Kira glanced down at her deflated body and almost felt the urge to chuckle. She’d have trouble getting a man who’d spent the last twenty years in prison to find her attractive. She pushed the thought aside and looked around again at the appliances. Her eyes fell on the powdered protein dispenser, then the flavor packets beside it. She glanced back at the sink, wondering how disgusting it would be to try and drink a protein soup.
Kira gasped, which caused her throat to constrict in momentary pain. She didn’t need a soup, she needed a shake! She turned to another machine and punched in commands on the old fashioned button-style interface, then poured some protein powder into her empty cup. She grabbed up two chocolate flavor packets and, after nipping them with her teeth to help her open them, she dumped them in as well. Moving as quickly as she could she slipped the cup under the dispenser and waited impatiently for the ready indicator to light up. As soon as it did she pressed the dispensing button and watched the mixture of hot water and synfeine pour into her cup.
Ignoring the heat, Kira stuck her finger in the cup and started to swirl it around. She hissed after a minute, pulling her scalded finger out and quickly stuck it in her mouth. The flavors burst across her tongue like an explosion, shocking her with their intensity at first, and then making her suck on her finger harder. She realized a moment later what she was doing and managed a snicker at her behavior. She gently blew on the steaming liquid and then sipped it carefully.
It burned her lips and tongue, but in spite of that it tasted delicious. She swallowed carefully, feeling the warmth spreading down her throat and into her belly and soothing her. In spite of her trepidations, her stomach opted to behave this time around. She sipped again, repeating the experience and fighting the urge to guzzle the drink.
Kira moved carefully to the table and sat down, holding the cup between her hands and feeling the warmth leaking through it. She drank sparingly, wondering how she could have disliked the taste before. Then again, considering the state her body was in she would have probably found just about anything organic to taste delicious. She pushed the thought away before her mind could chase it down some of the more disturbing paths it could take.
Before she knew it the cup was empty. She stared into it, wanting more but knowing better. Her stomach felt bloated and uncomfortably full as it was. Her jaw stretched as she yawned, which turned into a grimace as sore tissue was stretched. She climbed to her feet and made her way back to the bridge, this time settling into the Captain’s chair without a second thought.
Kira pressed her data port into the one built into the arm rest of the Captain’s chair. She routed output to the main display instead of the fold out one that was part of the chair and proceeded to check on her crewmates. Little had changed, aside from nominal increases in the computer designated health scores. She sighed upon noting that Tarn was still going to be the first to awaken, then dug deeper into the new solar system. If she truly was the first human to set eyes on it, she wondered if she could name it. She smirked. The Kiran system had a nice ring to it.
Chapter 14
Captain Sharp, Eric, and Jeff woke up within half an hour or each other. Kira had slipped back into her regular clothing in preparation for Tarn coming around. To spare as much awkwardness as possible, she’d given him a robe to wear after he had emerged from his own chamber. She’d needed to help him get out and put it on, something she remembered with considerable distaste. Another two days of nursing him back to health was only slightly lower on her scale of things she hoped to never need to do again.
Getting the other three up and active was a little easier with Tarn helping her. So much so that she was able to focus on helping Eric with his first meal, the same shake she had made herself what seemed like a lifetime ago.
“ It’s pretty good,” she told him, sliding it in front of where he sat at a table. He offered her what she assumed was an attempt at a smile. She smiled in return, remembering all too well how he was feeling.
“ Don’t take this the wrong way, but I’m glad you guys are wiped out,” Kira whispered after she’d sat next to him and put her arm around him. She could feel how cool his body was even through the robe he wore. “It’s not some mothering instinct or anything; I just wouldn’t be able to live with myself if you guys didn’t feel as bad as I did when I woke up first.”
Eric glanced at her at first, then looked back at the cup in front of him. He lifted it carefully, his hands shaking slightly, and took a sip of it. Kira felt her cheeks threatening to split she was grinning so widely. Eric had raised it again and was drinking as rapidly as his body and the hot liquid would allow.
“ Careful,” she admonished, gently pulling the cup from him. “Your stomach won’t be able to handle it all at once.” Kira remembered her first few sips of water and shuddered.
A moment later Eric was drinking again, stopping himself after a few swallows and pacing himself. He glanced at her and tried to smile again, but the obvious pain in the expression brought tears to Kira’s eyes. She hugged him close, remembering only at the last minute not to squeeze too hard.
“ I didn’t realize how alone I’ve been these last couple of weeks,” she whispered to him.
He stared at her, his eyes clear from fatigue and pain for a brief moment. Kira nodded. “Yes, I’ve been awake for just over thirteen days. Tarn’s been up for three. We recovered faster because of the genetic modifications we’ve had. I’m still not sure what all is in me, and I may never know, but I’m not complaining! Without it there’s no way I could have pulled myself out of my cold sleep tube.”
Eric pulled away and stared at her, his lips open clearly showing the cracks in the dried out skin. Kira wanted to kiss him, but restrained herself, knowing it would only hurt him more than it would comfort him. “Trust me and get some rest. Don’t speak, it only hurts. A few days and you’ll be back to normal, especially with nurse Kira tending to you. And don’t get me started about the sponge bath I’m looking forward to giving you after you’re feeling better!”
She saw his smile turn to a wince. Eric turned back to the drink to finish it, then let Kira help him up. She led him to the crew quarters and tucked him into his cot, taking special care not to rush him. He fell asleep almost instantly, giving her a few moments to stare at him. Even looking starved and pathetic she still felt something stirring inside her chest for him. She knelt down next to him and gently kissed him on the temple.
“ I think I love you,” she whispered, then quickly stood up and glanced around. Jeff was already asleep a few cots away and the Captain had yet to make his way in. She smiled once more at Eric’s sleeping body, then turned and hurried back to the bridge.
“ Captain!” Kira blurted out in surprise. Sharp was sitting on his chair, with Tarn standing close enough for Kira to surmise that he had just helped the stubborn man into it.
“ Status?” Sharp croaked, grimacing as he did so.
“ Sir, you should get some rest, we’re a week away from our destination and-“
“ What destination?”
Kira winced at the resemblance between sandpaper on rocks and the Captain’s voice. “There’s a planet, Sir. Sensors are picking up readings I haven’t seen anywhere before, aside from Earth, that is.”