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All of them wear necklaces strung with bits of enemies encountered. Ears, noses, and other pieces are displayed very proudly. I intend to do everything to stop any of our parts from ending up that way.
“Who demands audience with Siryn?” the leader asks the question, his ear collection jiggling underneath his sharp, bearded muzzle.
“My name is Tarni,” I say. “She knows me as the Colonial.”
All three Peltbars draw back from us as if I just became electrically charged. They look at one another in confusion.
“You are the Colonial?” The leader asks me, guarded and suspicious, but also very ready to believe me.
“Unfortunately, yes.”
“You make an impression wherever you go,” Kail mutters behind me.
He has no idea just how true that statement is.
There is a low muttering among the Peltbears, a sort of subsonic hum. I can’t make out any words, but they are having a conversation. It is punctuated by growls and the occasional yelp and whimper.
Finally, they come to a conclusion.
“Set your ship to follow us, Colonial,” the leader says. He has not introduced himself. So rude.
“It might be better if you put a tow lock on us. I’m not certain this bucket can keep up, and I’d hate to lose you.”
“As you wish.”
They are speaking with respect now, and caution. I have to wonder how many stories they’ve heard about the Colonial. It’s quite common for my reputation to ferment in my absence in instances where my identity becomes known.
The pirates seem quite happy to leave the ship, relieved, even. They back away, patting their transport nodes with a hurried pace. It’s funny what a name can do. Changes the whole vibe of a room.
They disappear in a bright vibration, leaving a few wisps of fur in their wake, along with a faint scent of beast.
I let out the breath I had been holding even while speaking, releasing some of the tension. Thankfully, Nemo slept through it all. He’s still far too young to have his first hostile interaction with pirates.
“Alright.” I smile at Kail. “That went really well, I thought.”
He fixes me with that penetrating golden gaze of his. “What did you do when you were last here?”
“I ran some missions for the Colony. They thought I could infiltrate a pirate ring that was making incursions into lawful space and bring their fearless leader to justice. Spoiler: I did not bring her to justice.”
“But you survived.”
“I always survive,” I smile lightly, being a little flippant given all that has happened of late. It is true, so far, I do always survive. So far.
15
It takes three days for us to reach Siryn. It is a peaceful trip, though I know Kail is worried. There’s a real chance we are flying into a trap. When we arrive, we will be outnumbered. We are no longer under our own power, adding to the feeling of helplessness.
“We don’t have enough weapons,” he says. Kail is going to wear a rut into the floor of the bridge with the way he paces.
“Since when have you ever needed weapons, Kail?”
“Nemo can barely support his own head,” Kail growls. “He’s not ready for battle.”
The first part is not true. The second part is. Nemo has been able to sit up on his own for some time now, but he is surely not ready for battle. I hope he never has to do a day of battle in his life. He’s earned the right to some peace after an entire infancy in chaos.
“Siryn is not going to allow any harm to come to a baby,” I say. “You and I, we might be at risk, but Nemo is golden. This is probably the safest place for him in the entire universe.”
“You might think that, but I do not know this pirate woman, and I cannot trust anyone I do not know.”
