Page 51 of Fighting Gravity
“Are you going to the bridge?” she said, walking after me. “Because we have kept up security measures to ensure she doesn’t toy with the ship. She hasn’t even tried.”
“She wouldn’t.”
“And she found the escape shuttles, but she hasn’t figured out how to activate them.”
I chuckled at that because it only backed up my suspicions.
“Take a break, Veron,” I sighed. “And Tell the crew to commence their normal duties. I’ll handle Quinn.”
With that, Veron started to fall back, slowing her pace. I could tell she was fed up with Quinn and the trouble she was causing. If I hadn’t woken, I was convinced she would have gassed the vents already and spaced her corpse. Quinn was lucky I’d woken.
I made my way through the ship, first going to the storage room where Veron said she disappeared in the first place. I found Quinn’s faint scent, picking up every item of clothing she’d tossed on the floor. When I found the vent itself, I clenched my jaw with frustration. Cruiser’s had troops of small kuli workers that could fit in such places for repairs and work, but gek weren’t kuli. We were large and there was no way I or any of my crew could ever fit in that space. And Quinn knew it.
The woman was determined to shatter my self-control. She was smart and she was hard to keep tethered. Even my threats to punish her did little to dissuade her.
I felt my throat rings burning to vibrate at the thought and swallowed to keep them at bay. Humming over the mere thought of the woman was a problem. I growled a curse and left the room, seeking out her path of movement.
At the escape shuttles, I picked up exactly what Veron had said. She’d been there, but the furthest she got was opening one of the pods. She clearly couldn’t figure out how to work one of them let alone launch it into space and pilot it. But she was up to something. I checked every shuttle for signs of her presence and came upon one with a broken control panel.
Something was missing. The wiring was disconnected and part of the holographic port had been exposed like she’d been studying it. Going to another shuttle, I found a cooling core had been ripped out of the center console.
I smirked at the realization and pivoted, coiling my fingers into fists as I exited the shuttle bay. Excitement lightened my feet, the mere prospect of the chase making my pulse thrum. I headed through the ship to the lowest level where the cargo bay took up most of the floor. Quieting my steps, I descended a metal stairway onto the docking platform where I’d seen the broken transport sitting and gathering dust. My steps were nearly undetectable as I searched the dark chamber for signs of Quinn. Almost immediately, I picked up her sweet aroma. Sharpening my senses, I listened for breathing. A heartbeat. The clanking of tools. Anything to tell me she was there, but there was nothing other than the remnants of her presence, so I slowly backed out of the chamber, my lips curling up.
“Got you,” I whispered.
After leaving the cargo bay as quietly as my feet could carry me, I started toward the bridge, checking in on Crex at the helm. When I found that we were near a gek port, I was relieved to be able to drop Lin’na and her son where the shikari could not get their grimy hands on them again and relieve myself of the extra responsibility. Quinn was enough stress to deal with after I lost the Argos. And not only that, but if Quinn realized we were docking, it might coax her out of her den.
Another smile tugged at my lips. I just had to be patient.
Another cycle had ended and still no Quinn. I expected as much. I stood on the bridge, arms crossed over my chest as I watched the navigation screen in front of Crex light up with a map of the nearing solar system.
“We’re approaching Kahten’nak,” Crex said.
Kahten’nak was not a big port, but it was gek owned and after Tao, it was a blessing. It was built into the side of a small, misshapen moon orbiting a dwarf planet that had already been mined clean of its precious metals. Kahten’nak had one temple honoring Tjor and gave travelers the opportunity to commune with him and ask for good fortune on their journeys. It also had good food straight from Gathea and would be a nostalgic stop for my crew. When we docked, the crew was tasked with resupplying food stores and fuel. They left immediately, eager to get their feet on the ground.
Veron was the last of my crew to leave the ship and when she realized I wasn’t following, she hesitated, standing at the top of the ramp to stare at me for a while. But she figured things out quickly.
“The human?” she said.
I nodded once. “I need a little time and she needs to think we’ve all left.”
Veron grumbled her frustration. “She’s a handful, Rhone. You already know what I think you should do, but I know that’s not what you have planned. How long do you need?”
“As much time as you want to spend on leave.”
“And what about Lin and Tohr?”
“I’ll leave them in the upper quarters for now. I’ll follow soon and take them to the embassy myself.”
She raised her brows, shaking her head. “I wish you the best. If you accidentally kill her, I’ll help dispose of the body.”
I watched Veron walk down the ramp into the port. Knowing Fjor was one of her favored deities, her first order of business would likely be the temple. The others would likely desire some time with willing companions in the mellow clubs near the center of the port and after they relieved some pent-up tension, they’d replenish supplies. It would take a couple of days at least and, in that time, I could have Quinn back in my clutches.
As I closed the boarding ramp and watched the view of the port fall away, the anticipation started to feed my resolve. I could have easily followed my crew to indulge in some female company, drinks, and downtime. I could have visited the temple for some meditative thought and silence or even paid my respects at one of the many murtis of our other gods scattered on the moon. I could have found myself one of my favorite Gathean dishes and let myself relax, but instead, I chose to stay on the ship.
Turning to face the hollow cruiser, I took in the silence. Quinn was in there somewhere and I couldn’t wait to find her.
“It’s just you and me,” I muttered to myself, tapping a hand on the control panel near the door.
