Wyn would be a smart choice. He was kind, diligent, and would probably agree. “Would you like Wyn to take care of you?” I asked, stroking her nose. “How about I bring him here for you to meet?”
Lucy gave no response, falling asleep.
I sat for an hour or so, petting Lucy, utterly relaxed. Nowhere to go. Nothing to do. This was something I’d wished for my entire life. Hell, this was what everyone wished for—undisturbed peace.
With gentle movements, I placed Lucy on the couch. She glared at me before standing, circling, and curling into a ball. I ruffled her fur, making her give me some serious side eye for disturbing her.
“Ensign Wyn.” The touchstone grew warm beneath my fingers.
Wyn’s voice resonated in my ear. “Seth?”
“Where are you?”
“On deck eight, subsection five, tunnel nine. The phase variance will not regulate. It keeps wandering around the ship, which shouldn’t be possible. My superior thinks I’m insane, but therehasto be a shipwide problem. Please say you want to get lunch later.”
“Sure.”
“Perfect. I have to go,” he said, ending the conversation.
Lunch was not even close to now. “NAID?”
“Yes, Seth.”
“Can you direct me to Wyn?”
“I can, but why? He’s on duty.”
“Because I want to talk with him. Is it wrong to bug him at work?” I didn’t know what was acceptable or not in Drakcon culture yet.
“Other people do it. Why shouldn’t you? Take the lift to deck eight.”
NAID gave me orders via the touchstone, leading me through the ship until I came to a hatch, and I shimmied in.
After winding through the tunnels, I came to a ladder and went down before sliding into another tube. Sweat dripped down my face, and I swiped it off with my sleeve. The crawl space was uncomfortably hot, and shifting through the tunnels made my muscles burn with exertion.
When I spotted Wyn, I sagged. Thank fucking god. Every inch of me trembled and my knees ached.
Wyn sat halfway down the length of a tunnel, tail flicking. He pressed the glowing tip of a strange device against the circuits, muttering under his breath about the variance.
I moved forward, panting.
Wyn jerked toward me. “Seth, how did you get here?”
“NAID directed me.”
“You’re not a crew member. You’re not supposed to have access to the tunnels.”
My mouth fell open before I shrugged. “NAID didn’t tell me that. I’m sure Captain Talvax will be fine with it.”
He scoffed. “I hope so.”
“I won’t let you get in trouble.”
“It’s not myself I’m worried about. It’s NAID. She’s not meant to break the rules.”
“NAID,” I called, pressure building in my chest, “this won’t get you in trouble, right?”
She manifested on the panel near the circuit board. NAID grinned. “Not if neither of you says anything.”
