The Dead Fleet (Juggernaut #3)

Eighty

'And then what happened?' said Nina.

She was sitting on an improvised couch in the room she used as an office. The room itself was in fact a cell of an old prison ship. Nina would be the first to admit that there was nothing particularly cosy about a prison ship, but she appreciated the strong walls and, with a little work, she had built for herself a workspace that was now as effective as keeping people out as it had once been at keeping people in.

Knowledge was power in every civilisation so Nina guarded her knowledge as a ship broker jealously. Of course, new ships arriving in the scrap heap they called home contained their own power. Parts, fuel, machinery and computers were just some of the valuables that could be stripped, reconditioned and sold on to make life on the Juggernaut just a little more bearable. For a price, obviously.

Malachi, about to answer her question, sat at her desk, turning this way and that in her chair. His eyes were not quite focused on the room around him. As he told his version of their tale his mind was back in the Valkyrie, and back in the dead fleet.

'Then Tila and her mother found us. There was shooting, a lot of shooting, and then we were out into open space. I don't remember how, exactly. There was so much going on.'

Nina leaned forward, intent on his words. It fascinated her for several reasons. One part of her shrank from the sheer danger of the story Malachi was telling. Another part of her longed to be part of the chase. A third part was jealous of his escape from the Juggernaut and his adventure .(In Nina's mind this was Malachi's adventure, not Tila's.)

The fourth part was exhausted by the telling, and glad that her favourite engineer had come home safely.

'And then what?' she said.

'We escaped and jumped to Selah, and from there to Jenova. We met Conway's aide again.'

'Mr Yoshihiro?'

Malachi nodded. He was glad the dangerous part of the story was over. Reliving it had turned out to be a more stressful experience than he expected. He could feel his heart beating faster when he talked about their time on the Solar Forge, and fighting off Typhon.

'He wanted to hear everything again.'

'Again?'

'Grace had already given him a report. She had been working for Conway the whole time. Her mission changed course when we turned up on Parador. No one expected that. When Conway realised where we were going he sent her after us.'

'And all this time she didn't know Tila was alive?'

'Neither of them knew about the other. There was so much carnage and confusion after that colony mission they got lost in the details. It's sad. You would think something like that couldn't happen these days but humans can still make mistakes.'

'I'm glad she has her mother back. I hope they can spend more time together.'

'You just mean you hope she spends less time here.'

'I'm denying nothing, Malachi.' Nina paused, waiting for the right words that would not seem accusatory. 'She knows what you did, doesn't she? You and Ellie. You both risked your life for her.'

'She knows. She did the same for us too, remember? We all learned some painful lessons.'

'What did Tila learn?'

'That she needs friends, and that Ellie is more capable than Tila thinks.'

'The airlock?'

'She saved us all. She surprised us all too.'