Seraph’s Gambit- Episode 60

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Serene

Through the viewport, Serene looked out at Seraph hanging above the planet below.  The ship seemed in far better condition than the first time she had seen it. All the black battle scars and jagged rips in the hull had been repaired. A fresh coat of paint had been applied, giving the ship a new look.

“She looks good now, doesn’t she?” Olivia said, interrupting Serene’s peace.

“Shouldn’t you be onboard? They can’t leave without a pilot.”

“We’ll be leaving shortly. Back to the Hub with a load of cargo. But we were missing a crewmember.”

“Oh? That fool of an engineer go and cut his last arm off?”

Olivia shook her head, “No. At least, I don’t think so. But, we’re actually in need of a cargo handler.”

“That’s because your last one went and blew himself up. Idiot.” Serene said, turning away from the young girl.  Even with her cybernetics, she couldn’t bear to look someone in the eye at the moment, as tears threatened to well up.

With a frown, Olivia studied Serene for a moment before saying, “I’ve been asking myself why he did it. Noah wasn’t the kind of person to sacrifice himself for others. At least that’s what I thought. That’s what I’d convinced myself had to be true. Because how could a decent person be in love with someone like you? A slaver? How could a decent person be involved with that kind of thing?”

“Those are good questions. Good people don’t associate with the likes of me. I’m a corrupting influence,” Serene said, glancing back at Olivia and giving one of her wicked grins. She knew it had a pretty unnerving effect.

Astonishingly, Olivia smiled, “But then I remembered something Javi tried to tell me. Sometimes people find themselves on the other side of a line they never thought they’d cross. What really matters is what they do next.

“I don’t know what Noah did in the past. But he did try to get away from it. And he tried to help you get away from it too. He chose not to port you back to Slaver’s Station. He let you stay. Knowing you might betray us. But he wanted to help you.”

“And then he killed himself,” Serene spat.

“He sacrificed himself. For you. Because, in the end, he was a good person.”

“That’s where you’re wrong.” Serene said quietly.

“How so?”

“Noah was always a good person.” Serene admitted, she looked Olivia straight in the eye and continued before the girl could argue, “Do you know why Gerald wanted him?”

Olivia shook her head, “Not really. I just assumed he double crossed him.”

Serene smiled, “In away. When we started working for Gerald, he was just your usual scum lord. But one time he came back from some job loaded down with a cargo hold full of people. Picked them up from some Manta or something. Decided to start auctioning the people off as slaves. That didn’t sit right with Noah. So he freed them. Cost Gerald quite a sum of money. And himself too, truth be told.

“So you see, this, I’m not the one who deserved to make it off that ship.”

“Maybe not. But he thought you were worth saving.”

Serene considered several retorts. All of them sounded hollow in her head. What would it take to get this girl to leave her alone? She was the one who was supposed to manipulate people’s feelings. Not the other way around.

“And if he felt that way, then I owe it to him to think that way too.” Olivia continued.

Serene forced herself to give a big laugh, “Oh that’s rich. The little human girl is going to save big old slave monster from her despicable ways. How precious.”

Olivia’s shoulders slumped, and Serene felt an unexpected pang in her chest. That hadn’t felt as good as it usually did. She looked away, unsure what to do next.

Shaking her head emphatically, Olivia said, “No, I’m just going to do what he tried to do. I already talked to the captain. The cargo handler position is yours, if you want it.”

“Ariana is willing to take me back aboard her ship? After I tried to steal it from her?”

“Well, she did make it clear she wouldn’t pay you very well.”

“I don’t think she’s capable of paying me well.”

“Probably not. But she made it clear that even if she could, she wouldn’t pay you well.”

“Fair enough.”

Serene glanced back through the window out at Seraph. Why was she even considering this? There was apparently no profit to be made. And she didn’t think she liked any of these people. But Noah had. And Noah, despite all his bluster to the contrary, had liked her in a way no one else ever had. He may be gone, but maybe he had left her something more than just her life.

Turning back to Olivia, she said, “All right, let’s go.”

The Adventure Continues in Seraph’s Bind

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