PANDORA

Chapter 5

Think she'll come?"

Captain Chui Shan Fung glanced up from her holo-slate. Akcharrch, her Ongkoarrat companion, sat at the foot of Mr. Spock's ramp, scratching her belly with one of her three-toed feet. I suppose that might more properly be hands, Shan Fung thought. Aki had six, after all, and had never once expressed a preference.

In truth, there were many things the Ongkoarrat never expressed preference on; they simply couldn't be bothered. They had no concept of gender at all, and the crew of the Carpathia had ended up calling Aki "she" due the pitch of her voice, which was-especially to human ears-vaguely feminine. Aki didn't seem to care what they called her, as long as her pilot seat was always ready and her copilots weren't utter rust-brains. For despite her vague resemblance to a bulky, two and a half meter long sloth-bear and the fact that she walked on all sixes, Aki was one of the best pilots in the known universe. It was an Ongkoarrat thing.

"I hope so," Shan Fung said.

"Captain, we've known each other too long for that. What do your instincts tell you?"

Shan Fung sighed and set down the holo-slate. "She's young. She practically jumps at her own shadow and I fear getting her to trust anyone is going to take a great deal of work. Even so, there's a fierceness to her. She pulled a knife on me, you know."

Aki made a sound like a cat choking on a hairball and rocked forward onto her front feet, her bulk shaking with amusement. Shan Fung fought the urge to roll her eyes, because captains with a history of service in the Marines did not make undignified facial expressions, at least not in front of their crew members. Except this was Aki, and in the end Shan Fung gave in.

"You sure know how to pick them, Captain," Aki said with a chuff. "If she's like you say, she ought to fit in just fine."

"Perhaps. She really is a nervous thing. She struggled to look me in the face, just like I read, although...she could be very expressive and intense. Frankly, I'm not sure what to think. The one thing I'm certain of is that she has no wish to spend the rest of her life here."

"But can she do the job?"

"Based on my instincts, you mean?" Shan Fung glanced at Aki, who nodded. "She won't just be good at her job. She could change the universe."

Aki's ears flickered, that was all. Damn creature is so hard to read, Shan Fung thought, though not without fondness.

The rattling of metal drew both their attention before anything further could be said. Shan Fung glanced up and held back a knowing smile as she caught a glimpse of Xandri Corelel making her way towards them. The girl dragged a rickety metal luggage cart, one of the ancient ones with wheels. A suitcase and a duffle bag were piled haphazardly on it, and two small cages, both placed with care.

Goodness, she looks even worse under the light of day. She was remarkably unremarkable in appearance to begin with, her skin pale, her features plain, her hair slinky and limp and a pale yellowish color with streaks of dusty brown. Being so thin made her cheekbones stick out in a way that didn't suit the oval shape of her face at all. Her old gray hoodie hung on her as if she was little more than a walking hanger, and dark circles under her eyes suggested a night with little or no sleep.

"Got to hand it you, Captain," Aki subvocalized through her translator-implant, the words passing through Shan Fung's private comm, "you've always had a knack for scraping misfits out of the gutter, but this one really beats all. You said you found her lurking in a gambling den?"

"Yes, and I recommend you don't gamble against her. She might not look like much, but I've seen her clean several people out over the last few days."

"Don't let her near Private Jensen, then. He has the poker face of an overeager puppy."

"Are you kidding? I just hope none of the crew tries to rope her into a game. They're soldiers, not gamblers."

"Not good gamblers," Aki corrected with a chuff.

Shan Fung couldn't argue that.

Xandri rattled her way up to them, in a fairly literal sense; not only was the cart rickety but, though she tried to hide it, Shan Fung could see the poor girl trembling. She came to a halt, staring down at her feet, toes scuffing nervously at the ground. Shan Fung was reminded, forcibly, of some of the worst cases of PTSD that she had seen in the soldiers serving under her. It was destroying Xandri from the inside, and would continue to do so unless they could help her.

"Welcome, Ms. Corelel," Shan Fung said. "I'm glad you decided to join us."

"Um...I'd rather just be called Xandri, if possible..." She glanced up-and her eyes widened as she caught sight of Mr. Spock. "Oh! That's an Ongkoarrat ship!"

"I've noticed," Aki put in wryly.

"Amazing! That spherical shape looks so unwieldy, but it's really not. The shape and the location of its thrusters mean it can change direction more easily than any other ship. It doesn't need to turn at all."

"I've noticed that, too."

The transformation in Xandri was startling. She went from wide-eyed and glowing to hunched in on herself, her expression dull and her cheeks red. Even with everything Shan Fung had read about autism, this didn't seem like normal behavior. It had all the hallmarks of abuse.

"I-I'm sorry," she murmured, staring at the ground.

"For what?" Aki wandered over, a slow trundle, though Shan Fung knew she could move much faster if she wanted, and nudged Xandri gently. "It is an amazing ship. Have you ever seen the inside of one before?"

Xandri shook her head, her gaze still low.

"Well, go in, have a look."

Now her head came up. "Can I? Really?"

"Go right ahead. Though we've got a bit of a journey ahead of us, so you might get sick of it quick."

"Not likely." She made a start towards the ship, then paused.

Shan Fung watched the girl bend over the cages, watched her check both birds carefully. Only once she was satisfied did she make her way to the ramp. She's a lot more expressive than I was expecting, Shan Fung mused, studying the barely concealed excitement in every line of Xandri's body. She practically skipped up the ramp and into Mr. Spock's interior.

As soon as she was out of hearing range, Aki swung around to stare at Shan Fung. "Who did that to her and how soon do we get to kill them?"

"So you see it too. I wondered if perhaps it was the differences in her. They're very clearly there, though they're not as different as I was expecting."

"Some things are universal," Aki said, giving her head a shake. "And she might be trying to hide it, but she's something of an open book."

Shan Fung pursed her lips. Now that was interesting. Her years in the military, especially as a staff sergeant and then a gunnery sergeant, had left her with an excellent skill for reading people. She could tell when even the most taciturn of her soldiers was feeling off. Xandri took some work to read; she would not classify the girl as an "open book." When she was happy or wary, yes, it showed, but Aki seemed to have a deeper knowledge of how to react to the girl's moods.

"Do me a favor, Aki," Shan Fung said. "Keep an eye on her. Be a friend to her. She'll need people around her who understand her."

Aki tilted her head and looked up at Shan Fung. "Is that my captain asking?"

"No. Your friend."

"All right, then. Suppose I can do that."

Shan Fung took in Aki's overly gruff tone and suppressed a smile. She knew Aki too well. You were going to do it anyway, weren't you, old friend?

Aki started trundling up the ramp. Shan Fung caught hold of the luggage cart and started pulling it along with her as she followed. The duffle bag bumped around noisily, but both cages were so firmly secured that they didn't move a centimeter. The two birds stirred briefly, then settled back down into a sleep that spoke of sedation. There were even small, cleverly designed harnesses in the cages that would secure the birds during sling. With Xandri, Shan Fung was beginning to realize, it was best to keep an eye to the small details.

They found her inside Mr. Spock, turning slow circles, her face alight with joy and wonder. But as soon as she realized they were there, the bright light of her excitement dimmed. She clasped her hands in front of her and stood still, as if trying to hide what she'd been doing-like she thought she would get in trouble for it. Now, why would she think that? Shan Fung wondered.

"Glad you like the ship," Aki said.

"It's wonderful," Xandri murmured. "I've flown one a few times in the sims, but they don't do the look of it any justice."

"Want to be a pilot, do you?"

"Yes." The word came out a whisper, a shadow of a whisper, and once again Shan Fung wondered.

"Well then," Shan Fung said, keeping her tone brisk, "technically we should wait until your filter-implant has finished constructing, but it will be done by the time we reach Carpathia. How about we prepare for takeoff?"

"Sounds good to me," Aki said.

Xandri nodded. Her hands toyed anxiously in the front pocket of her hoodie, but the rest of her posture spoke of relief: shoulders down in relaxation, back straight but not stiff, chin in a neutral position. Technically, if they got caught taking her off-planet without a fully constructed filter-implant, it could cause a bit of trouble. But the likelihood of being stopped and searched to that degree was vanishing, and Shan Fung could not, in good conscience, make this girl stay here any longer than she absolutely must.