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“That is an understatement.” She set her teacup down.
“Would you like to continue your tour?”
“Yes. Does it include a place to sleep?”
“It does.”
“Then, where do I put the tray?”
“They will take it when we are gone.”
She nodded when she saw cleaning staff watching them without looking.
She stood up, and Devran rose as well. He offered his hand again, and she put her fingers on his wrist. They walked out of the commissary and to the oxygen farm. Time for the proper tour.
Chapter Three
Waking in the huge room was strange. She gasped and looked around, seeing warm white walls instead of the soothing grey-blue that she had lived in. Aya sat up and stretched, ignoring the thudding in her chest. She was experiencing fear of a new environment, and she let her body feel it. She just didn’t have to make it everything.
Aya pressed a hand to her chest and let the heartbeats slow. She got up and walked to the shower, cleaned up, and kept herself calm. It was harder than she thought.
Clean and refreshed, she walked to the wardrobe and blinked at the options. She smiled, found underwear, pulled on loose trousers and boots, and pulled a long tunic on over everything. It was comfortable, and she was completely covered, which eased the panic in her chest. “Damn. I am going to go into tank-top training.”
She looked at the clothing she was wearing, took off all the layers, and pulled out a dress that was loose, flowy, with bare shoulders and fluttering sleeves. The slits showed legs, and the shoes were cute and matched the sapphire blue. Her black hair was smooth, and her dark eyes against her bronze skin were sombre. She nodded, took a deep breath, and walked to the door.
She pressed her hand to the door for a moment before she activated the release and stepped into the hall. Her heart was pounding, and her skin was clammy, but she started moving. Aya wasn’t completely sure she was headed in the right direction, but she knew the food was two floors above her and ten minutes down from the lift. A few crewmembers passed, and someone, who was soft grey with a crimson crest of hair, walked up to her. “Mistress, do you know where you are going?”
“No. I just have to keep moving, or I will panic. I am trying to get to the commissary.”
Understanding lit the being’s eyes. “Come with me. You were headed in the right direction, but you missed the lift.” The being walked with her to the lift, up two floors, and then directed her. “It is five hundred metres that way. Would you like me to accompany you?”
“Yes, please, if it isn’t too much trouble.”
“It is fine, Mistress.”
“Is that my honourific?”
“You are the companion of Devran. He has not had a companion in the ship’s memory, so we are going with Hmrain protocols.” The crewperson smiled.
“Oh. Okay. Thank you for walking with me.”
“Is there any reason for your nervousness?”
Aya chuckled. “It goes a bit deeper. I was confined in a room, five metres by five metres. No exit. For four years. It was only that size because smaller rooms upset the clients.”
“Concubine?”
“Soother. No sex. No conversation. No windows. No companionship. No entertainment unit. No communication. Only a medical visit once a month to make sure that I was still alive. This much silent open space makes me nervous. I gravitate toward the one thing that I didn’t see in those years.”
“What was that?”
“People. I saw clients, but few spoke. I used to enjoy helping people, but when it was my whole universe, it was an empty place.”
“Do you need me to stay while you eat?”
Aya smiled. “Thank you for the offer. I think I will be all right. If not, I will ask someone there to find me a minder to get me back to the oxygen farm. I need to feel living things again. What is your name, by the way?”
“Ensign Brieto.”
