Page 11 of Music of the Ocean

“Unusual. Possibly hazardous.”

“That sounds… hazardous.” Saxby glared at the AI image. He’d never admit out loud how much he hated those things, and this was a good example of why. An AI simulation had no empathy, no sympathy, no compassion. It just spat out facts.

“I will monitor you for the next seventy-two hours. There is a nonzero chance this is a precursor to a novel syndrome or a delayed reaction to planetside contaminants.”

“Can I get that in English?” Saxby asked, rubbing his temples. “And could I get something for this headache?”

Vance shot Saxby a sympathetic look. “You might have picked up a bug from the planet, after all. Or it could be something else that has absolutely nothing to do with the planet. We’ll have to wait and see. And sure, I’ll get you some meds for the headache.”

“Not a bug, Nurse Vance, but most likely a—”

“That was slang for what is most likely a virus, Doc, since Saxby isn’t an alcoholic, doesn’t have liver disease, isn’t suffering from malnutrition due to a serious illness, hasn’t had radiation treatment of the brain, and hasn’t had severe nausea and vomiting during pregnancy.” Vance prepared hydro for Saxby, then administered it.

Saxby snorted.

“Please use proper English, Nurse Vance. Not all crewmembers are human or speak English as their first language,” Doc said.

“The lieutenant is a personal friend of mine and…” Vance sighed heavily. “Yes, Doctor, I’ll keep that in mind.” Vance turned to Saxby. “Don’t worry. We’ll hook you up with a medband and keep an eye on your vitals. If anything spikes, we’ll know before you do.”

The AI doctor nodded. “Compliance is mandatory, Lieutenant. The alternative is confinement to quarters and intravenous rebalancing.”

Saxby didn’t like the sound of that. He’d already drawn more attention than he was comfortable with, so he’d agree to what they wanted. “Okay, fine, medband me.”

Vance went to the storage, came back with a slim black patch, and stuck it to the inside of Saxby’s left wrist. It tingled, then warmed. A green LED pulsed so faint only Saxby would notice.

“Return to duty tomorrow,” the AI said. “You are not contagious and not in immediate danger of arrest. Report any new symptoms immediately, especially altered mental status, muscle spasms, or loss of consciousness.”

“Sure thing, Doc.” He flexed his wrist, felt the medband pulse. “Anything else?”

“Yes. If you have dreams, log them. Some toxins manifest as altered states of consciousness before any somatic symptoms appear. Include detail. Do not self-censor.”

Vance grinned. “You heard the man—er, bot. Keep a dream diary.”

Saxby glowered at them. “If I start dreaming in binary, you’re both fired.”

Vance’s grin widened. “Get out of here, Lieutenant. And don’t touch any more weird water without gloves.”

“The new updated training said it was okay, according to you,” Saxby pointed out.

“It did say that!” Vance shot back. “It came out last month and didn’t recommend using gloves unless you have open sores on your hands. Did you?”

“Of course not.”

“Well, there you go.”

“Yeah, there I go.” Saxby left Medical, sending the medband a quick glare. Its gentle pressure was a constant reminder. He grabbed something to eat, shot the breeze with some crew members in the Mess, then returned to his quarters.

Sinking down on his couch, Saxby tried to watch some screen, but his eyelids just kept getting heavier and heavier. Yawning, he leaned his head back. He’d just close his eyes for a few minutes.

SAXBY DREAMED of water again, and once again, he somehow knew that he was dreaming.

This time he wasn’t swimming. He floated, suspended in perfect stillness, far below the reach of light. The darkness was total, and there was no up or down, no sense of direction at all.

But he wasn’t scared. In fact, he felt an acceptance, a welcoming. Like he belonged. He was safe here. Wanted. Needed, actually. Home. He felt at home, which was weird since nowhere had ever felt that way.

The surrounding pressure was immense, so much so his body should’ve been crushed, but instead, he only felt weightless. And he wasn’t alone in this void. The water shifted with the suggestion of movement.

Saxby strained to see, but the darkness was absolute. Still, he sensed something massive and utterly silent moving just beyond the periphery of everything he understood as real.