by Ben Wolf
“For now, make the rounds, oversee the repairs to the drill, if any, and get familiar with all the shift workers,” Captain Marlowe concluded.
[I know of one particular worker you’re lookin’ to get more familiar with,] Keontae taunted. [Much more familiar.]
Justin ignored him. “Sounds like a plan.”
Captain Marlowe extended his hand again, and Justin shook it.
“Thanks again, Enix,” Justin said. “I won’t let you down.”
“No, you won’t. And that’s why I gave you the job.” Captain Marlowe smiled, and the scars on his face crinkled with the expression. “Arlie will show you out.”
Arlie stood and motioned toward the adjacent chamber, the one with the disheveled bed.
“Oh, Justin?” Captain Marlowe said before he could leave. “Dinner with us tonight, in here. Don’t know you well yet, but that’s gotta change, especially if we’re gonna be ‘buds.’”
Justin chuckled. “You got it, ‘bud.’”
To Dr. Hallie Hayes’s great relief, the Persimmon’s pursuers still hadn’t managed to catch up with them.
Captain Dawes had employed a few of his finest tricks and tactics to keep them guessing. One of them had included a dummy rocket marked with the Persimmon’s ship signature, which they’d launched in a totally different direction from their actual heading.
Hallie had been there when Captain Dawes insisted their employers “pony up” for the added expense, and already it had proven its worth. Their shields had crept back up to 97%. It wouldn’t be much longer until they reached their alternate destination and, hopefully, safe passage to their real destination.
She poked her head into the cockpit. “How’s the progress?”
“Still going well.” Bryant showed her a clean, perfect smile, and she had to quell the butterflies in her stomach from becoming bats.
He was handsome, but she’d already decided they weren’t compatible, even in spite of her physical attraction to him. He just wasn’t mature enough for her—still had that fresh-out-of-the-academy vibe to him.
Maybe in five years, after he grows up a little bit… But after this voyage, she doubted she’d ever see him again, so she’d given up any real thought of starting something she had no intention of finishing.
She smiled back. “Glad to hear it.”
“Probably eighteen hours left, assuming we need to jump again. Longer if we don’t. You know I don’t like to jump unless we have to. Burns a lot more fuel,” Captain Dawes said.
Hallie nodded. With no viable stops along the way, it was wise to conserve as much fuel as they could, just in case something went wrong.
Captain Dawes was older, probably late forties. Also handsome, but more rugged and weatherworn than Bryant, with salt-and-pepper sideburns creeping out from under his military-issued cap. He was also definitely married to his career.
He was the best pilot Hallie had ever met—ever heard of. That’s why she’d chosen him for this mission. That, like the dummy rocket, was also paying dividends.
“Break out the playing cards if you haven’t already,” Captain Dawes continued.
“Oh, we’re way ahead of you on that,” Hallie replied with a grin. “I usually hold my own in poker, but it turns out Cecilia played semipro back in college.”
“It’s how I paid for my first PhD,” Cecilia called from the modest common area behind Hallie. “And I just wiped out Luke with a pair of threes.”
Hallie turned back. “Chasing another straight?”
Luke shook his head. “Flush this time. I can’t win.”
“Maybe I can sneak away to join you for a round.” Bryant glanced at Captain Dawes, who nodded.
“Sure,” he said. “Take a break. I’ve got the helm for now.”
Hallie was tall for a woman, but Bryant was a full six or seven inches taller. Broad and strong in all the right places, fit and lean in all the other right places. She gave him an awkward grin and backed away from the cockpit so he could step out.
He leaned toward her and motioned her close so he could whisper something in her ear, and she complied.
“By ‘join you for a round,’ I don’t mean cards… at least, not necessarily,” he said.
Hallie’s skin shivered, and goosebumps rolled up her forearms. She inhaled a shaky breath to buy herself some time. Once she regained her composure, she whispered back, “Thank you for the offer, but I have to pass. You understand.”
What, exactly, she wanted him to understand was a mystery even to her, but it would be enough to keep him at bay… at least for the time being.
His sly expression shifted to muted disappointment, but he nodded and didn’t push the issue, which Hallie had to give him some credit for. Maybe he had a little maturity to him after all—or maybe he just didn’t want to risk being overheard.
Either way, he joined her at the card game with the other scientists.
“Alright, alright.” Cecilia dealt the clear Plastrex cards and winked at Bryant. “New seat, fresh meat.”
The screens in the cockpit blared a warning alarm.
“Bryant, get back here!” Captain Dawes shouted. “Everyone else, strap into your seats. They’ve found us.”
Hallie’s heart thundered in her chest, and she rushed to take her seat next to Cecilia’s.
The first blow hit the Persimmon, sending the cards careening into the air and the four scientists tumbling across the floor. Hallie scrambled to her feet about as fast as Luke did, and they helped Cecilia and Angela up, respectively, and to their seats.
As Hallie strapped herself in, Angela said, “I still don’t understand why we aren’t shooting back!”
“Doesn’t work that way, Doc,” Captain Dawes replied as he maneuvered the ship in complex and erratic motions. “The Whip’s designed to evade and escape. Heavy armor, but she’s a quick little fiend. Trade-off is that her guns couldn’t even scratch their ship. We have to jump again. Everyone strapped in?”
“Yes,” Hallie replied. Three more affirmations followed hers.
“Good. Calculations are nearly complete,” Captain Dawes said.
The ship jolted the hardest it ever had since Hallie had been on it, and sparks rained down on the four scientists again. The whole ship continued to shudder—and that hadn’t happened before, either.
Hallie’s breaths came faster and faster, and this time she sought out Cecilia’s hand.
“Shields at 40%! The whole ship’s unstable” Bryant shouted. “What the hell did they hit us with?”
“Antimatter missile,” Captain Dawes replied. “We can’t take another hit like that. We jump in ten.”
Bryant gasped. “With our structural damage, the ship could tear itself apart!”
“Either we jump, or they’ll tear us apart,” Captain Dawes yelled back.
Bryant looked back at Hallie, perhaps hoping she’d overrule the captain.
Instead, she shouted, “Do it!”
The Persimmon jumped, and the shuddering stopped in a flash of bright light.
[You know what this means, right?] Keontae was practically bouncing in Justin’s arm and mind. [That pay raise means we’ll have enough to get me back to Bortundi so I can see my mom.]
“Yeah, of course,” Justin said as he headed back toward the shared bunkroom to collect his stuff. “We just gotta coordinate it right so we can get you there without losing this opportunity. He said we’re going back out as soon as he sells the copalion and gets the ship repaired.”
[Bro, you can always get another job, ’specially with me around,] Keontae said. [But my mom’s old. She ain’t gonna last much longer. I need to see ’er soon, man. Gotta let ’er know her boy’s not dead—not really, anyway. Give ’er some peace before she dies.]
“We will,” Justin said. “I promised you we would, so we will. Just have to figure out the timing. That’s all.”
[Sounds like your idea of timin’ ain’t the same as mine,] Keontae muttered. [I ain’t tryin’ to be stuck in your arm
forever, neither. Maybe we can find me a prosthetic body or somethin’.]
“There are billions of androids in the galaxy. Pick one, dude.”
[C’mon, JB. You know it ain’t that simple. We’re talkin’ ’bout restarting my life again. Can’t just snatch some android’s body and call it a day. I got standards, bro.] Keontae added, [Androids don’t have dicks, either, and you know that’s a deal-breaker for me.]
Justin chuckled. “I can’t have you saying these crazy things in my head, Key. You’re cracking me up.”
“Who’s cracking you up?” a female voice asked from behind him.
[Uh-oh.]
Justin whirled around to find Lora Clayton standing in the corridor. He looked her up and down, and she looked him up and down. They both grinned.
Lora gave him a white smile, stark against her brown Hispanic skin and full lips. Even wearing thick working attire, most of it a synthetic material comparable to denim, it still highlighted her ambitious Latina curves.
Long dark hair tipped with purple ends draped over her shoulders, freshly down from a ponytail. She stared at him with chocolate eyes, and her smile widened.
“Heyyy,” he said.
[Smooth response, JB. Real smooth.]
Justin gritted his teeth, partly at Keontae and partly at the situation.
“So I was thinking we should try another date since last night didn’t go like we’d hoped,” she said.
If Justin’s assurance to Captain Marlowe about fighting was the understatement of the millennium, Lora’s mention of their date last night would be the first to challenge it for the title. It had gone so poorly that Justin was dreading even seeing Lora again, much less having this conversation.
Justin gave a nervous laugh. “Yeah… that’s putting it… mildly.”
“Exactly. So we try again. You and me, in the common room, between second and third shift,” she proposed.
“I would, but I’m supposed to have dinner with the captain around then,” Justin said.
Lora laughed and moved closer to him. She was definitely attractive and definitely bottom heavy—Keontae had commented on her ample booty the moment Justin first laid eyes on her—but even had last night gone well, Justin still wasn’t all that interested. Their personalities clashed too much.
“You can’t lie to me, hun.” She ran her hands down his chest. “I know the truth when I hear it, and I know when I’m not hearin’ it, too.”
“It’s true, though,” Justin insisted. “Captain Marlowe wants me at dinner tonight with him and Arl—the first officer.”
She put her hands on her bountiful hips and cocked her head to the side. “And why would he want that?”
[Be careful, JB,] Keontae said. [A woman strikes that pose, she’s invitin’ you to step on a landmine.]
“Because he made me the new rig chief.”
“Pshht. I knew you were lyin’.” Lora held up her hand and started to turn away from him. “You don’t wanna try another date, just say so. I’m a big girl. I can take it.”
“Lora, I’m serious,” Justin pressed. “After all the shaking today, and after Gerald died, the captain said I was—”
“Wait, what?” She turned back. “Gerald died?”
“Yeah, this morning. Partway into first shift, Captain said.”
She studied him for a long moment, rubbing her chin with her index finger and thumb. “Either you’re tellin’ me a whole slew of lies, or you’re tellin’ the truth.”
Justin shrugged. “It’s all true. I’m about to pick up my stuff from my bunk and my locker and go claim Gerald’s room.”
“You’re really not jokin’?” She squinted at him and put her hands on her hips again. “This is for real?”
“Swear to God,” Justin said. “Gerald died, I’m the new rig chief, and I’m having dinner with the captain tonight.”
Her eyes widened. “You know what this means? It means we got our own space for a real date.”
Oh… we’re back on that again.
Justin started, “Technically, I suppose—”
“How ’bout after your dinner? We can talk, get to know each other more.” She closed the distance between them again and pressed her body against him. “See where the night goes.”
He backed away a half-step and took her hands into his. They were rough, but warm. He couldn’t help but think of Shannon, even though he couldn’t remember ever having held her hands.
“I don’t know if I can commit to that right now,” he said. “New job, new responsibilities… and don’t you have a shift tonight anyway?”
“I’m redundant tonight, so I’m off, more or less, unless someone needs a swap,” she replied. “That’s why it’s so perfect. So why don’t we give it a try?”
[JB, don’t be a flake,] Keontae said. [If you ain’t into it—though with a booty like that, I have no idea why you wouldn’t be—just tell ’er. Don’t string ’er along. It ain’t right.]
Justin gritted his teeth again. Keontae was right.
“Look, Lora,” he began, and her countenance and posture immediately shifted to the defensive. “You’re a great girl and all, but—”
“No. Mm-mmm. No.” She wagged her index finger at him. “We’re not doin’ this. You don’t wanna take another shot at having a good time? That’s on you, Justin. I’m not doin’ this.”
Justin blinked at her. “Well, that’s exactly what I’m—”
“You’re right. We’re not compatible. Not a good match,” she continued. “I’m not doin’ this again. You had your chance. If that’s how you’re gonna be, I’m out.”
Confusion racked Justin’s brain. How had she turned this around on him?
“Enough of this. I’m done. Go on, have your fun without me, puto.” With that, she stormed off, leaving Justin alone in the corridor once again.
Once she’d gotten far enough away, Justin muttered, “You know, despite how it went, it was actually a lot easier than I’d expected.”
[Told ya,] Keontae said. [Now let’s pack your stuff, man.]
A few hours later, Justin had his new room set up, and he’d showered and dressed to return for dinner in the captain’s quarters.
[Don’t sweat it about Lora,] Keontae said. [She may be good-lookin’, but God made ’er with a hefty dose of crazy, too.]
“I wouldn’t say she’s crazy.” Justin shook his head. “I just think she’s been burned by too many guys in the past.”
[You might be right, JB.]
“Just a guess.” Justin shifted his tone. “Speaking of insight, I think we should talk about our relationship.”
[Uh… okay?]
“You mind coming out of my arm for this one?”
[Sure. Door’s locked, right?]
“Latched, barred, and sealed shut.”
[Yeah. Hold on.]
Justin’s metal arm shuddered, and a glowing green form materialized next to him. It gradually took the shape of a man, and its features sharpened into the familiar face of his best friend, Keontae, the man who had literally given his life to save Justin back at ACM-1134.
In doing so, the Keontae that Justin had known had perished, but his soul had somehow lived on, preserved as a sort of tech ghost. The apparition was still 100% Keontae’s personality, mannerisms, and probably even his soul, but his physical body had long since been destroyed.
Now, aside from maneuvering through circuits and networks and computer systems the galaxy over, the closest Keontae could get to the physical world was manifesting as a hologram-like image, part digital, part ethereal.
“What’s up, JB?” he asked. His voice sounded the same as it had inside Justin’s head, but now he could hear it with his actual ears, too.
This wasn’t going to be an easy talk for Justin, but he’d given it a lot of thought and concluded that changes needed to be made. He decided to jump right in.
“We need to establish some better boundaries,” he said.
“Boundaries? Like what?”
; “Like… I wouldn’t mind some actual alone time every now and then. You know, without you speaking into my mind and watching my every move from within my arm.”
“‘Watchin’ your every move?’ You think I’m some sorta voyeur?”
“That’s not what I’m trying to say.”
“You know I didn’t choose this, right?” Keontae’s voice hardened. “I was tryin’ to save your ass, which I did, by the way, and I went down for it.”
“I know, Key, and I’m forever grateful.”
“And then I saved your ass again—at least two more times—when shit went sideways in the mine.”
Justin nodded. “Absolutely. No question.”
“Then what the hell are we talkin’ about?”
Justin sighed. “Lora may be crazy or hurt or whatever, but that’s not the only reason I didn’t want to try a second date with her. I knew you’d be in my head the whole time…” He paused, then added, “…start to finish.”
Keontae folded his glowing arms. “So you do think I’m a voyeur.”
“No!” Justin hesitated. “Well… yes, but not intentionally.”
Keontae shook his glowing green head. “It ain’t like I got a lotta options here, JB.”
“Right. Exactly. We’re both kind of…”
Keontae pointed at him. “If you say ‘stuck with each other’ like this is some bullshit buddy cop NatGeo flick, I’m gonna jump into the ship and never help you again.”
That was what Justin was going to say, so he held his tongue. He redirected the conversation. “But that’s part of the solution; you just said it. You never sleep, but I do. Some of the time, could you—would you mind jumping into the rig’s network and hanging out there? That way I can get better rest and maybe some privacy in crucial moments?”
Keontae stared at him with his arms folded across his chest. “Alright. Here’s where I land on this. Neither of us wanted this to happen, but you were my only way outta that mine. Otherwise I’d be digital dust like Mark Brown and everythin’ else when ACM nuked the place.
“We’re friends, so it’s not like I’m strugglin’ hard with this arrangement. Plus, you’re doin’ me a favor by takin’ me back to Bortundi Prime to see my mom. If you want me gone after that, I’m gone. I’ll find a way to stick around with her. Probably should do that anyway.”