Page 10 of Uprooted
“You’re losing your edge,” he mutters, trying to shame me for taking this one task seriously and not turning it into a game.
“I’ve got plenty of fucking edge.”
“Prove it,” he challenges.
I just roll my eyes and head down the hall. “You’re a child.”
Maak goes farther down and bellows at the next soldier waiting for his turn.
“Only things staying are on the list. I can take it, or you can send it home,” I say as I approach the next waiting soldier.
“Yes, sir.” He springs into action, no doubt grateful he got me rather than Maak.
I’m making good time. It’s not long before I approach Tai standing at attention toward the end of the hall. His rigid posture shows his annoyance.
“The humans aren’t even here yet, and they’re already a pain in my ass,” he grumbles.
“This list came from the Council, not Earth,” I correct him.
“I didn’t think I signed up to babysit a bunch of helpless humans,” Tai continues. Even though he’s perpetually in a bad mood, Tai’s still my closest friend. He’s honest and loyal. I’d trust him with my life.
For how much Tai is dreading their arrival, I’m getting more excited by the day. There is a lot of speculation about what will happen when they get here. I wonder most of all about her, that woman. She’s supposed to be part of the team here at MuraDome IV. I’ve made it my mission to meet her.
“Get your shit so I can be done with this.” I check the time. Rialto wants it done by 1000, and I’m cutting it close. I’m not willing to burn up some of my goodwill with the commander over something stupid like not finishing this barracks inspection on time.
“Yes, sir,” he says sharply. He clangs his bionic hand against the metal doorframe as he steps into his room. The thump is supposed to be an acknowledgement of orders. Maybe it's his tone or posture, but I don't get the feeling that was his intention just now.
08
Elowen
An update flashes across my yuriOS, briefly turning my room red from the bright light. My alarm woke me up a while ago and I’m still trying to muster up the motivation to get out of bed. Any other day, I would have just slept in, but not today. Today is special. We get to refuel and get off this shuttle for a few hours. I can’t wait to feel solid ground under my feet and breathe fresh air.
“Travel itinerary: Update” scrolls past the screen on repeat. I swipe through the voyage log on my yuriOS. We have been rerouted from our scheduled stop on planet Nebulon to a nearby fueling station instead.
The pit stop on Nebulon is all we have been talking about for days.We were so excited to get off this shuttle.Instead of a day with our feet on solid ground and fresh air in our lungs, we get a few miserable hours of subjecting ourselves to the worst sort of degenerates on a space station.
Fueling stations are bottom-of-the-barrel pit stops—categorically dirty, neglected, and hardly functioning. Most people avoid them at all costs. The really nice ones have a bar or diner with a wide range of food from across the galaxy, delicacies that the obscenely wealthy travel light-years for. The station we are going to today will likely only serve something that expired before I was born and will result in intestinal distress for at least forty-eight hours.
Dr. Kahn is heading down the narrow hallway when I step out of my room. She’s got her arms out to steady herself, doing everything to keep her balance. After all these weeks she still hasn’t gotten her sea legs.
“Did you see the update?” I ask.
“I did. I really could have used a few hours off this shuttle,” she says. “I might regret this, but I’m still going to walk around. I need a chance of scenery.”
“On the bright side, at least we’ll get to j’Tilak a day ahead of schedule.”
“I’m sure Bri is excited to see her first fueling station,” Dr. Kahn says.
“Dr. Kahn, she’s going to be very disappointed.”
“We are millions of miles away from Earth—call me Andi. It feels weird to be so formal while we are hurtling through space,” she says.
“Okay then, Andi, I suggest you hold onto your valuables while exploring the station. You’re about to get a lesson in the underbelly of space travel.”
Our shuttle circles around the wagon-wheel-shaped station looking for an empty dock. All but one are already occupied. Fantastic—it's going to be busy and overcrowded in the hub. As we slow down and approach the last available spot, my stomach lurches from the sudden change in speed.
We hover here for almost an hour trying to dock. The delay doesn’t bother me at all. It means less time Bri is going to drag me around on the station. My tiny window has a perfect view of the countless failed attempts at connecting. I can tell from the aging tech that this is a particularly old fueling station. In a universe of gross fueling stops, we might have found the worst one.
