The Long Forever. Eugene Lambert

course. That’s where they took Tarn, so that’s where we start looking.’

      Wrath knows what would’ve happened next, but there’s a banging on the flight deck’s closed hatch. Anuk’s muffled voice calls through it, asking what’s keeping us.

      I shout to her that we’ll be along in a minute. Then I lower my voice. ‘Let’s all cool it, okay? If we keep on as we are, how long till we reach this Enshi place?’

      ‘A standard-month, give or take. But so what?’ he says.

      ‘So there’s no rush to alter course, is there?’

      He takes a deep breath, and sighs it out. ‘Guess not.’

      BANG, BANG, BANG! Anuk’s getting impatient.

      Muttering stuff, Murdo presses something on the panel. The blue line stops flashing. A moment later, the misty green star map fades away, leaving me blinking.

      ‘Happy now?’ he says to Sky.

      She pockets the blaster. ‘Wasn’t so hard, was it?’

      Murdo stiffens, but lets it slide. And I can breathe again as he hauls himself up and out of his pilot seat.

      ‘Let’s get some food then,’ he says.

      ‘Sounds good to me,’ I say, scrambling after him.

      At the hatch he pauses to give me a sly wink. ‘And we can see what those other kids want to do, can’t we?’

      He slaps a pad on the bulkhead and the hatch slides open again. Anuk is standing there, arms folded.

      ‘What kept you guys?’

      ‘Pilot stuff.’ Murdo steers her along the companionway. ‘How’s the food coming? Found any booze yet?’

      I make the mistake of looking at Sky and frowning.

      ‘What?’ she snaps.

      ‘I didn’t say nothing,’ I protest.

      The hot-food smell hits me again as we duck back inside the cramped crew quarters. A red-cheeked younger kid lets me have his place behind a drop-down table, and slides me a steaming bowl. The contents look like pigswill, some greasy white stuff floating in it, but I’m hungry and others are slurping it down happily enough. And it tastes better than it looks. Between mouthfuls, I ask where the skinny crewman is. Anuk tells me they stuck him back in the cage.

      I’m starting on my second bowl when I think to make sure Sky’s getting fed too. She’s at the table nearest to the flight deck. Figures. Wouldn’t want Murdo to get past her and back on the controls. Can’t say she’s guzzling the mush down, but she is having a peck at it.

      With everyone chatting away it’s loud in here. I look around at flushed, excited faces, eyes shining with relief and wonder. Hear a few cautious laughs too, like they’re trying them out. And why not? These kids have gone from caged and helpless to their first taste of freedom. No more looking out through bars. No Slayers cracking whips and ordering them about. They can be kids, not prisoners.

      Only . . . where’s Murdo gone?

      Then I see him, climbing up from the lower deck.

      ‘Look what I found,’ he yells, brandishing a gleaming cylinder. I’ve never seen anything so shiny.

      ‘What is it?’ Cam calls out.

      Murdo tells us we’ll need cups or glasses. Kids dash to the tiny galley kitchen and fetch them. Meanwhile, Murdo pops the tube open and sniffs whatever’s inside.

      ‘Mmm, I feel better already,’ he mutters.

      He pours sparkling golden fluid into a glass he’s handed. Wisps of vapour rise to dance above it. He shuffles around, splashing some into our glasses, although not as much as he had. I’m not complaining though. Just the smell of the liquor almost burns the nose off my face.

      We’re all on our feet by now. I go and stand by Sky as she sniffs at her beaker, only to jerk her head back.

      ‘Oh crap, he’s going to make a speech,’ I whisper.

      Sky groans. ‘Kill me now.’

      Murdo waves and shouts to get everybody’s attention, a big grin splitting his battered face.

      The kids quit their gabbling and watch him.

      ‘This is best drunk cold,’ he announces, ‘so I’ll keep it short. We got off to a bad start with me wearing the Slayer black, but Kyle’s told you why that was, and now that we’ve bust out you must know I’m on your side.’

      He pauses, as if hoping for cheers.

      Doesn’t happen though. The kids just stare.

      Murdo clears his throat.

      ‘Look, I know you must have lots of questions. Between me, Sky and Kyle we’ll do our best to answer them. But first I think we should celebrate our escape.’

      He raises his glass and glances at me, eyebrows arched.

      I raise my glass. ‘To . . . having a future at last!’

      ‘Maybe,’ Sky mutters, so that only I hear.

      Anuk catches on fast. She raises her glass, to Sky first, me next and then Murdo. ‘And to you guys for saving us!’

      This gets them cheering at last.

      Saved is a bit strong, I reckon, but the liquor is stronger.

      Murdo knocks his glass back. I do the same. And regret it, because it’s like swallowing fire. The next few minutes are filled with watery-eyed kids spluttering and pulling disgusted faces, while laughing their heads off at each other. If the freighter crew got out now, we’d be helpless. But they don’t. And there’s enough in the flask for a second round. Mysteriously, it slips down easier this time. The burning gives way to a delicious warmth, like someone’s wrapped a soothing blanket around the inside of my head.

      ‘Good, huh?’ I say to Sky.

      ‘Beats the gut-rot we had in the Deeps,’ she admits.

      I slip my arm around her. ‘It’ll all be okay. We’ll work things out with Murdo and go find Tarn.’

      She looks at me, her eyes solemn. ‘Think so?’

      But now we’re swamped by kids firing rapid-fire questions. Gemini? Ident rebels? When did you guys meet? Do you know my brother/sister? We do our best to answer them in a way that makes sense. But the question we get asked more than any other is ‘What now?’

      And there’s only so many times we can duck it.

      Cam, his broad face flushed from the drink, holds his hand up for quiet and eventually gets it. ‘Busting out’s all well and good, but what happens next?’

      ‘Tell them, Sky,’ Murdo says. He leans back and folds his arms. Not sneering exactly, more like he’s amused. ‘It’s only fair.’

      ‘Fine,’ Sky says. Maybe without realising, her hand seeks out the teardrop tattoo inked under her left eye. ‘Kyle and me, we’re here to go looking for my sister. Tarn was shipped off-world about a year ago. We figure she’s been sold as a slave, like you lot would have been.’

      Silence greets this. Some dismayed looks too.

      ‘How do you plan to find her?’ Murdo asks, all innocent.

      I worry Sky will reach for her blaster again, but she just scowls defiantly. ‘They were taking us to the Enshi system, probably to the same place they took Tarn. I say we still go there. Murdo can put us down near the main settlement. Then Kyle and me will take a scout around.’

      I swallow hard, and hope she doesn’t notice.

      ‘What about us?’ Anuk asks.

      ‘Without me and Kyle, you’d all still be