Ghost Station by S.A. Barnes

Author:S.A. Barnes [Barnes, S.A.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: p
Published: 2024-04-09T00:00:00+00:00

* * *

By the time she gets her turn in one of the lavs, everyone else is dressed and ready for the day, in their envirosuits, with helmets scattered around nearby.

When she emerges from the C side into the central hub, the antigrav sled is near the interior airlock door, which is standing open. The sled is full, stacked two or three high with crates and strapped-down equipment. Scattered crates are open all around it, exposing their soft gray padded insides and the shiny metal bits stored there.

“This would be much easier if we had the rover,” Suresh says, lifting a closed crate to stack it on board with a grunt. “There’s not enough room.”

“Quit your whinging. It’s fine,” Kate says breathlessly, as she wedges a heavy-looking tool kit into place. The nearest crate tower wobbles, and Suresh and Severin rush to steady it.

“Oh, sure, it’s fine,” Suresh says through gritted teeth.

Once the crates are stable, Severin steps back, catching a glimpse of Ophelia. “Doctor,” he says in greeting, turning his attention toward her. Liana looks up from a tablet where she’s skimming something and waves.

True to her word, Kate must have spoken to him. Severin found Ophelia in the corridor as she was waiting for her turn in the sonic shower, told her she was welcome to join them today. He almost sounded like he meant it, too.

Perhaps she was wrong to be suspicious of Kate. Or maybe her suspicions of Kate had their origins in a baser emotion. Jealousy is such an ugly emotion, darling. It’ll prematurely age you like nothing else.

A classic from her mother. Ophelia rolls her eyes and turns her attention to something, someone, else. Birch is off to one side, scratching at his arm and staring off toward the airlock and the world beyond. At nothing. At everything.

“Listen up. We’ll only have an hour or so outside,” Severin says. “Kate and Suresh will be heading back to the lander to pull some supplies. Liana and I will be taking a few ice core samples. And Birch will be attempting to get a drone scan of the area, depending on conditions.”

Birch, at the sound of his name, jerks to attention, blinking rapidly. He sees Ophelia watching him and immediately stops scratching, dropping his hands away from his arms with a scowl.

“Let’s move, people,” he says to his team. “Clock is ticking.” Then he turns back to Ophelia. “Doctor, your suit?”

Shit. Right.

She turns and hurries as fast as she can back to the bunk room, grabs her suit and helmet. By the time she returns, the others are already in the airlock with the precariously loaded sled. Severin is the only one waiting for her on this side of the threshold, helmet tucked under his arm.

Ophelia can feel their collective impatience growing as she sits down to struggle into her suit. She manages to get it up her waist, and then, to her surprise, Severin—Ethan—approaches her.

He sets his own helmet on the table next to hers. “It’s easier if you stand now,” he says.

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