Star Wanderers: Tales of the Far Outworlds (Omnibus V-VIII) by Joe Vasicek

Author:Joe Vasicek [Vasicek, Joe]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: adventure, short story, romantic, pirates, novella, polyamory, science fiction romance, galactic empire, space exploration, colonization, space adventure, accidental marriage
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

* * * * *

Noemi followed Mariya and Salome through the narrow doorway into the bunk room. It seemed a little cozy for five people, but it was certainly no worse than the Ariadne, and besides, they already knew each other well enough that it wouldn’t be a problem. The sight of the narrow beds did remind her of how exhausted she felt, though. With their arrival at B’tum and the tour of the Hope of Oriana, it had been a long and eventful dayshift indeed.

“So how do you like the Hope of Oriana?” asked Mariya.

“It’s nice,” she said, stepping aside to let Jeremahra set her duffel bag of clothes on the off-white tile floor. “I like it.”

“It’s not too crowded for you, then?”

Salome shot her a glance over her shoulder as she pulled off the sheets from the top bunk’s previous occupants. She was such a hardy woman, her arms strong and tough from years of hard work. Noemi would probably be like that too someday. The thought made her smile.

“No, it’s fine,” she said, glancing at Jeremahra. “It reminds me a lot of home, actually—before things got too bad.”

“I hear you, dear. Living space on Megiddo Station always was rather tight.”

“I don’t remember it ever being like this,” said Mariya. “Still, it’s not too bad—you get used to it after a while.”

She picked up the duffel bag and stuffed it into the locker on the far side of the room, beneath the fifth bunk. Salome pulled the curtains aside for the bunks on the left and began pulling off the sheets from those as well. Without a word, Noemi pitched in to help.

“Jerem-ahra and I are going to unload the Ariadne,” said Jakob from the doorway. “Will everything here be all right?”

“Of course,” said Salome. “We’ll be fine, girls, won’t we?”

Mariya and Noemi nodded. Jeremahra seemed a little puzzled, but he followed Jakob out into the busy corridor.

“Here,” said Mariya, palming the door shut. “Sure is noisy out there. It always gets busy between shifts, but otherwise it’s usually not that bad.”

“Everyone has somewhere to be, then?”

“Sure—they’ve got to keep us all busy somehow. The long voyages can really wear on you if you don’t have anything to do. But you probably know all about that already.”

Noemi shrugged. “I guess. It’s different, though, when it’s just you and the man you love.”

“You and Jerem-ahra are really close, then?”

“Of course,” she said, patting the bulge in her belly with a smile. “How do you think I got this?”

The others laughed with her. As they returned to their work, however, a strange silence fell over them, as if some unspoken tension hung thick in the air. Mariya glanced nervously at her mother, making Noemi wonder if it was something between the two of them. But instead of speaking with Mariya, Salome turned to her.

“About Jerem-ahra,” she said. “He’s a good man, isn’t he?”

“Oh, yes,” said Noemi, slowing down a little as she folded the last of the clothes. “Why?”

“God knows there aren’t many good men where we’re going—the Far Outworlds, I mean.

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