Alek folded himself into the pilot's chair and ran his fingers over the controls in front of him. Despite the ship's age, the stick moved smoothly, without hiccoughs in any direction. He tapped on the reverse thrusters and the engine hummed — purred — in response. It seemed as eager as he was to leave the station behind.
Too many people here who might know me. Who might let the cat out of the bag...if they don't kill me first. As if on cue, the grey cat — Grim, Tink had called him — ambled through the bridge, sniffing at his leg before jumping on top of the console above Kandi's Tac station.
The Lyra had a small crew. They could all fit on the bridge, though the captain and the Tinker were absent. How Tink ended up on a ship like this was an enigma, given the Tinkers' legendary mastery over anything mechanical. The Dominion tended to snap up the ones they hadn't imprisoned or caused to disappear. There were so few left, they were almost mythical creatures. Focus now, ponder later, he thought as the navigator, Ish, slid into the seat beside him. Ish cast a long look his way, letting his eyes travel over Alek's muscled arms. Alek pretended not to notice.
"So, what's the hold up?" he asked instead, a jovial grin on his face.
Ish glanced at the viewscreen then back. "Waiting for clearance. Apparently, Customs doesn't believe the cargo bay is empty." He checked over the panel in front of him and, with a flick of his fingers, pulled up a holoscreen. "Captain's down there trying to convince them."
"Is it empty?" Alek asked, quirking up an eyebrow.
Ish leaned in and chuckled. "The cargo bay is."
Alek smiled at his insinuation that somewhere the ship carried something not quite legal, even though concern at getting caught niggled at his stomach.
Plucking at a point on his holoscreen, Ish canted his head, then poked another spot while tipping his head the other way. Alek mimicked the movement and for a second swore he heard a sound, then realized it was just a change in the hum from the stick he still held. Letting go, he turned to Ish, who had a far away look in his eyes.
"What are you doing?"
Ish blinked a few times before his eyes focused on Alek. "Finding slip points." His voice was smoother, deeper than it had been earlier.
"Ah, right." Alek directed his gaze at his console but was drawn back to the holoscreen and its multihued ripples and undulating lines. "I thought we were going through the gate." He looked askance at the display.
"We are. This is...professional curiosity." Ish peered at him, the corners of his eyes crinkling. "You have no idea, do you, about the stream?"
"I...." Alek considered blustering his way out of appearing ignorant, but his knowledge was so abysmal he realized it would have the opposite effect. "I have an idea. But not a very good one."
"There are layers to the universe."
"Like a cake."
Ish blinked. "No, not like a cake." He curled his legs up, bringing his feet under him, and leaned forward. He hovered one hand over the other. "Some astrophysicists say the layers are entirely different universes."
Alek dipped his chin. "I've heard the theory. It doesn't help me so much with fact."
Ish looked away, his mouth opening, his eyes squinting at the gate shimmering on the viewscreen. When he turned back to Alek, his face was serious. "Have you ever swum in the ocean where there's a riptide? Or in a fast-flowing river?" Ish's hands moved in time with his words, his fingers pulling at invisible threads. Alek nodded slowly, thinking of the family vacation spot when he was young: the wide, frigid river that appeared serene but could sweep a person away before she could shout for help.
Ish continued, his eyes becoming unfocused for a second before returning to Alek's face. "The surface looks calm, just like the rest of the water. But you hit that flow and...whoosh." He clapped one palm against the other before swiping the top hand away. "You're pulled along faster than you think possible. That's the slipstream. And the deeper you go, the faster it is." Ish canted his head sideways. "But also more dangerous."
"So, what's a 'slip point'? I mean, I know it's where we enter the stream but...."
The navigator took Alek's hand and, turning it over so the palm was up, examined the lines criss-crossing it. Tracing one line with his finger, he continued. "Like an ocean, there are rivers and channels. And ripples." His finger stopped. "And at the ripples, well, imagine the river again, frozen over." Alek squinted, trying to keep up with the shifting analogies. The lion tattoo on the man's wrist twitched, and Ish continued. "There are eddies, places where the ice is thinner, where it's easier to fall through. That's a slip point."
"So, we're falling into the slipstream?"
"I...." Ish's head tipped sideways as he continued to examine Alek's hand, his nose scrunching up as he ran a finger back along the line. "Kind of." His hazel eyes peered at Alek through thick lashes.
"I'm straight, fyi," Alek said.
Ish lifted his head, cheeks flushed. He sighed, returning the smile. "You always are." Letting go of Alek's hand, he straightened in his chair, then glanced back with a raised eyebrow. "Not even bi-curious?"
Alek smiled and shook his head. "Not anymore."
"Can't blame a guy for trying though, can you?" Ish grinned and turned back to his holoscreen.
"No, I'll never blame a guy for trying." Alek rechecked the ship specs, before glancing at Ish and the tattoo again. "Sekmeti, eh? Is that why you left Mintarae?" He nodded at the tattoo he'd glimpsed while Ish was playing with his hand. "I heard they're...severe."
The navigator's fingers stopped moving, and the smile that had been lifting the corners of his lips disappeared. "No." He opened and closed his mouth as if to say more. Just then the comms crackled to life, saving Alek from having to make an awkward apology. He shouldn't have pried, being all too familiar with the skeletons people kept inside. He had plenty of his own secrets to clutch close.
"We've finally been given the OK to leave." Captain Mino's voice betrayed more than a hint of irritation. "Let's get out of here before they change their minds."
Alek nudged the stick forward, gently feeding the engine a little juice. There was a slight judder on the left side, and he made a mental note to tell Tink. For the time being, he compensated and headed for the exit, happy to put the spaceport behind him.