Chapter 6
SIX
EDDIE
Eddie swam laps in Athletics, a continuous back and forth while his thoughts churned.
In the two weeks since they left Ganymede, he’d been haunted by his words and disgusted by his actions.
The pain and open defiance on Jett’s face had broken him, and what little pleasure he’d found in the commission had vanished in that instant.
Twist. Turn.
Eddie always loved to swim. It was one of the only things he’d ever done for himself.
Kick off. Surface.
Swimming allowed Eddie to focus on everything around him, on the way his body moved and felt, without his mind taking over and ruining it.
He let his thoughts go where they would while his body repeated well-known motions.
He swam more when overwhelmed, because eventually his brain would stop racing and he’d be able to think clearly again.
Eddie surfaced at the end of the lap. A timer at the edge of the pool showed that there were only a few minutes left in his reserved time slot.
The full-sized lap pool was one of a dozen spaced out in the massive Aquatics room on the ship.
He always preferred these to the main pool; here he didn’t need to worry about bumping into someone or taking another’s pace as his own.
He could stretch his limbs and alternate his pace as his body and mind needed.
Eddie bobbed up and down, taking in the feel of the water, the smell of chlorine, the way his hair stuck to his forehead and neck. Swimming was the one thing getting him through the day. Without the break, his thoughts would drown him.
I wonder what the pool is like on the Lion.
Wondering about his future ship had turned from genuine curiosity to coping mechanism.
There was no excitement, it just was something to distract him from memories of Jett’s tear-stained face and the comforting neon lights of the City.
He didn’t like thinking about leaving the Neo-Tokyo, hated the thought of the Golden Lion and the elitist assholes that he would be surrounded by there.
He hadn’t even considered that aspect until Jett had thrown the words at him like a weapon.
But of course the Lion would only be accessible to the wealthy, famous, or elite.
And that must have been why his family pushed him so hard.
It wasn’t just getting Eddie away from someone that they thought was distasteful, but also a way to position themselves to take advantage of this new, more glamorous world that he would be a part of.
“Captain Stone, sir,” a voice said.
Eddie spun in the water, flinging droplets against the ceramic sides. A tall, willowy Cetian stood beside the pool in Quasar grey. “There’s a call for you, sir.”
Eddie pulled himself out of the pool. The cooling water sliding off him in rivulets. “Who is the call from?”
A sudden, intense memory hit Eddie, of a time when Jett was in the Cetian’s place, before they got together all those years ago.
He’d come to ask a favor from Eddie, but hadn’t thought to wait for him to shower and change.
So Jett got the full view of Eddie’s nearly naked body, and Eddie had enjoyed the look that crossed Jett’s face.
That was the first time Eddie saw something akin to want in the brash, sarcastic Head of Security.
Eddie closed his eyes as he ran a towel over his chest, chasing Jett from his mind.
He could still see the anger, the pain, the tears from that night.
Could still hear his own harsh words as they slipped from his mouth like venom in veins.
Swimming hadn’t chased the memories away.
He feared they would haunt him, a specter of the life he’d thrown away.
“Sir?”
Eddie shook his head. “Please repeat that.”
The Cetian squinted but continued. “The call is from Adonis Mox, of the Golden Lion, sir.”
Eddie nodded, heading for the locker room. “Let Mox know I will be with him shortly.”
The Cetian nodded and walked off.
“Adonis,” Eddie said. “How is my ship?”
The man smiled. He had mid-tone brown skin, a square face and shaven head.
He looked more like a military man than a pampered Board Director’s son.
But Eddie knew he didn’t measure up to his own upbringing, and he shouldn’t judge based on appearance.
He knew Adonis Mox to be intelligent and humble, and one day he would command his own ship. But for now he was testing Eddie’s.
The ship you traded true love for, a voice whispered in his mind.
“Captain Stone,” Mox began. “The ship is in very good working order. The systems are being stress-tested on schedule and there have been no major problems so far. A few smaller systems have bugs that need to be sorted out, but Quasar is aware and will have fixes for us when we dock at Charon.”
Eddie nodded. “I am glad to hear that. How long until you reach Charon? I would like you to keep me updated on the bugs and system errors. We cannot afford to postpone the maiden voyage.”
And soon I will never see you again.
“We are on schedule to reach Charon in seven weeks, one week ahead of schedule.”
Because the Golden Lion was a smaller ship, it sailed the Void faster than the Neo-Tokyo. The Metropolis-class ships were so large they rarely reach speeds above cruising. They were meant to be living cities, not luxury vacations.
“And what of my crew? Have they settled into their duties?” Eddie tried to keep up the facade of interest, but he felt it cracking along the edges.
His thoughts were still filled with Jett.
Those final moments replaying over and over again until Eddie knew every blade of grass, every thorn on the bushes in their grove.
Mox took a heavy breath and adjusted a pin on his lapel. “The crew are doing well. But there has been a minor outbreak of sickness.”
“Flu?” Eddie had gotten the flu the first time he left Ganymede.
Mox shook his head. “Not exactly, though we are treating it as such for the time being. Medical is certain that they have it under control and everyone will be fit for duty soon.”
Eddie wanted to press, but didn’t want to overstep. It was his ship, but this was Mox’s mission. His chance to prove himself. And Eddie didn’t want to take that away from him.
“Thank you for the update, Adonis. Was there anything else you needed from me?” He smiled, though he didn’t feel grateful. Eddie was tired of masking his pain for the sake of others.
Mox smiled and relaxed. “No, Sir. Other than the…flu, there is nothing major to report. I will continue making my daily reports to Quasar.”
“Thank you, Mox.”
The man saluted Eddie, then the screen went blank.
Eddie sighed and pressed his face into his hands. He had weeks’ worth of reports from the Golden Lion to read, but he hadn’t started on them. He was only still settling into a life without Jett, and the Lion’s reports made him think of the loss as a knife that kept stabbing his heart.
Every good thing about the commission, the ship, and this new life, fell away when he remembered what he’d given up for it.