“I don’t think it’s been explored before,” Xandra said as she moved toward the ship. She let go of the controls and reached out, touching the moss-covered hull.

“I told you,” Hakuria said. There was an outline, barely visible to Xandra’s left, some kind of entry port.

She glanced toward her left. They were on the shaded side of the ship, but a sharp line of sunlight cut across the terrain, backlighting some hanging red vines over their heads which gave them an orange glow. They were wet and greasy.

How long had this ship sat here, atop this hill covered with overgrowth, sheltered under this ridge? Higher up the mountain there must have been a pond or a small lake. Farther to their right the water cascaded over the ship and down from where the girls and climbed.

The water must be getting contaminated from the ship. But was it bad science or evil magic? “We have to get in,” she said.

Xandra glanced back, then to the ship. She seemed to make out the outline. Hakuria approached the hull, touched it. The moss was cold and damp on her fingers, the metal underneath even more so.

She dug her fingers in, pulled on the moss. It peeled off and crumbled wetly as the strong smell of earth filled her nose. It smelled good—didn’t stink like some contaminated mud or slime. The ship was old and there was a thick layer of sediment underneath which gave the moss a healthy base from which to grow on. It would be…

“This would make great soil,” Xandra said, almost sounding as if she were in awe—and they had been nearly the exact words Hakuria had been thinking.

She nodded. “Mmm.”

But why? Her goal was to leave this heap of a world. As the girls peeled off more moss, she guessed that it was only natural to think that, having lived on Deadworld her whole life.

Once the moss was all gone, fingermarks marring the side of the dirty hull, Xandra looked to Hakuria. “How do we get in?”

She shrugged. “Any ideas, Littlehand?”

“None, Hakuria. I’ve never seen a ship like this before.”

“It must be a Rem ship.”

Hoping it was, Hakuria studied the outline. It was some kind of plate, but was it even a port? She looked about, wondering how they might get in, when her eye caught Xandra’s railgun atop her mech’s shoulder.

Xandra’s eyes connected with hers. “No.”

“Yes.”

“I said no.”

“Why not?”

“What if one of Lady-98s men are in the area—or worse, a Midnighter? They’d kill us without a thought and claim this thing for themselves, stupid.”

“There’s no other way in.”

“You don’t know that.”

Hakuria looked at the hull. “Do you expect to find a doorknob?”

The older girl rolled her eyes and then studied the ship. “Even if we get in here, it could take us months to search and salvage what’s inside.”

“I don’t care about salvage.”

There was a moment of silence between them, but Xandra finally said, “So that’s all you want.”

Hakuria needed to get off of Deadworld, to find Shiro.

“What about the rest of us?”

“I’ll come back for you.”

“Yeah right,” Xandra said. “You’ll disappear like Shiro.”

Hakuria scrunched her lips together. “What’s that supposed to mean?” There was sharpness in her tone.

Xandra turned to face her head on. “What I mean is that we don’t know what happened to Shiro. Chasing after him is irresponsible when the rest of us are scratching out an existence on this heap of a world, you selfish little cuss!”

“Bitch.”

“What did you just say?”

“I said you’re not my mother, you bossy bitch!”

Hakuria didn’t expect the slap across the face after repeating the name calling. Her cheek smarted sharply, her eyes wide as she stared at Xandra.

Blinking, she backed Littlehand a pace to put distance between them as more heat rose to her cheeks. “I’m getting in that ship—do you hear me?—and I’m taking whatever power’s inside. I’m getting off this heap and I’m rescuing Shiro.”

Nostrils flared, she watched as Xandra’s eyes filled with tears. She wiped a hand across her cheek, then put a hand to her breast. “You think I don’t care about Shiro? I think about him every day, wondering where he went—why he left us. If he’s even coming back. I know he could be hurt, but I hope he’s just busy—trying to find a way to come back to us.

I don’t even care if he doesn’t find a way to get us off of Deadworld. I just want him back.”

Hakuria swallowed. She felt like a villain.

“And you,” Xandra continued, indicating Hakuria with her hand. “I care about you. You’re like my little sister, Hakuri. We don’t know what happened to Shiro. What if it’s something bad? What if that happens to you?”

“It won’t,” she blurted. “I won’t let it.”

Xandra shook her head. “You don’t know that. I can barely stand losing Shiro. I don’t want to lose you too.”

“You will,” Hakuria said, “eventually. That’s how life is on this heap and you know it.”

Xandra glanced off into the distance. There was a look of pain on her face. Did she agree with Hakuria?

But then she said, “I’m not going to let you kill yourself, Hakuri.”

“That would be bad,” Littlehand echoed.

“Shut up,” Hakuria spat as she looked down at her mech. “You’re supposed to be on my side.”

“But I am.”

She turned to Xandra. “I can take care of myself.”

“Said everyone who ever proved that didn’t matter before their end came.”

“You’re not our mother.”

“No, but I am your friend.”

“Tch!”

“Don’t make that noise at me,” Xandra ordered. She pushed her arms down forcefully from where they rested on her mech controls. “I’ve always looked out for you. I helped you build Littlehand. Half the parts I gave you.”

“And you keep reminding me, mom!”

“Shut up, you little shit.”

“Make me!”

“You can’t beat me, Hakuri. Which makes me wonder, even if you did find a place of power, got some magic, could you really take care of yourself?”

“Of course I could!”

“That’s what Shiro thought,” Xandra said. She crossed her arms. “He was twice the mechanic I am, and twice the fighter.”

Hakuria felt her cheeks flush. “Stop talking about him like he’s dead,” she commanded, spit flying out of her mouth.

Xandra’s next words were quiet. “He might as well be, Hakuri.”

“No! Shut up—I won’t listen to you.”

With a roar of servomechanisms and hissing pneumatics, she lunged forward with Littlehand and reached out to take hold of Xandra’s mech.

Hakuria wasn’t expecting her to move so quickly. Xandra back stepped, then lunged forward and took hold of both her mech arms and shunted her back.

Littlehands’s servos whined as her legs were stressed, Hakuria rattled in her harness.

“You wanna fight, Hakuri?”

She hated it when Xandra called her that. It’s what Shiro called her—his little sister Hakuri.

Xandra calling her that made her bare her teeth. “You can’t stop me.”

“You know what? Even if you get in there,” she pointed toward the derelict ship with a large mech hand, “what makes you think you’ll be any better off with a bit of magic in your servos? If you can’t even beat me now, magic won’t help you, Hakuri.”

Hakuria burned, both in her face, but her foot was also smarting as if fire were running up her leg, both her frustration and physical discomfort adding to her discontent with Xandra.“Stop calling me that!” Hakuria screamed, and rushed forward. She jumped into the air and raised Littlehhand’s big hand to pummel Xandra’s railgun off her shoulder.

Hakuria would show her.

But she missed as Xandra twirled away in her mech, dust and dirt and scraps of vines flying.

How was her mech so fast? How could she control it so—

Hakuria’s Littlehand jerked as Xandra took hold of her little hand arm and yanked.

She kicked her foot pedals to keep from falling, turned as Littlehand lost balance and fell to the ground.

Whole world jangling and bouncing about, she knew she had taken a serious fall as dirt and particles stung into her face. Hakuria scrunched up her face, her eyes closed tight.

Xandra came to her from behind, each footfall of her mech a stamp she could feel through the ground.

And then there was a lightening of pressure as Littlehand, along with herself, were lifted slightly.

She could hear the worry in Xandra’s voice as she asked, “Hakuri—are you all right? Hakuri?”

She growled, too furious to use words that weren’t insults.

“Answer me!”

“I’m fine,” she hissed, staring at the kicked up earth in front of her face.

“Good,” Xandra said. She physically shook Hakuri as the words came out. “I’m sorry.”

“No you’re not.”

“Not for that—for this!”

Hakuria’s heart leapt, and the one word that surfaced into her mind was “no.”

Littlehand jerked forward as a loud metal on metal crunching sounded.

“Stop! Xandra stop it—please!”

Xandra was punching Littlehand’s shoulder servos with what Hakuria knew to be the intent to take her mech out of commission.

Hakuria wouldn’t be able to get into the derelict ship.

“I won’t, Hakuri.”

Punch.

NO! Nonnonon! Please don’t do it!

Punch.

She wouldn’t be able to go to Lady-98s faction.

Punch.

She wouldn’t get off of Deadworld. “STOP IT! STOP, STOP, STOOOOOP!”

Punch.

“I won’t—“ the words wouldn’t come out properly. Her mouth wasn’t working right, her throat felt… thick.

The final punch rattled her teeth.

Hakuria wouldn’t be able to find Shiro—to help him. To save him?

“I hate you.”

“You can, Hakuri”—Xandra sniffed—“you can hate me if you want, you stupid little girl.”

She was rattled again as her mech turned, flipped over onto its back as Xandra pulled her over.

Her cheeks were wet. But so were Hakuria’s. She hated crying in front of others, most of all Xandra. She turned her head, unable to look at the other girl without screaming at her in a snot filled rage.

There was silence between them as both girls sniffed. Hakuria wiped her face and clenched her teeth.

After a long time, Xandra said, “For what it’s worth, I don’t care about the magic—if there even is any.”

She wanted to yell, and almost did. Instead she said, “Why won’t you let me do what I have to do?” She looked at the other girl, at her red-rimmed eyes. They reminded her of her smarting foot.

“I’m not trying to hold you back,” Xandra said. “We have to stick together. All of us.”

It was true. The children, their group—gang, whatever it was, had always stayed together, foraged together, scavenged, hunted, built mechs. They taught one another each other’s skills, helped whenever one of their group was in need.

But Shiro…

“I—I can’t bear the thought of Shiro, Xandra.”

“I know.”

“I won’t ever forgive you for this.”

Xandra’s bottom lip trembled. She looked like she might start crying again. “You don’t have to. One day you will understand that I did it for you—for Shiro, too. He wouldn’t want you to go after him.”

“He’s always annoying like that,” Hakuria whispered.

Xandra wiped her cheek again and smiled. “Stupid boy.”

“Ha—kkkk—urrrr—Ia,” Littlehand finally chirped, her voice lagging and stalling. “I’mmmm dammm—ageddd.”

“I know. I’m sorry. I was stupid, Littlehand.”

“She’ll be fine,” Xandra said. “I only damaged her shoulder servos. Her AI core was probably knocked out of alignment a bit. It always was a little loose.”

“You’re not going to scrap her?”

“Of course not, silly.”

Relief came over Hakuria. Xandra had always been willing to make hard decisions if she thought it was for the good of others. Even if they didn’t like it. “I’ll even help you fix her,” she added. “But you need to promise me, Hakuri—that you won’t do anything stupid. We work together, as a team. I to go after Shiro as much as you, but I have more to think about than just him.”

“I know,” Hakuria said. “I’m sorry.”

“Are you?”

“Yes.”

“But you said you would never forgive me.”

“You know I’m stubborn.”

“Stubborn… Hmm. That doesn’t begin to describe you—you headstrong little brat. I’m surprised the other gangs call you ‘Littlehand.’”

“Shut up,” Hakuria snapped, but she smiled too.

“Come on,” Xandra said, bending and lifting Littlehand and Hakuria together so she could right them.

“Thank y—youuuu, Xannnn-drrra.”

Xandra took her hands off her mech controls and reached out toward Hakuria. With their roll cages bumping together, Hakuria leaned out and embraced Xandra.

Hakuria was still angry with the older girl, but it was a sister’s anger, the way she had gotten angry with Shiro when he hadn’t let her do something stupid—something she was certain she could handle, but that he, being older and more experienced, and being his little sister’s protector—wouldn’t allow her to do.

Family.

So annoying.

“Now let’s go back,” Xandra said. “Jack said he would have those nice lanterns ready today. We can be back for evening supper.”

“Murat stew…” Hakuria said. She was sick of that stuff.

“I’ll tell him not to use any of the scaly ones.” Xandra turned, got into the small pack tied to her mech and pulled out a canteen of fresh water. “Here.”

She breathed out, feeling something lift from her. “Fine.” She bent and poured the water over her ankle and food. It was red and smarting, but at least her skin wasn’t falling off. It was just irritation. The water felt wonderful.

Together the girls left the ship.

Hakuria glanced back, squinting through the sun at the ship from the bottom of the ravine.

Xandra took Hakuria by the arm. “It’s not going anywhere.”

“She’s rrrr-ight, Hak-uuurrria.”

Hakuria smiled. “Yeah, I know. Now come on.”