Chapter 5

After he parted ways with Kazlaena outside the galley, Jack returned to stowing the rest of his gear, before heading to the recreation room. He eyed the crew inside as he walked in, hearing a commotion around a large vidscreen on the wall opposite the doorway. He saw several crew members focused intently on the images onscreen. Kazlaena and the Lexocanus, Rusu, were using the VR headsets, playing an adventure game where the player had to duck, dodge and weave through some spots. They would then have to pick up items in their environment and manipulate them in various ways, fit a key in here, repair a damaged part of a boat there. Most of the crew loved it. Delilah and Charm sat on a large brown couch, while Cardox Incurus and Sita Kildahl sat watching the game from a pair of brown recliners to the right of the screen. Jack eyed them but noticed they were keeping from looking at him directly, grinning at each other subtly.

“Yeah, you fuckers...” He whispered, then saw the tall form of Nyka approaching from the left of the room.

“Est ko va, pa nesti?” She paused momentarily. “er, forgive ‘Allo, Jack” She gave him a short wave and a kind smile. “Is happy for very, you back.”

“Hi Nyka.” He saw her open her arms for a hug and followed suit. “I’m glad to be back too, missed you a lot.”

The Lexocanian was tall, the tallest member of the crew with large fuzzy red and white ears that made her even taller. Much like her brother Rusu, she had reddish brown fur over most of her body, a modest black mane from the top of her head, down her back to below the intelliweave, digital patterned, green shirt that she wore. Forearms and hands bore short, black fur while a long, whiskered muzzle and a black nose finished her facial features save for the presence of a small pair of dark markings beneath her left, slightly illuminated golden eye. She had a tail, but it was coiled up and hidden away in a pouch attached to a brown belt worn around her waist. She leaned down and they embraced momentarily, then he ran his cheek along hers followed by her brushing his shoulder with the bottom of her muzzle in the traditional manner which Lexocanians greeted family or close friends.

“Have you made any progress on your GalCom [Galactic common] language skills?” Jack asked as he stepped over to the beverage bar an pulled out a coffee mug.

“Is slowly, is improving, by bit by.” Nyka looked at him expectantly.

“You were starting lessons when I left, you could hardly speak a word of Terran.”

“Understand you do, Ka pevi?”

“I do understand yes.” He nodded as he set the coffee mug on the holder, tapped the pour button and looked at her “You been feeling ok?”

“Ya, some.” She answered quietly. “New tabl-tab, pills, and creams.”

“How they working?”

“They good.” She gave him a thumbs down, then turned it up quickly.

“Been taking care of your brother?” Jack asked kindly.

“I, yes,” Nyka nodded and smiled. “He to me, too.”

“You stay pretty busy with your drone projects?”

She nodded. “Very so,” Then looked at him caringly.

“Is ok?”

“I am ok.” Jack nodded.

“So happy you back,” she said again with a smile and took him in another hug.

“Heh, you had your hands full keeping the place going?” She nodded after a moment of thinking about what he said. “How’s the ship been runnin?”

“Is good.” She left her mouth open briefly. “Is busy, is work.”

“You ever figure out what was causing the power loss in the aft cargo hold?” He spoke as he retrieved his mug and took a sip.

“Ahh, no.” She held her left arm up to chest height with her hand in a fist, then squeezed her fist with her right hand. “Is hide, hidden from me. As you say, is a thing...” She turned her head to one side “ ... a ghost, as Kazlaena say.”

“Oh.” He laughed briefly. “There are no ghosts Nyka. Probably just a fault in the tween deck where all the conduits run.”

“Yes, could be.” She raised her lip momentarily. “I focus, er I check, many times. Not so sure maybe.”

“Eh, don’t worry about it too much.” Jack felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.

There had been some unsettling reports about the aft cargo hold with regards to the doors opening and closing of their own will, or lights turning on and off, the usual spooky stuff that took root in strange happenings. Kazlaena had been the only one to see something faintly blue, like an electrical shadow of some bizarre creature on the far side of the hold. Outwardly the crew had tried to be gentle in dismissing it as a freak occurrence of lighting or a dusty plume but inwardly everyone felt a discomfort. Now the hold was empty of necessities. It bore only salvage, spare parts, excess cargo that would be handled by dockyard crews, or the occasional overflow of provisions if it was necessary. Many of the ships other rooms that saw little use had been repurposed into storerooms. Jack shook the chill from his spine and focused back on Nyka.

“Your science projects having any luck?”

“Some.” She nodded “Boi, er bio-nan, nanite work onwards goes.”

“Your bio-nanite studies are bearing fruit?”

“No, Jack.” She shook her head “No growing food.”

“Sorry Nyka, it’s a phrase, means efforts are successful.”

“Oh.” Nyka looked at the floor uncomfortably for a moment “Yes then, is success.”

“Good to hear.” Jack set his free hand on her forearm.

“You come by, sometime, no?” She brushed his arm a couple of times with her other hand. “I spell ... show you what miss.”

Jack saw Cardox and Sita heading towards him and gave Nyka’s forearm a quick squeeze. “Look forward to it Nyka”

She turned to head back to watching the VR game, sitting between Charm and Delilah as the other two approached Jack.

“Eyo Jackey boy.” Sita walked up and gave him a hug “Bout time you came back, ya fuck.”

Jack gave her a coy smile and noted a fresh scar on her face, beneath her regal colored left eye. Her right eye had a grayish color, said to have turned that way after an injury during her eight years in service as a marine, though she still saw clearly. She was as tall as he was, and equally as strong, having kept up on her physical training regime while he was away. Short brown hair jutted off her head like a mohawk with several tattoos visible on her scalp and neck. He knew she had many more on her shoulders, chest, back and abdomen, painting a canvas of battle honor ink from a score of campaigns fighting the mercenary forces of the Black Nova Syndicate, Ref’yao incursions on League space or a variety of local mission templates involving problematic life forms or pirate holds. She had dark skin and smooth features, wide set eyes and a narrow face with a sharp chin.

Standing beside Sita, Cardox extended his hand and Jack shook it. Cardox was just under six feet in height, about two hundred and ten pounds of well-built strength. Deep blue eyes paid attention to every detail, every movement. Light skinned but with a solid tanned complexion, his bold featured face had a heavy brow with black hair never longer than an inch. A single tattoo was exposed on his forearm with a sword piercing a ringed planet. It was the regimental tattoo for the top level of the Terran special forces. Denoting those that excelled at infantry warfare, then on to special operations regiments that ended in any number of specialist branches like commando training, system pathfinders and star rangers.

“You make it to your old room yet?” Sita asked.

“Yeah...” Jack nodded, smiling.

“Not bad, eh?” Cardox grinned.

“How long did that take?”

“Some hours,” Sita shrugged.

“Holy fuck, Just you two?”

“Pri too, with some convincing.” Sita answered. “She had some confusions, but she ain’t get our fucked-up humor.”

“Can you blame her?” Jack took a sip.

“Least she gets in on the action.” Sita replied.

“Usually does. Kinda surprising for a Sikarran, a Sikar’Sezar for that matter. They’re pretty concerned about their deportment all the time.”

“Some of them won’t hesitate,” Cardox said. “The youngbloods that are kinda rebelling against their old institutions and traditional ways get more involved with the fuckaroundings.”

“The literal gem of a Sezar we have on board, kind, quiet, caring and patient, and we got her pulling pranks, chair jousting, pillow fights, right there, getting ripped into by the Procodile with us.” Jack said. “Just goes so completely against her personality.”

“Eh, she usually needs to get half cut to fuckin partake though,” Sita replied. “Wish she’d be more willing without that alcoholic courage.”

“True enough,” Jack nodded. “Though I don’t enjoy the sight of her ‘getting rippied into by the Procodile’. She just isn’t that kinda personality.”

“Fair point Jackie,” Sita said as she went over to the beverage bar to make a couple of cups of coffee. “Ain’t none o’ us like gettin rippied.”

Jack grinned at her, then focused on Cardox and noted the large man’s inquisitive stare.

“You squared away, Jack?”

“Good to go.” Jack replied.

“Good to see you didn’t acquire civvy issue ass while you were away.”

“What?” Jack looked as best as he could at his rear “I think I lost weight while I was away.”

“Looks like.” Cardox gave him a grin “You back on deck as two ocifer, yeah?”

“Occciiifeerrrr” Sita sounded a bit childish as she mocked the word from over by the beverage bar.

“Yeah. Lucinia said she never hired a second officer while I was out so thank fuck for that, I suppose. Woulda been shitty to take someone’s job away.”

“Haha, well, back to the grind then. First O is ate-up with the regs, freaking about being down a navigator and the lack of an Ewar scope dope.”

“Yeah, you being back should unfuck his stress, even just a crotch hair.” Sita called from the coffee maker.

“That bad, huh?” Jack gritted his teeth.

“Worse,” Cardox looked at him intently. “He blames Zakia for not showing due diligence in her job involving the aft cargo hold. Nuked her for slacking because she’s ‘unable to figure out what’s going on’. His take on it is a lack of effort on her part and that it’s unacceptable.”

“The fuck?” Jack frowned. “Aft cargo hold has a mind of its own. Everyone knows shit happens in that hold without explanation. Nyka just told me she can’t find anything going on so it’s not electrical. Zakia herself has a good reputation for mechanical. If she knew something was wrong, she’d unfuck it.”

“Regardless, ‘Rage Mcnova’ seems to have it out for her right now. A few of us got worried he’d go wall to wall on her, but he ceased fire when Alpha finally stepped in. Relented but he was pissed, likely as much for his sister stopping his reprimanding as the idea Zakia may have been slacking.”

Jack took a sip from his coffee and shook his head. “Fucking stars, Zakia isn’t a slacker, quite the opposite.”

“Not even his worst nuking. Fuck! Sita and Pri thought next level, decided to ride the high-pressure fire foamers down E deck. He went continuous automatic on them for a molten twenty.”

“Ah, they were the offenders.” Jack looked at Sita as she approached with coffee for herself and for Cardox. “The captain mentioned a situation and cautioned me against fucking around in likewise manner.”

“Cheers.” Cardox thanked her and took a sip.

“Yeah, we weren’t more than three beer fuzzy when the idea came bout.” She grinned. “Pri won.”

“To Pri then.” Jack made a toast in salute.

“Pri.” Cardox grinned happily.

“For Pri.” Sita tapped her cup to theirs.

As they finished their toast, Rusu came over from the VR area.

“Oh, Jack, see you is good.” He carefully leaned in, being mindful of the cup of coffee to greet Jack in the same manner as his sister, Nyka. He brushed his cheek across Jacks’ cheek, before running the bottom of his muzzle across Jack’s shoulder. “Up next Sita, yes?” He turned to her to inform her it was her turn to try to beat Kazlaena on the VR.

“Oh shit,” Sita took a good mouthful of coffee, only slightly mindful of the beverages heat. “Ack, well Jacko, good to see you back boyo.” She headed off to take her round.

Jack gave Cardox a nod, who tapped his mug to Jacks.

“We’ll catch up more later.” He smiled and gave Jack a nod before heading back to his chair to continue watching the VR.

“Worried, I was, you might never be back.” Rusu stepped back and flicked his tail a few times.

Much like his sister, he had large ears on top of his head, reddish brown fur over most of his body and a black mane from his head to midway down his back. Wearing the same intelliweave clothing as his sister, but in light grey shirt and light blue slacks. He was shorter than she by over a foot. His bronze eyes were also slightly illuminated, a result of the bio-nanites in his body that all Lexocanians inherit from their parents. Those bio-nanites provided many edges such as low light visibility, rapid healing, moderated epidermal temperature in co-operation with the intelliweave clothing they wore to prevent fur related ‘hot-spots’ that commonly occurred from wearing clothing. Something Kazlaena faced when she wore firm clothing that pressed her fur uncomfortably against her skin so that it rubbed irritably when she moved.