Trac, to his relief, helped him secure his head gear and then slapped him on the back.
The slap knocked him into the bulkhead, but it was the thought that counted. He flexed his shoulder and said, over a feed just between them.
“Take care of Riina.”
The robot’s gaze met his. He shouldn’t have felt or seen emotion there. He wasn’t actually sure he did see it. But he knew Trac understood.
This time the slap to his shoulder was restrained. It only knocked him back a couple of steps.
Tim gave his friend a nod. He didn’t look back. He couldn’t look back and go forward.
Trac opened the hatch. Tim stepped through and it closed behind him. It closed between them.
Riina.
His heart felt tight in his chest. Feelings. These were feelings. He didn’t like them. But…without them, he wouldn’t know how important this was. He had to save her.
The bay came alive with questions and comments. He ignored them all. The only one not asking was Dr. Walker.
For reasons, Tim didn’t understand, Dr. Walker joined Tim at the airlock controls. For some reason the avian was on his shoulder.
Tim looked at it.
“This is T’Korrin,” Dr. Walker said, as if that explained everything.
Tim nodded and the bird nodded back. Okay, then, he turned to the hatch control and activated the routine to equalize the pressure.
Dr. Walker waited with Tim until he could step inside, and the hatch closed between them.
Inside, he felt the weight off their expectations, their hopes, their lives, settle on his human shoulders. They’d have been easier to carry without the human body, but…would he have carried them properly? Didn’t he need to know to do this?
He shifted his shoulders, telling himself that the action spread the weight, made it bearable. And then the hatch opened in front of him and he stepped out.
“I believe I’ve been able to isolate their jump trail, Captain,” Veirn said.
“Enough to follow it?” Kellen rubbed his tired face. It felt like he’d been awake for all of his life. He’d never lost any of his people on a mission before. He didn’t like it.
There was a hesitation. It was long enough to make Kellen look up at the camera over his station.
“Veirn?”
“I can’t guarantee we will be able to follow it, Captain. It is…a long shot.”
Kellen paused, then glanced around his empty bridge. It was him. It was Veirn. If they went home now…
“Let’s try,” he said. He had to try.
“I agree.”
Kellen hadn’t asked, but he was glad the AI had said it.
They had to try.
18
Tim stepped out of the airlock onto what felt like some kind of metal plating. It shifted from his weight. He paused to look around.
As a cyborg, he’d been to places like this. Dumping grounds for broken or damaged ships and other equipment. He and the others had visited them in search of parts to repair their ship after encounters with bounty hunters, or just other ships that liked to fight. The ethical nature of the owners of the various dumps was as varied as the types of stock they kept.
