by Elin Wyn
“We need new medical equipment,” I blurted out without thinking. The three of them turned to look at me as though there was something wrong with me. I looked at Itair, my face serious. With a shrug, I repeated myself. “We need new medical equipment. If you want us to protect you, we need to be properly cared for in case we’re injured while protecting you. Our equipment is outdated, we need it replaced. What say you?”
“Will this convince you to let me hire you?” Itair asked, still staring at me. From behind him, Dejar and Aavat both nodded.
“I don’t see why not,” I answered. I returned his stare and held mine long after he blinked. It seemed as though forever passed before he let out a laugh that sounded absolutely genuine, if not completely out of place.
“Very well,” he finally said. “You need new medical equipment, I will arrange that. It will take me a couple of days to finalize my affairs here anyway, so that should be enough time to purchase and install the new equipment, no?”
I nodded and he turned to Dejar and Aavat. “Do we have an agreement?”
“We do,” they said in unison.
“Very well. I will begin concluding my affairs. If you would please order whatever medical equipment you need as soon as possible, the sooner it arrives, the sooner we leave.” With that, he stood and left the office.
“Well, that was interesting,” Aavat said.
“No kidding. He did say one thing I agree with, though,” Dejar added. “The sooner we get away from here, the better, at least for now.” He looked at me. “Have Lynna put together a shopping list and make sure we get supplies, as well.”
“Yes, sir.” I stood to leave.
Things had changed, and I was uncertain if it was for the better.
Lynna
When I entered the med bay the following day, I felt like Christmas had come to Dominion space. The Rogue Star’s crewmembers were in the middle of hauling a brand-new suite of machinery into my run-down little med bay.
“Where did all this come from?” I gasped, not fully believing the scene unfolding in front of me.
“It was dropped off this morning,” one of the crew said. “We were given instructions to install it in the med bay. We didn’t ask questions.”
“Maybe Kovor’s realized medical supplies are not something to be frugal with,” I smirked. The crewmember shrugged and returned to work. Moments later, Orrin strolled in.
“Orrin!” I squealed. “Would you look at this? It’s a dream come true.”
“This stuff is top of the line, too,” he grinned. “Won’t find anything better in all of Katzul.”
“That must’ve cost a fortune,” I gasped.
“Oh yes,” Orrin chuckled. “Itair is still sore from it.”
I furrowed my brow. “Itair? Why would he do this?”
“Haven’t you heard?” Orrin asked. “Itair is part of the crew now.”
My face fell. “You’re kidding.” It wasn’t a question.
“Not at all,” Orrin confirmed. “He thinks Enclave or the Dominion is going to come after him in the night.”
“I thought Enclave was nothing more than a handful of bumbling idiots. Is Itair saying he can’t outsmart them?”
“The Enclave faction on the Qasar station were a bunch of bumbling idiots,” Orrin corrected. “According to Itair, other Enclave factions are much more capable and dangerous. Especially the one lurking on Katzul. I didn’t hear him talking about it myself, but Valtic did. Valtic believes Itair is afraid for his life. And you know how Valtic is.”
“That’s true,” I admitted. “Still, why would Itair buy all new equipment? Does he plan on needing it?”
“I take it you don’t know about that, either,” Orrin said with a knowing smile.
“Know about what?”
“Valtic only agreed to let Itair stay on board if Itair replaced all of the faulty equipment in the med bay.”
My heart fluttered behind my ribs. An uncontainable smile bloomed across my face.
“He did that?” I asked. “Why didn’t he tell me?”
“Who can say?” Orrin replied. “But this was certainly Valtic’s doing.”
“I’ll be sure to thank him right away.” I couldn’t stop smiling. My cheeks were starting to ache.
“I’m here to make sure everything is hooked up correctly, but I need you to test it out,” Orrin explained. “I don’t know what these machines are supposed to be doing.”
“Sure thing,” I agreed. As Orrin installed each new machine, I went behind him and tested it. It was somewhat of a learning process. Many of the machines were much more advanced than the old ones. I needed Orrin’s help reading some of the controls. It looked like I’d have to spend a day meticulously relabeling everything. I should ask Valtic to help me. Knowing him, he’d be back in his office for fourteen hours a day if I didn’t take steps to lure him out.
Orrin and I had installed and tested half of the equipment when Kalyn walked in.
“I came to see how the new equipment was working out,” she said as she entered.
“Did you know about Valtic’s little deal?” I asked her.
“I did,” she nodded. “I assumed he was going to tell you himself at some point, but it must have slipped his mind.”
“Right,” I nodded, though I didn’t fully accept that explanation. “Everything is amazing. There won’t be any injury or illness I can’t handle.”
“You already could handle any injury or illness thrown your way.”
“You never even saw me in action on Persephone Station,” I reminded her.
“True, but I heard stories,” Kalyn shrugged.
“Also, in the Terran System, I only had to worry about human bodies. Now, I have to worry about humans, Shein, and whatever the hell Itair is.” I laughed.
“You’ll be fine,” Kalyn assured me.
“Yes, you already brought me back from the dead,” Orrin jumped in. He pulled his comm unit out of his pocket. “I’ve got to go check on something for the captain. I’ll be back to install the rest of this equipment shortly.”
“Thank you, Orrin,” I called after him as he left.
“Good, now we’ll have a moment to catch up.” Kalyn winked.
“It feels like years since we’ve last talked,” I sighed.
“How are you really doing?”
“I was fine in the moment,” I replied, feeling a tiny wave of panic again. “But I had to kill one of the guards on The Terror. I wasn’t expecting that.”
“That must’ve been horrible,” Kalyn frowned.
“It was necessary. But that doesn’t make me feel any better.”
“It wouldn’t make me feel any better, either. Even though that guard likely would’ve killed you if you hadn’t killed him, it’s a good thing that you still feel bad about taking his life. It shows that you have a soul.”
“You believe in souls?” I asked with a slight smile.
“Absolutely,” Kalyn grinned.
“Does that help you cope with everything that’s happened?”
“Sometimes. But it’s harder when there’s still so much we don’t know.”
“At least we know about that testing facility, if that’s even what it is.”
“I can’t imagine what else it would be. Remember on Dominion Outpost Nine? I heard two lower-ranked officials talking about experiments. This just confirms it for me.”
“It makes me sick to think about why the Dominion needs to test alien women,” I shuddered. “What’s the purpose?”
“All of the alien women from the auctions were from planets recently absorbed into Dominion space. Perhaps they’re collecting general data?” Kalyn offered, though I could tell she didn’t believe her own words.
“It has to be more than that,” I sighed. “The women at the auctions failed something.”
“I don’t understand why the auctions are necessary. If the women failed some kind of genetic test, why not just send them back to their families?”
“What if the women didn’t go to the testing facility willingly?”
“None of the women we rescued looked like they were willing. But even then, one of them was a princess. Wouldn’t we have heard about a missing person inquiry? If Enclave and the auctions are as widespread as we’re being led to believe, wouldn’t there be a huge population of missing women?”
“Maybe the Dominion controls media outlets? I’m not sure if Dominion space has news networks like we do in the Terran System, but if they did, it’s plausible that the Dominion controls them.”
“And why erase their own navigation logs? And what’s up with the cryogenic pods? Ugh,” Kalyn trailed off. “I hate talking about this.”
“So do I,” I agreed. “I just want to forget about everything we’ve learned for a day. Just one. I think if I had that little break, I’d be more focused moving forward.”
“Let’s pretend we’re grabbing coffee back in the Terran System. It’s not much, but it might provide us with a little relief.”
With a grin, I walked over to the supply closet and pulled out two clear cups. “Here’s your coffee.”
Kalyn wrinkled her nose. “Aren’t those cups for urine tests?”
“They’re unused!” I exclaimed. I pulled up two stools and placed them on either side of one of the medical cots. “The sanitary sheet looks kind of like a tablecloth.”
“That’s a stretch,” Kalyn laughed. “But I’ll play along.”
“Good. This was your idea in the first place. I’m just trying to bring it to fruition.” I perched on one cot, Kalyn on the other. “Now that we have our coffee and our table, what do you want to talk about?”
“Valtic,” Kalyn said without hesitation.
If my coffee were real, I would have choked on it. “What?”
“You two looked awful cozy when you came back from your mission,” she said with a knowing smile.
“Yeah,” I murmured, suddenly feeling bashful. “He’s really something special.”
“Is he? I can’t say I know him well. I don’t think we’ve had anything that constitutes a full conversation.”
“He’s a little rough around the edges,” I admitted. “But now that I’ve gotten to know him, I can honestly say he’s the most incredible person I’ve ever met. He’s kinder than most people give him credit for. This new medical suite is proof of that.”
“I think he has a soft spot for you and you get all of his kindness.”
“I have a soft spot for him. In fact,” my checks heated, “I think I might be in love with him.”
Kalyn’s expression looked as surprised as I felt. I hadn’t planned on saying anything. I planned on taking a day or two to seriously think things over, but I knew now that I didn’t need extra time.
I knew how I felt.
“Have you told him?” Kalyn asked.
“No. I don’t know how. I’ve never been in love before. What if I say it wrong? What if I freak him out?”
“I don’t think Valtic is capable of being freaked out,” Kalyn chuckled. “You just have to be honest. March up to him and tell him exactly how you feel.”
“How about I write it on a cake and throw it at him? That’s less scary.”
“He’ll have to read the writing before it hits his face,” Kalyn pointed out. “Terrible plan.”
“Right. That’s the only reason why it’s a terrible plan,” I snorted.
“Cake or no cake, you’ll tell him, right?”
“I will.”
Valtic
I waited in the kitchen for the oven to finish.
According to the directions I had found, this sounded similar to the cake that had been at Lynna’s party.
Sars had offered to help me, had tried to insist on it since it was his kitchen, but I refused.
I wanted to do this on my own. Not that I was actually on my own…Orrin and Qal sat on the kitchen counters, while Sars leaned against a wall, each of them calling out suggestions as I worked on the cake for Lynna.
“Are you sure that’s how it’s supposed to be?” Qal asked. “Doesn’t look like the one the girls had a little bit ago. It actually looks a little like a Torg vomited on a rock.”
“Ohh!” Orrin groaned. “Really, Qal? You had to make that reference?”
“What?” Qal asked with his arms out wide. The look of innocence on his face had Orrin and Sars laughing. It even made me grin.
“Oh! OH! He’s smiling,” Qal pointed at me, his face brightening up as he spoke. “He’s smiling!”
“Shut up, Qal!” I growled, my grin still in place. I couldn’t seem to get rid of it.
The three of them broke out laughing as I shook my head. They were foolish, immature children. Even Sars, who was the oldest member of the crew. He was just as much a child as those two.
“By everything I hold holy, it is good to see you smile…well, sort of,” Orrin said between breaths. “But, seriously,” he continued as he hopped off the counter and walked up to me. “That monstrosity you have in there looks nothing at all like the cake the girls made for Lynna’s birthday.” He put his arm around my shoulder. “I thought you liked her.”
The smile on his face stopped me from breaking him. I knew he was teasing, and it felt good to have some form of camaraderie again. “Ha. Ha,” I said slowly.
With a chuckle, he wished me luck and headed out of the kitchen.
“He’s right, you know,” Sars grunted. His gruff voice sounded like a man with a deep bass trying to grind rocks. “That thing is going to kill her. Are you sure you want Zayn in charge of the infirmary again?”
“Will you go do something food related?” I snapped back at him. He looked at me for a moment, then smiled and nodded.
“Okay, okay,” he said with his hands in the air. “Just don’t come crying to me when you end up making that poor girl sick. You know,” he said as he started to turn away from me, “I’ve half a mind to tell the captain you’re trying to kill our medic.” He ducked the leftover roll I threw at him, walking away with a deep belly laugh, his head and shoulders shaking.
I looked at Qal. “Well?”
“Well, what?” he asked. The innocence plastered on his face was too perfect.
“Any last comments from you?” I demanded. I was still trying to be amiable, but it was getting a bit frustrating to hear them dismiss my efforts.
“Look, I like Lynna. I want her to live,” he said, and held up his hand to forestall my comment. “Hold on. Hold on. I think what you’re doing is admirable, it really is. And, you know what, I’m happy for you.” He hopped off the counter and put his hand on my shoulder. “I mean it. I’m happy. Are you sure you want to give her Torg scro, though?”
He ducked as I swung at him, his laughter trailing behind him as he ran from the kitchen. Leave it to Qal to take an otherwise normal, or even special, moment and turn it into a joke. One of these days, he would most likely make a joke that would get him into trouble…more than usual.
The timer went off. I opened the oven, carefully took out the cake, and looked at it. Something wasn’t right. Was it supposed to be that color?
Oh, of course. I had forgotten that the women had put some form of sugary covering on it. I found some that was left over from Lynna’s party and did my best to spread it on the cake.
I had to assume that I should have let it cool off before I put the icing on. A good portion of it melted and pooled on the platter that I’d placed the cake on. With heavy trepidation and more than a slight twinge of embarrassment, I picked up the cake and took it to the med bay, where she was working and labeling everything in both English and Shein.
I stood quietly for a minute or two, just enjoying watching her move, before she finally turned and noticed me.
“Oh,” she said, her hand on her chest. “You startled me.”
“I apologize. I didn't mean to make you jump,” I said as I walked into the med bay. “I made this for you,” I mumbled. I was nervous that she would laugh at my efforts.
“You made…this?” she asked. While I was sure she hadn’t meant to, she did stutter slightly as she indicated the cake.
I nodded. I could tell she hated it.
“Thank you,” she said. “I can’t believe you would do this for me.” Her voice sounded genuine, and when I looked at her, her smile was real.
“I wanted to try to thank you for everything, and to repay you for the cake you gave me earlier.”
She smiled at me. “You are amazing, you know that?”
“What do you mean?”
“I’ll explain later. Let’s try this cake,” she said enthusiastically. She grabbed the knife I had brought, while I got the plates and forks separated. She cut into it, putting the first slice on the plate in front of me, then cut herself a slice. She smiled at me and we both dipped our forks into the cake.
She was the first to put it in her mouth, and she almost instantly stopped, fork still between her lips. “Mmm. Err-mmm,” she mumbled as her face contorted.
I looked at her and put the cake in my mouth. It tasted nothing at all like the cake she had given me. As a matter of fact, it tasted as bad as the relieving room smelled after Sars cooked his nine-spice chili.
We looked at one another, I could see her futile attempt at keeping the cake in her mouth, but she eventually was driven to spit it out.
“O…” she started, then gagged a bit as she finished spitting it out. “Uh, did you follow the recipe we left in the kitchen with Sars?”
I looked at her blankly.
She burst out laughing and lightly smacked my shoulder. “Oh my god, you tried to do this on your own?”
I nodded, embarrassed. I had failed to please her with a human treat. She looked up at me and then tiptoed herself up and kissed me on the cheek. “It’s okay. Not everyone knows how to cook or bake. Come on, I’ll show you.”
I nodded dejectedly.
“Hey,” she said, putting her face below mine so she could look me in the eye. She was smiling. “It’s not that big a deal. I love the gesture, I really do.” I followed her back to the kitchen, dumping my attempt into the trash compactor on the way.