“We…” Jarek gestured to his coworkers, “have no desire to be stuck on a shit hole planet like Morgual or worse Kolben. I’m sorry, Doc. I don’t care how smart Captain Auvi’s sugar-butt is. I’m not willing to bet my life on her.” He turned, and the few crew who hadn’t already wandered off followed him.
Cyra stared down the empty hallway. The sting of the sexual nickname reverberated through her leaving a stain of self-doubt. Maybe the crew had a point. Maybe she could sell the ship and— No. Auvi gifted her the dream of her lifetime. She’d be damned if she’d cave in before she’d at least tried to make it work.
“What are we going to do?” Veda asked.
“I have no idea.” Cyra crossed her arms. “But I’m not ready to give up. Captain left me this ship. He trained me for years to be the captain eventually. It’s way too soon and I’m not really prepared, butnowis when I have to do this. I don’t have the luxury to wait until I’m ready.”
“I can help you to secure a new crew,” Doc offered.
“I don’t have any credits beyond my meager personal account.” Cyra pursed her lips, holding back the small number she’d confirmed earlier.
“Credits aren’t everything.” Doc was almost talking to himself he was so deep in problem solving contemplation. “All we need is a couple professionals who know how to do things.”
“I know enough about how the ship works, I could get by with an engineer and a navigator. At least for the short term. If Veda is willing to take on the duties of monitoring the cargo?” She tilted her head at her friend. It was a huge ask.
“For you, Cyr, yes. For us. Besides, where else am I going to find a ship where I will be the Chief Medical Officer and be working for my best friend?”
“So, I can pay you with a fancy title?”
“Seems like a surer thing then a big raise.” Veda chuckled and nudge Cyra gently.
Speaking of managing the cargo… “Where’s Dez?”
Veda glanced back toward the crew quarters. “I asked him to move out of the cargo bay and into one of the smaller sleeping berths. I was lucky to get him out of the cargo with neither of us getting killed. Until those damn spiders are delivered, I don’t want anyone in there with them.”
“Good call.” Doc smiled his approval at his protégé.
“Great. Now, how are we going to getThe Treasureto Morgual to deliver the damn things?” Cyra brushed her hair back from her gills, wishing she could hide in the wet room. An extended swim called to her, but she couldn’t avoid her problems. She was the captain.
“We should split up and hit the favorite gathering spots of the space crews. See if we can talk some of them into coming back, one on one, and if not, ask around for good and available engineers and navigators,” Doc replied.
“Is it safe to leave the spiders?” Veda asked, betraying the fact that she was not looking forward to having to network with drunken sailors.
“I don’t want to do this anymore than you. Probably less in fact.” Cyra hugged her best friend, seeking courage more than giving any. “But you’re right. Varik could do anything while we’re gone.
“I can remain on the ship and provide security.” Dez’s voice startled Cyra, and she spun to find him lingering in the shadows of the intersection of corridors.
It was a terrible idea. And perfect. She shouldn’t. Veda and Doc’s gazes were locked on her, drowning her in expectation. Veda shifted her eyes in Dez’s direction with a lift of her eyebrows.
Cyra sighed. She was terrible at this captain stuff. “If you’re sure.”
“It would be my honor to help you.”
His honor? “Thank you. Doc, can you get him a comms unit so he can call if anything happens?” She shifted her focus back to the attractive male that should be in a cargo hold and not in her awareness at all. “Don’t be a hero. I mean, you’ve already saved us once, but don’t put yourself at risk. If there’s a problem, contact the dock security and then call me.”
“Yes, Captain.”
There it was again, that fluttery feeling but this time between her legs. Time to get some distance. “I’ll let the station master know we’re leaving Dez on the ship to monitor. Meet you at security.”
Veda and Doc appeared as Cyra left the skeptical official’s office. Having already had a bio-hazard emergency, the man was anxious to getThe Treasureaway from Cassan. The good news was he’d agreed to extend her credit so she could leave. But only if she left in the next three cycles.
No crew. No credits. And no other options.
Cyra pinned her dark green hair up, making sure it still covered her gills. “We need a plan.”
“You and Veda should park yourselves at the Rusty Bucket.” Doc pointed down a crowded corridor where every other door was a bar. “Varik’s banned from there after our last stop over. I’m going to roam some lesser-known transport haunts and listen for any gossip. I may be able to find someone to send to you for approval.”
“We just need two, an engineer and a navigator,” Cyra repeated, as if that made the task easier.
