Layth rubbed the piece of cloth in his pocket until his nerves calmed. More than a year on, and his pulse still spiked when Captain Barnes summoned him. Partly, he had yet to adjust to the idea of being part of anyone’s crew, staying aloof even as he cherished their acceptance. He also hadn’t forgotten that until very recently, he was the freshest face on the Sentinel, and that meant being called to task for making mistakes his previously land-bound life hadn’t prepared him for.
The same sort of mistakes a dirtsider like Meja would make the longer she stayed in space.
She trailed behind him as they walked, pausing so she could brush the plant-covered panels that were scattered around the ship. The flora wasn’t a perfect air purifier—they had whole systems for that—but it did provide a welcome sense of softness and freshness in the otherwise cramped passage of the Sentinel’s halls.
“How do you deal with watering in the uncertain gravity?” She was poking between the stems of a spade-leaf mint, trying to see the root structure. “Hydroponic seems risky.”
He turned, so he could turn to face her. “We have rotational gravity.”
“Yes, but damage to the ship could disrupt that, sending water into the corridor. Or worse, behind one of the panels.” The air in the hall was beginning to fill with the bracing, aromatic scent of the mint as she disturbed more of the plants. “Oh! You’re using a pillow system! That makes sense.”
He stepped closer, looking over her shoulder. He’d never given much thought to how the plants were grown. They’d been there since before he’d come aboard. He had to admit her question had piqued his curiosity. Her fingers moved some stems out of the way to reveal a plastic pouch around the base of each plant, connected into the ship’s humidity reclamation system. Water couldn’t spill out around the plant’s stems, keeping each safe and watered in a microgravity event. The solution was simple, but impressive. “You’re familiar with them?”
“I didn’t expect to see plants in space. I had so many in my home on Burbidge.” Her expression turned sad, her gaze focused on the middle distance. “I guess they’ll die without me to water them.”
Sympathetic guilt soured the fragrance of the mint. He should say something, help her put a positive spin on it, but words failed him. He’d never been good with people, and since fleeing his home… He crushed the fabric in his pocket and blinked away that memory. There were better ways to use his brain than revisiting trauma. “We should go. The captain’s expecting us.”
Meja gave a nod, her face hardening before his eyes into something more stoic. Or at least less melancholy. “Yes. She doesn’t seem like the sort of person who likes to be kept waiting.”
That was certainly the truth. “And we’ll have to find the last cat before we can leave.”
He led her onto the bridge, where Captain Barnes sat with her chin in one hand, a bemused expression playing on her face while Hicks cooed and played with one of the cats. The feline in question batted back at the pilot’s hands from her perch atop the console.
Layth looked from the cat back to the captain, then back to Meja.
Captain Barnes flicked her gaze toward him. “The other two are secure?”
Meja answered before he could speak. “They were before we came up here. I checked. That’s our missing kitten.” She sounded dumbfounded.
He understood the feeling, though frustration was a factor as well. “How long has the third cat been up here?”
Captain Barnes sat back and dropped her hands. “Careful, Doctor. You almost sound angry.”
“Only concerned about lost profits, Captain. After all, if we’d known the third cat was up here, we could have started the transit already. As you said yourself, the cargo’s not getting any fresher.” And he could have been back to sorting through the medical stores, trying to decide what he could sell once they got to their destination. Meja tromping around in his medical bay had made the task virtually impossible. Worse, she’d almost opened the box of suetrex he had ferreted away for sale. He let out a cool breath.
“They’re more than just a payday, you know. They’re living creatures.” The vehemence in Meja’s voice surprised him, made him turn to face her. “If I wanted them viewed as credits on a chip, I could have stayed at Golden Ratio.”
The captain turned her chair slowly, taking her time to come face-to-face with her. “Actually, I’m certain Mr. Ali was talking about the pharmaceutical supplies and grain rations we’re carrying when he said that. Nut flours go rancid, especially high-fat flours like Burbidge Acorn, of which there is currently one and a half tonnes in my hold. But by all means, tell me more about the cats.”
Behind the captain, Hicks was stroking the cat merrily, and the cat was responding with a throaty purr at all the attention. The pilot’s voice was blissfully happy. “They’ll certainly be well socialized when they get to their new home!”
“I jumped to conclusions,” Meja mumbled. “I’m sorry.”
“Never let it be said I don’t appreciate someone standing up for their beliefs.” The captain swirled her chair back to the front. “I’ve killed a few for it, but I did appreciate it. Hicks? Are you ready?”
Immediately the pilot snapped back into her seat and pulled up the navigational displays. “At your word, Captain.”
Barnes’s face softened for the barest flicker. Annoyed by the sudden shift in focus, the cat jumped down from the console and crossed the room toward the door. The captain looped out an arm and snagged the animal up as it strode by. “Oh no you don’t. You get to stay where I can keep an eye on you.”
The cat gave a mew of surprise until she ended up in the captain’s chair, where the additional petting turned her complaints into a chorus of happy cat noises. Or at least Layth assumed they were happy noises. He only knew what he’d read about them, but the animal certainly seemed to enjoy the attention.
He cleared his throat. “Do you need anything else from us, Captain? Should we, um…secure the remaining feline?”
The captain looked down at the cat in her lap as though surprised it had appeared there. “I…think that’s for the best. Back with her brother and sister, that would be good for her.”
“How long will our transit be?” Layth refused to smile at the captain’s almost saddened expression when Meja reclaimed the kitten from her lap.
“Long. We’re on the way to Accipiter and Hephaestus Prime. I hope you were right about being able to sell your cats anywhere.”
“It won’t be a problem,” Layth and Meja answered at the same time, and he snapped his mouth shut to avoid talking over her.
The captain raised an eyebrow in silent question, then nodded. “I’m glad you’re feeling confident, Layth. You’ll be accompanying her planetside.”
“Are you sure that’s wise, Captain?” He felt his cheeks heat before he could control it. At least Barr wasn’t on the bridge to call him out for questioning a direct order. He sighed and tried not to imagine the next several weeks in an antihistamine fog. “I mean, if something happens to me, you’ll be short a medic.”
“Indeed. Unfortunately, you’re also the closest thing I have to a vet, so if someone needs affirmation of their overall health, you’re the one to do it. Besides, it will be good for you to leave the ship.”