Chapter 38
THIRTY-EIGHT
ELAINA
Chevron buzzed as Elaina walked through the market district, her thoughts occupied with the excitement of her move. Everything was lining up smoothly. She was all set to depart at the end of the quarter-cycle. Now if only her hands could work smoothly too.
But she would try again, in a new place. It would reset her, clear this blockage, or whatever it was. Elaina was certain there was another force at play on Earendel—the force she and Cyan had discovered back at the station. And getting away from it was her only hope for normalcy.
She came to a halt as a loud zap cracked through the air, followed by a string of expletives. She turned toward the source: a man hunched over a small device. She immediately recognized it as a portable air purifier—used by those allergic to Earendel’s sandstone dust but too stubborn to leave the planet.
The man looked distraught, fiddling with the knobs as he glanced at the monitor adhered to his inner elbow.
“I can help,” Elaina called out without thinking, her feet already carrying her toward him .
“Not unless you’ve got magic hands,” the man coughed into the crook of his elbow.
I used to.
Elaina swallowed hard, pushing her hesitation down. She grabbed the device just as it slipped from the man’s hands, another coughing fit racking his body.
She placed it on a nearby bench and pulled out a screwdriver from the miniature toolkit she always kept on her. She tore her sunscarf from her shoulder, handing it to the man. “Here.”
He took it, covering his mouth and nose with the emerald nymphsilk fabric.
Once the purifier was in pieces, Elaina saw the problems immediately. It looked like it had been kicked around more than a few times. Battery connector loose, dust coating the components, and—critically—a crack in the sensor.
She picked a patch of solderglue from her kit.
But as she touched the internals, sparks flew accompanied by a sharp whirr.
“You’re making it worse!” the man wheezed behind her.
Elaina swore under her breath. Why had she thought she could do this? She glanced around, seeing the small crowd forming, a woman supporting the man as she called out, “Does anyone have a spare purifier?”
No one has a fucking spare purifier.
She knew that because she’d seen the ever-growing heap of malfunctioning purifiers grow in the garage over the last spans. Medical devices always had priority, but it had become hard to keep up.
People are going to diehere ,Elaina realized. She’d knownthis was bad, of course. But she’d been so focused on patching things that she hadn’t really let herself consider the full impact of what was happening. Just as everyone else on the planet didn’t seem to notice the tech issues until recently, even Elaina had let herself stick her head in the dunes.
Her throat constricted, her breath coming short. Shit, was she starting to develop a sandstone allergy herself?
A shadow loomed over her.
“Tell me what to do,” Cyan’s voice cut through her rising panic.
Elaina recoiled from the massive form blotting out the sun.
“I… I can’t—” she stammered, her fingers trembling.
“Elaina,” Cyan said calmly as he got down beside her, his face too close, his silver eyes boring into her. “Just tell me what to do. Use my hands.”
He put his hands out, palms up. Rough and masculine, his fingers weren’t built for delicate repairs.She glanced back at the wheezing man. Specks of red dotted her scarf against his mouth.
Elaina shuffled aside, letting Cyan take her place in front of the dismantled purifier on the bench.
“Okay,” she breathed. “Start by disconnecting the main flux relay. Then use that solder patch to secure the sensor. Then…”
Cyan followed her instructions without hesitation, his hands moving with surprising precision. It was easy—too easy. He seemed to know what she needed him to do before she even said it.
Like he could read her mind.
Within minutes, the device hummed to life.
Elaina stared. It worked. She hadn’t touched it, but it worked.
Someone grabbed the purifier and pressed it to the man’s face. He drew in deep, relieved breaths. He nodded his thanks, clasping the side of his neck .
Elaina stood, locked-up muscles protesting. Cyan followed suit, rising beside her.
“Thanks,” she muttered, forcing herself to look at him. Cyan’s eyes softened, but before he could say anything, Elaina stepped away. “I have to go.”
The next sol, Elaina walked into the garage with a plan. Konstantin was there, tinkering with one of the station’s backup generators. He looked up as she approached.
“I need your help,” Elaina said, getting straight to the core.
Konstantin raised an eyebrow. “With?”
“You’ll be my hands,” she explained. “I’ll guide you through it. Just follow my instructions.”
He chuckled, wiping his hands on a rag. “Okay, Fairan. Whatever you say.”
But as they got started, it quickly became apparent that this wasn’t going to work. No matter how carefully Elaina guided him through even the most basic repairs, the machine faltered. Konstantin was smart—he followed her instructions exactly, and even made useful suggestions of his own. But the entire process was just as impractical as it should have been. It was ridiculous, the idea of guiding someone else through delicate technical repairs. Apparently, even pairing with another experienced astrotechnician wasn’t practical. The rhythm was just off.
Elaina’s frustration grew as she realized the truth—Konstantin wasn’t in tune with her like Cyan had been. It wasn’t about intelligence or skill. It was about this freakish, completely impractical attunement.
By the time they gave up, a pile of failures had accumulated on the workbench. Konstantin was patient, even amused, but Elaina was spent by the sinking realization.
It was just Cyan. The way his brain just clicked.
How was anyone else ever going to match that?
“You know, Fairan, you’re a tough one to impress,” he said. He straightened, stepping closer. “I bet dinner would make you feel better, though.”
Mere sols ago she would have said yes. She’d wanted to do this, with him. It was safe. And then Cyan had to go and ruin it for her, again.
She shook her head, her lips curving into a small smile. “Thanks, Konstantin, but… I’m going to pass.”
He blinked, trying to hide his surprise, but recovered quickly. “Fair enough, Fairan. But if you change your mind…”
“I’ll know where to find you.”