16. Chapter 16

Ava was halfway between being awake and asleep but something was off. Lirell was there?

He was in her dream where she was flying, like in one of Ebel’s video games. It was weird. Even in her dreamlike state she thought it was off.

He was just watching. The feeling came and went as the dream changed.

There he was again!

He was watching as she was pretending to serve tea to her Human sisters like she did when she was young. Then again as she was swimming in a waterfall pool. Ava had never seen a waterfall in person, nor was she able to swim. Her dream had no issues with her lack of knowledge but made it happen anyway. She smiled in her sleep, delighted.

It was bugging her that Lirell was there in all of them, interrupting her to the point she started to actually wake up.

Ava blinked groggily in the dark and let out a yelp when she saw a hulking form illuminated by the light she had left on in the bathroom. She pulled her blankets up close to her chest, as if that action could shield her.

The form moved closer and Ava’s heart started pounding.

“Ava! It’s me, Lirell.” Ava’s brain had figured that out a half second before he talked. Her mind caught up and began thinking about all her dreams that had him featured in them.

“Lirell . . .” She muttered while looking around to get her bearings.

Her entire body sagged in relief, placing where she was and that danger was not actually happening. Her limbs felt heavy. She must have slept for a long time. She had risen on her arms in her initial reaction but now flopped back on the bed with a huff. “Humans don’t like people watching us when we’re asleep. You terrified me.”

Lirell looked chastised for a moment. “Apologies. Vox told me you were sleeping and I came in here to see what it looked like. I didn’t mean to stay, but you had so many pictures in your head! Are they all memories?”

“They were . . . dreams,” Ava answered, heart still racing. She rubbed her chest absently. “Humans, when we sleep . . . our brain dreams things, like memories, and weird things too—things that never happened.”

“So they were not all real?”

“No, the last one, the waterfall? I have never seen that in person, only video feeds. Dreams are fun. Sometimes they can be scary though.” She sat up and started to stretch her arms. Maybe she should be grateful she only dreamed fun things instead of a nightmare for Lirell to see instead. After the last cycle she had, she was sure it would have been nightmares from the ship takeover and aftermath.

Lirell stepped forward and sat on the bed next to her. It reminded her of Vox sitting there before she slept. Ava pulled up her legs and scooted back a bit from Lirell.

He didn’t seem to notice. “So your mind can make up dreams and put you in them? We cannot do that. We can only communicate things that we have actual memories of or can see.”

“So, wait . . .” Ava started. “You can’t imagine or visualize? You can’t picture things that aren’t real?”

“No.” Lirell shook his head while saying it. “Unless we see a picture of it, we can not then recreate it or create it in our heads. Like you did, that was so amazing! No wonder your mind confuses us so much when we tap into it.”

“Can’t other species do that?” Ava never really ever asked if Nuor or Ebel ever came up with stories or did pretend play when they were children. She had read books written by other species, so they must have some creativity to be able to make those.

“Some, but not as wildly as you can. I could watch you all cycle.”

Ava took a minute to process that. The Vorbax must be a very literal species then. “How do you think, or plan, if you can not think up things that aren’t real?”

“Oh, we can think of things that aren’t real. We can draw things that are new and then transmit that drawing to others. But we can’t make up videos we’re acting in or have them with feelings like you did in your mind. I could feel you having fun in the dream with the waterfall, and that was all made up.”

Ava shook her head, scooted over to the side, and grabbed the plate with the last bit of synthesized food sitting on the nightstand. It had long since gone cold, but she ate it and thought about what Lirell had said.

He was still staring at her like she was a fascinating program. It made Ava a little uncomfortable. She changed the subject. “Did anything important happen here while I was asleep?” Did anyone else die?

Lirell tilted his head. “The others did their check-in at Torga. It went fine. They are still getting information from the Tuxa since they already broke in their minds. Might as well. I am not good at doing that yet so I came here instead. I am glad I did. This was so much more entertaining.”

Ava chewed slowly, listening to him talk. She had a sinking feeling she was going to have more visitors while she slept. Unfortunately, she didn’t see a way to keep any of them out. Technically she was at their mercy now with them in control of the ship. Do I even want to keep Vox out?

She clicked the com absently on her wrist even though it no longer connected to anything.

The picture of Joy crumpled slightly against her chest in her shirt when she moved to sit up better. It reminded her to probe for more details.

“Lirell, did they discuss what they are going to do with me and the crew at all?”

“Not that I heard yet. Don’t worry, Ava. Even Rhutg was saying before I left that getting you to safety is now part of the mission.” Lirell reached forward and patted her shoulder awkwardly while saying it.

That was what Ava was worried about. She needed some time alone to think this through now that her mind was clear. Not in front of Lirell. He was glowing again while watching her. Ava purposely began thinking of engine parts and how to put together one of the gears on the west side of the engine while she finished eating.

“Do you like mechanics more than anything?” Lirell asked her.

He could see if she was lying if she said anything other than no so she responded instead, “It relaxes me sometimes to think about how everything fits.” It was the truth. After a heartbeat she also added, “Lirell, I don’t like when you probe me all the time. It makes me nervous.”

“Ah, my apologies. I don’t want to do that. Vox mentioned something like that.” He dimmed and looked chastised.

“Where is Vox now?” Ava needed the Vorbax to see her as a partner if she was going to have any chance of working with them. That was the one thing she had decided before falling asleep. She needed them.

“Let me check.” Lirell reached into his meditative state and tuned her out. Ava ate the last bit of her food and waited.

“He is in the engine hall and glad you’re awake. Apparently the biologics are unsettled even with us soothing them. He hopes that seeing you will put them at ease; it is affecting our speed.” He paused, glowing and listening a minute again, head tilted as if he was actually listening to someone speak verbally. “Actually, both Erox and Vox have different tasks for you if you are able. Erox wishes to do more scans in the med bay too.”

Ava thought a minute. More medical scans were not appealing, but she decided she was going to be as cooperative as possible until they got to Torga. That would be the best thing to do if she was going to make some sort of alliance work.

Ava shuddered, thinking of Erox running even more tests on her. She could be cooperative without doing that just yet. The engine, however . . . she could do that. And she wanted to see Vox again.

“Please tell Vox I will come down to the engine hall as soon as I shower.” She got up and moved sluggishly to the bathroom. Lirell remained seated on the bed, watching her with a bemused expression. She turned and looked at him, hand on the bathroom door.

“Lirell, who is in charge? Do you have a leader?”

“Oh, of this mission? Rhutg, Vox, and Erox are all in charge. I am still just learning.”

“How about on your planet?”

“At home, Rhutg is technically a higher rank. He is one of our leaders. Vox and Erox are more generals. That doesn’t mean Rhutg can’t fight—he was a fighter before being promoted.”

Good information, and it lined up with what Ava was initially thinking. Rhutg would be the one she would need to approach once she thought things through a bit more. She tugged on her hair absently in thought. He also terrified her the most after how he’d held her down in the vents.

She didn’t let that thought show on her face and instead smiled at Lirell, restating again that she would be down in a few minutes to the engine hall. He just nodded.

Ava didn’t want to kick him out so she walked into the bathroom and locked the door behind her with a click. She stood there, back pressed against the wall, until she heard the room door outside open and shut a minute later.

Ava cracked open the bathroom to confirm he was gone. Thankfully, the room was now empty. She sighed in relief that she didn’t need to confront him about giving her physical privacy in addition to mental like she did earlier. She liked Lirell, she truly did, but she needed some time to herself.