Cause of Death by KT Belt

Author:KT Belt
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Rubber Tree Books

The first to arrive was the helm officer. Carmen could never remember her name. In any case, the short woman glanced at her when she entered, but neither said anything. She went to the helm and spoke briefly with the officer stationed there before she took his place.

Next to enter was Leena. She looked at the Clairvoyant and opened her mouth, though no words came forth. Carmen returned her gaze and the two were locked like that for what felt like several minutes. She could read that the ensign just didn’t know what to do. Should she say hello? Should she just think hello and assume the Clairvoyant would read her mind? Should she ignore her or run from her? Carmen settled the matter by casually looking away and sighing. Clairvoyant company was less annoying most of the time.

Commander Fletcher and Hiroshi arrived after that. They spoke quietly to each other, and once in the bridge proper, the two men nodded and went to their respective stations. The watch officer left.

“Edge,” Terry said, nodding in her direction. He possessed none of Leena’s tentativeness.

She nodded back. “Commander.”

She heard Renee and Frederick, well mostly Frederick, before they entered.

“I told you I’m not taking odds,” Renee said in an exasperated yet not exasperated tone she used only with him.

His trademark gleam came to his eye, and Renee sighed loudly when she saw it. Carmen couldn’t help thinking what an odd pair they were—the most important and least important officers on the ship joined together in almost all things. She had some pretty good guesses as to what they were talking about, but that all fell away. She licked her lips. Her partner was coming.

She heard the hatch open and forced herself to not turn to look at him. That lasted about two seconds. There was a hopeful look in her eye as she watched Inertia approach. She didn’t register it consciously, but she turned her head to give him the good side of her face. She forced her body to relax, suppressing a tense tickle here and there. Ultimately, she was betrayed by her shoulders and arms, which almost trembled in anticipation. She didn’t want much. A glance or nod would do—anything that let her know she existed.

Nothing came. He sat next to her, and she might as well have been invisible. Yet she looked at him and still waited. There was nothing else to do, and he couldn’t ignore her forever. She’d almost be happy if he just turned and slapped her. It was then that she noticed Renee was looking at them. Her wayward eyebrow raised again, making Carmen turn her attention to the captain and pretend it had always been trained on her.

“How much longer?” Carmen asked, though she already knew the answer.

Renee glanced at Tawny, who may not have been a Clairvoyant but who always knew when her captain was looking at her.

“Four minutes and ten seconds, ma’am,” Tawny answered.

Carmen nodded glumly as Renee turned to her XO. “Mr. Fletcher,” she said simply.

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