COMPANY OF ADVENTURERS

“You are the kissingest crew I’ve ever met.” said Sou-fen Macharia to her friend.

“Nuthin wrong with showin affection, is there?” replied Mamie.

“Nah, but I swear y’all took fifteen minute for hugging and kissing. Your husband kisses you and Beege and Derry kisses you, and Beege kisses all the men, including that tough muscle of yours, then hasta chase after her brother and hold him down…

Mamie laughed. “K. It does sound crazy smoochy when you say it. So, what are ya setting out at the booth t’day?”

“I baked date-nut and lemon loaves and two kinds of bread, potato-rosemary sourdough and challah.”

“Challah? My Granny Singh made that for Sundays. Ooh, if I find eggs shoppin t’day, I’ll make pain perdu. With hmmm, seaprotein sausages and fried tomatoes.”

“The MuckedyMuck is in from Triumph. Ask Freddie if they brought any sausage from there. They sometimes bring in frozen patties or bulk packs. Real pig meat.”

“Triumph? Have they lifted the quarantine?”

“Cordin to Freddie. Feds came in with Flyin Doctors and inoculated ever’bod and passed out the cure all to the sickies. The preachers was some mad, too! Then they got above themsel’ and tried to blow up a Flyin Doctor ship. So the Feds arrested all the clerics who’d been taking against the vaxx and took ’em off planet for trial.”

“Huh, between transport an trial they’ll be gone two year or more. Then jail time.”

“Them clerics ain’t gonna recognize Triumph when they get back.”

“Serves em right. Not vaccinating against bovine leprosy! What kinda version of god wrote that!”

“Not Mithra anyways.” Sou-fen made the sign of the sun.

“Yah, well, I’ll skip Triumph sausage for a while, good price or no. Leprosy.. ugh.”

Sou-fen’s comm buzzed. “Gotta take the next loaves out. You around for today?”

“Goin shoppin later, but most of the morning.”

As Sou-fen entered her ship, Hope Aglukak descended Bluebell’s cargo ramp, stretching. Hope, at fifteen, was as tall as her mother, a good 190 cm, and somehow had missed the gawky stage. She wore a black catsuit, not the best colour for her golden brown skin and blonde dreadlocked hair, but her

Hope and the Constable/1

green eyes were large and expressive.

“What’s on the schedule today, Mamie?” she asked.

“We’re locking up the boat while the men are off and haven’ a girl’s day in town. Right over to the downtown mall, not just the spaceport market. Yer mum wants some fancy groceries and we need school uniforms for all you kids.”

“Just one more year for me, auntie.”

“They don’t have uniforms in pilot academy?”

“If an academy has a uniform, I ain’t goin there.”

“Spoken like a true spacer’s daughter.”

“Well, I am.”

Mamie laughed again. “Did you see my Baby Girl since her daddy went off? I don’t want her exploring alone.′

“She’s with Mamma, doing her arithmetic.”

Sou-fen returned with a brilliant red and gold tablecloth and a basket of baked goods. Four transports, Bluebell, Pretty Baby, Damfine and Lady Day, had set down together by the edge of the spaceport and flung up a white picket fence , supplied by the crew of the Pretty Baby, which the four crews used to make a gathering place and a safe playground for their children. Sou-fen had her trading booth just outside the fenced in area, selling her justly famous baked goods. Wherever the Pretty Baby went, buyers clamoured for her dessert loaves .

“Mamie, if you see any pumpkins or apples or a good price on overripe peaches, could you grab them for me? I feel pies coming on.”

“Dam tooting! Kin we get a pie in trade?”

“You’ll need two for your gang.”

“Especially Marco.”

“Tell him I’ll sell him a pie made special for him.”

“Sou! You getting a letch?”

“He’s a nice piece of manflesh.”

“As long as you don’t talk to him.”

“That wasn’t my plan.”

The women laughed conspiratorially.

The scent of the warm bread brought customers to Sou-fen’s booth immediately and she was almost sold out when her comm buzzed again.

“Hope, sweetie! Would you cover the booth while I get the next batch out?”

“Yes’m!”

A government patrol was attracted by the delicious smells and strolled over, both men armoured and armed with taser rifles.

“What you got for a hungry man, little lady,” said the senior officer, who was easily 10 cm shorter than Hope. Mamie, at the cargo bay door, stopped to listen.

Hope recited the prices for the various products left.

“No special prices for your valiant protectors?” The policers had opaque faceplates to their helmets that made them seem like robots. The man put his gloved hand on Hope’s.

“Don’t need protection. We takes care of our own.” She calmly pulled her hand back.

The policer stiffened. Mamie alerted Dita by comm to come to the bay ramp.

“What! You spacer trash don’t think you need help keeping you civilized? You think you don’t need protection from the smugglers and pirates and slavers Out There? You think you can just go your own merry way without …”

The other policer spoke up. “Corporal? There seems to be some problem over by the Moon and

Hope and the Constable/2

Comet tavern. Perhaps we should check it out?”

The corporal’s faceplate stayed focussed on Hope for a few seconds. “Yeah. Evidently, in spite of this bitch’s opinion, some spacers do need protection. C’mon.”

Mamie relaxed.

“But you better be sure that you have papers for that space you have blocked off. And a peddler’s licence.”

The junior officer, walking behind his corporal, turned to face Hope, walking backward. He shrugged and gave her a quick salute.

“There was no problem at the tavern, was there, Mamie?” asked Hope.

“The Moon and Comet? It’s a real dive, so probably there is. But that constable didn’t get any comm about it. Nice of him.”

“You saying something nice about cops, Mamie? Mind I don’t tell the captain.”

It had been a good day, Mamie thought. They had learned that prices on school uniforms were much lower at the city centre mall than in the spaceport markets. Beege’s new uniform actually cost less than the secondhand one she had been looking at nearer the port. The uniform should do for a year since she was out of the eighth year growth spurt. Beege had behaved herself, for once not darting off to examine everything that caught her eye. Mamie and Beege had chosen the same ‘treat’ purchase, sparkly hair ornaments. “I’ll put your hayrr up the way the captain liketh it, Mummy,” Beege had promised, “if you’ll do mine.”

She’d bought a dress for herself, too, and persuaded Hope to buy something different than all her black jumpsuits. That it was an orange jumpsuit she put down to learning compromise. Anyway, it was a colour.

Dita was, as ever, more practical, She shopped for lined coveralls for wear on winter worlds. “I damn near froze my ass off on Godforsaken.” she complained. “That short jacket is warm enough up top but I wanna cover my assets next trip.”

“It could be summer then, Dita,” Mamie said.

“Winter will come” replied the first mate. “Cap’n avoids it as much as he can, but needs must sometimes.”

As they rolled their carts down the temporary street formed by the random landing of various transports, Mamie waved to Sou-fen, sitting at her booth in front of the picket fence.

“Sweetie, I got some real nice peaches for you. There were good punkins too, but they were too big to carry on the bus.”

“These look great, hun, I’ll get my kids to peeling and pitting right away. I can send Butters off to get punkins tomorra if you have the coordinates.”

“Yah, punkins keep good. You could buy lots- they’re local so the price is good. Then you can make up fresh pies in your own sweet time.”

“Hope you sampled the peaches?”

“Yah, course. We each had one for lunch, but there’s near a bushel spread among our carts so they won’t get squashed. The greengrocer had apples too, but they was dear, and kinda soft.”

After the new clothes were inspected and approved again an the groceries stowed, Hope returned to the yard.

“My very last batch is comin out, Hope . Kin I appeal t’your better nature?”

“Of course, Auntie Sou.”

A tall rather gangly young man approached the booth as Sou- fen left.

“G’day miss.” he said. And blushed.

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Hope looked him over coolly, “Somethin I can help you with, mister?”

“I was here this morning. Perhaps you remember?”

“Sorry, I’ve been away most of the day… Were you makin a special order?”

“Uh,no.” He was blushing harder. He ran his hand through his spiky blond hair, mussing it further.

Hope stood quietly.

The boy stared at her.

Beege raced down the cargo ramp and out of the yard.

“BabyGirl! Come back here right now!” called Hope.

“Your sister?”

“Near as.”

“My name is Albert. Albert Worcester.’

“Pleased. Hope Aglukak.”

“Ms. Aglukak. Pleased.”

They stood silently. Hope could see Beege greeting Michael and David as they walked slowly towards Bluebell. Down the makeshift road between the spaceships she could see Rand and Marco in the cargo hauler.

Albert continued to stare at her. Hope broke the silence.

“How did we meet this morning again? I was only at the booth for a few minutes.”

“Oh! Oh, uh, I was on duty. I forget people can’t see our faces in uniform.”

Hope’s face hardened. The junior policer.

“I remember. I guess I should thank you for getting that officer off my case.”

“He’s not too good with women. He gets fresh, ask me.”

“While you are Constable Manners.”

It did not seem possible that Albert could blush pinker.

“Oh, uh, no, I….”

“Well, if you don’t want Sou-fen’s baking, an you’re missing a good thing if’n you don’t, and you got your thanks for stopping a sichashun fore I hadda clock the fresh bugger, and get taken by law, what do you want?”

“Um, well, I wanted, I was hopin, that is , if your daddy let’s you walk out…”

“Ain’t got no daddy.”

“She’s got uncles, though.” said Rand descending from the loader and looking irritated. Marco hopped down and lifted a sleeping Derry out. Michael and David joined the group. Only Michael was shorter than the gangling youth.

The young man kept his cool much better surrounded by hostile men than he had with one girl.

“Hello, sir,” he said, extending his hand to Rand. “My name is Albert Worcester, and I was hoping Ms. Aglukak would consent to sharing her company with me this evening.”

Rand raised an eyebrow. “Do we know you from somewhere, boy?”

Hope intervened, “Albert and I met just this morning. He headed off a very rude policer that was givin me the hassle.”

“Mmph. Quite the gentleman, then, Al?”

“No, sir, just tryin to keep the peace.”

“Well, if Hope is willin, I won’t stop ‘er.’

“Thanks Capt’n, I would be willin.”

“What do you have in mind, Al?”

“Capt’n, that’s between me and Constable Worcester, now.” said Hope

“Constable ! You’re proposing walkin out with a cop?”

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“We don’t really like that name, sir.”

“Us spacers don’t much take to interferin’ cops.”

“Captain, did you miss the part about Albert heading off his superior who was hassling me?”

“Okay points fer that. But Hope’s too young to be walkin out.”

“Seems to me you ain’t my daddy, Captain.” the teenager said.

There was an exchange of glares. Hope was tall enough to meet the captain eye to eye.

“Not yer daddy, but yer crew, an’ I’m the capt’n.”

“Captain got no say in crew’s personal life.”

“But your mother does.” Dita strode down the cargo ramp. “What do you propose for this walking out, young man?”

Albert gazed at the beautiful Amazon. It was obvious where Hope got her height, although her mother’s black hair was buzzed rather than her daughter’s thick blonde dreadlocks.

He clicked his heels and bowed, drawing a snort from the captain. “Albert Worchester, at your service, ma’am. Um. I was going to suggest walking to the Riverfront Park and a drink, coffee! at the teahouse.” he turned to Hope, “If that would suit you. Ms. Aglukak.”

“Hope.”

“Hope.” he smiled, a gloriously goofy grin .

“It’s okay, Rand,” Dita said.

Rand swung away abruptly and with the other men, stomped up the ramp, Marco carrying the sleeping Derry.

“She better be home before curfew!” he called back.

Hope and her mother exchanged smiles, “Do I have a curfew, mamma?”