Embarkment 2577 (7 page)

Shells of burned out ships drifted in
space, and what was surely bodies along with them. Something floated right by
my window, and I bounced into the room when I made out the shape of a hand. I
crawled over the floor to the sofa, climbed up into my favourite corner, and
sat there with my knees pulled up to my chin.

When my door finally opened, I expected
enemies to stomp in and demand my unconditional surrender. Second on my list
was Anya come to announce Adam’s demise. I did not expect to see my friend,
annoyingly perfect as always, without a wrinkle on his uniform, and completely
unemotional.

I flew to my feet, threw my arms around
him, and buried my face against his chest. “You’re alright. I was so worried.”

He wrapped one arm around my waist and
ran the other hand over my hair. I half expected him to say my little outburst
of emotion wasn’t logical, but he didn’t. “I’m fine. I can’t stay long, but I
wanted to see how
you
are.”

I not only wanted, but half expected him
to kiss me and take me to bed. What a bizarre idea. He might not exactly be an
advanced iPod on legs, but he certainly wasn’t human. Silly me.

He looked at my face, frowned, and dried
my cheeks off with his thumb. Was the idea of me worrying for him, crying over
him,
that
farfetched?

“Don’t cry. We’ve suffered losses, but I
am fine. I promise.”

I nodded and struggled not to sob. I
wanted him to hold me more, but didn’t think he would, so I headed back to the
sofa. “What happened?”

“This planet is a part of the
Confederacy. They have been attacked, they called for help, and we were the
closest ship, so we got here first. We tried to negotiate, but it didn’t
succeed.”

Maybe I should have spent more energy
learning about this new world of mine and less on missing my house. “What
happens now?”

“We’ve shown our muscles, and now
negotiations will ensue. I usually leave that part to someone else.”

We sat in silence for a few minutes, and
I fought an urge to reach for his hand.

“Are you hungry?”

I should probably be, and he sure was
better at getting something edible out of the machine than I, but I wasn’t in
the mood for food. “No… Thank you.”

He fixed his eyes on me, but didn’t say
anything. “Were you out there? In the battle?”

“It’s my job. I should go back to it.”
He leaned his head to the side and winked. “I’ll stop by in the morning. Call
me if you need me, okay.”

Was that something he just said, or did
he hope I would? He always treated me affectionately, but managed to keep his
distance. I wasn’t able to figure him out. Maybe I should have better things to
worry about, but nothing else was as interesting.

A couple of weeks later, I had forgotten
all about the perils of space travel. My life moved at a pleasant pace, and by
now, I knew how most things worked. I felt amazingly good for having been dead.

Ima came by to give me a check-up. She
held a small instrument up to me and took readings of my internal organs. “I
feel fine. Really.”

“That’s good, but no harm in
double-checking.”

The readings didn’t come up as quickly
as she wanted them to, and she hit the keys with one of her claws. A number of
incomprehensible symbols flowed over the screen and she smiled, showing off
little fangs. I could swear she wanted to purr. “You’ve been healing even
better than I expected. There’s a slight deficiency in vitamin A, but that’s it
and nothing to be worried about.”

Vitamin A? I probably needed to eat more
carrots or broccoli or something…

She tucked the instrument into a pocket.
“So, sweetie, how are you doing?”

“I’m okay, I guess. The days just sort
of go by. I think… The contrasts between my old life and here are so big I don’t
really get it.”

She nodded and pretended to be
distracted by an imaginary grain of dust on her coat. Then, she broke out in a
smile and gave me a quick hug. “What do you say we go get Anya and have lunch?”

It was a pleasant way to kill an hour,
even though Ima made sure I ate two carrots.

Once back from Anya’s, I sat down in the
sofa, put my feet up on the table, and exhaled. I hadn’t done much, but was
still tired. I should probably look into exercising and getting back into
shape. Just not… right now.

The doorbell saved me from thinking too
much about being healthy. I assumed it would be someone I knew, but the person
entering made me sit up straight. It was a tall and slender woman with dark
purple skin and light blue freckles spread over her nose and cheeks. Her eyes
were big and yellow like a cat’s, and where a human would have hair, she had a
multitude of small gray snakes, so shiny they glittered like silver. Every
snake had bright blue eyes, making a stark contrast to her own.

She stepped up to the table and reached
a hand out in greeting. It looked strong, and her long, light blue fingernails
made it even more intimidating.

“Don’t tell me. You’re Medusa.”

The apparition laughed as if it was the
funniest thing she’d ever heard. “You’re just as funny as people say. I’m Jia’Lyn,
second in command and head engineer on this space-boat of ours.”

I grinned back. It was impossible not
to; she had to be the most likeable person I ever met. I’d never thought of who
was second in command, but it made sense there would be one if there were a
Captain and a third.

“I would have come to see you sooner,
but Adam’s been saying you’re not used to aliens. I’ve tried to tell him I
wasn’t gonna eat you or anything, but he never listens.”

She had already plopped down in the sofa
and made herself comfortable. Talking to her made me feel as if I’d always
known her; she could have been my sister, or a childhood friend. “What changed
his mind?”

Her wonderful laughter echoed across the
room again. “Nothing. I didn’t tell him I was going. He’s a real mother hen
when it comes to you. You know that, right? Don’t give him too much influence
over what you do, or you’ll be sitting in a glass cabinet where people can see
but not touch.”

She giggled, and all the snakes on her
head seemed to giggle too.

“So, Alex, what do you do here all day
long?”

“Not enough.” I was fine as long as my
friends were around, but pretty bored in between.

A blue hand patted my arm. “If you want
to, I’ll find you something to do. I’m sure I can think of something even Adam
would approve of.”

What an interesting day. I already knew
most people left all things ‘me’ up to Adam to decide. I hadn’t bothered to
object since I’d been unable to take care of myself anyway. Up until now, I
hadn’t realized the extent of his protection.

“I would love something to do.”

Jia’Lyn smiled. “Good. Have you run any
of the computer’s learning programs? There’s a long list, just ask it.”

When she left, my rooms seemed
incredibly quiet and empty. I needed something to do. “Computer, teach me
something.”

“Please specify your request.”

“How ‘bout layout of the ship.”

A holographic drawing appeared, and the
computer’s voice accompanied its movement. “The Bell is a starship constructed
for long range travel, equipped with…”

I went through a number of the easy
programs. I might not remember all that much of them later, but for the moment,
it was an excellent pastime.

It was still hours before I could expect
Adam to show up. Maybe I could try something more difficult. Basic navigation sounded
almost impossible, that ought to last me for a while… I had a lifetime do it
over and over again.

To my surprise, the door slid open just
as the computer’s explanation of everything moving made me dizzy. Adam stepped
in, holding a large box under one arm. “You’ve been holding out on me.”

He smiled and looked at the holographic
galaxy that surrounded me. “I knew you’d find it when you grew bored.”

I nodded towards the enormous hologram. “This
makes no sense at all.”

“Don’t worry about it. It will when you
learn to think in more than three dimensions. Humans today start to learn this
at the age when children in your time learned to write. If you’re really
interested, you’ll get it eventually.”

Sure. Eventually, if I lived to be a hundred.
Not that it mattered; the odds of me ever having to navigate were slim to none.

Adam held out the box. “I have something
for you.”

I didn’t expect that, and it made me
shy. I sank down on the sofa with the large carton on my lap. “Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me before you see what it
is.”

Opening it seemed a shame. Someone in
this weird world cared enough about me to give me a present, and I wanted to
keep it. Holding it gave me a warm fuzzy feeling in my stomach.

I sensed Adam’s warm eyes on me. He expected
me to open the box. I needed to get a grip and open the box.

Whatever I might have expected would
have been wrong. Pulling the lid off revealed a silky dress in a perfect shade
of blue, and a pair of high-heeled shoes matching it. No one ever gave me a
dress before, and this one was beautiful. I threw my arms around him. “Thank
you. I love it.”

As always, he hesitated before hugging
me back, as if it was something he shouldn’t do. “You’re welcome. Put it on,
you deserve an evening out.”

The dress fit just right. It could have
been made for me, and it probably was. The shoes were so pretty, and felt like
walking on air.

I ran a brush through my hair and tucked
my face into a bathroom mask that automatically cleaned my skin and applied
make-up. My pores had become invisible since I arrived to the future, and my
skin never looked better. When I saw myself in the mirror, I twirled around,
admiring my reflection. I was a princess on the way to a grand ball in the
castle.

Adam stood in the living room, clicking
something on the communication’s terminal. He glanced over at me and kept his
usual neutral facial expression, but sounded honest. “Alex, you look
wonderful.”

I tucked my arm under his, enjoying
being close. “So, where’re we going?”

“To the promenade deck. We have to
celebrate that you’re well.”

*****

Ever since I woke up, people mentioned
the promenade deck. It was impressive beyond my wildest expectations. We
strolled down a wide corridor arm in arm, and I stared at little pubs and
restaurants mixed in with shops and casinos. There were groups of people
everywhere, and we crisscrossed between a colourful mix of humans and aliens.
“Wow. It’s like a giant mall.”

“This side has more entertainment, and
the other side more stores. There’s an arboretum in the middle, and conference
rooms and large halls bow and stern.”

I couldn’t remember which was which of
bow and stern, but it didn’t seem important.

He kept glancing over at me with a smile
tugging at his lips, and I teased, “You’ve had all this available to you all
this time, and you still spend your evenings playing chess with me?”

My question didn’t faze him the least.
He just said, “Yes,” as if stating an obvious fact, which it was. “Tell me if
you see anything you want.”

I squeezed his arm. “Okay, I want…”

I giggled and looked around. A colourful
picture in a window called out to me. “…a pink drink with an umbrella.”

Adam nodded, making it seem like a
perfectly normal request, and escorted me into the bar.

The place made me feel at home at once.
It looked like an old Earth pub with an English or maybe Scottish motive. Most
of the people inside were in uniform, just like Adam, but there were occasional
civilians like me. I wanted to ask about it, but got distracted by the fabulous
“Arcturian voyage” and the taste sensations that exploded in my mouth when I
sipped it.

The bartender teased Adam. “C’mon
Commander. You’re not on duty, and there’s no alcohol in anything served here
anyway.”

Adam shrugged. “Moot point. Any amounts
of alcohol can’t affect me.”

“Customers not drinking are bad for
business. You could at least have a glass and pretend.”

“Again, moot point. No one pays for
anything anyway.”

They sounded as if they’d gone through
the same ritual countless times before. I grinned and shook my head, and Adam
glanced over at me and smiled. Best day ever.

It only took a couple of minutes before
a tall man with thick blonde hair and beard came up to us. He wore civilian
clothes, but still reminded me of a Viking. It was easy to imagine him with a big
and heavy sword.

I was comfortable, perched on my stool,
feeling pretty and protected, so I flashed him a smile and ignored him.

The man nudged Adam. “Hey, Commander,
this your girlfriend?”

Interesting question. Maybe I could
finally get some closure in the matter.