She realized it came from her identification band. She lifted her arm. "I'm here."
"Are you in a safe place?"
With the fireworks going on outside, she should feel nervous. A pirate ship near the freighter disappeared in a ball of light.
She looked down at Crimson, who gazed back up at her. Even as the bot whistled and clicked to herself contentedly, Tish answered, "Yes, quite safe. I'll stay here until this is over. What about you and Rachel? It looks dangerous outside."
"We're fine. Inside a large airlock with a cloud of protective bots around us. Successful repair?"
Tish looked across the airlock at the window in the airlock door leading back into the station. She couldn't help grinning.
She'd done it. Herded the bots into the right place, understood what the station needed even though she'd had no clue how any of it worked. "Very successful. Had the pleasure of seeing two warbots destroyed by the internal systems."
"Good. Security will like that," he said, the relief plain in his voice.
Relief she felt to her very core. She turned back to the window. She could barely make out the pirate ships from among Redpoint One's backlash, but it was enough to know they were making a hasty retreat.
A ribbon of energy passed over the other side of the window, making Tish involuntarily step backwards. It erupted into the sky. At several points the energy running along the outside of the hull coalesced, becoming bright pinpricks of light.
The points grew in strength. As one, they shot into the sky, creating multiple bands of energy arcing out from the station. They missed the freighter and a smaller ship nearby, to find targets in the ships fleeing the station. Blossoms of light blotted out the sky along with one larger than the others, making her wonder if one of the pirates main ships had just been shot down. Then came the sharp flash of some of the pirate ships making for the safety of hyperspace.
She wondered how they would survive. There were no solar systems nearby that she knew of, and that would mean they were in for a long jump. Hyperspace radiation might get the ones the station didn't.
And good riddance.
Tish lifted the band. "Arthur, are you alright? Did the energy wave hit you?"
"We're fine. I think the pirate danger has passed."
From the clear sky outside, she guessed he was right. No weapon fire or explosions anywhere at all. Just the slow movements of the freighter and a few small ships she guessed must belong to the local Space Patrol outpost.
With the peace outside, she felt a peace settle on her inside. As if a weight had been lifted from her lungs, making her feel like she could breathe easier. She even felt lighter.
And yet, there was still a weight from deep inside her. Concerning Arthur. He'd accepted and started training someone with no experience whatsoever, despite all that had been going on at Redpoint One. She'd found a home, and yet she hadn't completely earned it. She'd kept one big secret.
"Where are you? We'll pick you up," Arthur said.
Crimson captured her attention with a whistle. But the bot was no longer at her feet, it was on the other side of the airlock. It had the inner door open and from what she could see the other side looked normal. A quick walk to the door and a glance outside confirmed it.
"Negative, I no longer have my spacesuit. It was used in the repairs."
"We can dock," Arthur said with a laugh.
Tish smiled down at Crimson. "Not needed. I'll meet you back at the maintenance platform. The walk will do me good."
She didn't feel bothered at all in finding her own way. She motioned Crimson forward, "Let's head home. Hopefully Violet will soon follow."
Crimson happily led the way down the well illuminated corridor, whistling as she went. They passed a damaged area, but unlike before it was filled with bots busy with repairs. No sign of the special place so critical for the defense systems. She had a feeling it was now hidden and safely sealed away.
Coming up on Ricardo lurking in one of the maintenance corridors was the last thing she expected. As well as the almost-growl that came from Crimson.
The sounds coming from Crimson put her on edge and on warning. She stopped before getting any closer to him.
"What are you doing down here?" Tish asked.
Ricardo turned towards her, eyeing her up and down. "I should ask you the same thing."
"I work here, you don't."
"Who said I don't work here? Am I not in the maintenance corridors?" He turned away from her, looking down to a thin pad in his hands. He hit the pad as if frustrated. "Go back to your little repairs."
"My repairs are finished for the day," Tish said, noting that another overhead light had come on down a cross-corridor. The area wouldn't be shut down for too much longer.
A harsh buzz across the back of her head appeared and quickly grew. Three smaller bots appeared out of cracks between pipes and conduits. All of them focused on Ricardo. Two larger bots appeared in the cross-corridor.
Something was going on, and she had no idea what it could be.
She took a deep breath. Time for the instincts again, like when she did the repair. Let the station tell her what was going on.
It didn't take long to tune in. He didn't belong here. He shouldn't be anywhere in the area.
No, it was more than that.
His presence wasn't benign. The station didn't want him within it at all.
"What are you doing, Ricardo. Why are you down here?" Tish asked. The appearance of several more bots made her brave enough to take a step forward.
"We all have our secrets," Ricardo said, turning narrowed eyes at her. "Including you. I looked you up. Care to know what I found?"
"A virtual nobody from Earth who never should have qualified for a job like this?" Tish asked, hoping she could keep the emotion from her face, but the warmth on her face told her she was likely blushing again.
He gave a grim smile. "Or to work anywhere else, at least, not without certain drugs."
"This comment means what?" Tish demanded.
"That you turn and go to wherever you were going and leave me alone. If not, certain people are going to hear about why you fled Earth."
The idea of it should have frightened her. Instead it infuriated her. How dare he try to blackmail her. Take her away from the station and her bots? It would take more than someone like Ricardo to do that. It reinforced the feeling he was up to something.
Her eyes drifted lower to the pad he was still working on. She needed to get it away from him, see what held his attention.
"The pad, grab it," she said under her breath at the bots that had come to a stop near her feet. Several of the miniature robots disappeared. Even louder she said to distract him, "You're forgetting one thing."
He let out a harsh breath while raising his head to regard her. "My patience is ending."
"You're not the only one," Tish said. "Like I said, you are missing something."
He glared at her. "Oh fine. You want to say something? Spill it."
Tish gave a pleased smile. "The bots and station have accepted me."
His glare grew even more fierce, his hand tensing on the pad. "What does that have to do with me?"
"Unfortunately for you, it means everything."
Several small bots appeared out of the wall, reaching out with their hands. With one fast movement they had the pad and disappeared back into the wall. With a howl of anger, Ricardo dove after them, but only found a standard maintenance wall in front of him.
The wall next to her shifted, and she grabbed the pad the bots within it held out to her. It took only one glance to see several schematics and systems updates.
Her hands gripped so hard the surface of the pad warped. "The warbots. You were the one giving them instructions."
His fist hit a pipe as he whirled at her. "Give it back."
The fury grew so much her hands shook. It wasn't enough he wouldn't listen to the bots or the station. He was one of those who wished Redpoint One damaged. Who ha
d aided the attack.
"Not that it will do much good, not with the self-defense systems back up and running." Another overhead light came on as she handed the pad to one of the bots at her feet. "Take this to the head of security."
The bot chirped at her, took the pad, and disappeared down a corridor. She turned back to Ricardo to find him aiming something small in one hand at her.
"A weapon?" She asked, tilting her head to the side, crossing her arms over her chest. Another certainty came over her, and she glanced briefly up at the ceiling before smiling. "By the way, the last of the warbots have been taken care of. You're a pirate."
"And you are dead," he said, raising the weapon higher. The dark glimmer in his eyes told her he was completely serious when he said it.
The station told her to hold her ground, and she managed not to even flinch as the small weapon fired. A small shot of plasma erupted, splattering against an invisible wall between them. It disappeared just as fast, leaving Tish unharmed.
"You should worry about yourself," Tish said. She pointed to the other side of him. "The station itself is wise to what you are doing."
He turned and started. Not only at the line of bots facing off from the other side of him, but at the long swiveling white and black barrel coming out of the ceiling to point at him.
"The station is repairing itself," Tish said quietly, knowing he could hear every word. "And now you get to explain why you did it."
He shook his head at her, giving her a foul look. "Consider the secret told."
She watched as the bots surrounded and escorted him down the corridor. With each of his steps she knew her fate was sealed, as well.
A questioning whistle snapped her out of it. She looked down at Crimson, who stared back up at her. "Time to face it all, isn't it."
The sounds Crimson made back at her said that the bot didn't really understand. It didn't matter. Tish understood.
It all boiled down to one thing. She needed to tell the truth, and the truth would mean she'd lost Redpoint One, just like the truth had taken everything else away. Only this time she was losing more.
This time she was losing part of her heart.
Oh, but for one more time to see Arthur.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
ARTHUR PACED THE maintenance platform. Rachel worked quietly on a repair bench, helping a group of multiple-sized bots to repair other bots. He should help her, but he knew he wouldn't be able to concentrate on the job. Or would be able to concentrate on any job until all his crew was safely back.
Rachel cast him an amused smile, but she didn't say anything. Just as well. He was liable to say something he didn't want.
He didn't like it. He didn't like being out of control in this way. He'd realized on the way back to the maintenance platform that he wasn't going to be able to be objective where Tish was concerned. It was a danger to both of them and his crew.
She fit in. They couldn't afford to lose her. He had only one option. Assign her to the smaller maintenance platform on the other side of the station under the supervision of Allegra Benito. But even that pained his heart. He wanted her around his maintenance platform, not another. She belonged next to him.
Then he saw her coming down one of the corridors. One of her bots led the way. A very satisfied smile played on Tish's lovely mouth. He stopped at the edge of the platform, his eyes watching the lovely mouth curve into an even larger smile when she caught sight of him.
And he knew he was sunk, no matter what he did.
"I see you are back," Tish said as she came to a stop in front of him. With him on the raised platform she looked even smaller than usual. Small, delicate, and infinitely huggable.
He shoved his hands into his pockets, mimicking, "I see you found your way back alone."
"I had help," she said, gesturing to her bot. "How badly damaged was the freighter?"
"Only surface damage. The pirates wanted them intact."
"Both? I only saw one?"
Arthur straightened up, crossing his arms over his chest as she joined him on the center raised platform. "There was a hospital ship right behind it they tried to dock with."
"Why would they want a hospital ship?"
"The medications could be sold for a lot of money, but personally, I think they wanted a new base. The hospital ships are designed for long-term orbits with self-sustaining systems."
The smile left Tish's face. "A new base?"
Arthur nodded, "That's what I think. Just a guess, without being able to ask them."
Tish's grin returned, "And we stopped them."
"It appears you've made an impression. With the bots, with the station," Arthur said, inclining a nod towards her. He took a deep breath and extended his hand. "You may have been here a short amount of time, but you are already a part of the team. Consider the trial period over. Welcome to Redpoint One."
Her eyes went wide as she cautiously took his hand, her skin soft against his. "Does that mean I'm staying? For good?"
"I think the bots would be rather angry if you tried to leave. You've been honest in all your dealings, earning the respect of everyone who has worked with you, a hard worker." He put a hand on her back to guide her towards the back of the room. "Speaking of bots."
Rachel looked up from the workbench, stepping back to reveal a partially repaired bot body casing. The hair tie around one eyestalk definitively identified the bot.
Tish ran forward with a cry of, "Violet!"
Arthur stood back as Tish made much of the little bot. Smaller bots continued the repairs. Rachel grinned at him as she stood back and looked on.
"Violet will be okay?" Tish asked, rubbing a hand over the shell.
"Takes a lot to destroy a bot. They're highly repairable," Rachel said as she put several tools away. "She'll be ready to go tomorrow morning."
Tish pulled a small cube out of the top of her shirt, staring at it sadly. "Not always. Aqua didn't make it."
Violet reached out with a shaky hand to take it out of her hand, whistling encouragingly. Several bots clustered around Violet to stare at the cube and stroke it gently with metal hands and the tips of tools.
Tish let her hand drop. With some concern Arthur saw a tear streak down her cheek. She took off her identification band and set it on the bench. "And I don't belong here."
She ran out of the room and out of the platform before he could stop her. Crimson took off after her with a flurry of worried whistles. Violet lifted herself up off the bench and shakily followed despite Rachel's attempts to get her to stay. The rest of the bots stayed on the bench, staring off at the run-aways, one of them still holding the small white cube.
Rachel frowned, putting her hands on her hips. "What was that about?"
Arthur stared in the direction she'd fled. "I don't know, but I'm going to find out."
***
Tish made it to her apartment despite all the tears. She headed into the bedroom to grab the luggage stored in the back of the closet. She started throwing things into them, then had to stop and fold them right or everything wouldn't fit.
Crimson and Violet followed her around her bedroom and the rest of the apartment as Tish grabbed her belongings. They whistled, chirped, and beeped questions at her, but she was crying too hard to try and answer.
She sealed one box, setting it aside. Grabbing tissues she dried her tears so she could see well enough to continue.
Another chime came at the door. She didn't answer it. She didn't want anyone else around her other than her bots, and even having them around was hard enough. She didn't want to leave them, wishing with all her heart that she could bundle them into her luggage to take with her.
"Tish, get out here," Arthur yelled.
Tish jumped. She sniffed big and dried her face one more time before creeping out of the bedroom.
Arthur stood next to the dining room table, focusing all his attention on her the moment she emerged. He held his body rigid, the muscles along his jaw twitching. His light-blue
shirt still showed the ravages of their day, sporting several dark spots and streaks. His hair stuck up along the back, a faint shadow of a beard smudging his face.
All in all, looking completely rumpled and adorable. It was almost enough to set her right back into crying.
He dropped the identification band on the table where it rolled and clattered before settling somewhere towards the middle. "Explain this?"
She turned away from him to look out the window. Oh, how she would miss the view, even after this short of time. But, mostly she would miss the one who stood behind her. A man out of her reach, and yet someone she already didn't want to live without. Yet, to even work with him on a daily basis was too much to ask.
"Tish, what is it?" He said from just behind her. In the glass of the sliding doors she could see him looking down at her.
She didn't answer. Instead, she turned and moved around him, heading for the bedroom. She pulled a small bag out from the bottom of her luggage. She carried it into the next room and dumped the contents out onto the table next to the identification band.
She couldn't help but stare at the identification band. The item that declared to everyone she was a part of the station. A part of the crew. That she belonged. She so badly wanted to pick it up and put it back around her wrist. Her wrist felt bare without it.
She saw Arthur reach out and pick up one of the bottles. And hear him say, "I see."
"I wasn't totally truthful," she started, and then stopped unsure how much she should say. Would it make any difference anyway? It hadn't with Walt. "I knew it didn't make a difference to the Free Trade Association, so I didn't put it on my application."
"I knew of this."
Her head jerked up. She stared at him through her tears. "What?"
"My brother told me in a private note including the details of your 'psi event,'" He said with a shrug. He didn't look the least bit worried. Only confused when he looked at her.
She continued to stare at him, uncertain how to interpret his reaction, but unable to look away. "You knew all this time?"
He set the bottle down with a soft smile. "Tish, many of us are borderline psi. It seems to be the one commonality among all of us. I have a personal theory it helps us communicate with the bots and station."
Coffee Cup Dreams (A Redpoint One Romance) Page 14
