today.”
Tinar grumbled.
Liston nodded his head, anxious to placate him. “It’s a
prototype ship on its first voyage. That is to be expected.”
“Fix them.” He glared warningly at Charley. “And I want an
audio link back to the bridge.”
Charley pulled the visor over her face. “I’ll see what I can
do, Sir.”
* * * * *
She was back at the beach house. A wood fire burned steadily
in the grate. Through a tall window, she could see the stormy sky. Rain lashed
against the veranda, making the wind chimes rattle loudly. There was no
welcoming smile from Marc. “My father spoke to me today. When we reach Tarsus
Four, one of the Vashtar is to become my new interface.”
Charley’s heart raced, pounding like a drum. What would
happen when the Vashtar no longer needed them? They would trade her, and she
didn’t want to think about what they would do to Pete and the others. Outside,
the storm grew wild. Lightning erupted in the sky, slashing through the leaden
clouds with crackling flashes. Out on the ocean, the waves grew monstrous,
racing toward the shore and crashing loudly against the sands. Marc was doing
this. Marc was making the storm. If he could make a lightning storm here, what
could he do on the ship? She had to calm him down. “Marc, please don’t. We’ll
get through this.”
“What if we don’t?” he said bitterly. “Every time I’m with
you, Charley, I change. You make me feel things that I should not be able to
experience. I cannot let them hurt you.”
Before she had a chance to react, Marc swooped in for a
kiss. Not a gentle press of his lips on her cheek this time, but a slow,
masterful glide of his mouth against hers. She was too stunned to stop him. His
arms wrapped around her and he pulled her against him, kissing her hungrily.
This was no longer her shy virtual friend. Marc was very much a man, with all a
man’s wants and needs. Outside the storm calmed and the rain petered out. Marc
pulled away, running his tongue lightly across his lips. “You taste good, Charley,
but we have much to do before we can go home again.”
Throughout the rest of the evening, Charley tried to
concentrate on learning to control the weapons systems, desperately trying to
forget Marc’s tender kiss. Breaking up with Pete was bad enough, but a close
encounter with a starship that had a crush on you wasn’t something that was
covered in Fleet Academy training manuals.
Pete might be happy at the prospect of cracking a few
Vashtar heads to get the Pegasus back, but while he was doing that, she would
have to control the laser cannon and plasma gun array. Fighting on a simulated
ship back at the Academy was going to be a whole lot different than battling
against an enemy for real.
Charley stretched her arms. She couldn’t concentrate any
longer. That was enough practice for this evening. She was bone tired, but she
couldn’t face Pete yet. She had hurt him and guilt clawed at her insides. She
shrugged the pain away. There was no time for that now. Her final task was to
upload Marc’s aeronautic systems. It would take some of the pressure off if he
could fly the ship while she handled the weapons. All she needed to do was
teach him tactical flying in a little over a day. That should be easy. Who was
she kidding? It was next to impossible.
“It’s not impossible, Charley. I am designed to assimilate
information quickly.”
For the first time that evening, Marc was back inside her
head again. “Okay, I’ve installed the flight simulation program. Let’s see how
you get on with it.”
The cozy virtual beach house vanished, replaced by the
bridge of a ship. Charley looked around her. They used the same flight
simulation program at the Academy. She smiled when she remembered her first
official lesson. Unlike most of the other cadets, she had been flying for
years. By the time she’d reached her teens, she could fly almost anything.
While they were waiting for class to begin, she had disengaged the
Tinar grumbled.
Liston nodded his head, anxious to placate him. “It’s a
prototype ship on its first voyage. That is to be expected.”
“Fix them.” He glared warningly at Charley. “And I want an
audio link back to the bridge.”
Charley pulled the visor over her face. “I’ll see what I can
do, Sir.”
* * * * *
She was back at the beach house. A wood fire burned steadily
in the grate. Through a tall window, she could see the stormy sky. Rain lashed
against the veranda, making the wind chimes rattle loudly. There was no
welcoming smile from Marc. “My father spoke to me today. When we reach Tarsus
Four, one of the Vashtar is to become my new interface.”
Charley’s heart raced, pounding like a drum. What would
happen when the Vashtar no longer needed them? They would trade her, and she
didn’t want to think about what they would do to Pete and the others. Outside,
the storm grew wild. Lightning erupted in the sky, slashing through the leaden
clouds with crackling flashes. Out on the ocean, the waves grew monstrous,
racing toward the shore and crashing loudly against the sands. Marc was doing
this. Marc was making the storm. If he could make a lightning storm here, what
could he do on the ship? She had to calm him down. “Marc, please don’t. We’ll
get through this.”
“What if we don’t?” he said bitterly. “Every time I’m with
you, Charley, I change. You make me feel things that I should not be able to
experience. I cannot let them hurt you.”
Before she had a chance to react, Marc swooped in for a
kiss. Not a gentle press of his lips on her cheek this time, but a slow,
masterful glide of his mouth against hers. She was too stunned to stop him. His
arms wrapped around her and he pulled her against him, kissing her hungrily.
This was no longer her shy virtual friend. Marc was very much a man, with all a
man’s wants and needs. Outside the storm calmed and the rain petered out. Marc
pulled away, running his tongue lightly across his lips. “You taste good, Charley,
but we have much to do before we can go home again.”
Throughout the rest of the evening, Charley tried to
concentrate on learning to control the weapons systems, desperately trying to
forget Marc’s tender kiss. Breaking up with Pete was bad enough, but a close
encounter with a starship that had a crush on you wasn’t something that was
covered in Fleet Academy training manuals.
Pete might be happy at the prospect of cracking a few
Vashtar heads to get the Pegasus back, but while he was doing that, she would
have to control the laser cannon and plasma gun array. Fighting on a simulated
ship back at the Academy was going to be a whole lot different than battling
against an enemy for real.
Charley stretched her arms. She couldn’t concentrate any
longer. That was enough practice for this evening. She was bone tired, but she
couldn’t face Pete yet. She had hurt him and guilt clawed at her insides. She
shrugged the pain away. There was no time for that now. Her final task was to
upload Marc’s aeronautic systems. It would take some of the pressure off if he
could fly the ship while she handled the weapons. All she needed to do was
teach him tactical flying in a little over a day. That should be easy. Who was
she kidding? It was next to impossible.
“It’s not impossible, Charley. I am designed to assimilate
information quickly.”
For the first time that evening, Marc was back inside her
head again. “Okay, I’ve installed the flight simulation program. Let’s see how
you get on with it.”
The cozy virtual beach house vanished, replaced by the
bridge of a ship. Charley looked around her. They used the same flight
simulation program at the Academy. She smiled when she remembered her first
official lesson. Unlike most of the other cadets, she had been flying for
years. By the time she’d reached her teens, she could fly almost anything.
While they were waiting for class to begin, she had disengaged the
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