For three full days Devon drowned out the complications of his life with work. Some of the parts he needed required that Seach and Jorry strip other elements of the ship. The round casing was easy, they stole that from the broken front loader but other parts, like the quarter inch pistons that had to line the inside of the regulator, those required more creative ideas. Seach was the one who figured out a weapons bolt on a standard issue velocitor could work as a piston, and Jorry disassembled the elliptical machine for all the rotating bits.

The rest of what he needed was copper cabling and plasma tubing to connect the conduit to the ship’s input valves. Jorry had gathered most of the copper cable he needed, but the tubing; that was their big problem. They just didn’t have enough of it on board. At least, not any that could be sacrificed. He knew for a fact that there was a least a mile of the stuff running through the ship, but it ran Zephyr’s A.I. and without the A.I. the ship would cease to function.

“You look so serious,” Kenzie said from beside him.

Devon forced himself to look away from the pieces scattered on the table. He’d completely forgotten where he was and blinked over at her.

Central hub, he remembered, dragging his mind away from calculations and measurements. Kenzie smiled at him and nudged his arm.

“What’s on your mind? Aside from fixing the ship?” she asked.

Devon thought of Consulate soldiers and Grey Men bearing down on them all and felt his stomach clench. He’d never thought of the Consulate as evil before, never much cared about politics, but it all mattered now. He remembered the image of Peter, his real father, smiling as he was executed and wondered if deserters were given the same lethal injection as religious offenders.

One thing was certain, Seach wouldn’t smile like Peter. Seach would fight tooth and nail rather than get put down like that.

“Dev?” Kenzie asked and he suddenly remembered she’d been talking to him.

“Oh,” he blinked at her. “Just … marveling at the insanity we’re in, I guess.”

“Yeah, it’s all pretty crazy,” she said, biting her lower lip.

She lingered there beside him, awkwardly fiddling with the surface of the central hub and he realized this was the first time they’d spoken since the nest incident. He frowned, remembering Seach crumpled on the floor and tried to hold onto that agitation. He refused to forgive her just because she was pretty. He turned back to the half-built regulator, re-checking his measurements and praying they were correct.

He knew it only had to work once but he wanted it to be able to withstand another push from Jorry, so he’d reinforced the outer cylinder and packed several more coils of conductive copper inside. With any luck it wouldn’t crack under pressure.

Devon eyed the three dimensional schematic hovering over the central table. He really hoped they could do a normal jump. He didn’t want to see Jorry or Seach strapped to that table. It looked and sounded painful. There had to be a better way to pump energy into Zephyr’s acceleration drives.

“I’ve lost you again,” Kenzie said quietly.

He felt his face heat up but didn’t turn. If he turned he’d get distracted again, lose his thoughts in those big green eyes and forget that he was angry with her. When he didn’t say anything she spoke again.

“I’m sorry for hurting your Dad.”

“As well you should be,” Devon said, stretching his sore neck. Several vertebrae popped with the movement and he sighed in relief. Because she looked so miserable and because he figured it would get her to leave sooner he relented. “I could understand if you hit mom, but Seach … he’s nice enough to you.”

Kenzie wrinkled her nose and laughed. He saw the tension in her shoulders ease and she leaned against the table, all slender curves and soft red hair and he forgot the schematics. She was so pretty it hurt to look at her. Her hair was loose, making deep red ringlets around her shoulders and her eyes crinkled with her smile.

“Well, if I’m being honest,” Kenzie mock-whispered to him, “The Captain scares me.”

He thought about touching her hair just to see if it was as soft as it looked but he kept his hands at his sides.

“Yeah,” he said. “You probably should be scared of her.”

“Well, at least Zoe likes her,” Kenzie said. “I’m surprised the Captain hasn’t locked her in our room yet.”

Devon grinned. Zoe had taken to shadowing Jorry since the nest incident. No matter where she went, Zoe was right beside her. The girl had even taken to wearing a straight braid like Jo did, which only served to make her look younger than she was and made it hard to take her seriously.

“Mom likes Zoe,” Devon said.

“If you say so.”

“No, really,” he said. “If she didn’t she really would lock Zoe in her room.”

They both chuckled and fell silent. Devon shut down the diagrams and rubbed his face. He would finish constructing the thing tomorrow. Kenzie obviously wasn’t going anywhere and they still had time. He could get it done. Or at least he could get most of it done. They would still need that cabling.

“So what’s Paul making for dinner?” he asked.

Kenzie perked, her smile suddenly wide. “Omelets,” she said.

Devon whistled low. “Omelets, huh? I haven’t had an omelet in ages.”

“He’s having to use olive oil since there’s no butter on board but he’s confident it’ll still work.”

“Can’t say it’ll make a difference,” Devon said. “I’ve never had butter.”

Kenzie gasped. “Never had butter?”

“It doesn’t keep out here in space,” he explained with a shrug. “We tend to stick to freeze-dried food and heater cells.”

“Well,” Kenzie lifted her chin and sniffed imperiously. “When this is all over we will have to fix that.”

Devon chuckled. “Yes, when we’re all safe on Mars we’ll see to that.”

Something flickered in Kenzie’s eyes and she looked away from him. Devon’s smile faltered and he watched her, a strange uneasiness settling in his stomach. She didn’t believe they were going to make it, he could see it on her face and he didn’t know why but the realization hurt. Logic said she was right; the Consulate was too powerful and they were too few. The odds were against them.

Their ship was broken, for heaven’s sake.

And yet Devon had to believe they would make it.

He reached out and gripped her shoulder, waiting until she had met his eyes again. “We’re going to get to Mars,” he promised.

“Yeah,” she said and gave him a wobbly smile. “I know.”

He squinted at her, not believing her for a second, and decided she needed a change in topic. “So let’s say all this works out,” he said, forcing himself to sound confident. “And let’s say you and Zoe are taken care of and you can do whatever you want … what will you do?”

Kenzie blinked at him, her smile warming a little as she turned to lean against the hub. “Well … I’d go back to school, I guess. Music major.” She wrinkled her nose and nudged his hip with her own. “Real music, none of that techno-babble you listen to.”

Devon mock-gasped and covered his heart with his hand. “Palimpsest is real music!”

“You can’t carry a tune based solely on the beat,” Kenzie argued. “And harmonies only work when the vocalists cooperate with each other instead of competing.”

“Alright, Miss Know-it-all … what is real music then?”

“Jazz,” she said with a wistful sigh. “Violins and pianos and saxophones.”

He turned to watch her, saw the warmth ease into her eyes and promised himself he would get her out of this. He’d get the conduit working and then they’d jump straight out of Consulate space and she’d never have to board herself up again.

“You know how to play all those?”

“Mhm,” Kenzie nodded. “My Mom always encouraged me to challenge myself. Said if I loved music that much I should dive right in. No limitations, you know? So I did.”

“Next you’ll tell me you can play the guitar.”

“Acoustic and electric,” she said with a wink.

“Now you’re just showing off.”

Her smile faltered and her gaze slipped to the hub again. Devon could see the trouble rise up in her again, saw the conflict and the pain and tried to think of something to say, to remind her that they weren’t caught yet. When she spoke again her voice was soft, resigned, and he felt his chest go tight with grief.

“I miss them,” she said. She stared at the hub as though transfixed. “I think every kid has a moment when they’re angry or something and they think how much better it would be if they didn’t have to follow the family rules. You think you know better or something but deep down you can’t really imagine life without them.”

Devon thought of Jorry and all the rules and regulations she forced on the ship and took a deep breath. They’d fought so often about them that he’d taken for granted the very fact that she was there to enforce it all in the first place. He couldn’t imagine what his life would be like without Seach and Jorry, and he didn’t really want to.

“It’s harder than you think it would be,” Kenzie said quietly. “I mean … I’ve tried to take care of Zoe, to keep her safe, but it’s like no matter how hard I try there’s always something else that happens, something else that threatens to ruin it all.”

Devon touched her shoulder again, felt the solid curve of her arm under his hand and waited for her to look at him again. He couldn’t force a smile so he didn’t try, just nodded at her when she met his eyes.

“It’s going to be alright,” he said. “I promise.”

She smiled and nodded but he could see a lingering sadness in her, could feel the doubt ebbing off her as she stepped away. He watched her go, heading toward the docking bay and thought for a moment to follow her but couldn’t quite manage it. So he turned to the hub and drew the conduit plans back up, glaring at them.

“You will not make a liar out of me,” he said and went back to work.

~*~*~

“I’m sorry, Mom,” Devon said. “There’s just not enough cabling.”

Jorry inspected the new regulator conduit, amazed at how well it had turned out. It stood proud and nearly complete on the central hub and she couldn’t stop a sudden swell of pride at the sight. Devon had outdone himself. She could see the extra coils rimming the cylinder and guessed he’d made the regulator with her taps in mind.

Smart boy, she thought.

“Sorry?” Jorry asked. “Devon, we don’t have to get a whole new regulator now. All we need is the cable.”

“And cable is fairly cheap,” Seach said. “You did good, son.”

“You did more than good, you did excellent, Devon,” Jorry turned around to grip his shoulder and smiled. “Really. Well done.”

His eyes slid away from hers and she read embarrassment in his face, but his mouth twitched into a small smile. She tightened her fingers on his shoulder and hoped he understood how much he deserved this praise. Given a few years at University and she had no doubt he would be the greatest engineer of his age.

She flinched, remembering that there was no way he could get to University now. Then, because she couldn’t think of a way to fix his future, she focused on the next problem.

“Zephyr, how far out are we from Jupiter?” She asked.

“We will slow to a stop approximately thirty kilometers from the planet.” Zephyr reported. “ETA nineteen minutes and thirty-three seconds.”

Nineteen minutes, she thought. They were cutting it a little close.

“Stop us at fifty kilometers,” Jorry said. “I don’t want anyone spotting us before we’ve gotten the fuel and the cable we need.”

“We’re not docking?” Devon asked.

“No,” Jorry said. “I will use the emergency shuttle to dock. There’s enough fuel left on board for Zephyr to coast around in case I get caught. Zephyr can alert you if a fuel tanker is heading your way and life support runs on auxiliary, so even if you do run out of fuel you won’t be dead in the vacuum for at least a week. With any luck they’ll be expecting us on Saturn, so we should have a little surprise …”

“Wait a minute,” Seach said sharply.

Jorry tensed and turned to him. He looked deceptively casual, leaning one hip against the central table as he narrowed his gaze at her and she realized her mistake. But she couldn’t take it back. No, she wouldn’t take it back.

This was how she worked. Seach had to know that by now. And really, she hadn’t had time to discuss these plans with him. They’d all been busy with repairs and even when she and Seach had found time alone they’d been distracted with far more amorous attentions.

She felt her face flush and shoved the last two weeks out of her mind.

She needed to focus, dammit.

“What do you mean if you get caught?” Seach asked.

Devon grinned and rubbed the tip of his nose with a knuckle as she struggled for a response. He sent her a knowing wink that made her blush all the more before he turned and left for the pilot’s nest. Seach glanced at Devon’s retreating back and smirked.

Well if they’d meant to hide their relationship from Devon they’d obviously failed.

She rubbed her forehead and returned to the argument at hand.

“It’s too dangerous to dock the ship, Seach. You know that. It’ll be easier if one person goes down, grabs some emergency fuel and the cable, and comes back.”

“It would take at least four trips to get enough fuel on board,” Seach argued. “I think they’ll notice if you keep coming back. We can each take a trip. Different faces, different registry numbers. They won’t know what’s happened until we’re gone.”

“No, none of you are going down there. It’s too dangerous.”

“If it’s too dangerous for us then it’s too dangerous for you,” Seach said, pushing away from the table.

Her heart skittered in her chest as he closed the distance between them, stopping just in front of her. His hands closed on her shoulders, ran a familiar trail over her arms until she relaxed under his touch. She met his gaze, expecting anger or irritation but Seach didn’t appear to be either. He seemed remarkably sure of himself, like he knew he would win this battle.

“Talk to me, Jo,” he said.

Surprised, Jorry stared at him. “What?”

“Tell me why you’re so determined to do this on your own.”

She glanced at the nearest screen, saw the ETA countdown and swallowed back her fear. Fourteen minutes, six seconds before they reached Jupiter. God only knew what might happen there. She didn’t know why but that thought cleared her mind, like somehow the lack of time and uncertainty made her fears irrelevant.

Seach knew her. He would understand this.

“This is my mistake, Seach. I brought those kids on board,” she said. “I’m taking responsibility for my own mess. None of this would have happened if not for me.”

Seach nodded, slowly, as though absorbing her words.

“Yeah, but you see, that’s the glory of a family. We help clean up each other’s messes.” Seach stepped intimately close, forcing her to lean back against the table and Jorry felt her breath hitch in her chest. “You’re not in this alone, Jo.”

She couldn’t think to argue. She wanted to. The idea of Seach or Devon getting caught again brought a tide of fear that nearly crippled her. On Neptune they’d had the element of surprise but by now the Consulate would be on high alert. She couldn’t risk losing them. They were all she had.

And that was it, that was her true fear. She could not fathom a life without them.

“Seach,” she pleaded, hoping he would hear what she couldn’t find the strength to say.

He pressed his palms into the table on either side of her, caging her there. “I’m not asking, Johanna. I’m telling you. Share the burden or I’ll lock you in one of the smuggler caches and do it all myself.”

She breathed a laugh because she knew he would try. He might even succeed. She could feel the heat of him radiating through his suit and had to focus to keep her mind on the argument.

“Fine,” she said, meeting his gaze again. “But I will act as scout. I will go down, make certain all is safe, and communicate with you when to start your runs. It shouldn’t take more than an hour to load each ship. When one is disembarking the station, the other should already be on its way.”

“Quick and clean,” Seach said, lightly kissing her cheek and then her jaw. “Paul, Devon, and I will each take a trip. You’ll head back with the last run. That’s all four trips and enough fuel to get us to Mars and out of Consulate space.”

It was a solid plan, she thought. She didn’t like the idea of Devon going down but Seach was right. Different registry numbers and faces would keep them obscure. This was the safest option in a terribly unsafe situation.

His mouth hovered over hers, waiting, and Jorry closed her eyes. “Agreed?” he murmured, and she could feel him smiling.

“Agreed,” she said and kissed him.

His hands left the table, settling on her waist and he pulled her closer. It was a strong, capable kiss, as relentless as the man she was holding and her mind went to static. She forgot the ship, the danger, the countdown just beside them and focused her whole being on his mouth. She loved the feel of him, loved the way his fingers dug into her hips and the possessive roaming of his tongue. She thought she would happily drown in him if given the opportunity.

“We have come to a complete stop, Captain,” Zephyr announced.

They broke apart, panting. She had to coach herself to get her wits back, realizing after a long moment that she was clinging to him. For that matter, he seemed to be clinging to her just as tightly. She met his gaze and he flashed a boyish grin that made her laugh.

“Be safe,” he said, slowly pulling away from her.

She felt the reluctance in him and smiled. “I’m always safe.”

“Uh, just so we’re clear, the whole Neptune station thing … that’s not my definition of safe.” Seach said, surprising another laugh out of her.

“I’m sorry … who had to rescue whom again?”

She checked her pockets, counting the two asps hidden on her person. If things went wrong she would improvise, snag someone else’s weapon or something. She touched her vest pocket, felt the press of her hacking device through the fabric and took a deep breath. She had everything she needed.

“Hey now, if I’d known we were going to announce ourselves to the universe by attacking all of Neptune station you wouldn’t have needed to rescue me.”

“Yeah, you keep telling yourself that,” she said and winked at him. “You’re still my little damsel in distress.”

Seach laughed and shook his head. “You call me that within fifty feet of another living person and I will tape your mouth shut.”

“You’ll try,” she said, walking backward toward the nest. “But I think you rather enjoy my mouth the way it is.”

Heat flashed in his eyes and he took a step away from the hub but Jorry was already halfway to the corridor. She gave him a spirited grin and turned, heading for the first escape vessel. The nest could detach from the rest of the ship, acting as an emergency vehicle itself but she’d still named the escape vessels Alpha, Bravo, and Charlie. Vessel Alpha was located beside her quarters, which were situated just before the nest on the left side.

Seach’s room sat directly across the corridor. In lieu of an escape vessel the space beside his quarters held a small weapon’s cache. That was per his request. He’d insisted they could share a vessel if necessary and explained the need for a secondary weapon’s stock in case they were ever boarded.

Jorry smiled, remembering the argument clearly and stopped before the wall just beside her room. The shimmering blue screen slid apart, revealing Zephyr’s white hull and the small door to vessel Alpha. The door clicked open and she climbed inside its tight entryway. She turned and closed the door behind her, spinning the air lock until it snapped closed.

Emergency vehicles were not equipped with automated locks or flight controls. They had to be light, capable of holding out for long periods of time in case rescue was late in coming. They had the same air filtration system as the bigger systems but instead of running on ionic plasma they were solar powered.

Jorry climbed into the pilot’s chair and strapped herself in. She’d always wanted Zephyr to be solar generated but there just weren’t enough power cells to accommodate such a large ship. She focused on the manual controls, detaching the vessel from Zephyr. The front port opened as they pulled away from the ship, giving her a clear view of Jupiter.

The gas giant filled her screen, its swirling yellow patterns looking impossibly large up close. She could see the great red spot churning just below her and fought back an ominous feeling. The last time she’d seen Jupiter’s massive storm system had been twenty years ago, just hours before Devon’s parents were taken.

It’s just a storm, she told herself as she steered her vessel toward Europa Station. It’s been there for thousands of years. It doesn’t mean anything.