by S. E. Smith
“There must be more to those classified incidents than we know,” Jake said, taking pity on her and interrupting her. “Amarotu doesn’t waste time and personnel on wild goose chases or unproven legends. I hope he was the only operative on board. My department is already on high alert because of the rock or I’d be ratcheting up the danger indicators level.”
“Good thing you weren’t in the office when this guy came by,” Red said.
“I’m never in the office for more than a few minutes on any given day. Always on the move, circulating among the passengers.” The room spun around her as the idea of a criminal invading her office sank in. She blinked hard and retreated a step. “May I go out into the corridor now? I promise not to leave the vicinity but I think I might pass out if I have to stay here in the LB with—with him.”
“Sure, go ahead. Send Emily in when she gets here,” Jake said. “Do you need one of us to escort you?”
She shook her head. “I can make it.” There was nothing she wanted as much right now as she wanted to be out of the lifeboat. Concentrating on one step at a time, she reached the ship’s corridor as Dr. Shane came from the gravlift. Two of Jake’s officers were right behind her and Steve was hot on their heels. Juli couldn’t believe her eyes because she’d wished for his presence but he rarely left the bridge when he was on duty.
“Go ahead, I’ll be there in a minute,” Steve said to the doctor and the security team. He stopped beside Juli. “Are you doing okay?”
“I never saw a dead person before,” she said in a low voice. “Jake thinks maybe the rock killed him.” Emotion overwhelmed her and she started to cry. Without a word, Steve folded her close, rubbing her back and murmuring reassuring sounds. “I keep thinking why didn’t I refuse the damn rock when the lawyer explained the whole thing, you know? Sure there’s a reward for taking it to Tahumaroa but nothing’s worth all of this trouble.”
“First of all, I’m sure that’s why they attached the credits to the task,” Steve said. “To make it even more attractive to whoever the shipping line sent. Don’t blame yourself. It was clever on their part. And second, we’re a tough ship here, with unique capabilities. Better us handling this mess than whoever else might have been talked into taking it. And third, we’ve got Aunt Dian and Charrli on our side.”
She gave him a watery smile. He was making sense and the Nebula Zephyr crew did have a proven track record of success under difficult circumstances.
“Much better,” he said with a matching grin of his own and a crisp nod. “I’ve got to get in there since Fleming sent me to be in charge. Listen, I give you my permission to go about your normal duties now, or take time off in your own cabin, if you’d prefer. Or I can ask Dr. Shane to give you meds to calm your nerves.”
“No, thank you, I’ll be fine. This was a bit overwhelming but I’ll be ok. I think, if you don’t mind, I’ll run to my cabin and refresh and then” —she glanced at her wrist chrono—“I have to moderate a panel on life on a cruise ship, of all things. I can’t keep expecting poor Meg to pick up the slack on my duties, plus doing her own assignments. If anyone needs to talk to me about this, or if Dian and Charrli locate the rock, the Ship can find me.”
“Sounds good. I admire your dedication to duty.” He squeezed her hand.
“The passengers deserve my best,” she said, feeling less shaky. Hearing his appreciation of her efforts was a positive note of encouragement she needed right then.
Steve entered the lifeboat air lock and Juli proceeded alone to the gravlift, going to her cabin briefly, afraid the rock would be there, although the space was empty of alien mineral masses. It took her a few minutes to redo her eye shadow, powder and lipstick, made more difficult by her shaking hands and tendency to tear up if she let herself think too much. Then she was off to the passenger levels and her next task. It was a relief to sink into the regular routine and concentrate on passengers.
Chapter Seven
She had dinner with Dian and Steve, prior to the diva’s private concert, and by mutual unspoken agreement, there was no discussion of the rock or of the dead would-be thief. Dian kept the conversation flowing with lively tales of her many adventures in search of unique blog material for her trideocast. After a side trip to restore Charrli to Dian’s cabin, since the diva hadn’t changed her stance on not being in proximity to small furry creatures, not even ones as highly developed as a former Z Corps member, the trio made their way to the small auditorium where the special concert was being held. Juli ventured backstage to check whether preparation was running smoothly and if the diva was on target to begin close to the published time.
She found Captain Fleming himself chatting easily with the diva and once again wondered what their connection was. He didn’t seem the type to relish the rare vocal stylings Azlaya sang, but his apparent enjoyment of her repertoire sounded genuine. Had he met her while he was on active duty? The captain was so private about his life, there was no chance Juli would ever find out but she had to admit she enjoyed contemplating possible scenarios. Azlaya preened and smiled flirtatiously as the two of them talked and she agreed to include one of his favorite songs.
Deciding she wasn’t needed, Juli moved on, settling gratefully into her chair next to Steve. Their seats were located behind Mrs. Holquin and her son, both of whom appeared to be fully recovered from their fright on the beach deck.
“I suspect the boy is here under duress,” Steve said, leaning his head close to Juli’s. “He’s full of pent-up energy – he was kicking the chair in front of him for a while.”
“Yes, his mother probably made him come since this is a once in a lifetime opportunity,” Juli agreed with a chuckle. “At least it’s billed as being a short concert, not one of Azlaya’s four hour operatic roles.”
The lights flickered and Captain Fleming escorted the diva onstage to a standing ovation. He made a brief speech thanking her for the treat they were all about to savor and then left the stage, taking his seat in the front row. The lights went off, leaving Azlaya in a spotlight. Her music rose and she launched into full throated song, the milaplonettes soaring over her head, a portion of their butterfly-like population in flight at all times.
Despite not being a genuine opera fan, Juli found herself captivated by the diva’s voice and the emotions she conveyed, even when the language was so obscure her translator couldn’t convert into Basic for her. At some point she realized she and Steve were holding hands and she blushed. When did I do that? Maybe during the big, no holds barred crescendo of the last aria? The song was so emotional. His clasp was just right, warm and intimate. Discomfited to hold hands in public with the Third Officer, she took a deep breath and looked around the auditorium while Azlaya took restorative sips from a heavy golden goblet her manager brought onstage, before she was to sing her final song of the night.
The entire ship was done up in a Tahumaroan theme in honor of the special cruise to the planet, with varying degrees of elaborateness in different areas. Juli’s staff and Maeve had worked tirelessly to make sure all was done to perfection. Now she admired the huge floral arrangements, vivid orange and purple blooms, set as if growing in small gardens, with faux Tahumaroan statuary and fountains added as accents.
She blinked and then narrowed her eyes, staring more closely at the nearest floral installation. Of course there are rocks—the decorator wanted to create an authentic mood. But the rock in the center, partially concealed behind one of the broad green leaves had a familiar shape. As she got a sinking feeling in her stomach, she recognized the rock. Her rock. For a moment she was paralyzed with fear. The lights dimmed again and she turned to make a remark to Steve. Juli didn’t want to make a fuss or start a panic and was in a quandary what to do.
There was a small flash of light in her peripheral vision and when she flinched, reflexively checking to see what was going on, the auditorium had enough illumination to let her see the rock was gone. Nothing sat beneath the leaves of the particular plant. One leaf was swaying a bit
, as if in a breeze, or as if it had been recently disturbed, but even as she stared at it, the motion stopped.
Steve whispered in her ear, causing her to jump in her seat, heart racing. “Something the matter?”
“No, I—I’m fine.” Juli concentrated on the stage but she didn’t hear a single note of whatever Azlaya sang. She was trying to quell her nerves over having been so close to the rock again and worried what it meant for the stone to choose to appear here. Is it following me? Or does it like music? She bit her lip not to laugh hysterically at the fanciful notion. Get a grip, Shaeffer. Maybe it wasn’t there at all, maybe you imagined it. As she automatically stood along with the rest of the audience to give Azlaya her ovation, Juli decided not to say anything to anyone. She had no proof and nothing untoward had happened. Captain Fleming was probably already upset with her over the entire cursed rock situation and she didn’t want to ruin the evening for no good reason.
Thankfully the reception was being held in another room and Juli made herself circulate and be sociable and do her job while trying to erase the image of the interloper from her mind.
She could sense Steve was puzzled about why she seemed distracted but he waited to say anything until they’d left the reception, dropped Dian off at her cabin and were walking companionably to the level where their cabins were located.
“It was a special evening,” Juli said. “I’m glad the diva kept her promise to do the concert. One never knows with her.”
“Close to the end though, you were perturbed or upset,” Steve said. “Care to share?”
With a sigh, she said, “I thought I saw the rock, in the middle of the planter closest to me.”
“Seven hells, that’d be enough to upset anyone.” He sounded irritated, probably because she hadn’t reported it to him.
She rushed to explain, “When I looked again, it was gone, or maybe it wasn’t there in the first place, you know? I didn’t want to disrupt the concert over nothing.”
“I understand your reasoning but I wish you’d told me at the time.” He took her hand. “You don’t have to cope with this on your own.”
“I felt foolish. I wish we’d had Charrli there. Of course he definitely would have interrupted the song if he’d scented the darn rock.”
They were at her cabin now, standing in front of the portal.
“We’ll find it and we’ll get it safely off the ship, don’t worry,” he said.
The corridor was empty and they were standing so close together, Juli sensed the attraction between them heighten. She bit her lip, wondering whether she dared invite him in for a nightcap. If he turned her down she’d be embarrassed. As she was dithering, Steve took her other hand in his as well, leaned in and gave her a sweet kiss on the lips. Without thinking, she moved closer, so their bodies touched and as he released her hands, she looped her arms around his neck. Steve angled his head to make the caress deeper, more forceful and she parted her lips with a happy murmur.
Voices from the direction of the gravlift recalled her to where she was, and Juli broke off the kiss hastily, flustered.
Steve grinned. “We’ll definitely have to continue this discussion later, in a more private place.” Brushing a stray curl off her face, he said, “Sleep tight and have good dreams.”
He waited until she opened the portal and slipped inside her cabin, then strolled away toward his. She heard him whistling a jaunty version of one of the more popular songs Azlaya had included in her selection earlier. Juli picked up the melody herself, humming under her breath as she did a dance step across the living area and into her bedroom.
No matter what else happened on this particular voyage, she loved the direction she was moving with the Third Officer.
“Steve,” she said to herself with a sleepy smile as she lay down and burrowed under the covers.
Juli was trapped in the entrance chamber to the number four engine core. Charrli was at her feet, barking and whining and jumping at the controls as if he wanted to open the door. But when she searched for a way to escape, there were no handles to unseal the exit door to let her and the dog retreat into the engineering deck. The indicators on the opposite bulkhead indicated the cycle for opening the door was well underway.
She was in her nightgown of all things, certainly not in a safety suit, and the coruscating lights and energy of the core were reflecting into the small antechamber through the one observation window. The instant the heavy portal swung open would be her last moment of life.
She took one horrified look through the window and saw the black rock sitting right next to the engine nacelle, bathed in the unearthly lights of the energy flow.
With a scream, Juli retreated, nearly falling over Charrli as she did so.
Pivoting on her heel, she pounded on the panel blocking her only route to safety, screaming for help. She jumped up and down in front of the vidcam, waving her arms and begging someone to pay attention and come rescue her. The countdown continued. There was no answer on the senior officers’ com, no response from Maeve, only the barking of the frantic dog.
Furiously brushing away tears, Juli wedged herself into the corner of two massive walls, as if she might be safer there when in truth nowhere was safe once the access to the core opened. Charrli came over, licked her face and clambered into her lap, where he sat shivering in fear.
“How the seven hells did we get here?” Juli asked, running one hand over the silky softness of his ears. “The damn rock must have brought us both here but why? What did we ever do to it? My only motive was to get it home where it belongs.”
Charrli barked once.
A thin sliver of light appeared around the edge of the door to the core. Juli screamed and shot to her feet, Charrli clutched in her arms. This can’t be happening, this is not happening…
Steve was shaking her, calling her name.
Unable to process a coherent thought, let alone speech, she stared at him and then at their location.
Her cabin. Not the engineering deck.
“Where—where’s Charrli?” she asked in a voice she didn’t recognize as her own.
“With Dian, I assume.” Steve sat on the bed next to her and gathered her into his arms. He was dressed in a Ship tee shirt and a pair of utility pants, and was barefoot. “I was having a bad dream about you being in trouble and Charrli kept trying to drag me somewhere to rescue you and finally he nipped me and I woke up.” He ran one hand through his disheveled hair. “I couldn’t stop thinking about you and I came over here from my cabin but when I knocked there was no answer. Then Maeve said she heard you crying and screaming and I persuaded her to let me in. I’m sorry, I know it’s a huge breach of privacy—you can file charges and I won’t contest them.”
“No, I’m glad she let you in.” Juli locked her arms around his waist, reassured to be held in his rock solid arms, pressed against his muscular chest. Steve was providing welcome shelter against the echoes of the dream. Maybe now she could stop shaking. “I must have had a nightmare but it seemed so real.”
“And we both had a similar nightmare,” he said, “About you being in danger.”
“I was in the antechamber to the engine nacelle,” she said. “With Charrli.” In a whisper she added, “The idol was there.”
He gave her a hug. “I can see where your subconscious got all the elements for this dream, especially if you saw the rock earlier in the evening, at the concert.”
“I’m not the nightmare type.” She shook her head. “And my sighting doesn’t explain you having a nightmare at the same time.”
Voice tight, he said, “I have flashbacks at times and relive particular incidents in my dreams, although it’s much less prevalent now, but what I was caught in tonight wasn’t related to my military service. It was a specific dream about you being in danger.”
They sat in silence for a moment.
“You have a call from Aunt Dian,” Maeve said. “She also tried calling Officer Aureli’s cabin.”
Feeling as if she
was a kid caught doing something she wasn’t supposed to, Juli exchanged glances with Steve and smothered a chuckle. His expression mirrored hers.
“Go ahead and connect,” Juli said, reaching for her robe and hastily putting it on.
Dian’s sleepy face filled the vidscreen. Without makeup, at this hour of the night, she was still quite sprightly. Charrli was cradled in her arms. Dian gazed past Juli and nodded to Steve. “I had a nightmare,” she said. “Charrli woke me up out of it. You two were in danger. I think he wanted me to come to your cabins and check on you in person once I was fully awake but we compromised on using the com instead.”
“We each had nightmares too,” Juli said, blushing. “Steve came to check on me.”
“I had to see for myself, make sure she was all right.” His voice was firm, unembarrassed.
Juli envied him his composure because she was embarrassed all out of proportion to the situation. They were consulting adults, why did it matter what Dian might be thinking? And besides, she was the one who’d been matchmaking for them all this time. “I believe I saw the rock earlier in the evening, at the concert,” Juli said a little desperately. “We were just discussing whether the incident might have been the trigger for my dream.”
“Well it doesn’t explain mine.” Dian was testy. “Or why Charrli was upset, which I assure you he was. Your rock seems narrowly focused on the three of us and my dog.” She yawned. “Since you both appear to be all right, I’m going back to bed. We can worry about this in the morning. Charrli and I’ll definitely be going out in search of the rock.”
They exchanged good nights and Dian signed off.
“Are you on duty in the morning or would you like a small nightcap? Settle the nerves?” Juli asked Steve, reluctant to be left alone. The dream was too fresh, hovering on the edge of her consciousness like an impending storm.
“Sure, I’m not at the helm in the next twenty four hours.” He rose from the bed and extended his hand to pull her to her feet.
