Maybe she thinks I'm her cub and she has to show me the way.
"It's okay," I call out to Kaspar. "It's just Sterre. She's climbing her way up, too."
"Great. I call dibs on the bed, though. It's for you and me, not you and her."
"You tell her that," I say to him, fighting back my laughter as I reach for another knot. "I'm not telling her no. Not with those teeth."
"An excellent point," Kaspar says, and his voice sounds closer. "You're going to like it up here, Alice. There's a lavatory and the systems are old and not working, but I bet I can get it to work with a little elbow grease. The food stores are old but it's actual food, and I think we'll be able to find something out of it that's survived." His voice is casual and soothing, and I know he's talking to encourage me and to distract me as I get higher and higher. "You know what I think you'll like best?"
My sweaty hand slips on the next knot, and I almost lose my grip. I bite back a screech of terror and force myself not to panic. To hold on and reach for the next knot, the next foot-loop. To keep going. When I do, some of the tension slamming through my body eases and I'm able to answer him. "What?"
"Pants. There's a couple of old space-suits up here."
"Not on the dead guy, I hope."
"No, he's going down the moment you get up here. I promise." Kaspar's voice sounds very close now, but I'm afraid to look up. "Almost here, Sunshine. Keep going."
I reach for the next knot, and when I haul myself into the next foot-loop, a big hand locks around my arm, and then I'm bodily hauled into the ship. Kaspar drags me against him in a bear-hug, petting my hair.
"You did amazing, Alice," he murmurs as he holds me.
Hearing it from him, I feel amazing.
46
KASPAR
I love watching Alice discover our new home.
I stand back, giving her space as she moves around and discovers everything. It's a little dark in here but I bet I can replace some of the wiring and get a little light working eventually. I've pulled up the rope, and Sterre saunters into the old ship a scant few moments after, heading immediately to Alice's side. I'm a little envious of the loving touches Alice gives the carinoux, rubbing the ears of the thing as she peers at long-dead control panels on the small bridge of the ship.
This old cruiser was built for maybe two occupants, max. That means the bridge is small, the lavatory is small, the mess and kitchen even smaller, and there's only one set of living quarters. I suppose that's good, though. If this was a crashed transport ship, I'd be worried about legions of hungry, possibly cannibalistic survivors. There's only one dead guy, which means he either flew this thing solo, or there's one hermit running around these woods.
I can take on one old crusty hermit, so I'm not worried.
"What do you think?" I ask Alice.
She glances over at me in the darkness. "I don't know half of what I'm looking at, but everything feels sturdy? There's not snakes hiding anywhere in here, are there? Or more bugs? Or more dead guys?"
"I've looked around and I don't see much of anything. There were a couple of old piles of brush in the engine room which might be nests, but if that's the case, there's nothing in them. And no other dead guy, no. I think that one died on arrival." I tilt my head, indicating the bones of the guy that rotted in his co-pilot's seat. There's not much left of him but a few wizened scraps and some bone held together by his clothing.
"We've got shelter. We've got Sterre. We've got water below that we're going to have to somehow figure out how to get up here, but this could work," Alice muses, rubbing her stomach. "That's great. I'm glad you found this place."
"I'll poke at the hydration filters in the morning," I tell her. I don't like that she's hurting. "Once there's some light to work by. Stomach still bothering you?"
"It's not great," she admits with a grimace. "Rain check on breaking in that mattress?"
As if I'd insist on keffing while she's feeling unwell? It's no good for me if it's not good for her. "It's been a long day. All we're doing on that bed tonight is sleeping."
She sighs. "I hate to be a tail-pulling tease."
"Stop it. You're tired, I'm tired. Sterre's tired. Everybody's tired." I cross the small ship and pat the built-in ladder that leads to the second floor, which is also the living quarters. "Come on. Let's get some sleep. There'll be plenty to do in the morning and more light to explore by."