Warm hands keep me from falling over but don't let go. "That's all right, I was waiting for you." Zayn's deep laugh vibrates through me.
I freeze in place not believing my ears. "Sorry," is all I manage to say. I'm not sure if I'm apologizing for running into him again or for hurting our friendship. Or both.
"I like your hair down like that." Zayn moves one of his hands from my shoulder and gently runs it through my still-damp hair.
"I was just going–” I clamp my mouth shut. His touch sends familiar tingles down my spine and I'm not quite sure if I'm awake or not. I close my eyes and concentrate on his touch.
"Talia?"
"Hmm?"
"Are you all right? You're usually much more talkative." He laughs softly.
I open my eyes. "So, you're really here, then?"
He leans his forehead against mine, his breath hot on my lips. "Yes." That single word, husky and filled with emotion warms me through my core.
"And why are you here?" I whisper.
"I'm here for you. And for me. For us." He runs his hands down my back, almost sending me to my knees. "And to start my job this morning under the most famous two engineers in the fleet."
My knees do give out then, but Zayn catches me around my waist and pulls me to his chest. His heart beats hard against mine as he kisses me until I'm gasping for breath.
Unable to speak yet I bury my face into his chest and hold tight. I listen to the rumble in his chest as he tells me about his trip back, telling his dad he was leaving, and how Commander Saj welcomed him with open arms. I grin. Commander Saj knew.
I pull back enough so Zayn can see my face. "Are you sure you'll be happy here? Without your family and friends?"
He tightens his grip around my waist. "I was angry at first when you sent my dad out there." He takes a deep breath. "But after seeing the condition of both ships, I knew you did the right thing. Only my dad and his ship could've pulled that off. A less experienced pilot would've ended up like Captain Kae."
My stomach tightens. She's gone, Talia. Relax.
"Sorry to mention her. Is it a relief? Her being gone?"
I shrug. "Yes, to a point. I wanted her to be held accountable, but not to die like she did. I'll always have the memories of what she's done and the scars, but I have the comfort knowing she can't hurt me or anyone I love anymore."
Zayn pulls me back to his chest and holds me until I relax into him. "You and I, we make a great team, don't you think?"
"Yes we do. And we should probably head to engineering. Don't want you to be late for your first day." I grin and untangle myself from him.
Zayn grabs my hand and we enter the lift. "Can you tell me more about the drones you plan on making? Sounds like the same kind of project my uncle Abishai worked on years ago. He made drones for the Eugenesis project."
"I heard about that. His were just for Earth atmosphere flight. And he and Kaci had to improvise after most of them got destroyed in a storm. Maybe they would want to consult with us on this project?" In the short amount of time we have for this project, it would be good to have many experts.
"I think they would. With their best friends Sadie and Alix here on the prison ship, they visit often anyway. In fact I think they’re bringing in the main load of first contact supplies."
"Great, let's see if we can get these drones created before the retrofits on all the habitats are complete," I challenge as we step into the engineering corridor.
Zayn squeezes my hand and then hurries off to check in with Doc. I take a slow loop around engineering getting familiar with all the different stations. Now that the Migration won't be so far behind us, I wonder how many people will join us on the Somerset? Certainly we'll get many of the earth science engineers. I make a mental note of talking to the Community Circles to let them know what specialties we'll need.
CHAPTER 26
Talia’s Planet
I poke Zayn in the ribs as we follow the crowd through the corridors. "You ready for this?"
"Of course!" He wraps his arm around me and maneuvers us through the excited crowd. I of course trust him completely and don't try to control our direction. These people who we've lived with for the last few months are like family now, and they are very used to my blindness.
Small groups take turns going down the lifts. When we finally get to the bottom level, we head straight for the main dock. My nerves are on fire–I'm about to "see" our new home. I hug my sphere to myself. It’s an updated version of my bio interface cube. This sphere allows me to use both hands to feel the "data." This was my small compromise to Zayn's desire for me to see all the time. This sphere doesn't interface with my brain like my suit does, but it has been improved by our engineer friends. It’s so sensitive I feel like I'm seeing with my eyes, ears, and skin at the same time. They even programmed in a scent module, which has made visiting the Biolab even more of an amazing experience for me. I even got to plant my own section of tulips, my new favorite flower.
In preparation for planet fall the First Contact engineers have dug up and prepared many of the large trees for the trip down to the surface. The live trees are wrapped and lie in rows in one of the cargo holds.
We crowd as many people that we can into the largest cargo hold. Zayn and I push toward the front where Commander Saj, Doc Jones, Captain Reyes, and Zayn’s family are waiting for us. The excitement in this large room is palpable. I don’t need my sphere to tell me that everyone is smiling and anxious to see our new planet.
Commander Saj says a few words to the crowd and then dramatically presses a remote button we rigged up for the occasion, and the bay doors open.
The crowd shields their eyes as the light from our new sun reaches into the bay. We breathe in our new fresh air. I hold the sphere tightly with both hands to absorb every sight, sound, and smell of our new world as our first contact group steps out of the Somerset and onto our new planet.
The End
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
I was raised on a hippie commune by my mother, who had previously worked on the Apollo program in Downey, California. I had quite a diverse childhood.
Even as I was taught to appreciate our fragile and beautiful Earth and to love everyone no matter our differences, I was enrolled in computer classes and given lots of books to read. Some of my childhood favorites are: Isaac Asimov, Larry Niven, Robert A. Heinlein, Ursula K. Le Guin, Marion Zimmer Bradley, Ray Bradbury, Arthur C. Clarke, Frank Herbert, Theodore Sturgeon, Agatha Christie, PD James, and Mary Stewart.
You can find more about me and my books and my love for space at:
http://www.HeatherLeeDyer.com
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Keep reading for a sneak peek of Chapter 1 of my new series!
DELTA STATION
Chapter 1
Coroner’s Daughter
I pull the scalpel neatly across the pale wrist, opening up a perfect inch-long cut. The embedded microchip pulls out easily with tweezers, and I drop it with a wet clank on the metal tray beside me. There's not much blood to sponge up, so I use glue to press the flesh back together.
The freezer bag already has her name, dates of birth and death, cause of death, and her class designation within the Delta Station. I place the small implant into the bag and push the completed specimen through the secure slot near the lab door. I hear it plop into the container with the others I've removed this week. These bags will be picked up by security tomorrow. They will sanitize the chips, download the data and then reprogram them for the next Delta newcomer.
I've spent an exhausting weekend in this cold autopsy room. A virus had spread throughout one of the barge ships that docked with our station a few days ago. Although Delta Station is the last civilized s
top at the edge of the Milky Way Galaxy, it does have well-implemented rules and regulations. Thankfully, one of those is twenty-four hour quarantine on all ships docking here. Scans of the barge were able to detect the sickness before they cycled the seals open. This saved the rest of us from being infected.
The woman on my table and her crewmates in the freezer must've lived here on Delta at one time before working on the barge ship, because they all have Delta chips. The triangular-shaped implants serve as currency, identification, and station access to all those who live and work here.
Following protocol, I document everything and then cover the body back up.
When I take my gloves off to dispose of them, they rub against my own Delta chip, making me wince slightly. My dark skin is still irritated by the recent implantation. As the medical examiner's daughter, my chip gives me high priority access to most areas of Delta. The only place I'm not allowed is the main security office, which I find strange since they're right next door to the morgue.
I glance around the room to make sure everything is back in order and then push the body back into the freezer and close the door. I lean my forehead against the metal, welcoming the cold burn. After Mom died in the mining accident, I had to leave behind my home under the domes of Mars Colony to come live with my dad on Delta Station. And if losing Mom and having to move halfway across the galaxy wasn't enough, my apprenticeship started over here on Delta. Which means I missed out on being part of the medical team on the 2080 long-term mission to heart of the Carina Dwarf galaxy.
My throat tightens as I fight back tears. Mom was my best friend and my greatest supporter. I love my dad, but we're still getting to know each other. I take in a deep breath of cold, metallic air.
A trio of beeps startles me, and I pull my forehead away from the door and look at my wrist.
Red digital numbers glow faintly through my skin from the implant, letting me know I’m going to be late for school. Phobos’ dust, not again. I pull myself from my dark thoughts and strip off my scrubs and wash my hands.
My quarters are just down the hallway, and I hurry to grab my book bag. They use 3D vids in the classrooms, but I still like writing and sketching on paper. I'm also trudging my way through some of Mom's medical textbooks, so I always have one with me at all times.
I slip out the front door of the morgue, pausing only long enough to listen for the soft hum of the door lock engaging. Officially, they call this leg of Delta the Gray Sector, since the color strips along the mechanical walking paths are marked either black or gray. But everyone on Delta Station usually just calls it the dead sector. It contains the medical examiner's office, the morgue, the medical and dental offices, a small hospital, and security.
Most of us who work in this sector also live here instead of in the main residential area, the blue sector, which I'm very grateful for. This lessens my chances of running into other people.
I don't mind working with the dead, it's the live ones that I'm afraid of.
I take a short cut through the business district, ducking down connecting hallways that lead behind the businesses. I then hop onto the main business walkway, the metal grids softly grinding under my Vans. The business district is the Red Sector. When I first moved here, I would take these walkways for hours. Gray, red, blue. At each leg of the triangle, I would have to hop off that walkway and jump on the next one. I enjoyed listening to the hum and click as it moved me effortlessly around the station. It reminded me of the mining machines deep in the red Mars dirt that I grew up watching.
This sector – one of the legs of the triangle that makes up Delta station – contains clothing and gift shops, restaurants, entertainment rooms, and the school and daycare areas. Space docks are built at each point of the triangle.
A magnificent greenhouse enclosed under a clear dome fills in the middle of the triangle. I trail my hand on the glass as I allow the pathway to carry me down the corridor. I enjoy seeing the lush greenery through the floor-to-ceiling windows. Trees and bushes bloom with every color imaginable.
As much as I enjoy this side of the station, the outer side is still my favorite. The windows of the outside walkways face out into space. From those pathways I can watch ships coming and going from the station against a background of dark space and a thick blanket of stars.
I hop off the walkway in the middle of the business sector. Here the noise level is the highest in the whole station. Most of life aboard the station happens here. It's the social center, which is why I usually avoid this area, especially during peak times like this. But I'm late, so I endure it since it’s a shortcut to school. I step onto the yellow walkway that bisects the business district, and that leads to my school. It moves too slowly for me this morning, so I jog at the far edge, earning glares from other riders.
The pubs and cafes are brimming with loud voices and the aroma of coffee and breakfast foods. My stomach rumbles, and I realize I forgot to eat again. I'll have to remember to check my pack for a nutrition bar.
Several survivors from the barge ship sit quietly around tables at one of the crowded restaurants. Their unusually bright uniforms are hard to miss. Miss Rudy's is the local favorite, especially among the indie shipping crews, since she has a magical way of making everyone welcome with her never ending smile and delicious food. As usual, several security guards are milling around, keeping an eye on the crowd.
I step off the walkway at the front door of the school and place my wrist on the scanner. After it beeps, I hurry through and try to slip quietly from the corridor into my regular seat in the back of class. The hard plastic creaks loudly, and I cringe.
The desks are in tiered rows so I have no hope of going unnoticed by our teacher, Mr. Thomas. I'm also tall for my age, and of course the new girl. So as hard as I try to be invisible, I'm not.
There's quiet laughter to my right. "Hey muerta, you have a ghost to take care of this morning?" Derek Paz leans around his friends, an ugly grin on his otherwise handsome face.
I swallow hard and stiffly turn in my seat toward the front. I clutch my growling stomach as I try to block them out. They're being juvenile. Just ignore them, Bren.
Mr. Thomas glances up but continues on with his lecture. He has 3D images of old starships projected behind him. As different classes and models of space-faring ships light up, I lean forward, extremely interested in every detail. I've memorized just about every starship created. Now this is more like it. We're finally getting to space history.
Although I loved living on Mars Colony, the one thing that frustrated me was their deliberate ignorance toward space colonization. The ruling council discouraged any travel off Mars, and didn't allow space history or technology to be taught in the upper grades.
Mom felt safe under the domes of Mars and didn't want to travel farther, anyway. But Dad always wanted to explore the unknown, to see what was beyond Sol system. Eventually, they ended up going their separate ways. I guess my wanderlust comes from my dad.
I sigh as I look at the rotating ships. It took a lot of begging Mom in order to test for the 2080 Carina mission. I had studied on my own, downloading textbooks off the vids. Now I'm not sure what my future holds. I might not still be stuck under the domes of Mars, but I'm still living on a station, when what I really want is to be exploring space from a starship.
I pull out my electronic sketchbook pen and start drawing the starships as Mr. Thomas drones on beneath the detailed vids. I know each and every one of them inside and out, but I never tire of hearing about them and all the places they've explored. Drawing always relaxes me, and soon I have several ships outlined and filled in, my fingers aching for more.
"Miss Teves?"
I whip my head up, warmth creeping up my neck. "Yes, sir?"
Mr. Thomas stares up at me, his eye cam gleaming.
More laughter comes from all around the room as my confused image is projected onto the vid screen behind our teacher. Horrified, I sink lower in my seat. The hard plastic presses painfully into
my spine.
"Since you seem to be daydreaming instead of listening to my lecture, I'm volunteering you for the first set of field trips. This hands-on experience will be half of your grade for this class."
I groan inwardly. Not because of the field trip – I love getting off station – but because I was caught not paying attention again.
I hear snickering to my right and turn to glare at Derek.
"And you, Mr. Paz, will be on her team."
I smile as Derek now looks like a fish with his mouth hanging open.
"But Mr. T, I've already got a group signed up." He gestures to his friends on either side of him.
"I don't care." Mr. Thomas shakes his head, a smile playing across his lips. "Seems neither you nor Miss Teves needs the benefit of this lecture, so you'll be the first in the class to tour the Valiant."
Murmurs and low whispers fill the room. My stomach twists painfully as everyone's attention focuses on Derek and me.
"There's a security team waiting for you near airlock 2C."
I look over and Derek's dark eyes flash as he pushes himself out of his seat.
I quickly put my sketchbook away and stand up. Although I'm excited to finally be able to get off the station, I sure didn't want to do it with Derek. This is definitely the worst thing that's happened to me since coming to Delta. I'll have to spend the day with my least favorite person, and the one who gave me the nickname of la muerta, the dead girl. I throw my pack over my shoulder and head toward the exit, careful to keep my head down as heat creeps up my neck.
DELTA STATION book 1 of the Delta Fringe series
to be released August 2018
Talia's Planet (Recycling Humanity Book 5) Page 17
