Beyond the End of the World, Lokians 1

Chapter 19

Chapter Nineteen

A knock on the door awakened Day. She looked at the door, then around the room. Flem had already left. She rolled out of bed to open the door. Captain O'Hara was on the other side. He greeted her with a smile.

"Morning, Captain," she said and snapped a salute.

He returned it, saying, "Right, join me for breakfast?"

She furrowed her brow and smiled, "Sure. Everything okay?"

A smile flickered across his face. They slowly walked to the mess hall, passing Thewls along the way. To their amazement, they found new, shorter tables and smaller chairs had been set out. Smaller plates and utensils were also available.

"Anyway, we'll arrive at Soft Light soon, and then who knows. Every time we go anywhere, we run the risk of being attacked. I just wanted to take some time and tell you how much I appreciate your friendship. You're not just one of my crew. You're my friend, and I cherish that," he said as he stared into his food.

She placed her hand on his and laughed. "Geez, thank you; that was probably hard for you."

"Yeah, emotions were never my strength," he said and looked into her eyes.

He realized that she really was beautiful. Somehow, he had forgotten how much he liked her. While there was no doubt that being professional was the proper course of action, the truth was that they were flying through uncharted regions of the galaxy as far away from Navy standards as possible. He kissed her softly on the cheek.

"Before this is over, and we go back to the colony, I want one night for us," he whispered.

Her eyes were glossy with newly forming tears. She held them back as she nodded and grinned. "Me, too, Riley. Me, too."

They finished their breakfast in silence. A few minutes passed before the remainder of the crew filed into the mess hall, where they joined their compatriots. That day, the final jump landed them in the Carina-Sagittarius arm. They traded glances before erupting into conversations about the traveler.

"While a far less impressive feat, he gave me loads of information," Adams said between bites.

"Yeah, I spent the night trying to archive all the data," Franklin commented.

"Cool. I tried to use my new vision thing," Fitzpatrick added.

"How did it work out," DeReaux asked.

"Not well. Whatever I can do got away from me. I thought I was getting it, but I felt like I couldn't move past the room," Fitzpatrick replied.

"You guys are making me envious," Day complained. "All these cool powers, and what have you...I got nothing!"

"So, he didn't show you anything at all," O'Hara asked.

"He said he'd show me later, I guess...."

"Well, that's a shame. I'm sure he has his reasons," Nandy shrugged.

"What about you," Day asked him.

He smiled with fork poised before his mouth. "He showed me 'ow to understand. If that makes any sense," he replied and laughed.

"Wow. Good joke, Nandy," the captain fired back, sarcastically.

"How do you understand? I mean...what does that mean," DeReaux was perplexed.

"Communications, of any sort, really, are just vibrations. I can derive the meaning within."

"You mean you can decipher speech," Fitzpatrick asked.