Something tells me it's more about seeing Mathiras than actually arguing about some gladiator, but I get it. I can't wait to talk to Helen and Jade again. Relaxing can wait a little while longer.
86
KASPAR
It feels a little strange to not have our lives in danger, after weeks of being on constant alert. The Jabberwock is equipped with the latest in stealth technology and has a dark-matter drive that would put the Sister to shame. They're well-versed in hiding their tracks, and I know that even if we're pursued, we're fine.
Even so, I still want to hug Alice close to me, just to remind myself that she's safe. That our baby is safe, too. She smells like jungle and sweat, but they're comforting, familiar smells, and I'm sure I'm pretty fragrant, too, and yet she's cuddled against me. Alice has been surprisingly calm this entire time, too. I expected her to act a little like Sophie, who flinched at every new room or person for the first month of her freedom, or Zoey, who tried to attack everything. Or even Salvotor, who keeps trying to punch buttons when they light up, and who keeps getting his hand smacked by Sentorr and Zoey. But Alice is calm. She watches everything with an assessing expression, absorbing everything. I have no doubt that if I quizzed her on it later, she'd be able to describe any weapons left out, the layout of the ship, and each person we've run into.
She says she's a good sidekick, but I think she's wrong. She's an amazing corsair, all on her own, and I couldn't be prouder of her. My breath hitches with the wave of emotions that sweeps through me.
Alice immediately puts her head to my chest, and I think she's hugging me until she lifts her gaze up to mine. "Lungs sound good," she whispers. "Thumbs up."
Oh. A fresh round of intense emotion rushes through me and I want to squeeze her against my chest and never let her go. I'd forgotten all about my data pad and constantly checking my lung scans. I'll get one again, but I'm not in a hurry. I feel…good. If my lungs can survive all the nonsense we just went through, they can survive anything.
Besides, I've got my mate looking out for me.
I place a possessive hand on Alice's shoulder, that growly, primal part of me wanting to remind the universe that she's mine.
The comm chirps, and then my brother's face fills the screen. He glances around at the room, and then his gaze rests on me. Warmth fills his eyes and his mouth curves into a smile. "’Bout time you showed up."
Immediately, a red arm shoves in front of the vid, and then Helen's face takes over the camera. "Let me see! I want to see!"
Mathiras politely moves aside, straightening the camera as he does. I can't tell if his expression changes to exasperation or affection. Sometimes it's hard to tell with Mathiras. Helen's beautiful, perfect face fills the vid-screen and she jumps up and down with excitement as soon as she spots Alice. "Hi! Alice! Oh my kef! Alice, you're alive! This is the greatest thing since Marlena recovered from being possessed by the devil!"
"W-what?" Alice giggles.
Zoey raises a finger. "Er, that's my fault. She got bored and so I sent her my vids of Days of Our Lives."
Helen just presses her hands to her lips in delight, overcome with emotion. "I miss you," she blurts out. "You guys are coming back, right?" Tears spill down her face.
"Soon," Alice promises, and she looks like she's about to cry, too.
Mathiras puts his hands on Helen's shoulders, gently moving her away from the camera. "You two can catch up shortly. For now, I need to speak to the crew. They said it's urgent."
"Okay!" Helen turns around and hugs him, then waves at the screen and bounds away again.
"Can…I go stay with them?" Salvotor asks suddenly, still staring at the screen in awe.
"No," Alice and I say at the same time.
Quickly, we recap the situation to Mathiras. I explain to him that I saw Crulden on the jungle moon, and instead of shaking his head in disbelief like Zoey did, his mouth flattens. He sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose. "This is a problem."
"You sold a dangerous gladiator like that?" Zoey is shocked. I am, too.
"No," Mathiras continues calmly. "We didn't. I just inventoried the slave pods that haven't been opened yet. He is still in stasis, here on Risda III. I can assure you, I just looked at him. Our Crulden isn't there."
"Then who did I see? You know I'm not crazy." I cross my arms over my chest, frustrated. "I've seen enough vids to know his face. Kef, everyone knows Crulden's face. I bet if you showed Crulden's face to Alice, she'd recognize him, too. This doesn't make sense."