Aetherbound - E.K. Johnston Page 0,38

were pleased about it. Pendt looked at Fisher, who nodded at her. He wasn’t the type to show emotions freely, but she knew that he was glad, and that he welcomed her.

The crowd dispersed as people came forward to shout congratulations at them, and finally, only a few stragglers were left. Ned thanked them and then pointedly led Pendt and Fisher into Dulcie’s office, where they would take care of the marriage documents. Fisher quickly filled Dulcie in on what was going on, and the woman didn’t seem entirely surprised.

“You messaged me saying your brother needed a wedding to a girl off a merchant ship,” Dulcie pointed out. “I was aware that things might be a little bit . . . sensitive.”

“You’re okay with it?” Pendt asked.

“No,” Dulcie said. “I am not okay with any of this. You’re all too young. My friend is being held hostage. I know very well what Ned will do the moment there’s a viable heir on the station. None of that is okay. But it’s what we have to work with, and you’re being smart enough to sort everything out as you go, so I can’t really complain about it.”

“I was kind of hoping you’d be happy for me,” Ned said quietly.

“I am, darling boy,” Dulcie said. She ruffled his hair. “I’m happy for you and I’m very proud of the way you’re going about this. But that doesn’t make it any less complicated.

“Now,” she said, pulling up her screen, “let’s finish sorting all of this out.”

Dulcie had no additional suggestions for either of the contracts and commended them for thinking to include the second one. Everything was signed and sealed away in short order. The second contract was encrypted and stored in a separate file that only the four of them could access.

“So,” Dulcie said wickedly when everything was sorted, “any big plans for the afternoon?”

“There are a couple of ships due.” Ned’s ears were pink. “But we’re ready.”

“I’m sure you are,” Dulcie said.

She laughed as Ned all but dragged them out of her office. They went back the bar where they had met. It was quiet, since it was the dayshift, but the three of them sat at a table in the back and introduced Pendt to cake, since it was both her birthday and her wedding day.

Ned excused himself after a few hours to go take care of operations, and Fisher and Pendt diligently finished all the slices that were left on the table before they went back up to the apartment.

“I am glad too, you know,” Fisher said as Pendt took a seat in the lounge to wait for Ned. “What Dulcie said is right. It’s not okay. But it’s something, and it’s ours, and that makes me happy.”

“I understand completely,” Pendt said. “This week has been amazing. I’ve never had so much time for myself—except when I was in the brig—and I don’t feel isolated or weird. I’ve never really been happy, I don’t think, and I’m not sure I’m happy now, but I am getting a good thing and I am giving a good thing, and that works for me.”

They waited in comfortable silence until the door opened and Ned came in. He wasn’t blushing anymore, and neither Fisher nor Pendt teased him. Instead, Fisher shook his hand and left, heading to operations for the darkshift. Pendt stood up. The scarf around her neck seemed very tight. Ned reached out and took the crown of flowers off her head. He set it on the table and held out his hand to her. It only shook a little bit.

Pendt took his hand, because it was hers to take, and squeezed gently. He smiled at her and drew her into his room.

15.

IT WAS A WEEK before Pendt was absolutely sure. Ned was diligent, Fisher was mostly absent, and neither of them asked her any questions. The first few times, Pendt was much more distracted than she had expected, but eventually she was able to focus. After that, it was fairly straightforward to sink into her own body and sort through the genetic patterns until she found two halves that would give the whole they were after.

“I’m not comfortable designing a person,” Pendt told Ned one night between attempts. They were both naked and he touched her gently, as though to remind himself that she was real. “Not entirely, anyway. There’s a difference between plants and people, like we talked about, and I don’t like the idea of sifting through a