There was garbled static on the other end before an incredulous voice came on the line.“Fortuna, this is Elegium stationmaster.That’s a negative.There’s no way you got that coolant leak taken care of that quickly.”
Coolant leak?What the fuck?I choked back the words.Surely I hadn’t slept through the alarms for a coolant leak.
“Ah, thanks, Elegium stationmaster.Understood.Fortunaout.”There was no way I was going to reveal my ignorance to the station.They probably already thought I was an idiot.
Coolant leaks could be catastrophic.Like ships-go-boom catastrophic.Praying we didn’t have one, I searched through the system for any leaks or alarms.While I still didn’t know everything about how this ship worked, I’d spent every free moment learning what made her tick.I’d even downloaded a manual or two as soon as I’d docked at the station.
I still wasn’t sure why the team had tasked me to buy the ship and fly her.Once the squad was back together, we’d all be learning new skills, but apparently I was up first.
Which was fine.Except no one had told me what to do in a situation like this.
I shoved my hands in my hair as I studied the search results.I read every chart and report twice until I was absolutely sure that there was no leak.That discovery ratcheted down my stress level just enough for it to bounce right back up as I read Elegium Station’s protocols for a coolant leak: get the ship as far away from the station as possible as quickly as possible.As if that weren’t bad enough, the safety protocols required a four-day window to ensure that the ship no longer presented a danger to the rest of the vessels docked at the station.
Fuck!
My meeting with the client was tomorrow.I couldn’t miss it.If we didn’t get that cargo, I’d have to start the search all over again.
I stared at the vastness of space just outside the ship.Day after day, night after night, we’d dreamed and planned and plotted for a life after the space corps.One we’d make the decisions for.Wilson’s death had only strengthened our resolve.
I wasn’t about to be the one who fucked it up.Irefusedto let my team down.
Before I made any decisions, I had to know what happened.And the only person who had the answers was passed out in the chair next to me.
6
Dax
It tookeffort to tear my gaze from the stars outside the ship.In the space corps, my squad all talked a big game about making our own choices, but now, faced with nearly as many options as there were stars, I worried if I was making the right one.
My most immediate need was information.I shifted forward in my seat and grabbed the tool bag from where it rested on the command console.It barely missed the open noodle container as it slid toward me.I frowned.
New rule.No food on the bridge, no matter how delicious it smelled.There was too much delicate—and expensive!—equipment up here to risk an accident.I placed the bag on my lap while I closed up the noodles and tucked them on the floor under the console.
That problem taken care of for the moment, I rifled through the woman’s tool bag.The front pocket held an ident card, a few credit chips, and a fuzzy mint.I grimaced and dropped that back into the bag.Fingers on the edge of the ident card, I studied it, turning it this way and that to catch the holographic features.
The picture matched the woman in front of me, although she didn’t look nearly as disheveled in the photo.“What the hell are you doing on my ship, Lacy Dupree?”
She didn’t answer, but her head tilted toward me.Had she recognized her name?
The credits and card rejoined the mint in the front pocket.Opening the main compartment, I pulled out tools.Like the bag itself, the tools were clearly used, but well taken care of.
Lacy Dupree’s mechanic rating was on her ident card, so I assumed they belonged to her.But why was a mechanic and her tools on my ship at all?I hadn’t requested any repairs for theFortuna.
Sealing the tool bag up, I placed it on the floor next to the noodles, then swiveled to face the captain’s chair.
Her coveralls bore the grease stains and dirt that I would expect from someone who worked on engines and other repairs.Now that I was looking closely, I noted rips and tears that weren’t what I would expect from a competent mechanic.
In fact, it looked like she’d gotten into a fight.
A glance around the bridge confirmed that there were no signs of a struggle here.Whatever had happened to her, it hadn’t been on theFortuna.
Hoping I wasn’t making a mistake, I reached over and shook her left shoulder.
She whimpered and curled away from me.
Dammit.As frustrated as I was, I didn’t want to hurt her.“Hey, wake up!”
Her eyes fluttered open.“What?Where am I?”She put her forearms on the arms of the seat and leveraged to a more upright position.Her lips pinched and she bit back another whimper.
