Page 13 of Shellshock

A loud yawn tore free, wrenching her jaw wide, followed by the unexpectedgleekof dark droplets across her pillow. She slapped a hand over her mouth in embarrassment but realized, he couldn’t see her. Her thoughts emptied as she yawned again.

“You sound so comfortable,” he said. “Could you be ready in a cycle?”

Dear god, he meant it. She grumbled, sinking deeper into the toasty oblivion of bed.

Space was cold.

But here, she was warm.

Her unintelligible snoozing noises elicited his interest. “Oh?” He listened intently as if he understood every jumbled word. “Okay, then.”

She humored him. It was easy.“Grumble.”

“And what else?” he asked.

“Rmbh.”

“When you put it that way—”

“Mmbth.”

“—I can’t argue with that.”

A wide smile broke clear across her face.Thiswas the reason she couldn’t seem to leave. She could fly into a black hole and he would probably follow her.

Maybe she would go with him, after all. She didn’t think she had much of a choice.

Drool darkened her pillowcase and she felt how sweaty and unkept she was. She wasn’t put together at all, but the spaceship sheltered every secret, unflattering truth, packaging her up into a bright pink exterior—tidy, gleaming,Ternetzi.

“Well, you can sleep in a little bit,” he conceded, “but then I want to go.”

“You’re disturbing my dreams, Cal…”

“But this is adorable. What were you dreaming about?”

“Wires.”

“Wires?”

“Mmhm. Wires.”

“That’s what runs through your dreams? Wires?” There was amusement in his voice. And maybe a touch of disbelief.

“It’s all I can think of. I was onto something big this time.”

A contagious laugh burst out of his chest and she wished she could see him like this—happy, amused, comfortable. “Alright, you win two cycles. If you’re not ready then, I’m picking your ship up and taking it.”

Jesus.

* * *

Sanmantia had to be the strangest-looking thing she’d ever laid eyes on. Celestial. Toxic. Massive.

The closest comparison she drew was to Jupiter—if Jupiter had a solid, exploding surface beneath the storm clouds.

A brimstone aura of orange, red, and green swirled around the horizon, sparkling where the sun crested the side like the diamond crowning a ring.

Their journey had cost them weeks. Caligher was landed on the planet, functionally taking a vacation. And the pirate was nowhere to be found.

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