Star Storm

Chapter Fourteen

New Discoveries

Comfort was not something Kael could find aboard the Rapid.

His companions seemed to have united against him. Each of the rogues always had something to do, some piece of work or another, that Kael could not help them with. When he did catch one of his crewmates in the ship's bare corridors, they spoke of nothing other than credits. Friendship had not been something Kael had sought when hiring these people, but he had been expecting at least some conversation.

Space was a blur outside the round windows of the ship. Kael found himself drawn to places where he could watch what was happening outside. By reminding himself of how far they had come from Uterca and the speed of their movement, he could almost forget about how lonely he was feeling.

Everyone he had recruited had their own way of bussing themselves while traveling. Meri turned to art, hiding in the medical rooms with her paints and charcoal. The others played cards and took bets, Amara forever taking credits and other goodies from Jet, Cyre, and Valour. Ry did not take part in gambling, but he was too preoccupied with Cyre to take notice of Kael.

To be so far from home and without anyone to talk with, Kael had found his taste for adventure dwindle. Of course, he would never think about turning back. Nona was out there, and he would find her.

But there was no excitement to be had aboard the Rapid and no thrill in flying by planets when he had no one to share the experience with.

Kael found himself a window on the upper floor, squeezed neatly between two storage rooms. It was different from the rest of the ship, cluttered and filled with odds and ends. That was perhaps the reason why Kael preferred the narrow hallway to the lounge rooms.

He was imprinting notes onto the margins of a battered notebook book when the lift unexpectedly opened.

Surprised and slightly worried, Kael froze. Having never asked Amara or Cyre if it was alright for him to wander the ship, his mind jumped to terrible conclusions. One of them may have come up to scare him away or threaten him for more money since there were no witnesses around.

The lift door slid open, the metal chains creating a racket, and Amara stepped out. Her head was down as she fiddled with a buckle on her belt, lost in concentration. With her white hair falling over her face and her bottom lip clamped down under her teeth, it was hard to imagine she was the most wanted criminal in space.

"Erm, hello," Kael said.

At the sound of his voice, she snapped to attention, her hand going to the blaster strapped to her hip. There was nothing about the way she looked at Kael which did not make him regret his earlier thought. Amara was vicious, her eyes were narrowed and hard.

"I was just admiring the view," he added. "The planet Casia will be coming into sight. Since I can remember, I have always admired its beauty."

"All planets look the same," Amara grumbled. Her hand moved from her blaster as she crossed her arms, slowly moving to join Kael at the window. "Round. Blurry. They are boring. And I see no reason to take such an interest," she nodded at his book, "in things which I will never have to encounter."

"Are we not encountering one right now?" Kael asked, breaking eye contact with her to watch the planet zip by.

Casia was gone in a moment, nothing more than a blur like Amara had suggested. With the speed the Rapid was going at, it was a surprise Kael had managed to see anything of Casia at all.