Chapter 17
The elphie talked too much. Galya was her name, knee-high like all her species, and covered from head to toe in the gray survey team uniform.
Or rather, just covered, seeing as elphie’s didn’t have fingers or toes.
They had rounded arms and legs like a stuffed animal with heads too big for their bodies and round eyes.
Elphies kept everything covered except their faces.
“What an absolutely marvelous specimen! The flora of this planet is simply singular, is it not? I believe I can say with certainty that I have yet to discover anything like this! It is most peculiar that the flora has become the primary inhabitants of this planet, as both predator and prey. Do you suppose it has to do with the prolonged sunlight hours accompanied by a longer day?” Galya may have asked a question, but that didn’t mean she sought an answer.
Elado, the head researcher, precisely cut and preserved pieces of flora in our patrolled area.
Galya, on the other hand, flew from stalk to stalk.
Telekinetic types loved to show off, though arguably Galya had to use her abilities in her line of work.
As small as she was, she could hardly see most of the flora, so fluttering about them was the best form of observation.
“We appreciate all the work the militia has done thus far, Captain Malik. Superb, your findings! Over sixty species catalogued in your time here and all within a ten-click radius of the habitat. My, we will be positively flushed with work, that we will! Although Vampire Fern — rather unimaginative, wouldn’t you say?
” Galya hovered at Roys’ back, watching with those large, unblinking pink eyes.
“I suppose it is, Doctor. I am sure you will change the name to something far more appropriate,” Roys replied.
“That we will!” Galya zipped across the jungle to hover by Elado, where the two discussed their specimens.
We had been in the same location for hours.
That morning, the survey team split into two groups.
The mineralogist and geologist stayed in a team surrounded by six militia because they were taking the rover out further than the others.
The remaining survey team and militia split up to investigate the surrounding area.
Maddy was there, standing in the communal area controlling a cart of survey equipment. Roys didn’t put us on the same team. She left with another botanist. We didn’t talk. She didn’t look at me. I wasn’t sure if I was grateful.
I definitely wasn’t grateful to Roys, nor stupid to his plans putting us on the same team. He wasn’t subtle in his scrutiny, the brief glances feigning to check on the scientists before drifting to me. Wanting to make sure I would not lose it again, he kept me on a short leash. Bastard.
Annoyingly sweet bastard…
Elado and Galya took to the northern side of the habitat.
We wandered around the outer edge of the perimeter until settling on a primary location.
Bringing out their tools, they snipped and stored piece after piece to set in their supply cart.
The cart hovered by them, operated by their commlinks, all of ours if we wanted, but Elado had control and sent the cart back to the habitat where the droids retrieved the specimens before the cart returned to us.
In short, it was fucking boring, and I needed anything other than boring. Being bored meant thinking. Thinking meant remembering. Remembering brought anger, an itch I couldn’t scratch, worsening every second, every moment having to remind myself not to thrash out.
“I hope we don’t patrol with her every day. She’s giving me a headache,” Arana said, having wandered closer so she could whisper without the brainiacs hearing. “Suppose anyone has told her she talks too much? I think someone had to, and it makes me wonder if she used to be worse.”
“Hope my luck hasn’t run out and maybe one of the flora will eat her, so we won’t have to worry about it,” I replied.
Arana laughed, though she pressed her lips together, wearing the same look the others shared, that Roys had, that they were wearing around me, acting like I was a ticking time bomb.
“Stop that,” I said between clenched teeth.
“What?”
“Making that stupid face. Acting like you’re waiting for something to happen.”
Arana tilted her head. “That’s kind of why we’re here, in case something happens?”
“With me, dumbass.”
“Something already happened, seeing as you’re a moody little prick today.”
“I’m a moody prick every day.”
“Yeah, but usually you’re at least funny. Now you’re mopey.” She checked that Roys had his back to us. “What happened yesterday in the lab?”
“You asked me that last night, and I didn’t answer.” She asked at least twenty times before I stormed out of the room. I almost went to Roys’ office before knocking on Zavir’s door. Didn’t help my thoughts any, didn’t help me sleep, but at least he didn’t ask questions.
“I was hoping you’d be more inclined to answer today.”
“I’m not, so stop with this shit.”
Roys, as if sensing a disturbance, turned. He gave a warning glare. Arana stepped back into position. His attention fell on me, wearing a thin-lipped look. I gave him the finger because this was how we functioned. Rolling his eyes, he turned away.
Damn, even staring at his ass couldn’t put me in a good mood.
Taking off my visor, I pulled out a smoke and turned my back to the scientists chattering on and on about sap and photosynthesis and something to do with reproduction.
The jungle was quiet when I wished it weren’t.
I let the burning ashes fall over the flora, wishing they’d take light.
Even took my lighter out to burn a hole in one or two, but the sap cut off the flames.
A hand gripped my wrist.
“Are you trying to start a fire?” Roys asked. The visor made his voice sound marginally warped.
“Yes, it would be more entertaining than standing here listening to them.” I nodded over my shoulder toward the survey team that was none the wiser. They were entirely fixated on using a much larger scanner from their cart to take more detailed information from the flora.
“Am I going to be able to trust you to do your job?” he asked.
“You should never trust me to do that.”
Roys held my wrist tighter, bringing it closer toward his chest where his heat spread through my fingertips.
Every nerve, over-fried from this predicament, begged to drag him to the forest floor and show everyone what kind of man our captain was when I had my mouth on him.
At least then, I wouldn’t have to think about her or feel like this.
His attention strayed to Arana dozing off while standing up.
Ryker had his back to us, flipping the handle of his laser blade in all kinds of ways that could lose him more than a finger.
Zavir watched the scientists, interested in their findings.
Then Roys was on me again, his eyes brilliant blue under the light.
“Are you ok—”
“Don’t,” I growled because that wasn't what he was around for. Roys was our captain, meant to give orders I would ignore. He was a fuck buddy, meant to entertain when I was bored. He wasn’t there to care, to act like any moment I would break and he would be there to pick up the pieces.
“If you want to talk.”
I yanked my wrist hard. “I don’t, so fuck off.”
He held tighter, and that push had him seeking revenge for all the times I kept pushing. “I didn’t know you had a sister. A successful one at that.”
“You are getting awfully curious about me.”
“Curious about what you’re doing here and she’s doing there.”
“Guess she's got the brains of the lot.”
“You think rather lowly of yourself. I hadn’t expected that.”
“And I hadn’t expected you to think so highly of me just because I gave good head, yet here we are.”
His grip on my wrist became painful, a warning that had me chuckling.
“I never was rewarded,” I said, making him narrow his eyes. “For the patrol. You said if I behaved, I’d get a reward.”
“You didn’t exactly behave, nor are you now.”
“Then maybe I should be disciplined instead.” I winked. He gave no reaction, just stood there, like he was disappointed, like I was the problem that needed fixing, and I thought I’d be sick right there on the spot.
“Should I schedule you with her tomorrow?” he asked.
My fingers twitched. He felt it, had to with his hand on my wrist. I pulled away, shoving my elbow against his chest.
“You give the orders, Captain,” I said, breathing in the last of my cigarette and flicking the bud at our feet.
Roys crushed the cigarette with his boot before picking up the bud to shove in my hand. “Don’t litter and stop smoking. It’s no good for you.”
“That’s kind of the appeal.”
Roys returned to his station where he stayed until the survey team dubbed their specimens thoroughly filled and had us escorting them back.
The others thought the same, or they were following the same clock, but there was Maddy, breaching the energy shield.
The cart followed, full of specimens. She spoke with the man beside her, what I thought to be a human but when the suns hit him right, realized he was a rudhe.
Rudhe were the closest species to humans, even capable of having kids.
The only differences between us were the pale stripe-like patterns along their bodies.
They almost looked like they were tattooed, and Tobs' were nearly the same shade as his brown skin.
“Lucky,” Ryker called, making me realize I stopped.
He nodded toward the habitat, and I followed, trying to pick up the pace so Maddy and I wouldn’t make it to the door at the same time. Didn’t really work. We were going to pass each other one way or the other, so I walked around the back of the habitat.