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Jayna drew near to his chair, staring at the holo. “Worse. Definitely worse. I wonder what happened to them?”
Feeling the need to end this sad moment, Theo said, “It was a long time ago, whatever occurred. I’m sure Maeve will keep digging and we have time on our hands here to explore more thoroughly what records the computer does hold. Turner, you can distribute the holo to the other crew members.”
“Aye, aye, sir.” She moved to obey the order and Theo sat back in his chair. Jayna was right—it was a lot harder to see the people who’d probably had such high hopes for this ship and their future and to know they were going to disappear from the galactic records without a trace.
Chapter Three
Off on a solitary patrol of the ship later, Jayna couldn’t forget the image of the happy family who’d owned the Mebsuta C and suffered an unknown but probably not happy fate. She wished Maeve hadn’t sent them the holo but of course the AI was being her usual thorough self.
Jayna couldn’t shake the intuitive belief someone had walked through the corridors right before she got there. She even paused to listen for footsteps but there were none. Raising her voice slightly, she said, “Soames?” Why he’d be out roaming the ship instead of getting his rack time she couldn’t imagine but who else would be out and about? Curiously reluctant to turn the corner into the next quadrant, she forced herself to move, weapon hot and at the ready. Something about this damn ship was wrong. Maybe I should have stayed in the bridge with the others.
As soon as the idea crossed her mind she angrily flicked it away. Was she or was she not a Security badass? “It’s the quiet,” she said out loud and immediately wished she hadn’t spoken as her words echoed in the empty corridor, emphasizing her unease and the fact she had no one watching her six right now.
Not a good idea to remain in the proximity of the handsome Theo Knox either. Jayna sighed. She hoped her assignment to this boarding party hadn’t been because Maeve was meddling and match making. The AI was known to do that on occasion, claiming she was only looking out for the good of her crew. But surely Captain Fleming was impervious to such thoughts and the selection had been his in the end. It made sense, she told herself. They had big name dignitaries on the ship right now and so of course the head of Security and his deputy couldn’t be spared. Jayna was the logical choice.
Pausing to take a quick drink from her water flask, Jayna leaned against the bulkhead. Unbidden memories of the volleyball tournament came to her mind and how hot Theo had been in his shorts and tight t shirt. The intense rivalry between them during the games had been charged with something else besides the competition between Security and Bridge Crew. He had a killer serve and she had a lethal spike. Okay, I’ll admit it was desire. He’s a sexy guy and it’s been a long time since I let my guard down. She’d let herself go at the afterparty, drinking feelgoods and dancing with him but then she’d realized what she was doing, letting herself give in to attraction and she’d fled the beach deck and the party. Theo had followed up and she gave in to their instant attraction, inviting him to her cabin. She’d kept their interaction strictly physical because she wasn’t going to get involved emotionally with anyone ever again. It was the only way she knew to survive, keeping her inner shields up and her heart guarded. He wanted more from her and it made her heart ache to deny him and herself any emotional intimacy outside the bedroom.
He could be the one…but do I want to risk myself? Getting to this place of emotional stability was hard and I lost so much along the way…
Closing the flask and putting it in her belt, Jayna froze as she heard footsteps from the next level up. The sound wasn’t the measured tread of a security officer on patrol—it was the skipping gait of a child. She heard someone humming in time with the steps.
Clutching her blaster, Jayna crept up the stairs, determined to catch whoever it was. With great caution she raised her head the last few inches to survey the corridor and nearly fell off the ladder in shock.
Back turned to her, a little girl was playing a hopping game. As if she’d heard Jayna, she stopped and stood utterly still for a moment before pivoting on one foot, balance precarious.
“Angelee?” Jayna said in a breathless whisper.
The child vanished in the blink of an eye and Jayna rushed up the last few stairs, emerging into the corridor as if storming an enemy installation but there was no one there. Shaking, not sure whether to believe the evidence of her own eyes, Jayna checked the entire corridor, one end to the other and found nothing. She closed her eyes and decided not to mention what she thought she’d seen to anyone else. They’d think I’d gone space happy. Maybe I have.
The tiny element of self doubt was disconcerting.
She forced herself to finish the circuit of the ship and returned to the bridge.
Theo sat in the captain’s chair and searched the ship’s records, which were sketchy at best. He couldn’t find anything resembling a log, which violated so many ICC regulations he couldn’t count the issues. Some of the files were corrupted and he kept getting booted out of the old computer’s core, which necessitated logging in again with his override key code and retracing his path through the various storage areas. He wanted to find the event where the captain had onboarded alien freight containers but there were literally centuries of routine technical cruise data to wade through, long after the family must have disappeared from the Mebsuta C. The ship had continued on its strange course with no hand at the helm.
He finally opened a path which seemed promising, older files and data.
“Captain?” Turner interrupted his research.
Rubbing his eyes, Theo straightened and tried not to glare at her. The old computer was so jumpy he’d probably lose this thread again if he wasn’t careful. “What is it?”
“Strange readings from the engine room, sir. The power has fluctuated three times in the last ten minutes.”
“What does Abrall say?”
“He’s not answering the ship’s com or the Nebula Zephyr subaural link, sir.” She frowned and made an adjustment as the lights flickered. “There it goes again.”
Theo tried the com the Zephyr’s crew all shared and as Turner had said, got nothing. “I’ll go to the engine room myself and see what’s going on. Where’s Jayna, do we know?”
“I’m right here,” she said, entering the bridge and pausing. “I was doing the regular patrol.”
She sounded annoyed—nothing new where Theo was concerned—but he didn’t have time to reassure her right now. He rushed past her, saying, “Something’s off in the engine room and Abrall isn’t answering. Come with me.”
As he raced through the corridors and down the various ramps and stairs, she was right on his six, not asking questions, not commenting on his haste.
He wasn’t sure what he’d find, given how tense Abrall had acted earlier but when the engine room door opened, the tech was seated in his chair, watching the console, making occasional adjustments and humming a tune. He turned as Theo entered and gave a jaunty salute. “Captain. To what do I owe the honor of a second visit?”
“We were recording power fluctuations up on the bridge and Turner said you weren’t answering her,” Theo said, keeping his tone mild but moving to where he could see the indicators for himself. Situation normal across the board as far as he could tell.
