Page 53 of Ava Greasemonkey

“And Rhutg? Is he in navigation? Is there anything I could help with?” Ava asked innocently.

“Rhutg is not in need of assistance. He is in navigation and it would probably be best if you steer clear of that area.”

“Okay,” Ava lied.

She pressed into Vox again, soaking up his warmth. Vox hummed and held her tightly. It felt right. Hopefully he would still want to hug her like this after she met with Rhutg.

“Vox? Before I sleep I will go to see Erox.” Ava broke apart from Vox to look him in the eye. “I want to help, especially since I will have to leave soon.”

Vox didn’t move beyond tugging Ava to rest against his chest again. “That is probably best. I could stay like this with you forever. After this mission and we reunite, we will resume.”

Ava rubbed the fabric of the jumpsuit he wore absently, her hands trailing over the front and feeling his firm muscles underneath her cheek. It would be so easy to forget everything else. To just rest here with him and let events unfold.

She forced herself to step away, leaving the warmth of his body. “I will go now. Can we stay together after?”

Vox nodded. “After the scans I do not want to separate again until it is time to go.”

Ava agreed, hoping that sentiment held. It would hurt her now if he pulled away. Another abandonment.

She leaned forward and kissed him on the forehead. “Until later then.” Vox looked after her, bemused, but Ava moved quickly, without lingering and risking a discussion of having him escort her. She hoped by moving fast he would not follow, and thankfully it looked like he would not as she exited the room and started down the hall alone.

She didn’t go to the med bay after leaving Vox. Instead, Ava went to navigation, walking down the halls hesitantly even though she had been assured they were cleaned. The empty halls still held ghosts. Not that she fully believed in ghosts, but the passages felt haunted regardless.

At the juncture between the mess hall and navigation, Ava stopped. She hesitated, fear racing up her spine. Would Rhutg attempt to hold her down again? She wouldn’t have Vox as ashield this time. Would he even listen to her?He terrifies me.Her stomach twisted every step toward him she took.Is this the right move?

Her feet brought her to navigation much too quickly. She stood outside, sweating, pulling on the length of her hair and replaying the speech she had hashed out in the shower not long ago.

“Human. Your mind is distracting. I can hear your thoughts. You want to meet with me. Come in here now.”

Ava startled, giving a jerk. She’d forgotten that Rhutg felt no reservations about probing her mind. Being so close, he could probably feel everything she did, and all her thoughts. She quieted her mind and fixated on the scenery to block him out. She wanted to get a chance to talk with him and persuade him herself.

Taking a deep breath, Ava walked through the hallway opposite of the mess hall and into the navigation room.

She blinked a few times after entering. Ava had only come in here a few times during her time on the ship. Only when Ebel sent her on an errand to relay messages to Wert or another of the crew. Back then it had been filled to the brim with lights and screens. Now? It was dark. The lights were turned down low and only two screens were projecting. The glass panels across the front offered a dizzying sight of open space, not tethered to any nearby planets. The asteroid belt was long gone.

On the most prominent screen was a display of a zoomed-in map of Torga’s capital city, also named Torga, with an estimated time to arrival. Just over two full cycles. The other was a live-action view of the outside behind the ship. The communication panels along the side were powered down at the moment, not allowing transmissions. The locator was still on, broadcasting their location to the Phor to keep away suspicions anything was wrong.

Underneath the screens, Rhutg bathed in shadows. Ava walked up to him, shuffling her feet cautiously. He was the only vibrant light in there, glowing a deep blue hue. He didn’t bother turning around. Instead he sat stiffly looking forward, obsessively staring at space whizzing past.

She could feel him in her mind intensely now that she was closer, causing a wave of anxiety within her. She breathed rhythmically to help quell her fear, mindful of her steps in case he tried to hold her down again. He didn’t say anything or engage, so she took the first step.

“I would like to make an offer to you,” Ava said hesitantly, clearing her throat.

Rhutg didn’t respond. The pressure on her mind became heavier. If he didn’t let up she would soon have a headache.

“I can not infer what you mean. But your intentions are pure. Speak more.”

It was off-putting to speak aloud while he talked in her mind, but she wasn’t about to argue.

She brought up her hands and took out the picture of Joy she had in her shirt, holding it out in front of her. “I do not want to leave the ship like Vox has planned. I want to help you in your mission. I want to show that Humans can be useful to you so that maybe you could also help me. Help us.”

Ava fingered the worn magazine cutout and let the silence build. Rhutg turned around and looked at her. His gaze traveled over her, top to bottom.

Ava broke the silence again, speaking bolder. “In the city, Torga. I don’t know your full plans, but the women don’t know you’re coming. How do you know where they are located? I can . . . I can go ahead, maybe with a tracking device. They might take me prisoner and put me with them. I can warn them and give you their exact location.”

When he didn’t respond, she panicked and threw out more options. “Or I can help you with the biologics. The ones on this ship know me and seem to like me. I won’t just be a mind to tap into to gather technology. I can reconstruct this ship and the engine. I know how it fits together. I will work for you, willingly.”

He still didn’t respond. Ava cast her mind and thought of anything else she could offer that would be useful. Maybe she should have taken more time in the mess hall, with food, to think it over before coming here.

---