At first light the next morning, Doran changed into fresh clothes and scrubbed his face, then gathered with the crew in the galley. Even Gage joined them, electing to take the seat at the farthest end of the table. The thick scent of porridge hung in the air, but bowls remained untouched as each of them stared at the metal crutch resting on the table.
It was all they had left of their captain.
Acorn padded into the room, her nose twitching as she sniffed for her lost “mother.” She climbed the wall and glided onto the table, where she scurried up and down its length in desperation. When she couldn’t find the captain, she let out a heartbreaking whine that sent Cassia rushing out of the galley. She returned wearing a faded blue jacket that hung to her knees, her hands lost somewhere inside the depths of its enormous sleeves. It must have been one of the captain’s, because the instant she sat down, Acorn chirped and took a nosedive into the breast pocket.
Cassia stroked Acorn’s head with a thumb. “Now we can start.”
Renny gave her a nod and stood from the head of the table. “I met Phineas Rossi when I was at the lowest point in my life,” he said. “About six months after I left home. We were in this seedy outpost bar in the middle of nowhere, and he caught me picking his pocket.” Renny smiled as if replaying the memory. “He bloodied my lip. Then, when he realized I’d taken a grease pencil instead of his money, he laughed and bought me a drink.”
Kane chuckled softly, and Cassia rested her head on his shoulder.
“He’d just bought a small cargo ship from a repo man,” Renny continued. “He told me the Banshee wasn’t much to look at, but if I wanted to join him, it’d probably beat stealing pocket lint from strangers. I had nothing to lose, so I came on board as a general hand. A week later he learned I could navigate, and he promoted me to first mate—just like that. Without knowing anything about me, except that I made his pills disappear.” Renny paused to remove his glasses and scrub away a tear. “He gave me a new life, and in the years after that, he gave me his friendship. I don’t know which I value more, because I needed both.”
“Remember when his Beatmaster charging paddle went missing?” Cassia asked with a sniffle. “Everyone blamed you, except the captain. And he was right. It turned out I was the one who’d stuck it in the wrong drawer.”
“It takes a big man to trust a thief,” Renny agreed.
Doran felt Solara sit up straighter beside him. She studied her tattooed knuckles and seemed to hesitate for a few beats. “That’s what I loved most about him,” she said. “I used to hate looking at my markings. But the captain taught me they don’t mean anything. Because I’m more than the sum of my mistakes.”
Doran took one of her hands and interlaced their fingers. “Captain Rossi showed more faith in me than my own father did.” He tried not to think about when he’d see his father again, if ever. The wound was too fresh. “I always put my dad on a pedestal, but he must’ve had a low opinion of me if he thought I’d turn against my own brother.”
Gage didn’t respond, but color fanned out on his cheeks. Probably because not too long ago he’d shared that same low opinion.
“Biology doesn’t make anyone a parent,” Cassia added as she tucked her Eturian prayer stone beneath her shirt. She kissed her fingertip and pressed it on Acorn’s head. “The captain would’ve died before letting me go to auction. I can’t say the same for my parents. They only ever saw me as a commodity.”
That silenced the room until Gage cleared his throat. He poked at his porridge with a spoon, never looking up when he said, “I didn’t know Rossi for very long, but he seemed like a good man. I’m sorry he’s gone.”
“Thank you,” Renny said in that gentle way of his. “We’re going to miss him.” He spoke without a hint of resentment, as if Gage hadn’t held the crew at gunpoint and locked them inside his lab twenty-four hours earlier.
That was when it occurred to Doran that Captain Rossi wasn’t the only person who’d changed everyone on board the ship. They owed their lives to the first mate, too. Placing one hand on the crutch in front of him, Doran said, “Nobody can replace the man we lost. But the Banshee needs a captain, and I nominate Renny for the job.”
“Seconded,” Solara said with a firm nod.
While Renny blinked behind his glasses, Kane asked, “All in favor?”
“Aye,” called five synchronized voices, including Gage’s.
Doran turned to Renny. “It’s unanimous. The job isn’t easy and the pay probably sucks, but I can’t imagine anyone else but you at the helm. Do you accept?”