Metal Boxes (28 page)

“Then you
can just leave them outside alone,” Aunt Ruth said.

Wright said, “Excuse me, Signora Stone. I am Commander Wright. I don’t actually think that is a good idea. These are baby drascos and only a few weeks old. They have imprinted motherhood on Mister Stone. They would not react kindly to being separated from him at this stage of their development.”

“Well, crap!” Aunt Ruth said. “And I suppose you are the foremost expert on baby drascos in all of human space?”

Wright laughed, “Yes
signora, I am one of the top two known experts.”

“
Okay, get in here. I need you both in my living room, pronto.”

“Yes, Aunt Ruth
,” Stone said. He turned to Melanie who was just getting ready to throw the balls again. “Hold up, couz. Maybe we can play catch with them later. You heard your mom. Hand the balls back to Jay and Peebee.”

He took Jay’s head in his hands and breathed into their open mouths. “Melanie
, I want you to do just like I did, okay?”

Jimbo nodded. “Let ol’ stinky breath breathe on them as a warning not to poop on Mom’s deck.”

“No, Signore Stone,” Wright said to Jimbo. “That is the way the drascos smell. It helps them to identify friends.”

Jimbo looked at Stone. He hitched a thumb at Commander Wright. “
If smell is what it takes, no wonder you two are in good with these critters. Bad breathe and bad b.o. not-withstanding, I kind a figured it was critter identification. Not to mention, of course, you two could use a toother and a shower.”

Aunt Ruth’s voice blared from the speakers. “James Stone
Junior. You know better than to speak that way to a guest in our home.”

Jimbo grinned and winked at Wright, careful to keep his face turned away from the vid
eo pick up. “She ain’t in our home yet, Ma. She’s just standing on the front porch.”

“Then you know better than to speak to an adult that way
, young man.”

“Aw, Ma. How was I to know she is an adult
? She don’t look old much older than Trey.”

“You know what I mean, James.”

“But Ma, you don’t think she looks old, do you?” Jimbo managed to hide his grin as he swiveled around to look at the vid pick up.

There
was no response.

Jimbo grinned at Stone. “Verbal trap. I got her. She either admits that
your Commander Wright looks young enough to not be treated like an adult and that gets me off the hook or she has to insult a female guest and say she looks old, thereby getting me off the hook.”

“Wrong
,” Aunt Ruth replied. “I said adult not old. As far as you are concerned ‘adult’ means anyone older than you are. So that is sixteen or up.”

“What? I gotta start checking
idents now?” Jimbo asked.

“Okay, but James you go get a mop and a bucket for Trey
’s dragon things. Because I don’t care if you are off the hook for being disrespectful to an adult and navy officer if one of those things…drascos...makes a mess on my deck then you are cleaning it up.”

“Okay Jimbo
, you breathe on Jay and Peebee. Careful,” Stone said as Jimbo reached out to pet one while he breathed on them. “You have got to watch their hides. They are a bit rough in spots.”

Jimbo slid a hand
gently along Peebee’s shoulder. “Crikey, couz. What are these guys made of? They feel like a pile of rusty pig iron.”

“They are just about as tough as pig iron
,” Stone said. “Don’t let them rub up against you.” They trooped through the open airlocks and into the ship. “You could lose a couple of layers of skin if you aren’t careful.”

“I think the
y’re cute,” Melanie pouted. “I’ll bet they are big enough to ride.”

Commander Wright said, “The
y are baby drascos Miss Stone. Their hides are still kind of tender. They will toughen up as they get older. Even now they would not be comfortable to ride on without a very durable saddle of some sort.”

Melanie brightened up
, “I got a saddle.”

Wright
asked, “Bovine leather? I mean cowhide?”

Melanie nodded.

“Sorry, Melanie,” Stone said. “It would probably be shredded in no time on these two. Besides you have seen them chasing those balls. They bounce around turning on a pinhead so quick you would need to strap yourself in to hang on.”

“I could add a couple of straps to my saddle
,” Melanie said, her voice becoming thoughtful. “I know I could design-”

“Design nothing
, Mel.” Aunt Ruth stood in an archway and interrupted. “You and Jim have had enough of a break. You have homework to do.”

Jimbo and Melanie said in unison. “Aw Mom-”

“I don’t want to hear ‘aw Mom’ from you two. Shag your rear ends back to your cabins and get to it. I will check it later.”

“Jimbo, study your math hard
,” Stone said.

Jimbo laughed, “You always had trouble with math. Besides that is what my
p.a. is for. If I can’t figure it out then I just let the p.a. handle the math.”

Stone shook his head. “Trust me. Study the math.”

“You heard your cousin, young man,” Aunt Ruth ordered.

“As you wish, your Ladyship
,” Jimbo said. “Commander Wright, it was a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I hope you will be staying with us for awhile? And you, couz, it is good to have you back among the living.” He turned his sister by the shoulder and they scooted down a side corridor.

Aunt Ruth reached out and drew Stone into a hug. “I am glad you are here too
, Trey. Your mother is going to be so happy to have you back.”

Stone hugged her back as hard as he could. “Quad, I have never been so happy to be anywhere in my life.”

She pushed him away. “Sorry. Jim Junior was right. You do need a toother and a shower. And from the looks of it you both could use some new uniforms. I didn’t think those navy utilities tore that easy.”

A male voice called out from the living room, “They don’t
, Ruth. I really need to talk to those two before you hustle them off to get cleaned up.”

Aunt Ruth led them into
the main cabin. It had been converted to look like the living room on a farmhouse with hard wood decks and calico curtains.

“Oh my! I love this décor
,” Wright exclaimed. “It is almost like home.”

Aunt Ruth smiled, “Thank you, Commander. It is designed after my husband’s childhood home. He grew up on a farm
on a little planet near the Ursis Major cluster.”

“No! Really
? So did I,” Wright said.

“Well
, it is a small galaxy after all,” Aunt Ruth said. “I am sure you never heard of it, a little planet named Colorado?”

“You’re kidding?
” Wright stared. “That is where I was born.”

The man in the room said, “Old home week then, Commander Wright. You will have to talk it over with James when he gets back aboard.”

“Okay, sorry, “Aunt Ruth said. “Commander Wright and Midshipman Stone, this obnoxious half-overweight goofball is none other than Ivan Storovitch. Actually Trey, I think you know Mister Storovitch?”

Stone stuck out his hand
to shake. “I am sorry, signore. I am not that good with faces and the name doesn’t ring any bells. But any friend of Quad’s is a friend of mine.”

“We have met but you were about four years old
the last time I saw you,” Storovitch said, clasping Stone’s hand tightly. “I wouldn’t expect you to remember. Commander Wright, please forgive me for interrupting the world renounced Stone hospitality. I am sure James and Ruth would have you showered, dressed and fed dinner by now if I hadn’t insisted we meet as soon as you could get here.”

“
I heard that ‘renounced’, you turd,” Aunt Ruth said. “I will not have my hospitality dismissed so easily.” She spoke into her p.a. “Brenda, we are not moving to the dining room just yet. Bring some drinks and goodies into the living room.” She turned to the group. “Everyone sit. Even me, Mister Storovitch, because I am not leaving no matter what you have to discuss with these two.”

Before
Storovitch could answer a young teenage girl came into the room. She was short and muscular. She put down the tray of drinks, stood over Stone and glared down at him.

Finally
she said, “Trey, don’t you ever die on me again!”

“Hola, Cinco. Good to see you too
,” Stone said.

“Damn skippy
!” Brenda said. “Do you know your mom and my mom were bailing on the command structure? Grandpa was about to move me from five to two. I would have never gotten to go to medical school. Jim Junior and Melanie were moving up to Trey and Quad.”

“Sorry
cousin. I will try to be more careful next time,” Stone laughed.

“I don’t know why I would expect you to change
,” Brenda snorted. She pointed a stubby finger at Stone’s chest. “You drink the green juice. Commander Wright, if it would please you, the green drink is a fruit juice mixture but I have fortified it. Ship scanners are showing both of you haven’t exactly been eating nutritiously.”

Brenda turned to go but stopped and continued,
“I have some snacks I will bring in for you two. Mom and Signore Storovitch have already eaten but I imagine the good signore could choke down another piece of pie?” She froze in mid step. “What the heck are those?”

“Those are your cousin
’s things…pets…whatever,” Aunt Ruth said. “Brenda, I know you have been stuck in the kitchen, but these are the drascos that were all over the station broadcasts. And you need to watch your language, Cinco. You may not be moving up to second place in the command structure but you are my oldest daughter and still number five.”

“If I ever saw a creature worthy of curse words
it would be them,” Brenda snorted. “How do I get past them through the door?”

“Sorry
, Cinco,” Stone said. He pulled out a golden ooze bar and sliced two slivers with his survival knife. “Jay, you sit here and Peebee, you sit next to her quietly, okay?” He was pleased the drascos scuttled quickly to where he indicated. He knew they were not obeying him as much as he was gesturing where to sit with the drasco equivalent of a candy bar.

Aunt Ruth looked at the ooze bar. “Survival rations? Is that what you two have been eating?”

Wright shook her head. “Not exactly, Signora Stone. That is just boiled down tree sap. It isn’t digestible by humans. We have been eating drasco jerky, a few berries and some tubers.”

Brenda
looked startled. “Those nightmare creatures? That is what you have been eating?”

Stone laughed
. “Believe me it was a welcome relief after a week on survival bars. Once you get past the slightly rancid flavor, drasco turns out to be only marginally better than starving to death.” He looked at his Aunt Ruth. “Quad, speaking of death, I suppose the navy reported we were dead?”

Aunt Ruth looked at Storovitch and cocked an eyebrow.

“I guess I didn’t properly introduce myself,” Storovitch said. “Mister Stone, you may have heard your parents mention me?”

Stone shook his head. “I am sorry,
signore. The name really isn’t familiar.”

“How soon they forget! Have you heard them mention an old friend named Maggot?”
Storovitch asked.

Stone looked surprised. “Maggot? Oh yeah
, all the time. He was Dad’s best man at their wedding and he introduced them. He was in the army with Dad and he was the one that got them into trouble on-”

Storovitch raised his hand
to interrupt. “That’s me. I want you to know that I got them out of trouble too. Now I am the agent in charge of Empire’s Military Investigative Service on Brickman’s Station.”

“You are the
E.M.I.S. Agent?” Wright asked.

Before Storovitch could answer
Stone said, “I thought Dad said you were still in the army.”

Storovitch
replied, “Well Mister Stone, technically I am in the army but I am not really. For that matter, your dad was never in the army either.”

“Yes he was
,” Stone said. “I have seen the vids and he even put on his old uniform once to show me.”

“This is just between the
EMIS and the Stone family, right?” Storovitch replied with a smile. “Well Mister Stone, you ask your father to show you his navy lieutenant’s uniform when you see him next. Or maybe his marine lance corporal’s uniform.”

Stone said, “I don’t understand
, Signore Storovitch.”

“You go ahead and call me Maggot,
son,” Storovitch replied. “I was in the room when your parents had you circumcised so I guess that qualifies you to drop the Signore. Listen Mister Stone, the Empire’s Military Investigative Service is an organization authorized by the Emperor to track down and stop crime in all branches of the military. We can assume any rank in any service that we desire. When we do so we are a part of that branch and are fully functioning members. Your father and I worked together on many cases. He was the best the EMIS has seen in a hundred years. At least he was until your mother dragged him away to married drudgery on some old freighter.”