ã€ŠALL SYSTEMS CRITICALã€‹


 CHAPTER ONE: IN WHICH THERE ARE TWO CRASH LANDINGS

    ¡°WARNING: ALL SYSTEMS CRITICAL.¡±

    The alarm blared loudly throughout the bridge, accompanied by flashing red lights, but Theo ignored them both. The ship shook around him like it might fall apart at any moment, and he hoped that it would, he hoped that it would tear him apart too¡ª

    ¡°WARNING,¡± the alarm continued to scream at him as if he were listening, the pitch rising with anger. ¡°HULL BREECH ON DECKS THREE AND FOUR. PRESSURE DESTABILIZING.¡±

    ¡°I hear you, I hear you,¡± Theo grumbled, but he didn¡¯t shift from his seat. The course had already been laid in, and he had no plans on altering it. His hands gripped the armrests of the captain¡¯s chair and he leaned back, letting his eyes close to block out the flashing lights.

    ¡°THEO,¡± the alarm blared, except this time it wasn¡¯t just the automated tone, it was Shade standing beside him with xyr hands on xyr hips. The volume that xe spoke was just as loud as the voice screaming from the intercom. ¡°DO NOT BE AN IDIOT THEO, THIS IS AVOIDABLE. CHANGE COURSE NOW.¡±

    Theo opened his eyes and tipped his head to look at the hologram. Xe was watching him impatiently, and it could have made Theo smile in any other circumstance. It was an expression that he was very familiar with. ¡°I am the captain, Shade,¡± he said coolly. ¡°I call the shots.¡±

    ¡°COMPUTER,¡± Shade shouted, ¡°ABORT COURSE.¡±

    ¡°CANNOT COMPLY,¡± the computer responded back to Shade in xyr own voice.

    Shade snapped xyr gaze back to Theo, eyes narrowed on xyr blue face. ¡°WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?¡± xe hissed angrily.

    The ship continued to rumble around them, the rocky ground of the moon was getting closer in the view screen. ¡°Just changed a few of the access commands,¡± Theo answered a bit sadly. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Shade. I can¡¯t do this anymore.¡±

    ¡°THEO, YOU OVER-DRAMATIC SACK OF¡ª¡±

    But xe couldn¡¯t finish; the ship was thrust into a mountain of rock, the hull cracking around them as it pressed violently into the earth. Explosions sparked and ignited, Theo was thrown from the captain¡¯s chair, and as he lost consciousness, Shade fizzled into nothing.

    <hr>

    The computer had stopped screaming at him, and everything ached. It took a moment for Theo to realize that couldn¡¯t be right ¡ª he had purposefully crashed the ship with the idea that it would not only finish the job he had accepted, but kill him too. If he could feel the pain in his body, then that meant that he hadn¡¯t died in the crash, that meant that something had interrupted his (admittedly not very well thought out) plan¡ª

    He didn¡¯t open his eyes right away. He didn¡¯t want to face the disappointment of what he might find. There was no smell of burning, no feeling of heat around him. The air was cool, as was whatever he was lying on, and the air smelled vaguely sterile. He knew that smell; it was the smell of sickbays and hospitals, of rooms kept clean for people who were healing. He did not want to be healing.

    ¡°I know you are awake,¡± came a familiar, cold voice somewhere in the room. Shade.

    Theo let his eyes blink open and his vision blurred as it tried to focus. The light above his bed was blinding, and he squinted his eyes shut again. ¡°Shade,¡± he said, and his voice came out like a croak that turned into a coughing fit. He tried to roll to his side, to maybe sit up, but a hand pressed on his shoulder.

    ¡°Do not move yet,¡± Shade answered. ¡°You are still healing.¡± Xe sounded annoyed with him, but Theo thought that this was fair ¡ª and it also wasn¡¯t unusual.

    ¡°That was a stupid thing you did,¡± Shade went on, not waiting for Theo to say anything in response to xyr demand. ¡°There were a number of solutions to the problem; why would you choose the most reckless one?¡±

    Theo pressed his lips together, not particularly keen on answering that line of questioning. He wondered if Shade would even understand, if it would even be worth wasting his breath trying to explain to xem that it was too hard to keep breathing, to keep moving forward, to keep his mind going nonstop¡ª

    ¡°Boss would often try to explain your whims to me,¡± Shade continued, sounding even more frustrated. ¡°Though even when he tried his hardest I could not wrap my programming around your foolishness. You are too reckless Theo Altair. You are stupid to want to die.¡±

    This made Theo laugh, which triggered another small coughing fit. ¡°Maybe,¡± he answered lightly. The memory of Boss made him ache more, in a different way, and he did not want to think of him. ¡°The ship?¡± A change of subject.

    Shade made a small, annoyed noise. ¡°The ship is fine, no thanks to you,¡± xe said sharply. ¡°The miners found us and luckily I was there to meet them. It seemed your little¡­ stunt rebooted the systems and I was able to gain control again. Otherwise we both would have been lost.¡±

    Theo tilted his face to the sound of Shade¡¯s voice, his eyes blearily blinking open again. Xe was standing only a couple feet away from where Theo was laying, xyr arms crossed over xyr chest. Xe had a solemn expression fixed across xyr face, the ridges that xe liked to fashion over xyr nose in this form seeming more dramatic somehow. The golden headdress that normally adorned xyr head was gone. Theo supposed there had been no time worry about a vanity projection.

    To see xem standing there caring for his wounds brought the reality of the situation crashing down on Theo, and he did feel like a fool. He would have much rather forgotten what this felt like, he would have much rather not faced Shade now, with the shame roiling in his stomach.

    ¡°Would you believe me if I said I was sorry?¡± Theo asked softly, although he thought he knew what Shade¡¯s answer would be.

    ¡°You are often sorry, Theo Altair,¡± Shade responded, and xe turned away from the bed to inspect a screen on the wall.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Theo said numbly, and he let his eyes close again to focus on the feeling of his breathing. His chest ached a bit less now as he pulled air in, and exhaled shakily. ¡°The termites?¡± he asked after a moment, remembering the flimsy reason he had crashed the ship in the first place.

    ¡°They are dead,¡± Shade answered. There was the sound of beeping as xe entered something into the computer panel. ¡°And the remainder of our payment has been turned over. Minus the cost of a few repairs, of course.¡±This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

    Theo hummed softly, not really caring about the payment. They had more than enough money, all things considered. It wasn¡¯t like when he took this job it was a matter of getting anything from it aside from possibly finding another way out. But once again, he failed at that.

    ¡°Where are we?¡± he asked, tipping his head to try to get a better view of his surroundings. But he already knew before Shade answered that they were still on their ship, in the familiar brightness of their own sickbay.

    ¡°Sickbay,¡± Shade answered, turning away from the screen that xe was looking at and stepping back over to Theo¡¯s bed.

    ¡°The hull breech¡ª¡± Theo started curiously.

    ¡°As I said, the miners had enough metal to help make a few small repairs,¡± Shade explained, and xe began to adjust the equipment that curved over Theo¡¯s body, healing him through science he barely understood. ¡°Luckily the breech was in the arboretum; none of the medical equipment was damaged. The area is sealed off, for now.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, lucky,¡± Theo repeated sarcastically, but he knew that Shade wouldn¡¯t pay him any mind.

    The thin arch of metal that was working over his torso shifted and groaned, automatically scooting down the bed to work on his legs now. Theo could feel the warmth from them as they scanned his muscles, searched for any damage, and did their job. ¡°Damage report?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Aside from your superficial injuries, you had three cracked ribs, torn knee ligaments, a concussion, and numerous sprains. No broken bones,¡± Shade responded, still working at the panel at the bedside.

    Theo laughed, and this time there was only a small cough. ¡°No¡ª I meant the ship,¡± he clarified with a little smile.

    Shade looked at him, and it was hard to read the expression on xyr face. Still frustration, perhaps? That wouldn¡¯t have been too strange a guess. Xe got back to working at the panel. ¡°Three hull breeches, loss of warp engines and both sensor arrays, and both the fuel scoop and landing gear took heavy damage,¡± xe answered. ¡°No damage to the computer core,¡± xe added, and xyr voice had a certain chill to it.

    ¡°I¡¯m glad,¡± Theo said sincerely, but he didn¡¯t know if Shade would believe him. Xe was right when xe said that Theo was often sorry. It was the story of his life.

    Shade only glanced at him, before turning away to fish around for something in one of the glass cupboards on the other side of the room. Silence fell between them and Theo let his eyes close again, listening to Shade work, and the sound of the ship around them. Xe was preparing something dutifully, the clinking of vials, and the muscle repair hummed around Theo¡¯s legs. There was the vibrations of the ship¡¯s engines, soft somewhere in the distance, and Theo thought they were lucky that the sub-light drives weren¡¯t damaged.

    ¡°Where are we going?¡± he asked, his voice low.

    ¡°Imia II,¡± Shade responded, and xyr voice was close again. ¡°The miners could only do so much, and they had very little fuel to spare, but they suggested the co-op located there for further repairs.¡±

    Theo opened his eyes to look at Shade again; xe was holding a small device in xyr hand meant for injections. He could have laughed again, at Shade taking care of him so in spite of xyr frustration. ¡°You should have just left me in the mines,¡± he said, trying to make his voice sound light, but it came out more strained than anything.

    ¡°Maybe,¡± Shade admitted, setting the device on the bedside to swab at Theo¡¯s upper thigh with an alcohol pad. ¡°At any rate, it is time for your injection.¡±

    Theo had been taking hormone injections since his youth, since he was old enough to make medical decisions for himself and long before he ever managed to scrounge together enough money for the surgeries he had wanted. After he joined the ship and it was discovered that he was injecting himself under not so ideal conditions, Shade had taken over helping prepare the vials for him. He had to admit that the way that xe prepared them was much more preferable to the uncomfortable needles that he had become accustomed to.

    There was barely a pinch as Shade administered the hormones, the injection device hissing softly as it did its job. Theo didn¡¯t understand why Shade was still doing this, if xe was so frustrated with him. But he didn¡¯t say anything, just kept still as the hologram cared for him. It felt a bit awkward and Theo didn¡¯t like to feel awkward, but there wasn¡¯t much he could do about it now in his state.

    ¡°How far are we from the moon?¡± Theo asked after a moment, once Shade had deposited the injection device into the small box that would clean its parts.

    ¡°Only a couple hours,¡± Shade answered. Xe was looking at Theo intently now, xyr arms crossed back over xyr chest. It was a thoroughly human gesture that Theo thought xe must have picked up from xyr time spent with Boss. Once again xyr expression was unreadable; Theo found it hard to guess what xe was thinking when xe was in this form. Perhaps that was why Shade took it instead of mirroring xyr android body while aboard the ship.

    ¡°You should rest,¡± Shade finally continued. ¡°I must return my full attention to the bridge to prepare for communications and landing. Without the sensors I will have to land manually.¡±

    Theo looked away from Shade¡¯s deep gaze, and let his eyes close again, thinking again that he did not understand why xe was doing this. Wouldn¡¯t it have been easier to just let him die? Then, Shade would have the ship to xemself, and xe wouldn¡¯t have to worry about babysitting him. ¡°Okay,¡± he finally answered, but Shade didn¡¯t respond. When Theo opened his eyes again, the hologram was gone.

    <hr>

    A loud rumbling throughout the ship woke Theo, and he would have bolted upright if he were able. The bed he was in shook, as did everything else in the sickbay, clinking and clattering with the motion of the ship. He gripped the sides of the bed and pushed himself up so that he was sitting; the metal that had once been over his legs healing his muscles had retracted down now which meant that its job was done, and he was free to move ¡ª although he didn¡¯t know if it would be a wise choice.

    ¡°Shade!¡± he called to no one, ¡°Report!¡±

    ¡°NOT NOW THEO,¡± Shade¡¯s voice answered over the ship¡¯s intercom system. ¡°WE ARE JUST LANDING. DO NOT MOVE.¡±

    But Theo had already moved so that he was sitting in the bed, his legs hanging over the side. The floor of the sickbay was cold against his bare feet as he shifted his weight tentatively, seeing how much strength he had. The ship rocked again and he nearly tumbled forward. ¡°Can¡¯t you be a little more careful?¡± he shouted, not caring about the irony of that question considering he had very recently purposefully crashed the ship.

    ¡°I WOULD BE MORE CAREFUL,¡± Shade responded, ¡°IF I STILL HAD MY SENSORS. DO NOT MOVE!¡±

    Theo scowled and gripped the bed tighter, not wanting to fall out as the ship rocked and heaved, the metal groaning in protest.

    ¡°WARNING,¡± the ship¡¯s alarm system began to shout. ¡°HULL ON DECK THREE WEAKENING; AT SIXTY-TWO PERCENT.¡±

    ¡°Shade!¡± Theo shouted again. ¡°In case you forgot ¡ª I¡¯m on deck three!¡± Again, he did not think of the irony in the slight panic in his voice.

    There was no response from Shade this time, just the sound of metal scraping and the glass vials and other medical instruments vibrating around him. Theo pushed himself from the bed but his legs were weaker than he thought they would be, and he held tightly to the console attached to the bed to regain his balance. As the ship rocked he made his way to the display on the far wall, his legs trembling like a baby deer learning how to walk for the first time. But he had worse injuries in the past, and at least most of the pain had subsided.

    He leaned against the wall to keep from falling as he pulled up a mirror of the operations display. They were nearly to the ground now, but he couldn¡¯t tell the terrain of where Shade was putting them down. He didn¡¯t know anything about the Imian moons, aside from the one they had previously crashed on, but Shade had said this was a co-op ¡ª so a farm?

    ¡°Shade!¡± he called. ¡°Report!¡±

    The only response he got was more creaking from the ship, and then a violent shudder and thud that threw him back onto the hard ground. And then everything went still.

    ¡°I told you not to move,¡± came Shade¡¯s voice after a moment, this time in the same room as him.

    Theo groaned where he laid on the floor, and when he tilted his head back Shade was standing above him with a look of firm disapproval fixed on xyr face. Xe still held out xyr hand, though, and Theo accepted the help to stand. ¡°I take it we¡¯ve landed?¡± he asked.

    Shade rolled xyr eyes, another gesture xe surely picked up from Boss, and turned away from Theo to reach for a pile of clothes that had been neatly folded and placed on the spare bed. ¡°Get dressed; as far as I can tell it is not polite to meet new people in your undergarments.¡±

    Xe tossed the clothes to Theo, who barely caught them. ¡°Was that a joke?¡± he asked, but Shade had already made xemself scarce.

 CHAPTER TWO: TRECHA FRUIT AND THE ENGINEER

    The first thing that Theo noticed when he stepped off of the ship was the smell ¡ª all fresh air and greenery, mixed in with the unmistakable smell of ship exhaust from their landing. It wasn¡¯t a smell he was used to, and at first he didn¡¯t quite understand where it was coming from. But Shade had landed the ship at a docking area on the side of a massive hill, and as Theo turned he saw the farmland stretch out in front of him. For a moment, all he could do was stand still and stare, until he felt a hand fall on his shoulder.

    Shade was back in xyr metal body, the one xe wore to leave the ship, and the copper colored metal glinted in the sunlight. This form was easier for Theo to understand; it was easier for him to translate the ever-shifting shapes and colors on Shade¡¯s face to perceive xyr mood. Now, the morphing was slow and static, shapes pointed and the color dull. Theo frowned slightly and looked away, back to the scenery around them.

    ¡°Someone here is supposed to be able to fix our ship?¡± he asked uncertainly, and the duo began to make their way down the strip that their airlock had opened to. It was a series of steps that lead to a thin strip of a metal dock that would bring them to a collection of buildings. There were a few other ships that had also landed in other areas of the port, but most of them were small individual crafts meant to hold only a few people. It seemed that they had landed on the far end in the largest space, so they had a ways to walk past the other ships to reach the first building. Theo thought it was actually a bit impressive that Shade had gotten them down so smoothly, and in a proper space no less, but he didn¡¯t say anything.

    ¡°There is an engineer here, yes,¡± Shade answered as they made they way down the dock, xyr metal feet clanking gently with each step. The other ships all seemed empty, the inhabitants no doubt out exploring whatever amenities the co-op had to offer.

    Theo let out a small hum that meant he wasn¡¯t quite sure he believed they would find what they needed here, but Shade didn¡¯t seem to notice, or care, about his disbelief. They walked the rest of the way in silence until they came upon the first building, which was the smallest of the cluster. It was squat and made of red brick, but the side that faced them was a large window that allowed them see the inside; it seemed mostly to be an office of sorts. There was a sign on the door that read in cheery handwritten letters: PLEASE CHECK IN.

    Theo pushed open the door and a little bell rang out signaling their entrance. ¡°How quaint,¡± he muttered, mostly to himself.

    The desk that filled most of the small office was empty, but a small old man peeked from a door behind the desk at the sound of their arrival. He wore glasses that made his eyes look comically large, and he had two pointed ears that were adorned with gold and silver rings of various sizes that would have put Shade¡¯s holographic jewelry to shame. ¡°Greetings!¡± he called, shuffling out to the desk. ¡°Welcome to Imia II!¡±

    ¡°Er, thanks,¡± Theo said, slightly unnerved by the man¡¯s friendliness. ¡°We¡¯re looking for an engineer.¡±

    ¡°Oh yes!¡± the man responded enthusiastically, and he began to shuffle around a few papers on his desk. ¡°The Crofts told me to expect you. Now let¡¯s see here¡ª¡±

    Theo watched, a bit bemused, as the man searched through his papers to find the exact one he was looking for. It seemed like a bit of an outdated system, and it did not bode well for his expectations that anyone on this farming rock would be able to help them. Although without their warp engines and fuel scoop it wasn¡¯t as if they could get very far.

    ¡°Here we are!¡± the old man exclaimed, brandishing a yellow sheet of paper. ¡°Theo Altair, correct?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Theo answered. ¡°This is my partner, Shade.¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes,¡± the old man said, looking over the sheet and not at them. ¡°We have you both listed ¡ª are you the only inhabitants on your ship?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Excellent!¡± The man fished out a large round stamp from under another pile of papers on his desk and slammed it on the sheet he had been looking at before shuffling it aside. ¡°Now, you¡¯ll want to find Dimitri Croft. Croft farm isn¡¯t too far from here, I think I have a map around here somewhere¡­¡± He trailed off and began to shuffle around the papers again, and with a soft ¡°ah-ha!¡± he brandished a folded pamphlet. He opened it and spread it across the desk over the mess of papers to show Theo.

    ¡°We are here,¡± he tapped the image of the dock on the map. ¡°This over here is where you¡¯ll find most of the shops and community areas. Croft farm is this area over here.¡± He folded the map back up with a flourish and handed it to Theo. ¡°This time of day, Dimitri likes to wander, but if you ask around I¡¯m sure someone will be able to point you in the right direction.¡±

    Theo took the map and tucked it in his back pocket. Shade had probably memorized the image when it had been spread across the desk, but he didn¡¯t have the heart to tell the old man that. ¡°Thanks again,¡± he said before turning to the door.

    ¡°Have a good one!¡± the man called, and as Theo and Shade left, he shuffled back into the room behind the desk.

    <hr>

    The walk into town was a pleasant one, Theo supposed, if that was something that interested you. The path from the building that they checked in at wove around two larger buildings that looked as if they might be storage, and once they passed that it was nothing but open space and bright green fields. The road was paved, at least, and the two walked in silence as they made their way down the hill. From the position of the docks above they could see their destination, and it seemed to be nothing more than a handful of mismatched buildings and stalls, and people milling about to buy or trade wares and food. In every direction they looked there was something growing ¡ª a field full of vines with plump red fruit weighing them down on one side, and the other a scattering of trees growing fruits that Theo was unfamiliar with.

    Shade didn¡¯t say anything to him as they walked, but they were often silent in each others company, and it was rarely uncomfortable. When Theo looked at xem, the shapes on xyr face were changing slowly, more smoothly than before, and he thought perhaps Shade was less angry with him now.

    The silence gave Theo a chance to think about what had happened, although he tried not to focus on the guilt that he felt. Shade had been right when xe said that he was too reckless, but he still felt that desperate hopelessness clawing at his gut. He didn¡¯t know what else he was supposed to do. How was he supposed to keep going; what was the point? He couldn¡¯t ask Shade this; xe wouldn¡¯t have an adequate answer. Hell, even Boss never had an adequate answer for him when Theo posed the question: what do I do?

    He remembered the old man¡¯s chuckle ¡ª he was always chuckling at something ¡ª and the way he would pat Theo¡¯s shoulder to reassure him. In those moments there was a touch of sadness in Boss¡¯ eyes, even when he was smiling, and Theo couldn¡¯t understand when he would say, ¡°You just keep going, son.¡±

    The path wound down, past a pen of loud braying animals that were chewing on patches of grass. They went quiet at the sight of them, watching warily as the duo passed. Theo kicked a rock in front of him and it skittered forward. He kicked it again, and it skittered out of his reach off of the path. He wondered again if they would actually find what they needed here ¡ª what kind of farming community had warp reactors and parts for sensor arrays? He hadn¡¯t actually seen the full rundown of what damage had been done to the ship, but he knew Shade held that information safely in xyr memory banks.

    The first stall they came to was an old woman selling vegetables of some kind; she was dozing where she sat and didn¡¯t even notice them. They continued and passed a few people talking in groups, showing off their purchases and laughing. Fortunately the two of them didn¡¯t seem to stand out too much among the groups of visitors, varying species and other androids, which had been a silent concern of Theo¡¯s. You could never tell with a strange place, what sort of trouble you might get yourself into.

    Although Shade would have pointed out that Theo was often the problem by his own actions if he had voiced this concern to xem.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    The road that they were walking on finally ended at a town circle, that the buildings wrapped around in an open and friendly manner. At the center of the circle was a large fountain where a few people sat, drinking and talking with each other. Theo and Shade paused where they stood, taking in their surroundings. On the far end of the circle was an open-faced building that was unmistakably a tavern of some sort, with outdoor seating where people were laughing and dining.

    ¡°What do you think?¡± Theo asked, pointing the building out to Shade.

    ¡°I think that I do not need nourishment,¡± Shade answered. ¡°But perhaps that is where we will find where to go to meet our engineer.¡±

    Theo rolled his eyes and started for the tavern, dodging a group of children who were kicking a ball around in the dirt. A few of them stopped to admire Shade, but xe didn¡¯t notice the attention. Xe never seemed to, in spite of being a rather impressive piece of technology ¡ª even in this form, which could have been passed off as an ordinary, if not well-maintained, android. Theo always wondered if it was trained, or that xe simply didn¡¯t care.

    When he pushed open the door of the tavern they were greeted with even more chatter, a bit loud but not unexpected for an establishment full of patrons for their midday meal. Theo paused until he saw a counter where a young woman stood, looking at a digital pad in her hand. Ah, so they did have technology here, he thought sharply to himself before he made his way over.

    ¡°Excuse me,¡± he said, speaking over the din, and the woman looked up at the two of them.

    ¡°Table for two?¡± she asked cheerily, glancing between them.

    ¡°No,¡± Theo answered with a small smile. ¡°I¡¯m looking for Dimitri Croft.¡±

    The girl laughed softly. ¡°He just left, actually. Was heading out to work, I think. You might find him at Zaxia farm,¡± she answered. ¡°The orchard, about halfway up the hill.¡±

    ¡°Thanks,¡± Theo said and when he turned to leave the tavern Shade followed behind. He started back the way that they had come from, but he felt Shade¡¯s hand on his shoulder once more.

    ¡°This way is a faster route,¡± xe said, proving that Theo¡¯s assumption xe had memorized the map had been correct.

    So they began their next trek, across the town circle to find a path that wound between two small shops and from there they could see the orchards on the hill. It was the same trees that they had passed on their way down, but they stretched further than Theo had initially thought. There didn¡¯t seem to be anyone on this path, which was mostly dirt and patches of old cobblestones.

    Once again they walked in silence, and Theo wondered what Shade was thinking. This sort of task would not annoy xem, not like how it vaguely annoyed Theo, so he didn¡¯t bother to bring it up. Shade had never been one for smalltalk, anyway. About halfway up the hill Theo shed his jacket and wrapped it around his waist, and pulled his shoulder length hair up in a messy looking bun with the tie he wore around his wrist. He was sweating quite a bit under the midday sun, and he couldn¡¯t remember the last time he felt a sun like this, or the last time he took a walk up a hill.

    The entrance gate to the orchard was open, and the path led up to a small farmhouse. Outside the farmhouse there was another stall that was covered with boxes full of various fruits. A tall being dressed in a flowing white dress was tending the stall, seemingly taking notes on the items in stock, with their back turned to them as they approached. As they got closer, Theo could hear that they were singing.

    ¡°Excuse me,¡± he called from a distance, so as not to startle them.

    The being straightened and glanced over their shoulder at the two of them; they had four yellow eyes on their green face and a wide toothy smile that was somehow still friendly. ¡°Hello,¡± they said, their voice like music notes dancing on the heat from the sun. ¡°I¡¯m afraid we aren¡¯t selling anything today, you¡¯ll have to see what is in stock at the grocer, or wait until we are at the market tomorrow.¡±

    Theo shook his head. ¡°We aren¡¯t here to buy anything ¡ª we¡¯re looking for Dimitri Croft. The hostess at the tavern said he might be here.¡±

    The being laughed, and the sound was just as musical as their voice. ¡°He just left,¡± they said, and Theo groaned softly. ¡°He went down the back path, toward the docks.¡±

    ¡°Of course he did,¡± Theo grumbled, wiping sweat from his brow and turning to leave. ¡°Thank you.¡±

    ¡°Wait,¡± the being called after him. Theo turned and they tossed him a large round fruit, bright orange and red and pink with a smooth skin. ¡°It¡¯s on the house; should help with the heat. And try the path down that way¡ª¡± They gestured past the farmhouse. ¡°It¡¯s faster, and you¡¯ll have shade from the orchard.¡±

    Theo smiled softly and nodded, heading the way that the being had pointed. This patch was not much more than a worn patch of land, a shortcut made by generations of feet trodding over it. Still Shade didn¡¯t speak, and Theo took a bite from the fruit that had been offered to him. The flesh was soft and sweet, cool juice dripped down his chin after the first bite. He didn¡¯t bother to wipe it away and instead took another bite, not realizing until that moment how starved he felt. When was the last time he ate?

    It wasn¡¯t long before he finished the entire thing, down to the pit which he pocketed, not wanting to abandon it among the carefully grown trees. Theo licked the juice from his fingers, humming softly at the pleasant taste, and when he looked over at Shade xe was watching him curiously. The shapes on xyr face were round and bright, which might have meant that xe was smirking, amused at such an animal display. Theo just rolled his eyes and looked away.

    The stranger had been right to say that this walk was much more comfortable than the one before, even as they moved slightly more uphill. The trees around them let off a pleasant scent in the breeze, the sun was no longer bearing down on them so strongly, and Theo could have almost felt relaxed if he weren¡¯t so frustrated by this wild goose chase they had been sent on.

    The path went steeper now and the trees seemed to be further spaced apart. Theo wondered if they were reaching the end of the orchard. There was a sharp curve, then their view blocked by a cluster of large standing stones arranged in a circular pattern. When they moved around the first, suddenly there was a beast in front of them, grazing on the grass in the center of the stones. Theo paused, stepping on a stick that cracked under his weight, and the beast froze in its chewing.

    It was a large creature on four legs, that ended in heavy, sharp looking hooves. Its entire body was covered in soft curly white fur, and it raised its head to look at them curiously. Sharp horns on the top of its head shined in the sun and its face was black, its eyes large and yellow with thin black pupils. It blinked at them, and Theo blinked back, unsure of what to do.

    ¡°Your heart rate is elevated,¡± Shade pointed out, with very little intonation in xyr voice. ¡°It is just a creature.¡±

    ¡°It is a big creature,¡± Theo hissed, his face going warm in embarrassment. ¡°And it¡¯s in our way.¡±

    ¡°Nonsense,¡± Shade responded, and xe began to make xyr way around the standing stones. The creature paid xem no mind, and instead kept its eerie gaze fixed firmly on Theo. ¡°See?¡± Shade called, and now xyr voice was almost mocking. ¡°Come along, before we miss our engineer. No doubt he is headed to the docks to see where we have been.¡±

    Theo¡¯s brow furrowed for a moment and he let out a little huff, slowly following the steps that Shade had taken. He did not take his eyes off of the creature, who in turn also continued to watch him. As he moved to the closest point to it, the creature lifted its snout in the air, and let out a little bray, and began to trot over to Theo. Its hooves left sharp indentations into the dirt and grass, and it brayed again.

    ¡°Shade¡ª¡± Theo started, and the android turned just in time to see the creature pick up more speed, braying loudly again. Theo tried to turn to run, but the creature caught up to him quickly and butted its head against his side, its horns narrowly avoiding tearing into his shirt and skin. Theo fell to the ground with a pained grunt, his elbows scraping into the dirt, and the creature reared back with another loud bray.

    ¡°Theo!¡± Shade cried as the creature lifted itself up onto its back legs, and xe quickly moved toward Theo in concern. The creature yelled at both of them now, huffed and lowered its horns in Shade¡¯s direction as it stomped its hooves around where Theo lay prone in the dirt. When Shade took a step back it turned its attention back to Theo and began to bump its nose against his chest and stomach, still huffing, baring its teeth¡ª

    ¡°Mila!¡± a new voice called, deep and stern, but when Theo turned his head he could only see Shade, standing still with xyr face looking toward the direction of where the voice came front. A tint of blue-grey on xyr face ¡ª confusion.

    ¡°Mila, you naughty creature!¡± the voice came again, and the creature was being pulled back off of Theo by large hands around its neck. The sun shone behind the figure, and Theo scooted back away from the animal and whoever it was who had rescued him. He lifted his hand to shade the light from his eyes to try to get a better look.

    ¡°Sorry about that,¡± the man said, holding his hand out to Theo now. He was tall and large, his shoulders wide enough that they nearly blocked out the sun. His hair was messy and as dark as night, and he was grinning widely. When Theo took his hand it was rough and strong, and the man nearly pulled him up on his own.

    Theo turned his eyes to the animal, who was still staring at him balefully. ¡°Is that thing yours?¡± he snapped, frustrated and embarrassed.

    The man laughed and patted the creature lovingly. ¡°Yeah, this is my Mila. She has a fondness for trecha fruit ¡ª you don¡¯t happen to have any on you?¡±

    Theo looked at the man, his brow still knit together angrily. But he remembered the pit in his pocket and he pulled it out to show him. ¡°I have this,¡± he answered, his voice still sharp, and the animal ¡ª Mila ¡ª let out a sad little bray.

    ¡°Aww, sorry Mila, no treats for you now,¡± the man said with another little laugh, still patting the animal¡¯s downy neck. He turned back to Theo. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen you two around here before ¡ª what are your names?¡±

    Theo let out an annoyed little sigh. ¡°I¡¯m Theo, that¡¯s Shade.¡±

    The smile on the man¡¯s face seemed to widen slightly, his eyes shining. ¡°Ah!¡± he said cheerfully. ¡°You¡¯re just the man I¡¯ve been looking for.¡± Confusion flashed across Theo¡¯s face before he went on¡ª ¡°I¡¯m Dimitri Croft, it¡¯s a pleasure to meet you.¡±

 CHAPTER THREE: MIDNIGHT RATIONS

    Once Mila was content back in the circle of standing stones, chewing on the grass again, Dimitri led Theo and Shade to the peak of the hill, and from there they had a view of the docks. They trekked down slightly, Theo trailing behind the two of them as Dimitri chattered away, asking Shade a number of questions about xemself. Theo wondered out loud if he should have been asking about the ship instead, which only made Dimitri laugh and carry on with his curiosity. Shade didn¡¯t seem to mind the line of questioning, and happily answered Dimitri¡¯s more benign questions, but Theo noticed xe managed to steer away from the ones that would have made him suspicious of xyr origins.

    The path that brought them down was steeper, and dropped them off at the middle of the docks. Now Shade took the lead, and the group headed toward the ship. Theo felt exhausted from the walking and heat, in pain from his freshly healed injuries from the crash and Mila¡¯s (he supposed) gentle attack, and he wanted nothing more than to collapse in his quarters. He wondered if Shade wouldn¡¯t mind giving a tour of the damage alone, or if he would be able to sneak away quietly when the two of them weren¡¯t looking¡­

    Dimitri let out a whistle at the sight of the ship, running his hand through his hair. Theo followed his gaze; he was inspecting the outer hull of the ship, the poorly repaired breeches were visible even from their distance, and for the first time Theo took stock of the damage that had been done ¡ª and then crudely repaired by a group of miners with spare metal.

    ¡°Logoth over on Imia I said you crashed the ship?¡± Dimitri asked, looking over at Theo curiously. ¡°Was there engine failure?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Theo answered shortly, and he pushed passed him to head up to the airlock. The door opened with a hiss and he stepped in, moving to the side so that Shade and Dimitri could follow inside.

    The airlock opened into a wide corridor, and Dimitri seemed to take up too much space ¡ª he would have to duck to get into some of the tighter areas, Theo thought to himself. But for now he stood in the corridor, examining what was in eyesight. Once again Theo was seeing the ship with a new pair of eyes, and a different sort of embarrassment washed over him. He fought the urge to escape to his quarters, where he would feel safer.

    ¡°This would be deck three?¡± Dimitri asked, looking back at him.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Theo answered, his voice still flat. ¡°Cargo bays are at the stern, then security and the sub-light drives. They took very little damage, as far as I know. There was a hull breech in the arboretum¡ª¡± Theo pointed the opposite direction. ¡°But the labs and sickbay took minimal damage.¡±

    ¡°An arboretum?¡± Dimitri asked, like he was surprised. ¡°What do you grow?¡±

    ¡°Nothing,¡± Theo answered, and he turned to lead Dimitri to the lift.

    Dimitri hummed curiously but followed to continue the tour. They used the lift to start on deck five, which seemed to amass the bulk of the damage, and Dimitri listened intently as Shade took over and did most of the talking, pointing out the less obvious areas that would need repairs.

    On deck four, Dimitri seemed very interested in the computer core, but for the time being Shade steered him away from it ¡ª ¡°It is not damaged,¡± xe promised ¡ª and showed him the warp engines that were currently inoperable. Dimitri hummed thoughtfully and pulled a small digital pad out of his pocket where he began to take notes. He was just as attentive on deck two, when Shade took him to the secondary warp engines.

    Theo watched silently, feeling a bit useless following the two of them around. It didn¡¯t cause him distress, exactly, but he wished that he could be left alone for a long nap. Occasionally Dimitri would look back at him and smile kindly, or ask him a question like he thought that he might have felt left out, but truthfully Theo was not listening very well and Shade would pipe up with the answer. Dimitri didn¡¯t seem to notice.

    Deck one was a mess, and Theo eyed the door to his quarters wistfully ¡ª although he knew whatever destruction was behind that door would only upset him. He reminded himself again that this was all his fault, and he felt so tired¡ª

    Dimitri let out a low whistle when he saw the bridge, stepping carefully over broken console pieces to head over to the captain¡¯s chair. It sat in the middle of the room, surrounded by small consoles that had taken a bit less damage than the others in the room. ¡°This is some ship,¡± he said, turning back to Theo and Shade with his hands on his hips.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Shade said, pleased by his assessment. Theo didn¡¯t say anything, so Shade continued. ¡°I take it you will be able to help us?¡±

    Dimitri scrolled the pad in his hand, giving them a non-committal sort of nod. ¡°I think so. This baby is much bigger than anything I¡¯ve worked on recently, but I should have a few things you¡¯re looking for. The others I may need to order, but I can contact some friends of mine planetside to track ¡®em down.¡±

    There was a stretch of silence and Theo looked up from a bit of shattered glass that he had been staring at to see that both Dimitri and Shade were watching him, awaiting his appraisal of the job. ¡°Oh, Yeah, that¡¯s fine,¡± he said. ¡°You¡¯re hired, I guess.¡±

    This made Dimitri laugh, and he slipped his pad back into his pocket. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be heading out to check my stock then,¡± he said, tilting his head a bit. ¡°You can come along, if you¡¯d like?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Theo answered, trying not to sigh. The friendliness here seemed to make him feel even more tired. And, frankly, he didn¡¯t trust it. No one could be as kind as the people here had been so far without something lurking under the surface ¡ª at least not in his experience. ¡°I¡¯ll stay here, but, uh, thanks.¡±

    Dimitri seemed confused, but mostly unaffected by Theo¡¯s response. ¡°Well, there are a couple inns in town that probably have empty beds, if you don¡¯t want to stay here. They¡¯re quite comfortable.¡± He looked over at Shade for a moment, who was watching the scene in front of xem with a morphing look of curiosity on xyr face. ¡°Right. I¡¯ll go check my stock and see you in the morning? Oh-seven hundred?¡±

    Now Theo did sigh, just a little. ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m¡­ gonna¡¯ go to my quarters now,¡± he said, feeling awkward and tense.

    But if Dimitri noticed, he didn¡¯t do much more than smile. ¡°It was nice meeting you,¡± he said, and then he turned to Shade. ¡°Will you see me out? I¡¯d like to ask you a few questions about some of your systems, if you don¡¯t mind.¡±

    Whatever Shade responded with faded into the background, as Theo had already turned away from the two of them to the door on the bridge that lead to the captain¡¯s quarters. He could hear Shade¡¯s feet move down the hall outside of the room, but Theo mostly looked around at his belongings, knocked from shelves, some cracked and broken. He pushed a pile of books that had toppled onto his bed to the floor, and collapsed to sleep.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    <hr>

    Shade didn¡¯t return to Theo¡¯s room immediately ¡ª or if xe did, xe didn¡¯t take the time to wake him. When he finally did wake up and peek behind the screen over the window, everything was dark. Huge, bright stars sparkled in the sky, but there wasn¡¯t much visible to him aside from that. The view of the town would be on the other side of the ship, so he could not use the distant activity to guess what time of night it might be.

    At any rate, he found that he was hungry. He did not want to leave his quarters quite yet, not wanting to have a conversation with Shade, but his stomach growled impatiently and there were no more rations stashed in the corners of his room. So he climbed out of bed, stepped over the mess that he would eventually have to take the time to pick up, and made his way out of the quarters.

    The captain¡¯s quarters where he slept were attached to the bridge, but he took the exit that brought him out into the hall so that he could take the lift to the mess hall on deck two. He passed empty crew quarters and the lift was waiting for him; the doors slid open with a comforting hiss. ¡°Deck two,¡± he said once they had closed behind him, and in a moment he was there.

    The hall was dark, which he supposed made sense given the time of day, and if Shade was wandering around xe wouldn¡¯t need the light to see. It would have been creepy, Theo thought, if he hadn¡¯t grown used to xyr skulking about the ship after all these years. And he couldn¡¯t fault xem ¡ª the ship was more Shade¡¯s than anyone else¡¯s.

    ¡°Computer, lights,¡± he commanded when he was in the mess hall, only a few steps away from the lift, and they flickered to life like they didn¡¯t want to. The bulbs above him buzzed, as if annoyed by their activation, but their constant flickering was another thing that he had gotten used to. He had, for many years now, gotten into the habit of only replacing what absolutely needed to be replaced. Lights in a mess hall where he rarely spent his time were not exactly a necessity.

    He moved past the tables that were always empty to the small kitchen and food storage at the end of the room. The ship was never meant to carry more than a few dozen people, so the galley was quite small. It was still much too big for Theo, the only one left on the ship who still ate, and he often wondered if he should even bother keeping the food down here. Shade hadn¡¯t been too thrilled at the idea of moving a miniature galley to the ready room on deck one, as it disturbed what xe had grown used to, so Theo never pressed the subject.

    The light inside of the refrigerator flicked on when he opened the door, but the contents were¡­ bleak, to say the least. There were a few plastic jugs of questionable looking liquid; some had gone a bit foamy. Theo scowled and pushed the jugs aside, but there wasn¡¯t much left for him to chose from.

    He closed the refrigerator and stepped to the side to dig in the cupboard, which still held a few stacks of various field rations. Theo chose one at random and hopped up to sit on the counter to tear into it. It was a block of something salty, perhaps some kind of dried meat, although a bite of it didn¡¯t tell him much more than that. He continued to eat it anyway, staring off into the distance, through the opening in the wall that looked out into the dining area and into the stars in the wide window past that.

    ¡°I believe Boss would have called this a ¡®midnight snack¡¯,¡± came a voice suddenly beside him, and Theo nearly fell off of the counter in surprise.

    ¡°Dammit Shade!¡± he yelled, more embarrassed than startled now. He looked over, and xe was back in xyr hologram form, safe from the prying eyes of any strangers. ¡°You could at least¡­ announce yourself or something.¡± He took another bite of his ration, chewing angrily.

    Shade shrugged and turned to lean against the counter next to Theo, following his gaze. ¡°What are you looking at?¡± xe asked curiously.

    ¡°The stars,¡± Theo answered. ¡°They¡¯re big here.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re the same size as they always are,¡± Shade answered, tilting xyr head curiously.

    Theo rolled his eyes and finished off the ration, digging around in the cupboard for another one. When he tore away the silver wrapper, this one was a greenish color, but it smelled fine so he took a bite into it anyway. ¡°I just mean, they seem closer,¡± he clarified between bites, although Shade hadn¡¯t asked for clarification.

    Shade hummed softly, a noise xe seemed to like in this form. Xe couldn¡¯t make it when xe was in xyr android body, at least not in the same capacity. ¡°You miss them,¡± xe said. ¡°You miss them already.¡±

    Theo shrugged and took another bite of the ration. It was true he didn¡¯t like to stay on solid ground for too long, and he was certainly ready to leave this rock, but he didn¡¯t know if he would say that he missed them. It seemed like the sort of observation Boss would have made, and Theo did miss Boss.

    ¡°How long do you think the repairs will take?¡± Theo asked; a change of subject so he wouldn¡¯t have to think about his old friend, long gone.

    ¡°Dimitri could not give a definitive answer,¡± Shade started, ¡°but he seemed certain it would not take much more than a month and a half.¡±

    ¡°A month and a half?¡± Theo cried with an unhappy little groan.

    ¡°You did crash the ship,¡± Shade answered pointedly. ¡°And purposefully damaged systems to do so. Did you expect it to be an easy fix?¡±

    Theo only grumbled, chewing on his green ration, still staring out at the stars. Silence fell between them, but he didn¡¯t think that Shade was actually waiting for an answer to xyr question. There was no reasonable answer for him to give, and in fact a month and a half seemed like a rather speedy repair considering their location and the damage done to the ship, and that it would only be the three of them to carry out the repairs.

    ¡°Dimitri does seem like a capable engineer,¡± Shade continued after a moment, xyr gaze also still fixed on the stars out in the sky. ¡°As I was walking him back to the airlock he said that he had many parts in his¡­ collection¡­ that should fit our needs.¡±

    ¡°Collection?¡± Theo asked, looking over at Shade curiously.

    ¡°Yes. It seems that starships are more of a hobby for him than an actual career,¡± Shade responded. ¡°And he was exceedingly curious about this one.¡±

    ¡°Well,¡± Theo starting, popping the last little piece of ration into his mouth. ¡°It is an impressive ship.¡±

    Shade rolled xyr eyes. ¡°Flattery will not get you anywhere, Theo Altair,¡± xe said, although xe seemed to stand a little bit straighter. ¡°I am still angry with you.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡±

    ¡°At any rate, Dimitri was more concerned with our lack of crew,¡± Shade went on, with xyr previous line of conversation. ¡°He worries that it is too much ship ¡ª for an exterminator.¡±

    Theo laughed a little, remembering the time he had said the same thing to Boss, when he first stepped foot onto the ship. He hopped from the counter and closed the cupboard. There were only a few rations left, but that would be a problem he could think about later.

    ¡°He¡¯s not totally wrong,¡± Theo admitted, and he made his way out of the kitchen and back into the dining area, to get a better look out of the window. In the blink of an eye, Shade was beside him again, standing with xyr arms clasped behind xyr back. It didn¡¯t startle Theo this time, as Shade often took shortcuts to follow him as he moved about the ship.

    ¡°Boss would disagree with you both,¡± Shade said thoughtfully. ¡°He thought that this ship was ideal for the job ¡ª even before I joined the crew.¡±

    ¡°Maybe,¡± Theo answered, leaning against the sill of the window as if he would be able to lean far enough to tumble back out into the stars. ¡°But Boss was also crazy.¡± He said this with a sad fondness and a small smile.

    ¡°He did keep you around,¡± Shade said flatly, perhaps xyr attempt at a joke although xe had never been one to hide xyr disdain for Theo ¡ª even in the beginning before they had a chance to get to know each other better.

    It still made Theo laugh, and he remembered a time he had tried to leave the ship only for Boss to track him down in the rain, decked out in the ugliest yellow slicker and matching rubber hat that he had ever seen. All that had been visible peeking out was the old man¡¯s beard, gray and drenched. He had made Theo buy him a drink in a nearby bar to warm his bones before they headed back to the ship together.

    ¡°You miss him, too,¡± Shade pointed out.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Theo answered, because it would have been pointless to lie. ¡°So do you.¡±

    Shade hummed in affirmation. ¡°I think I will retire to deck five,¡± xe said after a moment. ¡°To prepare for tomorrow.¡±

    Theo didn¡¯t answer immediately, and when he looked over, Shade was gone.

 CHAPTER FOUR: THE FIRST DAY

    After Shade had gone, Theo only spent a few more minutes alone looking out at the stars before he returned to his quarters. He stood in the doorway for a moment before he began to pick up the books and other items that had fallen from their shelves and storage spaces. He didn¡¯t take the time to look at them, or organize them in any way, and it didn¡¯t take long for the floor to be cleared. One of the cabinet doors would not close all of the way, and he left it hanging on the hinge to be dealt with later.

    When he fell back onto his bed, sleep did not come immediately ¡ª although he hadn¡¯t expected it to. He was too awake now, and thinking of Boss, which made his heart ache in a way he usually tried to ignore. After the old man had died and left the ship to him, Theo hadn¡¯t known what to do with himself. It had been Shade¡¯s idea to just keep the business going, which Boss probably would have wanted, but there were times that being on this ship made it too difficult for Theo to keep going.

    It had taken him nearly two years before he moved from the adjacent officer quarters into the captain¡¯s quarters, simply to be closer to the bridge upon Shade¡¯s request. When he first had, there were still several of Boss¡¯ trinkets and books; it had hurt too much to keep them around. Eventually Shade had helped Theo move them into another room, and Theo hadn¡¯t stepped foot in there since. He knew that it would hurt too much to see the remnants of the old man¡¯s long life, even after all of this time.

    When he was finally able to fall asleep he did not dream, and for this he was grateful. More often than not his dreams were unpleasant and messy, and some nights Theo kept himself from sleeping so that he would not have to deal with them.

    But this was not one of those nights, and soon enough he woke to Shade¡¯s voice calling to him over the intercom, ¡°TIME TO WAKE. THE ENGINEER WILL BE ARRIVING SHORTLY.¡±

    Theo rolled over in his bed and stared at the cupboard door that was still hanging off of its hinges. After a moment he rolled out of bed and found a shirt that seemed mostly clean to change into. The other one was abandoned on the floor to be cleaned eventually, and left to see what other mystery rations were waiting for him in the mess hall.

    Shade was waiting outside of his room, already dressed in xyr android body for their guest. ¡°Good morning,¡± xe said crisply, the shapes on their face morphing indifferently.

    Theo grunted in response and headed to the lift, Shade following diligently behind him. ¡°Deck two,¡± he croaked, and they were whisked below. Now he did not need to call for the lights; the sun shined brightly through the windows in the mess hall, nearly blinding him.

    ¡°Dimitri said that he will begin work on the lower sensor array first,¡± Shade said as Theo dug around in the cupboards, grabbing the first ration he found. It was the similar to one of the ones he had eaten the night before, and he found a pouch of water to wash it down with. It was warm and slightly stale, but it was better than nothing.

    ¡°He told me that he already has the parts for it,¡± Shade went on to explain, even though Theo hadn¡¯t asked while eating his meager breakfast. ¡°So it should be easy to repair.¡±

    Theo hummed softly in response, swallowing the rest of the water from the pouch. ¡°Fine,¡± he finally said, a bit dully. He still didn¡¯t like the idea of a stranger on their ship, but this was the mess he had made. And it was beyond his scope to repair.

    ¡°MOVEMENT AT THE AIRLOCK,¡± came Shade¡¯s robotic voice over the intercom system, and Theo looked up at the noise.

    ¡°You should turn that off,¡± he said, making his way to the lift. ¡°So that the engineer doesn¡¯t get confused.¡±

    <hr>

    Dimitri was waiting for them outside of the airlock, holding a box full of metal and tools. He was just as huge as Theo had remembered, perhaps somehow larger, and he smiled widely as the airlock whooshed open. ¡°Good morning!¡± he declared, far more cheerful than Shade had been with xyr greeting, and it almost made Theo flinch.

    ¡°Sure,¡± he said instead of returning the pleasantry, stepping aside so that Dimitri could board the ship. There was a second box on the landing behind where he had been standing, and Theo wondered if the engineer had brought them both up at the same time before he moved to carry it in for him. Shade was waiting for them at the lift, and it seemed awfully crowded with all of them and Dimitri¡¯s supplies packed in.

    Deck five was small and squat, and Dimitri had to duck below beams of metal to make his way to the sensor array controls at the bow. He set his box down and squatted to get a better look at the controls. ¡°So I¡¯m just gonna¡¯ yank this whole thing out,¡± he started, looking up at Theo. ¡°I¡¯ll have to get on the outside to install the replacement array, which I can bring up later, or tomorrow?¡±

    Theo just shrugged, and Dimitri went straight to work. For a moment Theo just stood there watching him until he felt useless, and he turned to examine the rest of the damage on the deck. He had never been much for mechanics, even when Boss tried to teach him a few basics, and he was mostly all thumbs if it didn¡¯t involve actually flying the ship. Without Boss around, Shade handled most of the repairs, and Theo would stand around to hand xem tools and bits ¡ª but the ship had never been this damaged before.

    So as much as Theo was uncomfortable with a stranger on the ship, there wasn¡¯t another option for them now. You made your bed, now you lie in it, Boss would have said with a chuckle. And Theo had to say at least this engineer was apparently less sketchy than some of the other ones they had bought parts off of in the past.

    Shade would be careful anyway, xe always was, so that Dimitri would not discover the truth about the ship¡¯s operating system ¡ª or rather that xe was the operating system. Both Boss and Shade had regaled stories of scalpers and other miscreants discovering the truth of what xe was, and the trouble that it had caused. Since Boss¡¯ death, Shade had become even more cautious than Theo at times, so as not to let anyone discover where xe came from.

    Theo was still foggy on a lot of the details himself, but it didn¡¯t particularly matter to him. Shade could fly the ship better than any pilot he had met, except for maybe himself, even if the ship hadn¡¯t been built for xem. Apparently it had taken some serious retrofitting when Boss had helped Shade escape xyr last ship, some government commission something or other, and the two had been on the run for quite a bit time before they settled into pleasant anonymity. But now the ship was as good as Shade¡¯s, and xe was comfortable here.

    Thinking about this as he examined the elevator controls made Theo¡¯s guilt return with a vengeance. He didn¡¯t know what he could say to Shade to express this, if there were the right words, or if he should even say anything at all. Shade would carry on, so perhaps he should too; but there was a little voice in the back of his head, a voice that sounded an awful lot like Boss, telling him that he just needed to suck it up and say something sincere.

    He had the panel for the elevator controls removed and was mindlessly checking the wiring, his thoughts elsewhere. At any rate, there hadn¡¯t been much damage to the panel, at least none that he could see, and he thought a bit dumbly that they had been using the lifts. The task he had set for himself to kill time was quite meaningless.

    Theo glanced back over at Dimitri, who was now bent forward so far into the crevasse that held the inner section of the sensor array all that was visible was his legs. Theo might have laughed, if it was in his personality to do so. Instead, he stepped away from the controls he had been examining and decided to leave Dimitri to his work.

    The lift took him to deck four, where he found Shade running a diagnostic on the computer core. Xe had a cable running from the chest of xyr body that went straight into the core¡¯s control panel. It seemed as if everyone had a job to do but himself, and Theo felt like pouting, even though it would solve nothing.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

    ¡°You are distracting me,¡± Shade said after a moment, and xe tipped xyr face to look at Theo. While it had been the body that spoke, there were no shapes morphing on xyr face, just a blank screen staring back. It was unnerving.

    ¡°Sorry,¡± Theo grumbled, shifting his weight and glancing away. He felt like a child standing there, waiting for a parent or other adult to give him something to do. ¡°Is there anything I can do to help?¡±

    Shade did not look at him when xe answered, ¡°No.¡±

    Theo sighed softly and waited a moment longer before turning to leave, not exactly pouting yet, but he might as well have been. Instead of heading back to deck five to check on the engineer, he made his way from the computer core across the hall to main engineering. The whole space was an absolute mess, computer screens shattered, metal pillars buckled, and the usual comforting glow and hum from the warp reactor was gone; the reactor just as shattered as the rest of the things in the room. Theo stood at the panel in front of it, staring into it longingly. Shade was right ¡ª he did miss the stars.

    ¡°Ah¡ª there you are,¡± a voice piped up from behind him, and Theo didn¡¯t have to turn to know who it was.

    ¡°Is everything alright?¡± he asked, still staring into the dull reactor as if he might be able to will it back to life.

    Dimitri walked up to stand beside him, leaning himself casually against the damaged control panel. ¡°I¡¯ve gotten all the broken parts from the array out, it looks like I should be able to salvage some of them,¡± he started, quite cheerily. ¡°I need to get on the outside to get a closer look at the damage there ¡ª do you mind giving me a hand? I¡¯d ask Shade, but xe seemed a bit busy.¡±

    After a moment Theo looked over at Dimitri and gave a little shrug. ¡°Sure,¡± he answered, pushing himself away from the panel.

    They were both silent in the lift, and this was a different silence than what Theo had become accustomed to around Shade. He did not like it. Thankfully they were only going down one deck, and he could hurry out of the small space without worrying about Dimitri¡¯s eyes on him, or the way that he smiled kindly when their gaze met.

    The box of tools that Dimitri had brought with him was open, pieces scattered about where the internal bits of the array had once been. Underneath, Theo could see where he had already opened the access hatch, and a good drop below it was a patch of grass that had not yet been crushed by any docked ships, swaying gently in the breeze.

    Dimitri rigged up a small harness that looked a bit like a swing that would hang in a tree, that he tethered to one of the columns that had not buckled in the crash. Theo watched, a bit curious now, as Dimitri slipped into the harness and adjusted it around his waist dutifully.

    ¡°Just pass me down what I need, I may pass some things up to you, but the larger pieces I¡¯ll drop and collect later,¡± Dimitri explained. And then, with a smile that might have been mischievous, he sat himself down on the edge of the hatch, legs hanging out. With one hand on the cord to check the tension, he dropped.

    Theo ran over and dropped to his knees to peer out at him, but Dimitri was hanging safely in his harness, and he gave a little wave as he rocked back and forth, like a child on a playground.

    ¡°Don¡¯t look so worried!¡± he said with a little delighted laugh. ¡°I have done this before, you know. Hand me that pneumatic wrench.¡±

    Theo looked around the tools and found the wrench and leaned forward through the hatch to pass it down. He watched as Dimitri got to work on the outer portion of the array, careful not to lean too far out of the hatch. He was not afraid of heights exactly, but it was a long fall.

    ¡°It¡¯s cracked pretty badly, but I should have an array back at the barn that will fit nicely,¡± Dimitri was saying, undoing the bolts one by one. As he worked at a particularly stubborn bolt, he stuck his tongue from his mouth and cursed a bit in a language that Theo didn¡¯t recognize. With Shade¡¯s ship controls offline, there would be no automatic translator to help. When the bolt finally came free he cheered, and then smiled up at Theo, who couldn¡¯t help but smile back, however small.

    ¡°How¡¯d the ship crash anyway?¡± Dimitri asked, an innocent question to fill the silence. He freed another bolt, which went into the small pouch attached to his belt with the rest of them.

    Theo thought that perhaps the engineer didn¡¯t like the silence too much, but that didn¡¯t mean he was very keen on answering the question. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± he said instead, but he didn¡¯t look at Dimitri as he spoke.

    Dimitri let out a little hum like he was thinking, but if he had anymore thoughts on the crash he didn¡¯t voice them. He worked on the bolts instead, and the metal of the panel creaked as it began to loosen away from the ship. ¡°Well, you¡¯re lucky you crashed so close,¡± he said lightly. ¡°Even with the repairs you had, I¡¯m not sure this ship would have gotten you very far.¡± He looked up at Theo with another little smile. ¡°But I¡¯ll take care of you; get you flying in no time.¡±

    There was something about his smile and they way that Dimitri spoke that made Theo¡¯s face warm now. He hoped that Dimitri wouldn¡¯t see, but he still looked away for a moment when he said, ¡°Yeah, lucky.¡±

    <hr>

    It wasn¡¯t very long before the panel fell to the grass below, with a soft thud. Dimitri looked down at it, swinging a bit in his harness again before he looked back up at Theo with a grin. ¡°Okay, pull me up,¡± he requested. ¡°There¡¯s a crank in the line.¡±

    Theo rocked back where he sat and found the lever Dimitri was talking about, moving the piece of metal back and forth until the engineer could clamber back on the ship. He stepped out of the harness and dropped the bag of bolts. They clattered and echoed a bit in the metal space.

    ¡°I¡¯ll pick that up before I leave,¡± Dimitri promised, gesturing toward the hatch. ¡°And bring the replacement panel tomorrow.¡± He lifted the edge of his shirt to wipe sweat from his brow, and Theo pointedly looked away from him. ¡°Are you hungry?¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Theo asked, looking back over at Dimitri, who was now hunched over his toolbox. He only just caught something wrapped in foil that Dimitri tossed at him, the little square fumbling in his hands. It made Dimitri laugh.

    ¡°It¡¯s just a sandwich,¡± he said, pulling another foil-wrapped square and rocking back to sit beside the hatch with his legs outstretched. ¡°My sister packed one for you too. Considering your line of work, she said it¡¯s probably been a long while since you had good food.¡±

    Theo looked down at the sandwich and pulled away the foil carefully. It was two thick slices of a light brown bread, with meat, cheese, and neatly chopped vegetables stuffed between them. It looked much better than the ration brick he had for breakfast, that was certain.

    ¡°Was she right?¡± Dimitri asked, chewing a bite of his own sandwich.

    ¡°What?¡± Theo asked lamely, looking back up at him. ¡°I mean, Yeah, I suppose so. Been eating rations for a while.¡±

    Dimitri made a fake little gagging noise and took another bite of his sandwich. ¡°Can¡¯t stand that shit,¡± he said. ¡°They made us eat it at the academy, to get used to emergency situations in space travel. You know, you could grow plenty to eat in that arboretum of yours. And you¡¯re not lacking for space to store real food.¡±

    Theo took a bite of the sandwich; it was good, and he took another. ¡°Academy?¡± he asked, instead of mentioning that he couldn¡¯t be bothered to try to grow anything. He was a worse farmer than he was engineer. And his stash of ¡°real¡± food had run out months ago. Acquiring more would mean stopping, and he did that as infrequently as possible.

    Dimitri had already finished his sandwich and was crumbling the foil into a little ball. ¡°Yeah, I went to the interstellar academy over on Keria,¡± he said with a little shrug. ¡°Where do you think I learned about starships?¡± He laughed. ¡°Definitely not on a wheat farm.¡±

    Theo didn¡¯t say anything at first, just continued to take bites of his sandwich, thinking. He supposed that made more sense, but the truth was that he hadn¡¯t considered where Dimitri might have gotten his education from. Them coming here hadn¡¯t even been his choice; he would have much rather tried to make it a bit further into civilization. He didn¡¯t tell Dimitri this.

    When his own sandwich was finished, Theo folded the foil neatly until it was in a small, tight square. ¡°Here,¡± Dimitri said, and he passed him a pouch of something that seemed to be sweating cold. ¡°Fresh juice from the orchard.¡±

    Theo took that from him too, and drank it down. It was cold and sweet and somehow a little bubbly, but not too cloying. When he looked back at Dimitri, the engineer was smiling like he was pleased. ¡°It¡¯s good,¡± Theo conceded, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

    ¡°I¡¯ll tell Harmonia,¡± Dimitri said, packing up their trash back into his toolbox. And then he clarified, ¡°My sister. She pressed it this morning. Lux always gives her the best fruit.¡± And as if to prove it, he brandished two extremely ripe fruits like the one Theo had eaten the day before while walking through the orchard. He tossed this too, but Theo was prepared now and caught it easily.

    When he bit into it, it was just as sweet as the one he had eaten then, and Theo could have sighed happily. He would not think that he could get used to eating like this, although in all actuality this was a rather simple meal. While Dimitri ate his own he rose, and began to inspect the inner mechanics of the fuel scoop, which under normal circumstances would be able to filter particles during their travels and convert them to fuel for the reactor, and then the fuel storage. Theo remained seated, watching as the other man lapped around them, devouring the fruit.

    ¡°This should be an easy enough fix too, but I may have to head to the planet for some parts,¡± he declared after a moment, licking his fingers. Theo would not let the gesture distract him. ¡°Don¡¯t see many scoops ¡®round here.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± he answered, looking away and taking another bite. When they were finished, the both tossed the pits out of the hatch, and watched them fall into the grass. Dimitri¡¯s clanged against the panel that had fallen earlier and then bounced away. He smiled, pleased.

    ¡°So,¡± Dimitri said after a moment, ¡°Let¡¯s go check out the breech in your arboretum.¡±

 CHAPTER FIVE: DECISIONS, AND FALTERING

    For the next week Dimitri appeared at the ship¡¯s airlock at the same time, with a new box or pallet of supplies that he had apparently carried up on his own. Theo was always there to greet him, a bit bleary-eyed but somehow awake. Dimitri always smiled when he saw him and Theo found his smile hard to look at sometimes, as if it was too bright like the sun, and might hurt his eyes if he looked at him for too long. Shade wasn¡¯t always with him but when xe was, xe was silent, observing Theo as he awkwardly fumbled out a hello, good morning, can I help you carry anything¡ª?

    They would make their way to a deck, seemingly at random, where Dimitri would get to work on whatever part of the ship he had picked for that day. The lower sensor array had been a simple fix, considering, and when they had finished on the second day they began to work on the breech in the arboretum as it was the smallest one.

    Theo would watch him work, feeling less useless as the days went on and Dimitri would begin to walk him through what he was doing, or ask for a tool or a drink. Most days, eventually Theo would make himself scarce for a bit, if Dimitri got too chatty or curious, but sometimes he would stay close enough that he could hear Dimitri absently singing while he worked.

    He had a handsome voice, and it comforted Theo somehow, even if he could never understand the words to most of the songs that he sang. Theo would have guessed that this was a habit he must have picked up working long hours in the fields at his family¡¯s farm, a way to pass the time and fill the silence, but he didn¡¯t ask him about it.

    Dimitri would bring him lunch every day, too. Always some sort of sandwich and a cold drink, sometimes a handful of nuts, and a piece of fresh fruit from the orchards. It was always his sister who prepared the meal for him, and Theo began to wonder what the rest of the Croft family was like, if they were always caring for each other like this with simple gestures. He almost could not understand what that must have been like. At any rate, it was always the best meal of his day, as the emergency rations were quickly dwindling.

    On the eighth day Dimitri was not there, and Theo sat at the steps of the airlock staring out into the open sky for a long while before Shade appeared behind him. ¡°Dimitri will not be here today,¡± xe said, startling Theo. He looked back at xem, with his brow furrowed in confusion. ¡°He said that he had to make a trip to the planet, to pick up parts for the scoop.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Theo said dumbly, looking away from xem. He remembered the conversation now, but he didn¡¯t understand why he felt so disappointed. After a moment longer he rose, and turned to face Shade, who was still watching him curiously, the shapes on xyr face bright and yellow. ¡°Well, what now?¡± he asked not exactly expecting an answer. And then he realized Shade was in xyr android body, and holding Theo¡¯s bag. ¡°Why are you dressed? Are we going somewhere?¡±

    Shade thrust the bag into Theo¡¯s hands, the shapes on xyr face turning orange for a moment, and then green. ¡°I am ¡®dressed¡¯ because we are going into the market,¡± xe answered pointedly. ¡°You are out of rations.¡±

    Theo blinked, Shade¡¯s actions of care once again confusing him. But he supposed it seemed like the most rational course of action, even if he wasn¡¯t very thrilled at the idea of going shopping. So he slung the bag over his shoulder, and headed off the ship.

    <hr>

    The town was just as bustling as they last time they had visited, and Theo felt just as uncomfortable stepping into the circle. What appeared to be the same group of children that they had seen before were kicking a ball around the fountain, the same men and women were tending the stalls that looped around the circle. The tavern was emptier now, but that was to be expected during this time of day. In a matter of hours, Theo supposed that it would fill with people ready for their midday meal. In Theo¡¯s mind, this meant that they had a limited amount of time to find food and other supplies, buy them, and head back to the ship to avoid the inevitable growth in the crowd.

    Shade did not seem to mind the crowds, but xe still kept close to Theo as he moved stall to stall to find something to buy. At the far end of the circle he spied a booth being tended to by a familiar looking being ¡ª the one from the orchard who had given him fruit to eat on his walk. What had Dimitri called it? Theo couldn¡¯t remember, but he headed to the stall anyway.

    ¡°Ah!¡± the being said, their voice as musical as Theo remembered. ¡°You are still here. Did you enjoy the trecha fruit?¡± Their yellow eyes glinted in the morning light, their toothy smile wide and friendly.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Theo admitted, only just smiling in spite of himself. ¡°Do you have more for sale today?¡±

    The being nodded and gestured with a flourish to a box at the end of the stall filled to the brim with the soft, pinkish fruits. ¡°Please, help yourself,¡± they answered. ¡°Tell me, stranger, what should I call you?¡±

    Theo stepped toward the fruit and picked one up, pleased by the weight of it in his hand. ¡°I¡¯m Theo,¡± he answered, bringing the fruit up to his nose to smell it. Truthfully he didn¡¯t know what he should have been inspecting the fruit for, but he had seen Boss do this once when they were in a market together, not unlike this one. The fruit smelled as sweet as it had tasted days before, as sweet as the breeze in the orchards.

    ¡°Theo,¡± the being repeated sweetly, reaching for a cloth bag, which they handed over to store the fruit. ¡°I am Lux Zaxia.¡± They looked over at Shade, who was hardly paying attention to the conversation. ¡°And your friend?¡±

    Theo carefully placed the fruit he had been inspecting into the bag, followed by several more. ¡°My business partner, Shade,¡± he answered, remembering how Dimitri had mentioned someone named Lux giving his sister the best fruit from the orchard.

    ¡°Charmed,¡± Lux said with a soft purr, and Shade nodded xyr head in response. ¡°So, Theo, how are you finding our Dimitri?¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡± Theo looked up from the new fruit he had picked up ¡ª it was orange and rough, with a purple sprout of leaves from the top. ¡°He¡¯s been very helpful, I suppose.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s very good with ships,¡± Lux said with an approving nod, and they reached forward to pluck the orange fruit from Theo¡¯s hands. ¡°This one¡¯s a bit sour, usually it¡¯s only used for baking,¡± they explained. After returning the fruit to its box, they picked up something hard and yellow, which they easily peeled. It fell apart into wedges almost immediately. ¡°Try this one.¡±This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

    Theo took the wedge that had been offered to him and took a bite. It was crisp and tangy, with a satisfying crunch when he bit into it. He hummed, delighted by the taste. ¡°What is this?¡± he asked, devouring the rest of the slice.

    Lux smiled, pleased with his assessment, and handed over the rest of the peeled fruit. ¡°My family¡¯s special breed of ople fruit,¡± they answered, before carrying on with another question of their own. ¡°How much longer do you think you will be with us?¡±

    ¡°However long repairs take, I guess,¡± Theo answered, adding a few of the fruit he had just sampled into his bag. ¡°How much?¡±

    Lux let out a soft hum and tapped their chin, thinking. ¡°For a friend of Dimitri¡¯s, let¡¯s say ten slivers.¡±

    Theo nodded and passed the bag of fruit to Shade so that he could fish the money from his own bag. He handed it over and Lux counted it dutifully, before placing it in a small pouch that they wore on their waist. ¡°Thank you,¡± Theo said with another small, awkward smile, and he turned to leave.

    ¡°Wait,¡± Lux called after him. ¡°Will you be joining us for the festival tonight?¡±

    ¡°The festival?¡± Theo repeated, confused.

    Lux nodded. ¡°It is the long month¡¯s end, we will have a grand meal here in the town to celebrate. Games, music ¡ª it can be quite the spectacle. Guests are more than welcome to join us.¡±

    Theo let out a soft, nervous laugh. ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so,¡± he answered, unable to imagine enjoying something like that ¡ª all of the noise, all of the people. But he would not say that to Lux. ¡°Thanks, though.¡±

    Lux simply nodded and smiled wide again, their teeth shining as brightly as their eyes. ¡°Of course. You will know where to find us, if you change your mind.¡±

    At that, Theo and Shade turned away from the stall and continued on to see what else was for sale. There were plenty of options for them to choose from ¡ª fresh meats, vegetables, beverages both alcoholic and non¡­

    ¡°I think that they like you,¡± Shade said after a moment, while Theo was looking over a loaf of dark brown bread. He gathered it up, and another loaf of braided yellow bread, sprinkled with purple petals.

    ¡°Who?¡± he asked, dropping coins into the man behind the stall¡¯s hand.

    ¡°Lux Zaxia,¡± Shade answered, as if it should have been obvious. And then after a moment of thought xe added, ¡°Dimitri, too.¡±

    Theo let out a soft huff, but he didn¡¯t answer. It didn¡¯t seem strange that people on this moon would be friendly ¡ª that was how they made their money, after all. He supposed if he showed up to the festival tonight there would be more wares being peddled, or a surcharge for the food. He didn¡¯t see how it could be any other way. It was better if he kept to himself and got out of here as soon as possible. It was bad enough that he had already started getting used to Dimitri¡¯s company on the ship, and the sound of his voice echoing against metal.

    Suddenly a bell rang out in the distance, signaling midday, and Theo realized they had been wandering in town far longer than he had wanted to. They had what they came for, what Shade had declared they needed, and now was a good as any to head back to the ship before the circle filled with more people looking for food. He nodded at the man selling the bread and tucked the two loaves into the crook of his elbow.

    ¡°Come on,¡± he said to Shade. ¡°Let¡¯s go home.¡±

    <hr>

    Back at the ship, Theo took time to carefully clean out the refrigerator in the mess and tuck all of his purchases away. It seemed almost odd to have such fresh, beautiful looking food on the ship, but it would have been a ridiculous thing to complain about. Once he was done he broke off a piece of the brown bread and grabbed one of the trecha fruits and made his way back to the airlock where he could enjoy his small meal in the fresh air. He sat with his legs hanging out, his food placed neatly beside him. The breeze ruffled his hair; it was nearly picturesque.

    He took a bite of the bread, which was was sweet and the crust was covered with small seeds that had a soft, pleasant crunch to them. He thought of the butter spread that was sometimes on the sandwiches Dimitri had been bringing for him, and how it would make the bread he was eating taste even better. For some reason, this made him scowl, but he continued to eat.

    It had only been a week, and yet Dimitri kept drifting back into his thoughts. Had this happened before? Theo couldn¡¯t remember. But he felt like a fool sitting there, daydreaming about sandwiches and strange songs, and the way that Dimitri laughed whenever he caught Theo off guard¡ª

    This seemed dangerous, more dangerous than the types of jobs he preferred to take, more dangerous than purposefully crashing the ship, and it irritated Theo that it did not give him the same sort of thrill. Instead he felt breathless and afraid, and he wished that Dimitri were here now¡ª But he also wished that he would never see his smiling face again.

    He finished his lunch and tossed the pit of his fruit into the worn and patchy grass below. But now Theo did not know what to do with himself. He pulled his legs up and wrapped his arms around them, resting his chin on his knees. Fluffy white clouds drifted across the sky, the sun was shining, it was more idyllic than anything Theo could have hoped for. But he was still frustrated and angry.

    He sat like this for a while, until he felt too restless. And not knowing what else to do, Theo rose and headed off of the ship, down the dock and toward the worn path that wove up the hill toward the standing stones.

    It wasn¡¯t as hot as it was the day they arrived, and he wasn¡¯t wearing his jacket now, so the trek up the hill was a bit more comfortable. A few times when it got particularly steep he scrambled a bit, his hands falling into the grass and dirt, but eventually he made it to the top of the hill. The stones were just past the peak, and today there was no Mila grazing about them.

    They were arranged in a circular pattern, each stone a different size. Some were propped up so that they were taller than even Dimitri, some lay on their side like benches. There was even a group on the end in the shape of a structure that cast a long shadow, with intricate carvings along the edges. Theo sat on one of the stones on its side, staring across at the structure, wondering how it got up here, wondering what the carvings meant, wondering if Dimitri would be able to tell him if he were here.

    He felt sick, but not in any way that he was familiar with. There was no reason that he should have felt so attached to the engineer, there was no reason that he should have plagued his thoughts like this, it simply wasn¡¯t rational. But he thought of Dimitri standing on this same hill and telling him ¡ª ¡°You¡¯re just the man I¡¯ve been looking for¡± ¡ª and his face went warm. He felt so foolish. It would be best to forget all of these thoughts, and leave this rock as soon as he was able.

    It was decided then, Theo thought as he pushed himself off of the rock to head back to the ship. No more stray, mindless thoughts of the engineer, fix the ship, and leave. He felt buoyed as he made his way down the hill. It would be easy, because there was no reason it shouldn¡¯t be. He took the steps up to the still-open airlock two at a time, nearly smiling¡ª

    ¡°Theo!¡±

    He faltered before stepping into the ship, at the sight of Dimitri waiting for him, smiling his usual bright smile.

    ¡°I was just about to leave,¡± he went on. ¡°Shade said xe hadn¡¯t seen you since you returned from the market midday.¡±

    ¡°I thought you were on Keria today,¡± Theo managed, feeling frozen.

    ¡°Just got back,¡± Dimitri answered, gesturing through the airlock to ship that was now docked in the next space over. Theo hadn¡¯t noticed it. ¡°I was dropping off the parts before I head to town to help get ready for the festival. Will you be there?¡± There was something in his voice that Theo didn¡¯t recognize.

    ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t know,¡± Theo answered slowly. ¡°I¡¯m not much for festivals.¡±

    Dimitri smiled like he might have understood, giving a little shrug. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be there,¡± he said, stepping past Theo to step off the ship. ¡°I hope to see you.¡±

    Theo didn¡¯t know what to say, so he just smiled a bit too, and watched as Dimitri made his way down the steps. He turned before the engineer was out of side, and Shade was standing watching from outside the lift, as if xe had just stepped off of it, the shapes on xyr face slow and soft.

    ¡°Another invitation?¡± xe asked, but Theo only frowned and pushed past xem to head to his quarters for a nap.

 CHAPTER SIX: PINK SUGAR UNDER THE STARS

    Theo did not nap deeply, but it felt nice to lie in a darkened room after spending the morning in a crowded marketplace. At first his mind would not still, he thought of Dimitri waiting for him on the ship when he returned from his walk, and how he smiled, his invitation to the festival that would be happening that evening¡­ Theo rolled to his side and stared at the wall beside his bed for a little bit longer, before forcing his eyes to close. But all he could see in his mind was that smile, brighter than the sun.

    He dozed, his mind going pleasantly blank after a while so that it was just darkness. Some far away thoughts wondered what Shade was doing, but they were too distant for him to hold onto, and they did not particularly concern him.

    The next thing that he was aware of was the door to his quarters sliding open, and the light from the hall spilling inside. Theo shifted in bed, only rolling over enough to see Shade¡¯s form blocking a bit of light from the hall. Xe turned the lights on, blinding Theo momentarily and he groaned, pressing his face back into his pillow.

    ¡°I believe we should head to town now,¡± Shade said from the doorway.

    ¡°What for?¡± Theo asked, his voice muffled by his pillow.

    ¡°Not one, but two people have invited us to partake in a cultural event,¡± Shade started, as-a-matter-of-factly. Theo knew that the shapes on xyr face would look smug as xe talked, so he didn¡¯t bother turning to see. ¡°I believe it would be rude of us to turn down such an invitation.¡±

    Theo groaned again, pressing his face harder into his pillow as if it might help him disappear. ¡°Since when are you such an expert on these things?¡± he asked, annoyed.

    Shade did not answer right away, but Theo could hear xem shuffling around in his quarters now. ¡°I have simply observed these things in other cultures,¡± xe answered, from the other side of the room now. And then, ¡°Boss would have gone.¡±

    It was a bit of a low blow, and it made Theo frown deeply into his pillow. ¡°I am not Boss,¡± he replied sharply, although some of the sharpness was absorbed by how he had his face pressed into fabric and stuffing.

    ¡°No, you are not,¡± Shade said indifferently. Xe tossed something at Theo, the weight of it landed on his head, surprising him. His jacket. ¡°But I would like to attend, and I think you should accompany me.¡±

    Theo sat up, yanking his jacket off of his head and glared at Shade, but xe seemed unaffected by it. ¡°And why would you like to attend?¡± he snapped, still annoyed.

    ¡°To observe,¡± Shade answered, as if the answer should have been obvious. ¡°Please hurry, it would be rude to be late.¡± And then xe was turning to step from the quarters, leaving the door wide open.

    Theo remained on his bed, glaring at the empty doorway. He didn¡¯t understand Shade at all. He supposed it wasn¡¯t beyond xem to show some interest in humanoid interactions; xe was always looking into the gossip streams and intently watching the people in the places that they visited for their work. And xe certainly had more opportunities to do this when Boss was running the operation, because Boss would have gone to such an event ¡ª with or without an invitation. As far as Theo was concerned, the less people he interacted with, the better.

    After a moment longer he rose from his bed, his jacket tucked over his arm as he searched around for his boots. He told himself the sooner they got there, the sooner they could leave. But he also thought again of Dimitri standing in the airlock and smiling warmly, inviting him along, and he felt that fear-like response rise in his stomach.

    They would definitely make it a quick visit.

    <hr>

    The busyness of the town circle was visible long before Theo and Shade reached it, the noise of a loud dancing band drifting up to them as they made their way down the hill from the dock. Theo could feel the anxiety mounting in his chest, and he began to feel quite stupid, he should have been back on the ship, fixing or cleaning something, not wasting his time among strangers. He thought of the way Dimitri¡¯s smile had widened when he saw him on the ship earlier and extended an invitation to the festival, and scowled.

    If Shade could tell that he was nervous, xe did not say anything. The silence was slightly unnerving to Theo, who had become accustomed to Shade butting in whenever xe was curious about his humanity. When he looked at the android, xe had xyr face turned forward and the shapes were morphing brightly, excitedly.

    The noise got louder as they got closer, and Theo shoved his hands into his jacket¡¯s pockets, even though the temperature was still a little warm. The sun was nearly set, and it cast a beautiful pink glow over everything, but he hardly noticed. Now he could smell the food, the scent of fat and salt and sweetness drifting to him on the breeze. He hadn¡¯t had much more than rations, and then the lunches Dimitri brought him since arriving, and his stomach growled anxiously at the idea of warm meat and fried desserts.

    They began to pass others going to the festival, a few of them waved friendly greetings to them. Theo only nodded his head, and sometimes Shade would say, ¡°Hello,¡± in response. When they entered the circle they saw that the tavern had been left wide open; the front of the building apparently on some sort of mechanism that could pull the walls apart, and several tables had been brought out for people to sit. Some people were already eating, with food that they had gathered from other tables. It seemed as if there was enough food to last for several seasons ¡ª at least for Theo, alone on the ship.

    Where the usual stalls selling fruit and other goods were now stalls that held games, and the large band that they had heard on their way down was set up in front of the fountain playing a merry tune that people were dancing to. There was a pen off to the side, full of young versions of creatures like Mila, that children were gleefully taking turns riding in a slow circle.

    ¡°Theo!¡± a voice called, and both he and Shade turned to see Dimitri approaching them, his usual wide smile on his face. He threw a strong arm around Theo¡¯s shoulders that almost knocked him over. ¡°You made it!¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Theo answered dumbly, turning his face away so that Dimitri would not see how he flustered. He felt stupid, but he did not shrug away the other man¡¯s arm. There was something comforting in the weight of it; he thought he might need a drink.

    ¡°Theo requires sustenance,¡± Shade said in a friendly way, and Theo knew that the pink shapes on xyr face meant that xe was delighted by this display. ¡°I, however, am simply here for the company.¡±

    Dimitri laughed again. ¡°Well, we have plenty of both,¡± he answered, and he began to steer Theo to one of the many tables weighed down with food. When they were there he dropped his arm, and Theo let out a soft sigh that only Shade would have noticed, if xe was paying attention. He picked up a plate and handed it over. ¡°Here, you can have whatever you like.¡±

    Theo took the plate and looked at the food, almost overwhelmed by the choices. He watched as Dimitri picked up a plate of his own, and began piling food on it ¡ª a mound of long yellow grain, sweet smelling ribs from an unknown animal, plenty of colorful vegetables, and a what seemed like a half dozen small knotted rolls that dripped with butter. When Dimitri saw his face at the amount of food he had managed on his plate, he laughed.

    They moved along the table and Theo picked a few things that looked interesting ¡ª the knotted bread that Dimitri had chosen for his own plate, a small meat handpie, an ear of orange-colored corn. Once his plate was full they found an empty space at a table. Dimitri left for a moment into the tavern, and then returned with two tall glasses filled with a golden liquid that was a bit foamy at the top.

    ¡°It¡¯s ale,¡± he explained, handing one of the glasses to Theo. ¡°Made from the sweet wheat that my family grows.¡±

    Theo took a sip of the drink, and then another. It was sweet and warming to his chest, not like any ale he had had in the past. Dimitri was already digging into his plate, apparently famished. Theo watched, amused for a moment, before he decided to start with the meat pie. The crust was crumbly and buttery, and small chopped vegetables had been mixed into the filling. He could have sighed, it was so good.

    ¡°What is this festival for?¡± Shade asked from beside Theo, where xe had sat and had been watching the people around them.

    Dimitri wiped a bit of sauce from his mouth with a napkin before answering. ¡°It is the end of the longest month in our calender. It isn¡¯t quite the end of the harvest season, but the bulk of our work is over. So we celebrate,¡± he explained, sounding proud. ¡°Of course, the work is a bit easier now than it was when the festival was first established, but it¡¯s tradition.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Shade answered, turning xyr gaze back out to the revelers. Some of the dancers were in a line now, laughing and kicking their legs up. ¡°This is a common occurrence in many farming communities.¡±

    Theo listened two the two of them as they chatted aimlessly about the other traditions present on Imia II, not really compelled to add to the conversation. Dimitri was enthused to share, his hands waving wildly as he spoke, even if he held his glass or a piece of food from his plate. Shade retold a story from before Theo joined the ship, when Boss joined in on a similar festival and ended up being crowned as the Harvest King, and the story made Dimitri laugh loud and bright.

    Eventually their plates and glasses were empty, and Theo felt a nice, heavy warmth in his stomach. He couldn¡¯t tell if it was from the food and drink, or Dimitri¡¯s company, but the alcohol had stifled a bit of his frustration nicely. When Dimitri excused himself to clear the plates and find them more drinks, Shade turned to Theo, looking pleased.

    ¡°You are smiling,¡± xe said, not a mean accusation, but it made the expression falter on Theo¡¯s face.

    ¡°So?¡± he asked.

    Shade¡¯s shoulders moved in a little shrug, the best xe could manage in xyr android body. ¡°It seems as if you are enjoying yourself, even if you are not speaking.¡±Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    ¡°I think you two are speaking enough for all of us,¡± Theo answered, only a little grumpy.

    At that Dimitri returned with their drinks, and he passed one of the glasses to Theo. ¡°Let¡¯s play some games,¡± the engineer suggested with a broad, expectant smile.

    Theo looked at Shade and then shrugged, rising from the bench he was sitting at. ¡°Sure, why not,¡± he said, and he and Shade followed Dimitri to a long booth where children were throwing rings at glass bottles of various sizes. He watched as Dimitri set his glass on the booth and was handed a stack of his own rings, but his aim was not particularly good. Theo smiled and sipped on his drink while Dimitri cursed ¡ª to the delight of the children around him ¡ª thinking how ridiculous he looked standing there, towering over all of the other players and failing miserably. His consolation prize was a long pastry treat, coated in sparkling sugar.

    ¡°Aww, little Dima,¡± came a pleasant deep voice as they stepped away from the booth, Dimitri alternating between his drink and dessert. ¡°Another failed attempt at the ring toss?¡±

    A woman somehow taller and broader than Dimitri approached them, Lux holding onto her arm proudly. The woman reached out with her free hand to ruffle Dimitri¡¯s hair, but judging by the smile on his face he didn¡¯t seem to mind. ¡°Theo, Shade, this is my sister Harmonia,¡± he said cheerily. ¡°You¡¯ve met Lux?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Theo said, trying for a small smile. The ale made it a bit easier, but it was slightly surreal to be around so many people much taller than him. ¡°Thank you for the sandwiches,¡± he added, looking at Harmonia.

    She smiled widely, and it was easy to see the family resemblance. ¡°Come by the house sometime, we can cook you a real meal,¡± she answered with a little wink.

    ¡°I am sure that would be welcome,¡± Shade butted in, the shapes on xyr face looking positively delighted at the invitation. ¡°Theo mostly lives on rations, which I have come to understand for most humanoids is not particularly ideal.¡±

    All but Theo laughed, his face going a bit red with embarrassment. They were not being unkind, but it made him feel like a child. Dimitri had finished his dessert and tossed his arm around Theo¡¯s shoulders again. ¡°We can¡¯t stand for that!¡± he declared, his cheeks rosy with drink. ¡°You must join us while you are here. No more bachelor dining for you. I won¡¯t allow it.¡±

    ¡°Father wouldn¡¯t either,¡± Harmonia said with a little click of her tongue. ¡°I¡¯m surprised he hasn¡¯t brought the meal to your ship yet.¡±

    ¡°Now, now,¡± Lux interrupted, their musical voice dancing on the air. ¡°Look at the boy, you¡¯re making him nervous.¡± They offered Theo a sympathetic smile, which somehow worked in spite of the rows of teeth in their mouth. ¡°Don¡¯t mind the Crofts, Theo, they are much too friendly at times.¡±

    This made Harmonia and Dimitri laugh again, and Dimitri lowered his arm. ¡°Perhaps, but man cannot live on rations alone,¡± he argued, almost mock serious.

    ¡°Now you sound like father,¡± Harmonia said with a laugh. ¡°Come on Lux, let¡¯s leave these boys to their games. I want to dance.¡±

    Lux shot another sympathetic smile in Theo¡¯s direction before they were being pulled by Harmonia to the group of people dancing. Theo watched the two of them disappear into the crowd, sipping on his ale. When he could no longer see them he looked back at Dimitri, who was watching him and smiling gently.

    ¡°Come on,¡± Dimitri said. ¡°That one¡¯s rigged anyway. Let¡¯s try something else.¡±

    They made their way around the ring of stalls, Dimitri pausing at each one to try the games. There were more games than Theo had seen before ¡ª ball throwing games, dart throwing games, even one with pretend laser pistols. Theo didn¡¯t care to try any of them, but it was fun to watch Dimitri try, and especially entertaining when a child a fraction of his size beat him at whatever they were playing. Theo absently wondered if he was letting the children win. Either way, the engineer didn¡¯t seem to care if he walked away empty handed. He did win a soft scarf, hand knit with blue and cream colored yarn at the dart game, which he wrapped neatly around Theo¡¯s neck. ¡°The color looks better on you,¡± he declared, before disappearing to find them more drinks.

    Shade remained mostly silent, watching them and the crowd, occasionally piping up with tips for Dimitri to excel better at the games. Of course it did not matter, Dimitri still laughed when he lost, pretending to growl at whichever child beat him.

    Theo noticed he seemed to be quite popular among the inhabitants here; people kept coming up to say hello, inquire on the ship¡¯s repair, or the farm, and other seemingly meaningless things. More of the Croft family found them, two identical brothers named Yura and Misha who were also larger than Dimitri and both holding stuffed prizes from games that they had won earlier. They teased Dimitri for his attempts, but then they were off too, to find dancing partners.

    To Theo¡¯s great relief, Dimitri did not seem too interested in dancing. Once they had tried all the games, and were both equally plied with sweet ale, Dimitri left to find them something sweet and fatty to eat.

    ¡°I think I will head back to the ship now,¡± Shade said while they waited beside the tavern. ¡°I am afraid this body is becoming quite uncomfortable.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Theo asked, his voice nearing panic. ¡°I¡¯ll go with you.¡±

    ¡°No, stay,¡± Shade answered, quite gently, the shapes on xyr face slow and blue and comforting. ¡°You are enjoying yourself.¡± Xe held up a hand to stop Theo from arguing. ¡°And I think Dimitri would be quite upset if you just disappeared on him.¡±

    Theo frowned deeply, wondering why Shade should care if Dimitri were disappointed or not. But he supposed they still had a lot of work to do on the ship, and it would be impolite to disappear and expect work to carry on pleasantly¡­ ¡°Fine,¡± he grumbled. ¡°I won¡¯t be much longer.¡±

    Shade only shrugged before turning to leave. ¡°It is no matter to me,¡± xe answered. ¡°Stay out as late as you want.¡±

    When xe was gone, Theo felt foolish standing there alone, watching people laugh and talk with each other as they passed by. But it wasn¡¯t long before he spied Dimitri heading back to him, with two more drinks in his hands and a plate of something covered in a pink powdery sugar balanced precariously on his arm. ¡°Where¡¯s Shade?¡± he asked, passing one of the drinks to Theo very carefully.

    ¡°Xe needed to go back to the ship,¡± Theo answered. ¡°It¡¯s about time for xem to plug in.¡±

    Dimitri chuckled a bit, although Theo couldn¡¯t understand why. ¡°Well,¡± the engineer started. ¡°I¡¯m glad you haven¡¯t left me quite yet. Come on, I have something to show you.¡±

    At that he turned, still holding the plate of treats and his own drink and Theo followed, slightly curious. He had to walk carefully; he hadn¡¯t had this much to drink in quite some time, and it seemed that his balance was a little off. But the ale had made him feel warm and pleasant, and he couldn¡¯t find anything to complain about as Dimitri lead him away from the town circle, away from all of the noise, in a direction he hadn¡¯t explored yet. They walked on a cobbled path for a bit, but eventually Dimitri turned from the path down a narrow trail.

    Eventually the trail ended at a gated fence, but this didn¡¯t deter Dimitri. He balanced the plate he held on his cup and opened the gate, letting Theo walk through first. He paused as Dimitri latched the gate again so that he could take the lead again. Here the path was surrounded by large old trees, but it led out into a clearing where there was a calm, flat lake. The stars, and Imia I, reflected perfectly on the surface as if they were suspended in the water, and it seemed to stretch out into the dark, like it would go on forever.

    ¡°Wow,¡± Theo said after a moment, and he looked at Dimitri who beamed like he was proud of himself. ¡°It¡¯s beautiful.¡±

    Dimitri nodded and led Theo to the water¡¯s edge, where he promptly sat, a bit ungracefully ¡ª although he did not spill his drink or the plate. Theo followed and sat beside him, careful so he wouldn¡¯t fall over. He nearly lost his balance but Dimitri reached out to hold his elbow, laughing gently.

    ¡°You¡¯re a lightweight,¡± he observed.

    ¡°I don¡¯t drink,¡± Theo answered. He nodded at the plate that was now in the grass. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±

    ¡°Imian pancake,¡± Dimitri answered, carefully setting his glass down so that he could tear a piece of the treat off to hand to Theo. ¡°Try it.¡±

    Theo took the piece offered to him, noticing how the pink sugar clung to Dimitri¡¯s fingers. The dough was fried and soft, a little bit greasy, but the sugar was where all the flavor was. He couldn¡¯t have described the taste much more than saying it was sweet, but it was like biting into a sugared cloud. He hummed in appreciation and devoured the rest of the piece, washing it down with more ale.

    ¡°Good?¡± Dimitri asked, breaking off a piece of the pancake for himself. ¡°It¡¯s one of my favorite things we make for the festival.¡± He ate the piece in almost a single bite, licking the sugar off of his fingers.

    ¡°I¡¯ve never had anything like it,¡± Theo admitted, reaching to tear another piece of the treat.

    Dimitri seemed pleased again, and he stretched out his legs with a small, comforted sigh. ¡°This is my favorite place,¡± he said after a moment of silence, looking out over the water. ¡°Sometimes, when the planet is in view, it¡¯s big enough to fill the whole lake.¡±

    Theo didn¡¯t say anything, just watched Dimitri as he spoke. He still looked so handsome in the darkness, with only the light from Imia I and the stars around them on the edges of his face, reflecting in his eyes. That feeling of danger returned; Theo took another sip of his drink.

    He couldn¡¯t imagine growing up in a place like this; his childhood was spent on a busy space port, all cold metal and strange faces. Even his parents¡¯ faces had been strange to him back then. He hadn¡¯t been an outcast exactly, but from an early age it was easier for him to take himself to the outskirts, where he could be more comfortable with himself.

    ¡°Sliver for your thoughts?¡± Dimitri said, and Theo realized that the silence had stretched out, and he had been gazing out at the water.

    ¡°Oh,¡± he said awkwardly, looking down into his glass. ¡°I was just thinking this moon isn¡¯t so bad.¡±

    Dimitri laughed and split the rest of the pancake in half for them. ¡°Yeah, I like it here,¡± he said. And then as if he could read Theo¡¯s thoughts he went on, ¡°Where are you from?¡±

    ¡°Far away,¡± Theo answered, not intentionally trying to be cryptic. But he didn¡¯t like to think of his past, or any of his life, really. There hadn¡¯t been anything spectacular in it, nothing that would have made Dimitri smile his sweet smile. He didn¡¯t know why he went on to clarify, ¡°A station, close the the Uma Nebula.¡±

    ¡°That is far away,¡± Dimitri agreed. After another silence he let out a little whistle. ¡°A space station, huh? No grass?¡±

    Theo laughed a little. ¡°No, no grass.¡±

    Dimitri hummed thoughtfully as he finished his portion of the pancake. ¡°A lot of stars, though.¡±

    Theo looked at him again, and Dimitri was watching him a bit expectantly. He looked away, out to the stars that were here, reflected in the water. They were different than the stars he grew up with, but not that different. ¡°Yeah,¡± he finally said.

    There was another stretch of silence between them, until Dimitri flopped back to lie in the grass with a little thud. He had abandoned his empty glass and stretched his arms above his head; he looked like a large cat, stretching in the middle of an afternoon nap. He closed his eyes and Theo felt brave enough to look at him for a bit longer, the shape of his face, how the light reflected off of his long lashes, how his mouth was still curled into a contented little smile. He looked so peaceful.

    He looked away then, before Dimitri caught him staring, and finished off his own drink. He felt dizzy, but it was a good sort of dizzy that he didn¡¯t indulge in often. When he drank it was never like this, with the company of someone else who laughed and smiled. They hadn¡¯t even talked about the ship repairs all evening, a thought that dawned on him so suddenly it almost made him nervous. This was dangerous territory.

    When Theo looked back at Dimitri, he realized the engineer had been watching him, but he did not look away like Theo would have. The intensity of his gaze made Theo¡¯s face go warm, and he was grateful for the darkness so that Dimitri would not see.

    ¡°What?¡± Theo asked nervously, and it made Dimitri laugh.

    ¡°Nothing,¡± he said, tipping his face away so that he was looking back at the stars. ¡°You just always look so serious. So tense.¡±

    Theo stared at him a moment longer, before setting his own now empty glass down to lie in the grass beside him. The motion made him even dizzier and he let out a little groan that made Dimitri laugh again. From this angle, it felt like the sky might swallow them whole, right where they lay. Theo clasped his hands together and rested them on his stomach, feeling the movement of his breath, and when he tipped his head to look at Dimitri he saw that he was already looking at him.

    ¡°Better?¡± Dimitri asked, and he seemed very close.

    ¡°Maybe,¡± Theo answered, feeling nervous enough that he had to look away. He didn¡¯t know what to do with himself, or what to say, so to fill the silence he simply asked, ¡°Do your stars have names?¡±

    Dimitri chuckled again, looking back out into the sky. ¡°Yeah,¡± he said, and Theo could hear the smile in his voice even without looking at him. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you about them.¡±

 CHAPTER SEVEN: THE SLOW GROWTH OF NEW LIFE

    Theo didn¡¯t know how long they stayed by the lake, Dimitri telling him about the names of the stars, and the stories behind them, but when they finally rose to make their way back to the festival the crowd had seriously depleted. Harmonia and Lux were, somehow, still dancing, but now the music was slow and low. They held each other closely and didn¡¯t notice them as they passed by. Dimitri insisted on walking Theo back to the ship, although Theo couldn¡¯t understand why, even as he stumbled a bit in the dark. When they returned to the ship they stood at the airlock for a moment, silent, until Dimitri said goodnight and turned to leave.

    Now Theo felt something like disappointment, and he didn¡¯t understand. There was no reason for him to feel disappointed, he had absolutely no expectations from the evening. But as he watched Dimitri turn and head down the dock he couldn¡¯t help but frown to himself.

    The ship seemed to rock as he made his way back to his quarters, leaning onto the wall for support. He didn¡¯t bother undressing; he only kicked off his boots and fell into his bed with a soft thump. He was quickly asleep.

    The next thing he was aware of was Shade¡¯s voice calling over the intercom. ¡°THEO, ARE YOU NOT AWAKE YET?¡±

    Theo groaned, his head pounding gently. He remembered why he didn¡¯t drink heavily often, and he wanted nothing more than to fall back asleep. He reached for his blanket to pull over his face, but his hands only found the scarf that he still wore, only now it was tangled around his shoulders and arms. His fingers pressed into the loose knit and he remembered Dimitri wrapping it around his neck sweetly, telling him that the color looked better on him.

    He groaned again.

    There was the sound of the door to his quarters opening, and light from the hall spilled in. ¡°Theo,¡± came Shade¡¯s voice, not quite disapproving. ¡°Dimitri will be here shortly.¡±

    ¡°He knows where to go,¡± Theo answered from where he had curled away from the intruding light. ¡°Let me sleep.¡±

    ¡°You were out very late last night,¡± Shade observed.

    Theo groaned and rolled over to look at Shade, who was standing in the doorway with amused pink shapes moving around on xyr face. ¡°So what?¡± he asked grumpily. ¡°Get out. I¡¯ll be down in a bit.¡±

    Miraculously, Shade did not argue with him, and turned to leave. The door slid shut behind xem, casting the room back into darkness. Theo let his eyes close again, pressing the back of his hand against his forehead. He probably, definitely, had a bit too much to drink the night before, but he couldn¡¯t tell if it was something he regretted. He would have been loathe to admit that he had enjoyed himself and that he had enjoyed Dimitri¡¯s company out loud to Shade or anyone else, but it felt safer for him to allow himself a moment to remember the evening when he was alone. The sound of Dimitri¡¯s voice, the absent touch of his hand¡ª

    Eventually Theo rose from bed and searched for clean clothes to wear, ones that wouldn¡¯t smell like ale and sweat. He neatly folded the scarf and laid it on his pillow before pulling on his boots and leaving his room for the airlock. It was already open when he arrived, and Shade peeked xyr head out of the science lab. ¡°He¡¯s already on deck five,¡± xe said pleasantly, before disappearing back to xyr work.

    Theo stepped back onto the lift, and when it opened to deck five he could already hear Dimitri singing, his voice soft and deep. He was crouched in front of the scoop manual controls, prepping the space to install the new parts. Theo stepped forward, suddenly feeling a bit hesitant, and Dimitri looked up at the sound of his boots.

    ¡°Good morning!¡± he called, and Theo flinched a bit.

    ¡°Morning,¡± he managed to answer, with a pathetic little wave that made Dimitri laugh gently.

    ¡°Did I keep you out too late last night?¡± he asked, although he didn¡¯t sound particularly sorry about it, and he still had a pleased smile on his face. ¡°It was worth it, I hope? You enjoyed yourself?¡±

    Theo searched his face for a moment, like it might have been a trick question of some sort. ¡°I did,¡± he finally admitted, and Dimitri¡¯s smile widened before he turned back to his work.

    ¡°Good,¡± he said. ¡°Hand me that ratchet.¡±

    <hr>

    Installing the new parts for the scoop and repairing the fuel storage took the entire day, even with the three of them to work on it, and by the end of it Theo felt exhausted. He wanted nothing more than to head back to his quarters and sleep for days, although he knew that even under normal circumstances Shade would not allow it. He should not have stayed out so late, and he certainly should not have had as much to drink as he had, but he was still finding it difficult to think of reasons why aside from his fatigue and headache. Maybe that should have been enough. He wondered how Dimitri seemed just as chipper as ever.

    When they were done, Theo walked Dimitri back to the airlock, his hands shoved deep in his pockets so that he wouldn¡¯t chew on his nails on the way. It still annoyed him that he should feel so nervous suddenly. That same feeling of unfamiliar danger sunk in when Dimitri smiled at him, said his goodbyes, but Theo stayed at the airlock to watch him leave until he wasn¡¯t in sight any longer. The airlock slid shut and he sighed, feeling relieved, before returning to his quarters for a long shower.

    He felt slightly better after his shower, and left his quarters to find something to eat. It was strange for him to notice how the ship seemed so silent without Dimitri singing softly while he worked, but it was all he could think as he sat in the mess chewing on a piece of bread and staring out the window at the setting sun. He would be back tomorrow, he thought to himself, and for some reason this cheered him.

    Theo had to get a hold of himself. There was no use in getting used to having Dimitri around, when he and Shade would be leaving as soon as the repairs were done. And why should he be getting attached, anyway? He was sure he had met men like Dimitri in the past, even thought he was having trouble thinking of any who had smiled just as bright, who had spoke just as kindly.

    He went to bed early, just to keep his head from spinning around on the same troublesome thoughts. When he finally slept, he dreamt of soft grass and stars, and a deep voice calling for him to come home.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

    The next morning Theo woke before Shade had a chance to yell at him, and the sun was only just beginning to rise in the sky. He made himself a cup of coffee that he had bought in the market days before and found the last piece of trecha fruit in the back of the refrigerator. He took them both to the airlock where he sat in the fresh air, even though it would be a bit longer before Dimitri showed up for the day¡¯s work.

    They meant to start on the warp engines, and Theo knew between both the primary and secondary engines that repair would probably take the next week or two to complete. Shade had been working in several of the other portions of the ship on xyr own, fixing wiring and other things the past week. This meant that after the warp engines were fixed it would be on to the larger hull breaches and the bridge. Minor cleanup after that, and they would be done.

    Theo sipped his coffee thinking again about what he had done, and like all of his other attempts it seemed so ridiculous in hindsight. But there was still the thought in the back of his mind ¡ª how long until he would try again?

    He spied Dimitri coming up the dock in a small open truck, the back of it full of parts for the ship. Theo smiled to himself at the sight, at the sheer ridiculousness of his engineer, this man who apparently just had a collection of starship parts lying around at his farm because¡­ why not?

    Dimitri saw him sitting at the hatch and raised his hand in greeting before the truck puttered to a stop. ¡°Hey!¡± he called, rising so that he was standing and leaning on the windshield. ¡°Why don¡¯t you get off your ass and come help me?¡± His voice was light and Theo had to laugh, before he headed down to help.

    <hr>

    The following weeks all blurred together in a flurry of repairs, installation, and diagnostics. Dimitri showed up promptly in the morning, and some nights he would not be gone until after the sun went down. Everything seemed to fall into a routine, which usually would have frightened Theo, but it happened so suddenly and they were so busy that he did not have much time to think about it. Only when he was alone did he have the brief idea of second thoughts, in the dark of his room when he would remember something that Dimitri said that made him smile even when he was alone, or the sound of his voice¡ª

    But eventually sleep would come, and he was sleeping well, considering.

    There was another day that Dimitri had to take a trip to the planet for supplies that he did not have, and Theo spent it restocking the mess hall, and wandering back up the hill to the standing stones for some fresh air. He could not remember ever feeling such a calm, and he tried not to think of it because it would terrify him further. There was always a calm before the storm.

    Shade seemed to enjoy xyr time on the moon as well, as far as Theo could tell. Xe had always liked to work on the ship anyway so constant repairs did not seem to bother xem in the least, and in xyr free time xe began to take short solo trips into town to rub elbows with the locals. One morning Theo awoke to a note from xem saying that xe would be helping out at the orchards. Why? Theo did not know, but he wouldn¡¯t complain because Shade returned cheered and with a basket of freshly picked fruit for him.

    Sometimes, Lux themself would make their way up to the ship, or the man who baked the bread (whose name Theo could not seem to remember), or the pleasant old woman from the cafe (whose name he had not learned), just to bring him fresh goods. Once again Shade pointed out that the people here seemed to like him, Theo argued that they probably like xem more, and it made Shade laugh.

    He couldn¡¯t remember the last time he had heard Shade laugh.

    On the day the warp engines were repaired, they booted up the reactor and it hummed to life, casting a beautiful glow over main engineering once more. Theo laughed then too, and he didn¡¯t understand why. When he looked across the control panel at Dimitri, the engineer was smiling gently, maybe a little sadly. It made Theo¡¯s smile falter, only for a moment.

    ¡°We should celebrate,¡± Dimitri said after a moment, and he rounded the panel to stand next to Theo.

    ¡°We should?¡± Theo asked, looking over at him. ¡°What do you suggest?¡±

    ¡°Come to dinner,¡± Dimitri answered, and it seemed like he had that suggestion ready from the start. ¡°Shade, you come too. My family has been dying to meet you.¡±

    Shade looked up from where xe was running diagnostics on the engine. ¡°I do not eat,¡± xe answered, the shapes on xyr face slightly confused. ¡°But I would be honored.¡±

    Dimitri laughed a little, and looked back at Theo. ¡°Well?¡±

    There was that familiar feeling of fear in the pit of Theo¡¯s stomach. Dimitri was too close, his hand nearly on his own at the panel. There was too much expectation in his eyes, and Theo didn¡¯t want to disappoint him, he didn¡¯t want to make that smile falter¡ª He couldn¡¯t decide what was worse, agreeing to head to the farmhouse for a meal with his family, or seeing a look of disappointment on Dimitri¡¯s face.

    ¡°Okay,¡± he said, only a little hesitant.

    But Dimitri didn¡¯t seem to notice how he hesitated and his smile bloomed happily. It made Theo¡¯s heart patter annoyingly, but he felt warm and happy that he smiled because of him. It seemed strange, the feeling he couldn¡¯t quite get a grasp on, that scared him so much.

    But Dimitri was smiling.

    <hr>

    Dimitri left the ship soon after Theo agreed to dinner to run errands and tell his family to set out an extra plate, but promised that he would be back to bring them to the farm so that way they wouldn¡¯t have to find it on their own. Once he was gone, Theo felt a wave of anxiety come to him and he couldn¡¯t help but pace around the comforting glow of the warp reactor. What had he done; what was he doing? He told himself for possibly the hundredth time that it was foolish and dangerous to allow him to get so attached to this place, to Dimitri.

    He also remembered that Shade often told him that he was too reckless. But he was never reckless like this.

    Eventually his pacing annoyed Shade enough that xe kicked him out of engineering and Theo had to take his movement elsewhere. He used that pent up energy to clean up a few of the crew quarters on deck two, which were mostly empty with no one to sleep in them, but it wasn¡¯t enough to distract his mind from worry. Shade would have told him that he was being ridiculous, that there was nothing for him to worry about. He didn¡¯t think that xe would understand, and he also didn¡¯t want to think about trying to explain to xem how Dimitri¡¯s smile made his heart pound in his chest, to see those smug shapes morph on xyr face¡ª

    Theo had the ridiculous thought of changing his clothes, to something cleaner or nicer maybe, and he didn¡¯t understand why. This frustrated him further until he felt close to angry, and he wanted to tell Shade to go alone, never mind how he knew that would disappoint Dimitri. It didn¡¯t matter. It shouldn¡¯t have mattered.

    Theo left the crew quarters to check on the secondary warp engines, even though the diagnostics had already been run and everything was in perfect working order again. He didn¡¯t know how long he was in there before Shade found him, hunched over one of the control panels scanning the diagnostic readouts.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Shade asked from behind him, startling Theo slightly.

    ¡°Going over the secondary warp diagnostics,¡± Theo responded, not looking back at xem.

    ¡°You are being pointlessly redundant,¡± Shade accused, although there was no real venom or annoyance in xyr voice. ¡°Do not worry about that now. Dimitri will be back for us soon.¡±

    Theo looked up from the panel and sighed. He knew that Shade was right; he was only trying to waste time and find an excuse to back out of going to the farmhouse. At least xe had been kind enough to not say so much xemself. He looked back at the android, who was watching him expectantly, the shape¡¯s on xyr face smooth and calm. Theo had a feeling xe knew something he didn¡¯t or maybe he was just feeling paranoid.

    ¡°You have nothing to worry about,¡± Shade assured him as they made their way to the lift. It was an unusually kind gesture, considering, and Theo didn¡¯t quite understand why xe had said anything at all.

    He only grunted softly in response, which made Shade smile, so to speak, the shapes on xyr face going a happy pink. The lift doors closed behind them, and Theo felt as if something in his fate had been sealed with them.

 CHAPTER EIGHT: MEETING THE FAMILY

    It wasn¡¯t long before Dimitri returned for them, just like he promised he would. Theo managed a small smile when he saw him, but he couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that this was a bad idea. It was already bad enough that he had allowed himself to feel so attached to Dimitri ¡ª why add more people to the mix? He remembered meeting Harmonia at the festival, and the twins, and he wondered how many more of them were there, and if they were all just as friendly in such an imposing way. He didn¡¯t necessarily think he felt intimidated, but it was something close to that. What if he fucked something up?

    Dimitri had parked his little truck in a small dirt lot at the end of the dock, and Theo took the passenger seat in the front. Shade seemed content in the bed, in fact rather excited by it, and it made Dimitri laugh a little. Theo could not look at him.

    They drove down the road that Theo and Shade had walked down to get to town, but before they reached town they diverted down another dirt road that was hardly noticeable aside from the worn in tire tracks. The sun was setting and Dimitri drove a bit fast, the wind blowing through his shaggy dark hair. He caught Theo watching him and grinned his pleased little grin; Theo had the idea of flinging himself from the truck. He looked away and tucked his own hair out of his face and behind his ear, instead.

    Along the road was mostly grass, and there were animals like Mila grazing about. ¡°What are those called?¡± Shade asked curiously, leaning into the cab of the truck between the two of them.

    ¡°Imian sheep,¡± Dimitri answered, tipping his head a bit so that xe could hear him. ¡°My family raises them.¡±

    The fields of grass shifted into fields of wheat, most of them already harvested. The remainder of the wheat swayed in the breeze, long blue stalks tipped with fluffy yellow heads. They seemed to shimmer gold in the setting sunlight and Theo stared out at them, entranced. It was easy to imagine Dimitri and his siblings wiling away the days out here, tending to the animals and plants; it seemed to be the perfect place for him.

    The farmhouse was bigger than Theo imagined it would be from Dimitri¡¯s descriptions of it; perhaps he had just been being modest when he spoke of it. It was three stories tall and painted bright yellow, with a friendly white porch that seemed to wrap around the entirety of the house. Each window had blue shutters, all of them thrown open so that the late summer breeze could blow through the lace curtains that they were each adorned with. It was unlike anything that Theo had seen before; he was used to cramped apartments or hostels, or little huts made of brick and dirt. He thought again how well this place suited Dimitri.

    Gravel crunched under the truck¡¯s tires as they pulled up the drive and an old man sitting in a rocking chair on the porch lifted his hand to wave at them. There was a cat perched in his lap who didn¡¯t seem to notice them. When the truck came to a stop Dimitri hopped out to help Shade out of the bed. Theo followed and fell in step behind the two of them as they made their way up to the porch.

    ¡°Hey, gramps,¡± he said to the old man as he bounded up the steps, and he leaned over to give him a kiss on the cheek.

    ¡°Dima, who are your friends?¡± the old man asked curiously. ¡°Does your da¡¯ know they¡¯re coming for dinner?¡±

    Dimitri laughed. ¡°This is Theo and his business partner Shade. I¡¯m repairing their ship, remember?¡± he answered. ¡°And yes, he knows. Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    The old man nodded approvingly, still rocking gently in his chair. ¡°Good, you know how he can get around mealtime,¡± he said with a little click of his tongue.

    This made Dimitri laugh, and then he was leading Theo and Shade through the front door, a rickety old screen that clattered loudly behind them as it closed. Before they even stepped inside Theo could smell the meal cooking, and it was even stronger now. It smelled like meat and spices, something sharp like cinnamon, and it was near overwhelmingly homey. The hall that the front door opened into was wide and the walls lined with various family pictures, most of them candid shots. None of the frames matched and some of them were crooked, but there didn¡¯t seem to be a speck of dust anywhere. There was a coat rack in the corner, the bin at the bottom filled with umbrellas, several pairs of rain boots lined the wall.

    Theo felt more panic; this place felt more alien than anywhere else he had been in his life. He felt a hand gentle on his shoulder and turned to see Dimitri smiling kindly at him. It softened some of the panic, but then a new fear joined it too. Theo didn¡¯t know how he managed to smile back.

    ¡°Is this you?¡± piped up Shade, leaning close to one of the pictures. Xe had been inspecting all of them curiously.

    Dimitri let his hand fall from Theo¡¯s shoulder and he walked over to see, and laughed. ¡°Yeah. That¡¯s me,¡± he answered.

    Curious, Theo followed to look at the picture too, and it was of a child standing next to one of the Imian sheep, which towered over him, and he was smiling widely. He was missing his front teeth. But it was unmistakably Dimitri. ¡°You¡¯re so small,¡± Theo said, like he couldn¡¯t believe it, and it made Dimitri laugh even more.

    ¡°Dima, is that you?¡± a voice called from one of the adjacent rooms, and a towering man with silver hair stepped out into the hall, wiping his hands on the apron he wore. ¡°Ah!¡± he exclaimed at the sight of them. When he went on, there was a sort of play sternness to his voice. ¡°You must be the ones who have been keeping our Dimitri so busy.¡±

    ¡°Um, yes?¡± Theo said, feeling suddenly very small, like he had at the festival meeting Harmonia.

    The man laughed and held out his hand for Theo to shake, and then to Shade. ¡°Well, thank you,¡± he said. ¡°Come, we¡¯re almost ready.¡± And without waiting for them, he turned back into the room he had come from.

    When Theo looked at Dimitri he had an unreadable look on his face, but when their eyes met he was smiling again. He nodded his head toward the room his father had disappeared into. ¡°Don¡¯t look so scared, Theo,¡± he said, and Theo hadn¡¯t realized Dimitri knew him well enough to know the expression of nervousness that he wore. It was slightly unnerving. ¡°They¡¯re not that bad.¡±

    ¡°Theo does not like new people,¡± Shade offered, not unkindly, the shapes on xyr face still delighted.

    Dimitri hummed thoughtfully. ¡°You like me well enough,¡± he inquired, although his voice was light. ¡°At least, I¡¯d like to think so.¡±

    Theo did not know what to say, he just frowned slightly, which seemed to amuse both of his companions. Dimitri reached for his hand, which caught him off guard enough that he couldn¡¯t object to being pulled into the other room.

    <hr>

    The kitchen was large and bright green, the wood cabinets natural and light. It seemed as if everyone turned to look at them when they entered, and Dimitri dropped Theo¡¯s hand under everyone¡¯s gaze. His father was back at the stove, checking something in the oven, and Harmonia stood with Lux preparing a salad at the counter. Misha and Yura were getting place settings out of the cupboard to bring into an adjacent room. There were two that Theo did not recognize, a woman and another man who were sitting at the table chatting with each other while folding cloth napkins.

    ¡°Oh, hello, Theo! Shade!¡± said Lux, breaking the silence. ¡°What a pleasant surprise.¡± Their voice was gentle, and Theo believed what they said. ¡°How nice to have someone else who hasn¡¯t grown up on this farm here for dinner.¡±

    The woman at the table laughed and rose from where she was sitting. She was just as tall as the others, and somehow more imposing that any of the men that Theo had met yet. She looked just like Harmonia, he face just a bit more lined with age, and there were streaks of silver in her dark hair. So this was where all the familial resemblance came from, then.

    ¡°Welcome,¡± she said as she stepped toward them, and her voice was smooth and kind. Just like Dimitri¡¯s father had, she reached her hand out to shake both of their hands. ¡°I¡¯m Adella, Dimitri¡¯s mother, have you met the others?¡±

    ¡°Mostly,¡± Shade said, in lieu of Theo answering. He was grateful. ¡°If not ¡ª we are fast learners.¡±

    Adella laughed gently and then leaned to give Dimitri a kiss on the cheek. ¡°Why don¡¯t you show them to the table? I¡¯m sure you¡¯re all tired from working so hard on that ship.¡±

    Dimitri nodded and led them through the kitchen through another doorway which opened into a cozy looking dining room, the walls painted blue and covered in more photographs and other decorations. There was a long table in the middle of the room that the twins had set plates and glasses out on; Theo noticed that some of them did not match. There were more than a dozen places set out and it made him pause nervously, but Dimitri had pulled out a chair for him with a dramatic flourish and Theo couldn¡¯t help but smile.

    ¡°How large is your family anyway?¡± Shade asked, counting place settings as xe took the seat next to Theo.

    Dimitri groaned as he took the seat on the other side of Theo, but he was smiling. ¡°Much too big,¡± he answered, leaning on his elbow. ¡°What about you Theo?¡±

    ¡°Uh, no,¡± Theo answered lamely. ¡°I mean, I don¡¯t have any family.¡± Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    Dimitri frowned for a moment, but it quickly dissipated as he leaned to nudge his shoulder against Theo¡¯s. ¡°That¡¯s okay, probably saves you some stress.¡±

    Theo smiled meekly, and at that moment Harmonia and Lux entered the dining room, each carrying a bowl that they set on the table before taking a seat across from the three of them. Soon after that Adella and the man Theo had not been introduced to yet entered with the napkins and silverware, which they round the table to neatly place out. Adella took the head of the table, and the man took the seat next to her. They were chatting about work on the farm.

    ¡°Who is that?¡± Shade asked, a question Theo guessed xe would be asking a lot this evening.

    ¡°My second father,¡± Dimitri answered, straightening the napkin that his mother had laid out in front of him.

    More people began to file in from other rooms of the house, chatting loudly amongst each other. Dimitri whispered to Shade and Theo their names ¡ª Cousin Nadla, her husband Dao, their child Nina, Aunt Jo, Grandma Cora ¡ª the list seemed nearly endless, and there was no way Theo was going to remember all of them. But they all smiled politely at him, some even said hello, exchanged pleasantries. Theo did not feel trapped, exactly, but overwhelmed.

    When he looked at Dimitri, the engineer would smile gently, and it would soothe him slightly.

    Eventually Dimitri¡¯s father ¡ª the one in the apron ¡ª entered the room with a platter that held the largest roast bird that Theo had ever seen. After he set it on the table he took the last empty seat beside Adella. ¡°We have guests today,¡± he said, sounding pleased, and everyone turned to glance at Theo and Shade. ¡°Please welcome them as you would each other.¡±

    After he spoke he began to carve the great bird he brought out, and everyone began talking amongst themselves again. There was talk of each other¡¯s work for the day, what stream they would be viewing this evening, and more things that Theo did not understand. Bowls and platters of food were passed around so that they could serve themselves, and Dimitri helpfully told Theo what each item was. A carafe of sparkling clear wine was passed around as well, and Dimitri poured a glass for Theo. Shade was involved in an energetic conversation with the child who was sat beside xem, and had many questions.

    ¡°Lula, don¡¯t be so rude!¡± the child¡¯s mother exclaimed, but Shade held up xyr hand gently.

    ¡°I do not mind,¡± xe said, sounding pleased, the shapes on xyr face bright and happy.

    ¡°Theo,¡± Harmonia said from across the table, the first to speak directly to him since they had begun dining. ¡°Dimitri hasn¡¯t been boring you too much with his blabbering?¡± Her voice was teasing; Lux was smiling gently. ¡°He likes to go on sometimes; I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve noticed by now.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Theo answered, glancing at Dimitri who was looking down at his plate. ¡°He¡¯s been¡­ quite welcome.¡± It was hardly admitting to anything, but it still felt too honest, and he wanted to run away. There was that fear in his stomach again, knotting tightly. He reached for his wine.

    ¡°See, Harmonia?¡± Dimitri said, sounding a bit smug, but there was still an uncertainty in his voice that Theo didn¡¯t recognize. ¡°Some people appreciate my company.¡± He might as well have stuck out his tongue at her.

    Lux giggled musically at this, and Harmonia rolled her eyes, but she was still smiling too. ¡°Well, there¡¯s someone for everyone,¡± she said nonchalantly, and then she yelped in pain and shot a look at Lux, who was peacefully eating a buttered roll and paying her no attention.

    Yura ¡ª or was it Misha? ¡ª inquired on the repairs, which Theo said were going well and Dimitri chimed in to proudly say that they were ahead of schedule. A young boy leaned across the table to ask Theo about bugs, catching him off guard, which made everyone around them laugh.

    It was strange, Theo thought, to be included so easily in such a large gathering. Nothing like this had ever happened to him, at least not in any near memory. The Croft family opened their doors, and did not treat him like a stranger, or a pariah. He thought if he hadn¡¯t spoken at all no one would have minded. It was a warm sort of feeling that he didn¡¯t understand, and while it didn¡¯t frighten him as much as Dimitri¡¯s smile it was a strange, surreal sensation. What did he have to offer them? It didn¡¯t seem to matter. He was simply there, and that was enough.

    The rest of the dinner passed without much incident, and he mostly chatted with Harmonia and Lux ¡ª in his own stop and start way. If they noticed that he felt awkward, they didn¡¯t say anything about it. Dimitri seemed to relax a bit too, although Theo didn¡¯t understand why he had any reason not to be relaxed. Shade continued to be thrilled chatting away with everyone, anyone who came by to say hello. Xe was much better at this than Theo ever could be.

    Once the meal was complete and everyone was full of food and drink, family members started to disperse in other areas of the house. While Shade continued to entertain the children, Theo helped Dimitri clear the plates, much to Adella¡¯s delight. However, once it was time to start washing them she shooed them both out of the kitchen.

    ¡°Get out of here, you two,¡± she said, swatting Dimitri with a hand towel. ¡°Why don¡¯t you show Theo and Shade the barn.¡± She was smiling, but she still said this with a bit of disdain, and then called the twins in to do the dishes instead.

    <hr>

    ¡®The barn,¡¯ as it turned out, was the family¡¯s second barn that Dimitri had taken over with his collection of odd starship parts. It was a walk away from the house, but the air had cooled and felt nice on Theo¡¯s wine-flushed cheeks. Shade stayed at the house, enjoying the attention from the Croft family, and hardly seemed to notice them when Theo said that they were going for a walk, and would xe like to join them? This time Harmonia and Lux did see them leave together, but Theo didn¡¯t understand the looks on their faces as they passed them on the porch.

    Dimitri led him down a path that wrapped around the side of the house. He didn¡¯t say anything at first, just looked straight ahead with an expression on his face that seemed too serious and out of place. Theo didn¡¯t understand, and he looked away to watch his feet as they walked.

    ¡°I should say thank you,¡± Dimitri piped up when they were nearly to the barn, and when Theo looked at him now he was smiling.

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°I would have been the one stuck with the dishes if you weren¡¯t here.¡±

    Theo laughed softly. ¡°Then you¡¯re welcome, I guess,¡± he said, the lightness in his voice surprising him.

    At the barn, Dimitri pushed the door open easily and searched the wall in the dark for a light switch. When everything lit up, Theo was caught a bit off guard; he had never seen so many ship parts in one space. They were organized fairly neatly, considering this barn had clearly not been built to house them, and he began to wander the space to look at everything. ¡°No wonder they sent us to you,¡± he said absently after a moment. ¡°You could open your own shop.¡±

    Dimitri laughed and shrugged. ¡°Yeah, I guess I could,¡± he answered casually, as if it were completely normal for him to have such a huge collection of random parts. ¡°Mom doesn¡¯t like it so much,¡± he added.

    ¡°Ah,¡± Theo said, now understanding the tone of her voice as she shooed them out of the kitchen. He stopped at a workbench to inspect a computer panel that was clearly in the process of being repaired. ¡°Where did you get it all?¡±

    ¡°Here and there,¡± Dimitri said, walking over to him. ¡°That¡¯ll be for your ship.¡±

    Theo looked over at him and smiled, once again too aware of how close he was standing now, close enough that he could reach for him if he wanted¡ª The thought came to him so suddenly that he had to look away, back at the workbench. ¡°Here and there,¡± he repeated, a bit in awe. ¡°But why?¡±

    Dimitri hummed gently, like he was thinking. ¡°I dunno¡¯,¡± he finally settled on. ¡°I like starships.¡±

    Theo looked back at him, curious. ¡°So why are you here, then?¡±

    Now Dimitri seemed to be surprised, and he blinked at Theo before looking away. ¡°This is my home,¡± he settled on, and he looked a bit uncomfortable. Theo felt guilty for saying anything at all. Dimitri let out a little sigh and scuffed his boot against the ground. ¡°I mean, that was the plan, I suppose. After school to find an engineering job or something. But¡­ I came back home instead.¡± He shrugged, and Theo thought maybe there was more to the story, but he wouldn¡¯t push it.

    ¡°Well, it is nice here,¡± Theo offered, and Dimitri smiled at the ground.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± he agreed.

    Theo started to wander again, and he could feel Dimitri watching him as he stopped to inspect glass screens and massive sub-light engines, and everything in between. He tried to ignore the feeling of his gaze, and when he had lapped the barn he looked back to see Dimitri watching him expectantly. ¡°You¡¯re mad,¡± Theo decided with a little laugh, and Dimitri laughed too.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± he agreed again, with a small shrug. ¡°Come here.¡± He nodded his head to a ladder that lead up into a loft Theo suspected normally would hold hay. He followed Dimitri up the ladder to see that the engineer had already made himself comfortable in a large captain¡¯s chair. Theo stood at the top of the ladder for a moment before he laughed again, in spite of himself.

    ¡°What?¡± Dimitri asked, grinning wide, and he patted the arm of the near matching chair beside him.

    Against his better judgment, Theo clambered into the loft and plopped into the chair with a little sigh. It was much more comfortable than the current captain¡¯s chair in his own bridge. He stretched his legs out and looked over at Dimitri, who was watching him with a gentle, little smile. The alarms went off in Theo¡¯s brain again, that this was dangerous, but there was also the urge to ignore them, because Dimitri looked so sweet with his head tipped like that¡ª He looked away.

    ¡°So what about you?¡± Dimitri asked after a moment. ¡°Why an exterminator in that big research vessel?¡±

    Theo looked at him, his smile faltering for a second before he looked away again and pulled his knees to his chest. ¡°It wasn¡¯t my idea,¡± he finally answered, looking across to the loft opposite them at a row of unknown parts. He didn¡¯t want to say anything at all, he didn¡¯t want to talk about himself, so he didn¡¯t know why he went on to say, ¡°I inherited the business, I guess.¡±

    Dimitri hummed like he understood, even though Theo thought that there was no way he could understand. He had the scary thought that he wanted to tell him everything, and just like the idea that he could reach out and touch Dimitri, it caught him off guard. It wouldn¡¯t do any good anyway, he told himself. He would be leaving in a matter of weeks.

    ¡°There it is again,¡± Dimitri commented gently, and Theo looked at him, puzzled. ¡°That look. So serious.¡±

    Theo tried to smile, and it only made Dimitri chuckle a bit.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± the engineer said. ¡°It looks good on you.¡±

    Theo didn¡¯t know what to say, but he could feel his face get warm again, and he felt foolish. Stop it, he told himself, but it didn¡¯t keep his heart from pattering stupidly, or his thoughts from thinking how Dimitri¡¯s hand felt when he pulled him into the dining room at the farmhouse. He stared across at the other loft, but Dimitri didn¡¯t seem to mind the silence.

    When he finally gathered the courage to look at him again, the other man had his head tipped back and his eyes were closed. Theo smiled and rested his head against the chair he was in, stretching his legs out again. It felt safer to look at Dimitri like this, like he wouldn¡¯t get caught, even though he was sure that he wasn¡¯t quite asleep. And in another brief lapse in judgment Theo lifted his hand like he might take Dimitri¡¯s hand in it, but the engineer let out a little sigh that startled him.

    ¡°We should head back,¡± he said, without opening his eyes. By the time he looked over at Theo, he was cradling his hand at his chest trying to not look suspicious. Dimitri didn¡¯t seem to notice. ¡°We have an early morning.¡±

    Dimitri climbed down first and Theo followed seconds later, nearly missing the last rung of the ladder. Dimitri caught him before he fell, his hand at the small of his back. Theo thought that his touch lingered, but then it was gone, and they were both left smiling a bit sheepishly. The walk back to the house was quiet, Theo kept his hands shoved in his pockets because it felt safer that way ¡ª stop it, stop it, stop it, he told himself on a loop, but it didn¡¯t seem to be working.

 CHAPTER NINE: IN TOO DEEP

    Theo thought it would be awkward to see Dimitri the next day; the drive back to the ship had been quiet and a little strange. Shade had many stories to tell him about the things xe had learned while spending time at the house, but all Theo wanted to do was sleep. When he got to his quarters he saw the scarf that Dimitri had given him draped over the chair at his desk and he sighed, frustrated.

    But the next morning when Dimitri showed up he was in his usual high spirits, and he mentioned how everyone suggested that they both return for another meal soon. It felt like a ridiculous proposition, but Theo didn¡¯t tell him that in fear that it would hurt his feelings ¡ª even though he thought again that he shouldn¡¯t care.

    The repairs still went on, though, and the ship was beginning to look more like it had before Theo had crashed it. Metal beams were brought up from the farm with the help of Yura and Misha, who also stuck around to help install them and play a game of cards with Shade that they had apparently taught xem when they had visited for dinner. The noise on the ship was strange for Theo, but he realized when he heard the loud laughter of the twins in the mess it didn¡¯t bother him how he thought it might. It wasn¡¯t until the ship went quiet again that he thought how troublesome it all was.

    Deck five was soon spotless, and then engineering on deck four. Dimitri kept interrogating Theo on what he should do with the arboretum on deck three, but he didn¡¯t have any answers for him. He would surely kill any plants that Dimitri thought to install; the engineer left it alone for the time while they cleaned up deck two. When it came to repairing the bridge, the twins returned to help with some of the larger repairs, and that night Theo could not seem to get out of returning to the Croft house for dinner.

    Everyone was just as thrilled to see them again for a second time, especially the children who demanded all of Shade¡¯s attention. It seemed that xe had invented a game of displaying shapes and figures on xyr face and the children took turns trying to guess what sort of creature xe was imagining. Theo sat in the corner of the sitting room with a mug of hot chocolate smiling to himself as he watched the display. He tried not to noticed Dimitri watching him, too, and Lux and Harmonia gossiping by the fireplace and pointedly not looking at him.

    The weather was cooling quickly, and all of the wheat had been harvested for the season. The fields were no less impressive cleared and cleaned, ready for the next season of planting. They stretched out wide and far; Theo learned that the Croft farm was one of the largest farms on the moon.

    Another dinner invitation, and it was cool enough when Dimitri picked them up that Theo thought to wear the scarf from the festival. Dimitri almost looked surprised at the sight of him but he smiled wide. Theo looked away, feeling embarrassed. The truck had its roof attached now, to keep out most of the cool, but Theo kept his window cracked for the breeze and fresh air. That night after the meal was done and the dishes had been cleared, he sat on the porch with Dimitri, who told him more stories about the stars, and other nearby astronomical objects.

    Theo wondered to himself again why Dimitri was still here, if the idea of travel appealed to him so much, but this time he didn¡¯t pose the question. He hadn¡¯t liked the discomfort on the other man¡¯s face, when he should have been smiling. Lux brought them hot cider in tin mugs, but they did not linger. When they opened the door, Theo could hear the children laughing with Shade inside.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go for a walk,¡± Dimitri suggested after a moment, and Theo agreed wordlessly with a little shrug.

    They didn¡¯t head to Dimitri¡¯s barn; instead they took a worn path that curved the other direction. Theo didn¡¯t ask where they were going ¡ª it wasn¡¯t like it mattered. The cider was sweet and spicy, and he held the mug with both hands for the warmth. The silence between them had become comfortable, somehow, but Theo didn¡¯t think about it too much, or question it. If he did that it would frighten him too much, like everything else about Dimitri, so instead he just focused on the crisp air, and the sound of Dimitri¡¯s boots on the gravel.

    They came to a pen, attached to the second barn on the Croft property. Dimitri set his mug on one of the posts and put two fingers in his mouth to let out a low whistle. Moments later, a large fluffy beast came trotting out of the barn. Mila.

    Theo¡¯s eyes narrowed and he looked at Dimitri skeptically. He had done his best to steer clear of these creatures during his visit to the farm, not wanting to relive his first encounter with them. He took a step back from the fence.

    Dimitri laughed as Mila came up to the gate, reaching out a hand to pat her nose. She brayed happily. ¡°The sheep won¡¯t hurt you, you know,¡± he told Theo, looking over at him with a little smile. ¡°They¡¯re very friendly.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll take your word for it,¡± Theo answered, defiantly sipping his cider from a distance.

    ¡°I¡¯ve had Mila since she was a foal,¡± Dimitri went on absently, gently stroking the animal¡¯s fur.

    Theo didn¡¯t understand why he told him this, but he didn¡¯t say anything. He just watched Dimitri¡¯s hand, gentle through soft fur, and the faraway look on his face. After a moment he stepped closer, only a little, and Dimitri glanced over at him with a smile.

    ¡°Come here,¡± he said, reaching for his hand, and Theo let him take it. He gently placed his hand on Mila¡¯s nose, it was cool and velvety, but Theo could only think about the weight of Dimitri¡¯s hand on his, warm and reassuring as he showed him how to stroke the fur back on Mila¡¯s face.

    ¡°I feel stupid,¡± Theo said after a moment, and Dimitri laughed, dropping his hand. But he still pet the animal, who brayed softly at the attention. He frowned slightly, and then looked over at Dimitri who seemed pleased. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Nothing,¡± he answered, reaching back for his cider. ¡°Told you, she¡¯s not so bad. Once you get used to her.¡±

    That was like a lot of things here, Theo thought, but he didn¡¯t say anything. ¡°Do you ride these things?¡± he asked instead.

    ¡°Yeah, wanna go for a gallop?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    Dimitri laughed at his bluntness and leaned against the fence. ¡°You¡¯re an interesting person, Theo Altair,¡± he said after a moment, his voice much too soft. This would have made Theo nervous, if he thought too much about it.

    ¡°Oh?¡± Theo asked instead, not looking at him. He liked the way Dimitri said his name, but he couldn¡¯t thinking about that for too long, either. He scratched Mila behind the ear a bit; she seemed to like that. Dimitri didn¡¯t clarify, and Theo looked back at him curiously.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± was all Dimitri said, a bit cryptically, and he downed the rest of his cider. Then he whistled at Mila a bit, who stepped back from the fence to trot back to the barn after a little bray that seemed to mean goodbye. He took Theo¡¯s hand in his, and led him back to the house.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

    <hr>

    Theo could not sleep that night; the sensation of Dimitri holding his hand would not leave his mind. Lying in bed he clasped his hands together against his chest, as if he might be able to keep the feeling there too, close to his heart like a secret. It was too much for him to feel stupid or angry about it, now he was teetering somewhere closer to sadness. He did not deserve the other man¡¯s kindness; he didn¡¯t deserve to feel warm and happy when he saw Dimitri smile. It felt vaguely selfish for him to think that he did, to think that anything could ever be different for him.

    Theo thought that he had to leave soon, before it was too late. It already felt much too late.

    The next morning he felt tired and moody, and he didn¡¯t speak to Shade as he prepared his breakfast in the mess, even though xe tried to strike up conversation about the repairs for the day. There wasn¡¯t much left for them to do, he thought, he would just have to keep himself together for another few days, a week at the very most, and then he could disappear. That was what he was best at, anyway. Time would pass and Dimitri would forget about him, as would the rest of the Croft family, and Theo could live out the rest of his life in dirt and muck, hunting bugs and death. It was settled.

    In spite of all of this, Theo still met Dimitri at the airlock, like he always did. It would have been suspicious for him not to, he told himself, but he still faltered when Dimitri smiled warmly at him. They made their way to deck one, so that they could begin the repair on the outer hull above the bridge. Dimitri climbed through the hatch and Theo climbed up after him, peeking his head out as the engineer began to set out his tools. There was a cool breeze and it felt calming; Theo did not climb all the way out of the hatch.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to run diagnostics down here,¡± he said instead, before ducking back into the bridge before he could read whatever expression was on Dimitri¡¯s face.

    But he didn¡¯t follow him back down, and Theo sat at the operations console while listening to Dimitri work above him. Shade appeared to run the diagnostics xemself, and the shapes on xyr face went a bit confused. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± xe asked suspiciously.

    ¡°What does it look like I¡¯m doing?¡± Theo snapped, looking away from xem and back at the screen in front of him.

    Shade stared at him for a moment longer, before climbing up to hatch to join Dimitri. Theo could hear Dimitri laughing at something xe said, and it made his frown deepen. The numbers and check marks swam in front of him; he hated doing diagnostic work. And he once again felt a bit stupid, alone listening to the sound of footsteps on metal above him. He spun out of the chair and left the bridge without a word to the others.

    He stepped into the lift, but after the door closed he didn¡¯t know where he meant to go. He should have been atop the ship helping Dimitri, but he couldn¡¯t stand the idea. ¡°Deck four,¡± he commanded after a moment, and the lift began to drop.

    The door slid open at engineering, and Theo stepped forward to the panel in front of the warp reactor. They had begun to pump in fuel bought from a visiting freighter to ready the ship for flight, and the glow had begun to get stronger. Theo couldn¡¯t decide how it made him feel; usually this was one of the more comforting spaces for him on the ship, but now, staring into the light of the fuel breaking up, getting ready for flight, he felt empty.

    He left engineering and went back to the lift, which took him up to deck three. The airlock was open, and he sat down in the cool breeze. From here, he could again hear Shade and Dimitri working, occasionally chatting with each other. They were far enough away that he couldn¡¯t make out what they were saying, and for this Theo felt oddly grateful. He pulled his legs up, holding his knees to his chest like he might be able to ball himself up to stay safe.

    But he already felt safe here, didn¡¯t he? And it was all Dimitri¡¯s fault, Theo thought bitterly. No, that wasn¡¯t particularly fair. It was his fault for getting attached to Dimitri in the first place. It never should have gone this far; this was just supposed to be a simple fix-and-leave situation. Now it did not feel so simple.

    He stared out into the sky, practically cloudless, although it looked like a storm might be heading in for the evening. It wouldn¡¯t be much longer now.

    <hr>

    It rained heavily all day the next day, the sky dark and gray, which meant that they could not work on the hull. At this point, interior work was best spent separate, cleaning rooms individually to get them done faster. Theo would not allow Dimitri near the quarters on deck one, for fear that he would discover some secret of his past, which frankly felt a little foolish even to him, but the engineer did not seem unmoored by this. Those rooms were basically done, at any rate, and Theo didn¡¯t bother entering any himself.

    Instead he took the lift to the astronomy research lab on deck two, and began to pick through the mess. It wasn¡¯t one of the labs they ever had much use for, and Theo couldn¡¯t remember ever spending a lot of time there. Shade liked it, because it was somewhere xe could learn about whatever systems they happened to be near. Theo had the stray thought that Dimitri might like it too, considering how much he liked to observe the sky from his little moon. The thought irritated him as he repaired cupboards, cleaned down panels, and he couldn¡¯t have gotten out of there fast enough.

    From there he went down to the cargo bays, which hadn¡¯t taken much damage but he needed to take stock of supplies for whatever job he might take next. There was a chance they would have to stop on Keria to pick up more traps, which he wasn¡¯t particularly keen on, but it was better to take note of it now so that when they left they could make a speedy exit.

    Theo could hear Dimitri¡¯s voice from the moment that the lift doors opened, coming from the arboretum. He frowned and tried to ignore it, heading the opposite direction. Behind the cargo bay doors, he couldn¡¯t hear him any longer, but it was only a small relief. He spent the next couple of hours searching and reorganizing containers, taking notes on a small pad, and making a mental tally of how much his purchases might cost. He wondered if he could find somewhere to order ahead, and they could swoop in quickly to pick them up, and then get the hell out of here at warp speed.

    Now he felt insane.

    Eventually he began to feel a little hungry, too, although he wasn¡¯t exactly eager to leave the safety of the cargo bays. When the doors opened, he couldn¡¯t hear Dimitri¡¯s voice any longer, and he didn¡¯t even look toward the arboretum as he headed to the lift. The idea that he should retrofit the arboretum into more storage came to him suddenly, and it felt a little cruel even if he didn¡¯t know why. There wouldn¡¯t be an easy way to scrub the memory of Dimitri off of this ship, at any rate.

    Deck two seemed quiet when the lift doors opened, but when he walked across to the mess hall he saw that Dimitri and Shade were sitting at a table quietly discussing something amongst themselves. When they saw him they stopped, and Dimitri smiled wide. ¡°Hey, stranger,¡± he said warmly, and Theo realized it was too late for him to turn and leave.

    There was his usual lunch set neatly in the fridge for him, and he had the childish urge to ignore it and only reach for a pouch of water. That voice that sounded like Boss in the back of his mind was telling him to suck it up, and to eat his damn sandwich like a normal person. He sighed to himself and carried the foil wrapped sandwich and a pouch of water to the counter.

    Dimitri watched him curiously, but didn¡¯t say anything. Shade¡¯s face looked indifferent, but Theo thought they both looked suspicious ¡ª even if he couldn¡¯t quite put his finger on it. ¡°What were you talking about?¡± he asked dully, tearing into the sandwich.

    ¡°Ah¡ª¡± Dimitri started, glancing at Shade.

    ¡°Just the hull repairs,¡± Shade finished for him.

    ¡°Right. The weather should clear in a few days,¡± Dimitri said, looking back at Theo with a little smile. ¡°We can finish up then.¡±

    ¡°Great,¡± Theo answered, staring out the window as he ate his sandwich. He could hardly see through the sheet of pouring rain. He felt awkward in the silence, but at least there was the sound of water against glass and metal. He didn¡¯t know what to say and he couldn¡¯t look at Dimitri without feeling even more awkward, and he wished that he had never even left the cargo bays. He should have just hid down there until the engineer left for the day.

    ¡°So, it looks like we might be able to do a test flight soon,¡± Dimitri said after a long stretch of nothing but the sound of the downpour outside.

    Theo looked at him, his brain temporarily stuck on the way he said we and he fought the urge to yell at him. Couldn¡¯t he see that he was just making this worse? ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± he said instead, not telling him that he had no intention of taking a test flight. He crumpled the foil his sandwich had been wrapped in and tossed it into the compactor. ¡°I have more inventory to do.¡± It was a lie, but it got him out of the mess.

 CHAPTER TEN: AN ESCAPE ATTEMPT

    The rain did stop eventually, after two more days of working inside the ship, narrowly avoiding too much contact with Dimitri. Theo woke to a bright day outside when he peeked around the blinds in his quarters. It seemed the rain had brought in another change of weather; it was colder than it had been since they arrived, and when he sat at the open hatch he could see his breath in the air. He held his mug of coffee close for warmth and comfort. There was a sense that this was the last time he would be doing this; if Dimitri and Shade could finish the hull repairs he saw no reason to stay through the evening. He had not told his plan to Shade, which was maybe a little unfair, but he wasn¡¯t really in the mood to have an argument with xem, either.

    He could already imagine how xe would tell him that they had to be polite, that they would have to say their goodbyes properly after all of the kindness they had been shown by everyone on Imia II. But it seemed pointless to Theo, who just wanted to disappear back into the darkness of space, where he didn¡¯t have to worry about being polite or doing things properly. He could just keep his head down and do his job until he died.

    He also did not tell Shade that he spent the better part of the evening prior searching the streams for their next job, although it would have been easy for xem to figure it out if xe happened to look. Maybe he was looking for a fight after all, if had made it so obvious, but he would have much rather found a stranger to knock around a little bit. Someone bigger than him to hit, who would hit him back. Imia II didn¡¯t seem like the sort of place for that, though. Everything about this place was far too clean and good, and in this mood Theo was starkly aware how much he did not belong.

    It had been stupid of him to let himself get so attached to Dimitri just because he liked the sound of his voice and how he smiled, and to try to find some meaning in his kindness. It would have been stupider of him to try to find any hope in the situation. If there was one thing that Theo knew he did not have, it was hope. That was abundantly clear. The sooner that lesson stuck, and the sooner that Dimitri saw it too, the better off the both of them would be.

    Once his mug was drained, he couldn¡¯t stand waiting at the airlock any longer, so he rose to find something else to do with himself. He took the lift to deposit the now empty mug in the mess, and when he returned to the lift to find something to do, Dimitri was already on it. ¡°Oh,¡± he said, a bit surprised, but he got on anyway, not looking directly at the other man.

    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Dimitri asked after a moment as the lift took them up to deck one. Theo couldn¡¯t stand the concern in his voice.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± he answered without looking at him, and when the lift stopped he could not get off fast enough. He disappeared into his quarters, not waiting to see if Dimitri had anything else to say, or if he would try to stop him.

    <hr>

    Lying in his bed, Theo could hear the distant sound of the final hull repairs above him. He mindlessly scrolled a pad to search stream advertisements that were looking for exterminators, focusing mostly on the jobs that would take him very far away from Imia II. There was a job on Galiv Prime, two whole systems over, that looked promising, and he thought they would even be able to make it there without having to make any stops for supplies. But after he sent the inquiry he only felt numb.

    He set the pad aside and let his eyes close, although with the noise above him he had no chance of falling asleep. He didn¡¯t want to sleep, exactly, but he also didn¡¯t want to be here anymore ¡ª not on this moon, not on this ship. It was the sort of abstract thought that would get him into trouble sooner or later if he didn¡¯t find something else to do. The sound of drills did nothing to wash them out.

    Theo didn¡¯t know how long he was left alone, but eventually the sound of work stopped. He could find no peace in the silence, however. After another stretch of time Shade came looking for him, and xe knocked on the door before actually opening it. Theo was still lying in his bed with his eyes closed, but he wouldn¡¯t be able to get away with pretending to be asleep. ¡°The repairs seem to be finished,¡± xe said warily from the doorway, and it was only the novelty of their tone that made Theo open his eyes and look over at xem. The shapes on xyr face were just as cautious, the dark orange from a setting sun. ¡°The diagnostics on the shields and hull are running now.¡±

    He couldn¡¯t find anything to say, though, because the only words that wanted to spill from his mouth would have sounded like vitriol. He once again had the stray thought that would have been unfair to xem, and it seemed oddly out of place, considering how raw he felt. As much as he was trying to avoid it, it wasn¡¯t beyond him to pick an argument with Shade just because xe happened to be the only one there. It really was a wonder that xe put up with him for so long. He wondered if Boss had made xem promise before he had died that xe would not abandon him. It certainly sounded like something the old man would have done, and Shade had never been one to break a promise easily.

    ¡°Dimitri has a proposition for you,¡± xe went on cautiously. ¡°Perhaps you should speak to him.¡±

    Theo blinked, feeling something close to blindsided, although he didn¡¯t understand why. A proposition? What the fuck was that supposed to mean? ¡°What is it?¡± he asked, his tone dull and uninterested, in spite of the tension in his chest.

    ¡°I cannot say,¡± Shade answered, xyr shoulders lifting in a small shrug. ¡°He wishes to speak to you.¡±

    Theo sighed now and tipped his face away from the android, letting his eyes close. He lifted his arm to cover his face, like that might shut out the whole world. ¡°Tell him to come back tomorrow. I¡¯m tired,¡± he grumbled, knowing full well he did not intend to still be here in the morning.

    If Shade knew that he was thinking this, xe did not say anything. Xe stayed in the doorway for a moment longer before leaving, the door sliding shut behind xem.

    Theo kept his eyes closed and he thought he might have slept for a while, or at least drifted in a mindless darkness that was more comforting than consciousness. When he opened his eyes again, everything was still silent. Without rising from the bed, he found the pad where he had left it and sent the remainder of the payment for the repairs to the Croft account and tossed it aside again.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    That would be it, then. There was nothing else for him to take care of. All he had to do was leave.

    <hr>

    When he finally left his quarters, Theo went straight to the bridge. Shade wasn¡¯t there, and did not appear when he stopped at an operations panel and began to read over the diagnostics from earlier in the day. It was almost a relief to see everything complete, a weight off of his chest and he could breathe again. Almost. He would only feel better once they were off of this moon, and even then he couldn¡¯t guarantee that he would immediately snap out of this mood. But at least he wouldn¡¯t have to look up and see Dimitri smiling at him, reminding him of something that he wasn¡¯t allowed to want.

    Satisfied with the diagnostics, Theo stepped away from the panel and moved down to the captain¡¯s chair. Looking out at the stars he thought back to the moment in the barn, climbing into the loft and sitting with Dimitri in near silence. How peaceful the other man had looked with his head tipped back, his eyes closed. Theo frowned, and pulled the captain¡¯s controls closer.

    ¡°Computer,¡± he started, and he didn¡¯t know why he paused before he went on with his command, ¡°Prepare for launch.¡±

    ¡°CANNOT COMPLY,¡± came the response in Shade¡¯s crisp voice.

    Theo looked up from the command panel, confused. ¡°Explain,¡± he demanded, his hands curling into fists.

    ¡°UNKNOWN COMMAND,¡± the voice answered.

    ¡°What?¡± Theo snapped, pushing the control console away from the chair in frustration. ¡°Computer, prepare for launch, command code 3-7-2.¡±

    ¡°CANNOT COMPLY. UNKNOWN COMMAND,¡± the voice responded again, and at that, Shade¡¯s hologram flickered into view in front of him.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± xe asked coolly, xyr arms clasped neatly behind xyr back.

    ¡°What am I doing?¡± Theo shouted angrily, his eyes narrowing. It did not seem to bother Shade in the least, xyr expression unmoved. ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°We cannot leave yet,¡± Shade answered calmly, not moving from where xe stood.

    Theo sneered at xem, leaning forward slightly where he sat. ¡°And why not? The ship is repaired, I¡¯ve finalized the payment,¡± he snapped. He was beginning to feel angry enough that he felt like he was far away from his body, watching the scene unfold from a distance. There was no way he could have reasoned with himself. His mind had been made up, but now he was being stopped from doing what he wanted, from doing the only thing that made sense. ¡°Give me one good reason¡ª¡±

    ¡°MOVEMENT AT THE AIRLOCK,¡± came Shade¡¯s voice over the intercom, and the anger on Theo¡¯s face softened into something closer to fear.

    Shade smiled at him, the expression almost odd on xyr usually stern face. ¡°It seems our newest crew member is here,¡± xe said coolly.

    ¡°Shade¡ª¡± Theo started, his voice low. His hands were still in tight fists, and he felt like he might fall apart at any moment if he let them go. In an instant he understood what quiet conversation he had walked into only a few days prior in the mess, the proposition Shade pretended xe knew nothing about, and he felt panic coiling tightly in his chest. He didn¡¯t know what to do, where he could take out his frustration, and he felt stupidly betrayed even though he could not explain it. ¡°I want to leave.¡±

    ¡°And we will,¡± Shade promised, xyr voice still calm. Theo could not stand it. ¡°As soon as Dimitri is aboard.¡±

    Shade left the bridge in the blink of an eye, but Theo remained in the captain¡¯s chair, staring out into the dark sky, trying to calm his breathing. It seemed like a futile attempt, and he wanted nothing more than to hit something. He thought back to a time he had torn apart his quarters for no reason aside from a vague feeling of rage, but this seemed like a good enough reason to do it again. This was not what he wanted. This was not what was meant to happen. He was supposed to leave, and then everything would return to normal ¡ª for himself and Dimitri.

    There was no reason for Dimitri to come along with them. It didn¡¯t make any sense. He was only throwing away a perfectly fine life that he could live perfectly normally with a family who cared for him ¡ª and for what? What good would come from him joining them, to bounce around systems without any real purpose? It was a life that Theo was mostly content for himself because he didn¡¯t think he deserved anything more, and Shade seemed happy enough as long as xe could continue flying the ship, but what would Dimitri get out of it?

    The door to the bridge slid open and Theo was still sitting in the captain¡¯s chair, staring blankly, his fists tight enough that his nails dug into his palms. He did not look to see who entered, he did not move an inch. He wanted to scream.

    ¡°Theo,¡± came Dimitri¡¯s voice, soft. From the sound of it, he barely set foot on the bridge.

    The room felt like it was spinning, and everything felt wildly unfair. In some abstract way Theo knew perhaps he was acting childish again, but that didn¡¯t matter. He felt like he had been tricked, when he had been trying to escape this, trying to forget that he liked the way Dimitri said his name, and the way his hand felt in his¡ª

    He pushed himself from where he sat and turned to storm off of the bridge, trying his best not to meet Dimitri¡¯s eyes as he pushed passed him. ¡°Shade!¡± he called in the hall, his voice shaking. He slammed his hand on the lift controls to call it, and the doors slid open near instantly. He did not turn around to see if Dimitri was coming after him after he boarded, and the doors slid quickly shut behind him. He could not keep his voice level as he went on, ¡°Deck four,¡± and he was whisked downward.

    ¡°Shade!¡± he called again when the lift doors opened, and he stomped toward the computer core angrily.

    In an instant, Shade flickered into view in front of him before he had a chance to reach the core, looking unimpressed by his display. ¡°Yes?¡± xe asked, xyr voice still smooth and calm.

    ¡°You can¡¯t do this,¡± Theo hissed, his hands balled into fists again. But he knew he could not hurt Shade, and he would not bother trying, even if he desperately felt the urge to. ¡°You can¡¯t just undermine me¡ª¡±

    ¡°Undermine you?¡± Shade said with a forced laugh, some of the calm leaving xyr voice. ¡°Theo, in case you forgot, you do not own me. Not matter what you might think, this is not your ship, and I can do as I please. Not everything is about you. Dimitri asked me if the ship would be in need of a permanent engineer, and I would very much like one on board.¡±

    Theo gaped at xem, unsure of what to say or do. Xe was not wrong, of course, but that didn¡¯t shake the feelings of anger and panic that wound tightly around him. Perhaps he shouldn¡¯t have felt like this, perhaps he should have been glad that Dimitri asked to come along with them, but there was only the idea that Theo would ruin this, like he ruined everything else he touched.

    He could not allow himself to feel even an ounce of hope.

    ¡°You should have asked me first,¡± Theo settled on, his voice still angry and shaking.

    Shade let out another sharp laugh, and it only made Theo¡¯s blood boil. ¡°Why?¡± xe asked coldly. ¡°So you could come up with a reason to say no?¡± xe went on with a shake of xyr head. ¡°And if you recall, Dimitri wished to speak to you about this earlier. Only I know you better than you think, Theo Altair. I knew you would try to run.¡±

    Theo let out an annoyed shout, still unable to argue with xem, and it was only infuriating him further. Shade had the advantage here, he knew, in that xe was able to stay calm and rational, when Theo only felt the urge to break something. He turned and stomped away from xem, aimless.

    The lift was still open as he passed it, which meant that Dimitri hadn¡¯t gone after him. Maybe Shade had told him not to, if they had been discussing things behind his back. But he didn¡¯t use it; he was headed for the small cargo bay across from engineering, to look for something to smash.