Chapter 6

Chapter 6

“ T he fish are all going to die. Then they’ll all know it was your fault, because you’re useless…” Trafford’s voice hissed in Primula’s head as she followed the fish tanks across the Eden loading dock to the ship. She almost stumbled, but righted herself in time, forcing her eyes down to the floor so she wouldn’t trip again. Because if she fell and knocked one of the tanks over, Trafford would be right. She wouldn’t be able to save them all in time.

Miracle of miracles, however, all the tanks made it safely into the cargo bays, though she made sure to check each one. Every time she lifted the lid, the fish just swam on, supremely unconcerned that she was watching them, or that they were on a space ship, about to travel to a whole new planet that would be their home.

Not for the first time, Primula envied her fish. They never worried about being useless, or not earning their keep. No, they just kept swimming, from the day they hatched until the day they died, eating and breeding and going about their piscine lives as if they had every right to do so. They had their place in the universe and nothing anyone could tell them would make them believe otherwise.

Trafford had certainly told them how useless they were, on the rare occasions he’d visited her workplace, back on Earth. Of course, he couldn’t stand the smell or taste of fish, so to him, they were useless. No matter how many times she’d tried to explain the essential symbiotic relationship they had with the plants in aquaculture systems, he’d never listened. He’d just said they could feed the plants just as well alive as when they were dead, so what was the point in keeping them alive?

Then there was that time he’d gotten a whiff of the condom after they’d had sex. His complete disgust as he announced that she smelled of fish down there, and that he wouldn’t touch her again until she washed and perfumed herself properly so she didn’t smell like an animal…she’d sucked his dick for a whole week, until she’d finally found a strong enough shower gel that he liked enough to climb on top of her in bed again. She’d tried telling him that she hated the taste of his cum as much as he disliked fish, but he’d just accused her of lying as an excuse for her poor hygiene habits.

Nothing she’d done had ever been good enough for Trafford, and he’d never know if she succeeded in introducing these fish to Delta. But she’d know, and maybe, just maybe…

The lid slipped out of her hands, but before she could squeeze around the side of the tank to retrieve it, a roar came from the man who suddenly rose into view behind the tank, holding the lid that had evidently hit him.

Daedalus looked ready to brain her with it, as she’d almost done to him.

Primula backed up fast, chanting apologies as though there were a mantra that might save her. She knew from experience that they couldn’t.

Then he uttered three words she never expected to hear: “It’s all right.”

Primula froze. He couldn’t possibly be serious. When Trafford said something so nice, in an even tone like that, it meant he was going to absolutely explode, and she’d be trying to make it up to him for weeks.

She braced herself for Daedalus’s inevitable fury, already hunching over in the hope it might pass over her quickly so she could escape.

“Those fish look seriously well fed.”

She blinked. He wasn’t even looking at her. Instead, he was gazing rapturously at the fish in the tank.

No one was interested in her fish. Not Trafford, not Rocail, not any of her colleagues.

So, of course, she began to babble.

Only to realise he’d probably only talked about the fish to avoid looking at her.

She was such an idiot. “I shouldn’t talk so much about fish. We need to fasten the lid back on for take off.”

He nodded and muttered his agreement, and she was free to flee.

Feeling even more useless than ever, Primula checked and rechecked the lids on each of the tanks, until she was sure they’d all stay securely closed during take off, before retreating to her room to strap herself in. She’d read the safety procedures three times when Lilith had told her she’d be boarding a space ship, but she still didn’t feel prepared for her first actual space flight. She’d taken the space elevator up to Exodus Station, then been loaded onto the Genesis in a stasis pod, before waking up in the Colony. Sure, she’d travelled fifty lightyears across the galaxy, but she’d been asleep the whole time.

Doing it while awake…Primula swallowed. She could do this. She had to do this. Her fish, plus the people of Delta, were depending on her setting up their aquaponics system.

She sat down on the couch, settling into the gel, and fastened the straps, one by one. The light on the console beside her hand switched from red to green.

Maybe she wasn’t entirely useless after all.

Primula allowed herself a brief smile at Trafford’s expense. It was a good thing he wasn’t there to see it.