Chapter 14
FOURTEEN
ELAINA
The next evening she was buzzing. Her fingers itched to get themselves on more evidence, and more work. This might be the perfect opportunity for her to not just prove herself again, but also investigate exactly what was going on. She’d found common patterns in the damage down on planetside equipment, but the tech on the station was much more intricate, and designed for more advanced diagnostics. They had debuggers she didn’t have access to down here. Maybe she’d dig in and figure this thing out once and for all. Finally connect the dots of her hunch.
She counted down the hours as she threw some clothes, dental powder, and other necessities in her pack. She was mentally going through the first diagnostics she’d run on the core systems up on the station on her way out the door, so in her head that by the time she collided face first with a metal barricade it was too late to stop it.
“Ouch!” Elaina stumbled back, then immediately went for the electric prod on her toolbelt before following the line of armor up to find none other than Cyan Orlogsson reaching out to grab her shoulders and keep her stumbling form upright .
“I’m so sorry,” he blurted. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”
“It’s… okay.” Elaina caught her breath, releasing her hold on the prod. His eyes followed her hand. Elaina frowned. “What are you doing here? And… how’d you know where I live?”
“Your boss told me,” he explained. “I swear I’m not stalking you. Too much.”
There he was again. She’d tried to stay annoyed at him the sol before, after he waltzed up to her at the rooftop and started flirting like nothing happened after leaving her hanging for sols. It had been annoyingly disarming. “You’re at my hab, Cyan.”
“Right. But I swear Priad and I have a good reason.”
A huff from behind Cyan’s legs made Elaina crane her neck to look past him. It was already dark, and all she could spot of the warg in the shadows were a pair of glowing silver eyes.
“Hi, Priad.” She received panting in response. Elaina turned back to Cyan, still looming in her doorway. “So what’s the reason? Is your dataslate broken again? I kind of have to?—”
“Go to orbit, I know. I’m here because I need to come with you.”
Huh?
“What do you mean?”
“Look,” Cyan told her. “Something is going on here. But I think you know that. Finding out what is part of my work.”
“Right. The mysterious ‘keeping the order of things.’”
“Exactly. I need to come with you. And I can help.”
“Oh? You’re also an astrotechnician?” She was being bratty, but something in her knew he could help. And another thing was irrationally excited about having a travel mate. Maybe this travel mate.
“Nothing that impressive.” Cyan chuckled. “But I’m good at feeling these things out. I know it’s too early to say ‘trust me,’ but…”
Elaina picked at a seam in the strap of the pack she had slung over one shoulder. She supposed if he were asking her to come along, he couldn’t get up on the station on his own. Maybe he wasn’t authorized. But with her… people trusted her up there. Letting a complete stranger tag along would be a stupid, impulsive move that would surely be driven by something other than professionalism.
Fuck it—she had decided to take more chances on people. And for better or worse, she wanted to take one on this person specifically. Maybe it was time to finally follow her intuition instead of overthinking everything in her life all the time.
“All right. Just don’t blow anything up, okay?”
Cyan recoiled, placing a palm on his plated chest with faux indignation. “I’m not a terrorist , Elaina.”
“Better not be.” She brushed past him and into the cool night air, a small smirk on her face. “Let’s go.”