The Gorison Traveler Incident (Veslor Mates #1) Read online

  “They don’t.” Abby smiled.

  Vivian was even more alarmed. “And that makes you happy? You think it’s a kinder way to die than what Sub-Commander Shaw and Commander Alderson might have planned for me? Why can’t I just hide in one of the control rooms?”

  “This will be safer for you in the long run. And…there might be a certain ship I called back, who’s out there waiting to pick you up.”

  Vivian quickly figured out how to climb into the Y-shaped opening of the suit, which included ducking her head to get into the attached helmet before shoving her arms into the sleeves. The gloves were large, and she had to go up on her tiptoes and push her butt to the back of the suit to get her legs through the high split, which still dug into her uncomfortably until she shoved each foot into the boots. They were huge; she had shoes on, and still there was ample room left inside them.

  “This doesn’t fit so well.”

  “You don’t need to walk around in it. Well, not much, anyway.”

  The suits were also heavy, bulky things, like body-shaped machines. She faced Abby after she got into it. “Most uncomfortable thing ever—and I’m going to have a wedgie from hell because the center leg split is designed for someone a heck of a lot taller.”

  “Sorry. What matters is, you’ll be picked up soon.”

  “By the Brar?”

  “Yes.” Abby pulled out the pad. “Brace. It’s about to seal, and I’m releasing the clamps. These suits are designed to be held in place during depressurization, and then release when there’s no oxygen left in the room. I’m bypassing that function. Just move away from the wall once I’m gone and crouch near the exterior door.”

  “Wait!” She was starting to panic. “Why not just have them dock to us again to pick me up?”

  “I need to blow you out, Vivian, to get you beyond the ship’s auto-defense systems. Sub-Piece of Shit put them back online and is monitoring them. The defense system won’t target this suit, though, since it’s coded as part of the ship. This is faster than hacking our defenses anyway. He’d be aware of them going offline and would probably send security after me.”

  Vivian understood, unfortunately. “So you’re actually going to blow me out of this ship?”

  “Sorry. It might be a rough ride, but know that Brassi and his crew are out there to pick you up. The beacon I activated will make sure they’ve got something to find you with. No more time. You need to go.”

  “What about you? You’ll be in danger if you stay.”

  Abby grinned. “Don’t worry about me. I can handle those assholes and kept them from destroying evidence. Brace.”

  Vivian tensed her body and Abby tapped the pad. The suit closed from the throat under the attached helmet, down her chest and stomach, and around her legs, surprising her by tightening to fit her body shape, and then the clamp above her released. She nearly staggered under the weight of the suit but managed to stay on her feet.

  She could still see Abby since the face plate of the suit was clear.

  “Have fun with the sexy alien. Let him do that thing where he strips off his shirt to comfort you,” Abby yelled, still grinning and backing up with her pad. “I’ll contact you when it’s safe for you to come home!”

  Vivian watched as Abby left the cargo bay, then red lights began to flash in the room. She knew that was a warning that the exterior doors were about to open. Usually the room was decompressed first, the oxygen vented out. She’d done that herself when she’d prepared for the Brar to dock with their ship.

  She turned, moving slowly to the center of the room, and turned her back to the wide exterior doors. Despite the fit, it still felt like walking in something four sizes too large and a hundred pounds too heavy for her frame. Every step she took was an effort not to trip in the bulky boots.

  “Are you ready?”

  The voice in the helmet surprised her. “Not yet.”

  “Hurry! We don’t have much time. I’d like to get off this level before security finds me or realizes I sprang you from the brig. I plan to hole up in Control One until help comes, since I don’t trust those bastards not to try to kill me, too, no matter who my parents are.”

  Vivian crouched, or tried to, but the weight of the suit made her fall over. She braced as she lay there. “Do it. Thank you, Abby.”

  “Ball up as much as possible. I’m overriding the controls to rapidly open the doors so you don’t hit them on the way out. At least, that’s the theory I’m working with.”

  “Fuck,” Vivian muttered. She pulled her limbs closer to her torso and tucked her head. It was tough to do in the bulky spacesuit. “Ready.”

  A loud alarm blared—and then it was all motion.

  She felt her body get brutally yanked in one direction, and then all light was gone briefly. The suit helmet flared with soft, dim illumination, but it was still total darkness around her. Gravity was a thing of the past, the heaviness of the suit no longer an issue. She got fleeting glimpses of the Gorison Traveler as her body rolled swiftly through the dark. The ship was huge at first, but as her body continued to careen weightlessly, it faded more and more as she tumbled through the blackness of space.

  When she saw the Gorison Traveler again, it was from a greater distance.

  Abby’s voice came from the helmet. “Vivian? Tell me you’re alive and I didn’t kill you.”

  “I’m okay and off the ship. I didn’t hit the doors. I’m not hurt.”

  Abby chuckled. “I knew it would work. Coms will cut out soon. It’s a range thing. Good luck.”

  “Be careful. Are you sure you don’t want to come with me?”

  “I can’t control the pad I’m using to hack into systems if I’m in a suit. I can only get you off the ship. I’ll be fine. I’m on my way to Control One now.”

  “Let me know when you get there.”

  Silence greeted her. Her body rolled again, floating through space.

  “Abby?”

  She didn’t answer.

  Vivian got another glimpse of the ship then, even farther away. Being sucked out of the cargo hold with the oxygen had propelled her from the Gorison Traveler as if she’d been wearing thrusters. She’d probably gone beyond coms range.

  She continued rolling, since she couldn’t figure out how to stop. She stared into space, occasionally spotting the ever tinier-looking Gorison Traveler, until the point when she could no longer see the lights from the ship.

  Only blackness and silence surrounded her for what seemed like endless minutes.

  Vivian slowly began to worry when she estimated a good half hour had passed since being jettisoned from the ship.

  Where was Brassi?

  Fear came up as well. What if the beacon didn’t work? What if he couldn’t find her, or had lied to Abby about picking her up?

  She calmed herself about that last part. Brassi was honest and honorable. He wouldn’t say he’d pick her up if he didn’t plan to do so. She needed to have faith in him once more. He’d find and rescue her.

  She just hoped it would happen before the air supply in the suit ran out.

  She didn’t do external repairs and knew very little about the suits. They were used by specialty crew trained to work on the outside of the ship when something went wrong. She’d heard they indeed had small thruster controls, but she wasn’t sure how to access them.

  Vivian lifted her arms and brought them closer to the lit mask of her helmet in order to inspect them, noticing a pad on one. It was dark, not activated. She didn’t dare try to turn it on. With her luck, she’d cut oxygen or open the suit by accident, which would kill her.

  She tumbled very slowly now, staring at endless stretches of dark space. She couldn’t really feel the motion any longer, since gravity was gone. It was weird, too quiet, and she tried to remain calm.

  “Fifty percent,” a robotic voice announced a short time later.

  “Hello?”

  The suit didn’t respond.

  Vivian tried to slow her breathing. Fifty per