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“Rennick, please. I want to do this. Your ship needs me. Her pain is the worst. Let me help her. Let me help you. Please.”
That second please on her lips undid me. “I trust you with my ship. And I almost trust her to keep you safe.”
Cass pulled back, and I let her go. My hand dropped to my side, the warmth of her skin still burning against my palm.
“You won’t regret it. She’s a good girl. She just doesn’t know it yet.” Cass walked up the corridor toward the galley, croissant in one hand, coffee in the other, gold dust trailing off her shoulders.
I stood in the empty corridor and listened to the Hollow Chorus settle around me. For the first time in a month, my ship wasn’t fighting itself or me. She’d gone quiet for Cass.
I followed the gold dust along the corridor and tried not to think about how badly I was in over my head with this intriguing, irritating, and beautiful human who had my ship wrapped around her finger.
Maybe me, too.
Chapter 9
Cass
“Full diagnostic today. Top to bottom.” Tambi had spread the schematics across the galley counter and pinned the corners with coffee mugs. “From what Cass has already told us, the Hollow Chorus is holding onto something big, and she chose to show Cass a snippet of what that is.”
“The ghost alien,” Doc said.
“It could have been a ghost, even though I don’t believe in them,” I said.
“Yep, definitely a ghost.” Doc nodded. “Alien ghost. We could make a movie about this.”
“Already been done. It didn’t end well for the feeble humans,” Monica said.
“Focus on business,” Tambi said. “The ghost, or whatever it was, is a clue. Hollow Chorus is giving Cass clues.”
“Lucky bitch.” Monica planted both elbows on the counter. “I get covered in space spunk, and she gets the golden-girl treatment. Literally covered in this sweet-smelling gold stuff.”
I stole the last almond croissant out of the bag before Monica could get to it. “The ship likes me best. Deal with it.”
“The ship’s neural matrix has a compatibility filter.” Tambi tapped the schematic. “Cass triggered it. That tells us the ship is looking for something, and whatever it is, Cass has it.”
“It’s my winning personality.” I grinned through a mouthful of pastry.
“More like questionable hygiene and an alarming tolerance for danger.” Doc pulled up bio-readings on the counter screen. “Look at this. The ship’s matrix synced to your nervous system. I’ve never seen bonding data move that fast.”
“Bonding?” I stopped chewing. That sounded serious and scarily permanent.
“The ship started mapping you the second you touched her. She picked you to connect to.”
“I feel very rejected.” Monica put a hand over her chest.
“You’ll survive.” Tambi divided the work with three taps on the schematic. “Monica, I need the power-draw anomalies mapped against the room’s activation sequence. If that room is pulling energy every time it fires up, I want to know from where. Doc, run Cass’s neural data against the Kelvane bonding archive. Find out what compatibility means in their system and whether what the ship did to Cass is reversible.”
“Or dangerous,” I added. “I don’t want to die.”
“And if it’s not reversible?” Doc asked.
“Then we factor that in and use it.” Tambi looked at me. “Cass, you’re going back in.”
“Already planning on it.”
“I knew you would be.” She held up one finger. “Comms stay open. Doc monitors your bio-signal. If your heart rate spikes past one-forty, we pull you out. No arguments.”
“One-forty’s generous.” Doc raised an eyebrow.
