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Esthi hands it to him. “I’ve been on ships for years. I crawl around in ductwork and the like. Rust can be the difference between life and death. Penetrating oil helps break loose stuck hinges, latches, and bolts. I’ve got a tiny amount of gun grease. But it’s just a dab.”

She gapes at Carver when he bites the end off of the oil bottle and downs it like water.

“Ugh, thank you.” Carver rolls onto his back and stares up at the ceiling. “Give me two minutes to spread this around. Maybe three. Systems are still loosening up.”

CarverArmor: Request update since last ping.

I find his last ping relay in my memory banks from three years ago and send him every recording I have so he knows what I know while Esthi carefully folds up her cords.

“I’m guessing we may need this for the others.” Esthi rearranges her pack so the cords are easy to access. “I’ll connect to the downed unit, then to one of you, whoever has the most power left. But with the wolves out there, we’ll likely have to wake them and get back here.

Carver sits up. “If I can get a bit more food and water in me, I can bore us an underground path to the others.”

“The Brothers will need power. We should stay topside,” I counter.

Carver points at me. “You’re right. I’m a bit rusty after years of hibernation.”

Esthi grabs another food bar and the small bottle of water. She chews a lip as she hands it to Carver. “There’s a bowl of berries behind you, along with a few strips of jerky from the garroh I caught. But this is the last of my food and water.

“I can’t take that,” Carver says. “I won’t.”

“You need to free your brothers. This is what we have,” she says.

“No, it’s what you have,” I counter. “You should keep it.”

Esthi sighs. “I can forage more. But you need strength. Take it. Get your Brothers out. I’ll help as long as I’m able, but I can’t do what you do.”

“What about your sister?” I ask.

She rubs a dirty hand over her pretty mouth.

“To the best of my knowledge, she was assigned to pilot a Skysprinter. So many have been taken out in the weeks since I crashed here from Marst that I’m not certain she’s even alive.

I just wanted to try to find her for as long as I could. I think my search is coming to an end.”

CarverArmor: Brothers are shooting down the Skysprinters. Correct?

I click back twice in confirmation.

He gets up. “I am sorry to hear of your sister, Esthi. Thank you for returning me to operation. I must find this creek so I can break free of this dirt. It is like cement. Then I can free the others, and we can all look together as we make our way to the BlazeStar.”

Carver slows as he stiffly passes me on the way out.

CarverArmor: I know she freed you, but you need to remember your place in protecting her from all threats, Solcruean and otherwise.

I ponder his response as he leaves.

CarverArmor: She needs to know she matters, that she has family like us. Losing a Brother to us is likely a similar feeling to her losing her sister. I know you’re mated and feeling things for her that you shouldn’t. But there’s no time to hesitate if we only have two days left.

He has always been my voice of reason, a straightforward Titan in his cyberpsyche, even if his body is a twisted weapon of destruction.

Esthi picks up her things and resituates her pack on her back. She gathers the berries and jerky and tucks them in a pouch, which she carries in a hand.

I tuck my wings up close together, exit the cave, grab Esthi by the waist, and toss her over my head, spreading her knees so she lands on my shoulders and the crooks of my wings in a sitting position.

Her gasp is a reminder to warn her next time. If there is one.

“Armor?”

“You run slower.” It’s just going to be my go-to excuse for being close to her. “I want you with me.”

The plush heat of her against my wings and my shoulders makes me want to find a quiet place to explore her body again.

When I dreamt of my future mate, I had hoped she would be warm and soft and gentle, tough but fair, and loyal to our kind.

I did not expect any attraction I felt to be to a human.

And I never considered myself worthy of a Cybertech.

Hearing a splash makes me run faster. Carver’s found water, and I’m suddenly more aware of my own dehydration.

At the edge, I reluctantly set Esthi down.

She drops her gear and refills her bottles first. Then she opens a rubbery bag and fills it, folding over the edge and clipping the top.

I stay with her until she gets in. Then I finally join her and Carver for a quick dunk and to drink in as much as I can.

It feels good to soak off the dirt in the cool water.

CarverArmor: I hear Mother’s beacon. I have missed it.

I hear it, too, and it reminds me we need to get going. But when I turn to exit and switch visual modes for a clearer picture of Esthi, I find a set of glinting eyes watching from the trees across the creek.

“Esthi, don’t move.”