“Can I help you?” Heather asked, a touch of suspicion in her voice.
“Just checking things out down here,” the man replied dismissively, not intending to interrupt his self-guided tour.
He was alone and thankfully, not much taller than herself. Heather was a petite girl. While not exceptionally robust, neither was she slight. Years of hauling tools and working on engines had made her a bit more resilient than most women. While Heather could not fight like the Captain, the young engineer was confident that she could handle her visitor if need be … unless he was trained to fight in zero-G, which Heather was not.
“You got a name? And does Captain Royce know you’re down here?”
“Mister Tanaka, communications officer,” he said briskly, extending his hand. “And I didn’t know that I needed permission.”
Heather shook his hand cheerfully enough, asking, “Would Captain Fujita let non Fujin-crew poke around his ship without an escort?”
“Well, no …”
“Then, topside with you, Mister Tanaka!” Heather was smiling and laughing as she spoke, but she directed him from the engine room with alacrity. Thankfully, Tanaka left without putting up a fight. Strange, she thought. As a veteran officer, he should know that snooping around would be frowned upon. And the layout of the ship is such that you can’t just wander in by accident. Heather called Kendrick and let him know.
“Sir, Mister Tanaka came pokin’ ’round in the engine room.”
“Probably just lost or curious,” replied Kendrick. “Did you set him straight?”
“Yes, Sir, I did, I thought you should know. There was something … I don’t know, weird about it, like he wasn’t here just because he was curious. Like I said, I thought you should know.”
“You got that right. Good work, and thanks! Royce out.”
As she turned back to her dinner, Fiona entered the engine room and joined Heather. The gawky doctor had never set foot in engineering before now and Heather was beginning to wonder if Tanaka’s and Fiona’s visits were not somehow connected. Unlike Tanaka however, Fiona was Selene crew, so Heather did not send the doctor away. The older woman looked like she had been unable to sleep and was wearing a robe and slippers, a nightgown coming down below the robe, nearly to her ankles. Vivid blue eyes looked back at Heather from behind large glasses.
“Hi,” Fiona said tentatively.
“Hello?” Heather was not sure what to make of Fiona or her presence in the engine room. She knew that Fiona was the reason that they were being chased. Heather did not know how or why, nor did she know what Fiona had done, but the young mechanic was certain that the doctor had been the one who had set things in motion. Heather took stock of the older woman; Fiona looked troubled. Not worried—Heather had seen Fiona worried plenty of times. This was different.
“I need someone to talk to,” Fiona said, floating over to the table where Heather had been eating.
Heather raised an eyebrow at this. What could Doctor Kinsale possibly have to discuss with a young engineer? Heather decided it might be fun to do shots with the doctor, however, so she retrieved two bottles of Jim Beam from her cabinet. One could not “pour” shots in zero gravity, but with the popularity of the colonies and space travel, bottlers had found a way. The bottles were now squeezable, and had a shot-sized chamber that one would squeeze the alcohol into, and the “shot” was then squeezed, squirting directly from the bottle into one’s mouth through a one-way nozzle, as one might see on a sports drink. These bottles were called “Six Shooters,” because they contained enough alcohol for six shots.
Heather squeezed a shot into the chamber and handed the bottle to Fiona, curious as to just how far off the rails she could get the older woman. Then, Heather took the second bottle and squeezed one for herself. “Alright, Doc, you’re on. What’s on your mind?”
“Frankly, the Captain is,” Fiona began.
“Oh? You fancy him? Can’t blame you for that; he’s a handsome sort. And he’s been real good to you since you’ve been aboard.”
Fiona lifted the bottle to imbibe the strong liquid, squeezing the shot into her mouth. She swallowed it in several gulps, making a very unpleasant face as she did. Once she had swallowed the shot, the doctor opened her mouth and exhaled, leaning forward, gasping, “Strong! Strong! What is this stuff?”
“Kentucky Bourbon, Doc. What’s the matter? I thought you were Irish.”
“I am, but my parents were teetotalers; I never drank until I left home, and then, nothing stronger than wine. You drink this stuff straight?”
“All the time,” Heather laughed. “Take another shot, doc. You’ll get used to it after, oh, three or four. Now, what’s got your goat?”
“I don’t know,” Fiona confessed, her voice still recovering from the alcohol. “I find him attractive and I’m feeling very indebted to him right about now. He really put it on the line for me with Lorgen.”
“Yeah, he did. He also put the rest of us on the line for you too, don’t forget,” Heather reminded the lovelorn doctor, as the younger woman then reached across and squeezed another shot of bourbon into the chamber of Fiona’s bottle. Heather was not accusatory, but the petite engineer made an important point. Kendrick had gone with his instincts, but as passengers on his ship, everyone else had to go with his instincts too, whether they wanted to or not.
“I know and I’m sorry, Heather.” The doctor dutifully squeezed the shot into her mouth, the strong liquid burning as it went down, causing her to grimace. She still could not drink the shot in one gulp. Fiona’s head was slightly spinning, but being in zero gravity, she felt like she was falling.
“Oh, you don’t have to apologize,” Heather clarified. “I’m glad he made the choice he made. If anyone ever comes after me, it’s nice to know the captain won’t hang me out to dry.” Heather reached across and reloaded Fiona’s chamber a third time, then her own and raised her glass. “To the Captain.”
“To the Captain,” agreed Fiona and they both downed their shots.
“Well, if you want my advice, Doc, just go for it. Either he’ll respond or he won’t. I don’t know if he’s looking for a serious relationship, but if all you want is a friend with benefits, then shoot, I’d take all the benefits I can get.”
“You would?” Fiona looked across at the young engineer and suddenly her eyes widened, an idea apparently coming to the doctor. “I mean you would?” Fiona was drunk and she was now slurring her words.
“Hell yeah, I would,” laughed Heather. “He’s older than me … a lot older than me … but he’s still a total hunk. I never went for pretty boys; I always preferred ruggedly handsome and he’s got that in spades, and all the charisma of a celebrity to boot.”
Fiona suddenly looked worried. “You … haven’t … have you?”
“Nah. He’s all business with me, but looks at you like he wants to take you to the prom. If anyone’s gonna make that move, it’s gonna be you, Doc.”
Heather refilled their chambers and they drank again. Fiona typically did not drink hard liquor and she was feeling it after four shots.
“Thanks, Heather. You’re a good friend. Hit me one more time.”
“You know you’ll be skizzed, Fiona.”
“Skizzed?”
“Drunk off yer pretty lil’ ass. You’re already turning nice and red!”
Fiona nodded. “I … I think I already am.”
Heather reached over and squeezed another shot into the chamber anyway. “Here, Doc; one more for good luck.
Fiona dutifully knocked it back. Now, she felt good … very good. Time to go make a fool of myself, she thought. The doctor tried to maneuver herself to the door and almost hit the wall. Heather caught her before impact and Fiona realized that Heather was wobbly too.
“I’ll help you to the lift, Doc,” laughed the younger woman. “Then, you’re on your own. Good hunting.”
The two women clumsily made their way down the hall to the lift and Heather gently propelled the doctor i
nto the waiting car. Fiona waved excitedly to Heather as the lift doors closed, while the girl waved back. Wound her up real good. Let’s see what she does, Heather thought, laughing to herself.
They had been tracking the S.O.S. for hours now and Kendrick was still no closer to restoring Selene to her former chatty self than he had been earlier. He was near the end of his shift on the bridge, and while the captain was glad to be able to relieve the entire bridge crew for a few hours, he found that long periods flying the ship without her were lonely and depressing. He hated it. Perhaps if he had an actual woman with him, things might be different.
As Kendrick pondered their current predicament, from behind, he felt a pair of hands touch his shoulders. The hands began massaging his shoulders and upper back and arms, carefully avoiding his injury. The scent of perfume told him that they were a woman’s hands. He turned to see Fiona floating behind him. In zero gravity, her long hair billowed and waved of its own accord. Floating there, wearing a white robe, Fiona almost had the appearance of an angel. Her cheeks were flushed and Kendrick knew right away that she had been drinking … a lot.
“How you feeling … Captain?” The doctor said, ‘captain’ with as sultry and breathy a voice as she could manage, and she was slurring her words.
“Better than I was,” His voice was matter of fact. “Somethin’ gotten into you?”
She smiled and pulled herself around to one of the side chairs buckled herself in, turning to face him. “Yeah; five shots of Kentucky Bourbon.”
“Ah, I see you’ve visited engineering. Trying to keep up with Heather?”
“Yeah, I was.” She giggled after she spoke, a mischievous look in her eyes. “How’d I do?”
“Drunk off yer ass. Glad you’re fittin’ in. You did a nice job patchin’ me up, Doc. Thanks.”
“You’re welcome. You know, my first time in space, I was terrified. I had just been recruited to fight against the biotech corps and I had nothing like the background of the people who were with me. Heck, I’d never even protested anything before. Most of them were seasoned activists and protestors. And more, as I soon learned. Being on this ship … just feels right. Can’t explain it any other way.”
“Glad you like it here, Doc, but what do you need?” He still was unsure of where she was going and was surprised that she was still even semi-coherent.
“Nothin’ … Ken.” Fiona adjusted herself in the seat, crossing her legs and leaning towards him smiling. “I just wanna be your friend. An’ I’m not doin’ a very good job, now am I?” Suddenly she got very tearful and emotional. “I stole passage on your ship! An’ I was dishonest with you.” She shook her head, pulling herself together slightly, but still tearful. “You been real good to me, an’ I wanna be real good to you … if you’ll let me.” Fiona winked and smiled.
“Oh?”
“Yeah, an’ we can make a whole fresh new start afterward,” Fiona replied.
“I don’t believe in fresh starts, Doc. I do believe in what you’re tryin’ to do, though.”
“Which is … what?” She looked puzzled, but he explained.
“You can’t unsay or undo what you’ve said and done. ‘Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending.’ That sound right?”
“Yeah … that sounds right. Hadn’t really thought of it like that.”
“That’s Marcus Aurelius. I spend a whole lotta time by myself, so I think about a lotta things in much detail and I read a lot. I like the classics and philosophy. Don’t let my accent fool you; I’m more cerebral than you think.”
Fiona had to laugh. The Captain was right, of course; she had a very hard time connecting his personality with the fact that he was clearly very intelligent and very thoughtful. Apparently, he was more introspective than she would have thought as well. The fact that he was quoting Marcus Aurelius really impressed her. The doctor was amazed that she was still conscious and able to converse with him. Perhaps the Irish in her was keeping her afloat after all.
“I suppose I owe you an apology for that as well. If I thought you to be more intellectual, I wouldna tried to use sex to get you to stop askin’ me questions.”
“No apology necessary—an’ I ain’t said no yet, now have I?”
Fiona blushed brightly at this, but Kendrick just laughed. He had called her bluff before she had even verbalized it. Fiona began giggling and Kendrick laughed more. Things had been so tense since they had left the O.S.P., and copious amounts of alcohol and the moment of levity provided a welcome relief from the stress.
“And I haven’t rescinded the offer,” she said softly, uncrossing her legs.
“Fiona, we’ve verbally teased and danced with each other, but let’s cut to the chase. We ain’t known each other all that long, an’ I think you might want more than just casual sex. I don’t know if I’m ready for that level of commitment. Not yet, anyway.”
“I know, Ken, but you don’t have to love me. You don’t have to commit to me or be true to me. We can just be friends … with benefits.”
“Five shots of Jim Beam, eh?”
“Yeah.” She smiled a drunken, silly smile at him. Then, she leaned forward. “You … haven’t been … chaste all this time, have you?”
“No. I ain’t been really runnin’ around, but no, I haven’t. Friends with benefits … I might be game. But you do realize that’s gonna cross some boundaries.”
“Oh yeah …” Her voice was low and relaxed.
Fiona unbuckled herself and floated over to Kendrick and kissed him on the cheek. When he kissed her cheek in return, she decided to push her luck and kissed his lips, this time, putting her hands on his shoulders to keep from floating away. She felt a rush of excitement as he pulled her closer and kissed her back.
“Isn’t space travel all about breaking boundaries?”
“Sure is, Doc. Sure is.”
Fiona stirred and opened her eyes slowly. Her head felt like it was filled with cotton balls. As her eyes fluttered open, she realized that she was not in her own bed. As her eyes adjusted and she caught sight of the guitar, she realized that she was in the Captain’s quarters. Puzzlement gave way to panic as she realized that she was in his arms, her head resting on his chest. She looked under the covers and realized that she was not wearing a thing. Then, she recalled her proposition to him the night before.
“Oh God!” Fiona quickly turned over so she would not face him, pulling the covers tightly around her, and began crying and repeating, “Oh God.”
“You all right?” It was Kendrick’s voice, still ragged from sleep.
“No, I … I … we ...” she paused for a moment, slowly turning her head to look at him, then asked, “What … did we do?”
“Oh, that.” He sat up slowly and laughed. As the covers fell away from him, she realized he was wearing pajama pants. “We came back here like you wanted to, you took off your clothes, got into bed, and then you asked me something about the ship, and while I was answering your question, you fell asleep where you woke up.”
“I … I’m sorry for … I shouldn’t have …”
He cut her off before she could finish. “Relax, Fi; nothin’ happened. You weren’t yourself. You said a few things before you passed out that told me you weren’t really ready for this. Also, I got this sneakin’ suspicion that you ain’t never been with a man before. Anyway, I put in Viva Las Vegas while you slept. Aside from holding you through the night, nothin’ happened.”
Fiona breathed a sigh of relief. The Captain was correct; she really had not been with a man before. While she had been on dates where things almost went all the way, she had never actually had intercourse. She did not want to lose her virginity while drunk and having sex just to have sex. The doctor turned over again, pulling more of the covers around herself and hugged Kendrick, kissing his cheek.
“Thank you,” she cried. “You’ve saved me from bounty hunters, Lorgen and now from my own foolishness. Thank you. I’m sorry if
I disappointed you.”
“Nah. It was really nice bein’ with you; you’re very sweet. But I don’t go takin’ advantage of women who are drunk. Borders on rape, you know? Don’t get me wrong; I was very tempted.”
“I … I’m so embarrassed,” she whimpered. “To wake up naked with a man …”
“Fi, you’re a fine lady and if you were sober when you came to me, I would have gone all the way with you. But you weren’t in control of your sensibilities, so I didn’t think it would be right. I wouldn’t have been doin’ right by you and I wouldn’t have been true to myself. As far as anyone else is concerned, we were watching movies last night.”
“So aside from my modesty, no boundaries were broken after all.” Fiona breathed a sigh of relief, though part of her wished that things had gone further.
He smiled his crooked smile and winked. “I wouldn’t say that. Fi, you really do care for me. It’s very sweet. And I saw, well, all of you. And I did like what I saw.”
Fiona blushed brightly, looking away, but Kendrick gently touched her chin and lifted her gaze to meet his.
“We ain’t lovers, well, not yet anyway, but we’re definitely more than just friends. I don’t know how to describe it.”
She kissed him on the cheek again and smiled. “Beautiful—that’s what it is, Kendrick. You will never know just how much I treasure you, how much I treasure our ‘more than friendship’ as you put it. It’s rare to meet a gentleman these days, you know. I mean a true gentleman, not just a man with the social trappings. You are a gentleman captain and for as long as you’ll have me, you are my captain.”
Terri Jenkins sat at the bar in The Beef Eater’s Pub, watching with horror as the newscast reported the destruction of the Verona, most likely by pirates. She broke into tears right there. Amanda had come back to her, only to be taken away by a cruel attack on her ship. Terri was sure that it was not pirates. Somehow, she knew that it was that mission that Amanda asked for her help with. Perhaps it was for the best; they had parted on very loving terms and Terri had left nothing unsaid. Amanda knew that Terri loved her with all her heart. She signaled the bartender to bring her another drink when her data pad vibrated. She almost silenced the alert, not in the mood for chitchat or messaging, but thought better and looked down to see that she had an incoming text message. When she opened it, she began crying tears of joy. The message read:
The Silver Liner: Takes Flight! Page 12
