Rising Ark

“She recognized us,” Enrys seethed, currently pacing Vyrna’s room, “And we admitted to the academy connection like fools.”

“It’s not like we’re actually on the run, Senyr,” Vyrna said, “We just don’t want to immediately be recognized. Noah Ark isn’t going to reveal our secrets, and even if she were, a failed pilot won’t have enough credit to hurt us.”

“SSshhh,” Senyr ordered, “The walls can listen to us. The engineer has a weird connection to them, and I’m 58% sure it involves sensory access.”

Vyrna shook his head at Senyr’s specific statistics, but they did remind him of something.

“Speaking of on the run, that engineer looked familiar.”

Senyr nodded.

“She did, didn’t she?”

“I don’t think we’re the ones on the ship most worried about being found out,” Vyrna said, “You should talk to her tomorrow, just in case.”

Sam finally took the time to add the new supplies to the medical inventory. He should have done it yesterday, but too many new souls on the ship were distracting. A night with Blossom pulled him away from his struggles enough to focus this morning.

“What’s your opinion?” Blossom asked in the doorway of the infirmary.

“You don’t have an appointment, do you?” Sam asked.

“Do I really need one, doctor?” she asked.

“I’m not seeing anyone right now, so I suppose not.”

She took that as enough of an invitation to step in and take a seat on the table.

“They’re all hiding something,” Sam said, “But that’s to be expected if they were willing to come on here, no offense.”

“No, I understand people don’t tend to trust anything without a big name tag on the side.”

“People are idiots about that,” Noah said, having stolen Blossom’s old place in the door. The other two made agreeing noises.

“Vyrna and Enrys are especially suspicious,” Noah said, “Because I know I’ve seen them closer than Solarluna pictures. Their names aren’t in my files either.”

“How can you be so sure about the pictures when you don’t really pay attention?” Sam asked.

“That’s exactly why I can be sure it wasn’t pictures. I don’t pay attention to pictures. No, I’ve definitely seen them in person before.”

“Maybe when he was beating the shit out of you?” Sam offered.

“Did you enter another fight?” Blossom asked.

Noah rolled her eyes.

“Just letting off steam, and it got us a client, so technically I got the money back.”

Sam and Blossom were critical.

“Whatever, lovenerds. We need to get food ready before our passengers wake up.”

“I’m handling medical supplies,” Sam said.

“Of course you are,” Noah scoffed, “Blossom, it’s on you to start. I’ll wake the passengers.”

Noah stepped into the kitchen, quickly taking over the pot as Blossom finished cutting up vegetables. Blossom soon took her leave, the plants of the Rising grabbing her from above and absorbing her into the ceiling.

“Still creepy as hell,” Noah muttered.

“I heard that,” Blossom’s voice said from just behind the oven. Annoying how she threw her voice through the plants.

Vyrna was the first to step in, before food was even done.

“Food smells great,” he said, “Anything I can help with?”

Noah handed the spoon off and started on the next part of the meal.

“In all my years of service,” Vyrna said, “I have never been fed as well as I was by my own hands. I was told I missed my true calling as a chef.”

“You served?” Noah asked.

“Transportation corps: I moved valuable items and documents with a skeleton crew for politicians’ amusement.”

Noah made a wincing sound.

“I used to do contract work for them before I got into Solarluna, heavy lifting and such.”

“And once you got into Solarluna…”

“Pilot,” Noah answered, “The captain I usually contracted with recommended me, in fact. I’ll never forgive him for that.”

“Why not?” Vyrna asked.

“To quote my instructor: Captain Avery recommends those he pities and takes in the best.”

“That’s harsh,” Vyrna said, “Why would the instructor say that? Though I suppose they probably weren’t cruel enough to say it to your face.”

“Actually he did,” Noah revealed, “Just after failing me. He insulted the captain’s choice, so I said something like ‘Avery wouldn’t recommend me if he didn’t see potential, he has the best crew in the fleet,’ and then the instructor ruined my resolve, and I flunked out. If Avery hadn’t recommended me, I wouldn’t have dealt with that pain.”

“I’m sorry,” Vyrna said, actual pain in his voice.

“It’s not like you were involved, unless I recognize you because you’re that instructor.”

“Even if I were, I’d never insult a student’s mentor like that.”

Noah shrugged.

“He wasn’t really a mentor, just someone I had a conversation or two with. I think he only knew I wanted to be a pilot because he overheard me mention it to some other haulers.”

Vyrna nodded.

“Well, what does that instructor know? You’re a captain now.”

Noah rolled her eyes.

“My crew consists of my brother, his partner who made and sort-of is the ship, and her weird friend. I’m not exactly the most inspiring.”

“Maybe you just need to believe in yourself more.”

Noah’s response was prevented by Enrys—Or Senyr as Vyrna had called them in private—and Smith Watt entering, alongside Sam. Noah made the first two plates and handed them to him as he left for Blossom’s place in the engine room.

“You don’t look much like your brother,” Vyrna said.

“We’re adopted, so it’s to be expected.”

The others were plated up, and Noah put the final serving in the fridge for the Widow to consume at her convenience.

“So we’ve met the medical officer, the engineer, and yourself, Captain,” Watt said, “But where’s the pilot?”

“The Widow’s not very social,” Noah said, “But she’s excellent at her job.”

Enrys scoffed, “I’ve never met a pilot who wasn’t a social butterfly. Half of them list their reason for applying as ‘wanting to meet new people’”

“Well, since you haven’t met The Widow, the streak remains,” Noah said, “And what did you study at Solarluna?”

“Science officer,” Enrys said, “I like research.”

“My roommate studied that too. I wouldn’t have passed if it weren’t for their tutoring. All I had to pay was a look at these bad boys.” Noah twisted her arm to present one of the bone blades again. Watt backed away, but Vyrna and Enrys leaned in closer.

“You worked well with them,” Vyrna said, “I look forward to a rematch at some point.”

“A rematch?” Watt asked.

“He kicked my ass,” Noah said, “At the circle in Vecira Market. If I’d seen how well you healed from it, I may have gone for some less shallow cuts.”

“Excuses, excuses.”

Enrys leveled a stare at Vyrna.

“Please don’t fight our captain while we’re on her ship.”

“Right,” Noah said, “We’ll have a rematch once you’re off of it.”

“Aye, Captain.” Vyrna said.

Watt watched the three of them intently.

“I might like to see this fight.”

“We’d require the medical officer’s permission,” Vyrna said, “Since he might have to patch the captain up.”

“You sound confident,” Noah said.

“Well since I won our last round.”

“What about my permission?” Enrys asked, “I don’t approve of you fighting our captain. What if we get kicked out because she’s a sore loser?”

Noah turned he gaze toward toward Enrys.

“I’m a very gracious loser, just ask my brother. He’s beaten me at chess enough times to know. Besides, we’ve already agreed it’s friendly. I just need to pester my brother into it.”

“The medical officer’s your brother?” Watt asked.

“Yeah, adopted. We’re a big family here on the Ark. Sam and I are siblings, he’s dating the engineer, and the engineer is the only person the pilot talks to.”

“Ms. Gentry’s the engineer, right?” Watt asked.

“I don’t think we want to go to Muninn,” Enrys said.

“Why not?” Vyrna asked.

“I think we’ll be asked too many questions.”

Enrys excused themself from the table, leaving dishes in the sink of the kitchen. Vyrna soon followed.

Noah watched Watt.

“Any other ship’s affairs you’re curious about?” Noah asked. Enrys had a point. Watt only seemed to speak up to ask questions, specifically about her crew. Who knew what Noah might have said if she didn’t have them aboard.

“I didn’t mean to be intrusive,” Watt said, “I’ll return to my quarters.”

“This was a bad idea,” Enrys said as Venyr caught up to her.

“What do you mean?” Venyr asked.

“She recognizes us,” Senyr said, dropping the pretense of passengerism, “There’s no way she doesn’t recognize us.”

“And if she does?” Venyr asked.

Senyr rolled their eyes.

“I heard you talking to her. You apologized, like an idiot.”

“What was I supposed to do, ignore her pain?”

“A lot of other things are going to be in pain if we’re stopped,” Senyr threatened, “And now you want to fight her for some reason.”

“It’s been so long since I’ve had a decent challenge. I could use the practice.”

“You’re just going to let her beat you up,” they said.

“She’d catch on if I did that,” he said, “I’m going to push back a little first.”

“Listen, Avery,” They kept a staunch finger on his chest, “I’m not risking the mission so you can feel better about an orphan having problems at the school you helped enroll her into.”

“And what about her roommate?” Avery asked, “Why did you admit to being a science officer when she was liable to recognize them.”

Senyr shut up without a leg to stand on.

“If this jeopardizes—”

“Nothing is going to jeopardize us. Why don’t you talk to the engineer, get us some insurance?”

That prospect softened Senyr.

“I’ll do just that.”

Blossom tidied up her braid as Sam gave her one last kiss.

“You should eat,” he told her.

“Now you tell me?”

“Don’t question your doctor, ma’am.”

“Of course not.”

She hummed to the roots held in the engine room, earning a rumbling in return that kept the whole thing running.

As Sam exited, Senyr quietly jumped down.

“How did you get in here?” Blossom asked. The plants usually closed the space off to anyone she didn’t want, especially passengers.

“I waited until your paramour left, and took the opportunity.” they watched the untouched plate.

“Well,” Blossom said, taking her food, “Here it is, the engine room.”

Senyr watched with fascination. The roots weren’t much different from the plants, writhing and sparking. They almost looked like neuron models connecting to each other, and Blossom was the brain stem.

“It’s not like most engines, is it?”

“Not up there no,” Blossom gestured to what looked like an old piece of machinery with different branded parts in various states of disrepair. Vines wrapped around and within it, carrying the sparks from one part too another, insulating the item from itself too.

“If these plants are made from you, what happens when you’re out of the equation?”

Blossom pointed at a slower moving bundle of roots.

“Those ones die first, not that the rest of it will notice for awhile. Then there, there, and there,” she pointed to different central clusters, ending with the one with the most movement. “The engine will take longer. It’s designed to die later than anything else. Even then it will have at most 48 hours before it’s shot to hell.”

She saw what had seemed like resolve disappear from Senyr’s eyes.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. The range is a little larger than just the ship, obviously, for how far I can go, but I am effectively stuck around it until the Rising retires.”

“That’s a cruel fate.”

Blossom shrugged.

“It’s job security, and I met Sam this way, plus I get to travel across the worlds. Who doesn’t want that?”

Senyr shook their head.

“And you don’t want to stay in one place for too long, do you?” they asked.

“No, I’d get bored.”

“And you’d get recognized.”

As Blossom froze, the roots all turned toward Senyr.

“I think you should go,” Blossom said.

“Your family’s still looking for you, you know?”

“And they’ll never find me.”

“Because you’re not really Blossom,” Senyr insisted.

“No one here is going by their real name, Senyr.”

Their eyes widened.

“I hear things. I don’t think you’re after the bounty, so I don’t care, but understand that if whatever you brought—”

“No harm will come to anyone as long as the item remains as it is.”

Blossom gave them a hard stare, and put her hands up in surrender.

“I keep your secrets, you keep mine, understood?”

Senyr nodded. The path up opened, and Blossom made a shooing motion.

Blossom was alone, aside from Rising of course, but the Rising just felt like there was more of her to be alone. Nobody in the ship should be awake, aside of course from The Widow, so she stepped up and moved toward her quarters with Sam.

She wouldn’t make it.