16. Chapter 16
Jason Stravetta read the message on his com with carefully masked dismay. He did not want to move to the crew deck, not because he felt he was better than others. Rather, it was the knowledge that he would be surrounded by those he did not know. His suite provided the isolation he needed, the sense of peace that he”d fought so hard for. Once on the crew deck, he would be heard if he cried out at night during a nightmare. His trauma was his to bear, but never shown to others. The thought of strangers knowing made his skin crawl with internal loathing.
He briefly considered arguing to stay on his deck, then discarded it. He might be a dreaded Stravetta, but he would not put his staff in harm”s way, even if he would do so for himself. He groaned softly. There was no choice. He would be moving down there for safety”s sake, knowing there was none for him. As he thought about what to take with him, another, more alarming, thought crossed his mind.
The Mindset One was on that deck. Jason had avoided him assiduously since their last confrontation. Originally fearful, he”d come to feel grudging respect and wonder for what the One could do. He rolled his eyes, grimacing. Alright, he was a little fearful. The Mindset had held him immobile with his mind, for the Gods” sake. Who wouldn”t be scared by that? Dare”s hand had been warm, and surprisingly gentle, despite the control he exerted.
Feeling a little too close to crazy, Jason realized he felt understood by the Mindset without uttering a word. No amount of trying to make it out to be something else took that away. It didn”t hurt that the empath was the type of man he liked. Shorter, lithe, and scary smart. He shook his head. Crap, what was wrong with him? Wanting a man who could kill with a thought was insane. Maybe he finally had lost his mind. It didn”t matter if he had, since Dare Munro hated him, with good reason. Although he”d offered to help him. What was that about? Jason shrugged. He”d never know since he wasn”t going there. Not now, not ever.
The klaxon sounded, as promised, at fifteen hundred hours, blaring for only a short time. Soon after, a hush fell over the ship as the drive went offline, and the ship coasted on its own momentum. The change wasn”t readily apparent, although the most sensitive could feel the difference, as did the long-term crew.
Jason could feel the difference, but knew he”d be hard pressed to describe what he felt. He almost felt lighter but knew that wasn”t a true physical sensation since gravity was still being produced. Whatever it was, it felt weird. He gazed around his tiny berth, his bags up against the far bulkhead. Stravetta knew he needed to unpack, put away what he could, but folded down his bed instead and climbed in, closing his eyes.
He took a deep breath to calm himself. This room was too small, too close. After his combat experiences, he found he was uncomfortable in small, dark spaces, and this berth qualified for both. Memories of being caught in a collapsed tunnel skittered across his mind before he pushed it away. No,I”m not going there. Focus on the present. This room is not a tunnel. I can breathe just fine. He pulled in a stuttering breath, willing himself to calm down. Keeping his eyes closed, he did the breathing he”d been taught, then finally opened his eyes, sighing. Fuck, it was going to be a long week or two.
Dare felt the change in the ship as soon as the drive disengaged. It was as though a collective breath was expelled, then held, waiting for the next inhale. He could feel that without lowering his shields, and knew that if he did, he would feel an increase in anxiety as well. Propping himself up with pillows, he sat on his bed, reading from his pad. However long it took to correct the malfunction, it was going to be too long, as far as he was concerned. The empath was used to being busy, and now, he had an enforced vacation since his clients were all taking a hiatus from therapy for the duration of this shutdown.
Realizing he”d read the same line three times, he put down his pad. Maybe he could see if he was needed in the infirmary or the mess. Dare shook his head. If this was what a vacation was, he was happy he”d never taken one. Then again, this was hardly a scenic venue. Shrugging, he picked up the pad again and made himself focus. He”d relax, rest, and hopefully could help somewhere until they got up to speed again.
The empath met Riis that evening for dinner. The younger man looked exhausted, his usual energy depleted. Dare cast a concerned glance his way, only to have the assistant shake his head.
”I”m fine, Dare. Yeah, I look like I”ve been run over by something large, but then I kind of have been. Trying to get everyone off the outer decks was an absolute pain in the butt. The captain moved into his office with no complaint, but some of the other officers acted like I was making them do this out of spite.” He gave the empath a barely there smile. ”I wanted to tell them to go ahead and fry up there, but couldn”t unless I wanted to be hit by an insubordination charge. Thank the Gods that Jason Stravetta just packed up and left without an argument. I could tell he didn”t want to leave, but Lewis said that he would not stay and endanger his staff. Lewis tried to swat me because I looked too surprised. Didn”t expect that level of consideration from the son of the honcho. I guess acting like an asshole doesn”t necessarily make you one.”
Dare gazed at him, giving the younger man an understanding smile. ”I”m a bit surprised, too, to hear that but glad as well. I”m happy you didn”t have to wrangle the officers and Mr. Stravetta. That would have been way too much. I saw my clients today and won”t see them again until we get back online. If you need help with anything, let me know. I”m not used to sitting around, and a week or two of that will make me crazy.”
Riis groaned. ”I wish I could trade places with you. I have to check on the officers over the next few days to make sure they”re settling in their perfectly acceptable, albeit smaller, quarters. I”m so glad the captain isn”t that fussy. I”ve got a bunch of other things I need to catch up on, too. If you really want to help, I could ask the captain if you could do those visits. Stupid though they are. I”m pretty sure none of those annoying officers would give you any lip. You”d have to check on Mr. Stravetta and his staff, too. Would you be alright with that?”
The empath looked down, then gave the younger man a thoughtful glance. ”I”m fine with doing all that, including checking on Stravetta et al. Ask the captain and let me know tomorrow. Now, finish up your meal so you can get back to your berth. You look like you”re going to fall into your chili, face first.”
Riis shook his head, while giving the empath a diluted scowl. ”Good thing you”re going to help me, or I”d have to give you a snappy comeback in the next day or two. Shit, I”m so tired.” He stared at Dare with bleary eyes. ”You wouldn”t have some kind of mojo to get my energy back, would you?”
Dare grinned, a mischievous glint in his eye. ”Well…” he glanced around at the other crew members. ”I could, but I can”t guarantee that you wouldn”t spontaneously start yipping like a Jack Russell terrier.”
Riis” eyes widened. ”Really?”
Dare snorted. ”No, not really. Just go to bed–that will take care of the problem. I”ll walk you back to your berth. I don”t want to hear tomorrow that you fell asleep in the corridor.”
The younger man yawned hugely. ”I”d laugh, but that”s too close to the truth. You”re a nice guy when you”re not being a comedian.”
Dare sympathy yawned, then glared at his friend. ”Stop yawning. Let”s go, little Viking, so you can get your much needed beauty sleep.”
Riss stood, swaying a little on his feet. ”When you”re right, you”re right. Lead on, you ancient Pict, so you can tuck me in.”
The empath grabbed one of his elbows to steady him. ”In your dreams and nowhere else, Riis.”