I grab the bottle before he decides to move it out of reach. “Of course I want it. I mean, it is water, right?” Did I state “do not poison me” in our deal?
“Yes. Human-safe. Drink.”
A cautious sniff doesn’t reveal anything suspicious, so I tip the bottle to my mouth. The first gulp has me groaning in relief, so I quickly guzzle down the whole thing. Null watches me disapprovingly, or perhaps that’s just his normal face. It’s hard to tell with him. “If you vomit over my equipment again, I will terminate you,” he threatens.
“Yeah, whatever. It’s not like there’s any equipment in here. Or anything, really. Does your species not practice interior design either? What about colors? Can you only see shades of gray? That must suck. I love colors. This place could definitely use some sprucing up. Do you live in here? Or do you have a house down on some cool alien planet and this is like a company car that no one really cares about? That would explain why it looks like shit and smells like old socks?” Null stares at me with an empty expression, only the occasional blink revealing that he’s alive. “Sorry,” I apologize immediately, “I tend to ramble when I’m nervous.” Blink. “I guess I’ll just shut up now.” What is it with me and rambling?
Without a word, he moves into the cockpit part of the tiny interior, although I have a feeling I heard him mutter, “Somehow, I doubt it,” under his breath.
“Well, it’s not like there’s anything to do other than talk.” I look around the bleak interior of the ship again. “I don’t suppose you have TV here? Or a couch? Or anything for me to sit on?” Not expecting an answer, I settle back on the cold, hard, floor, clutching at my still unsettled stomach. The water helped some, but it also gave me something new to vomit up and I don’t want to test how serious Null was with his termination threat.
This time, Null’s sigh sounds more like a painful groan, but he touches an invisible button on the wall. An entire segment of it folds out, revealing a simple bed. “Please, tell me you don’t talk in your sleep,” he grumbles.
“I actually have no idea, but Omni never said anything, so probably not. But…don’t you need to sleep, too? I don’t want to steal your bed.” I absolutely do want to steal his bed but I’m determined to be polite lest he loses his creepy cool vibe and kicks me off this ship. I have a feeling this grump is used to being alone, and just my presence in his personal space is annoying him to no end.
“I slept enough in the cell,” he grits out. “Sleep. Now. No more talking.”
“Yes, sir. Shutting up.”
If looks could kill, I’d be deader than Dumbledore if Null’s scowl is anything to go by.
Settling on the bed, I curl up under a thin but surprisingly warm blanket, exhaustion overtaking now that the adrenaline is out of my system. “Thank you,” I manage to murmur as I start to nod off.
It feels like only minutes later when an incessant beeping wakes me. Rubbing my eyes, I look around blearily. “Are we there yet?” I ask on a massive yawn that probably renders the words unintelligible.
“We’re approaching Schloppe station,” Null announces.
“Wow. Did I sleep through the whole ride?” I must have been more exhausted than I thought but, given what I’ve been through, it was warranted.
Null’s lips twitch as if he’s suppressing a smirk. “You did. It was blessedly quiet.”
“Uh-huh. I take it that’s a good thing in your book.” Stretching out my arms, I yawn again. “It’s too bad your ride doesn’t have windows. I would really love to see the station.”
“Windows have structural integrity issues and are potential vulnerable points. Not to mention they are utterly pointless. Sensors provide me with all of the necessary information I need.However,” he adds, “there are cameras on the outer hull. For security reasons, of course.”
“Of course.” I get his structural integrity argument and to some extent, even the pointlessness of windows on a spaceship, but still. Some people must actually want to see where they are flying. We’re in space. I bet there are millions of beautiful sights out there to be seen. Stars, planets, nebulae. Hell, I’d kill just to see some space rocks, let alone an actual space station. “Can I see the station? Please?”
He grunts and grumbles in his usual way, but taps some buttons. One of the screens changes from alien squiggles to an image of a dark shape surrounded by more darkness. The angle of the light changes as the ship turns, hitting the structure just right, leaving me gawking, mouth wide open. “Wow. It’s… It’s definitely different.”
Schloppe station is nothing like I expected. It’s not sleek, symmetrical, or compact. If I had to describe it in one word, I’d say it’s a mess. A cobbled-together, precariously wobbly, mess. Various parts of god-knows-what seem to be joined together by prayer alone, sticking out at crazy angles from the larger central core that looks like it used to be the hull of a large spaceship. Some of the extensions jut out a fair distance before growing wider again. The wider areas act like bases for further extensions, so the entire thing looks like a series of spider webs joined at random points. There’s a mishmash of narrower passages between larger blocks where I assume people live or maybe business is done. It looks like a strong gust of wind would tear it to shreds, so I guess it’s a good thing there’s no wind in space. There are dozens of ships of all shapes and sizes docked at various sections of the station, and I can’t help but wonder which one is the Supernova.
“It’s a dangerous place,” Null notes. “Full of dangerous people. Are you sure your friends are here?”
“Um. They’re not actually my friends. I’ve never met them before, but I’m certain they won’t turn me away. I was told they are here. Whether that’s still true…” I don’t want to think about what I’d do if I don’t find the Supernova here. How does a person look for one ship in the vast universe?
“Very well. I’ll dock and ask around. It would be easier if you stayed on the ship.”
Stay in this boring gray box while there’s a whole station full of aliens to see? “Absolutely not.”
“Thought you’d say that. I assume telling you to stay out of trouble is also pointless?”
“Hey! I always stay out of trouble, current circumstances notwithstanding. I’ll be careful but I want to see the station. If we find Omni’s crew, I’ll need to talk to them straight away, to convince them I’m telling the truth. I doubt they’ll trust a scary stranger like yourself.”
“They most definitely won’t,” Null says darkly. “Very well. I’ll take you to the station. Now—”
“Be quiet and let you focus? Got it,” I grin.
He grunts in response. I’m beginning to think that Null’s grumpy exterior is just a mask he hides behind and deep down inside, he’s just a really nice guy. Still, it’s not my job to be psychoanalyzing or sorting out his issues. I have enough of my own issues to deal with right now. And Omni’s.Ourissues. I like the sound of that. Saying “our”, I mean, not the issues, obviously. Anyways, time to go find the Supernova crew so they can rescue Omni and we can start our life together. I like the sound of that, too.
