“Is that so?” April looked positively gleeful, turning sinuously to grin at Layth. “Have you developed a hidden soft spot for animal companions at last?”
Meja had gotten the impression that Darcy, Barr’s red and black goanna, wasn’t as popular with the doctor as with the rest of the crew, but she suspected that had more to do with Darcy’s owner than the animal itself.
“I just happened to have some empty cargo boxes that I hadn’t recycled yet. Easy enough to turn them into a temporary play area. Like she said, they need exercise too.” His cheeks had pinked, but he hid them behind his pouch of tea.
Her heart hooked on one word. Temporary. She’d known it wasn’t going to be forever, but she found it hard to believe that transit would be over soon. Then they’d be on Hephaestus Prime, two of the cats would be sold off, and she and the Sentinel would go their separate ways. The pain that tugged in her veins was almost physical.
When she could speak, she asked, “How much longer in transit?” Better to know and be prepared.
“We’ve been decelerating for three days. It’s a very gradual process, so you wouldn’t have noticed it.” April illustrated with her tea pouch floating in the air. “We’ll be at systems speeds at the end of this cycle, then it’s another day or so to get to Heph Prime. Depending on customs.”
Less than thirty-six hours. It felt like her adventure had just started, and it was already coming to an end before she’d had a chance to really get to know the crew. Or Layth. Mostly Layth, if she was honest. For all his attitude, he seemed to have a genuinely kind heart.
She took a sip of her tea and wished for a way to slow down time.
7
Meja thought her teeth were about to shake loose from her skull. She could imagine how much worse it was for the kitten in the carrier beside her. She asked about possibly anesthetizing Collins for his trip down to the surface, but Layth had said there were issues with putting a cat under for as long as it would take them. The best he could offer was a mild sedative to help the cat stay calm.
She looked through the window on the side of the carrier and wished she’d asked for a dose for herself as well. Collins lay curled up on one of Meja’s shirts, snoring and blissfully unaware of what sounded like the shuttle shaking itself apart around them. She was torn between feeling jealous and relieved that the animal was okay.
Another pocket of turbulence thrust her up into the harness holding her in place, the straps biting into her shoulders and hips. She’d likely be bruised tomorrow. For at least the tenth time, she asked herself why holovids never showed this part of visiting a new world. Though she supposed the answer was obvious.
Because it sucked.
Layth stepped into the seating area, hand grabbing the rail mounted above her head. His smile was apologetic. “How are you holding up?”
Something about the sentiment felt off, and it took her a moment to understand why; he’d asked about her, rather than the too-valuable cat sitting next to her. The rest of the crew tended to think of—and ask about—the cats first, but never Layth. The realization made a warm blush heat her skin, and she had to give herself a few moments before meeting his eyes. “Is it always this bad?”
As if in response, the shuttle shook again. Layth’s forearm flexed as he leaned into it to keep his balance. She hadn’t noticed he was so leanly muscular; he tended toward loose garments that covered him completely but had rolled up his sleeves while helping prep the shuttle. She was staring and checked on Collins again to distract herself.
He flopped into the seat on the other side of the carrier from her, face contemplative. “Most times? I mean, I guess. I don’t often go down to the surface.”
“Don’t you get lonely on the ship by yourself? Surely you want to get out and among people.”
Another shudder, and he grabbed the arms of the seat to stay in place. He gave a lopsided grin as he quickly snapped the harness around himself. “Not really. First, I’m never alone. April is always on ship and usually one or two others. Second, things get messy planetside more often than not. It helps for them to know where to find me so I can patch Barr and Tyler back together again.”
“But family? Do you not ever want to visit them?” It was prying, she knew, but part of her relished having time with him while his defenses were down—whatever had prompted it.
His face darkened, and his mouth hardened to a thin line. “Like I said, I prefer to stay on the ship.”
And just like that he had sealed back up again, hidden behind the layers of standoffishness that he wore like a vac-suit. She was unprepared for the swift lance of pain his bottling up created. She glimpsed the honest, open Layth so rarely that it was akin to seeing a unicorn.
Or a cat.
The shuttle smoothed out its descent, finally finding air thick enough that they could fly rather than fall. From the seat next to her, Layth nodded. “We should be fine from here until landing. The worst part is getting through the upper atmosphere. Hicks is a solid pilot.”
“I heard that, Layth!” the pilot shouted, straining with the effort of keeping the bricklike shuttle in flight. “Just because you’re nice to me doesn’t mean you’re getting out of swabbing the hold.”
Meja coughed out a quiet chuckle and raised her eyebrow at him in a silent question.
“Lost a bet.”
“You tried to bluff on a jack-high hand. What did you think was going to happen?” Hicks’s voice was light and teasing.
“I still say its cheating to let the known card sharp deal,” he called back.
She leaned out and grinned through the open hatch from the cockpit, then held a hand to the headphones covering her ears. “Okay, gang, we’ve got a flight path. Buckle up, we’re headed in.”
Barr stepped through from the cockpit, ducking to pass through the low door, and nodded at the carrier. “How’s the paycheck?”
At least Hicks cared about them as cats. “Collins is asleep.”
A laugh rumbled through the big man’s chest. “Thought you weren’t gonna name them.”
“Yes, well, I got tired of just using letters.” And she’d grabbed a set of names that made sense once she’d learned that his red and black goanna answered to Darcy.
Layth stood. “I need to help get us ready to touch down. Back soon.” With that, he followed Barr into the hold.
The landing, compared to the descent, was smooth and graceful. Meja barely noticed that they had touched down, and the shift to repulsion lifts was seamless. Granted, it was the first landing Meja had experienced, so she didn’t have much comparison, but the sense she had was that Hicks was better than most.
As soon as they were down, Hicks bounded over from the cockpit and peered in through the front of the carrier. “You make it down okay, Collins?” She spared a quick glance for Meja and added, “Don’t listen to Barr. I like them better with names. Cats should all have names. May I?”
“Of course.” Meja laid her palm on the biometric scanner built into the top of the carrier. It beeped, and the locks on the front disengaged. Immediately, Hicks tugged open the door and hauled a sleepy-looking Collins into her arms.
It took a heartbeat for her to realize the pilot was saying goodbye. Once the sale was made, Collins wouldn’t return to the ship. It hammered home how close to the end of the journey she was as well. Soon, she’d be able to pay Captain Barnes for the travel. She half expected the captain to ask for one of the other two cats as payment, and was prepared to do so—a deal was still a deal, despite the exorbitant price—but that meant she wouldn’t have to find a buyer for the final cat. She could collect whichever one wasn’t staying on the Sentinel and find a way to spend her money. She should have been looking forward to the freedom, and instead it felt like a bruise she couldn’t stop poking.