to
cook?”
“ Eskil’s,”
Meili said promptly. He wasn’t sure if she was picking up his cues
or just glad for a change of subject, but it helped. Eskil looked a
little less lost.
“ Good,” Reuben
said. “I was worried we might get one of your two recipes
again.”
“ Nothing wrong
with a little consistency,” she fired back. “Least I’ve never given
anyone food poisoning.”
“ That was
once,” Eskil said indignantly, but hesitated when she tugged at his
elbow. “Should we leave Vairya here?”
“ He’s happy,”
Reuben said. “He’s in his garden, with his people. Let him
sleep.”
“ Was it really
a garden?” Eskil asked, and that conversation took them all the way
up to the mess.
They shared the cooking
after that. Meili and Eskil talked, light chatter about everything
except the monster in the room, and Reuben made an effort to join
in when Eskil threw a comment his way. Meili’s obvious nerves made
him dislike her less. Suddenly, she seemed like a junior officer
faced with battle for the first time, and he switched back to old
behaviour patterns without thinking about it. He had been Chief
Medic on Ahrima’s flagship for five years, before everything else,
and he knew how to play that role.
Chances were he and his
colleagues, along with Vairya and the city of Caelestia, were just
the first casualties in a galactic war. If so, he’d damn well go
down fighting.
When Chanthavy came to
join them, she simply walked in and sat down, dropping her head
into her hands without speaking.
“ What are our
orders?” Reuben asked, as the other two stepped closer to each
other, Eskil’s hand clenching around the spoon he was stirring
with.
“ Withdraw from
action within the city, but remain docked and await instructions.
They ordered me to send them command codes for our engines and
hyperdrive.”
“ Did you?”
Reuben asked.
“ Of course,”
she said, and she sounded old for the first time. “It was a direct
order.”
“ Vairya said we
should run,” Reuben said and began to set the table. It was rather
pointless, but he needed to do something with his hands.
“ I don’t
understand,” Eskil said. “What does that mean?”
“ It means we’re
collateral damage,” Reuben said. “They’re going to send us into the
sun with the city. Permission to break out the good booze,
captain?”
“ Granted,” she
said without looking up.
Chapter Six
LATER, after they had all
drunk enough to get a little hazy, Meili planted her elbow hard on
the table and glared at Reuben. “So, you think we’re all judging
you?”
“ Am I wrong?”
he asked mildly.
She snorted, but then
said, “No. Didn’t know it bothered you.”
“ I’m used to
it.”
“ So you said.
To Vairya.” She lifted her hand to point at him. “So how is it that
you talk more to the crazy cyborg than to any of us,
huh?”
“ Maybe I like
him better than you,” Reuben said and took another
drink.
But this time, to his
surprise, she laughed. “That was a joke, wasn’t it? Fucking nasty
sense of humour you have, Cooper.”
“ Better than
none at all.”
“ Wait,” Eskil
said, lifting his head from where he was slumped on the table.
“Don’t you like us, Coop?”
“ If he cries,”
Meili said, grinning evilly, “you’re paying for my
therapy.”
“ I like you,”
Reuben told Eskil and managed not to pat him on the head. “Now go
back to sleep so Meili and I can stop playing nicely
again.”
But Eskil was sitting up.
It took him a couple of attempts, but he stared at Reuben
reproachfully. “She’s right. You did talk to him more freely than
you ever have to us.” A slow smile bloomed across his face and he
waved his finger at Reuben. “You liked him.”
“ Shoot me now,”
Reuben said to Meili. “You don’t want to have to sit through this
any more than I do.”
She leaned back in her
chair, laughing. “No, I think this should be hilarious. Go
cook?”
“ Eskil’s,”
Meili said promptly. He wasn’t sure if she was picking up his cues
or just glad for a change of subject, but it helped. Eskil looked a
little less lost.
“ Good,” Reuben
said. “I was worried we might get one of your two recipes
again.”
“ Nothing wrong
with a little consistency,” she fired back. “Least I’ve never given
anyone food poisoning.”
“ That was
once,” Eskil said indignantly, but hesitated when she tugged at his
elbow. “Should we leave Vairya here?”
“ He’s happy,”
Reuben said. “He’s in his garden, with his people. Let him
sleep.”
“ Was it really
a garden?” Eskil asked, and that conversation took them all the way
up to the mess.
They shared the cooking
after that. Meili and Eskil talked, light chatter about everything
except the monster in the room, and Reuben made an effort to join
in when Eskil threw a comment his way. Meili’s obvious nerves made
him dislike her less. Suddenly, she seemed like a junior officer
faced with battle for the first time, and he switched back to old
behaviour patterns without thinking about it. He had been Chief
Medic on Ahrima’s flagship for five years, before everything else,
and he knew how to play that role.
Chances were he and his
colleagues, along with Vairya and the city of Caelestia, were just
the first casualties in a galactic war. If so, he’d damn well go
down fighting.
When Chanthavy came to
join them, she simply walked in and sat down, dropping her head
into her hands without speaking.
“ What are our
orders?” Reuben asked, as the other two stepped closer to each
other, Eskil’s hand clenching around the spoon he was stirring
with.
“ Withdraw from
action within the city, but remain docked and await instructions.
They ordered me to send them command codes for our engines and
hyperdrive.”
“ Did you?”
Reuben asked.
“ Of course,”
she said, and she sounded old for the first time. “It was a direct
order.”
“ Vairya said we
should run,” Reuben said and began to set the table. It was rather
pointless, but he needed to do something with his hands.
“ I don’t
understand,” Eskil said. “What does that mean?”
“ It means we’re
collateral damage,” Reuben said. “They’re going to send us into the
sun with the city. Permission to break out the good booze,
captain?”
“ Granted,” she
said without looking up.
Chapter Six
LATER, after they had all
drunk enough to get a little hazy, Meili planted her elbow hard on
the table and glared at Reuben. “So, you think we’re all judging
you?”
“ Am I wrong?”
he asked mildly.
She snorted, but then
said, “No. Didn’t know it bothered you.”
“ I’m used to
it.”
“ So you said.
To Vairya.” She lifted her hand to point at him. “So how is it that
you talk more to the crazy cyborg than to any of us,
huh?”
“ Maybe I like
him better than you,” Reuben said and took another
drink.
But this time, to his
surprise, she laughed. “That was a joke, wasn’t it? Fucking nasty
sense of humour you have, Cooper.”
“ Better than
none at all.”
“ Wait,” Eskil
said, lifting his head from where he was slumped on the table.
“Don’t you like us, Coop?”
“ If he cries,”
Meili said, grinning evilly, “you’re paying for my
therapy.”
“ I like you,”
Reuben told Eskil and managed not to pat him on the head. “Now go
back to sleep so Meili and I can stop playing nicely
again.”
But Eskil was sitting up.
It took him a couple of attempts, but he stared at Reuben
reproachfully. “She’s right. You did talk to him more freely than
you ever have to us.” A slow smile bloomed across his face and he
waved his finger at Reuben. “You liked him.”
“ Shoot me now,”
Reuben said to Meili. “You don’t want to have to sit through this
any more than I do.”
She leaned back in her
chair, laughing. “No, I think this should be hilarious. Go
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