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"I've been thinking..."
"Don't you dare say you're going to quit because you've fallen in love," the captain interrupted me. "You're my best pilot. I refuse to lose you."
I was surprised she was being this frank. And how did she even know?
"Come on, it's obvious. You've got the look of a lovesick squiidi. Anyone with at least one eye will have seen it."
My ears throbbed with embarrassment. I didn't like being compared to the feathered mammal that was known for imprinting on their mate with such passion that they never spend another minute apart. Although now that I'd met Heather, I understood the squiidi's desire to be with their mates a little better.
"I..."
I didn't know what to say. Luckily, Ellabee interrupted me yet again.
"I did some thinking while you were gone. I was certain it would come to this, so I wanted to be prepared. As I said, you're the best pilot I've ever had. Katak is good, but you have that edge that I want in my crew. How about this: I will give your mate a job on my ship and you two can share a cabin. After the incident with the escaped rashipis, I've been wondering whether it might be worth employing someone to look after any live cargo we transport. Heather might be just the right person for the job. What do you say?"
"I'd have to talk to Heather," I hedged to cover my surprise. This would be the perfect solution to how we could combine our two very different lives.
The captain mistook my hesitation for wanting to bargain. "Alright, what do you want? A raise? Extra shore leave?"
If she offered...
"I would like Heather to be paid the same wage as me. And when we return to Kyven, a month of shore leave so I can visit Heather's animal park and meet her family."
"Deal." The ease with which Ellabee agreed made me think that I could have gone for a lot more. I'd have to keep that in mind. As much as I was happy with my current salary, it could always be a little more.
"Two months?" I tried, but it was too late.
"Don't test your luck," the captain grinned. "Now help me plot this route. Prove to me that I've made the right decision."
21
Heather
The purple-blue grass around the spaceport that had once looked alien to me now welcomed me home.
Next to me, Atina breathed in deeply. "Kyven air. It's sweeter than that on Earth. I feel like every planet has its own distinct smell."
She was right. Not that I had more than two planets to compare, and I wasn't sure I'd ever step foot on another one.
Behind us, Abby and Sahra disembarked, hand in hand, chatting happily. We'd only woken up from stasis about an hour ago, but those two looked a lot more awake than I felt. I'd not had much time to talk to them, nor to Atina. Captain Ellabee had kept her pilots busy ever since we'd returned to the ship. I'd kind of wondered if the captain knew what had happened at the cafe and was now punishing Atina for it. At least I'd had Jiji for company before we'd all been put into stasis. The pink ball of fluff sat on Atina's shoulder, chirping happily. I reached out and tickled what I thought was its chin. It squiggled with delight. So cute.
My controlband vibrated. A message from my cousin popped up, informing me that she was going to be there in a few minutes to pick us up. While I was looking forward to seeing her, I'd hoped for a moment longer with Atina before we had to part ways.
Someone had already unloaded my luggage and Sahra and Abby had helpfully offered to take the bench in their shuttle. Somehow, the whole adventure was almost over and I didn't quite know how it had happened. No, I did know. Stasis. It had robbed me from spending more time with the lovely pilot.
I stood in the port, my hands deep in the pockets of my jacket. I desperately wanted to reach out to Atina and pull her in a hug or even a kiss, but I didn't want to confuse us even more. "I guess this is it."
She looked at me with her sparkling green eyes. "It doesn't have to be. I didn't have the chance to talk to you before the captain put everyone in stasis, but she wants to offer you a job."
I wasn't sure if I heard her correctly. "Me? A job? On the ship? What would I do on a ship?"
"Look after live cargo. The rashipis were fine because they weren't in stasis super long this time but it's not ideal. We delivered them on the way back but the supplier didn't pay his full fee because of that. It was still worth it though, live animal transportation is a lucrative business and if there's something Captain Ellabee likes, it's riches. But if you stay on board, you and I could be together," Atina explained, looking so hopeful, it ached.
"Atina..." I took a step forward and took her hands in mine. Her six fingers fitted surprisingly perfect with mine and that was making what I had to say next all the harder. "As interesting as that sounds and as much as I'd love to spend more time with you, I can't just abandon the farm, or my cousin, to go off on wild adventures with you. I don't even know enough about rashipis or other animals you might transport. I'm not a keeper, I'm a shepherd."
A deep sadness filled her eyes. "You're not saying yes."
"I'm sorry. I wish I could, but I have duties, responsibilities, family I can't leave behind."
