A/N: I’m not sure when I wrote the original draft of this one, but it was mainly just dialogue. Even still, reading it felt like a small glimpse into the lives of (most of) my main cast in novel two - which will be all about that found family trope! So I really enjoyed working on this and actually filling it out a bit. Also, I included my sketches of the exterior and interior of OC Anna Marie’s ship at the end but fair warning: I am not an artist.
Additional A/N: Emryn (aged twelve) was named after my sister, Emily. She was pretty young when I left home to join the Navy, but we only grew closer over the six years that I served. She means the absolute world to me, and I cannot express how much our relationship means to me. I wanted to mention this because while the character of Emryn has long-since been cemented in my head as that of a genuinely good and kind, albeit snarky, genius mechanic of a kid - I could never settle on the right name for him. Until a few months ago when I was sitting at home one day and looked at my sister. And I knew ‘Emryn’ was just perfect.
Novel 2, Excerpt 1
“Hey, Em-” Anna poked her head into the engineering compartment. From the doorway, she could see tools scattered across the floor; pipes were dismantled; a crudely written sign had been stuck to one of the machines warning against touching it. Anna wasn’t even sure what that particular machine did, but the sight before her still put a frown on her face. “Emryn?”
Still no answer. She made her way deeper into the compartment, checking the lower level and all the small crevices she knew the boy liked to hide in. She’d often found him asleep, curled up in between low-humming components. He had admitted to finding comfort in the heat they provided. Anna understood all too well; the cool caress of space, of the planets they most often visited – they were painfully contrary to the desert planet she’d spent nine years of her life on. Axion had been the closest thing to a home-
‘Closest thing until now,’ she reminded herself, a small surge of contentment rising within her.
After checking every crevice, Anna moved through the empty cargo hold and up the stairs of the small ship. In the living area, there at the table surrounded by small parts, sat Emryn. He had his back to the kitchen, but paid her no attention as she took the seat diagonal to him. They were surrounded only by the sounds of the ship: the twin motors hummed below them; Jax could be heard occasionally flipping switches in the nearby cockpit; Emryn slipped and the gears shook loose in his hands. But no noise from the docks penetrated the starship.
Anna continued to watch the boy tinker. His focus was unwavering, but the mess below decks was disconcerting now that she had finally acquired the details of their next job. She desperately hoped Emryn’s work was only preventative.
“Hey, Emryn,” she finally spoke, picking up one of the various parts from the table. “I love that you’re just this genius kid mechanic and like, the only person in the Cloud to fully understand my ship – but could you not tear it apart before a job?”
Emryn paused his tinkering to look up at Anna. “First, I’m not a kid-”
“Yes, you are.” Liam had appeared from his cabin, moving to search the kitchen cabinets. His hair was untidy and deep circles still encompassed his eyes; he quietly cursed himself for struggling to adjust to the local time.
“-and second,” Emryn continued. “I’ve good reason to tear the ship apart.”
Anna kept her curses internal, instead replacing the part she had been inspecting. “For your own sake, you better.”
“I thought one of the main coolant pumps was leaking – and it is – but the fluid I found isn’t from the pump.”
“Do you know what it is from?”
“Not yet. I’ve got five more ideas, though.”
Liam took the seat beside Anna, a bowl of the previous nights leftovers in his hands. Despite his exhaustion, the topic of discussion had brought a clarity to his mind as he questioned the boy. “Coolant pumps are only connected to the engines, drive motors, and water regenerators. How could you have five ideas?”
“On Ax ships, the pumps are connected to much more – not just the engines, the motors and regenerators, but also the environmental controls, fire controls, even collision avoidance. Ax ships run hot, and the pumps are connected to everything.” Emryn had begun gesturing with the screwdriver in his hand and pointed it accusingly at Liam. “What did they teach you at Guardian-mechanic-school?”
Liam scowled, but quietly turned to pick at his leftovers.
“Can we get back to the part where you justify tearing apart my ship?” Anna said. “What does the leak mean?”
Emryn shrugged. “Dunno. Gotta find it first.”
“And the pump? You said that was leaking, too?”
“Yeah, but that was only a matter of tightening some fittings – already taken care of.”
Anna nodded but she, too, turned quiet as the boy returned to his tinkering. Mechanics was far from her area of expertise; she didn’t dare attempt to make sense of the issue or offer any aide. Instead, she turned her attention to the man beside her. She was comforted by the sight of him eating – she was well aware of Liam’s struggle to adjust his internal clock. They had been sent to numerous corners of the Cloud in their attempt to secure this job and the constant runs had left him tired and unsettled. And although he did not say it aloud, Anna knew what little sleep he was getting was once again fraught with nightmares. As he ate, she gently reached to tidy his hair.
Masterlist
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Date written: 11 September 2020.
Date edited: 12 September 2020.
Word count: 946.
Warnings: None.
A/N: Halp! I wrote this excerpt at work yesterday after looking through my favorite dialogue prompts. Only problem? When I wrote down the prompt in my journal, I forgot to include where I found it. So if anyone recognizes it, please let me know so I can give the appropriate blog credit! I know it’s from a Tumblr blog, I’ve just been unable to figure out which one.
Dialogue prompt: “[A] put salt in my coffee because I annoyed them, but I’m going to drink it because I’m petty and I won’t let them win.”
Novel 2, Excerpt 2
As soon as the channel was closed, Anna slumped down into the pilots seat. She allowed her guard to drop as she massaged her temples. After two weeks of chasing contacts, she’d finally secured a high-paying job – not only would it fill the ships fuel tanks, which were uncomfortably low, it’d cover the remainder they owed for the recent work to repair the dual engines. She had hated returning to Axion, but Liam had been right: the repairs were far too complex for him and Emryn alone. In the end, it’d taken eight Ax a dozen days to remove both engines, replace the pistons, and secure the machinery back into place. And despite the language barrier, they’d allowed Liam and Emryn to help. Their newfound knowledge of the engines’ inner-workings was well worth Anna’s time playing translator, but she was far happier when they’d finally left the red planet behind them. Every day they’d sat there, the risk of discovery by the Queen had increased. Anna intended to keep her ship – and more importantly, her crew – far from Iyree’s reach.
She started at the sound of the cockpit door sliding open, but the heavy footfalls could only belong to Liam. She made no effort to compose herself as he took the copilot’s seat beside her.
“No luck?” He asked, taking in the tension in her shoulders and shadows under her eyes. Such a demeanor was uncharacteristic of her, but Liam had noticed it settle the moment he’d told her of the need for Ax aid. She’d quietly questioned him, only agreeing after he’d thoroughly explained the necessary repairs twice. But her discomfort had lingered – even Jax and Emryn had passed him questioning glances throughout their time on Axion. Liam discreetly brushed them aside though, aware of the life Anna had left behind on the planet as well as her desire for privacy.
Anna sighed, staring at the console before her. With the door still open, she could just make out the quiet back and forth between the others. They were still sat at the table where she’d left them nearly an hour ago.
“Actually, we got the job.” She said.
“The Lydian cargo run?”
Anna nodded and closed her eyes. Beside her, Liam turned to the ships navigation and began plotting possible routes. He quietly sipped at a mug of coffee, grimacing each time but too focused on the screens before him to realize it. Low fuel meant only direct routes were of option – that he had expected – but he hesitated when he noticed there was no avoiding the Attis System.
“What is it?” Anna asked. Her eyes were still closed, but she’d heard the pause between his tapping fingers.
“We may need t’have the papers ready.”
At that, Anna leaned forward to better watch as he input various sets of coordinates into the ships system. He wore a frown as he worked, the hand holding his coffee half-risen and steady; Anna waited until he finished to question him.
“These are Guardian transit lanes,” Liam said, finally bringing the mug to his lips and grimacing again. He missed the twitch of Anna’s brow as he continued. “We won’t fly through ‘em, but it’ll be close. May get flagged f’r paper verification.”
Anna hummed. “You’re sure they’re in order?”
“Checked ‘em twice,” he said. “Even had Jax and the kid look at ‘em, but I can give ‘em another pass if you want?”
“Not much of a point now, is there? We already paid for them.”
Liam shrugged, thinking to where the ships registration papers were safely tucked away. He’d been surprised by the small price of them, but had gone through the very thorough process he’d done a thousand times as a Guardian. Were he still in uniform, he wouldn’t have doubted their authenticity. The thought made him wonder how many crews like this had slipped by him.
“How long will it take us to get there?”
“Ten days, if we fly casual,” he turned to face Anna again. “But we’ll need t’refuel soon as we’re planetside.”
“That shouldn’t be a problem-” Anna stopped short, her brow arching as she watched him. He had taken another sip of his coffee, but looking at her now she knew his grimace wasn’t from the mention of the Guardians.
“Jax put salt in my coffee because I annoyed her,” Liam answered the unspoken question.
From the living area, they could hear Emryn snicker and a smile tugged at Anna’s lips.
“I won’t let her win.” Liam said, taking another sip and relishing the small laugh he’d earned from her. The coffee was certainly a waste, the taste stale in his mouth, but he noticed the effect his small act of pettiness had on Anna. She shook her head as she moved to rejoin the others and Liam could see some of the tension already falling loose from her shoulders.
He followed her into the living area, taking a seat at the table across from Jax. As Anna began to tell them the details of the upcoming job, Liam caught the small pilot’s gaze and promptly finished the rest of his coffee. He made sure to steel himself as they stared at one another, giving no indication of discomfort as he gently set the mug aside.
Jax gestured rudely at him before asking Anna to continue, having paused her brief to witness the exchange. Beside her, Emryn erupted into a fit of giggles.
Masterlist
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