built there.”
“So
Earth didn’t explode, global warming didn’t fry people? No zombie plagues or
atomic bombs?”
“No
explosions, there has been climate change but Earthlings have adapted, zombies
have never been a problem there, and I don’t know what an atomic bomb is,” he
replied. “The only residents there are shipbuilders and their families. Most of
Earth is too humid to live comfortably. It’s an acquired taste.”
“So we
weren’t as stupid as the hippies predicted,” she said, relief in her voice. She
gestured to the galley and changed the subject. “How do I use those things
again?”
He
demonstrated how to activate the cooking panel and replicator. She generated
some coffee, dispensing it in one of the cups from the cabinet. “Want some?”
she asked, holding out the cup. He declined politely.
The look
on her face as she inhaled the aroma was blissful. “At least some things haven’t
changed,” she said. She tasted it. “It’s really bitter, though. But coffee
makes this whole ordeal a little more bearable.”
Rian
spoke honestly. “You’re holding up really well.”
She
looked in her cup. “Well, ask me how I’m doing when I’m having a meltdown in a
couple of hours. I’ve had a lot of upheaval in the last couple of years, and
that’s how I usually react to disasters. I’m fine at first, then it sinks in.”
“What’s
happened?” Rian asked, surprising himself. He, like all good captains, stayed
out of crew members’ lives. But Lily wasn’t one of the crew, he reminded
himself.
“My
father died just over a year ago,” she began. “We were really close, and his
heart attack came out of nowhere. One day he was there, the next day he wasn’t.”
Sadness crossed her face, and in Rian’s chest, a corresponding ache for her. “I
tried running the family business by myself for a few months, but it was too
much for me handle. I sold our property and moved to Toronto to start over.”
She looked around the cabin, but he knew that wasn’t what she was really
seeing. “I didn’t think it would be here, instead. I’d been thinking about
going into teaching, and I’m qualified to do something other than answer
phones, but I needed something...easier to do, I guess. I had some money from
selling our property and royalties from my dad’s books—he was a sci-fi and
horror novelist on the side—but I couldn’t mope around my apartment forever.
Being a receptionist was easy. All I had to do was tweak spreadsheets and play Undead
Uprising .”
“Simulator?”
Rian guessed.
“Computer
game, yeah.” She sighed. “I’m sorry, Captain, I don’t mean to unload on you
like this. You probably have stuff to do.”
Rian
always did, but the Defiant wasn’t much more than a glorified trawler at
this point, hauling crap across the galaxy and patrolling a peaceful quadrant.
“I don’t
mind,” he assured her. “Most of the things on my to-do list involve breaking up
crew squabbles and hauling them out of poker games to do their work. I’m hoping
for some crew changes when we get to Rubidge Station.”
“What’s
at Rubidge Station?”
“The
museum where you were supposed to go, the largest commercial presence in
Commons space, and a Fleet military outpost where we’ll be reporting everything
we know of the Nym. And the Defiant will be receiving some much-needed
repairs. It’s the oldest ship in Fleet.”
“It’s
not so defiant, is it?” she cracked.
He made
a face. “If I had a credit for every time I heard that...”
“You
could probably retire. Oh, come on, Captain, I’m teasing.”
“Rian,”
he said automatically. She had given him permission to use her given name, he
should offer likewise, shouldn’t he? Since when do you think like that?
“Okay, Rian ,
I’m teasing,” she said. She caught his raised eyebrow. “Oh, I get it. You’re
not Rian in public.”
It wasn’t
that, although he nodded as if he agreed with her. He just liked the way
“So
Earth didn’t explode, global warming didn’t fry people? No zombie plagues or
atomic bombs?”
“No
explosions, there has been climate change but Earthlings have adapted, zombies
have never been a problem there, and I don’t know what an atomic bomb is,” he
replied. “The only residents there are shipbuilders and their families. Most of
Earth is too humid to live comfortably. It’s an acquired taste.”
“So we
weren’t as stupid as the hippies predicted,” she said, relief in her voice. She
gestured to the galley and changed the subject. “How do I use those things
again?”
He
demonstrated how to activate the cooking panel and replicator. She generated
some coffee, dispensing it in one of the cups from the cabinet. “Want some?”
she asked, holding out the cup. He declined politely.
The look
on her face as she inhaled the aroma was blissful. “At least some things haven’t
changed,” she said. She tasted it. “It’s really bitter, though. But coffee
makes this whole ordeal a little more bearable.”
Rian
spoke honestly. “You’re holding up really well.”
She
looked in her cup. “Well, ask me how I’m doing when I’m having a meltdown in a
couple of hours. I’ve had a lot of upheaval in the last couple of years, and
that’s how I usually react to disasters. I’m fine at first, then it sinks in.”
“What’s
happened?” Rian asked, surprising himself. He, like all good captains, stayed
out of crew members’ lives. But Lily wasn’t one of the crew, he reminded
himself.
“My
father died just over a year ago,” she began. “We were really close, and his
heart attack came out of nowhere. One day he was there, the next day he wasn’t.”
Sadness crossed her face, and in Rian’s chest, a corresponding ache for her. “I
tried running the family business by myself for a few months, but it was too
much for me handle. I sold our property and moved to Toronto to start over.”
She looked around the cabin, but he knew that wasn’t what she was really
seeing. “I didn’t think it would be here, instead. I’d been thinking about
going into teaching, and I’m qualified to do something other than answer
phones, but I needed something...easier to do, I guess. I had some money from
selling our property and royalties from my dad’s books—he was a sci-fi and
horror novelist on the side—but I couldn’t mope around my apartment forever.
Being a receptionist was easy. All I had to do was tweak spreadsheets and play Undead
Uprising .”
“Simulator?”
Rian guessed.
“Computer
game, yeah.” She sighed. “I’m sorry, Captain, I don’t mean to unload on you
like this. You probably have stuff to do.”
Rian
always did, but the Defiant wasn’t much more than a glorified trawler at
this point, hauling crap across the galaxy and patrolling a peaceful quadrant.
“I don’t
mind,” he assured her. “Most of the things on my to-do list involve breaking up
crew squabbles and hauling them out of poker games to do their work. I’m hoping
for some crew changes when we get to Rubidge Station.”
“What’s
at Rubidge Station?”
“The
museum where you were supposed to go, the largest commercial presence in
Commons space, and a Fleet military outpost where we’ll be reporting everything
we know of the Nym. And the Defiant will be receiving some much-needed
repairs. It’s the oldest ship in Fleet.”
“It’s
not so defiant, is it?” she cracked.
He made
a face. “If I had a credit for every time I heard that...”
“You
could probably retire. Oh, come on, Captain, I’m teasing.”
“Rian,”
he said automatically. She had given him permission to use her given name, he
should offer likewise, shouldn’t he? Since when do you think like that?
“Okay, Rian ,
I’m teasing,” she said. She caught his raised eyebrow. “Oh, I get it. You’re
not Rian in public.”
It wasn’t
that, although he nodded as if he agreed with her. He just liked the way
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