The Pirates of Sufiro (Book 1) (Old Star New Earth) (7 page)

Roberts nodded.
Suki and Roberts waved as the captain's launch lifted cleanly off the ground, bound for points unknown. Much to his surprise, a tear ran down the captain's cheek. He felt like a fool; he was only going to be gone for a few days. He sighed and looked at the ground below him. There were fields and trees. He made for the coast.
* * * *

Two nights after Firebrandt left, Suki found Roberts in the main room of the house, reading. He wore the work clothes from that day in the field. "Carter," she said softly. "I'm lonely."

"I miss him, too," said Roberts, not lifting his eyes from the book.
"You haven't turned a page in that book for the last hour," said Suki. "What are you thinking?"
"I think you are the most beautiful woman in the world," he said softly, lowering the book just a little.
"That's obvious," she grinned. "I'm the only woman on this world."
"I'm afraid," he said. His voice quaked just a bit. "I'm lonely, too. Would we violate a trust, if we held each other this night? Would it destroy us?"
"I thought privateers were never afraid," she said as she pushed the book down to look in his eyes.
A tear escaped Roberts' eye. "Please, don't tease. Not tonight. I'm confused."
"I'm not," she said, tenderly. She unbuttoned Roberts' work shirt and let her hands explore his chest. That night, Roberts was only briefly haunted by visions of his mother. The horror was eased aside by visions of Suki's lovely fullness of body and tenderness of face.
"I hope Ellison's enjoying himself," said Roberts, gently stroking Suki's silky black hair.
"He's where he belongs. We are where we belong. The little lady inside of me is going to be very lucky," said Suki with a joyous smile. "She will have two fathers who will love her and teach her how to survive on this world."
"That was always true," he said.
"But I was afraid that you were so caught by revenge and hate and fear that you had forgotten how to love and how to be tender," she said. "Now I know differently." Roberts kissed Suki tenderly and drifted off to a night of pleasant dreams. * * * *

During his trek, Firebrandt saw many things. There was an immense coastal mountain range in the northwest. There were blinding white cliffs along part of the east coast. Somewhat inland from the coast of the southwest was a desert of black sand. When he tested it, it turned out to be basalt. He charted four mountain ranges besides the one on the coast. All were spectacular, but none compared in sheer height and spectacle to the ones he had first encountered. The Nuevo Rio Grande proved to be the largest river on the continent, although there were many others. There was much fertile farmland.

As he explored, Firebrandt saw the first truly large animals he had encountered on the planet. In the rain forest in southeastern Nova Granada was a variety of creature as long as a python, but with legs and the jaws of a crocodile. In the mountains just east of the Nuevo Rio Grande he ran across his first feathered creature. It was as large as he was with an immense head and beak. It had a long tail with downy feathers that resembled fur. Its legs were long and strong with pads for running. At first glance it reminded him of a griffin, and that's what he called it. He thought it might be intelligent when he considered the size of its head. It chased after him when he tried to talk to it. The captain just made it to the launch in time to escape its powerful beak.

As Firebrandt came out of the mountains, into the foothills, he landed the launch. He stepped out to stretch stiff muscles. The sun was setting on the western horizon. Long shadows accented hills and valleys for some distance. Orange light danced lazily on the surface of the river. He sighed and sat on the soft grass. He hugged his knees with strong arms, and rested his chin.

During his trek, he had seen many lovely sights such as this. A year ago, the captain might have been happy at the prospect of a rescue; the chance for new glory and adventure. He would have gladly gone back to die for Gaea. Firebrandt looked to the sky and saw the first star appear, and realized he was happy with it just where it was.

Firebrandt smiled to himself and shook his head as he realized that the last thing he wanted to do was leave. He was safe; he had his freedom. He thought of Captain Avery, an ancient seafarer from Earth known as a successful pirate.

"So, friend Avery," said Firebrandt to the star above. "Which of us was truly successful? You who had your riches and were never caught but always lived in fear of others? Or me, who has a family and love?" He laughed and hugged his legs close. He shuddered suddenly as a chill wind caught him. Firebrandt decided it was time to go home.

Once home, Firebrandt discovered a new chemistry between Roberts and Suki. The atmosphere was more relaxed. He hugged them both. "We are a family," he said. "Let no one divide us." The three smiled and hugged again.

Suki had her baby during the second winter. Firebrandt held Suki's hand and read poetry from the ship's library during the long hours of labor. The meter of the words helped give rhythm to Suki's breathing. Roberts worked the medical scanner and stood by, waiting for the baby to show herself. The captain looked into Suki's face and saw the pain that was there. Her face was red; sweat streamed from virtually every pore. Firebrandt would wipe her face with a cool cloth. Roberts brought ice for her to chew. As each pain hit, she groaned at the captain and shuddered. After a long night, Suki grabbed a handful of Firebrandt's long, red hair and they yelled together as she pushed. He looked into her face to avoid seeing the blood at the other end of the table. He would reflect later how strange that was since he had no trouble with blood during battle. Certainly this experience had felt like battle. Yet blood from his own beloved was too painful to look at.

Finally the baby cried and Firebrandt forced himself to look. "It's a girl," Roberts announced. Of course they had known it was a girl, but Roberts insisted on making the ageold announcement. He took her gently and cleaned her, wrapping her in linen from the crew bunks. Firebrandt sat down, his chest hurting. He looked down and saw that Suki had pulled out a large clump of chest hair.

Roberts brought the little girl to her parents. Suki held her. Firebrandt dabbed some of the sweat off Suki's brow. "So," said Roberts. "What's her name?"

Firebrandt and Suki looked at each other. "She's a little bit of each of us," she said.
"Suki Firebrandt?" suggested the captain.
"Suki Carter Firebrandt," corrected Suki.
"That's an awfully big name for someone so small." A broad smile lit up Roberts' face.
As if in response, the baby let out a blood-curdling yell. "My," exclaimed Suki, shaken from her exhausted euphoria. "What a fiery temperament."
"Her name may be Suki Carter Firebrandt, but I think we'll call her Fire." The captain stroked his moustache as he stared transfixed at his baby girl.
The snow fell outside the homestead. Sufiro slept. Inside, Roberts, Firebrandt, and Suki slept, periodically awakened by cries from a fiery small one, demanding attention. * * * *

Spring came and the baby grew. Suki breastfed the baby. Again, the homesteaders reveled in the sunshine of lazy, warm days, donning clothes only to protect themselves when working in the fields or picking fruit. While Suki tended the baby's needs, Firebrandt would spend hours going over his notes and working on detailed maps of Nova Granada. Roberts noticed that life on Sufiro had caused the captain to become tanned and muscled like he never had been before. Work in the slightly high gravity had done it. Spaceship crews tended to be pale and thin. That was the way of things in artificial light. Even warriors spent most of their time operating a computer.

Firebrandt was amazed at how quickly Suki regained her form after pregnancy. Like Firebrandt, she was tanned; her breasts firm and well gummed. Suki had found new strength after becoming a mother. Firebrandt may be captain, but she was mother and protector of the child. It was a mentality with which the captain was unfamiliar, but he accepted it. Actually he loved her all the more now that Suki was more sure of herself than before.

Firebrandt was no longer bored. He was happy to be alive. Even Roberts seemed more animated than he had been. Suki spent most of her nights sharing the captain's bed. Though, there were nights that she left the baby in his capable hands and spent the night with Roberts, who seemed freed of ancient demons. Good things seemed to be in the air.

As the summer progressed, Fire began to crawl. She found insects in the grass and examined them, sometimes putting them in her mouth. Suki came along and told her to put them down. Often she had to gently coax the bug out of the little girl's hand. One afternoon, Fire caught an insect no one had ever seen before. It was long with a spine protruding from its back. When the little girl refused to put it down, her mother reached for the bug. The spine penetrated her skin. Suki gasped and stood upright, not wanting to yell in pain for fear that it would upset the baby. Firebrandt came and helped remove the insect. Though it was dead, the captain gave it to Roberts for study.

As the day went on, Suki's eyes glazed over. Her skin turned unnaturally pale. She said she wasn't sure if she could feed the baby. The captain fed the child from a bottle. Out of Suki's earshot, Firebrandt asked if Roberts had analyzed the insect. He said he hadn't, but he would do so immediately. The captain stroked his moustache, worriedly as he watched Roberts limp off to his task. An hour later, Roberts appeared in the door of the mess-turned-dining room. His face was pale. He motioned for Firebrandt.

Firebrandt shook his head. "Not well."
"The baby?"
"The baby's just fine." The captain looked down at his feet. Roberts sighed. "That insect had traces of a toxin in it that

Firebrandt fell against the wall for support. "Then Suki and the baby?"
"The baby will be fine if her skin wasn't pierced by the spine." Roberts' brow creased. "I wish there was an easy way to say this, but Suki's lucky she's still alive."
A tear trickled down Firebrandt's cheek. He sniffed and wiped it away angrily. "She's in pain. Can't you find an antidote?"
Roberts shook his head sadly. "Our only hope is that it passes out of her system." The two men held each other for several moments. "Go to her, Ellison," said Roberts. "She needs you."
"She needs you, too," said Firebrandt.
"The baby needs someone," said Roberts, choking back a sob.
That night, Firebrandt sat up with Suki, holding her hand. He fought back tears several times. When she slept, he didn't fight, but he kept quiet so as not to disturb her. Shortly after midnight, Suki's eyes opened, she sat up in bed and screamed. Firebrandt ran to her. Her body didn't yield. Every muscle had suddenly contracted, including her heart. Firebrandt put his arms around her. She was still slightly warm from being under the blankets. "Suki!" he yelled. He yelled her name again.
Roberts came running into the room. He examined Suki. There was nothing he could do. The baby began crying from a distant part of the ship. Firebrandt yelled her name again. The baby yelled in response. The captain heard and turned to Roberts. "The baby," he said.
"Aye aye, sir," said Roberts, automatically. He limped out of the room, returning to the child.
Firebrandt held Suki's body for what seemed like hours, gently rocking back and forth. Roberts left him alone for a while. The captain wept openly until Roberts returned and pulled him loose from the body and escorted him back to one of the crew bunks. Roberts helped him in and covered him with a blue woolen blanket. He was too tired to resist and fell asleep quickly, but he slept fitfully; occasionally he awoke and cried into the pillow. He didn't get out of the bed for nearly twenty-six hours.
At last, the captain awoke and was able to calm himself. Clean clothes were hanging by the bunk. He put them on and slowly pulled on a pair of boots. Roberts was in the dining room, rocking the baby in a cradle. His face was drawn, his eyes red. He stood and brought some pastry to the captain. "How is she?" asked Firebrandt indicating the cradle.
"She cries for her mother's milk, but I eventually coax her into taking the bottle, sir," said Roberts. Without looking, he reached out and took a pastry.
"And her mother?" Firebrandt took a bite of pastry. His body was hungry, yet he chewed it slowly.
"I built a coffin from one of the cold storage lockers. I wasn't sure what kind of funeral you wanted for her."
"She always expected to be buried in space. I guess all of us privateers do. Burned in a decaying orbit around some distant planet."
"Or killed in a raid." Roberts pursed his lips. "Cremation then—we can scatter her ashes in the river, so she can explore the planet."
Firebrandt nodded, numbly.
That night, Firebrandt and Roberts stacked wood. Joylessly, they carried the coffin. The captain held little Suki Firebrandt while Roberts lit the flame. The baby cried. Animals howled and made their strange clicking sounds. The wind carried the smoke and ash to the sky from whence Suki had come.
* * * *

The summer progressed, slowly. Roberts noticed that his captain worked the fields as though he was an automaton. Firebrandt abandoned his journals and maps. His mood only seemed to lift when he played with the baby. Roberts knew Ellison Firebrandt too well to be fooled by the facade.

Roberts was not surprised when his captain ordered the genocide of the mysterious spined insect. Roberts worked long hours in the lab until he found a poison that killed off the creatures that took Suki's life. It had not proved easy to find another one; they seemed to be rare. At the same time, Firebrandt didn't feel safe allowing little Fire outside until he knew none of the killers existed near the homestead. They set up a perimeter of the poison. When they were reasonably sure it was safe, they brought an improvised playpen outside for the baby while they worked.

One day, Firebrandt came to dinner with a deep scowl etched onto his face. His shoulders drooped dismally. Roberts had never seen the man look so thoroughly defeated. "Would it be possible for us to send a distress signal to someone, say the Rd'dyggians?"

Roberts put down the plate of steamed vegetables he was carrying. His brow knitted. "Theoretically, we could."
"I would like you to try to turn that theory into reality." Firebrandt looked down at his feet, then over to his daughter in the cradle. "This is no place to raise my daughter."
Roberts pursed his lips tightly. "So, that's your answer, eh? Just run away. Are you so arrogant as to think you can just throw Suki's dream away?"
The captain sat back, stunned. Roberts had never spoken to him like that. "We've been living an arrogant dream," said Firebrandt, angrily. "We thought we could tame a planet! I thought we had."
Roberts snorted. "Tame a planet? From day one you've treated this place as a Shangri-La. Remember when you went against my advice and tasted the water. You could have died right then and there." He stormed to the other end of the room and retrieved a pitcher of ale. "Congratulations, Captain, sir, you've just discovered this is a real planet. We're the invaders here! We've been damned lucky the planet waited this long to fight back!" The lieutenant slammed the pitcher to the table, sloshing out some of the contents.
The baby began to cry. Firebrandt went to the cradle, retrieved his daughter and rocked her gently. "We have to protect her," he said, weakly.
Roberts folded his arms. "By taking her back to Earth? That's what your father did when things got tough."
"What do I do?" Firebrandt's voice was barely a whisper.
Roberts retrieved the plate of vegetables and placed it in front of Firebrandt. "You're the captain."
Later that night, Firebrandt and Roberts walked in silence along the soft riverbank while Fire slept soundly at the homestead. The only sound was a light hum of static from a handheld radio that Roberts had rigged as a baby monitor. The oblong moon was high in the sky, casting a pale light over the landscape. "Do you know the story of Captain Avery?" asked Firebrandt, at last.
"Wasn't he a pirate?"
"Not just any pirate, he was called 'the successful pirate.'" Firebrandt looked to the stars. "At least he was successful until he returned home to England to sell his treasure of diamonds. The diamond merchants bought his treasure for a fraction of its worth, claiming they would turn him in to the authorities if he complained." The captain looked into the eyes of his companion.
"You've decided to stay," said Roberts intuitively.
Firebrandt nodded and put his arm around his friend's shoulder. The two turned and walked back toward the homestead. "Suki's dream was for me to be the successful privateer. I can't abandon that dream. I loved her too much."
"We're both successful, my friend," said Roberts. "We have the most beautiful daughter in the world."
"We?" asked Firebrandt, his eyebrows raised.
"I would give my life for that little girl. Her mother helped me close a chapter of suffering. I'm in this for the long haul." * * * *