“I’m happy we were able to save you, after we abandoned you on Xonico.”
“Yeah. I suppose you owed us that one,” I laughed, “Though now we probably need to go get some repairs. I just hope that the word doesn’t spread too quickly about what happened here. We should get the fuck out of here, now. Do you have a jump available?”
“No. We just used it to catch you up.”
“Damn! Sorry. That's okay. Are you alright just following us? There should be safety in numbers, at least,” I said, when a thought hit me, “Astrid! Where is the Hunter ship? And for that matter, where the fuck is Ogun?”
“I think we both have long stories to tell. Let’s move well away from here, like you said, then perhaps we can have a good talk about where you’ve been, and where Ogun has gone.”
“Sounds interesting. Okay, Astrid. Speak soon.” We ended the communication, and Calegg moved us off once more.
C6
Friend in Deed
Once we were a few hours away from the site of the battle, I arranged with Astrid to have a private conversation. We were able to set up a video conference from mine and Ember’s quarters. Astrid had set it up privately from her quarters. Apparently, it wasn’t hard to do. Still, Elyek was a bloody lifesaver when it came to anything to do with computery thingamabobs.
Now, Ember and I sat waiting for the connection to link up. It went from blank to sort of fuzzy for a second, then a close up of Gus’s head appeared on the screen. He looked up, “I think that’s it. Hey, Shaun, Ember. Can you see and hear us?” he asked.
“Yeah, Gus. Great job,” I grinned, like a cat that got the cream. It was hard to describe just how much I missed Gus and Mick, despite my anger at being left to die. They were genuine friends and had risked their lives alongside me, and for me.
“My god you guys!” he said, head still filling the screen, “What, in the actual fuck, are you even doing here? We thought you were dead. We even had a little funeral for you, and everything.”
“Oh, right. Well, thanks… I guess, Gus,” I said, not really knowing how to respond to that. Not only had they had a funeral, but it was probably the most words Gus had ever said in one go, unprompted. He must have been really happy to see us.
Astrid’s voice came from behind Gus’s screen-consuming head. “Gus. Come and sit down, so we can all speak.”
“Sorry, guys. Got a little overwhelmed there.” He went and sat on a long couch next to Mick and Astrid.
I opened my mouth to speak, but as so often happened, Ember beat me to it, “So, here we all are. You deserting motherfuckers!” Ember said, angrily.
The three couch mates looked taken aback, but also guilty. Hell, even I was shocked by Ember's outburst. I thought she was over the moon to see them all again. They began to try to mumble responses, but Ember cut them short with a raucous laugh, “You guys, I’m just fucking with you. We never thought we’d see you again. I’m so happy.”
“As are we, Ember,” Astrid said, relaxing slightly. Mick and Gus’s faces lit up again.
I still didn't get a word in though, because Astrid started talking next, a serious expression once more on her face, “I promise you, once it is safe, we’ll get you back on the Thoth where you belong. You’re not being held against your will, are you? I’d assume not, as you’ve been allowed to talk with us.”
Ember and I looked at each other. “Um. We won't be coming back to the Thoth, Astrid,” I said.
“What! Why on Earth not? You seriously want to fly around with random aliens, all of them wanted by the Empire?” The confusion was clear, not just in her face, but in Gus’s and Mick’s also.
“Okay, two things we need to get cleared up. Firstly, we are all the enemy of the Galactic Empire. Two, this is our ship. And it’s the fastest in the galaxy.”
“It’s your ship?” Astrid said, patronizingly.
“Sure is. Now, you’ve said enough for now, I think. So, let me ask you a question. Where the fuck is Ogun?”
Astrid’s eyes dropped. Mick and Gus looked at each other, worriedly. Finally Astrid spoke, “He left us. He took the Hunter ship and just went.”
“No way!” Ember said, pissed off. “He just left you all in the middle of the galaxy? With no help or support?”
“Why are you surprised, Ember?” I said, “He did it to us, twice.”
It was the normally laid-back Mick who spoke next, “After he left you two behind, he wasn’t the same. We managed to fight off two Hunter ships in a pitched battle, and escaped the Fystr who came to Xonico for us. Once clear, he went to his quarters and stayed there, barely speaking to anyone. After nearly a week of isolating, he came out and announced that he wasn't worthy to lead us. The following day he had disappeared with the Hunter ship.”
“What about the crew of the Hunter ship?”
“He called them over the day before and anchored the ship to the Thoth. We had no idea what he was planning. It was done very cleverly,” Astrid added.
“Typical. That seems to be his style,” I said, although I was beginning to feel a little bad saying it. With my increased clarity, combined with my improved ability to see the bigger picture, I could now see Ogun hadn’t acted selfishly. It just hurt to be expendable.
“I’m upset,” Astrid continued, “but I have our people to care for, so I focus on that.”
“So, what the hell are you doing next? What’s your plan?” I asked, hoping they would be interested in joining us on a more permanent basis.
“Trying to survive. We've managed
