Alone on the Edge (The Chronicles of Anna Foster)

by Patrick Stutzman

  “Pure hydrogen,” he responded. “The drive runs off its dedicated fusion reactor.”

  “Dedicated? What powers everything else?”

  “Believe it or not, everything else is solar powered. On a full charge, you could run everything on the ship continuously for a little over a week. That is, except for the drive. Got to have fusion power for that!”

  Anna pondered his declaration for a few seconds and stated, “I didn’t see any solar cells on the hull when we climbed in.”

  “They’re there. If you look closely enough, you’ll see a couple of panels on the upper hull that retract to show the solar cells.”

  Nodding while looking impressed, she looked around until she found the fusion reactor. Walking up to the power plant that filled half the room, she glanced at the displays and quickly found the fuel gauge that indicated 13% capacity.

  Turning to gaze at Ryan over her shoulder, Anna asked, “Do you always run this low on fuel?”

  He walked up next to her, wrapped his arm about her waist, and answered while looking at the gauge, “I can’t help it. Each jump takes a good chunk of fuel, and the longer ones take even more. As a matter of fact, I had my tanks at 89% before jumping here from Aldrin.”

  Anna reflected aloud, “76% of your fuel used in a single jump. That explains why I don’t get many visitors out this way.”

  “Mind you,” Ryan interrupted. “Aldrin is on the opposite side of Earth from here. I could have returned home and still probably had half a tank left for another jump.”

  Sliding her hand over his on her hip, Anna calmly asked as she turned to face him, “So, do you always cuddle up to visitors on your ship?”

  He looked into her eyes and answered with a hint of a smile, “Only the pretty ones.”

  They stared into each others’ eyes for a long moment, and his smile relaxed. Anna felt lost in his dark blue eyes. Her stomach quivered in nervous anticipation of what may come next, and her knees felt weak as if they could buckle at any second. Her lips trembled, and she, despite her desire to remain calm and confident, succumbed to his will.

  He leaned toward her slightly but stopped short as if he was waiting for her to move. Hesitant at first and unsure which direction to move, she attempted to move one way, then another to match him. Their heads danced for several seconds, until Ryan raised his hand and gently touched his finger to her jaw. His touch was enough to calm her jitters. With her head still, they closed the gap between them, and their lips met.

  The kiss was soft and gentle at first, each one gauging the other’s touch. Anna’s nervousness melted away, and she felt light as a feather while she kissed him. She wrapped her arms around him, laying her hands on his back and pulling him closer. He brought his other arm around her waist, while the hand that supported her face moved to cradle her head. As each second passed, their passion multiplied, and their kiss grew stronger. They pulled each other closer until their bodies pressed against each other. Her body relaxed as she surrendered to the moment, letting him hold her up during their moment of passion. She felt completely comfortable in his arms, until she felt his hand slip down and grope her buttocks.

  She pulled back, breaking their liplock, and stared into his face. He instantly returned to reality and opened his eyes, curious about her reaction. Without a word, she peeled his hand from her pants and dropped it to his side.

  “Not here,” she stated, looking innocent.

  Ryan looked dumbfounded, unsure how to respond.

  “I ...” he stammered.

  “The engine room is not the most appropriate place,” added Anna with a bemused smile.

  He nodded and replied, “Got it.”

  She slipped her hand into his and led him back to the bridge. She relished his warmth against her hand and never wanted to let him go, hoping the moment would last forever. She squeezed his hand and forgot about the universe around her. For the first time in six years, Anna did not feel alone.

  Chapter 21

  The two of them returned to the bridge, holding hands while they walked. Ryan returned to the pilot’s chair to check on their status. Anna, disregarding what he was doing, sat in his lap and rested her head on his shoulder again. He draped his arm around her, resting his hand on her hip, and continued without a second thought.

  “How much longer?” Anna solicited several minutes later while she traced circles on his chest with her fingertips.

  “Until what?” he asked in return without looking down.

  “Until we get back to the station.”

  “A couple of hours. We’re approaching the fourth planet in the system now.”

  Anna’s eyes widened as she asked excitedly, “Really?”

  She scrambled out of his seat and stood to see the dark disk looming before them with g Lupi shining in the distance. A sliver of the planet’s illuminated surface could be seen on the upper hemisphere as they flew over the planetoid to the light side a couple of minutes later.

  Ryan took the wheel, slowed the ship’s speed, and steered it around in an elliptical arc to give Anna a good view of the dayside surface. Her face brightened for a second as she observed the blinding, icy surface, but the intense reflection forced her to squint.

  “Oh, sorry!” he exclaimed while pressing a button on one of the hologram controls. Through the next few seconds, the windows polarized and filtered out much of the intensity, giving her a much more detailed view of the planet’s surface. Now, she could see mountain ranges and a few craters along with the expansive plains of ice.

  “Are you recording this?” she asked, unable to tear her eyes away from the view.

  With a slightly amused and smug expression, he replied, “Already doing it.”

  She glanced over her shoulder at him with a smile on her face, catching his attention to look back at her. They watched each other for a few seconds before she turned back to the planet.

  “And, nobody’s been this deep into the system?” she inquired.

  He thought for a couple of seconds and offered, “Not that I know of. I didn’t see anything about it in the scout records.”

  “Amazing,” she uttered breathlessly.

  After circling the planet a couple more times, Ryan suggested, “We should move on. There are more to see.”

  Anna nodded silently a few times before finally answering, “Yeah. Okay.”

  “Computer!”

  “Yes, Ryan,” the female voice responded.

  The dark-haired pilot ordered, “Return to previously charted course at best possible speed.”

  “Acknowledged.”

  As the ship departed from the planet, Anna gleefully walked to him, kneeled on the seat while straddling his legs, and gave him a deep kiss. Surprised at first, Ryan quickly kissed her back and rubbed his arms up and down her back. She leaned in closer and wrapped her arms about his neck. He sat up to let her embrace him and quickly leaned back against her arms but jumped forward slightly.

  Pulling back from the kiss, Anna asked, “What’s wrong?”

  “Your wristcomp,” he stated, pointing over his shoulder. “It’s jabbing me in the back.”

  “Oh!” she cried sympathetically. “Let me take care of that for you.”

  She sat up, unfastened the wrist device, and tossed it to the floor without a care. The wristcomp tumbled away for a few meters and came to rest against the starboard wall.

  “Now,” she continued as she leaned in with a sly smile. “Where were we?”

  He accepted with a smile and welcomed the touch of her lips to his.

  Several minutes later, Anna kneeled on her elbows and knees on top of the chair and Ryan sat under her kissing her neck, when they both felt the ship slow down. She gripped the back of the seat to keep from sliding off, but Ryan was not so lucky. He ran into her, sending both of them into the panel at the nose of the bridge. Though his feet jammed into the space below the panel, Anna’s butt slammed into the flight wheel, steering them downward toward their newest destination: the s
tar system’s asteroid belt.

  “Ow!” he cried as he hit the metal wall. “Are you okay, Anna?”

  She looked down at him and, realizing that he had grabbed the neckline of her tank top and stretched it to show her cleavage, said sternly, “Only my modesty!”

  “Oops!” he chuckled as he released his grip. “Sorry about that.

  “Computer!” he cried as he pulled himself out and back into the pilot seat. “Why did we slow down?”

  As Anna stood up and walked behind the seat, she looked out the forward window and cried, “ASTEROIDS!”

  Ryan’s head jerked up to catch sight of the tumbling rocks before them. Without hesitation, he grabbed the flight wheel and pulled back. The sudden upward turn threw Anna to the deck. She hit the floor hard and tumbled back, where her back and shoulder harshly collided with the airlock door. The ship darted to port and quickly back to starboard as Ryan expertly dodged the asteroids without a single scratch, but the rapid movements tossed Anna back and forth like a ragdoll to slam into each side wall.

  Seconds later, the ship emerged unscathed from the asteroid field. Ryan flopped back in his chair and breathed a sigh of relief.

  “Computer, continue us on our plotted course at best possible speed.”

  While the computer acknowledged his order, he looked over his shoulder and confidently announced, “Well, we got out of that one pretty well. Didn’t we?”

  When no response came and he didn’t see her standing behind him, his smug expression suddenly changed to one of concern. He stretched his neck around to look past the back of his chair but did not see her to the right.

  “Anna?” he called as he turned to look over the left side. He found her in a heap in the back corner of the bridge, her groans barely audible from across the room.

  “Anna!” he cried more urgently as he jumped from the seat and sprinted to her side. “Are you hurt?”

  She chuckled painfully and answered, “Only my modesty.”

  Cradling her jaw in his hand, he gingerly lifted her face and said, “Open your eyes.”

  She cracked her eyelids open and stared back at Ryan. Her blue eyes were steady and unwavering.

  “You know,” she commented in a calm voice despite the pain she felt. “You have really bad timing. This isn’t a good time or place to get romantic, either.”

  He looked back at her and said, “I don’t think you have a concussion.”

  Looking over her body, he saw the first signs of bruises on her shoulder.

  “But, it looks like you took quite a beating. Sorry about that.”

  “This?” she added while trying to sit up. “This is nothing. I’ve taken worse than this.”

  She stopped suddenly and winced as new pain shot up her back.

  Ryan frowned and ordered, “That’s it! The tour ends here. We’re going back to the station to get you looked at.”

  He rose to his feet and crouched down, scooping up Anna in his arms. He stood again and carried her to the back of the ship.

  On the way, she whined, “But, I was having so much fun! Can’t we finish the tour?”

  With a serious face, he replied, “Now, you’re being ridiculous.”

  “Please!”

  Ryan sighed and stated, “At least you still have your sense of humor. But, we’re going back to the station.”

  “You’re no fun anymore!” Anna pouted, exaggerating her look by overextending her lower lip.

  He smirked and responded to her accusation before opening the door to his cabin, “We’ll see about that.”

  He squeezed through the opening and carefully laid her down on the cot. The shift in weight on her back caused her to flinch again.

  “Are you okay?” he asked, concern plainly evident in his voice.

  As the pain subsided once again, she nodded.

  Looking her over once more, he appended his question, “Can you feel your legs?”

  Anna’s face relaxed, and she turned to look straight at him with a slightly-annoyed expression.

  “Yes, I can feel my legs,” she said flatly. “Would you like to see me wiggle my toes?”

  In an apologetic tone, he answered defensively, “I just want to make sure you’re okay.”

  Anna took a deep breath and stated, “I’m okay.”

  “Okay,” he smiled before ducking out of the room.

  “Computer, cancel the planned route and return to the mining station at maximum speed.”

  Ignoring the computer’s answer, Ryan returned to Anna’s side and knelt on the floor next to her, taking her hand in the process.

  “I am going to stay here by your side until we’re back at the station,” he assured her, sounding genuinely concerned.

  She turned, looked at him, and told him unabashedly, “You’re going to get awfully bored back here.”

  “I don’t care. When I’m with you, nothing else matters.”

  Anna smiled and replied, “That’s so sickeningly sweet. I can’t help but to want to gag.”

  She laughed, unable to hide her amusement. Ryan, reflected back on his statement and, realizing how sappy he sounded, laughed with her for several seconds. As their mirth subsided, they quietly stared at each other for several seconds.

  Finally, Anna whispered, “Come here.”

  As he leaned in, she craned her neck upward and kissed him on the lips. He returned the gesture with a smile.

  “Thank you,” she murmured after they separated seconds later.

  “For what? Getting you hurt?” he asked incredulously.

  She cautiously shook her head and answered, “For taking care of me.”

  His warm smile was all the answer she needed, and she smiled back at him affectionately.

  About an hour later, the ship docked back at the station. Anna and Ryan thought hard to figure out how to get her back inside without having her stand or travel through a vacuum. Eventually, she asked the computer to have the gurney delivered to them by the cleaning drone. Once it arrived, she was strapped into it and pulled up the docking tube into the airlock by a cable and winch Ryan found in one of the cargo holds. Through it all, Anna had to wait about an hour before she finally reached the station’s infirmary.

  The medical scan confirmed that one of Anna’s vertebrae was out of place, a diagnosis that Anna suspected the entire time. She was turned over in her bed, and the surgical drone maneuvered over her location along its track in the ceiling. The drone injected a muscle relaxant into her back next to the dislocated bone, waited another minute for the drug to take effect, and thumped the bone back into alignment. Instantly, Anna felt the sharp pain dissipate, but her muscles still ached from the misalignment and the beating she took to put the vertebra in that position. The computer recommended that she stay off her feet for a couple of hours but could return to normal activity after that.

  Ryan happily wheeled Anna to her quarters and lifted her into her own bed. While the cleaning drone left with the gurney, the two of them smiled at each other until the door shut.

  “So, a couple of hours off your feet, huh?” he asked.

  “Yep, it appears so. What do you suggest we do?”

  With a raised eyebrow, he inquired, “Is that a loaded question?”

  “I don’t know,” she commented playfully as she weaved her fingers together behind her head. “What do you think?”

  He laughed slightly and stated, “I know what I’d like to do.”

  Faking surprise, Anna added, “Really? Show me.”

  Without a second thought, he walked to the side of her bed purposefully, straddled over her, and kissed her gently. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer, instantly increasing their fervor. As Anna’s hands combed through his thick, dark hair and down his back, he glided his hands behind her back and pulled her close while their lips continued to caress each other’s. The sudden shift in her position alarmed her, and she instantly broke the kiss.

  With a surprised look on his face, Ryan asked, “What’
s wrong?”

  “I’m off my feet for a couple of hours. That doesn’t mean that I’m limber enough to do a lot of moving around right now.”

  He quickly but carefully laid her back on the mattress while asking, “God! I’m sorry! Are you okay?”

  Watching her nod for a second, he frowned with disappointment and sighed.

  “Sorry, love,” he apologized. “I guess I’m getting ahead of myself.”

  Anna smiled and suggested, “If you’re lucky, maybe you’ll get your wish.”

  Ryan’s face brightened, and he leaned in for another kiss, only to be stopped by her finger on his lips.

  “Later,” she added.

  He submitted to her wishes with another frown and a nod before getting off the bed.

  Anna quickly offered, “You know, there’s nothing preventing you from lying down beside me.”

  He looked over the bed for a couple of seconds and observed, “Yeah, but it’s kind of small. I’m not sure if both of us could fit on there comfortably.”

  “I’m sure I can make room,” she suggested as she started to scoot to one side, wincing as she shifted.

  Throwing his hand up to stop her, Ryan proclaimed, “Hold on! I have a better idea.”

  As he turned and left the room, he added, “Don’t go anywhere.”

  A couple of seconds after the door shut, Anna added facetiously, “I’ll try.”

  She cautiously rolled onto her back and waited for a few seconds before asking aloud, “What is he up to?”

  Patiently, she waited for a couple of minutes, until boredom got the better of her. She opened her mouth to ask the computer something, when she heard knocking on her door. Flinching for a brief second, she smiled at her reaction and called with a stifled giggle, “Come in!”

  The door opened, and Ryan entered while holding the metal bed frame from one of the cabins nearby. He smiled upon seeing her but said nothing as he carried the cumbersome frame inside and gently set it next to Anna’s bed.

  Smiling as she watched, Anna commented cheerfully, “Good idea! Why didn’t I think of that?”

  He merely replied with a grin and continued about his business.