“Because, Doc knows that ain’t gonna happen. Not yet.”
Not until I was back on deck? What the…
And I felt a sudden moment of disorientation, as Mack shoved me out of his head.
“Stay the fuck out of my skull!”
I hadn’t even known I’d been in there. Well. That was embarrassing!
I decided maybe a change of subject was needed.
“So, boss, what’s next?”
And he gave a short bark of laughter.
“Next? What’s next is you’re having a nap until Doc says you’re well enough to come out of there, and while you do that, we’re taking a trip to one of the inner systems for some down-time on Odyssey’s orders, because they think we need some, and refuse to give us another contract, until we’ve taken some R&R.”
“They paying?”
And Mack smiled loud enough for me to hear it in my head.
“Oh, Hells yes.”
Well, that was nice.
“Don’t worry, girl, you’ll be back on deck by then.”
That was good news.
“So, I’ll get some downtime, too?”
“You will.”
“And can it be anywhere I like?”
“As in away from the ship, you mean?”
Actually, I’d meant as in away from him and Tens and anyone else on board the Shady Marie, boys and dogs included. I was still trying to work out a diplomatic way of saying it, when Mack plucked it right out of my head.
“You want to leave me already? We only did one mission.”
Funny how he forgot about having to cancel that mission, and then all the little missions that followed.
“Don’t forget the not-so-little ones,” he muttered. “What happened on K’Kavor was not exactly a small deal.”
“Yeah, well, those, too. I need a break.”
“You don’t need a break, girl. You need some sleep, and time to heal.”
And there he went again, telling me what I needed.
“You’re my crew. I need you back on deck so I can bid on the next contract.”
Well, what if I needed a holiday, some down time. What about that? I thought, but I didn’t say it.
“Let me think about it.”
Of course, not saying it, and not having Mack fish it straight out of my skull? Two completely different things.
“Go to sleep, Cutter,” and it sounded like I wasn’t the only one who needed to catch some zees.
Mack was sounding pretty shot, himself.
“Cutter….”
“What Mack? You change your mind? Cos we’re not that far from this nice little world with great restaurants.”
He sighed, and pushed three buttons on the control pad.
“Hey! No fair!”
And he grinned, a tired, you-are-so-done-right-now-grin that vanished just as fast as it had come.
“Get some sleep, Cutter. I’ll be here when you wake.”
Well, that wasn’t comforting.
“Mack!”
I didn’t want to sleep. I didn’t want to be left alone in the tank. Sure, he would be here when I woke, but what about all the times in between? I knew what was out there. I knew just how much shit Mack and the crew of the Shady Marie got themselves into… and how often. I didn’t want to be unconscious in a tank the next time it hit the fan.
“Mack…” I wanted to explain, but whatever he’d put in the tank was taking hold.
He came over and rested a hand on the glass.
“I’ll be here, Cutter. I promise.”
He promised?
“Yeah. You got a problem with that?”
Not a single one.
Not yet.
Not when I had to sleep.
Maybe when I woke up… Yeah. Maybe then I’d have a problem. But not right now.
Author’s Notes
As I start the final preparations for getting the second edition of Mack ‘n’ Me: Arach ready for upload, it’s a sunny summer day in Australia, and I’m nearing the end of the first book in the Lunar Wolves series. The world is still a little crazy with the covid outbreak coming to the end of its first twelve months, vaccines are on the near horizon, and Australia and China aren’t getting along. These are troubled times, and my dream is that they will get better.
Since there’s nothing I can do to fix any of those real-world issues, I’m going to write another book, and hope things get better…and then I’m going to write another one. If nothing else, they’ll give me different worlds to explore and places to be—and I hope they’ll do the same for you, too. Thank you for reading this far—and thank you for coming with me on this journey.
I will always appreciate your company.
If you want to see more of me, you can find more news of my work, or follow me as I create more stories at any one of the following locations:
Blogspot: http://cmsimpson.blogspot.com.au/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CMSimpsonWriter/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com.au/cmsimpsonauthor/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/simpsoncolleen1
Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCjOK2SvOHoT_ru9rlnlVS-g
Linked In: https://au.linkedin.com/public-profile/in/c-m-simpson-8279344a
The cover art for this book was created by Moonchild Lilja and you can find her work at fantasybookdesign.com
Other Work by C.M. Simpson
The Magic Beneath Paris (with Michael Anderle)
#1 Trading into Shadow
#2 Trading into Darkness
#3 Trading Close to Light
#4 Trading by Firelight
#5 Trading by Shroomlight
#6 Trading into Daylight
#7 Trading into Stormlight
#8 Trading to the Deeps
Mack ‘n’ Me ‘n’ Odyssey
#1 Mack ‘n’ Me: Origins
#2 Mack ‘n’ Me: Blaedergil’s Host
#3 Mack ‘n’ Me: Arach
#4 Mack ‘n’ Me: The Transporter’s Favor
#5 Mack ‘n’ Me: The Wolves of Alpha 9
#6 Mack ‘n’ Me: Diplomacy 101
I also have work in the following publications:
The Expanding Universe: Volume 4
Dragonscales Anthology: Volume 2
About C.M. Simpson
Born in Far North Queensland, I ended up being dragged over most of the state before the age of ten--and then into the Northern Territory and back, so that I attended four different primary schools and two high schools by graduation. In a country that inspires the imagination, and in towns that made me dream of worlds beyond my own, I started writing early, and reading voraciously.
In high school, I discovered writers like Anne McCaffrey, Harry Harrison, John Christopher, Douglas Hill and Alan Dean Foster. They kept me company--and semi-sane--through most of my young adult years, and beyond. I’ve done time in the Royal Australian Air Force, worked as a governess and teacher, and been an analyst, and, all that time, I kept writing, and exploring both my worlds and those I was privileged to be invited to share. Now, you can find my stories at most of the major distributors. Thank you, for sharing this part of my journey with me. If you would like to share more of it, you can find my blog, here: https://cmsimpson.blogspot.com/, or sign up for my newsletter. Hope to see you there.
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