t be re-bodied because of her arthritis.
“I figure that’s the only explanation makes sense of her not gettin’ re-bodied right off,” said Crusty. “Wallace told me they don’t wait around with young-bodies.”
Jessamyn felt a rush of pity for her captain, for Kipper’s brother and family. On its heels followed her longing to see Ethan safe again. And then, quietly, the yearning for Pavel that never quite went away.
Perhaps there were some decisions that could only be made in the heightened lucidity of that time tucked in between too late and too early.
She knew what she would do.
“Would you please get Cavanaugh Kipling back here?” she asked Crusty, her voice ringing clear and solid.
“I left him waiting down in the hangar,” said Crusty, winking at Jess as he stood. From down the hall, he called back. “Oh, and I’ll have him bring up the two other fellers from Squyres Station so’s you can check ‘em over for your crew, Captain.”
Jessamyn closed her eyes and inhaled slowly while Crusty disappeared.
Cavanaugh, when he arrived a moment later, looked triumphant. He introduced two companions, “Mr. Jones,” and “Ms. Smith.”
“I need to clarify something before I agree to work with you,” Jessamyn said. “In addition to being your pilot, I will also be your superior officer—”
“The two of us are civilians,” complained Mr. Jones.
“If we are to work together, a chain of command must be observed,” said Jess, her voice carrying an authority she’d gained in the last months.
“I’m sure we can work with that,” Cavanaugh answered calmly.
“Further, let me make it absolutely clear that I will tolerate no attempts to establish trade relations with Earth,” continued Jessamyn. “So if any of you are hoping to make your personal fortunes on this little trip, you can forget about taking the journey with me.”
“She’s right,” said Crusty. “Regardless of your politics, the timing ain’t right for it on this mission.”
The three others maintained a stony silence.
“Is that going to be a problem?” Jess asked.
“Not at all, Captain,” said Cavanaugh, holding his companions’ gazes with his own. “We just want to bring Cassondra home. She’s all that matters, right?” He looked to his companions.
The other two nodded.
“Very well,” said Jess. “Then I think we can work together.”
With that, she began outlining the duties she would expect them to fulfill (few) and the dangers they might face (many), looking for signs of weakness or uncertainty. It was an odd way to assess a crew. But this would be an odd launch.
When Jessamyn had concluded, Cavanaugh rose and extended a hand. “I knew you were made of sterner stuff than most the first time we met,” he said to Jessamyn. “I look forward to our joint venture.”
Jess shook his hand—firm but brief—and the three departed, leaving her alone with Crusty. A pair of vac-mechs whined along the hall just outside the rations room where the two Mars Raiders stood.
“Ugh,” said Jessamyn. “What are mechs doing onboard? Do you think they’re safe?”
Crusty rose, pushing his chair along its track until it clicked to rest against the table. “Why wouldn’t they be?”
“The Rations Storage fire?”
“Hmmph,” grunted Crusty. “I read up on your brother’s schematics. They was rated for collecting the detritus produced by one thousand visitors apiece. That would’ve meant ten thousand people could’ve traipsed all up and down the storage facility before them vac-mechs started complaining.”
Jess frowned. “I saw one of them explode before my very eyes, Crusty.”
“That don’t mean they was what caused the fire,” he replied. “Only four thousand people went through there that day. Not nearly enough to cause residue build-up problems. Something don’t add up, kid. I don’t know what caused the explosions, but it weren’t your brother’s contraptions gettin’ overloaded.”
Jessamyn watched as one of the mechs paused over a sprinkling of dirt.
“Don’t you worry, kid. I won’t let anything hurt this beautiful ship.” Crusty patted the ship’s walls reassuringly.
“Crusty? What do you think about Cavanaugh and ‘Jones and Smith’?” Jessamyn asked softly. “They’re not even using their real names. Are we fools to accept them