Dax
Our plan,running cargo on a ship that we owned, had not survived contact with reality fully intact.We had a successful cargo run under our belt, but the cost had been Finn.Even though he’d been acting like an extreme ass, he was one of us, one of our squad, and leaving him behind hadn’t felt right.
But leaving Lacy behind hadn’t felt right either.Despite our rocky start, she fit in.She felt like one of the crew.If only I’d been able to get Finn and Burn to see that.
In just a few days, the rest of the team would be on the ship and we’d rescue Lacy’s sister.And then she’d disappear from my life.
Dammit!
In the space corps, things had been hard, but in some ways they’d been easier too.Big decisions were made by the brass.Now we had to make them ourselves.Had I made the right ones?Was it my fault Finn had been injured?
Burn had argued that we were all adults, all in charge of our own decisions, and as much as I felt responsible for everyone, she was right.The only one I could really help was myself.
I’d skipped PT today and, though it was late, I knew it would help get me out of my head.In my quarters, I quickly changed into high-tech, high-performance shorts and a tank top, then made my way to the gym.
Off-key singing filtered into the hallway before I reached it.I recognized Lacy’s voice, though I’d never before heard her sing.She was really, really bad.
Would sharing the gym with her be worth the torture?
Yes.Despite the truly awful singing, any time I spent with her was worthwhile.
Wincing, I stepped into the gym.
“Hey.”I must have surprised her, because she jerked her head up and bobbled a step.She caught herself and slowed the treadmill.
At least the singing had stopped, but I was halfway across the small room before I realized it.“Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine.I mean, hi.”Cheeks flushed from exertion, skin glowy from sweat, she looked amazing.
“I didn’t think anyone would be down here.I mean, I’ve never seen you here before.”I hid my wince.That sounded like the world’s worst line and I’d meant it as a serious conment.
“Yeah, not a fan of gyms, but needed to work off some energy.”
Her words and the way she was dressed, in my clothes, flooded my brain with much better ways to work off excess energy.Turning away so she wouldn’t see the effect she had on me, I studied the mat in the center.Weights wouldn’t burn off the energy buzzing through my system, but movement might.
I removed my shoes then stepped to the center of the mat.My position provided a clear view of the entry and allowed me to watch Lacy in my periphery.With one last look around the room, I settled into my stance and closed my eyes.Bowing to a nonexistent opponent, I moved through the first kata.
The first set of movements were a warmup of sorts, getting my body and my brain to work in sync.They also provided the building blocks for later combinations.Muscle memory guided my hands and feet through one sequence and into the next.
As I slid deeper into my practice, executing the moves over and over again, I became more attuned to the sounds around me.The shush of the treadmill belt.The steady beat of Lacy’s feet.The rush of my pulse in my veins.The hum of the ship’s electrical system.
Fortunavibrated beneath my feet, and I’d never felt so connected to a ship before.Tomyship.
That rush of pride sent another pulse of energy through me and I channeled that last burst into the final, and most difficult, combination.
My arms sliced through the air, battling unseen opponents.I ducked, dodged, spun, and kicked.Every ounce of power I had, I fed into the movements.Until the series ended, the energy spent, and I was once more grounded to the mat and the ship beneath me.
As I slowly returned to awareness, I noticed the lack of sound in the gym.No more treadmill.No more footfalls.
No more Lacy?
My eyes flew open.Expecting to find myself alone in the workout room, my startled gaze met Lacy’s slightly glazed one.
She leaned against the treadmill’s handrail, a towel hanging loosely from one hand.Her skin shone with perspiration and sweat dampened the edges of her hair.Her chest rose and fell rapidly, almost as fast as mine.
“I thought you’d left,” I said.
“I was going to.When I finished my workout, but then...”she paused and swirled her free hand through the air.“Then you were doing that and I didn’t want to get in the way.”
