“Pirates?” Zelos asked. “How did he know that?”

  “You aren’t being attacked by pirates again, are you?” Sam asked.

  “Again?” Hela raised an eyebrow.

  “Perhaps they should hear about your adventures on the Speadilus. They are aware of who they are working for, are they not?”

  “Mostly,” I said.

  “You were on the Speadilus?” Trivett turned from comms to look at me.

  “It was his Captain’s test cruise,” Sam said with a wide grin. “I was on my medical test cruise at the same time.”

  “You guys were lucky the Sarnov showed up and took out that fleet of pirates,” Zelos said.

  “Half of a fleet of pirates,” Sam said. “Your illustrious leader destroyed half of the fleet before the Sarnov arrived.”

  “The test cruise is unarmed,” Trivett said.

  “Ah, but our friend is never unarmed. With grapplers and a profuse amount of Endurium, he destroyed three vessels by throwing asteroids at them.”

  “Really?” Teila asked.

  I shrugged. “It’s a story for another time. We need to talk, Sam. Hypothetically, what would happen if a human was found with fifty Headfruit?”

  All emotion left his face. “Please do not tell me this is happening right now.”

  “Sam, do you remember Silas Frand?”

  “I have conveyed the situation to the Elders, and we may be able to salvage the situation if you can bring them all, healthy and unspawned to Elan and turn them over to me.”

  “Unspawned?”

  “They cannot spawn without an Elowan to bond with. If they spawn without, they will fall into insanity and need to be euthanized. If that happens, I cannot protect you, my friend. It is a charge of murder and punishable by death. How close are they?”

  “I have no idea.”

  “What color are they?”

  “Green with a little yellow.”

  “Then make your best speed. Be thankful to the Goddess that they were not red. When they are red, they are on the cusp of spawning.”

  “We’ll get there, Sam. You have no idea what this means to me.”

  “It is the least I can do, my friend. Speed of the Goddess be upon you.”

  The viewer cut off.

  “Let’s kick this pig,” I said. “Best speed to Elan. I want to check the status of the other crates. If there are any dead ones this may be a lost cause.”

  “I’ll join you,” Zelos said as I headed for the turbolift.

  I held the door for him and Hela who was being quiet.

  “I thought Captain Salvus was awarded for the victory in Q432,” Zelos said.

  “They didn’t want to let it out that an unknown cadet took out half of that fleet. Salvus is the son of one of the CEO’s of Interstel.”

  “That doesn’t bother you?” Hela asked.

  “Not in the least. It made the rest of my time there much easier. Got the ship I wanted and Interstel gave me a little boost in capital when I launched. I damn sure left there with a laser instead of unarmed like most of us did.”

  “I remember my first cruise.” Zelos shook his head. “Lost half the crew on a planet in the G824 system.”

  “There was a lot of that in the initial explorations,” I said. “I almost lost the Calibur to a mutiny after an attack that took out three of my officers. I started hiring a security officer after that.”

  “Who was the mutineer? I never heard of that when I researched your history before hiring on.”

  “It doesn’t matter,” I said as the lift opened. “He didn’t make it back.”

  “I wondered why you always wore that,” he pointed at the laser on my right side.

  “I don’t have to worry about that now,” I said. “When you have a crew like this one, that’s when you don’t have to worry about it anymore.”

  They followed me into the cargo pod and I pointed to one of the crates we hadn’t opened. “I guess we’ll start at each end. Hela, you get that one. I’ll take this one.”

  “I got this one,” Zelos said as he tripped the latches on another crate.

  I opened the top of the one in front of me and looked inside. The fruits inside had been separated and were already a little rounder than the head of an adult Elowan, but I could see the resemblance and I could almost see a face in its contours. I could almost see a baby’s head when looking at one of them.

  “These are all green with a touch of yellow,” I said and closed the lid back down on the crate. I could hear a light hum from the box as I latched it.

  The next crate held five more and I noticed on the underside of the lid was a light.

  “This must be a grow light,” I said.

  “They need light to stay alive. Elowan, like plants, use photosynthesis to survive.”

  The third was much the same as the others.

  “Frag!” Hela said from the final crate. “You’re gonna need to see this.”

  I sighed and looked inside the crate. All of them were green and yellow except two. One was in the process of turning orange and the other? Well…

  “Oh shit.”

  I tripped my comm. “Teila, have you ever run a Flux point?”

  “Um… once. They’re pretty complicated.”

  “We don’t have time for the normal. We’re going to have to.”

  “Setting course for the nearest Flux.”

  “Best speed,” I said. “This one is as red as Hela’s hair.”

  “Oh my.”

  The ship hummed louder as Teila accelerated.

  Fluxrunning was the only chance we had of making it to Elowan in time. Unlike trips through hyperspace, if you run a Flux point, travel is instantaneous. But if your calculations are off, even a fraction, well. There were ships that have never come out of the Flux.

  “Two point three hours until we reach the Flux, sir.”

  “Gotcha, Teila. Let me know when we reach it.”

  Hela and Zelos had returned to the turbolift, but I still sat there looking into the crate as the clock counted down. Even with the Flux, it was close to two days from the exit point to Elan. It would be a miracle if we managed to get there in time.

  “Entering the Flux in ten… nine… eight…”

  Two multi-hued eyes stared up from the inside of the crate.

  “Three… Two… One!”

  “Oh shit.”

  We were met on the landing pad by at least forty Elowan. Standing in the forefront was Saamyaan Deeevas. We began to push the crates toward the ramp but a group of Elowan almost pushed us aside.

  “These ten crates?” one of them asked.

  “Yes.”

  They hurriedly pushed them out of the cargo pod and back to the waiting crowd.

  “Moment of truth,” I said as we walked closer to the group opening crates.

  Sam opened the crate where the red one was. He stopped abruptly as he looked inside, then bowed his head and closed his eyes for a moment.

  I stopped a few feet back from the crate.

  “How long ago did it spawn? Where is it?”

  I swallowed. “Two days.”

  “Irretrievable,” he looked as forlorn as I had ever seen him. Even worse than the moments when we were about to ram another spacecraft. “Where is it?”

  I shook the long coat I was wearing. “Yo, Twig. Come on out.”

  I felt the small hands as they leveraged the kid around my waist to poke his head out of the coat at about chest level. I placed my arm down and across to let the tiny Elowan climb out.

  “It is… intelligent? Coherent… Oh… He is bonded! How is this possible?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Unbelievable.”

  “So what happens next, Sammy?”

  He shook his head, looking at the kid in wonder. “I have no idea. This is unprecedented. The law is clear that you will be arrested because of the spawning. But this?”

  “My crew didn’t have anything to do with this, Sam. I took the cargo. All they are guilty of is being loyal to a fault. They wouldn’t leave me.”

  “They are a good crew then,” he said. “Much like their Captain. Not many would risk as much for my race. Most would have taken them to Thoss for the MU.”

  “I don’t think so,” I said. “Some would have, yes. But most? I think we’re better than that.”

  “And I applaud your faith in your race, my friend.”

  “We do have some bad apples, though. And as soon as we can get the kid to some good Elowan parents, I intend to go back to Starport Central and shoot one of them.”

  “Silas Frand is no longer on the station, my friend. My sources say he left less than seventy-two hours after you departed. Someone warned him of our edict before it reached the port. Frand has powerful friends, somewhere in the management of Interstel.”

  “Damn. Then I’ll just have to hunt him down.”

  “That is if the Elders let you leave.”

  “What? The kid’s fine. He didn’t wig out at all. We just need to find him, someone, to…”

  I stopped at the look on his face. “I’m not going to like this, am I?”

  “You can’t just transfer the bond, my friend. There is only one way to transfer that and it is not one I will even think about.”

  “Death,” I said.

  “That is the only way to transfer.”

  “Can my crew go?”

  “I will do everything in my power to see to it they are safe.”

  “Then I guess we need to go see your Elders and see how they take all this. Just give me a minute.”

  I walked back over to the crew. “Looks like I’m going in to face the music. I think you guys are going to be safe. Sam said he would do everything he can.” I stopped in front of Hela. “I left instructions on the slate in our room. When this is done, you have to follow them.”

  “You think they’re going to kill you.”

  “I figured that when the kid spawned.”

  “Then why did you come?”

  “Saved fifty kids. That’s a good way to go.”

  “I am not leaving you, you ridiculous—”

  I kissed her.

  “It’s been the best six months of my life.” I whispered in her ear. “Just get back on the ship.”

  She pushed me back. “I will not. Whatever you face in there, you face with me at your back.”

  “Just get back on the ship you crazy woman.”

  She raised her hand with a rude gesture. “You owe me a month on the Rotunda.”

  I shook my head and turned to the others. “The instructions are in my quarters. Just…”

  One by one they all walked to stand with Hela.

  “Fragging idiots.”

  The huge council chambers were almost empty. I sat in the front row facing the Elders with my whole crew sitting beside me.

  What the hell were they thinking? They were all crazy.

  “Captain Danec Pol,” the Elowan in the center addressed me. “Please rise and approach.”

  The Elder was purple and green in hue and his hair/fronds were six inches longer than those of the other Elders.

  I stood and walked forward feeling the kid shift grips and move up to my chest. I dropped the arm for him to climb out. When I stopped in front of the huge Elowan, Twig was sitting on my arm with his feet dangling. He stared intently at the Elder.

  “You have been charged with transporting forbidden contraband. The penalty of even possessing one of these is a death penalty. You came to us with forty-nine.”

  “Fifty.”

  “This one is a totally different matter,” The Elder said. “I am the Speaker for this hearing. You may refer to me as such.”

  “Speaker?”

  “Yes. As I have stated, you have been charged with a grievous crime. These charges were agreed to be mitigated if you brought them all here unharmed. And each of those forty-nine charges have been mitigated. But you did not bring this one back in the same state.”

  “I beg to differ,” I said. “Twig is unharmed. He bonded to me right after he spawned. He’s healthy as can be.”

  “But he is not an unharmed ‘Headfruit’, which is what was agreed upon.”

  “Semantics,” I said.

  “True.” The big Elowan looked down at me. “Our first deliberation was to have you executed and the child bond to one of our own. But how can we do that to one who has brought fifty of our young back to safety? We cannot, in good conscience, do such a thing.”

  “Thanks?”

  “Don’t thank us yet,” he said. “We will award you sufficiently for your and your crew’s role in saving these children, but you are tasked with raising this one.”

  I looked down at the kid. “Raise him?”

  “You are his Sire until he reaches his majority.”

  “Really?”

  “That is your duty. Unless you would rather accept the first option.”

  “I would be delighted to raise the kid,” I said.

  “I thought that might be your answer, Captain,” he said. “Rest assured it will be under strict supervision.”

  “I live on a ship,” I said. “We travel, explore, and work all parts of the galaxy. It’s a hard life.”

  “A hard life inspires one to grow strong. Judging by the loyalty shown in the crew that follows you, he will have a benevolent environment. We will give you all of the information you will need and you will keep us apprised on the young one’s life. I understand you have named the child Twig? Is this correct?”

  “That’s just a short version of his name.”

  “And that name?”

  “Sprout Twiggerson.”

  I heard a snort from behind me and it took a moment to realize it was Sam and not any of my own crew.

  “His name will be added to the scrolls. Keep him safe, treat him well, teach him the values we have seen in you and your crew. We will be watching.”

  “Thank you.”

  The Elder nodded. “You are free to return to your ship. You will be joined by an agent of the Elowan. He will see to it that your holds are filled before you leave us. We owe you much gratitude.”

  “May I ask something?”

  “Yes.”

  “What about Silas Frand?”

  “If Silas Frand is sighted, he will be killed on sight.”

  I smiled. “Good enough. If I find him first, you won’t need to.”

  “Then we are in agreement. The speed of the Goddess be with you and your crew, Danec Pol. And learn well, young Sprout Twiggerson.”

  I turned away from the elder chuckling. “Hear that, Twig?”

  He twittered something.

  “Yeah, me too.”

  Hela stepped to my side and Twig jumped to her and nestled into the crook of her arm.

  She looked at me with one eyebrow raised. “Don’t even say it.”

  “Wouldn’t dream of it… Mom.”

  “I just said not to say that.”

  “I thought you didn’t want me to comment about what he’s using for a pillow.”

  “I meant that too.”

  “Communication. Remember?”

  Her other hand raised in that rude gesture again.

  “If she does that again, kid, pee on her.”

  “Wait… what?”

  I strode ahead of the group with a huge smile on my face and found myself beside Sam. “You know, I have an opening for a medic on the Calibur. How attached are you to working on the homeworld?”

  “The Elders have mentioned a post as an observer to the raising of the child.”

  “Before the hearing?”

  “Yes.”

  “So, you knew they weren’t going to kill me and didn’t tell me.”

  “Perhaps.”

  “That’s just mean, man… mean.”

  “You deserve it for naming the child Sprout Twiggerson.”

  I chuckled. “Maybe so.”

  “Thirty minutes to Starport,” Teila said.

  “Good,” Zelos said. “I’ll be glad to get off the ship for a while.”

  He was looking at Teila when he said it.

  “We’re being hailed, sir,” Trivett said.

  “Put it on screen.”

  The viewer lit up and I was looking at Silas Frand. He looked just a little bit disheveled.

  “Well, isn’t it the hero of the day?” He sneered. “You have no idea how troublesome that edict is turning out to be. You outed me as a pirate and I can’t even dock at Starport anymore. I just decided to let you know that you’ve made me a wanted man, and I think I’m going to kill you for it. When you least expect it, there I’ll be. Oh, by the way, I took my fair due before I left the station. I have these nice Class Five engine nacelles now. Been nice doing business with you.”

  The image shut down.

  “You know,” I said. “It’s been a pretty good day and I’m not going to let him ruin that, even with losing that engine. Let’s get down there and get our vacation on, then you two can quit faking the animosity.”

  “What?” Zelos asked.

  “When I messaged Teila about this thing, I saw your uniform hanging on the rod behind her.”

  “You did not,” Teila said. “It was on the…”

  I laughed. “Gotcha.”

  Black Box Blues

  By Philip K. Booker

  “Hey, McConnell!” an angry male voice called out my name. A rapid burst of chittering followed it quickly afterward, a common tic in an irritated Velox. “How’s about you tell this walking tin-can to pour me a sticky fruit cocktail and stop with this pay upfront nonsense? I’m good for the money.”

  I carefully set the keg of East Arthian Ale behind the counter of the bar. My bar. Turning to see what the fuss was about, I caught a glimpse of the blue compound eyes of my addresser. “Yeah, that’s a hard pass, Xenon. No more tabs. I want to see chits on the table, before there’s a glass in your buggy little hands. And don’t be mean to M-09, he’s made of better stuff than tin. You’ll hurt his feelings.”

  M09332’s head swiveled around, his luminous red optical sensors gazing flatly at me. “He cannot hurt my feelings, Evan. I do not possess such qualities.”

  Ugh, Androids…