Chapter 4 #3
Then came the unmated males. Sorbet and Tebros and Rok.
The male half of the crew combined was eight people, but one was just a speaker on Goldie’s hip.
The female half of the crew were also all there, three of the four of which were pregnant.
That made somewhere between eight and ten able bodied people – depending on the task at hand and how pregnant you could be while doing it – that had built this whole spaceship.
Honestly, it was even more incredible when she saw all of them at once.
And, of course, there was Trove, still staring.
She frowned at him before leaning in just a bit and hissing, “Will you look somewhere else for a moment?”
“I don’t think I can,” he admitted, and his tone was one of helpless despair.
“Well, try. You’re giving me the heebie-jeebies.”
That made him blink as his brain tried to wrestle with the human words that he didn’t understand. At least it broke that spell that had robbed him of all possible thoughts.
“I’ve never heard a female call it that before. Not the most sexual of terms, seems more silly, but-”
“It’s not sexual,” Chee made a face, but before she could explain the combination of creeped out and put off that the heebie-jeebies actually meant, there was a sudden rush of sound throughout the entire ship. Like a sound bar starting up, a huge wave of electronics awakening and settling.
Chee whipped her head around to see Goldie and Tanin stepping back from the console. She got a brief glimpse of Alred’s core, nestled in place, before the top came down and the panel turned back on, concealing him from them.
But from overhead, she heard a long, happy laugh building.
“Oh, does it feel good to be out of there!” Alred’s voice boomed from overhead.
Gone was the static and the feedback and the harsh, electrical tone.
Instead, seeming to come from everywhere around them, was the deep, rich, modulated baritone of an extremely happy male.
And what she could only describe as the hum of the ship settling around him.
“Alred!” Goldie called out, tears filling her eyes as she covered her wide smile with both hands.
“Ah, it’s good to see you again,” he hummed happily, and though his voice was booming out loud, it was clear he was speaking only to her.
“Welcome back,” Tanin said, a hint of satisfaction in his voice.
“Good to be back,” Alred chuckled. “And look at these cameras! This quality is amazing. Haven, you really did very nicely for me.”
The lady with locs smiled, clapping happily. “You should trying to use the light projections. We are thinking you’ll really be liking that.”
“Give me a moment. I’m still learning my new body. And I have to program it into the system. So. You must be Chee, hm?” Though Chee couldn’t see the cameras he was speaking of, she did very acutely feel the weight of his gaze on her. “I should thank you for my new attachment cord.”
“You should thank Hyde. I’m just here to complete a job,” she said.
“Still, you brought it. So, thank you. If you need anything during your stay, feel free to let me know. I’ll be sure not to look or listen in on your room unless invited, but I will otherwise be everywhere. In case you need me.”
Chee nodded, both to the offer and the more subtle threat hidden in it. He wouldn’t stalk her in her private room – or so he said – but he would definitely be watching her.
“Alred,” Tanin stepped into the conversation, “get used to the ship. Get it set up to your specifications. We were initially going to have our takeoff in another two tendays. But with you at the computer, I expect we can move that up.”
“Aye, captain,” Alred responded, a chuckle in his voice. “Put me right to work, why don’t you?”
“No more vacation for you,” Tanin agreed.
“Indeed. Time for me to shine!”
With a dramatic burst of life, a being made of light burst into life in the center of the room.
A male with a long, fluffy tail and triangular ears more towards the top of his head.
A hard ‘v’ on his hair line led into a squared nose and jaw.
His hair was long and just as luxuriously fluffy as his tail.
But most obviously, he was all yellow. He was a hologram person, made completely of light, and he very much looked it.
“Ah, it’s good to stretch!” He declared, his light body doing just that. Though it couldn’t possibly give him the actual relief of a stretch, right? It was just a hologram going through the motions of a stretch.
Goldie, beaming, ran up to his side. Looking at his light body like he was the sun. Chee had to quickly avert her eyes because the moment, though brief and in front of everyone, looked a little too intimate and personal for her to witness.
“Alright,” Tanin declared, looking out over his crew, half of which were smiling with satisfaction at Alred’s return. “Let’s get back to work. The sooner we get off this rock, the better. Trove, escort Chee back to her room.”
“Aye, captain,” everyone responded.
Chee had to bite her lips to avoid asking Tanin not to send her off with him. Trove hadn’t actually done anything but stare at her. And she would like a chance to tell him, firmly and privately, to knock it off. And she couldn’t avoid him forever. It was a big spaceship but it wasn’t that big.
Everyone quickly melted away – Alred’s light form literally melting away – as they went off to complete whatever jobs could possibly remain on this fantastically built ship. Goldie practically ran towards the lift, and Chee wondered what she was beaming so brightly about.
The lift was round and big enough for everyone to fit on if they didn’t mind a squeeze. Chee rather minded a squeeze, so she waited until the others had all gone down – trying not to look at Trove as he stared at her – before taking it herself.
She was grateful for the escort because she didn’t know the exact route back to her room.
Trove took her to the entrance and waited while she keyed the control panel to herself so she was the only one who could lock and unlock it.
She was sure Alred, as the AI of the ship, could override that lock, but it was a basic safety thing that made her feel a bit better.
She stepped into the room and immediately turned, intending to block Trove if he tried to come in after her. But he hadn’t made any attempt to follow. And the look on his face killed the words in her throat before she could do more than take a breath.
Heartbreak.
Trove was staring at her like all his dreams, his hopes, had all shattered at the same moment.
As though her very presence had destroyed something pricelessly valuable and he’d never be able to get it back.
It hurt in her own chest, just out of pure empathy, to see someone look like that.
To have that sort of gaze directed at her…
For a long moment, neither of them said anything. Just stared at each other. Chee couldn’t think of words to say and Trove…
Trove just stared.
He was the one who broke contact this time. Without a word, without explanation, he just turned and walked off. Each step looked heavy. His shoulders and head slumped over.
Chee watched him until he was gone around the corner and she was alone. Just standing in the doorway, her heart pounding, feeling near tears.
It was just… empathy, she told herself quickly, taking a step back into the room. As she turned around, she somehow wasn’t surprised to see the luggage from her little spaceship sitting, waiting for her on her bed. She was also pretty sure it would have been thoroughly searched.
Okay. She let out a long breath, running a hand over her head. Step one done.