by Eric Warren
Box nodded. “He doesn’t think it will go well.” Xax pursed her tiny lips and led Box back into the main sickbay. Box found it soothing; a soft, blueish light filled the room. He wouldn’t mind spending more time here if he could. “Thank you for the tour,” he said, for once genuinely grateful to someone.
“Why don’t you come back tomorrow?” she said. “There’s always plenty to learn here and we have the most extensive database in the Coalition on biological processes. I’d be happy to show you. That is, assuming we’re not under attack or finding our way out of a wormhole or whatever it is they do up there on the bridge.”
If Box could have smiled he would have, as it was he just blinked his eyes rapidly. Did that mean he wouldn’t be reported after all? “It’s not a…problem?” he asked.
Xax shook her head. “Absolutely not. I think you’ll find medical personnel some of the most empathetic and caring people on this ship. You have nothing to worry about.”
It was as if she could read his mind. Box couldn’t help all his processors from firing at once. “Yes…I’d like that,” he said with as little enthusiasm as he could muster. Though a lot still came through in his words.
Xax smiled in response and Box decided he liked her smile.
He liked it a lot.
14
The doors to the main bridge hypervator slid open, revealing third shift. Cas muttered a silent thank Kor into the ether as he stood from his specialists’ station—which still had only been given the barest of functionality for his access codes—and made his way past his counterpart who would take over for the next shift. Along with third shift came Jorro Page, whose shoulder collided with Cas’s as they passed each other. Cas thought to jump the man, beat his face in until it was pulp and laugh over his unconscious body. Instead, he didn’t even give him the satisfaction of having been inconvenienced, only made his way to the hypervator with the rest of the shift.
Inside the crowded hypervator Zaal moved next to him, the hard-light face smiling its somewhat unnatural grin. “Exciting day today, don’t you think?” he asked.
“If you call a stellar nursery five hundred million kilometers away exciting, then yeah.” Cas wanted to do nothing more than to sleep for the next fourteen hours. On an average day he would have been more than interested in the nursery, but class with Laska this morning had been rough. The backs of his hands had throbbed all day. He had half a mind to go down to sickbay except Laska would know he would have done it and he didn’t want to give the witch the satisfaction.
“I do, though I wish we could have stopped to take a look. I’m sure the Coalition will send a research or survey ship to come and study the phenomenon.” Zaal turned back to the front. “We are still on for dinner this evening?”
Fuck. He’d forgotten all about the dinner he’d agreed to weeks ago. What he really wanted was a good, stiff drink but Laska had put an end to that when he’d shown up to her class hungover last week. She’d had all his bar privileges revoked until after the mission was over. But after it wouldn’t matter, because they’d all be a bunch of corpses floating in space.
Cas felt the eyes of the rest of second shift on them in the small space. Did these people not have lives of their own? “Uh…tonight? I thought…”
“I am making a human delicacy. Smoked brisket of yaarn. Smothered in a whiskey glaze.”
Cas’s mouth watered at the very prospect. He’d been eating nothing but the mess hall food for weeks now. How could he say no to that? No matter how weird Zaal’s quarters were. “Yes, I’ll be there.” The hypervator stopped, letting three of the crew off. Zaal, Cas and two others remained.
“Excellent,” Zaal said in his most-threatening voice. “I very much look forward to it. And learning more about you.” The hypervator stopped again and Zaal stepped off. “Don’t forget, fifteen hundred hours.”
“I won’t,” Cas replied. The doors slid closed again and Cas caught one of the ensigns staring. The ensign’s eyes found the floor as soon as he was caught. “Something you want to say?”
“No,” the ensign replied. “Nothing at all.”
Evie was right, maybe he should have kept his commission.
***
“How are things for you these days?” Cas asked, buttoning his shirt.
“Asking out of guilt or genuine concern?” Box replied, his attention seemed like it wasn’t all there.
“What kind of a question is that? Of course I’m concerned. You sit in this room all day despite having all your privileges returned; you can go to any non-secure part of the ship if you want.”
“Why would I want that? My home is right here, in my chair,” Box replied, his face not moving.
“Fine, be an asshole. I’m just trying to make sure you’re doing okay. I noticed you haven’t asked the same of me.” He finished the buttons and smoothed the wrinkles on the front. It would have to do.
“That’s because I don’t care,” Box replied. “I’ll sit here like a good little bot and keep to myself. Like I’m supposed to.”
“Hey,” Cas replied, suddenly hot. “It isn’t my fault on our first day on this ship you nearly took the head off one of the lieutenants. There are consequences for your actions. I didn’t impose them, but we’re not in the Commonwealth anymore. We can’t go around doing what we like.”
“You seem to be doing what you like just fine,” he replied.
“You call getting beaten every morning and falling asleep at a bridge station every afternoon doing what I like? All the while we’re only getting closer to what I know will not end well.”
“You’re such a baby. At least you get to be on the bridge,” Box said. “And you get to go to fancy dinners.”
Cas sighed, exasperated. “You want to go? You can go, no one’s stopping you. Why don’t you come along if you want to talk to someone from the bridge so badly?” Box hesitated. What was going on behind those blinking yellow eyes? He’d been off ever since they’d come on board and Cas couldn’t help but think there might be something seriously wrong with him.
“I’m fine here. If you’re lonely take Commander Diazal,” he said.
Cas’s mouth turned into a frown. Why hadn’t he thought of that? Because of their schedules they hadn’t seen much of each other the past few weeks. He tapped the comm on his arm. “Zaal?”
“Yes, Caspian?” the Untuburu’s voice came over the comm, heavy as ever.
“Would you mind if I brought a…guest?”
“Please, bring whomever you wish,” he replied. “I have more than enough for everyone.”
“Thanks. I’ll be there soon.” Cas cut the comm and let out a breath. He felt better already.
“Does the commander know she’s going or are you just going to show up on her doorstep with flowers?” Box asked.
“Shut up,” Cas replied, tapping his comm again. “Evie?”
“Cas? Is everything okay?” she asked over the comm, her voice wavering.
“Yes, it’s just I have this…invitation by Zaal to eat and I need a wing woman.”
She chuckled on the other end. “Zaal’s famous dinners. He only does it for people he really likes. When is it?”
“Fifteen minutes,” Cas said sheepishly. He could imagine her shaking her head at him.
“It beats the dinner I had planned for myself,” she said. “I’ll meet you over there.”
“Wow, that was easy,” Cas said after he’d cut the comm.
“I can’t wait to see what your kids look like,” Box replied, his eyes blinking in a slow rhythm. That meant he was focused on something important, but whatever it was must be in his databanks. He stared into space, seeing something Cas couldn’t.
“For the thousandth time, it’s not like that,” he replied.
“So you say. But I’m becoming an expert on biological relationships,” Box stated. “I know what I’m talking about.”
Cas shook his head, inspecting himself one last time in the mirror. Box was about as good at predicting r
elationships as he was at small talk. “Thoughts?”
“I would say you look like shit but even shit has its good days,” Box replied, his eyes laughing for him.
“Whatever, enjoy your evening.” Cas stepped out into the hallway. Normally Box wasn’t so combative and edgy. Cas had thought it had been the confinement but as soon as it had been lifted Box had still refused to leave the room. Instead, he seemed to pass the time analyzing…what? Should he have insisted Box stay back on Eight, where he wouldn’t be under as much scrutiny and where he had greater autonomy? No, at some point someone would have said the wrong thing and set him off. But that one room was too cramped for him. What he really needed was his own place. Evie had said there was plenty of room…so why was he still staying with Cas? It wasn’t like he needed a babysitter. He’d bring it up to Evie after dinner.
After taking the hypervator to Zaal’s floor Cas turned the corner to see Evie already outside the door, leaning up against the wall in much the same way she had when he’d spotted her that day at Devil’s Gate. “Not going to shove a blade up under my neck today, are you?” He smiled as he approached.
“What?” It took her a moment to remember. “Oh, no.” She chuckled and glanced at his hands. “She’s a taskmaster, huh?” She motioned to the welts on the backs.
“Don’t even get me started. I think she’s pissed I’m the one to talk to the Sil and not her. But I can’t prove it yet. If nothing else, my long-term goal is to get that stick from her and toss it out an airlock.”
Evie suppressed a laugh as Cas pushed the small button beside Zaal’s door.
“Enter,” his ominous voice said. Cas exchanged a smile with Evie. Zaal could make a killing shooting propaganda commercials.
He’d been expecting…what, exactly? That Zaal would transform his quarters into a replica of his own home planet? That it would be hot and dark and full of smoke and soot? However, when Cas stepped into the otherwise normal room he felt somewhat silly. It was no different than his own quarters, with the only exception being that what looked like a track suspended from the ceiling skirted the walls until it made a complete loop.
“Welcome,” Zaal said, setting some plates on the wide table in the middle of his “dining room” which was off to the side of the kitchen. Along the back wall were a series of windows that showed the field of stars blurring by in the distance. “Commander, nice to see you again.”
“Lieutenant,” Evie replied. “Thanks for allowing me to crash. You know I can’t resist your meals.” She turned to Cas. “Zaal is known to be better than some of the cooks down in the mess hall. Half the crew would love to be sitting in your shoes at the moment.”
Cas turned to Zaal. “I didn’t realize…thank you for inviting me.”
Zaal’s hard-light avatar smiled. “You’re welcome. The cooks only need to take the time to learn more about the cultures they serve food to. Once they understand how they can work in conjunction with each other, it makes the dining experience much more pleasant.”
“Will you be…I mean I know…” Cas wasn’t sure how to finish the sentence he’d started. The last thing he wanted was to be rude to his host. Then he’d be known as the man who’d screwed up one of the most coveted dinners on the ship. Like he needed something else on his plate.
“This apparatus allows me to consume foods through the hands,” Zaal replied. “Though they have to be in a…less than solid state when they reach ‘me’. Please, make yourselves at home while I finish.”
Evie took a seat and tapped her comm, bringing up a 3D display emanating from the device. “If you’ll excuse me a moment I need to finish some work. I won’t be a minute.”
Cas, meanwhile, took a short stroll around the space. An open doorway led to the next room over, which instead of a bed, sat a large pile of obsidian and volcanic rocks, all arranged in the shape of a small mountain.
“My altar,” Zaal said. “For when I disengage from my apparatus.”
“How often do you…you know?” Cas asked, doing his best not to trip over his words.
“I can stay inside for over three weeks if necessary, but I take it off every evening to relax. I will go to my altar and pray, then take my respite.”
It didn’t look like any altar Cas had ever seen, but then again the Untuburu had their own specific customs regarding religion, many of which were followed to the letter. Laska had drilled that into his head last week, despite Cas already knowing much about the Untuburu culture. He pointed up. “What’s the track?”
“Because I spend so much time in the apparatus, my body can grow weak. Once a week I will disengage and spend hours doing laps to keep up my stamina. It provides for most of my exercise needs.”
“Why not use the gym down on level twelve?” he asked.
“Most humanoid species aren’t comfortable with my natural form. Especially not as I scurry around the gym.” He finished setting the places at the table. “But we’re here to talk about you. If you’ll please take your seat we’ll pray before we begin.”
Cas couldn’t help keep that shiver creeping up his spine. Zaal made it sound like he was sitting down to a sacrifice, not dinner. But he took his seat anyway as Evie shut off her comm.
“If you will please raise your hands,” Zaal said, raising his own high above his head. The sleeves of the velvet robe fell back, revealing the metallic musculature of the apparatus he wore. He bent his head back toward the ceiling and closed his eyes. Cas and Evie followed suit. This really was a sacrifice.
“Great Kor, the all-knowing. You bless us with life. You bless us with death. May this meal assist us on our journey to your open embrace. Help us seek balance and unity with the universe.”
Never a religious person, Cas couldn’t help but reflect on the simplicity of the prayer. He cracked an eyelid to see Zaal lowering his hands, which he and Evie mimicked. Once his hands were on the table Zaal reached out to Evie and Cas. They each took a hand and took each other’s. Cas couldn’t help but think about how cold Zaal’s hand was.
“All things in balance, thank you, Kor,” Zaal said.
“All things in balance,” Evie repeated.
“All things in balance,” Cas said, assuming it was the right thing to do. Zaal released their hands.
“Thank you for indulging me. I know it isn’t for everyone.”
“It was beautiful,” Evie replied. Cas couldn’t agree more.
“Please.” Zaal said. “Eat.”
15
“So, you believe the Coalition is inherently flawed, like a diamond with a crack embedded somewhere inside. It still looks beautiful, but one day that crack will tear the jewel in two,” Zaal said.
“I don’t know if I’d call it a diamond,” Cas said, exchanging looks with Evie. “But it certainly has cracks.”
“This is absolutely fascinating,” Zaal said. “I can’t decide if your prejudice against the Coalition is because of their unfair treatment of you, or if you believe there are problems within the system itself that need to be corrected.”
“Trust me,” Cas said, taking a mouthful of yaarn. “It’s not prejudice.” Though it came out as is n’t pr’jdce.
“Oh, for the love of…chew with your mouth closed,” Evie said, her nose upturned.
“I’ll have to challenge you on that,” Zaal said. “Because of your treatment, by its very nature invites you to be biased. How can we know you are thinking with a clear head?”
Cas swallowed. “Because now I’m no longer under the brainwashing of the system, I can see it for what it really is.”
“Then are you saying the commander and I are ‘brainwashed’? That we do not see what is obvious to you?” Zaal asked. Evie only shook her head.
“Evie knows what’s going on. But before, yeah, she was. Before she knew Rutledge had betrayed me and covered up a crime. A crime, which mind you, is outlawed in the Coalition’s laws of governance.”
“Cas, maybe we shouldn’t be talking about classified—” she offered.
Zaal only stared at him with a serene smile plastered on his face. And maybe the Untuburu wine was loosening his lips but Cas wasn’t about to let this opportunity go. He pointed at Zaal with his utensil. “I can tell you right now the corruption goes to the very top.”
Zaal turned to Evie. “Commander, has this been your experience as well?” he asked. “Do you find the Coalition rife with corruption?”
“No,” she said, sneering at Cas. “I’ll admit what Cas went through was unfair and horrific, but outside the norm of standard Coalition operating procedure. You can’t condemn the entire Coalition for the actions of a few individuals.”
“Oh, come on, Evie,” Cas said, leaning his elbow on the table and staring at her. “You can’t tell me you really think it began and ended with Rutledge. Someone had to authorize his missions, procure resources, make allotments.”
“Yes,” she said. “Admiral Sanghvi, the ranking officer in this quadrant. He told us as much.” Her eyes flicked to Zaal and it didn’t escape Cas’s notice her hand had balled into a fist.
“Then doesn’t it follow that Rutledge’s orders to complete the mission no matter what would have also come from Sanghvi? Or someone else even higher up? Say the head of Coalition security? Someone else gave him clearance, otherwise he never would have taken the risk.”
Evie shot him a stern look that said shut up or I’m going to retrieve my sword and impale you. Maybe he shouldn’t press his luck.
“I was under the impression Admiral Rutledge had been arrested because he’d disobeyed a direct order. But this wouldn’t have anything to do with our current mission, would it?” Zaal asked. “I’ve heard rumors Rutledge was arrested and imprisoned for charges unrelated to his actual conduct.”