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SHE WAS GETTING QUITE good at awkward explanations. Lena was mastering that odd, fixed smile that said. “Yeah, I know. And I know, you know, now stop asking me.” It was causing the good Dr Fuller no end of frustration.
“Just—just be careful okay?” As he looked into her eyes, Lena thought he might cry. If she spoke back to him, she might start as well and who knew what chain of events that would start. She just nodded. Bearing a new spray-on dressing and the smell of antiseptic, Lena shuffled to the mess hall, picked up a milky, sweet coffee and a croissant and made her way to the bridge.
“You okay, babe? You look like somethin’ the cat dragged in.” Petty Officer Lee had the con such as it was. Lena saw a plain blank console and a seat that smoothly moulded with the floor. She didn’t know what Lee saw. That was one of the cool things about Rowie. Everybody saw what they expected to see. Did Lee imagine some utilitarian Royal Navy touch screens?
Lena sat on her ops couch as everyone had started calling the bed she slept on when she was steering the ship, and signalled to Lee with a grin and a mouthful of flaky pastry. She hoped her pastry smile was convincing enough, she liked Lee a lot and didn’t really want to lie to her, but with whatever that thing was in her neck, she had no choice. She felt for a lump under her skin. There was none. Uncomfortable now but not painful. Lee was still staring at her. She gave as enthusiastic a thumbs up as she could manage. Lee was supposed to surrender control of the bridge to her when the senior officer showed up. She stood and looked like she was going to cross the floor to Lena’s couch. Then she stiffened, stood, and saluted instead. Fazar stood in the doorway. Lena’s shoulders stiffened.
“PO Lee, you are relieved,” said Fazar.
“I am relieved, sir.” She saluted but her eyes were still on Lena as she left the bridge.
Lena was the opposite of relieved, she supposed. That would be about right. Lena lay down. The oddly supine position felt way safer than it should have. Rowie had got her here. She was safe, despite spending the morning in the company of Fazar till the main crew got in. If he laid a finger on her, Rowie would throw him into space and damn him if she did. Coffee finished, she put the cup on the floor and lay back on the bed.
“What’s that?” said Fazar.
“Pardon?” said Lena.
“Pardon, sir!”
“Pardon, sir.”
“What is that on the floor?” He pointed to the empty coffee cup.
“A cup, sir.”
“Yes, I can see that. Whose cup is it?”
“Mine, sir.”
“And what is it doing on the floor of my bridge?”
Lena took a breath, but a voice from the doorway stopped her, “I’ll take it,” said Lee.
“Thank you, PO Lee, for your kind offer, but Ms Purves was taking it herself.”
Lena swung her feet back over the edge of the couch and hopped down next to the cup.
“Say thank you to PO Lee.”
Lena looked from Lee to Fazar and back again. Lee was staring at her boots, “Thank you,” whispered Lena.
“I couldn’t hear that,” said Fazar.
“It’s okay,” said Lee.
“I will be the judge of that, thank you PO Lee.”
“Now say thank you so the nice officer can hear you and let’s get on, shall we?”
“Thank. You.” Lena’s teeth were clenched.
“It’s okay, really,” Lee said.
“Ah, but it’s not okay, PO Lee. It’s not at all okay, is it? Explain to the cadet, why not.”
“Lieutenant Fazar doesn’t like rubbish cluttering up the bridge,” said Lee flatly.
“Correct. It may be a freak alien artifact we’re all trusting our lives to here, but it is still a ship and a ship in His Majesty’s Navy now. And what does that mean, PO Lee?”
“It should be ship-shape, sir.”
“Correct, PO Lee. Cadet, pick up the cup and take it back to the mess, now. You are now late for duty. PO Lee, dismissed.”
Lena stood, and cup in hand made her way back to the door.
“Quick sharp!” said Fazar.
She rounded the corner from the bridge and nearly walked right into Lee.
She mouthed “You okay?”
Lena nodded. Lee placed a warm hand on her shoulder. Lena screwed her eyes up. When they were out of earshot, Lee said, “It gets easier, promise.” When they got to the mess, Lee took the cup from Lena’s fingers and held it in both hands.
“Thank you, PO—”
“Call me Lyn, okay?”
“Lyn.”
“Go on, scuttle back, don’t make him more cross.”
Lena nodded again and left.
As she stepped back onto the bridge, Fazar had his back to her, “Good. To your station cadet.”
“Sir,” she said walking back to the couch and climbing up.
“This morning, we make the ship go faster!”
“Sir,” she wasn’t sure if that was possible, but that wasn’t her biggest worry. Her biggest worry was preventing Rowie ejecting Fazar into space. She was getting extremely skilled in talking to the alien, in its weird visual, allegorical, emotional way of communicating. That was becoming second nature. She enjoyed the dreamlike state. She really felt as though Rowie was a friend and so far as she could understand, that feeling was mutual. None of that worried Lena this morning, even working out how fast they were going and negotiating whether faster was doable, or even what that meant at speeds no human had travelled before. No, this watch, Lena’s main challenge was explaining to Rowie what had just happened, calming her down and preventing her from ejecting Fazar into space.
