"Thanks for encouraging the Commander to give me a chance." David's voice breaks me out of my foggy thoughts.
"Of course. You deserve it." I mean it even though my mind is elsewhere.
I feel his hand on my arm and I tense. I try to remind myself he’s this friendly with everyone.
But then he continues. "It's too bad you have to go already. Can't you stay at least until you see your modifications complete in the Blue Ridge's engines?"
I gently pull away from his lingering hand, and swing my pack over my shoulder. "I would love to, but the repairs on the Resurrection are extensive and I need to get my team over there." I step backward.
"All right, vid me if you need anything. At least Doc Jones will be going with you. He'll be helpful." I can tell David is delaying.
I turn toward the door. "I'll do that. Congrats again, and I'll talk to you later."
"Bye, Talia." David's disappointed voice fades as I hurry away.
I don't have time to deal with David’s feelings for me right now. My cheeks are warm as I hurry toward the lift. I turn the first corner and run straight into someone.
"Whoa." Zayn reaches out to steady me.
My stomach churns. I haven't talked to Zayn since the Council meeting earlier. "Sorry, apparently this is becoming a habit for me not to be paying attention." I wrap my arms around my middle.
"Are you all right?"
I hang my head. "I thought you had left."
He releases me abruptly. "I did. I am. I'm on my way to engineering for my shift." His stiff answer dashes any hope that he'll forgive me.
"Zayn, can we take a few minutes to talk?"
"I've really got to get to engineering. Don't want my new boss to be upset with me already." His words are bitter.
"So, your dad told you? David will make a great senior engineer, you know."
"Sure. I've got to go." He turns, and I reach out to touch his arm. He stops but doesn't turn back around.
"I'm on my way to the Resurrection now, Zayn," I say quietly.
The muscle underneath my hand flexes. "Well, then, have a safe trip."
"Zayn?"
"I really need to get to work." He pulls away from me and slowly walks away.
I blink away tears as I listen to his steps receding. I turn and follow the wall to the lift. I keep myself together until I get to the door of my room. I go inside and sit down on the little bed and cry.
When I've had enough of crying, I make sure my stuff is packed up and ready for the dock crew to come pick up. I throw a few hygiene items and extra data sticks into my pack for the trip back to the Resurrection.
I wipe my eyes and open the door. And once again almost run into someone. I really need to start paying attention. Stop letting your emotions override your senses.
My heart races as for a second as I allow myself to think it's Zayn coming back to apologize.
Then her voice cuts into the air. Erin. Of course she would be here right now.
"Heard you were leaving. Thought I'd see if you needed anything before you left." Her sickening sweet fakeness makes me want to throw up right here in the corridor.
Since I've been so busy in engineering I hadn't run into her until now. I almost had myself convinced I was imagining her desire for Zayn. I swallow down the bile rising in my throat and the biting words I want to say to her. I remind myself that Zayn just thinks of her as a friend, and besides it doesn't look like there is a Zayn and Talia anymore. So she means nothing to me.
"No, I'm fine, thank you. I better hurry to the docks." I turn and flee from this girl that will now be here on the ship with Zayn.
Instead of going straight to the docks, I stop by one of the cafeterias and grab some food. I sit in a corner of the large room by myself and eat. I go over everything that has happened the last few weeks, and especially the last few days. Was there any other way to deal with Kae without sending Zayn's dad? Was there a better ship out there that could've caught up with her?
"He's just like his dad, you know." A female voice behind me startles me mid-bite.
I chew and swallow as she sits down next to me. "Who?"
Her laughter is light and warm. "Zayn, of course." She places a hand on my shoulder. "It's Kindra. And if there's one thing I know is that the Mise men are stubborn, but loyal."
"I-it's nice to meet you," I manage to stammer out. We didn't really have much of a chance to talk on the bridge.
"Yes, I'm sorry we didn't get to sit down and have dinner while you were here."
The noise level rises behind us as a group of crewmembers gets in line for food. I turn my face toward Kindra. "I don't think Zayn is sorry at this point." I'm not sure how much Zayn told his mom about me, but he must've said something for her to seek me out down here.
"Did you know there was someone in Destry's life before I met him?" She pauses, not for me to answer, but temporarily lost in the past. "But I knew we would be together the first time I saw those amazing blue eyes of his."
I smile. They both do have the same clear blue eyes and dark eyelashes.
"So, I'm sure things will work out for you two as well. I've seen how he looks at you."
I frown. "It's possible once I leave this ship I won't see him again."
She takes my hand and squeezes. "Talia, I've seen you both face danger and odds most adults wouldn't handle half as well as you did. I know things will work out for you two."
"I appreciate you saying that." I try to sound sincere, but my heart doesn't believe it right now.
The molded chair squeaks as I stand up and push it back. "I better get going. I'm sure the crew is waiting for me."
She still hasn't let go of my hand. "Just keep in touch with him, Talia. He needs you as much as I see you need him. As I said before, he's stubborn like his dad. But he'll come around," she says as she lets go of my hand.
I throw my pack over my shoulder and pick up the food tray. She walks me over to the recycler. At the lift I turn to her and say, "It was really nice talking with you, Kindra. And thank you for the kind words." I need to get out of here before I cry.
She surprises me by gathering me up in a hug. I tentatively hug back, still unused to that kind of affection from near strangers. She's a petite but strong woman. "Safe travels, Talia. I'm sure we'll see you again."
I step into the lift alone. Her last words echo in the quiet. How can she be so sure that Zayn will forgive me? What if something happens to his dad while he's out there?
Shouts and the loud whine of hover machines carrying crates assault my ears when the lift door opens. I steady myself before I step out amongst the hustle of the main docks. I follow the walkway around the perimeter of the large bay until I find the slip that my jump ship waits in.
"Miss Jade?" The crewman has to yell against the noise.
"Yes, is everyone else already here?"
"I think so. Your crates are being loaded right now."
I reach up to touch the ship, and follow its smooth lines to the entry door. It's closed against the noise, so I wait until it cycles open for me. Once I'm inside it closes with a loud metallic thunk. I shake my head. This is definitely not one of the Gryphon's jump ships.
On the bridge, I find several other engineers just getting buckled in. I choose a seat far in the back and buckle my harness. I'm so exhausted I don't even remember lifting off from the Blue Ridge as I fall asleep.
My dreams are a mixture of Zayn's hurt voice, my parents' faces as they tell me to hide, and Chairman Lee's stern expression looking down at me. When I wake up at the Resurrection, I'm glad this jump ship didn't have the engine upgrades. I needed the extra sleep.
As we wait inside the inner corridor for our crates, I jack into the ship with my cube. I scroll through the damage reports and wince to myself.
This will be a good way to keep my mind off Zayn. I send a few messages off requesting special parts and another one to Captain Reyes to see how the gas cat schedules are doing.
I find the residential level wit
hout incident and thankfully my crates are already there. I've been looking forward to a real hot shower again all week. This is one perk I definitely appreciate.
The hot water streams down my tired body, and I lean my forehead against the wall. Tears of exhaustion and sadness fall, mixing with the water. So much to do and it seems every time I think my plan is working, something or someone comes along and destroys it. The loss of Zayn's friendship is a huge hole inside me. I already miss talking to him and our familiar bantering back and forth.
I finally get out when the water turns cold. I dress quickly and put away my personal things. There is nowhere to plug my suit in here, so I take it with me to engineering.
CHAPTER 18
Backup Engine Secret
The corridors are busy with increased numbers of crew moving in. I wonder how many of these will stay with us on this ship, and how many are just temps who are here to help us fix the damage. I'm guessing that living on a prison ship doesn't exactly sound enticing to most people. The hot water showers are a plus, but maybe not enough to keep someone from their home habitat.
If they knew about Biolab Zeg they would want to stay.
I frown. It's too bad we have to keep the amazing residents of the Biolab a secret. I need to work on how to keep people aboard the Resurrection. It'll need to be fully staffed in order to run efficiently over the next year. And those of us staying on the ship need more to look forward to than just work and a hot shower.
I also want to talk to Commander Saj about changing the name of the habitat. It needs a new name to match its new purpose. With only one level of prisoners, it's no longer just the prison ship Resurrection.
With a start, I realize I'm already at engineering without even thinking about it. I smile, feeling the familiar confidence of being comfortable with my surroundings.
"Miss Jade, over here," Doc Jones’ welcoming voice calls from a few meters away.
I stride over to the navigation console where he's working. "Please, call me Talia, Doc."
"All right, Talia. We're tracking the Aurora. It was at a dead stop about an hour ago. I'm thinking it was waiting for Commander Dru's habitat ship. But several jump ships moved into the habitat’s path." He chuckles. "Commander Dru stepped down, leaving his second in charge."
"Really? Why did he do that?"
"We've had some communication from fellow engineers on his ship, and it seems they all don't share his beliefs of a pure society, and refused to follow Captain Kae."
"Good." A spark of hope passes through me. Maybe she won't get away this time.
"But we tracked a jump ship pulling away from the habitat. We think its Commander Dru heading toward the Aurora."
"And the Aurora?"
"It started back toward the asteroid belt before the jump ship started out. Guess she wasn't going to wait for him."
"Okay, so we have the Aurora and one rogue jump ship out there. Destry and our security forces should be able to handle that, right?"
"I hope so. They need to get the Aurora back within the next forty-eight hours in order to keep up with the Migration. It'll take time to retrofit the Aurora's engines. As you know, the bio star fuel plant ships are more complicated with all the manufacturing equipment on them."
"Yes, it’ll be a challenge." I tilt my head, listening. "Have you started repairs on this ship already?"
"Not yet. We were waiting for you." He turns toward me.
"I'm hearing fluctuations in the backup engine. The main engine is completely shut down, correct?" I swing my pack off my shoulder and dig for my cube.
"Yes, it is. I don't think anyone checked the backup since it's on the other side of engineering from the explosion.
I turn and hurry across the bay. I find the main engineering computer and jack my cube into it. I run diagnostics of the Resurrection's systems and place my fingers over the display.
The data doesn't make me happy. I should've gotten here sooner. "Call Commander Saj and tell him we need an all-stop immediately."
"What? All right, I'm on it." Doc opens his comm and talks to the Commander.
The whine and hum of the engines and computers all around us switch off, and we're left in an eerie silence. It's never good to turn everything off like this since it takes so long to reboot and restart every single machine, system, and computer. But I don't have a choice.
My stomach churns as I step over to talk to Commander Saj. "Commander?'
"All right everything is off, now I hope you have a good explanation for this, Talia. We were just back up to speed."
I swallow. "Commander, thank you for trusting me. I need to go take a look outside. I think there might be another bomb attached to the backup engine."
Doc gasps beside me. The Commander swears, which surprises me. "Seriously? We already checked and ran all the diagnostics for anomalies. We found several other small devices that we removed safely. What did we miss? How do you know?"
"I can tell by a slight vibration in the backup engine that something is off balance. Did you send the crew outside the ship?"
"No. You think there's more out there?"
I hand my suit to Doc. "Please charge this for me and get yours ready as well." To the Commander I say, "I'll let you know in about twenty minutes. I'll head out there myself to look around."
"You know every minute our engines are off, we fall behind formation."
"Yes, sir. I'll be quick. As soon as it's clear, you can restart the engine."
More swearing before he cuts the comm. I hurry to the locker room and find Doc already suited up.
"Mine was already charged. I put yours on the quick charge. Should be at least fifty percent by now."
"Good enough. Thank you, Doc." I hurry to the charging station and pull on my suit. I carry the helmet out of the locker room.
"Should I have more of our team suit up?" Doc’s voice is muffled through his helmet.
"No, I don't want to endanger anyone else. Besides, if I'm wrong, we'll need them in here to start searching elsewhere." I press my lips together. I had hoped we could start right into repairs today, and now I've had to shut the whole system down. Time is weighing on me like a dark cloud.
I pull on my helmet and Doc and I cycle through to the decompression room.
By the time the outside hatch pops open, my sight has gone from complete darkness to vivid color and depth. I smile, as always enjoying this initial sensation, despite the circumstances I find myself in.
As the stars come into view, I settle myself and focus on what I need to do. I pull up the detailed schematics of the emergency engine.
We follow the hand railing as quickly as we can. The damage to the main engine is painfully obvious out here. "Look at that, Doc. We were lucky Commander Saj shut the main down in time." The whole engine is melted outward. Jagged pieces of metal housing spread open like a deadly metal flower.
The emergency engine is on the far side from here. With the hand railing also destroyed, Doc and I have to use the small propulsion jets in our suits to navigate. I'm impressed that Doc is staying with me. Usually, most crewmembers are afraid to be free of the handholds. I smile as I watch his graceful movements. Doc has probably been space walking before I was born.
We reach the smaller engine and start inspecting it. I pull myself along, looking into each of the vents or angles where some small object might be hidden.
"Talia, look here." Doc's voice is not his usual calm brogue.
I go over to where he's hovering over a small protrusion next to an engine mount. In one of the cracks is a small device with a blinking light. The location explains the vibration I heard.
I press the comm button on my suit. "Commander Saj, we've found one."
"Good work. How big is it?"
"It's about the size of my hand. What do we do now? How did you disarm the others?"
"On the side of it there's a button that will detach it from the ship."
I feel around the object with my gloved hand. I find t
he small button and push it. The device dislodges, and I quickly catch it before it floats away, my heart hammering in my chest.
"Got it, Commander. Now what?" I hold it away from me gingerly.
"Now you have to look for three different colored buttons. Press them in this order." He gives me a sequence that I follow carefully. Soon all the lights go out on the device. I take in a deep breath.
"Seems to be switched off now," I say, smiling weakly.
"I'll have one of the security crew come out there and get it from you."
"You don't want us to just bring it back in?"
"No, I don’t want to take any more chances. We had one blow up even though it was turned off. The crew member had to go to the med ship for surgery."
I want to throw up. "I'm so sorry, Commander. I hope he'll be all right."
"Thank you," the Commander answers grimly.
"We'll look around while we're waiting, to make sure there aren't any more."
I tuck the device carefully in the netting attached to my suit. Doc and I scour the whole area but don't find any more devices.
The three of us return inside, the security crewmember heading off ahead of us gently carrying the device.
Doc and I step out of the decomp chamber into the engineering bay. He takes off his helmet, but I'm shaking too badly to disconnect. And I need to visually inspect the rest of engineering, just to make sure there aren't any others. This experience has shaken me and is probably the most fear I've felt since the accident. The not knowing if there’s more hidden that could blow up at any minute makes me so tense that my muscles ache.
We turn the corner to find the other engineers and apprentices standing together, applauding. My cheeks instantly warm, and Doc and I stop in our tracks.
Shouts of "well done" and whoops of congratulations echo throughout the unusually quiet engineering bay.
Doc gets them to quiet down. I press my comm. "Commander, go ahead and restart her."
Everyone goes quiet, listening to the beeps and clicks around us as the ship comes back to life. Grinning, everyone scatters to their posts. Soon the familiar noise of a healthy backup engine fills the silence. I join the others to make sure we have no other surprises. We work late into the night, checking every inch of engineering. We visually inspect the engines, the damage, and the bio star fuel tank.
Talia's Planet (Recycling Humanity Book 5) Page 12