Essentially, we end up walking around in circles every time we come across a blind spot, and I’m grateful for the gravboots as I battle through several dizzy spells. Tanisira, however, doesn’t seem to have any such problem and makes her way across the ship’s surface much faster than I do. But I’m not too mad about it because every time I look up at the vast darkness, pride shoots through me. I’m on thehullof ashipinspace. So, watching the captain pace ahead of me is nothing at all.
Drawing some water from the bag inside my suit, I head off to the next location on my visor. Tanisira works on a dent close by, and it’s my turn to ask a question. “What convinced you?” I ask, speaking to her back.
She doesn’t seek elaboration, and a beat passes. “I believed you from the beginning.”
I startle in surprise. “What?”
“After I left you in my cabin, the conversation played in my mind. Mostly, it was the look in your eyes that weighed on me. Something didn’t feel right.”
That stuns me and, grasping for something to say, I end up blurting, “Don’t you trust your intuition?”
“Always,” Tanisira murmurs. “I had reasons for not wanting to believe you. I can admit that, and I apologise for keeping you from Vee.”
What reasons?
I frown at the back of her helmet, but she doesn’t turn around. Eventually, I continue with my task, thoughts whizzing around my head as I try to figure out what she might be hiding. I’ve known her for three days, but I think I can safely say that the captain is objectively a decent woman. I thought I could, anyway. Is she not? Vee really likes her, has been spending a lot of time near her, if not with her.Is she not?
Tanisira’s voice snags my attention. “There’s a saying inSurya-Vanithat doesn’t translate to Tellurian, but it’s what came to mind when I reflected on that day. It means something like, ‘If the love shining through your eyes is only a fraction of that in your heart, they are very lucky indeed’,” she says.
I can’t help it, I melt. I don’t know how Tanisira knows I’m approaching but she turns without any surprise when I lay my hand on her elbow. “Say it in Surya-Vaani.”
I don’t want to hear those beautiful words inmyclunky language. I want to hear them from her honeyed tongue. At this, Tanisira meets my eyes. The intensity of her gaze makes my skin prickle. I’m beginning to understand that the captain is just a very sincere person. I suspect, with a helping of nervous excitement fizzing through my veins, that there’s nothing buttoned up about her at all.
She maintains eye contact as she translates in her mother tongue, and it’s beautiful. Bottle that up and sell it, it could ignite water. I have to look away, snap the chain that binds us in the moment. Furthermore, I put some distance between us. I don’t want to, which is exactly why I do. Letting Tanisira get close to me, right now, is a bad idea all around.
We return to our tasks—I, in a contemplative hush.
Sometime later, my head jerks up when Beau’s voice filters through. “Dinner will be ready soon, and Dev is not taking no for an answer,” they chuckle.
I turn in time to see Tanisira’s head swivel towards me from the opposite end of the ship. I shrug noncommittally. Honestly, it’s nice being out here with her, not to mention productive
“This is my last one,” she says, pointing.
“Same.”
“Thanks, Beau. We’re practically finished, so tell Devyaan we’ll be in soon.”
As if on purpose, my stomach cramps painfully. I wanted to swing by the med bay after this, but it’ll have to wait until after dinner instead now.
Little Liar
Before dinner, I make a quick trip to my cabin to collect my slate, tucked into the desk. When it powers on, I’m stumped to see a total ofonemissed call and a manageable number of emails. Frowning, I scroll through them, but they’re mostly work-related reminders, some spam and newsletters I subscribe to. The missed call is from my colleague, Keiko. There’s nothing from anyone else. Just to confirm I didn’t miscalculate the date, I check my calendar, but it tells me what I already know: it’s beenthreedays.
My heart sinks a little, but I brush it aside and call Keiko.
She answers with an immediate, “What the fuck, Mar?”
It’s only a voice call, but she can project her irritation just as well as a scowl could
“On Friday, you said you just needed me to cover for you so you could leave early. You didn’t say anything about having to do the same today.”
“I’m sorry, something came up with Vee. Did you cover for me today? I was wondering why I didn’t have more missed messages. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Is Vee alright?”
“He is. Listen, I’m not going to be in for the rest of the week, and I don’t expect you to cover for me, okay?”
Even though, as I say the words, dread flits around in my stomach. The work environment at my company is not exactly cut-throat, but the jobs are competitive.
