Alek's fingers tapped at his console as his blood pulsed a tattoo in his neck. They were back at Euko Station. He glared at the utilitarian spaceport, even though the sight of it meant an end to the past 5 days of ever-increasing snipping between the crew. They'd argued over everything from the low thermostat setpoint to the angry hue of the emergency lights to the cold subsistence rations. Beside him, Ish sucked — loudly — on a packet of jujuberry nutrient goo that smelled like vomit. Alek shot a look his way, and the sucking became quieter. He breathed in, forcing his shoulders to relax. Ish was pale, and there was a slight tremble in the hand that held the goo packet. Alek reminded himself that the navigator needed the energy to recover from the drain of slipping.
Alek turned back to the port, weighing the odds that someone he didn't want to see lurked in Euko's shadowy corridors, waiting to pounce on him when his guard was down. He huffed. I just can't let my guard down.
"I'm not rehashing this debate, Tink," the captain's voice boomed from the corridor, shortly followed by the person herself. She stalked into her ready room and closed the door without so much as getting a status update. The windows of the room were clear, however — the shading ability being one of the things turned off to conserve power — and he watched her scowl at her desk.
"But—" Tink came onto the bridge and stopped short, blinking. Glancing around, she stomped over to the door to the ready room and opened it without knocking, slamming it behind her.
"What do you think that's about?" Ish asked before taking a long draw of his goo and turning his chair to face the spectacle.
Alek shifted to face Ish, glancing sidelong at the other two behind the window. "I imagine the same thing it's been about for the past 5 days: getting the money to fix the ship." He inched his chair further around, squinting in an attempt to read their lips, but Tink faced away from him, so he only got half the conversation. "Something about a contract. The captain plans to take it. And I guess Tink isn't happy about it, if she's arguing with the captain."
"Mmm, they do that all the time. It's like they're an old married couple."
Alek glanced at him. "I hope my marriage isn't like that."
"You're married?" Ish lifted his eyebrows, his focus fixed on Alek as he finished his goo.
The captain opened the door and strode out, saving Alek from answering the question. Tink trailed Rebeka, almost stepping on her heels.
"But—" Tink said.
"No more buts." Rebeka turned to her. "We're taking the contract." Alek breathed an internal sigh of relief. Maybe they'd leave port before they even docked. He'd get a reprieve from facing his handlers, and the power behind them...the unknown person who'd sent him on this errand.
"But the ship can't handle it." Tink's hands were on her hips. "My patch job won't hold. We need a new converter. Or a full refurb, which needs components and tools I don't have." Her chin lifted and her eyes gleamed. "And time."
"That's why we're taking it. The contractor will pay an advance — an interest-free loan — and has arranged to have the repairs greenlit." Rebeka mimicked the engineer's posture, while at the same time Tink's shoulders sagged. "Prepare to be boarded."
Alek's stomach twisted at the sound of that, even though he knew she meant boarded by repair crews. Then he leaned forward, elbows on his knees, as he mulled over what Rebeka had actually said. That was quite the deposit for a little jack-of-all ship like the Lyra. Through narrowed eyes, he watched Tink's mouth open, but nothing came out. However, a war clearly raged behind her fiery eyes.
"Fine." She stomped off the bridge, as Rebeka sequestered herself in her ready room again. Ish made a face then slouched in his seat and closed his eyes.
Alek turned back to the viewscreen, eyeing the station again as he considered what the contract the captain had found might be. And who was behind it.