The Icarus operative - 3. Three

Civilian Trading Ship Persephone docked in Nineveh

Planet Nabï Yünus, in the Tau Ceti System

Covenant Year 329

THIRTY TWO DAYS BEFORE THE ARREST

JayAodhagán looked up at the console in his crammed engine room again. They had barely touched Nineveh –also called Port three among spacers- the night before and there were so many repairs The Persephone needed done before the day was over, he didn’t want to waste any time at all. Captain Bristow had made it very clear that she wanted to leave Nabï Yünus no longer than two days after arriving in port. Time enough to resupply the ship and close a couple of trading deals she had committed to. Being the ship’s Engineer, it was Jay’s job to see that the repairs were done as of yesterday.

The only repair that had him seriously worried was the core. He needed to get a new set of antimatter neutrino displacers for the warp core of The Persephone. They had almost exploded not two standard months ago due to a core malfunction.

Neutrino displacers, however, were not easy to come by in some space ports, Nabï Yünus being one of them. So, as he’d imagined, the prices here were so high to be considered absurd in some other Planetary Systems. He looked at the sets for sale on port, displayed as tiny icons on his console, naming price and seller. The cheapest set being offered there was the not modest amount of ten thousand Covenant credits.

“Crank!” he swore outloud.

“Issues with the console or didn’t you like your reflection on it?” the girl asked making Jay jump over his seat at the unexpected comment.

“Whoa!” he screamed turning to face her, still upset, “Don’t you ever do that again, Merrilyn!”

Jay Aodhagán turned on his stool without standing up from his console and looked at his crew mate. There, close to the engine rom door was Merrilyn Stewart, round cute face, pink lips and blunt tiny nose, all covered in freckles. Her gray eyes framed by thick black eyelashes, the same black as her brows and wavy hair. She was wearing a light dress, definitely suitable for the summer weather at Nabï Yünus, light colored and with flower prints everywhere, as if the spirit of Utopian spring had exploded all over her outfit.

“Sorry about that.” Merrilyn apologized smiling at Jay and coming into the Engine Room, “How are those repairs coming about?”

Jay blinked three or four times in a row –something of a nervous tic that happened when he was either nervous or apprehensive- his green-hazel eyes showing behind the heavy curtain of his dark blonde curly eyelashes.

“Not good,” he replied turning back to the console, “I still have to figure out where to get a set of neutrino displacers for Persephone’s heart. The ones at hand are rather expensive, but there’s no way we can make it without new ones. You know Persephone’s been way too cocky as of late.”

Merrilyn smiled, her chubby cheeks a bit blushed due to the heat of Nabï Yünus’ summer heatwave. She stood behind Jay and placed her hands on his shoulders. He grimaced, for he hated the awkwardness of being touched, but he tried not to be rude. Instead, he turned back to Merrilyn, thus forcing her to take her hands off him.

“Well, in that she definitely takes after the Captain.” Merrilyn said.

Jay managed to laugh a little at the remark and went back to checking the lists. Merrilyn leaned over Jay to look at his console over his shoulder. Once again her hands rested on Jay’s back, making him uncomfortable again. She looked at the console analyzing the icons displayed at the moment with all the parts for ships being sold in Nabï Yünus.

“Doesn’t look promising.” she said looking back at him, moving from his back and leaning against the console in a kind of provocative position.

“Tell me about it!” Jay replied.

“Well,” Merrilyn smiled again –was she hitting on him? He certainly hoped she wasn’t, but as of late he thought she did it more often than not-, “I gotta go. I’m to make an inventory of our supplies ‘cause tomorrow I’ll be off to port to get new supplies before we depart.”

“On your own?” Jay found himself asking.

“Nah. Phillip is coming with me. You know Captain Bristow. She wouldn’t want me wandering alone in a port like Nabï Yünus. That blabber about me being a young beautiful girl and stuff.”

“I know.” he looked at his console and then back again at his crew mate “She does worry, you know, you being the youngest of the crew an’ all.”

“I know. It’s cool she does, but sometimes I think she worries just a little bit too much.” She heaved a sigh. “Anyway, I’m going back to the kitchen. Have fun getting those neutrino displacers!”

“Doubt that.” he replied turning back to his console to try and get a set that would cost half as much as the cheapest one he’d seen before Merrilyn came into the Engine Room.

Merrilyn walked towards the door and left the Engine Room of The Persephone. He did think, now that he thought about it, she’d been hitting on him and he felt awkward. He blinked three or four times rapidly and brushed the thought aside, as if it were burning him. He tried and focused on the numbers displayed in his console. He definitely had a lot of work to do if he was to please Captain Bristow on those repairs The Persephone needed to be done before their departure … and the clock was ticking.

Rharthza Melaree yawned and stretched lazily. He moved the bedsheets aside and sat on the bed. He did not want to get up; the previous night had been horribly exhausting what with all the riff-raff of coming to port, and docking. And then of course, the late drinks he’d had at the bar … whatever its name was.

He looked at his three-square-meter quarters, and realized nothing looked as organized and neat as it usually did, and as it should to befit a doctor. Truth, he’d never graduated from medical school in the fourth Utopian Colony of MeRisse, but he’d finished all the pertinent studies. That had been enough for Captain Bristow when she had offered him the position as The Persephone’s Medical Officer.

A moan reminded him he was not alone in his quarters. He stood up, naked as he was, and walked all the way to the left wall. He punched a button and both a mirror and sink came out of the wall with a strong thud. He smiled to himself, remembering the sex the night before –more than satisfactory-, and washed his face.

He pushed the button again and both sink and mirror went away. He walked a couple of steps towards the full body mirror and looked at himself –a ritual he usually observed every time after having sex-. He looked at the small funny dark eyes, the dancing dark eyelashes, the slightly wide nose and the twisted smile. He touched his belly; yes, a bit grown and making the full of his image seem a bit mismatched since his arms and back were kind of built from the long work out sessions he used to have before coming on board permanently.

“I’m definitely getting fat.” he told himself with his strongly accented Nabïaan English. Then, he looked back at his bed and smiled again; it was a fact he was about to be 39 standard years old, but apparently he hadn’t lost any of his touch for getting hit-on … and bedded as well. As if reading his mind, his last night companion moved slightly on the bed.

“G’morning, tiger.”

“Hey,” Rharthza replied, smiling his wonderful prince charming smile, “G’morning t’ you too. Did you have a g’night sleep?”

“Course I did, Tiger. How couldn’t I? Tha’ was quite the lovely fuck last night, it was. You made me not regret believing in your word after all.”

He smiled and sort of blushed, though he tried to hide it, for he was definitely a very self-confident man and had a reputation to look after. He liked being flattered though, especially went it came to sexual matters. Truth was he’d always been very easy on the eye … and on the bed as well.

“Well, I’m really glad ya think so.” And saying so, he walked back towards the bed, “wha’d’ya say if we pick it up where we left it last night?”

“Ma’God, Tiger, you ain’t getting any tired of the sex now, are you?”

“You know I ain’t!” Rharthza said playfully and jumped inside the sheets.

They’d barely covered with the bedsheets and started their sex play again, when the door to Rarthza’s quarters opened wide and Auriel Bristow called for him.

“Busy still, doctor?”

Rharthza and his companion came from under the sheets, the doctor looking ashamed at having been caught in fraganti with somebody in bed. He looked at the Captain and replied, annoyed at the sudden interruption.

“Woul’ya mind knocking before coming in, Capn’? That’s not too much to ask now, is it?”

“Sorry, Doc,” Captain Bristow blurted, struggling with herself so as not to burst into laughter, “but I do need to see to a few things with you before departing.”

“Of course you do, Capn’ ….” he looked at her still annoyed. It being obvious the woman wouldn’t move from her position, he asked. “Woul’ya gimme a couple minutes to groom myself Capn’, please?”

“Oh, of course!” Auriel said and smiled, amused at having caught the lovers under the sheets. She turned around and walked outside, closing the door behind her.

A couple of minutes later, Rharthza Melaree was up and about, fully dressed in a short sleeved raw linen shirt, light brown cargo pants and black cargo boots, and came out to meet the Captain of ThePersephone. His last night companion came out fully dressed too and looked at the doctor askance; Rharthza managed to blow a kiss at thin air.

“I’ll get in touch sometime later, darling, I will.” he said smiling.

“Hope ya’will, tiger. I’ll be waitin’ on you.”

But truth was Rharthza was more likely not planning to get in touch. He had always been a one-night-stander and Auriel Bristow knew it very well. She seemed impatient, and she also seemed grateful he’d finally come out of his quarters and finished his last night’s business.

“What was that ‘Tiger’ business all about?” she asked, still amused at the whole situation.

“Sorry, Capn’.” he managed to say unable to hide the blush in his cheeks. They both started walking down the corridor towards the Captain’s office.

“Never mind … I’m used to your ‘late port party nights,” she smiled so Rharthza could see she was teasing him, “isn’t it hard to sleep with someone different every time you have the chance to?”

“I fail to see how that is your business at all, Auri,” Rharthza told her, “but it’s not hard for me. I just take what life serves me, you see? And I’m lucky enough to be served the best dishes in the galaxy.”

She smiled and looked him in the eye as they walked. “You kinda get them younger every time, don’t you, Rhar?”

“Now, what’s that supposed to mean, Auri?”

“Well … he looks barely the kid ….” she said, struggling not to burst into laughter right there in his face, “don’t you think?”

“He ain’t no kid, Auri,” he said, his expression grave, taking offense at what Auriel Bristow had implied, “he’s full adult now, twenty standards … plus, he hit on me last night at the bar, not the other way ‘round!”

“Of course he did!” the Captain replied, a mocking smile on her face, “I wouldn’t have thought otherwise.”

And having said so, unable to hold herself, Auriel Bristow laughed as hard as her guts would let her. Rharthza Melaree looked at the woman and felt a sudden urge to slap her, knowing she’d been just pulling his leg all along. He should’ve known she’d been kidding him, for they’d known each other for over eight standards now, since he’d come on board The Persephone. Then, he burst into laughter as well, and both laughed their asses off as they walked towards the Captain's office.

There was a rather heavy knocking on her door. Athsari Rodriguez opened her eyes and looked at the cheap electronic clock laying on the little forfeit-wood shelf embossed on the wall to the left of her bunk. It showed 1200 noon local Nabïan time in electronic orange numbers. She had definitely overslept. Next to the clock there was a picture of her dressed with a dark tank top and cargo pants standing next to an engine. She had long curly hair all the way to her shoulders and her features were Mexican at all sights. There was a message in black ink written down in the lower right corner of the picture, which read: Pilot Academy, Athsari Rodriguez, December 27th, 2745.

She yawned and stretched lazily on the bed. The knocking on her door repeating itself incessantly until she thought she would go insane. “We do have a door chime, you know!” she shouted as she stood up from the bed. She walked to the door and opened it.

There, on his gray-green overalls was Nikk Berzamo, the Danareen Janitor of The Persephone. Nikk was a little bit chubby –a trait not uncommon in Danareen males- with a rather thick neck. There was no nose to talk of, but what he did have were some slit-like orifices on both sides of his neck, resembling fish gills. The pale bluish skin she had grown accustomed to over the years seemed a bit paler than usual, though it might have been the artificial lighting of her bedroom reflecting over his hairless head.

Nikk looked at her, blinking his unlashed and almost transparent eyelids, and showing his blue on blue eyes. He appeared annoyed, bucket in one hand, mop on the other. “Some people just don’t hear door chimes, Madam,” he said, an obvious edge of sarcasm in his remark, “even if they are rung more than thrice … in a row.”

Athsari Rodriguez laughed a bit at Nikk, who most definitely took his job very seriously; again, a common trait of the rather ceremonious Danareen.

“Lighten up, Nikk,” she said smiling at him, “some of us had a late night what with docking and stuff.”

“I imagine so, you being the pilot and all.” He entered the room, mop and bucket in his four-fingered hands, “Mind if I go on with my business? It’s getting a tad late.”

Athsari nodded and moved aside for Nikk to come into her quarters. She walked towards the makeshift shower and started taking off her gown. Nikk automatically averted his eyes and shrieked at the obvious lack of modesty from his crew mate.

“Madam!” he screamed at Athsari after having uttered, what she could imagine, must’ve been a really aggressive curse in the Danareen tongue, “If you wouldn’t mind waiting for me to leave before you proceed to … to … to removing your clothing?”

Athsari laughed outloud this time, faced Nikk and talked in her always musical voice. “I doubt I have something you haven’t seen elsewhere, now, do I, Nikk?”

Nikk Berzamo sank the mop in the bucket, his eyes fixated on the water, pretending not to look at Athsari’s beautiful and athletic dark skinned semi-naked body and grunted.

“Females of my species, Madam,” he said trying to sound as relaxed as possible, though Athsari knew he was far from feeling relaxed, “have a very … let’s say … different anatomy from that of you Utopians.”

“Ok, ok, Nikk!” she replied pulling her gown back on and walking towards a chest of drawers to get a new change of clothes, “I’ll go to somebody else’s quarters and leave you to your business.”

“Utopian females!” Nikk said to himself as Athsari left her own quarters in search of another place to take her late morning shower.

He looked at the mess in the pilot’s quarters and grunted once again. Of all the people on board Persephone, she was the messiest one. Why couldn’t she be like, say, Merrilyn Stewart? Merrilyn’s quarters were always perfectly arranged and smelled of Utopian coconut. Or like Jay Aodhagán? His quarters had so very little stuff they were really easy to clean. He heaved a sigh and started picking up Athsari’s dirty clothes from everywhere around the room; he would have to do it if he really expected to mop the floor.

Swift had just finished his morning work-out and stood in front of his full-body mirror. He looked all sweaty and exhausted, but he definitely liked what he saw, his muscles were finally looking the way he wanted them to, his torso and arms not bulky but toned.

He took his underwear off and walked towards the shower. One thing he loved about The Persephone, was the fact that they always had hot water, unlike the Chrone, the ship where he’d grown up and where his mother was still a crewmember. About his father he didn’t know the first thing, but Marissa had been a very loving mother and so had been Chatduk, the Selanese whom his mother had married when he was still four years old. Chatduk he considered his only father.

He didn’t take long in the shower, for he had a busy day ahead going over the accounting books. Since he’d come onboard, he’d made sure to keep Bristow’s accounting impeccable and he was basically responsible for how the money was distributed, including supplies and payroll.

He dressed up really quickly in his usual khakis and cargo boots. He put on his white short sleeve cotton shirt –he loved showing off his arms- and his black suspenders. He put on some moisturizing lotion, a habit he’d picked from his mother, who always insisted in how important it was to have a skin to die for. He still didn’t have someone with him, but kept on moisturizing. His lotion was actually sent from The Chrone every two months or so.

Shaving his head had been an incredible idea, for he didn’t have to invest time in combing. He took another glance at himself in the mirror and walked out of his living quarters, feeling particularly handsome this morning.

He was barely closing his door when Phillip O’Malley passed by seemingly in a rush, almost making him fall.

“Move aside, midget!” O’Malley barked without stopping.

“Your mother!” Swift replied.

O’Malley gave him the finger without even turning and Swift continued walking. He was close to his twentyfourth nameday, and being a bit over 1.35 meters tall he’d been called all sorts of names since he was a kid. He’d learnt to become hard and not let it get through to him, but it still hurt at times, especially when it was from his crewmates. Then again, he though O’Malley was a walking ape-like sack of muscles and testosterone, so he decided to ignore O’Malley and kept on walking on his short legs on his way to the Captain’s office.

Up the first interdeck ladder he ran into Hadzaana Missdon, the athletic First Hand of the Persephone and greeted her with a smile.

“Hey, Swift!” she said with a wide smile, “on the run?”

“Tons of accounting to do for the day!” said Swift with his sweet masculine voice.

“I bet!” Hadzaana replied, “Looking handsome with that shirt. You’re still working out, aren’t you?”

“I am, thanks for noticing!” he said, “how about you? Lots of work?”

“The usual when in port. Roster, supplies, stuff, you know?”

“Well, hope it goes smoothly.”

“Likewise. This is where I make a left turn!” she said when they’d come to an intersection, “See ya later!”

“Bye!” said Swift waving his hand and carrying on. He went another interdeck ladder up and came to the aisle that would take him straight to the Captain’s office, where the accounting books were kept. A long day indeed came into view.