Chapter 47

The light on the life sign monitor flicked to green as Connor closed the section of scalp on Martienne’s head. He’d been breathing so shallowly, the soft sounds of the medical systems had become like a background drone. Now he pulled the bloody gloves off and the face mask. He stretched his aching back and sucked in a deep gulp of air that wasn’t tainted by his own breath.

On the pocket computer display, Lem smiled. “I seem to have been obsoleted.”

“No one could ever replace you, Lem, just as no one could ever replace anyone else on the team.”

“Thank you.”

Connor tapped the monitors hooked into the pilot. “What’s the prognosis. Everything looks green or close to it.”

“Barring unforeseen complications, she should recover.”

“Recover when, though? We need to get down to you guys soon.”

“Light tints the horizon even as we speak. We should be fine during the day.”

“Is that you’re considered opinion?”

The android tilted his head. “It is my attempt at maintaining a positive viewpoint.”

“Optimism can be dangerous.”

“I will set a regulator to ensure overindulgence does not become a threat.”

“You can do that?”

“No. I wanted to sound encouraging. Did it?”

Connor chuckled. “You haven’t answered my question: How long before she can pilot?”

“Ideally, several weeks of close monitoring would ensure a full recovery.”

“We don’t live in ideal times.”

“I will maintain close monitoring and have an estimate for you in eight hours.”

Eight hours. It would be creeping toward sunset again on the planet. “Talk to you then.”

Connor disconnected. Those eight hours would be perfect for him to rest, but there was no way he was going to give himself that luxury, not while his teammates were at risk.

What he could do, though, was treat his wounds.

He dug through the medicine cabinet until he found an anti-inflammatory injector meant to treat impact wounds in the field. There was also a tube of ointment meant for abrasions, which he took before grabbing a handful of alcohol pads.

On the countertop beside the treatment beds, Lem kept a rectangular mirror for patients to see his work. Connor propped the thing up, dropped his drawers, and gave the injury a look.

His butt and the back of his leg were one big bruise of a deep purple that tapered down to an angry red where the skin had been scraped raw.

He wiped the tender flesh of bruise and scrape with the cool alcohol pads, gritting his teeth against the stinging pain. Next, he jabbed the injector into the meat of his leg at about the center of the bruise.

Just as he started to rub the ointment on the scrape, the infirmary door opened.

Drew strolled in, mouth open to say something, then froze.

Connor turned away from her, then massaged the soothing ointment into the raw skin. “Sorry. I didn’t think you’d be coming in here.”

“Oh.” She stared, then finally turned away, her face beet red. “I…should’ve asked— What happened?”

“Falling down onto the bench when the harness gave.” He pulled his pants up and buckled the belt.

“Right. I remember.” She had her back to him now. “How is she?”

Connor stuffed the ointment tube into his pocket and threw the injector and alcohol pads away. “Lem’s going to monitor her, but she should be out of the woods.”

“Isn’t that a strange saying? I mean…” Drew glanced back at him, eyes locked onto his legs. “I mean, with those things down there in the woods.”

“We didn’t actually see much other than the big bird-like things.”

“There was a footprint, right?”

“If you’re worried about the team, Lem said it’s nearly dawn.”

“And no attack?”

“Not yet.” Connor realized she’d cleaned up and changed into a clean jumpsuit that was more green than gray. This one wasn’t stained, and it smelled fresh. “I need to clean up. You want to meet on the bridge in about fifteen minutes?”

“The…bridge?”

“I can lock down security from up there. I also want to get a look at the flight control systems.”

“Oh.” She nodded at the unconscious pilot. “In case…”

“We can’t leave them down there.”

“Are you certified to fly a ship this big?”

“No.”

She wrapped her arms around her chest and bit her lip but didn’t say anything.

Showering felt like a betrayal of his teammates, but when you were living in the field, your own stench became one of the lesser concerns. On a ship, with its filtered air, stench was an unnecessary rudeness.

While he was drying, his attention was drawn to the necklace Toshiko had given him and the amulet hanging from it.

It was simple: a disc of strange, silvery metal with thin prongs holding a red gem in place.

And there were unfamiliar characters etched into the disc.

Did they have meaning? Why had she given it to him?

He wished he could ask her. He wished he could hold her.

Later. When the team was safe.

His uniform was the same as before: a black T-shirt, cargo pants, and boots. He soaked the soles while cleaning up and polished the hardened material before pulling the boots on.

Drew was pacing outside the bridge when he arrived. She smiled uncertainly, then stepped wide of the hatch.

It seemed strangely cool and quiet with no one in the pilot or co-pilot seat.

Connor dropped into Yemi’s seat and poked around through the interface, trying to refresh old memories of the mechanic’s training. There were so many more things to piloting the Lucky Sevens than the shuttle, and Connor wasn’t even officially certified for that vessel.

But could he do it in a pinch?

Maybe. If the ship weren’t such a disaster.

The engineer glanced over his shoulder at the console. “You have to do a lot of things as a commander.”

“I’m not the commander. I’m her second.”

“But you do even more than her.”

“I have a lot of learning to do.” With the engineer so close by, the empty Dustoff packet that he’d transferred to his pocket once again itched.

He pulled it out and set it down on the console, then turned to consider her.

Her eyes went wide. “You found it!” She took the foil wrapper and clutched it to her chest.

She didn’t hang her head. She didn’t deny it. She clutched the packet like a prized piece of jewelry.

Connor leaned back in his seat. “I think you have some explaining to do.”