Page 40 of Tattle Tail
“Thank you for your restraint,” she replied dryly, falling into the familiar pattern of their chatter.
“That should do it.” He pulled the last lever.
The lights above the bank of canisters turned from red to green.
Did the air smell sweeter? No, it was too soon to notice any effect.
“Are you hungry? Avoiding catastrophe works up my appetite,” he said.
“Not soup…” Her reply died on her lips.
One by one, the green lights turned red.
Chapter 11
Peaceable
“Unbelievable,” she muttered. Panic squeezed her chest, but she took a deep breath and mentally counted backward, naming the seven virtues. Panic would not help.
Patience. Humility. Kindness. Fortitude. Justice.
Her mind blanked, unable to remember the last two. After fleeing Talmar, her parents hadn’t emphasized them.
Forgiveness. Prudence.
Ah, yes. Her parents held grudges from the old world, and she failed to practice the last virtue enough.
“That was the original system, so there must be an emergency backup. You are too frugal to have it removed,” she said.
“Are you calling me cheap?” His tone implied amusement rather than insult.
How could he make jokes? Had he no sense of self-preservation?
“I am saying that you are a practical male,” she said, struggling to keep her voice calm.
Joseph’s gaze held hers for an uncomfortable amount of time. Seconds, probably, but it felt like hours. She fought the urge to fidget or dip her head in submission. This ordeal felt worse than when her mother inspected her imperfections. It felt like he could see into her soul.
His eyes were too human: soft, warm, and kind.
She had to look away, focusing on the floor.
“In the locker, there’s two go-suits,” he said at length. He jerked his head to a storage locker at the far end of the hold. “They have enough oxygen for a few hours.”
Hours were not good enough. Go-suits were meant to protect the wearer for brief intervals, such as conducting external ship repairs or making a short spacewalk.
“I will check that the suits are there,” she said.
“Good thinking. Whoever did this may have taken the suits, too.”
She hoped not. A few hours of breathable air was not enough, but she’d take whatever she could get.
Inside the locker, she found two metal collars hanging from a peg. Placed around the neck, a force field activated when snapped closed. It was a simple design and difficult to undermine without visibly damaging the collars.
Her hands curled around the collars. A few more hours.
“Any joy?” he asked.
“The two I found appear to be operational.” Then, as an afterthought that shamed her, “What about Nettle?”
