T’arq
It had worked. He had distracted Krystal long enough that she hadn’t even noticed that they were no longer in the hangar.
She gasped in surprise as they steadily moved away from the Zataras. The bulk of the large starship was visible through the glass of the cockpit as T’arq slowly turned the stealth ship so Krystal could take in the view.
The starship was a rough rectangular prism, with huge guns mounted at regular intervals in recesses along the dull silver hull. There were windows for the crew to use, but these were smaller than those on pleasure craft. By necessity, the Zataras was designed to withstand a significant attack, and that meant looks were not the primary concern in its design.
He wondered what she would make of one of the Taurean pleasure liners, large cruise starships designed for recreation. She’d like it, he decided. As long as she got to talk to the designers and engineers so she could see how everything worked. He smiled at the thought.
As they slowly drifted past, the starship’s name came into view, painted in letters on the hull three times the size of their shuttle.
Krystal gaped, turning to exclaim, “I’ve never seen it like this. It’s huge!”
He sniggered.
“You would make a joke out of that.” She crossed her arms, or at least tried to, but the straps of her harness made her movements jerky and she gave up with a huff.
“I’m just relieved that you’re doing well.”
She nodded slowly. “Yeah, it’s actually OK. I’m not sure what I was expecting, but I built it up in my mind to be something awful and…”
“It’s beautiful out here, isn’t it?” He gestured at the expanse of space that emerged as they slowly drifted past the Zataras’ many windows.
“Yes,” she said absently, taking in the view, almost overwhelming in its vastness.
T’arq rarely shared this part of his life with someone, at least for their first time. Seeing the rapt attention Krystal was dedicating to the vista started a warmth spreading through his chest.
“You’re in charge. What now?” he asked Krystal.
She shot him a sharp look. “You know we have a flight path. Let’s stick to that. And I’m so far from being in control of this, it’s not funny.”
“Easy. Just trying to make you feel more comfortable.”
She mumbled something under her breath, and his lips twitched. She was adorable when she got like this.
“I am not adorable. I might be short, but I’m fierce.”
“You can read my thoughts?”
“No, but you just confirmed what you were thinking, didn’t you?”
He laughed. “Little mouse, you are ferocious. Remind me never to cross you.”
She nodded and gave a satisfied grunt. T’arq struggled not to grin.
“So our flight plan has us heading on a pretty straightforward path to that asteroid field.” T’arq flicked the screen in the middle of the display so Krystal could see, placing a marker for the Zataras.
“That seems an awfully long way from the ship.” Krystal’s voice hitched at the end, and T’arq felt a rush of sympathy. She really had pushed her boundaries to set foot on the stealth ship, let alone go so far away from the safety of the large starship.
“It’s pretty close when you consider how fast these little gems can go,” he said, patting the cockpit wall nearest him affectionately.
“I’m not sure…”
T’arq pulled the ship in to hover near the Zataras, using the greater bulk of the big starship to anchor them. He unclipped his harness and turned in his seat to face Krystal.
“Oh, my god! Strap yourself back in!” She grabbed at him frantically.
“Hey, hey. It’s fine.” He reached over to stay her hands, that were flailing around in panic. She grabbed his hands so tightly he thought she might cut the circulation off.
