Chapter 5
Myrum
“You’re free to move around the ship,” the captain of the vessel said. “The only doors you can’t go through are the ones marked with a purple square.”
He sounded a rumble of agreement. “I don’t have any interest in being where I don’t belong.”
Helmen relaxed a little. “Then we’ll get along well. Let me show you the galley next.”
He liked the Ugarian. She was calm, competent, and welcoming. Unlike the crew on the Talin ship, Helmen wanted him to come to her with any issue, although that probably had more to do with getting the bonus than caring about him.
They turned a corner and Myrum could’ve sworn he caught the scent of a human. Not any human, but the small, feisty Amina.
He stopped short, pulling in deep breaths through his nose.
“What’s wrong?” Helmen asked, her ears fully forward and tense.
“I thought I smelled something, uh, startling,” he said.
“We use all the standard cleansers and sealants," Helmen said. “If the smells bother you, then I can have the biocleansers in your cabin set to their maximum capabilities.”
He was distracted by the fading scent, so he only grunted in response. He took a few steps in pursuit only to have Helmen step in front of him.
“I was warned that you might require special accommodations," Helmen said. “I need you to be very blunt with me about your needs. Are you having an episode right now?”
Far from being insulted, Myrum sounded a rumble of amusement. The smell was entirely gone now. He’d probably imagined it anyway.
“No, I was simply distracted. I apologize. If I have a memory episode, I’ll be entirely still and unresponsive,” he explained. “It’s probably best to simply leave me alone until it’s over. There is a chance that my memory episode will become…uh, physical.”
He hated this. He hated his broken brain and unpredictable reactions.
“What do we do if that happens?” Helmen asked, pulling out an information square, probably to take notes.
“Leave me locked in a room,” he said simply. “Holian will cover the cost of anything I break.”
Helmen nodded. “What if it happens in a communal area?”
Myrum sounded a rumble of amusement because he could think of only one answer. “Put me down.”
She jerked and almost dropped her square. “That’s not happening. I’m Ugarian. We don’t execute the sick or injured, we help them.”
He was touched by her response but still doubted he was worth saving. “You’d probably be doing me a favor,” he murmured then continued before she felt obligated to convince him otherwise. “So far I haven’t had an issue. Probably because of Ruby.”
The tips of Helmen’s ears dropped a little in confusion. “Ruby?”
He tugged the fabric around his neck down enough to reveal a sleeping Ruby then covered her back up. It was colder on the ship than the station, and he didn’t want her to become chilled.
“I wasn’t informed that you’d be bringing a pet with you,” Helmen said. “Do you require any special accommodation for the creature?”
“No, I think I have everything she needs,” he answered.
Helmen suddenly snorted with laughter. “The bugs are for her! That makes so much more sense.”
A real rumble of amusement bubbled out of his chestbox. “Did you think I was going to eat them?”
“That's what we assumed,” Helmen said. “I was a little concerned because there couldn’t have been enough bugs in that cage to keep you alive for the entire journey. When we got to the galley I was going to ask you about your dietary needs.”
“You’re a good captain,” Myrum complimented her. “There’s no need to worry, I don’t have a problem consuming Ugarian food. And I will make sure none of the bugs get loose."
