Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5

Anna

I t wasn’t a bad dream. It wasn’t a nightmare. But for that split second when I woke up, I thought it was. I was tucked in my comfortable bed in my quarters. Snuggled under blankets, I felt the shuttle’s gentle humming vibration. The general warmth was comforting and familiar, but reality sank in fast enough. I rose and washed, then took a deep breath and opened the door of my room to see what we were up against.

The sight outside through the viewport was bleak and dark. There was little light out here, so far from any stars, and most of it came from the shuttle’s exterior lights. The rocky surface was full of crags and crystalized rock formations. A layer of sand covered the depressions of the surface.

Lashe was at the operator’s station, as I expected. His hair was mussed. His skin was a dour shade of gray. I took the seat beside him and looked over the flat panel screen. It was a mess of ominous blinking red lights. “How bad?”

He shook his head. “That irradiated dust got into every system. We were lucky to have found a place to set down because navigation was starting to fail.”

I took a deep breath. “Can it be fixed?”

His mouth tightened. “I can repair some of it, but I am not a ship technician, nor do I have all the tools necessary for a complete repair.”

“What about the communication system?” I asked. “Can we send a distress signal?”

“That is my top priority. I have Stelis analyzing the damage to that system and calculating a way to repair it. She’s downloaded the entire ship’s technical schematics to her database.” He flashed a grin. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’m beginning to like her.”

“I can hear you, Lashe,” said Stelis in a slightly affronted tone.

This was the first time I’d heard the transport operator say anything like a personal opinion. He was usually so formal and proper that his offhanded comment about Stelis took me by surprise. “I didn’t know you disliked her.”

He shrugged. “My apologies. I overstepped.”

Okay, this had to stop. I put a hand on his arm and felt the muscles beneath jump and go tense. For some reason, I liked touching him. Maybe it was reassuring, considering he was the only other living thing out here in the middle of space. Maybe, I just liked touching him. “Lashe, look. What I said last night was true. Drop the formal routine, and talk like a normal person with me, please. I don’t need another Stelis out here, I need…”

He looked up, eyes narrow and sharp. “What do you need, Anna?”

“I need you to just be normal around me,” I replied. “Talk to me like a regular person because that’s what I am. None of this, ‘I overstepped’ business. We’re in a shit situation.” I waved a hand towards the bleak view outside. “I’m aware that we might not actually get out of here, so just talk to me like you would one of your friends.”

He looked as if he found that idea distasteful at best, wincing and carefully withdrawing his arm from my touch. “You are not one of my friends. You are a highly regarded ally of my people whom I have served faithfully for five years. But I will do my best to speak more… naturally around you.”

I sighed and tried to ignore the sting of that very pointed rejection. “I guess that’s all I can ask for.” I rose to my feet. “Can I get you anything to drink? Coffee? I’m getting myself one.”

“No. Thank you.” He went back to his control panel.

I went to the replicator and had it produce a cup of coffee and a blueberry muffin. What came out was no muffin, but a brown patty that smelled like bran. The coffee barely filled a quarter of the cup and was a thick, viscous sauce with a very strong smell, like coffee concentrate. I looked at the items, unsure what was going on with them. “Stelis, what’s wrong with the replicator?”

“During the damage sustained in yesterday’s malfunctions, water was lost. Therefore, the replicator cannot completely produce food to your specifications.”

“That’s why this coffee is more solid than liquid?”

“Correct. I would suggest going to the subsistence menu list. There will be no inaccuracies there.”

The subsistence menu was for emergency rations. I looked down at my coffee sludge. “Stelis, are we going to run out of water?”

“Water is being rationed,” she replied. “The ship currently has seven days’ worth of water in storage and in the recycling filtration system for life-sustaining purposes. I estimate five days for repairs to be completed enough to get this ship on course.”

“So you’re saying we have enough.”

“I’m saying that if repairs are completed on schedule, we will be able to reach a location to refill water reserves and complete repairs.”

We wouldn’t be getting to the Destran planet by Christmas, but that was okay. At this point I hoped we’d reach our destination, period. I shook my head. “So that’s a yes.”

“Yes, Anna,” said Stelis.

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Lashe with his head turned, listening. I didn’t like the shadow in his eyes. I set the flat, hard muffin-thing on the table. “Do you disagree with Stelis’ calculations?”

“Not exactly,” he said. “But unlike her, I am not a digital being. Some of these repairs will be difficult, and everything will have to go right. There’s no margin for error.”

“I have looked into your background extensively, Lashe,” said Stelis. “You have ample qualifications to do what needs to be done in restoring systems and repairing the ship. And you have my assistance.”

He smiled tiredly and rubbed a hand over his face. “Females,” he muttered. “Rest assured, I will do everything in my power to get this ship off this rock. But something about it, I just don’t like.”

“What is it?” I came closer, resting a hand on the back of the spare operator’s seat.

“I don’t know, exactly. I have an eerie feeling that something isn’t quite right here.”

Now that he mentioned it, I could agree. There was an eerie quiet out there. “It looks sandblasted, doesn’t it?”

“But there’s no blasting.” He gritted his teeth and looked away from the view outside. “Let’s just say I want to get out of here as quickly as we can.”

“No argument there,” I said. “Can I help?”

“I believe Stelis has plenty of entertainment options for you.” He raised one eyebrow. “Some books, perhaps?”

“I’m not going to sit here and read a romance novel while you and Stelis work.”

He raised one eyebrow. “You read romance novels?”

“Yeah.” I crossed my arms. “What’s wrong with that? It’s not like there’s romance in any other part of my life.”

He looked back to the screen. “Maybe you’ve been choosing the wrong males.”

“I know I’ve been choosing the wrong males,” I said dryly. “I’m a little limited in who I meet.”

“You can have anyone you want,” he said. “There should be legions of males—of any species—who would treat you with adoration.”

I snorted, determined not to read into his—false—observation. “Hardly. Besides, my job takes up so much time. There’s hardly any time left over for a partner. I can’t even blame them. It’s no surprise no one sticks around.”

“Anyone with an ounce of sense would realize that any time you give them is a gift.”

Whoa. That was a shockingly sweet thing to say. A gift? Roy certainly didn’t see it that way. My travel schedule, the time I had to spend in meetings or working was fine in the beginning, but after a time it just seemed to annoy him when I said, I can’t. I need to work. “My most recent ex’s reason to break up was if I didn’t have time for him, how would I have time for the children.” I put a hand over my eyes. “Ah. I’m sorry. You don’t want to hear about my pitiful breakup tales.”

“It’s fine,” he said, entering a code in the interface, which immediately turned blue. “You wanted me to act normal. I’ve been present through your relationships long enough to make a few observations.”

“Yeah, I guess you have. I never thought you were paying attention.”

He glanced over. Deep green eyes held mine. “I’m always paying attention, Anna.”

His gaze dropped to my mouth, just for one moment, then he looked back to the screen. A flash of fuchsia pigment rippled over his face.

“Anna, I have several nutritious food samples for you,” interrupted Stelis. “And I managed to replicate an acceptable coffee, borrowing from your ration supply today.”

“Thanks, Stelis. Hmm.” I stepped away from the male who suddenly had my heart beating a little faster and my mouth feeling a little dryer. Maybe he wasn’t quite as indifferent to me as I always thought.