Chapter 7
Myrum
Myrum was used to waking up quickly. The only time he’d struggled was right after he was rescued.
He’d been so weak and scared the medics were forced to drug him to keep him from hurting himself.
Waking up then was a long and painful process, and more often than not, the medics or healers would simply drug him again.
That had almost been as bad as nearly dying.
Fear made him work hard on opening his eyes. It was an effort, but when he finally got them open and saw the ceiling of his cabin, some of the fear ebbed away.
He recalled walking in the ship's bay. Circuit after circuit until he was finally exhausted enough to sleep. He’d fallen into bed and passed out. He must’ve slept hard to be this disoriented.
He tried to sit up but found there was a strap across his chest holding him down. A new kind of fear swept through him.
What had he done to end up secured to his bunk?
A quick test of his limbs revealed his arms were also secured at his sides, but his legs weren’t restrained.
He could get out of this with only a little effort. They had put some of the restraints close to his hands, and it would be easy enough to claw through them, but he didn’t. Instead he lifted his head and looked around. To his utter shock he found Amina was in a chair next to the bunk!
She was fast asleep, with her legs resting on the bunk and her head relaxed against the back of the chair. What was she doing here?
Figments of images filtered through his mind. The Ugarian crew all gathered together watching him. Amina talking to him.
What had happened?
He hated how broken his brain was. He’d done something dire, and he couldn’t even remember what it was. What if he’d hurt an innocent bystander?
He’d told Holian he wasn’t fit for duty. He’d begged the commandant to find someone else.
Not for the first time, Myrum wished he hadn’t survived.
As he watched Amina, peacefully sleeping, his head full of dark thoughts, a little head popped out from inside the collar of Amina’s jacket.
Ruby!
Had he scared the jeweled lizard so badly she’d taken refuge with Amina? That was probably for the best. He was so unstable he might not even get her back to Kalor. He was a failure in every way.
Dropping his head back down, he debated about freeing himself and finding the nearest airlock to walk into. It wouldn't be a quick or painless death, but it would save everyone else around him.
“Oh, hey, you’re awake!” Amina’s cheerful voice made him turn his head to see her dropping her feet to the floor and sitting up. “Can you talk?”
“I wasn’t talking?”
She shook her head. “You said my name and Ruby’s, but not much else.”
“Did I hurt anyone?”
Amina patted his shoulder. “No. You made a lot of noise and were intimidating as a black hole, but that’s it. Desur’s ears might never be the same; he’s got the most sensitive hearing out of all of us.”
He could tell she was trying to amuse him, but he couldn’t find any humor in the situation.
“You should get rid of me,” he said. “I only ask that you care for Ruby for me.”
“I’m going to ignore that first statement,” she said with a little shake of her head. “Do you know where Ruby is? I searched the room but couldn’t find her.”
It was his turn to be confused. “She’s tucked against your neck.”
Amina startled and reached up with both hands to tug open the top of her coat and pull out a sleepy jeweled lizard.
“How did you get in there?” she asked the creature with a chuckle. “Sneaky little lizard! Where were you hiding while I was looking everywhere for you?”
It filled him with so much satisfaction to see the two of them safe and together.
“She might be hungry,” Myrum said, concerned for the lizard and human. “Are you hungry? You’re wearing your coat; are you cold? You should both eat and turn the heat up in the room. Don’t worry if the captain complains, I can pay the extra energy cost.”
He forgot for a moment that he was bound to the bed and tried to get up. “I’m afraid you’ll have to see to yourself and Ruby.”
“Hey, I’m sorry about the restraining thing,” Amina said. “Helmen was worried you’d wake up and go crazy again. I’m sure she’ll release you after you two talk and she can see that you’re fine now.”
“No, she shouldn’t let me go,” he argued. “Take care of Ruby for me and end me before I hurt someone.”
“Myrum!” Amina exclaimed at his words. “That’s not happening.”
“Don’t be sad for me. It’s been a long time coming,” he murmured, feeling at peace with the idea of no longer existing. Peace and relief.
She stepped close and set Ruby on his chest. “If you keep talking like that, I’m going to get pissed. Trust me, you don’t want to see me angry. Things get broken.”
If he wasn’t secured on his back he would’ve let out a startled rattle.
“I’m not sure I’ve ever been threatened with violence for wanting my life to be over,” he said.
She barked out a laugh. “I wouldn’t kill you. I’d make you eat frisht.”
He didn’t know what that was, but judging by the look on her face he could only assume it wasn’t a pleasant food.
Ruby decided she didn’t like the chill in the room and scurried up his chest to snuggle against his neck.
“Ruby is adorable,” Amina said, grabbing a small blanket and draping it over his neck and Ruby.
He felt the lizard wiggle around a little before settling again.
It was comforting to have her nestled against him again.
Most Talins would mock him, but he felt a great deal of affection for the lizard. Probably as much as he felt for anyone.
“She might want to sleep a little longer,” Amina said, sitting back down. “I’ll try feeding her later.”
“Yes, please do that,” he said.
Amina leaned forward, resting her forearms on her thighs and pinning him with her gaze. “Talk to me. Explain what happened.”
He’d never thought such authority could radiate from a small human. She reminded him of his first commander, a terrifying female who’d commanded a massive ship without once raising her voice.
His first reaction was to deflect with humor and point out that he didn’t remember what happened. It was clear by the look on her face that particular strategy wouldn’t work.
He owed her and the rest of the crew honesty, even if it wasn’t comfortable.
“As many adultlettes do, I joined the military. I only planned to serve for a few solars, but I found I enjoyed it. I felt close to those I served with.” He paused, searching for a way to explain how important his time with the military had been. “I felt like I belonged. As if I was with family.”
She nodded her head. “I can understand that. Everyone on this ship is a cousin. I can’t imagine not working with my family.”
“You’re cousins?” he asked.
“Yeah, my dad married into a big Ugarian family. It was the best thing he ever did because they’re the best.” She gave him a wry smile. “Actually, I don’t think there’s any such thing as a small Ugarian family.”
That explained so much about her presence on the ship. He felt an almost overwhelming sense of relief at knowing she was surrounded by family, even if they made the mistake of letting her work on this ship.
“Don’t,” she said.
“Don’t what?” he asked, confused.
“I don’t need another lecture on how I shouldn’t be working on this ship or something like that,” she said.
“How did you know that’s what I was thinking?”
She snorted. “It was pretty obvious. Don’t you remember when we met on Polkor Station? You were all about buying me a ticket to an Ilgorian Federation station or planet for my safety. By that logic, I shouldn’t be working this job.”
“You shouldn’t,” he confirmed.
She shook her head. “Keep it up,” she challenged. “I could draw dicks all over your face in permanent pigment. That would be a fun talking point when we get you to your destination.”
It took him a moment to understand what she’d said. The moment the meaning registered, he sounded a loud rumble of amusement. “Human dicks, Ugarian dicks, or Talin dicks?”
“All three!” she responded with a chuckle. “Back to your story. You were a young adult in the military making friends. What happened next?”
“I was assigned to a diplomatic ship,” he said, remembering how plush that assignment had been after so many years on military ships.
“Most diplomatic emissaries have a small contingent of soldiers to oversee security and present a show of strength. We were on our way to meet with an Ossiso diplomat. Our ship never made it.”
Amina brows furrowed. “Were you attacked?”
“No, a micro meteor shower hit us.”
His words made her hiss out a breath. Micro meteor showers were something that terrified everyone.
They were hard to detect and often traveled at such fast speeds that they were nearly impossible to avoid.
Despite the small size of the individual particles, they did irreparable damage.
If you were lucky your ship was simply disabled.
He hadn’t been lucky.
“It happened so fast we didn’t have a chance to do anything,” he continued. “I tried to get to the ambassador, but her section took the brunt of the hits. What hadn’t been exposed to space was on fire. The few of us that had been on the port side had a chance to get to the escape tubes.”
“Escape tubes? Why didn’t you have escape pods? They’re much better.”
“The ship was old but was due to be replaced after that mission,” he explained. “That meant tubes instead of pods.”
He shuddered at the memory. As crew members slid down escape tubes, the section of the tube would close over their head and launch.
Then the next person’s feet would land on the hatch that closed over the first person.
Another hatch would close over their head and their segment would separate and launch them away from the ship.
Each escape tube could launch ten individuals.
The biggest issue with tubes was they were fragile. They couldn’t land on a planet or dock with a ship. They couldn’t be steered, and they were intensely uncomfortable to be trapped inside.