“I’m sorry. Fated?”
“Anchor-spirits exist in every species, though they rarely ever cross paths.”
“What the hell is that?”
“Who did you rely on as a child?”
“No one. My sister hated farming and left home young to marry an alien and leave the galaxy. My mother was alwaysworking her other jobs when she wasn’t on the farm. Dad was on machinery all day, driving it, fixing it, swearing at it. And my older brother worked at other farms for extra money. I basically ran the farm, even as a kid, because I was the only one consistently there.”
DIA’s face moves aside for a list. “These are all the species your ag ship has helped. They come to you when they are desperate. I pulled the logs from public record.”
“What does this have to do with anything?”
“The Drathious species is spiraling toward extinction. They need an anchor, someone to help them, believe in them,healthem.”
I look around at the ship, wondering how anyone with such technology could need my plane Jane, human help. “What about Amphirans?”
“They are not anchors. Drathious are critical to fighting the Nebulous Empire because they can survive in space without star suits. Not even Talhuskins can endure that kind of cold.”
“Uh, okay. What am I supposed to do?”
“No matter how hard things get, do not give up on Jorusk. He is from the hidden colony of Drathis. Only he can lead his kind back to them and unite his species. If you fail to anchor him, the Nebs will win. And the universe will fall into chaos.”
I slump into the captain’s chair. “Is that all?”
A bracelet snaps around my left wrist. “For now. I will communicate with you through this. And I will tell you everything I can. But please, find a solution to the creosotine. If you can do that, you can save more lives than just Jorusk’s.”
12: Jorusk
I did not want Brynna to see me like this. I am supposed to be strong enough to protect her. But the poison does not care what I want.
Sleep is filled with fever dreams that torch my mattress and leave me lying on just the metal frame. It’s nothing new. By morning, I feel almost like myself again. Except, there’s a new sensation. It is gentle and cool and moves in small circles on my side.
Blinking, I turn my head and try to sort the strange feeling. My eyes are blurry and take a moment to focus.
“Morning, sleepy head.” Brynna smiles down at me, then keeps working. Her forehead bears a light crease from exhaustion as she massages a paste into my skin that pushes away the remaining sting of creosotine.
“You’re supposed to be out there having fun. Why are you in here?” I ask.
She dips her fingers into a jar and moves to a different area of my back, massaging in more of the wondrous medicine. “I was an idiot to think I could go out into space and meet all those species, make enemies, and find customers dependent on me, and then just walk away. Some of us just have a purpose. I accept that now.”
I sit up and take her by the wrist. “Brynna. That’s not how this is supposed to go.”
“It’s exactly how it is.” She looks me over with apathy. “DIA told me everything.”
Disappointment fills me. “I’m sorry. I should’ve tried to tell you.”
Brynna’s eyebrows lift. “How? You clearly couldn’t even tell me your name. After seeing the pain you were in last night from the Rage Roar, the spark arrestor, and the poisoned claw marks, I am just glad you woke up. So let’s start over, today. Yeah?”
It feels wrong to just pretend her ruined night is no big deal. But Brynna smiles, washes her hands at a nearby sink, and offers me a donut. “Osiris picked up breakfast for us. That was about an hour ago. The ropes course is first today. Do you feel up to it?”
After I’ve eaten, I reply, “Honestly? I feel amazing with whatever that stuff is you’ve been putting on me.”
“I stayed up studying creosotine in my mini lab. I have a backup in Gypsy Star. I have everything in there, just in case I ever get separated from Black Sun.”
“What’d you find?” I ask, hope giving me the energy to pick up my wings and swing my feet off the bed to the floor.
She motions to a tray with several items. “It was quite a trick to create a non-combustible encapsulation degradation method that didn’t produce a toxin or carcinogen post-treatment. But I got it done in salve and spray form. I’m still working on an oral and inhalation treatment.”
