Kanushin (Starweaver's Tapestry #1)

Chapter 17: Family Ties

Sky couldn't take her gaze off of the small-framed woman in front of Kirrik. Something about her fiery demeanor and striking hazel eyes rang a bell of familiarity in the back of Sky's mind. She wondered if she had seen her before in the Atometry or, given her mechanic nature, when she sold her fighter after she first left Millik. Either way, she was captivated.

An old Terric appeared at the door and yelled towards the group. She overheard the woman's name: Nox. She ran it through her memory but still didn't come up with any matches. It was certainly a mystery, but one Sky was more than eager to solve.

The Terric made his way closer to the group and Nox changed direction, facing Sky for the first time. Nox froze, her lips slightly parted as if taking a breath. Sky studied her face intently, making note of every line and curve. Nox blushed and hurriedly turned away.

'She's shy,' Sky noted. 'I can work with that.'

The Terric stamped a long metal rod into the ground as he walked up to Kirrik. Nox moved to his side. Sky watched them both intently and saw Nox sneak another glance her way. Sky gave her a bright smile and the mechanic blushed again as she looked down.

"You've been gone a while, my boy," Bugu told Kirrik. He pointed his rod toward the Nova. "That ship of yours has seen better days, too."

Sky thought the Terric was cute, in an odd sense. He was half their size and a ball of matted white fur with eyes that took up most of his otherwise featureless face. His antennae drooped more than most Terrics she had seen before. Sky fought her urge to run over and hug him.

"I've never seen a Terric with a Human son," Sky heard Zaius whisper to Diah. "That's definitely a new one."

Diah let out a soft laugh and poked Zaius in the side with her elbow. Sky's attention shifted to them. Something had obviously happened between the two since she last saw them. They were much friendlier. No, definitely more than friends. Sky tried to think of when this major development had occurred. Everything had become a blur since she took Imi's chip and got lost within the endless amount of data and plans. Still, she couldn't help but be happy for them. Diah seemed like a genuinely good person, and Zaius had become a lot more engaged since she came into their lives. It was nice to have the two of them around and not feel like she was alone anymore.

Sky wondered how long she could stay in the picture without being too much of a nuisance, however. Her gaze turned back to Nox, who was angrily spouting something at Kirrik again. It was time for Sky to start forging her own path.

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"And that's not something he's able to do," Nox yelled at Kirrik. "Bugu can barely move around, much less crawl into the spaces necessary to fix that junk heap. You either let me fix it or get it out of here."

Kirrik felt himself getting angrier by the second.

"I don't want you within a hundred feet of that ship," He responded. "You clearly don't appreciate the fine craftsmanship that went into her creation, nor do you understand how much of a delicate process repairing her is!"

"Why do you keep calling it a her?" Nox questioned loudly. "It's a ship, you jackwagon!"

"Thank you!" Imi said from Kirrik's side with her hands in the air.

Kirrik let out a groan of frustration. Their conversation was going nowhere. He knew Bugu was the only one capable of appreciating and fixing the Nova, as he had many times before. In fact, only Bugu knew how much the ship really meant to him. There was no other option.

"Who is this child, anyway?" Kirrik asked Bugu with an arm outstretched in Nox's direction.

"Ah yes, introductions are quite necessary," Bugu chirped. "You seem to have brought a whole group with you."