Wash by Naomi Fraser

Author:Naomi Fraser [Fraser, Naomi]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Naomi Fraser
Published: 2014-11-19T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Ten

The delicious aromas of sizzling bacon and coffee waft through the relaxation zone’s arched doorways on board the ship. My stomach rumbles, but I sink onto the soft, black sofa, swing up my legs to the other armrest and then settle in to study the dried streambed topography on sub-surface water on Qelia, Marcus’s home planet. An easyreader visor skims with frequencies in front of my eyes, but the vibrations make my ears pop with each scene change, causing momentary deafness.

Can’t be helped. Vibrations from older technology can affect me that way¸ and the visor is an earlier generation than what I’m used to on Echyion.

Environmental scientists appear on screen to explain the lack of aquifers and channels. Qelia has had no rain for several lifetimes. The last time it rained has become a tale of legend. Crops are grown on top of mountains in the hopes the cloud condensation will be enough moisture to support plant growth. Numerous heat waves have animals dead in fields from lack of water. The engineers have built a pipe framework to assist the people in homes, yet the Qelia government needs to buy water, and the cost is breaking them.

Ecologically, they are a dying planet.

And economically, the lack of water affects everything. Even with strict water restrictions, businesses cannot afford to operate. Youth unemployment sky-rockets and farmers go broke, which leads to dismal food security and mass planet exodus. Then the down spiral gets vicious.

This is my purpose, and my heart dances with excitement at the chance to provide Qelia’s people with a functional and permanent water system. Fifteen minutes into a technical explanation of how their engineers manage the dams, a tap on my boot coincides with a, “Hey,” and I jerk back, flipping up the visor.

Constance stands at the end of the sofa, swaddled in a green robe and holding a mug in each hand. Her dark glasses slip down her nose, but she sips her drink then smiles. “I brought you a coffee. Can I sit down?”

I scramble to the other side of the sofa, mortified. “Oh, I’m sorry for taking up so much space.”

“That’s all right.” She hands over the other cup, looking rather pale in the face, and after my thank you, she continues: “I’m a bit sore from yesterday. This seat is softer than the others.” She sits down, groans and then casts me a knowing grin. “Not used to communal living?”

Heat builds in my cheeks. “No.” I drop the visor into my lap and take a sip of the hot brew. Rich, creamy coffee slides down my throat and warms my stomach. “This is good. In the facility, there was only me. Well, Astrakhan, too, but he didn’t need to sit at—”

“Victoria,” April interrupts, sauntering across the dark carpet. She weaves around the small coffee tables and lived-in chairs. Dark green trousers encase her legs, a wide black gun belt sits at her hips, and her brown singlet brings out the cocoa colour of her skin.

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