by M. M. Perry
Jeremy waved his hand.
“No harm done.”
“Good! Then let’s play a card game. See if any of the kids wander our way. We might not get much interaction tonight. They’re all too jazzed about last night’s party,” Brian said, shuffling a deck of cards.
They sat around the couch in their unit, watching an image of Badb, its surface swirling around on a screen before them. Their stomachs were full and they were tired. Several of the kids stopped by to join a hand of Crazy Eights, but none stayed too long. Naomi thought the children were sweet, but found herself glad for the quiet of their unit. After the raucous common room, they all had the same idea - to sit around and relax in silence.
“I think I’ll go to bed early,” Brian said, standing.
“You mind if I join you?” Jamil asked, starting to stand.
“Yes,” Brian said suddenly. “I’m tired, and I just want to sleep.”
His voice was light, no emotion in it, but his eyes looked hard as he said it. He stripped off his jumpsuit before climbing wearily into his pod. Jamil slumped back into his seat.
“Is everything alright, Jamil?” Jeremy asked.
“Oh,” Jamil said, trying to laugh it off, “just a minor disagreement. We’ll get past it. We always do. Better we not press it. You know.”
Jeremy was quiet. Naomi could sense his hesitation. She thought she knew why he was reluctant to speak, but knew better than to say anything. Letting Jeremy speak was the safe option.
“Would you… would you like comfort, Jamil?”
Jamil looked surprised at the offer.
“Oh, you aren’t supposed to do that, Jeremy. It’s kind of you to offer, but you made your preferences clear.”
“I know. But no one needs the threat of counseling.”
Jamil looked pained at Jeremy’s words.
“Ah. I’m a cad, aren’t I? Letting you worry about us. I… I wouldn’t worry about us. There won’t be any counseling for me. I can promise you that. And Brian… look, just don’t let it bother you. You take care of each other. Brian will cool off tomorrow. I think I’ll retire for the evening as well. I’ll see you in the morning.”
Jamil stood and pulled off his jumpsuit. He crawled up into his sleeping pod and pulled it shut. The room was still bright, the lights scheduled to stay on for another ninety minutes.
“Should I offer comfort to Bria…”
“No,” Jeremy said quickly.
Naomi quietly folded her hands in her lap, surreptitiously glancing at her vitals.
“I mean to say, you could, but I’d rather you not tonight. You go on your mission the day after tomorrow. I think I need you by my side tonight. If… if that’s alright.”
Naomi nodded, understanding.
“You worry too much, Jeremy. I read the reports of all the soldiers who are going with me. It’s a very strong group. Admittedly, I don’t know too much about that stuff, but it reads like a strong group. And Alphea, she’s on my side, too. And I think she’s taking very good care of me.”
“I’m glad,” Jeremy said. “We could also go to bed early. I’d enjoy that.”
“Let me tidy a little first. You go ahead and get ready.”
Naomi placed the few glasses that dotted the table into the cleaning unit. She picked up the jumpsuits and placed them in the laundering units, taking care to peel off her own as well. She turned to see Jeremy waiting in the shower for her.
“I promised to share one with you in return. I keep my promises,” he said, grinning.
Naomi joined him and they rushed through the cleaning, watching the seconds tick by. They turned the water off just before three minutes had passed.
“We made it!” Naomi laughed as warm air rushed past them, replacing the water.
“And I still have one more for this week!” Jeremy added as they turned in the small shower, lifting their arms to allow the air to gust past and collect the water.
The awkward dance continued for sixty seconds, Jeremy mussing up Naomi’s hair to help it dry. Naomi reached up and pretended to muss Jeremy’s short, kinky black hair. He tickled her for doing it as the air slowed, then stopped.
“Don’t do that, now I’ll have to comb it,” he said.
“It always looks the same to me, whether you comb it or not.”
“That’s why your hair always looks like that then? You can’t tell when it’s combed properly?”
Naomi launched herself at Jeremy in a faux tackle and he caught her. Their breathing was heavy, and they looked into each other’s eyes for a moment too long.
“To the pod then,” Naomi said, wrapping her arms around herself and smiling at him.
“The pod awaits, my lady,” Jeremy responded, gesturing she enter first.
Naomi climbed in and Jeremy followed, pulling the door shut. They laid there for a while, both counting as they watched their vitals come into acceptable range. Once the ceiling of the pod faded into blackness, Jeremy spoke close to Naomi’s ear.
“What do you think Jamil meant, he doesn’t have to worry about counseling?”
Naomi grabbed Jeremy’s fingertips, which had been trailing small circles on her arm and making it hard for her to count. He interlaced his fingers with hers.
“This can’t leave the pod,” Naomi said quietly, even though she knew no sound would escape it.
“Okay,” Jeremy said.
“Alphea says she reckons he’s a spy of some sort. At least he’s named after one. It could be he’s got more authority than it seems. His record just says he’s a first communications officer. But if he were actually a spy, like the old stories from ancestral Earth, he might have more privilege than us.”
“What? Who would a spy spy on out here?” Jeremy asked. “You don’t think it’s us, do you?”
“He spilled that water on Brian to keep you from being more upset. He also had you cough up your breakfast the day before. That’s twice in two days he’s steered us clear of counseling. I suppose he could be trying to get our trust, but we can’t possibly have any secrets worth discovering,” Naomi pondered.
“You’re with Alphea now,” Jeremy said, working through his thoughts outloud. “And the computer matched us to them, even though I haven’t been with a man in ages. Two men, one who isn’t interested in taking comfort from a woman. Matched to us? We make good friends, but usually the computer matches on both scales, friendship and comfort. I’ve never been in a unit that hasn’t podded up in the first three days.”
“You tried and were turned down,” Naomi teased.
“Yeah, but Jamil’s right. Might get a demerit for proclaiming I wasn’t interested but offering anyway. We’re not supposed to do that. Comfort goes both ways.”
“I would have gone to Brian, too. But you seemed reluctant for me to do it,” Naomi said softly.
“It’s not what you think. I told you, I’m not afraid of that. I was worried he’d want you to spend the night with him. And I wanted the night. I wouldn’t care if I knew you would be gone just for a while,” Jeremy said.
“You weren’t too worried about yourself there, big fella. Weren’t worried Jamil would trap you in his pod,” she teased again.
“I always positon myself for extrication. You know that. I’ve never been gone all night.”
“Is that why you always sleep on the outside?!” Naomi said in mock outrage.
“Nooo,” Jeremy said. “No,” he said more quietly. “Not… not with you. It’s a different reason. I’m…”
The ceiling glowed faintly, Jeremy’s heart beating too quickly. He stopped talking.
“You know, conformity can sod the hell off,” Jeremy said bitterly.
“Hush now,” Naomi said. “Let’s be safe.”
“Yeah, we were talking about Jamil before you distracted me with your wickedness,” Jeremy joked, his heart slowing. “It does seem an awful lot of coincidences. You sure he’s not spying on you? I mean, maybe to find out about Alphea. I mean, the way some of the chiefs talk abo
ut the gennies, I think there’s a lot of distrust there.”
Naomi mulled it over, thinking about what Alphea said about information before answering.
“He never asked about Alphea. Other than the little conversational thing about working with a gennie. Asking about the mission would be silly. Marcus’ man Henry can pass along anything pertinent to that. If he’s spying, he’s getting piss poor info. And something about the way he talked about being a cad for making us worry. I don’t know. I don’t think it’s us. I think he’s actually worried for us.”
“Then unless he’s spying on the other ships, I don’t know,” Jeremy said, yawning.
Naomi found her eyes drooping shut, the concerns of the day disappearing into dream.
Five
The alarm sounded and Jeremy groaned.
“You think if I put in an official complaint, it’ll make a difference?”
“Come on lazy bones. Let’s be bright and shiny for the kids.”
“Ohh,” Jeremy said as he flopped over and shoved his face into the mattress. “Why do they think we need a full ninety minutes to get ready for our shifts? I need twenty, tops. This is madness.”
Naomi reached over Jeremy and opened the sleeping pod. The air outside was quite a bit cooler than in the pod. Brian was awake and laughed when he overheard Jeremy complaining.
“Don’t you remember this from being a student?” he asked.
“Ooh,” Jeremy moaned again as he swung his legs over the side of the pod, rubbing his eyes. “That was so, so long ago, mate. You know, when you take the tour, they should skip the bit with the recitation, because no one is ever gonna forget that hourly drill. They should go right to the part where they say, ‘and you’ll enjoy the hour less of sleep you’ll get each night! Guaranteed!’ That’s the bit they need to tell you about before you place your thumb on the transfer screen.”
“Having second thoughts about Family, then?” Brian asked as he drank some tea.
“No he isn’t,” Naomi said, pushing Jeremy out of the pod. “He’s an airman. He’s used to the rigors of a tough life, right, m’dear?”
Naomi smacked Jeremy on his bare bum and pushed him aside so she could get out of the pod herself.
“Ooh, now I could wake up to that more often,” Jeremy said cheekily.
Brian laughed, then returned to reading the notices on his wrist.
“Oh, whoever did it, thanks for cleaning up after me last night. I thought I’d have to wear my spare jumpsuit this morning, and it bunches in the rear funny. I think the nanotech’s gone a bit wonky.”
“That was dear, thoughtful, Naomi,” Jeremy said, sliding into his own freshly cleaned jumpsuit.
Naomi waved off the thanks as she put her jumpsuit on. She looked around the unit. Jamil’s sleeping pod was open and the shower was empty.
“Jamil off already?”
Brian frowned and shook his head.
“I don’t know what’s up with him. He was gone when I got up,” Brian said, his wrist flashing red.
Jeremy and Naomi exchanged glances. Naomi silently asked for permission with a look at Jeremy. He nodded.
“Do you need some comfort, Brian?”
For a minute, Brian looked as if he might take Naomi up on the offer. Then he shook his head and scowled.
“It’d be an angry fuck. You want an angry fuck? No, wouldn’t be pleasant for you. I’ll just have an angry wank in the shower instead. You go on,” his voice gradually rising to a shout as he walked to the shower.
He stripped his jumpsuit off and got into the shower without another word.
Naomi felt as if she’d been struck. Brian’s unprovoked outburst was more frightening to her the longer she pondered it. Jeremy placed his hand on her shoulder, causing her to start.
“He shouldn’t have said it like that. I can have a talk with him. He knows better. Aggressive language and yelling.”
“No. You’ll get agitated. It’s alright. I think I won’t offer again though. I’m not comfortable with the idea of it anymore.”
“Yeah, you aren’t the only one,” Jeremy said.
They were sealing their suits when the door opened. Jamil entered with a stricken look on his face.
“That was uncalled for. I’m sorry, Naomi,” he said simply.
“What, you heard?” Jeremy asked.
“Half the hall did,” Jamil said, stepping into the room to let the door close. “There isn’t anything for it now… Dammit.”
“Jamil,” Naomi said, sensing Jamil’s anguish.
“He’s been very moody lately. I’ve been able to cover for him, but I’m realizing all I did was make him… He’s never dealt with it. Not properly,” Jamil said.
“His temper?” Jeremy asked.
Jamil was quiet for a while.
“You’ll want to go. They’re coming. You won’t want to be here. Go on, and don’t worry. I won’t let any of this mess rub off on you two. I can promise you that.”
Jeremy and Naomi left the unit.
“More vagaries,” Jeremy muttered as they headed down the hallway.
Naomi had nothing to add. She didn’t protest when Jeremy led her out of Family and straight down to the flight deck. He steered them into the cafeteria they’d eaten at before the drop party. He chose a table near the edge. A hovering tray glided by and Naomi, not feeling particularly hungry, didn’t look at it.
“Mi,” Jeremy chided, “you’ll be doing military drills today.”
Naomi absently grabbed what looked like pancakes. She scooted them around her plate. They had so much time before their shift, she wondered if she could pretend to eat for that long.
“Hi. Do you mind if I join you?”
Jeremy swallowed quickly to avoid coughing on his food, his eyes wide. It was Mike “Eagle Eye.”
Both Naomi and Jeremy were stunned into silence. Mike continued to stand, waiting for an answer. Naomi realized he hadn’t sat yet and blushed from embarrassment.
“Of course,” she said quickly.
The soldier flashed a smile and sat down.
“It’s weird for me, too,” he said.
Naomi could imagine why. He was wearing the standard jumpsuit instead of his fatigues, and it looked like it was straining to contain him. It reminded Naomi of a show she and her friends had found when she was still in Childhood Learning. It was some competition to do with gladiators. Mike looked like he would fit right in on the show, with his clear blue eyes and golden hair, shorn short on the sides. Jeremy was fit and muscular, but Eagle Eye looked like he might pop out of his jumpsuit. People around the cafeteria were staring, more than a few appreciatively. Mike noticed her looking at his clothing. Naomi wouldn’t have thought such a big man could blush so brightly.
“I thought I would stand out less if I wore the jumpsuit instead of the fatigues. I’m sensing I was off on that assessment.”
Jeremy snorted.
“It’s an eyeful, too right.”
Mike blushed even more deeply. Jeremy realized he was causing the big man discomfort.
“Hey. Hey, mate, you’re just making the lasses think about their warm, cozy pods and if they’ll be able to cram you into one. Nothing to worry about. It’s a kind of super power, you know. Don’t be ashamed of it, yeah?”
Mike chuckled.
“Okay then, I won’t.”
He smiled generously at Jeremy, deciding he liked the airman.
“Why are you here?” Naomi asked, feeling rude after she blurted it out.
For his part, Mike wasn’t bothered by the bluntness of her question.
“Alphea sent me. It seems she was alerted to an incident in your unit. Bit of an unfriendly remark, I take it. Marcus reported it. Said you’d be unfit for training today. Emotional distress. I imagine that’s an overblown assessment of your condition, don’t you?”
Mike looked at her, gauging her response. Naomi felt the urge to eat. She forked a big piece of pancake and shoved it in her mouth.
Rememberin
g what Alphea had told her yesterday, she swallowed and said confidently, “Marcus can shove it.”
Mike smiled broadly.
“I thought as much. Marcus has been riding my britches for the last two days, insistent that your inclusion is a mistake. I don’t make many mistakes. I didn’t see you for long, but I think I got the measure of you. You wouldn’t put this mission in jeopardy.”
“No, sir,” Naomi replied.
“Good soldier,” Mike said, warmly. “Alphea, I’ve known her for a while. Had to solve more than a few problems with her at my side.”
“You did?” Naomi asked, surprised.
“Didn’t read that in my file, did you?” Mike said, smirking. “Those things aren’t recorded. They don’t want an official record of it. It isn’t something I like to admit, but a soldier does what he’s ordered to do. Let’s just say, Alphea has kept me out of the muck somehow. I owe her for it. She says you’re good people. I believe her, but…”
Mike clenched his jaw, teeth grinding. Naomi waited patiently for what he was about to say, knowing it wasn’t good news.
“Not all of the members of my squad have been immune to Marcus’ poison. I’ve done my best, and I’ll personally keep an eye on your back, but there might be some snide remarks I won’t be able to keep from you. I know it sounds small to you, a few remarks don’t hurt anything, but this is about discipline and my squad knows it. They’re choosing to act out and it’s not a good look for us. Just know nothing, and I mean nothing, will harm you on my watch. I mean that to both of you,” Mike said glancing at Jeremy, whose wrist was starting to flash. “Don’t worry airman. I’ve got it covered.”
Jeremy visibly relaxed.
“Now, I’ve got to get to my squad. Prep them for the day. You finish your breakfast. I’ll see you in thirty.”
They watched him leave the cafeteria. Everyone watched him leave the cafeteria.
“He’s a big fella, ain’t he?” Jeremy asked.
“You should see the women,” Naomi deadpanned.
