Salvage Read Online Free

one with a power jack and an amp reader and snapped it into the coaxer’s line-in.
    â€œThis might take a minute, depending what’s wrong,” she said. She hopped up on the locker beside her tools and looked up at me. “I could show you the fix, if you want.”
    â€œNo.” Llell cut in. She shot a hard look at me and her voice went high. “I don’t think we should be here, Ava.”
    I hesitated. They were all looking at me, Soli and Llell and Luck. The words snarled up in my throat, and all I could come up with was a high-pitched “Umm . . .”
    Llell spun on her heel. “Hurry on, Ava. We’re leaving.”
    Soli snorted and rolled her eyes. “What’re you afraid of?”
    I paused, darting my eyes from my old friend to the new.
    Llell turned back. “Ava.” It was one sharp word, but it said so much. Come here , and obey , and choose . I wasn’t so girl then, not yet, and because of my odd skin, Llell was the one stooping to be my friend.
    I shook my head. “I’m staying,” I said quietly.
    Llell’s eyes shot wide. “Come how?”
    â€œI’m staying.”
    Llell’s face crumpled, and then went hard and cold. “Right so.” She swept one last look at me and edged out of the bay. I chewed on my lower lip as I watched her go.
    â€œYou sure you don’t want to learn?” Soli raised an eyebrow at me.
    I backed up a step. “No, no.”
    Soli shrugged and set about prying the casing from the regulator.
    â€œI should clean up Chinny’s mess,” I said.
    â€œI’ll help you,” Luck said.
    â€œMmmn,” Soli agreed, already bent over her work.
    â€œNo.” I accidentally looked at Luck again and pushed my eyes down. This was going too far. “That’s not men’s work.”
    A twitch of confusion passed Luck’s face. He frowned. “It is on the Æther . Besides, it’s my fault. I wasn’t s’posed to be on this duty firstways.”
    â€œPlease.” My voice rose. “Let me do it.”
    I grabbed a pitchfork and a mucking brush and pushed my way through the goats. Chinny stood by herself near the gate, slowly chewing a mouthful of hay.
    â€œSome bad matter, you.” I aimed a halfhearted kick at her. “Shoo.”
    I started pitching the sopping hay into the big, boxy methane digester at the side of the paddock, studiously ignoring Luck. Modrie Reller said the methane digester would churn dung, old hay, and whatever else we slopped into it down to a tank in the ship’s guts, where it would rot away. Then the methane coming off the rot would turn to fuel for powering lights or raising the pneumatic lift, whatever the ship needed. A footstep scuffed behind me in the hay. I froze.
    â€œHere.” Luck eased the brush from under my arm. “At least let me hold that while you’re clearing up.”
    I nodded, face and arms hot, and went back to my work.
    â€œUm . . .” Luck slapped the brush against his leg absentmindedly and looked up at the rafters, where a pair of sparrows nested. “How long’s the coaxer been bust, then?”
    I hefted another forkful of wet hay into the digester’s mouth. “Half a turn.” My words came out a grunt.
    â€œAnd your Fixes don’t have it up yet?”
    â€œNothing wrong with our Fixes.” I stopped pitching hay and glared at him. “It’s not Priority, is all.”
    â€œI didn’t mean it bad.” He squatted next to me and pushed the mucking brush across the milk-damp floor. “Soli’ll have it up. Don’t worry.”
    â€œWill you stop cleaning!” My voice came out shrill. I slapped a hand over my mouth.
    Luck looked at me as if I’d bitten him.
    I dropped my head and my voice. “I’m sorry. I mean, please, so, don’t trouble yourself with it.”
    Luck laughed. “Did you just call me so?”
    I