Page 5
Ra stared. “She’s actually a soother?”
“Yes.”
“Go and ask her. She sounds forthcoming. You are still coming here?”
“We are unless things change.”
“What could change?”
“Aya. She has not seen anything other than the inside of a box for years, attending to others.”
Ra nodded. “Understandable. Now, go.”
Devran chuckled and picked up the crystal. He walked swiftly through the ship, and when he arrived in medical, things had gone to hell. She had a breather over her mouth and nose, a drip was inserted near her shoulder, and fluids were entering her system there.
She moved one hand in a small wave. Her eyes were smiling. He could barely hear the words she whispered inside the mask, but he understood. “I got out.”
He walked to the repair unit and plugged in the update. The machine began to update, and he looked back at her. “Is she stable enough for the unit?”
The doctor looked at him. “She isn’t stable enough for this. Somehow, she is still conscious and speaking. A lot.”
Aya laughed behind the mask.
When the unit was ready, it chimed. Devran nodded, everything was removed, and the wet sounds of Aya fighting to live filled medical.
“I thought we were going to Aten.”
He settled her and placed her hands on the rests calibrated for her. “Aten has come to you.”
He closed the unit, and it whirred to life, trying to stabilize the soother who had no one to lean on. He wasn’t going to become infatuated, but if she and he happened to be going to the same place, he supposed he could offer her transport.
He smiled and watched the progress bar on the unit. She would be in there for a few days, so he was going to find out what the average human’s quarters looked like and take a look at her Education Station file. It was only polite, after all.
Chapter Two
The dreams in the repair unit had been trippy. She had heard a droning male voice in a silvery cloud with stars for eyes, and it was telling her how to go about altering the flow of time.
When the chime rang, she felt like a load of laundry was done, but the unit opened, and a cloudy grey hand took hers. “There you are, Aya.”
She looked at him. “Hello, Devran. Is there an honorific I should use?”
“None is necessary.”
“Are clothes available, and if you say none are necessary, I am going to pinch you.”
He grinned, or she thought he did. His eyes scrunched at the corners. “I have had a dress made for your renewed figure. Though the crew is missing out.”
She looked down and burst into tears. She was back. Her body had gotten her through the end of the world, and it was back.
He lifted her from the repair unit and leaned against one of the med beds. When her emotional storm was over, she felt a pat on her forehead and smiled. “Okay. Where are those clothes?”
Devran smiled. “Over here. I will assist you.”
He sat her on the med bed, got a dark silver fold of fabric, arranged it so it could slip on, and said, “Arms above your head.”
The gown slipped on, and the fabric felt thick and warm. It hugged everything and flared loose after her hip line.
He leaned down and slipped a pair of shoes with thick soles on her feet. “There. You may be nervous without your robes, and there are contingencies for that. We can provide you with all your layers, and you can discard them one by one.”
