Difference between revisions of "Confessions"

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I was on my back in the crawlspace under the engine room checking the fire suppression system when I heard Christian rapping at the door.  His arrival was unexpected and I lost my collar chuck to the grating beneath me.  Anxiety over its loss stabbed, and I sighed with relief when I spied it wedged in the metal latticework a few inches away.  I plucked it free and stowed it in my breast pocket.<br>
+
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;I was on my back in the crawlspace under the engine room checking the fire suppression system when I heard Christian rapping at the door.  His arrival was unexpected and I lost my collar chuck to the grating beneath me.  Anxiety over its loss stabbed, and I sighed with relief when I spied it wedged in the metal latticework a few inches away.  I plucked it free and stowed it in my breast pocket.<br>
−
 
+
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;“It’s open,” I called out and rising carefully I lifted the deck plate overhead and sat up.<br>
−
“It’s open,” I called out and rising carefully I lifted the deck plate overhead and sat up.<br>
+
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Christian stood on the threshold holding bowl of something orange and glistening.<br>
−
 
+
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;“I brought some food,” he said unnecessarily.<br>
−
Christian stood on the threshold holding bowl of something orange and glistening.<br>
+
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;I hauled out and checked myself.  ''Head-to-toe filthy''.  Christian was, as always, impeccably turned out and his plain white tee shirt and denims looked decidedly chic.  I pulled a handkerchief from my pocket and started scrubbing the worst from my hands.<br>   
−
 
+
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;“Thanks,” I nodded toward the console.  “You can set it there.”<br>
−
“I brought some food,” he said unnecessarily.<br>
+
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;My nose caught the aroma of peaches and my eyes confirmed it.  I kept on wiping as Christian did as I suggested.  He had the air of someone wishing to talk and I watched him looking around the engine room as he chose his opening gambit.<br>
−
 
+
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;“We’ve gotten ourselves into a bit of a mess, eh?” he asked.<br>
−
I hauled out and checked myself.  ''Head-to-toe filthy''.  Christian was, as always, impeccably turned out and his plain white tee shirt and denims looked decidedly chic.  I pulled a handkerchief from my pocket and started scrubbing the worst from my hands.<br>   
+
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;''Informal syntax.  He’s trying too hard.  Something’s up.''<br>
−
 
+
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;I gave up on the state of my nails and stuffed the handkerchief back in my pocket. I pulled the chair out from the console and sat, and sighed, rubbing my eyes.  I had no patience for the incipient conversation, but didn’t wish to be rude to the man either.  He rarely bothered me with aimless chit-chat and he obviously wanted to talk.  I lowered my hands and looked up.<br>
−
“Thanks,” I nodded toward the console.  “You can set it there.”<br>
+
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;“Like that’s any surprise,” I said, relenting.  “At least it’s familiar.  Things were going a touch too smooth lately and it felt strange.”  I pointed at the bowl.  “Please tell me that’s not the last of the peaches.”<br>
−
 
+
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;“That’s the last of the peaches, I’m afraid,” he confirmed, nodding sadly.  “We have some pineapple left, but it’ll be mostly paste from now on.  Maybe until we pay off our debt.  I don’t know.”<br>
−
My nose caught the aroma of peaches and my eyes confirmed it.  I kept on wiping as Christian did as I suggested.  He had the air of someone wishing to talk and I watched him looking around the engine room as he chose his opening gambit.<br>
+
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;“Give them to Nika.”  I pushed the bowl to Christian.  “She’s gonna need the vitamins more than me.  She worries me.”<br>
−
 
+
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Christian shook his head and pushed it back.<br>
−
“We’ve gotten ourselves into a bit of a mess, eh?” he asked.<br>
+
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;“She got the last of the canned pears,” he said.  “I’m a bit worried as well.  We might run into trouble again in the Core if my special friends find out we’re there.”<br>
−
 
+
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;I quirked a brow upward at his insistence over the peaches and ate a slice to mollify him.  God, he could be such a mother hen when the mood was on him.<br>   
−
''Informal syntax.  He’s trying too hard.  Something’s up.''<br>
+
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;“The Camdens don’t have to know you’re here, not if you don’t go off-ship.”  I licked the spoon clean and pointed it at him.  “But yeah, they could be a problem.  If they do cause trouble, I say we sic STT on them.  They’re our bosses now, let the big dogs sort it out.”  I put the spoon back into the bowl, careful not to splash the juice over the rim.  I swear, he must have just dumped the entire can into it and shlepped it over here.  I recalled how he ran meals back to me when I first shipped out, when the ''Gift'' was still the ''MakeMake'', and decided his solicitude could use some redirection.<br>   
−
 
+
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;“How is she?” I asked him, meaning our pilot.<br>
−
I gave up on the state of my nails and stuffed the handkerchief back in my pocket. I pulled the chair out from the console and sat, and sighed, rubbing my eyes.  I had no patience for the incipient conversation, but didn’t wish to be rude to the man either.  He rarely bothered me with aimless chit-chat and he obviously wanted to talk.  I lowered my hands and looked up.<br>
+
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;“STT is a system away,” Christian said, ignoring my deflection.  “And the Camdens could be looking for our ship and assume I’m on board.  But, yes, I’ll stay inside.  I’m glad, though, that I have all of you to help with my problems.  I don’t know how I would deal with so much grief on my own.”<br>
−
 
+
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;''That has got to be the'' lamest ''fishing expedition from him, ever.''<br>
−
“Like that’s any surprise,” I said, relenting.  “At least it’s familiar.  Things were going a touch too smooth lately and it felt strange.”  I pointed at the bowl.  “Please tell me that’s not the last of the peaches.”<br>
+
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;I looked at him narrowly.<br>   
−
 
+
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;“Just spit it out, Christian.  I’ve got work to do.” <br>  
−
“That’s the last of the peaches, I’m afraid,” he confirmed, nodding sadly.  “We have some pineapple left, but it’ll be mostly paste from now on.  Maybe until we pay off our debt.  I don’t know.”<br>
+
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;“No, you don’t,” he countered.  “You’ve gone over this engine and rewired things a dozen times since we left port.  The ship works just fine.  There are other ways to keep busy.  I wouldn’t mind a chess partner.”<br>
−
 
+
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;“There are other ways to keep busy,” I agreed, refusing to be reprimanded, and sketched a wave at the engine room.  “But nothing else works as well as this.  Besides, my chess is something the chickens laugh at.  You’d get a better game if you asked someone else.”<br>
−
“Give them to Nika.”  I pushed the bowl to Christian.  “She’s gonna need the vitamins more than me.  She worries me.”<br>
+
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;I remembered Nika huddled in her bunk, crying and broken.  Was it only last night?  The shock and the worry I felt for her was still fresh, and both goaded me to do something to help.  I was a ship’s engineer, more familiar with machines and their workings than the delicate insides of people’s heads.  Christian, however, was better suited for that kind of work.  Nika needed Christian more than I did, if I read the signs right, and Christian was in a mothering mood if the peaches were any indication.
−
 
+
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;“So,” I said and tried again to put him on her case. “You didn’t answer my question.  How is she?”<br>
−
Christian shook his head and pushed it back.<br>
+
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;“Recovering.  She might be in better shape than we are, honestly.”<br>
−
 
+
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;''I doubt that, Christian.  I really do.''<br>
−
“She got the last of the canned pears,” he said.  “I’m a bit worried as well.  We might run into trouble again in the Core if my special friends find out we’re there.”<br>
+
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;“You would need to ask Arden for more detailed information,” Christian continued and then paused, and asked, “Why did you turn down Mike’s proposal?”<br>
−
 
+
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;''Dammit, Christian!  Leave me out of this. We’re discussing Nika.''<br>
−
I quirked a brow upward at his insistence over the peaches and ate a slice to mollify him.  God, he could be such a mother hen when the mood was on him.<br>   
+
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;“Eavesdropped, did you?”  I drew myself up and glared at him.<br>
−
 
+
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;“You know better,” he said gently.  “I don’t listen in on private moments.”<br>
−
“The Camdens don’t have to know you’re here, not if you don’t go off-ship.”  I licked the spoon clean and pointed it at him.  “But yeah, they could be a problem.  If they do cause trouble, I say we sic STT on them.  They’re our bosses now, let the big dogs sort it out.”  I put the spoon back into the bowl, careful not to splash the juice over the rim.  I swear, he must have just dumped the entire can into it and shlepped it over here.  I recalled how he ran meals back to me when I first shipped out, when the ''Gift'' was still the ''MakeMake'', and decided his solicitude could use some redirection.<br>   
+
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;I already knew that secrets on a ship were impossible to keep, and the problem was made worse by how tightly-knit we were.  And just like that, my anger faded.  All I felt now was a weary curiosity. <br>
−
 
+
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;“How did you know?” I asked, settling down again. <br>   
−
“How is she?” I asked him, meaning our pilot.<br>
+
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;“His body language before he left.  He was tense.  Worried.  Nervous.  And not just because he was leaving.  There would be some relief there, if that were the case,” Christian explained.  “The way he kept looking at you, as if he were afraid of what you might say next.”<br>
−
 
+
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;“It’s not like he hasn’t asked me before.  He’s….”  I breathed a laugh and shook my head.  “He knows me inside-out, and he proposed to me in such a way as to send me running.  He asked me to raise ''sheep'' with him, for God’s sake.  He knew what he was doing.  He wanted me gone.  I don’t know why, but I suspect.  And it pisses me off that he didn’t tell it to me straight: that he’s got a job on and he doesn’t want me there.  So, no waterworks over this one, Christian.  I’m sorry.”<br>
−
“STT is a system away,” Christian said, ignoring my deflection.  “And the Camdens could be looking for our ship and assume I’m on board.  But, yes, I’ll stay inside.  I’m glad, though, that I have all of you to help with my problems.  I don’t know how I would deal with so much grief on my own.”<br>
+
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;I bit back what I was going to say—''If you knew him, you’d know that already''.  It wasn’t fair to twit Christian if he didn’t have the whole picture and I sighed, wishing the situation wasn’t so complicated.<br>   
−
 
+
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;“Look,” I said to him then.  “I know what you’re doing and I appreciate it. I know that you’re feeling wasted counting towels in the linen closet and cooking soup.  You’re a great steward and an even greater cook, Christian, but it’s not your calling.  You’re a Companion.  It’s who you are.  It’s what you do.  Why aren’t you pursuing it?”<br>
−
''That has got to be the'' lamest ''fishing expedition from him, ever.''<br>
+
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;“''That'',” Christian said with a laugh, “was an impressive change of subject.  Well done. Very good.  I’ll tell you what.  I’ll tell you why I’m not pursuing being a Companion if you tell me why you said no to Mike, knowing he had not intention of raising sheep, even if you did marry him.”<br>
−
 
+
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;“I have my moments,” I said, acknowledging the compliment.<br>   
−
I looked at him narrowly.<br>   
+
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;I rose and picked up the bowl of peaches, thinking to stow them in the galley and avoid any further entanglements.  Christian didn’t move but followed me with his eyes, patiently waiting for an answer, and I realized that before I got what I wanted out of him, I would have to give him what he wanted out of me. <br>   
−
 
+
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;“See me in my quarters later tonight.  I’ll tell you what you want to know then.”<br>
−
“Just spit it out, Christian.  I’ve got work to do.” <br>  
+
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;I walked past him and turning on impulse, I hugged him from behind.<br>
−
 
+
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;“Thanks for the peaches,” I said into his shirt.  It was soft against my face and he smelled of soap. And then got myself out of there before I could dig myself any deeper.  If I remembered correctly, the bowl came with a lid that would keep the peaches contained til I could get to them again.<br>   
−
“No, you don’t,” he countered.  “You’ve gone over this engine and rewired things a dozen times since we left port.  The ship works just fine.  There are other ways to keep busy.  I wouldn’t mind a chess partner.”<br>
 
−
 
 
−
“There are other ways to keep busy,” I agreed, refusing to be reprimanded, and sketched a wave at the engine room.  “But nothing else works as well as this.  Besides, my chess is something the chickens laugh at.  You’d get a better game if you asked someone else.”<br>
 
−
 
 
−
I remembered Nika huddled in her bunk, crying and broken.  Was it only last night?  The shock and the worry I felt for her was still fresh, and both goaded me to do something to help.  I was a ship’s engineer, more familiar with machines and their workings than the delicate insides of people’s heads.  Christian, however, was better suited for that kind of work.  Nika needed Christian more than I did, if I read the signs right, and Christian was in a mothering mood if the peaches were any indication.
 
−
“So,” I said and tried again to put him on her case. “You didn’t answer my question.  How is she?”<br>
 
−
 
 
−
“Recovering.  She might be in better shape than we are, honestly.”<br>
 
−
 
 
−
''I doubt that, Christian.  I really do.''<br>
 
−
 
 
−
“You would need to ask Arden for more detailed information,” Christian continued and then paused, and asked, “Why did you turn down Mike’s proposal?”<br>
 
−
 
 
−
''Dammit, Christian!  Leave me out of this. We’re discussing Nika.''<br>
 
−
 
 
−
“Eavesdropped, did you?”  I drew myself up and glared at him.<br>
 
−
 
 
−
“You know better,” he said gently.  “I don’t listen in on private moments.”<br>
 
−
 
 
−
I already knew that secrets on a ship were impossible to keep, and the problem was made worse by how tightly-knit we were.  And just like that, my anger faded.  All I felt now was a weary curiosity. <br>
 
−
 
 
−
“How did you know?” I asked, settling down again. <br>   
 
−
 
 
−
“His body language before he left.  He was tense.  Worried.  Nervous.  And not just because he was leaving.  There would be some relief there, if that were the case,” Christian explained.  “The way he kept looking at you, as if he were afraid of what you might say next.”<br>
 
−
 
 
−
“It’s not like he hasn’t asked me before.  He’s….”  I breathed a laugh and shook my head.  “He knows me inside-out, and he proposed to me in such a way as to send me running.  He asked me to raise ''sheep'' with him, for God’s sake.  He knew what he was doing.  He wanted me gone.  I don’t know why, but I suspect.  And it pisses me off that he didn’t tell it to me straight: that he’s got a job on and he doesn’t want me there.  So, no waterworks over this one, Christian.  I’m sorry.”<br>
 
−
 
 
−
I bit back what I was going to say—''If you knew him, you’d know that already''.  It wasn’t fair to twit Christian if he didn’t have the whole picture and I sighed, wishing the situation wasn’t so complicated.<br>   
 
−
 
 
−
“Look,” I said to him then.  “I know what you’re doing and I appreciate it. I know that you’re feeling wasted counting towels in the linen closet and cooking soup.  You’re a great steward and an even greater cook, Christian, but it’s not your calling.  You’re a Companion.  It’s who you are.  It’s what you do.  Why aren’t you pursuing it?”<br>
 
−
 
 
−
“''That'',” Christian said with a laugh, “was an impressive change of subject.  Well done. Very good.  I’ll tell you what.  I’ll tell you why I’m not pursuing being a Companion if you tell me why you said no to Mike, knowing he had not intention of raising sheep, even if you did marry him.”<br>
 
−
 
 
−
“I have my moments,” I said, acknowledging the compliment.<br>   
 
−
 
 
−
I rose and picked up the bowl of peaches, thinking to stow them in the galley and avoid any further entanglements.  Christian didn’t move but followed me with his eyes, patiently waiting for an answer, and I realized that before I got what I wanted out of him, I would have to give him what he wanted out of me. <br>   
 
−
 
 
−
“See me in my quarters later tonight.  I’ll tell you what you want to know then.”<br>
 
−
 
 
−
I walked past him and turning on impulse, I hugged him from behind.<br>
 
−
 
 
−
“Thanks for the peaches,” I said into his shirt.  It was soft against my face and he smelled of soap. And then got myself out of there before I could dig myself any deeper.  If I remembered correctly, the bowl came with a lid that would keep the peaches contained til I could get to them again.<br>   
 
 
<br><br>
 
<br><br>
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Go to [[Confessions, Part 2|Confessions, Part 2]]
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Time has little meaning on a ship.  It’s constantly changing to match the local hours at every port of call and rarely is it consistent from one landfall to the next. One simply conforms to the clock dirtside, regardless of the time already spent awake prior to landing.  It’s easy to say but hard to do, and I’ve pulled sleepless stints past twenty-four hours on more than one occasion.<br>
 
−
 
 
−
It’s only during the long stretches between ports that there’s some semblance of a diurnal rhythm.  Crews divvy up duties between night and day shifts, set their watches to ship’s time, and carry on.  So it was that evening after dinner that I grabbed my kit bag and took myself off to the crew head to shower.  I’d just spent an hour whaling the shit out of the punching bag in the aft lounge, working up a good sweat and bolstering my resolve to make good on the deal I’d struck with Christian earlier.  My knuckles burned.  Inspecting them, I saw they’d been skinned raw by the bag as I’d pummeled it barefisted.  I turned the shower on, and put up with the sting as the water hit the broken skin.  A little pain would be salutary, given my current frame of mind.<br> 
 
−
 
 
−
''Lather, rinse, repeat.  Done.''<br>
 
−
 
 
−
I dried off quickly, pulled a fresh change on and quit the head toweling my hair dry.  It had been nearly a year since I’d last put barbers’ shears to it and it swung to my shoulders, now.  A bother.  Maybe I’d take care of it wherever STT sent us next.  Assuming we survived Potemkin once we arrived on Bernadette.<br>
 
−
 
 
−
“Rina.”<br>
 
−
 
 
−
I heard my name and turned, and saw Christian in the corridor.  I pulled off the towel and raked my fingers through my hair to settle it.<br>
 
−
 
 
−
“I’ll just be a minute,” I said.  Christian nodded and leant against his door, and I ducked into my quarters to dress.  I pulled open my locker and tossed my kit bag on the shelf and dithered:  dress up or down?  I stood in nothing but a clean jog bra and leggings.  Dressing down wasn’t an option.  ''Up, then''.  I shrugged into a fresh tee-shirt and padded barefoot to my door.  I stuck my head out and waved Christian over.<br>
 
−
 
 
−
“Coast’s clear.”<br>
 
−
 
 
−
“Oh, good,” Christian said, smiling.  “I’d hate to see your breasts.  They must be hideous, so perfectly shaped and well-sized.”
 
−
He walked into my quarters as if he belonged there and I resisted the urge to swat him on his blue-jeaned ass for his remark as he passed me.<br>
 
−
 
 
−
“A good bra is a girl’s best friend,” I said and waved him to the furnishings.  “Hell, Christian, yours are probably better than mine.  Have a seat.”<br>
 
−
 
 
−
“More expensive, anyway,” Christian admitted, settling on my bed.  “One of these days I’ll have to put on a nice dress. It’s been ages since I’ve cross-dressed.”<br>
 
−
 
 
−
I took the chair at my desk and tucked a leg under me.  Too late, I realized my leggings fell short of my shins and inwardly winced.  I hated my scars and normally kept them covered.  ''If he asks, he asks.  It was bound to come up sooner or later.'' <br>
 
−
 
 
−
“I’m sorry if I kept you waiting.  I forgot the time.”  I ran my fingers through my hair again, hit a snag and pulled a comb from my desk drawer.  I worked the knot out and spoke.  “So where were we?  You were going to tell me why you aren’t in the Life anymore.”<br>
 
−
 
 
−
“You know why I left,” he said, paying no attention to my shins.  I silently thanked him for it.  He kept his eyes on mine and continued.  “You asked why I didn’t go back.  I told you I’d talk about this if you told me why you said no to Mike.  Quid pro quo, remember?”<br>
 
−
 
 
−
He smiled a small smile and I nodded.<br>
 
−
 
 
−
“Fair enough.”  I tossed the comb back in the drawer and shut it, then tipped my head back and regarded the ceiling.  I sighed.  ''Here we go''.  “What do you want to know?  Something general or something more specific?”<br>
 
−
 
 
−
“You know Mike didn’t intend to raise sheep or farm.  And you want to be with him.  So why didn’t you call his bluff and say yes?”<br>
 
−
 
 
−
“Good question.”  I lowered my gaze and looked at him.  “The fact that he phrased his proposal as he’d done….look, it’s complicated.  Tell me something, Christian.  Name something that if someone offered you a lifetime doing it, it would make you run the hell away.”<br>
 
−
 
 
−
He considered it.<br>
 
−
 
 
−
“I see what you mean,” he said.  “He picked the thing that would most repel you.”  He paused.  Then: “And if he could do that…could try to push you away like that…then you couldn’t be with him.  He had to be ready.”<br>
 
−
 
 
−
“You almost got it right.  He didn’t frame it the way he did to find out what I’d say.  ''He already knew''.  That’s why he framed it the way he did—to give us both an out.  He’s going somewhere he doesn’t want me to follow.  Whether it’s a matter of pride or operational security isn’t the point.  The fact that he chose that method to make me back off was.  And to understand that, you need to know a little more about us.”<br>
 
−
 
 
−
“Are you ready to tell me that?” Christian asked, his voice soft.  “You’ve answered my question.  I’m fine with leaving it there.”<br>
 
−
 
 
−
“Another good question.”  I bit my lip, debating.  ''Companions don’t kiss and tell.  But is he a Companion right now?  Or crew?''  Honesty warred with discretion, the need for friendship urged me toward confidences while ingrained habit warned me to keep my mouth shut. “I’m sorry.  I don’t mean to be a tease, Christian, but what I say next depends on what you do with it.”<br>
 
−
 
 
−
“Then you have to wait.” <br>
 
−
 
 
−
Christian stood up and bent down to brush his lips against my cheek. <br>
 
−
 
 
−
“Until you’re sure,” he said, his breath tickling my ear.  “To core of your being, that you can trust me.  When that day comes, I’ll listen to everything you have to tell me.”<br>
 
−
 
 
−
I froze and then grabbed his arms and firmly pushed him back a step.<br>
 
−
 
 
−
“''Don’t''.” I said evenly, and released him.  “If you want me to trust you, Christian, you’ll have to leave your Companion tricks at the door.  I want to know that I’m dealing with the person, not the training.  Can you do that?”<br>
 
−
 
 
−
Christian smiled but I caught a touch of sadness in his expression, nonetheless.<br>
 
−
 
 
−
“The training is part of who I am, Rina.  I can’t stop that any more than you can stop being a mechanic. As for that, I asked the Guild to reinstate my license, before we landed on Angel.”  He moved to the door and opened it, then paused on the threshold and looked at me.  “I meant what I said, Rina.  When I have your trust, I’ll listen, but you shouldn’t tell me until you’re sure.  Giving away pieces of yourself should only happen with people you truly feel bonded to.”<br>
 
−
 
 
−
It was good advice but it didn’t hide the fact the man was skipping out on me.<br>
 
−
 
 
−
“Not so fast, Mister.  Park your ass back on that bed and deliver your half of the bargain.  I didn’t ask you if you were going back to the Guild.  I asked you why you left.  And it’s not because you had to take out some ruttin’ pizda bliad in self-defense.  I’m sure it happens often enough that the Guild has training for that, too.  Your leaving wasn’t business, it was personal.  Why?”<br>
 
−
 
 
−
Christian laughed, returned to my bunk and sat down, and I realized what he’d just done.<br> 
 
−
 
 
−
''Stick to your guns.  Keep him honest.  Don’t give in.''<br> 
 
−
 
 
−
“Okay,” he said, sobering.<br>
 
−
 
 
−
''It’s how he plays the game.'' <br>
 
−
 
 
−
I watched him marshal his thoughts and choose his words.  I gave him the time he needed.  It was the give and take of how the game was played, after all.<br>
 
−
 
 
−
“I left because I felt guilty,” he finally said.  “I had killed a man.  Worse, I had done so in a sacred space, during a sacred time.”<br>
 
−
 
 
−
''Sacred?  Well, I’ll be damned….''<br>
 
−
 
 
−
“Just when I think I have you figured out,” I murmured after a long minute.  ''Keep him honest.''  “So…sex is sacred to you?”<br>
 
−
 
 
−
“No,” he said.  “Sex isn’t.  The time a Companion spends with his or her client is.  It starts with a ritual and it ends with one.  We consecrate the place where the union is performed.”<br>
 
−
 
 
−
“Then I think that’s where you and I may have to differ,” I said slowly, and meant it.  “For me, it’s the sex that’s sacred, that sanctifies the time and place, not the other way around.  Sharing your soul and baring it is a sacrament and it deserves respect.  Bringing money into it….”  I sighed, uncertain I could make him understand.  “There’s a reason Jesus swept the moneychangers from the Temple, Christian.”<br>
 
−
 
 
−
I realized how it sounded and held up a hand to forestall him.<br>
 
−
 
 
−
“I’m not arguing your profession or your morals.  I’m not here for that.  You felt guilty for sullying something sacred and you put yourself in…what? purgatory, to expiate yourself for your sin, is that it?”<br>
 
−
 
 
−
“Something like that, yes.”<br> 
 
−
 
 
−
“Was it required?  What did the Guild demand you do?”<br>
 
−
 
 
−
“The Guild didn’t demand anything of me,” he said.  “The incident happened, they were satisfied it was self-defense.  They dealt with it.  I left for my own reasons.  I thought at the time it was because I had dishonored the Guild.  I’ve come to realize I left because I thought I deserved the punishment of leaving my family.  Luckily, I found a new family and they taught me that I had been an idiot.”<br>
 
−
 
 
−
He grinned then, and I breathed a laugh.<br>
 
−
 
 
−
“Every family has one,” I said.  I drew my knees up and hugged them.  “Where do you go from here?”<br>
 
−
 
 
−
“I sent in a petition for reinstatement.  Now, I wait to see what it says.  After that, hopefully they’ll give me a loan to fix up one of the cargo containers to work from.  I’ll sleep in my room, work from the container.”<br>
 
−
 
 
−
“Sounds like you’re settling down for the long haul then, even though I know there were at least two times you were close to leaving.  I know I may not show it well, Christian, but I’m glad you decided to stay.”<br>
 
−
 
 
−
“In the past.”  Christian waved a hand aft. “This is my home, now.  Where else would I want to be?  Well…maybe on a nicer ship.  I know Nika wants one with more cargo space.”<br>
 
−
 
 
−
“‘A man’s dreams should exceed his grasp/Else what is a Heaven for?’”<br>
 
−
 
 
−
“Exactly,” Christian agreed.  “And considering our debt after Potemkin’s little present…we need all the dreams we can get.”<br>
 
−
 
 
−
“Christian,” I said quietly.  “Have you ever lost yours?”<br>
 
−
 
 
−
“Yes,” he said.  “You helped me find it again.”<br>
 
−
 
 
−
“I?”  That threw me.  “How?”<br>
 
−
 
 
−
“You taught me how to understand myself better,” he said softly.  “You taught me there are things worth fighting for.  Even worth killing for.  And you taught me that family is there to help each other, to share the burdens so on one is alone.”<br>
 
−
 
 
−
And there it was: the opening I needed.  Dare I take it?  I looked at him sitting on my bunk looking at me, and made up my mind.<br>
 
−
 
 
−
“Good advice.  It’s time I followed it.  You got anywhere you need to be right now?”<br>
 
−
 
 
−
Christian shook his head.  “Just right here.”<br>
 
−
 
 
−
“Then it’s time I told you something.  It’s only fair, considering what I dragged out of you tonight.” I sighed and put my feet on the deck, and straightened in my chair.  “Mike told me once that secrets kept too long tend to fester, that you can hold yourself apart only so long before people stop knocking on your door.  I’m tired of keeping secrets, Christian, and I’m tired of being alone.  You told me that when I trusted you, that when the time was right, to tell you.  It’ll never be right, it will never be perfect--perfect doesn’t exist.  There’s only now. So, quid pro quo.” <br>
 
−
 
 
−
I took a deep breath and began.<br>
 
−
 
 
−
“When I said that Mike and I met during the war, I wasn’t being entirely truthful. We did meet, yes.  But we weren’t friends. We were enemies.”<br>
 
−
 
 
−
Christian sat and listened and kept his eyes on mine.<br>
 
−
 
 
−
“I was his prisoner.”<br>
 
−
 
 
−
I quit my chair and paced to the door and back, trying to find the words to say it. How much to tell him?  How much to hold back?  ''Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned. It’s been...eleven years since my last confession.''<br>
 
−
 
 
−
“I’m .... I’ll start from the beginning.”<br>
 
−
 
 
−
“Okay,” Christian said, his tone encouraging.<br>
 
−
 
 
−
I grabbed my chair and straddled it and crossed my arms on its back.<br>
 
−
 
 
−
"I joined the Navy when I was seventeen.  I was going over my test results with the recruiting officer when the word came in: the Alliance had declared War on the Independents.<br>
 
−
 
 
−
“I’d tested off the charts. They wanted me in and I wanted away from home and all the petty restrictions of where to live and work and what to think that the Feds slapped on me and...”  I paused and focused.  “Let’s just say I had to get out and the military was the only avenue I had left, the one loophole the Feds couldn’t close. Not with a War on.<br>
 
−
 
 
−
“So they accepted my application and satisfied the age requirement by sending me to Specialist School until I turned eighteen. Nine months, three promotions, and one birthday later, they put me on a ship and sent me to the Front. My family was convinced I’d lost my mind and I’d lose my life doing it. They were wrong.<br>
 
−
 
−
“I found my calling and took back my life.  I had my ship and I made her mine.  Mine, Christian.  Can you understand what it’s like to hold your breath for seventeen years and finally breathe free?  Can you imagine how it feels to find the one thing you love and do anything, anything, to keep it safe, to keep it close?  Have you ever fallen asleep with a song in your head and know it was what you loved singing to you?  Have you ever had a dream and actually been fortunate enough to ''live it''?”<br>
 
−
 
 
−
“I was lucky,” Christian says, “I always wanted to be exactly what I became. I’m glad you found that, too.”<br>
 
−
 
 
−
“Then you know what it’s like to lose it.” I regarded the deck for a moment. “Mike knows some of what happened next, but not all of it. He didn’t ask and I didn't say. <br>
 
−
 
 
−
“There was a war on.  Danger.  Combat.  Mechanical failures.  Everything was uncertain.  Some cracked under it.  I thrived.  After almost two years, start to finish, I’d hit the wall in spec ranks and the Chief had me tapped for Warrant Officer.  Then our Lieutenant took a bullet in the chest at Bradford’s Run and got mustered out on medical.  His replacement arrived a week later and when he stepped aboard, everything changed.”<br>
 
−
 
 
−
Christian nodded, listening, and I spoke to the deck.<br>
 
−
 
 
−
“Rape’s an ugly business.  It’s worse when it’s between officer and enlisted.  The deck is stacked against the low ranker from the start.  I don’t know why he singled me out.  He never said and I never asked.  I pressed charges anyway.  The Brass refused to hear my case.  There was a war on and they had more important things to do than listen to some idiot girl’s unsubstantiated whining after she’d changed her mind, they said.  At the time, I didn’t have the complete picture.  I only knew that they’d let me down--the first time ever--and that the Lieutenant told me afterward that if I made any further trouble, he’d bust me so far down I’d never set foot on a ship again. And that’s when he made his mistake.”<br>
 
−
 
 
−
I looked up.<br>
 
−
 
 
−
“Nothing was taking me off my ship.  ''Nothing''.  I was a lifer, I was going to reenlist til I died, and no one was going to stop me.  It didn't matter what he did to me.  It didn’t matter how many times he took me, or where, or when, or how hard or how soft.  Which he did.  Repeatedly.  For three weeks.  He wanted to break me.  I wanted to win.  I knuckled down and I bided my time.  For all I know, we’d still be at it if the war hadn’t intervened.<br>
 
−
 
 
−
“We were ambushed.  I was in one of the cannon bays when he locked the door and started in on me.  The first volley distracted him enough that I got out of there, but not before he misfired his weapon into a cannon round and everything went up.  I managed to get the compartment sealed and the halon going, but the rounds were cooking off too fast for it to work.  There was a hull breach.  He got sucked out.  And we got shot down.”<br>
 
−
 
 
−
I closed my eyes and saw it, and heard my voice go thin.<br>
 
−
 
 
−
“Everything was on fire.  We had breach on both decks and we were trapped in engineering.  Our captain was screaming for more power, trying to shave our vector, and we gave it to him.  He got us down in three pieces.  That’s how I got these.”  I ran a hand down my shin.  “Broke ’em on landing.  Girder got me.  I managed to lever the damn thing off and drag out before the rest of the ordnance blew. By then I was past caring—I’d accomplished what I’d sworn to do.  I saw the bastard dead and I’d outlasted him.  For about thirty minutes.  And now my ship was gone and I was going with her.”<br>
 
−
 
 
−
I dared a glance at Christian and his face was calm, but I didn’t miss that flash behind his eyes.  He was angry.  I went on.<br>
 
−
 
 
−
“I thought that was the last of it, and of him.  I was wrong.  But I’m getting ahead of myself.” I closed my eyes again.  “What happened next is a bit fuzzy.  I don’t think I was thinking too clearly at that point.  When Mike’s squad found me, I was almost gone.  I fought them.  I tried to, anyway.  I didn’t get far, not with two broken legs showing bone, I didn’t.  They slapped a patch on me and I went down.  And it was years afterward when Mike told me this, but on the ride to the field hospital, I kicked it.  Dead as a doornail.  For about two minutes.  Mike pulled rank on the squad sergeant and used the last of the meds to bring me back.  Had I been able to, I would have told him he needn’t have bothered.  Everything I wanted was gone.<br>
 
−
 
 
−
“So, there I was. Two bum legs, a prisoner of war, and squirreled away somewhere with a stranger I expected to nail me the minute I let my guard down.  I already knew what my own side could do to me, thanks to the Lieutenant, and I had no hope the enemy would do any less.<br>
 
−
 
 
−
“Mike had been tasked to get me to defect.  He had a rough job ahead of him.  Nothing he said worked.  I refused to listen.  Not that I was entirely loyal to the Alliance at that point, but if there was one thing the Lieutenant had taught me, it was that men were liars.  And surviving my ship taught me that I was tougher than I believed possible.  I didn’t know what I’d do or where I’d go or even who I’d trust besides myself, but I knew I had to escape, that I had to resist, that I had to keep saying no until the enemy either killed me or let me go.  They did neither.  And I went nowhere.<br>
 
−
 
 
−
“Do you know what it’s like not knowing if today would be the day they’d rape your brains out and drag you out back to be shot?  What it’s like to find out that your own side not only gave you up to the enemy, but declared you a saboteur and a collaborator and sentenced you to death for treason?  That if you actually did manage to escape you couldn’t go back because they’d shoot you on sight?  That everything you wanted and endured so much ''fucking shit'' for would never be yours, because some raping bastard’s family had the political pull to burn all your bridges behind you?  Do you know how it feels to stand on the ground and hear the Black calling you, and be too damned broken to fly?  ''It’s hell'', Christian.  It’s nothing but hell and if I died tomorrow, hell would be nothing new when I got there.  I’ve already lived it.<br>
 
−
 
 
−
“And Mike was the man who pulled me out.” <br>
 
−
 
 
−
I raised my head and opened my eyes and finished it.<br>
 
−
 
 
−
“He stood by my side from the moment they’d scraped me off the crash site to the night I’d hit absolute bottom.  You can’t do something like that and come away not knowing someone inside-out.  Not even if you’re only half-awake.  More than anyone, Mike knows what makes me tick, what gives me joy…and what makes me run.”<br>
 
−
 
 
−
“It builds a bond,” Christian said, nodding.<br>
 
−
 
 
−
“It does.  One strong enough to stand ten years of being apart more than together, and allows me to compartmentalize what he does on the job and off it.  I’ve got no real illusions on that score, Christian.  He’s a spy.  He’s killed people.  He’s a wanted man and a war criminal.  He’s also the one person I trust completely with my body and my life, the one person I don’t have to keep secrets from or wear a mask.  Not to insult your or anyone else on this ship, but that’s how it stands.”<br>
 
−
 
 
−
“Everyone should be so lucky,” Christian said with a small smile.<br>
 
−
 
 
−
“Sometimes luck is too damned expensive.  I’ve paid a high price for mine, and I don’t think I’m done paying it.”  I sighed and raked a hand through my hair, and got a grip.  “He’s up to something, Christian.  I know it.  I just don’t know what.”<br>
 
−
 
 
−
“Revenge?” Christian shifted on my bunk and continued delicately.  “He was…in way…raped.  He had much of what he was taken away.”<br>
 
−
 
 
−
“Don’t think I haven’t missed that.”  Eyes narrowing, I turned the thought over in my head.  “Revenge is as good an explanation as any, and would be something he wouldn’t want me around to see.  Or horn in on.  He’s not the only one suffering the consequences of what they did to him.”<br>
 
−
 
 
−
“It could be a combination.  Making sure it doesn’t happen to anyone else.  And revenge.  He might think it’s a suicide mission and doesn’t want you there.”<br>
 
−
 
 
−
“''No''.”  My head snapped up.  “He wouldn’t have said he’d be waiting for me if he’s going off to die.  He wanted to spare me pain, not give me more of it.  He’s not....”  I stopped, frustrated, and searched for the right words. “He’s not suicidal. I’d stake my life on it. There’ve been too many places in the past three months where he could have just thrown himself on his sword and no one could have stopped him. He didn’t do it then, he’s not going to do it now.  No.  He’s got a plan in place, he’s going to carry it out, and all I can do is stay out of his way and leave him word as I’ve always done, and hope he leaves word back.”<br>
 
−
 
 
−
Christian didn’t try to convince me otherwise, or offer platitudes for a favorable outcome.  He simply sat back and considered it.<br>
 
−
 
 
−
“You know him better than I do,” he said, finally.  “If that’s what you think, then that’s what it is.”<br>
 
−
 
 
−
“It better be, or I’ll track him down and haunt him through his next three hundred incarnations.”  I laughed then, short and sharp, and felt lighter inside.  I’d been keeping too much bottled up for too long.  Mike had been right…as usual, dammit.  “Don’t worry about me, Christian.  I’ll be fine.”<br>
 
−
 
 
−
That got a grin out of him.<br>
 
−
 
 
−
“At that?” he said.  “I have no doubt.”<br>
 
−
 
 
−
“Good.  Then you’ll know better than to die on me, either.  I can haunt two idiots as easily as one.”<br>
 
−
 
 
−
“Me? I’m too pretty to die,” Christian scoffed archly.<br>
 
−
 
 
−
“Don’t be so sure.  You’re tempting enough to make even the Devil look twice.”<br>
 
−
 
 
−
“After I get my license back,” he shrugged.  “If she’s willing to pay and has good references…”<br>
 
−
 
 
−
I laughed again.<br>
 
−
 
 
−
“That would be an interesting night.  Make sure you don’t end up losing your soul when you get that call.”  I sobered.  “It’s damned hard to get it back.”<br>
 
−
 
 
−
“Yes.”<br>
 
−
 
 
−
“So…”  I looked up through my lashes at him.  “How much would you charge a client to do nothing but talk?”<br>
 
−
 
 
−
I’d finally caught him off guard.  He stared at me a moment before he found his tongue again and answered.<br>
 
−
 
 
−
“A client?  About four hundred credits.”<br>
 
−
 
 
−
“Then don’t take this the wrong way.”  I stood up and before he could move, I hugged him hard, and held him for a beat.  “''Spasiba'', Christian.  I owe you one.”  I let him go and withdrew a step.  “I don’t mean to be rude, but it’s late and I’d like to turn in now.”<br>
 
−
 
 
−
“I should get some sleep, too.” Christian returned the hug and didn’t resist when I stepped back.  He rose from my bunk and nodded.  “Good night, Rina.  Sleep well.”<br>
 
−
 
 
−
He left as he came, upright and elegantly, and I thought I saw something else in the line of his shoulders before he closed the door behind him:  ''Satisfaction''.  As I readied for bed, I reviewed what I’d said and seen, and I realized as much as he’d done me the favor of listening as I unburdened myself, I’d done him the favor of letting him help me do it.  I checked my watch.  I would have to go back on the clock in another five hours.  I had to sleep, and sleep fast.  I turned out the light and put off thinking about missing lovers and reinstated Companions.<br> 
 
−
 
 
−
Everything was quiet inside my head and out.  And for the moment, it was enough.<br>
 

Revision as of 21:17, 18 April 2009



An excerpt from Peripatetica, by M. K. Sebastien, Engr. ret.


Friday, 30 Dec 2518
Kuiper II Class, Summer’s Gift
En route to Bernadette
20:00 hrs, ship’s time


        I was on my back in the crawlspace under the engine room checking the fire suppression system when I heard Christian rapping at the door. His arrival was unexpected and I lost my collar chuck to the grating beneath me. Anxiety over its loss stabbed, and I sighed with relief when I spied it wedged in the metal latticework a few inches away. I plucked it free and stowed it in my breast pocket.
        “It’s open,” I called out and rising carefully I lifted the deck plate overhead and sat up.
        Christian stood on the threshold holding bowl of something orange and glistening.
        “I brought some food,” he said unnecessarily.
        I hauled out and checked myself. Head-to-toe filthy. Christian was, as always, impeccably turned out and his plain white tee shirt and denims looked decidedly chic. I pulled a handkerchief from my pocket and started scrubbing the worst from my hands.
        “Thanks,” I nodded toward the console. “You can set it there.”
        My nose caught the aroma of peaches and my eyes confirmed it. I kept on wiping as Christian did as I suggested. He had the air of someone wishing to talk and I watched him looking around the engine room as he chose his opening gambit.
        “We’ve gotten ourselves into a bit of a mess, eh?” he asked.
        Informal syntax. He’s trying too hard. Something’s up.
        I gave up on the state of my nails and stuffed the handkerchief back in my pocket. I pulled the chair out from the console and sat, and sighed, rubbing my eyes. I had no patience for the incipient conversation, but didn’t wish to be rude to the man either. He rarely bothered me with aimless chit-chat and he obviously wanted to talk. I lowered my hands and looked up.
        “Like that’s any surprise,” I said, relenting. “At least it’s familiar. Things were going a touch too smooth lately and it felt strange.” I pointed at the bowl. “Please tell me that’s not the last of the peaches.”
        “That’s the last of the peaches, I’m afraid,” he confirmed, nodding sadly. “We have some pineapple left, but it’ll be mostly paste from now on. Maybe until we pay off our debt. I don’t know.”
        “Give them to Nika.” I pushed the bowl to Christian. “She’s gonna need the vitamins more than me. She worries me.”
        Christian shook his head and pushed it back.
        “She got the last of the canned pears,” he said. “I’m a bit worried as well. We might run into trouble again in the Core if my special friends find out we’re there.”
        I quirked a brow upward at his insistence over the peaches and ate a slice to mollify him. God, he could be such a mother hen when the mood was on him.
        “The Camdens don’t have to know you’re here, not if you don’t go off-ship.” I licked the spoon clean and pointed it at him. “But yeah, they could be a problem. If they do cause trouble, I say we sic STT on them. They’re our bosses now, let the big dogs sort it out.” I put the spoon back into the bowl, careful not to splash the juice over the rim. I swear, he must have just dumped the entire can into it and shlepped it over here. I recalled how he ran meals back to me when I first shipped out, when the Gift was still the MakeMake, and decided his solicitude could use some redirection.
        “How is she?” I asked him, meaning our pilot.
        “STT is a system away,” Christian said, ignoring my deflection. “And the Camdens could be looking for our ship and assume I’m on board. But, yes, I’ll stay inside. I’m glad, though, that I have all of you to help with my problems. I don’t know how I would deal with so much grief on my own.”
        That has got to be the lamest fishing expedition from him, ever.
        I looked at him narrowly.
        “Just spit it out, Christian. I’ve got work to do.”
        “No, you don’t,” he countered. “You’ve gone over this engine and rewired things a dozen times since we left port. The ship works just fine. There are other ways to keep busy. I wouldn’t mind a chess partner.”
        “There are other ways to keep busy,” I agreed, refusing to be reprimanded, and sketched a wave at the engine room. “But nothing else works as well as this. Besides, my chess is something the chickens laugh at. You’d get a better game if you asked someone else.”
        I remembered Nika huddled in her bunk, crying and broken. Was it only last night? The shock and the worry I felt for her was still fresh, and both goaded me to do something to help. I was a ship’s engineer, more familiar with machines and their workings than the delicate insides of people’s heads. Christian, however, was better suited for that kind of work. Nika needed Christian more than I did, if I read the signs right, and Christian was in a mothering mood if the peaches were any indication.         “So,” I said and tried again to put him on her case. “You didn’t answer my question. How is she?”
        “Recovering. She might be in better shape than we are, honestly.”
        I doubt that, Christian. I really do.
        “You would need to ask Arden for more detailed information,” Christian continued and then paused, and asked, “Why did you turn down Mike’s proposal?”
        Dammit, Christian! Leave me out of this. We’re discussing Nika.
        “Eavesdropped, did you?” I drew myself up and glared at him.
        “You know better,” he said gently. “I don’t listen in on private moments.”
        I already knew that secrets on a ship were impossible to keep, and the problem was made worse by how tightly-knit we were. And just like that, my anger faded. All I felt now was a weary curiosity.
        “How did you know?” I asked, settling down again.
        “His body language before he left. He was tense. Worried. Nervous. And not just because he was leaving. There would be some relief there, if that were the case,” Christian explained. “The way he kept looking at you, as if he were afraid of what you might say next.”
        “It’s not like he hasn’t asked me before. He’s….” I breathed a laugh and shook my head. “He knows me inside-out, and he proposed to me in such a way as to send me running. He asked me to raise sheep with him, for God’s sake. He knew what he was doing. He wanted me gone. I don’t know why, but I suspect. And it pisses me off that he didn’t tell it to me straight: that he’s got a job on and he doesn’t want me there. So, no waterworks over this one, Christian. I’m sorry.”
        I bit back what I was going to say—If you knew him, you’d know that already. It wasn’t fair to twit Christian if he didn’t have the whole picture and I sighed, wishing the situation wasn’t so complicated.
        “Look,” I said to him then. “I know what you’re doing and I appreciate it. I know that you’re feeling wasted counting towels in the linen closet and cooking soup. You’re a great steward and an even greater cook, Christian, but it’s not your calling. You’re a Companion. It’s who you are. It’s what you do. Why aren’t you pursuing it?”
        “That,” Christian said with a laugh, “was an impressive change of subject. Well done. Very good. I’ll tell you what. I’ll tell you why I’m not pursuing being a Companion if you tell me why you said no to Mike, knowing he had not intention of raising sheep, even if you did marry him.”
        “I have my moments,” I said, acknowledging the compliment.
        I rose and picked up the bowl of peaches, thinking to stow them in the galley and avoid any further entanglements. Christian didn’t move but followed me with his eyes, patiently waiting for an answer, and I realized that before I got what I wanted out of him, I would have to give him what he wanted out of me.
        “See me in my quarters later tonight. I’ll tell you what you want to know then.”
        I walked past him and turning on impulse, I hugged him from behind.
        “Thanks for the peaches,” I said into his shirt. It was soft against my face and he smelled of soap. And then got myself out of there before I could dig myself any deeper. If I remembered correctly, the bowl came with a lid that would keep the peaches contained til I could get to them again.


Go to Confessions, Part 2

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