Strangers (Stars Edge: Nel Bently Book 3) by V. S. Holmes

Author:V. S. Holmes [Holmes, V. S.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Amphibian Press
Published: 2019-04-15T22:00:00+00:00

THIRTEEN

Nel didn’t bother knocking when she and Lin reached Greta’s office. “You said we can send files between us and Odyssey, yes?”

“Please, come in, make yourself at home,” the Communications Kapten drawled.

Nel glared. “Not the time. I need to get a message through to Dr. Alvarez. Code: MAJORTOM79.”

Greta stared at the red-brown splotches on the suit Nel hadn’t bothered to doff yet. “That’s an emergency evac code. What’s going on?”

“You didn’t hear?”

“Hear what? I’ve had my ears jacked into the feeds from the station since you last graced my doorway. I had to mute everything else to focus.”

Nel slumped against the doorway. “There’s been an accident. Something happened to Kolonel Udara de Lellis, the geologist—”

“I know who Paul is. Is he okay?”

“He’s dead,” Nel growled. She had no idea if the two were close, but she couldn’t handle everyone else’s grief right now. She had to focus on keeping the rest of the crew safe. “I’m drafting an emergency missive to Odyssey and getting my team the fuck off this rock. I’m trying to get a bead on when our evac ship might be ready.”

“Understood.” Greta leaned forward, dark eyes wide and focused on the two largest screens. “Unless you want it personal I have a basic emergency message I can get out in 5, but no promises on a response—”

“That’s perfect. I don’t need one. They just need to know we’re coming.” She turned to go, swaying slightly, then paused. “Were you close?”

“Nah, just digi-chess buddies. Still sucks.”

Nel didn’t know what digi-chess was, but nodded anyways. “Thanks. I’ll let you know if I need anything else.”

Greta rocked back in her chair. “Do I gotta go to the briefing?”

The archaeologist shook her head, “Just work on this, please. I’m just going to try and convince everyone to go too.”

“Good. I don’t like people.”

Lin was waiting in the hall when Nel slid the door shut again. Her full lips were pursed. “You need to go to the med-bay.”

“I’ve got a mess-hall filled with people wanting answers and I need to make sure the rest of my team and the other teams are safe. My damn arm can wait.”

“It’s not just your arm—you need to get checked out for trauma and whatever else. Have you thought about infection?”

Nel faltered and stopped. Fear hammered in her heart again. “What?”

“You’re right. We don’t know what happened to him, what made him do what he did. But he thought killing himself was better than the alternative and now you’re covered in his blood.”

“It’s not a contagion.” Options flashed through Nel’s mind in single bursts: Lock-down. Evacuation. Quarantine. Please, dear god, let it not be a contagion.

“You don’t know what it is.”

“We’ll I’ll just try my best not to kiss anyone then,” she snapped, shoving past Lin and heading to the mess hall.

“Yeah, cause you’re so good at that,” Lin muttered.

One. Two. Nel drew a breath and didn’t respond. They were all on edge, and shitty comments weren’t going to help anything. Tense conversation emanated from the mess hall, and Nel swallowed hard.

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