by Elin Wyn
“I’d appreciate that.” I offered a smile.
“Someone will approach you with your room assignment soon,” he said.
“Do I have to stay in the building until then?” I asked.
My question seemed to catch General Rouhr by surprise.
“No,” he said after a moment of consideration. “Not at all. Feel free to walk around the city. Just, please, don’t hop on the first shuttle out of here.”
“That honestly hadn’t occurred to me,” I grinned.
“Good. It would be within my abilities to send someone after you and bring you back here,” he said. “I don’t want to do that do you.”
“You won’t have to,” I assured him. “I’m going to get some fresh air. Thank you in advance for the room.”
“Of course.” General Rouhr dipped his head before striding away. I could see why his men respected him the way that they did. He seemed like a good leader.
I wasted no time getting out into the city. I’d been to Nyhiem before, but not recently. I was surprised to see how much had changed. The city streets were still scarred from the Puppet Master’s vines, but there were tons of brand-new buildings nicer than anything we’d ever been able to build. It must’ve been a product of Mayor Vidia’s housing relief program. I felt glad to see it flourishing.
I wasn’t sure where I wanted to go. I didn’t think that far ahead.
I wove through the streets for a while. I spotted an open market and walked through the stalls, looking at the food and wares for sale.
After a while, I grew hungry. I wasn’t familiar with any of the restaurants here so I picked a random one on the same block as General Rouhr’s compound.
I took a table in the corner. A smiling waitress bought a holographic menu to my table.
“The albeef stew is really good here,” a woman’s voice said.
I looked up to find a woman with a severe blonde bob and an intense gaze. Her sharp mouth was curved up into a smile. In a strange way, she reminded me of one of my strictest primary school teachers. As strict as that teacher was, she taught me more than any of the other’s combined.
“Do I know you?” I asked.
“No, but it was only a matter of time before we’re introduced. I saw you come in and figured I’d take the initiative. Do you mind if I sit?” She gestured to the empty seat opposite me.
Despite not knowing what was going on, I nodded.
“Thanks.” She plopped herself down and offered me a hand, which I took. Her handshake was firm and a little painful. “Leena DeWitt. I work for General Rouhr. My lab is a few doors down from Evie’s med bay.”
“Oh,” I said. “I think Navat mentioned the lab ladies once or twice.”
“I’m one of the ladies. The main lady, if you will,” Leena smiled proudly. “I hear you’re a mechanical engineer.”
“I am,” I nodded. “Though, I was consulting on an excavation site for General Rouhr. That’s how I got pulled into this mess.”
“What happened to you and the team was terrifying,” Leena said softly.
“You have no idea,” I murmured.
“I have some idea. Axtin is my mate.”
I blinked in surprise.
“Is he? He saved my life a few times. I was glad to have him there, though I don’t suspect you feel the same.”
“I do if he was able to make a difference,” Leena replied.
“That hammer of his sure did,” I chuckled. “I need to get one of those.”
“He loves that hammer almost as much as he loves me,” Leena chuckled. “Maybe even more so on certain days. I’ve been told I’m a bit of a hardass.”
“You have to be in this world,” I shrugged. “I’ve been called abrasive on more than one occasion, and that’s just the nice way of putting it.”
“So, you get it!” Leena tipped her head back and laughed.
“Are you one of the lab ladies who’s working on reversing the Gorgo infection?” I asked.
“I’m trying to,” Leena nodded. “Our data has been pretty inconclusive so far but Maki brought back a treasure trove of samples for us to pull apart. I’m optimistic.”
“That’s good to know,” I said. “Getting those samples wasn’t easy.”
“I’m sorry for the team members you lost,” Leena said.
“I’m still sorry that only two came out alive. I’d do anything to go back and change that.”
“I know.” She gave me an understanding look. “Believe me, all of us wish we could turn back the clock for some reason or another.”
A lump rose in my throat.
“How long have you and Axtin been together?” I asked, desperate to change the subject.
“Almost two years, I think,” Leena smiled. “It’s hard to keep the timeline straight sometimes. So much has happened in such a short amount of time. Sometimes I feel like it’s been fifty years. Sometimes it feels like the Xathi ship crashed down last week.”
“I know what you mean,” I nodded.
“Navat has been singing your praises to me since he was discharged from the med bay.”
“Is that so?” I arched a brow.
“He thinks you’ll be a real asset in the lab and that you could tweak the hardware of our machines,” she said.
“I can give them a look,” I nodded. “Especially if that means you’ll be able to get more out of Maki’s samples.”
“That would be great. The hardware isn’t my specialty,” Leena said. “Navat seems taken with you.”
“He’s not,” I said too quickly. Leena gave me a suspicious look.
“Look, I get it. Falling for someone of a different species is strange.”
“Who said I was falling for him?”
“You blushed when I said his name. You’re getting weirdly defensive about him. Do you think I was born yesterday?”
“We made a great team down in the tunnels,” I said. “We saved each other’s lives. We relied on each other. Adrenaline can make people feel things they wouldn’t feel otherwise.”
“You’re partially correct. Adrenaline can enhance feelings but it can’t create new ones out of thin air,” she said.
“I never thought I’d be working alongside aliens let alone struggling with my feelings for one,” I sighed.
“Ah, some honesty at last,” Leena winked. “I know it’s weird at first. It’s hard to ignore the fact that they have green skin and super strength. But, surely, you’ve noticed that they aren’t all that different from us on the inside.”
“I suppose,” I shrugged.
“You’re not anti-alien, are you?” Leena gave me a stern look.
“No!” I snapped. “Sorry, I just get asked that a lot. I’m not anti-alien. However, I’ve noticed that destruction follows them. I gave the aliens a wide berth because I didn’t want to get caught up in the danger.”
“Destruction might follow them but they’re rather good at dealing with it,” Leena pointed out. “They’re much better equipped than we are.”
“I’ll agree with that,” I nodded.
“Can I get you any food?” The smiling waitress returned.
“Want to join me for lunch?” I asked Leena.
“Sounds great.”
Navat
I still felt rattled from my conversation with Alessa.
She looked so…unsure. Even when she was down in the tunnels surrounded by monstrous creatures and Gorgo infected humans she didn’t look that unsure.
It was no wonder we were attracted to each other. Both of us would rather fight a rabid Gorgo than analyze our feelings.
Unfortunately for me, there was nothing to do but analyze right now. I was, essentially, on hold until Maki’s samples were thoroughly tested and analyzed.
Even then, there wasn’t a guarantee they would yield anything useful.
I sat at a table in the cafeteria with a tray of untouched food. I ran my last conversation with Alessa through my head over and over again, carefully turning over each word
and sentence. I didn’t know what to do.
Surely, there was a hint somewhere in her words.
What did she mean by needing space? Did she want me to ignore her from now on? Did she want a friend?
I was clueless and I hated this feeling.
“Do you have an issue with your food?” Axtin asked as he set his own tray down on the table and took the seat across from me.
“What?” I blinked in confusion.
“You’re glaring at it like it murdered your family,” he said.
“I’m just thinking.”
“About Alessa?” Tyehn took the empty seat beside Axtin.
“Why would you assume that?” I asked.
“The only reason I ever give inanimate objects the death glare is when Leena’s being particularly vexing,” Axtin said.
“I’m thinking about the Gorgos, if you must know,” I lied.
“Bullshit,” Tyehn said. “You’ve been thinking about the Gorgos for weeks and never made a face like that.”
“How closely do the two of you watch me?” I asked.
“I only watch you when you sleep,” Axtin smirked.
“Yeah, I have daytime duty. Axtin got the better end of the deal,” Tyehn joked.
“Oh, shut up,” I chuckled. “You caught me. I was thinking about Alessa.”
“I heard you two shared a sweet little moment in the med bay a few days ago,” Axtin winked.
“She kissed me,” I said, frowning at my tray of food.
“Try to contain your excitement,” Tyehn said. “I thought you liked her?”
“When did I say that?”
“Come on,” Tyehn rolled his eyes. “It’s obvious there was something between the two of you in the tunnels.”
“Maki said the same thing,” I smirked.
“I’m quickly learning that Maki is never wrong,” Tyehn laughed.
“I learned that after one day with Leena,” Axtin said. “She never lets me forget it.”
“Even when she’s actually wrong?” I asked.
“That’s the weird part,” Axtin said. “I’ve literally never seen her be wrong about something. She’s too smart for me. We both know it.”
“That’s not true,” I said.
“Have you met Leena?” Axtin grinned. “She’s brilliant. She’s definitely smarter than me. It’s amazing. She handles all the brainy stuff. I handle all of the things that can be solved with a hammer. We balance each other.”
“When did you figure out that balance?” I asked.
“It took some time,” Axtin nodded. “We didn’t have a traditional start to our courtship.”
“I think it’s fair to say none of us have had traditional starts to our courtships,” Tyehn jumped it. “We’re on a foreign planet, for one thing.”
“For another, random enemies are constantly invading. Hard to court properly in this kind of climate.”
“Fair points,” Axtin nodded. “The first step is to stop denying your feelings.”
“Fine,” I sighed. “I like Alessa.”
“Good job,” Axtin beamed. “Have you talked to her about liking her?”
“Not in so many words,” I said. “I thought I was showing how much I care through my actions. I thought it was working. She was the one who kissed me in the med bay. She grabbed my shirt and pulled me to her.”
“She clearly likes you too,” Tyehn said. “So, what’s the issue?”
“I must’ve done something wrong,” I said. “She didn’t speak to me for two days. She wouldn’t even look at me during that meeting.”
“You ran after her when she left. What happened?” Axtin asked.
“I wanted to make sure she’s okay,” I said. “She said she was fine, but she needed space.”
“There’s your answer,” Tyehn shrugged. “Give her space.”
“I can do that but I can’t stop worrying about her.”
“Is she a capable woman?” Axtin asked.
“Without a doubt.”
“Is she a stable woman?”
“I think so.”
“Then don’t worry about her too much,” Axtin said. “Tyehn, remember how strange it was to realize you were attracted to a human woman?”
“It was a little odd,” Tyehn admitted. “It took me by surprise, to say the least.”
“I imagine Leena had to take a moment to wrap her head around it as well,” Axtin said. “Alessa could be struggling with that. Or she could be, you know, traumatized.”
“Nothing takes away romance like a good dose of trauma,” Tyehn added.
“Not helping,” I sighed. “I’m trying to make the trauma of the tunnels easier for her to bear.”
“You might not be able too,” Tyehn said. “She’s going to have to work through a good portion of it alone. She almost died down there. That’s going to weigh on her for a while.”
“It’s either that or she’s playing hard to get,” Axtin shrugged.
“So, what do I do?”
“Be attentive without being overbearing.”
“Wait for her to seek you out.”
“Don’t be pushy but don’t be too distant either.”
“Do something nice for her.”
I placed my head in my hands and sighed.
“You do realize all of those little gems of advice were completely contradictory, right?”
“Welcome to the world of human women,” Axtin grinned.
“You know what helps Maki when she’s not feeling great?” Tyehn said. “Work.”
“Work,” I repeated.
“I’m not sure about that,” Axtin said. “Ordinarily, I’d agree with the benefits of work on a shaken-up mind, but wasn’t it her work that led her into the terrible situations?”
“Sort of,” I said. “She doesn’t do excavations often. Perhaps doing normal work tasks might make her feel better.”
“Such as?”
I rubbed my chin.
“Alessa said she became a mechanical engineer because she loves making something from nothing,” I said. “If I could give her an opportunity to do that, it might make a difference.”
“What are you thinking?” Axtin asked.
“You know how I’ve been doing side work between missions?” I asked.
“Not really,” Tyehn furrowed his brow. “What kind of side work.”
“I wasn’t aware of this either,” Axtin said.
“Well,” I cleared my throat. “It all started when Mayor Vidia broke ground on the new housing. There were tons of people who wanted to help but not a lot of them were qualified.”
“But you are,” Tyehn said.
“Exactly. My background is construction and I’ve been working with techniques and materials far superior to what the humans use here,” I explained. “I started out giving classes down at their community center once a week. This was pre-Gorgo so I had the extra time.”
“You just wanted to get out of patrol, didn’t you?” Axtin grinned.
“Kind of,” I smirked. “Once it became clear that once a week classes weren’t enough, I started getting more hands-on. I used to have a rotation. I’d check-in at each site every day to make sure things were going the way they needed to. That’s when I started noticing mistakes. My morning rotations turned into all day rotations. Before I knew it, I was spending whole days at a single site.”
“Is that why you missed Evie’s birthday?” Axtin asked.
“Yes,” I frowned. I genuinely felt bad about that. I spent a week’s wages on a gift for her to make up for it.
“How many of those new apartments did you build?”
“Practically all of them,” I shrugged. “The materials the humans were working with were mostly bits of scrap. They would’ve never held together over time. I worked out a deal with Fen. General Rouhr helped with negotiations.”
“That’s all well and good, but how does this help you with Alessa?” Axtin asked.
“There’s a new complex breaking ground soon. It’s on
the outskirts of town. It’s meant to be a few blocks of apartments specifically designed for scientists. There’s going to be a communal lab. It won’t be as nice as the one we have here, but it’s something.”
“That sounds nice,” Tyehn nodded.
“I think I should offer Alessa a position on the team,” I said. “She could be my second in command.”
“I have a feeling we’re about to have our hands full with Gorgos,” Axtin said.
“Exactly. Alessa could have a stable, non-Gorgo related job a stone’s throw from here so we can protect her if she needs it. She could step in when I have to be here.”
“Sounds like a perfect solution,” Tyehn said.
“Do you think she’ll go for it?” Axtin asked.
“I don’t know,” I shrugged. “I can’t figure Alessa out. That’s why I’m sitting here spilling my guts to you two over a pile of noodles.”
“What if she doesn’t like your plan?” Axtin asked.
“Will you stop it?” Tyehn drove his elbow into Axtin’s side. “You’re going to make him lose confidence.”
“Navat has never had a problem with confidence,” Axtin scoffed.
“That was before I met Alessa,” I chuckled. “She could make me doubt whether or not I put my shoes on the right feet.”
“You’ve got it bad, my friend,” Axtin laughed.
“Don’t I know it.” I shook my head and returned my attention to my plate of now cold food. I felt good about my plan, I just hoped Alessa would feel the same way.
Alessa
After my lunch with Leena, I spent a productive evening with her in the lab. I didn’t make any modifications to her equipment but I could see where some would be beneficial.
Leena suggested drawing up a proposal containing my suggested modifications and submitting it General Rouhr. I was essentially stuck here until he decided he didn’t need me anymore so I might as well do something useful.
The thought of having a worthwhile task to take my mind off of everything made me feel better.
General Rouhr secured a comfortable room for me within the complex. It didn’t have a monitor or console, but Leena directed me to the business office filled with consoles anyone could use. She let me use her access codes since I didn’t have one of my own. I stayed there working long after everyone else went to sleep.
