At that we reached the maintenance bay entrance, which slid open to reveal Glitch waiting smugly on the far side. I put Molly down as soon as we were in the heated room, Glitch shutting the door behind us.
“There. Now we’re safely in the warm we can—” I cut off mid-sentence, watching Molly back away, chewing on her lower lip. What had looked delightful before now looked ominous, like an omen of bad things to come.
“Karnac,” she started, then fell silent again. I took a step back, giving her time to consider. It wasn’t easy but crowding her would only make things harder for us both.
“Karnac, I don’t know how to describe what you do to me,” she said, carefully looking at a point above my right shoulder. No danger of accidental eye contact to distract us. “You take away my good judgement, you make me want to like you, but you’re still a pirate. Still one of the killers who stranded us here, who kept me from my new home.”
I grimaced, feeling as though a hook had lodged in my heart. A misstep now could tear it in two. “I cannot lie to you, Molly. You are right, I did those things. Misled by evil leaders, but I do not hide behind that excuse. I allowed them to mislead me where others did not. I fought for an honorable goal, but Zaren took the Silver Band on a dishonorable route to reach it. He is dead now, and good riddance. If the Silver Band ever reaches space again, we’ll not repeat our error. Anyone who tries will face me first.”
I risked a step toward her, and Molly flinched but did not withdraw. I took that as a good sign but did not push my luck by advancing further. My khara would come to me if I did things right, and I would not risk doing things wrong.
“Your hesitation is natural,” I told her. “I and my kind caused you and yours grave harm. Allow me to make it up to you as best I can, and I swear to you on the planet-grave of my people I will not attack any target you disapprove of.”
Molly snorted a laugh, taken by surprise. “You won’t promise not to be a pirate, but you’ll let me be your conscience?”
“If I need one, perhaps. Or perhaps not, and you’ll never object to a target I set again. But you will always have the option.”
Molly risked looking at me, smiling, and that was almost enough to make me pounce. Will alone is all I had to hold myself still and motionless, not wanting to seem threatening.
Her pale cheeks heated red, and she looked away. Silence filled the room until Glitch meowed at the two of us.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” I said severely. “Is this spoiling your fun?”
Unrepentant, Glitch nodded and meowed again. I couldn’t help smiling.
“You see, Molly? Glitch knows I’d be good for you.”
She put her hands on her hips and glared. “Don’t you bring him into this, pirate. He doesn’t get a say in this decision, and neither do you.”
I nodded, melting her stern expression slightly, and sighed. “If you are like me, you cannot think while we’re together. Or rather, you can think of only one thing.”
Her delightful blush deepened, and she nodded quickly, as though trying to get the admission out and in the past as swiftly as possible. I didn’t dwell on it, as much as I’d have liked to find out just how red I could get her face. That would be a project for later when we had our leisure to explore such things.
“Then here is what we will do,” I said. “You have work to do and need time to think. I will leave you in peace to consider what you want to do. And yes, when I return, I will try to convince you we belong together, that you are my khara. You have the final say, though. Infuriating, but here we are.”
Molly managed another small laugh at that. “Oh, is that what you’ve decided we’ll do? Do I get a say in that plan?”
“No,” I told her, smiling. Watching for the little gulp of need I expected to see. “No, this is the plan and we are doing it.”
“You think I’m infuriating, and then you try to boss me around like that?”
“No.” She blinked at my flat refusal, and I continued before she could object. “No, Molly, I don’t try to boss you around.”
The glare she shot me wasn’t real, her eyes and her scent gave away how much she enjoyed it. Counting that as a victory, I stalked from the room.
Away from Molly, my thoughts cleared, and I cursed myself for taking things so far. What if she said no? Yes, she was my khara, the soul that completed mine. But humans hadn’t grown up knowing what that meant, and I had given her reason to refuse me.
I will not let that happen. I will woo her, win her heart in the old way — by hunting something magnificent and preparing the greatest meal she’s ever tasted.
That would be easier on a planet where I knew more about the wildlife, admittedly, but that would not stop me from doing my best. Full of restless energy and desire, I could not stay around the station. Molly’s presence was a constant call to me, one my willpower had already proved too weak to resist.
I fetched my bow, checked my quiver — twenty arrows, more than enough for a good hunt. Made of monofiber, I didn’t need to worry about them breaking. About to leave, I remembered to check the weather. Most of my hunts had been on planets where we controlled orbit, making it hard to miss storms. Crashland was an exception. We didn’t even have satellites yet.
But every room had a vidbox, and if there was one thing we could rely on, it was that Allison would do her job. Flicking through the channels until I found her, I watched as she narrated the weather around the planet as best she could. Even the map was crude, pieced together from the reports of the scattered human colonists and Prytheen warriors. Most of the planet was blank, and I wondered what it would be like to explore those vast spaces.
I shook off that feeling when Allison turned to the local map around the Joint Colony.
“… continuing signs of a gathering storm to the east, but not to worry, our pressure sensors would spot it coming our way,” she said brightly. “If it turns this way, it’ll probably be a big one, so do make sure you’re prepared and take supplies with you. That won’t happen for at least two, more likely three days, if it happens at all. To repeat, there is no reason to believe it’ll move in our direction.”
She smiled a warm, reassuring grin, and my lip quirked. Perhaps, Allison, it would do you better to practice that smile, that attitude, with your colleagues as well as your audience?
I shook my head. She wouldn’t listen if I tried to tell her, which was a shame.
At least the report was good. I’d only need a few hours to catch something. Pulling my coat around my shoulders, settling the quiver on my back, I made my way through maintenance and set off for the woods.
The almost pristine snow crunched under my booted feet as I made my way down toward the strange, purple trees. That promised to be the best hunting ground — undisturbed by humans or Prytheen, the animals would not know to fear me. The fence posts halfway down the slope stood like silent sentinels, broadcasting an ultrasonic field that kept out all Crashland animals.
I wasn’t the first to come this way, though. The light snowfall we’d recently had covered most of the tracks, but not all. Deep marks, going parallel to the fence before curving up toward the station. I looked back and frowned. Someone’s morning exercise, maybe? Or someone who liked animal spotting from the safe side of the fence?