Page 139 of Every Almost

"You just can,” Charlie answered, shrugging a shoulder. “It’s in the way it's built." Charlie tapped the Walkman. "This one's about wanting to be there for somebody. Telling them you'll catch up, wherever they are. That you'll find them."

"Huh." Tavi listened for a moment. "Is there someone you'd play it for?"

Charlie huffed a small laugh. "Not right now. There was, a while back. Her name was Joss. But it didn't work out. First ones usually don't."

"Her," Tavi repeated, a wide grin spreading across his face.

"Her," Charlie agreed, raising an eyebrow.

"Okay," he said, letting the word drag out in appreciation.

But that was it. He nodded once, satisfied, pointing back at the Walkman. "Play the screaming one again."

Charlie laughed, loud enough that Kess glanced over, and cued up ‘Immigrant Song.’

The shuttle had givena warning to the crew when they were thirty minutes to the research station's coordinates. Now everyone was preparing for the landing and full mission start upon arrival.

Tavi was still taped to Charlie's right side. They'd been sharing the headphones for over two hours now, and Tavi was addicted. She played more Led Zeppelin, songs from Kansas, some Cyndi Lauper, and even some Flock of Seagulls. He'd loved it all.

But Charlie had a keen feeling that his love of it all was because he fell in love with Earth music the moment Robert Plant let out a scream.

Charlie was buckling herself into her seat, the harness securing in their proper places, while Tavi did the same on her right. Apparently, they were going to share the headphone all the way to the ground.

As Charlie heard Torvax start calling out the procedures and tasks for the crew and pilot to engage in landing on the station, Charlie settled into her seat, this time no longer fearful or unknowingly going to damage any Coalition property.

Then, Reyna sat down next to her on her left again, the same seat as the launch. Charlie turned to her, only for the headphone to pop out of her ear, but she left it for the time being.

"What are you doing here?" Charlie asked.

Reyna spun in the seat, the last buckle of the harness in her hands about to be secured. "Sitting here?" Reyna answered in a questioning voice.

"I mean, what are you doing here?" Charlie said, pointing at the chair Reyna now occupied.

Reyna paused, the buckle still in her hands. "You're okay now?"

"Oh!" Charlie said, realization dawning. "Oh, yeah, I think I'm good. Besides, you're the captain and all, I'm pretty sure you have things youreallyneed to do besides sit here andliterallyhold my hand through a shuttle landing." Charlie chuckled softly, knowing she meant the words but somehow they still didn't feel right.Why?

"Good," Reyna said. Something crossed her face, quick and unreadable, there and gone before Charlie could name it. Then she smiled. "I do, actually. Have things to do." Reyna started to pull at the harness around her when Charlie placed her hand on the armrest between them.

"You took really good care of me on the launch, I feel safe now. Because of you."

"That's good, Charlie," Reyna said. She smiled at her, warm yet brief. Yet, somehow, that didn't seem right. "I'm glad you're okay now."

"Thanks to you," Charlie added.

Reyna nodded once. Then she finished unbuckling her harness, rose from the seat, and crossed the deck to the Captain's chair she'd occupied during the launch checks.

Charlie didn't understand why she suddenly felt a distance between her and Reyna. At least, it was something more than the warmth and care Reyna had showed her on the launch. It ate at her in a way she couldn't understand.

Charlie realized she was probably being ridiculous. There was nothing wrong with how Reyna was acting towards her.In fact, let me just look up at her and smile, see what happens.

Charlie raised her gaze to Reyna across the deck and sent her a sincere smile. Reyna caught it and smiled back, warmth emanating from her gaze before she looked back at her datapad.

See? Everything's fine! She smiled back, you doofus. What more do you want?

Charlie wasn't sure what it was, but she just couldn't convince herself. What more did she want? She didn't know. But it wasn't this.

Three minutes before landing,the station itself became visible in the viewport. It hung in orbit near Zephyros, but it was Zephyros that caused Charlie to balk. A gas giant, banded in deep oranges and creams and swirling storms larger than Earth. It was bigger than anything Charlie had ever conceived of as a single object. She imagined planets near Earth were this big, but no one had ever seen them up close. Photographs had been taken and shared from satellites multiple times, but nothing could garner the sheer size and vastness of what this kind of scientific miracle looked like outside your own window. It was so massive and so close that it didn't look like a planet at all. It looked like a wall.