Dovis Read online

  “This was more important.” She calmed. No rules had been broken, and that meant no punishment. “I’ll be done in about fifteen minutes.”

  He muttered something under his breath that she couldn’t hear. Then he turned away and left her alone again. She returned to the task. The gloves she dug out of the toolbox were a bit big but they worked fine to protect her skin from getting a shock as she replaced the wires and cracked joint. Now the system should work perfectly without any problems.

  She put the plate back over the deck flooring and sealed it tight. It only took her a moment to clean up her mess, return the gloves to her toolbox, close it, and toss the jacket over her arm. She left to go to the lift that would take her to her cabin.

  The sight of Dovis waiting by the lift had her steps slowing. He turned, maybe sensing or hearing her approach. She came to a halt.

  “I didn’t mean to scare you.” His voice was deep still but he was no longer snarling. “That thing you said, about people liking you…well, that’s bullshit. Cathian and Nara are determined to keep you. Sleep next time and allow a repair to wait. York wouldn’t want you missing sleep to give him more steam.” He grumbled something else under his breath.

  “What?”

  “Nothing.”

  He came toward her suddenly, and her entire body went rigid. He didn’t strike her though, but instead tore the toolbox from her fingers. He backed away with it.

  “It looks heavy, and you’re too thin. There’s no rule that says you must limit what you eat. As much as you care to consume is a crew benefit that comes with the job. Why do you have Harver’s jacket?”

  “I didn’t steal it.” She stared at the floor. “The Pods said I could have anything in the maintenance locker that was left behind from the person who had this job before me. I’ll put it back.”

  He frowned. “I didn’t accuse you of anything. Stop assuming the worst. I was curious why you have it, that’s all.”

  “I needed to crawl into the Y shaft first to see if the steam problem started there. It’s very cold since it’s next to the outer hull of the ship. I was freezing, and then I remembered seeing the jacket. Once I realized the problem had to be a direct link to York’s cabin, I just didn’t return the jacket to the locker.”

  “You shouldn’t wear something that baggy. It could get caught while you’re working around moving parts.”

  “I’m aware, but that wasn’t the case tonight. I knew it had to be a connection problem once I inspected the Y shaft.”

  “Next time, wear your own jacket.”

  She opened her mouth but then closed it. Never fight or talk back to a superior. It was an important rule to remember.

  “Is that a problem?”

  She swallowed. “I don’t have a jacket, master. I only own four outfits. The Teki sent me with a tool case but it had been stripped of my work gear. No gloves, jacket, safety boots, or chemical suit. Luckily, the last worker here left his behind.”

  He snarled. She jumped.

  “Stop reacting that way,” he said. “You’re too sensitive to sounds. You should have informed Cathian or me of your lack of clothing. It’s dangerous if the uniforms you’re required to wear are ill-fitting. Why didn’t you speak up?”

  “I don’t want to be a nuisance.”

  “Hauling your ass to med bay to have you patched up or explaining why you died to the captain would be a nuisance. I’ll send a message to the Pods to correct this mess. It’s not as if they have much else to do. They can have proper equipment replicated to fit you, including uniforms and other outfits. You can’t live in four sets of clothing. I’ll return this toolbox to the maintenance locker. Give me the jacket.”

  She passed it over, careful to avoid his sharp-looking claws. “Thank you, master.”

  “Call me Dovis. I’m not your owner. I’m head of security, and the one you should come to if the captain is busy. Next time, speak up if there’s something you need. Your job is secure. Nara saw to that.”

  He spun away, called for the lift, and got in when it opened.

  She didn’t move.

  “Are you getting in?”

  “I’ll wait. You’re going down. My cabin is up two floors.”

  “Fine. Go to bed. That’s an order. You need sleep. Accidents happen if you’re too tired to focus on your duties.”

  The lift doors closed and she breathed easier. “At least he didn’t try to eat me.”

  Dovis ignored the low vibrations coming from his chest. It happened when he was upset.

  The female wasn’t anything like he’d expected. She had large dark brown eyes that he’d enjoyed staring into. Her features were strangely appealing too. That had stunned him since Nara wasn’t attractive to him. He was certain he’d feel that way about all human females. That wasn’t true. Mari had tempted him to reach out to see if her skin felt as soft as it looked. It left him unsettled.

  He was also angry with himself. The sweet scent of her fear made him feel guilty. It wasn’t something that had ever happened before. He normally liked that reaction from anyone he met.

  York had been correct. Mari appeared too thin. It was possible malnutrition had also stunted her growth. He remembered she’d been a child when sold into slavery. She was shorter than Nara by a good inch. Of course, York had probably been paying more attention to her breasts than her height.

  It bothered him that she hadn’t felt the need to tell any of the crew that her previous owner had sent her with so few possessions. Her loose clothing could put her in danger.

  He contacted the Pods. One of them answered, sounding disorientated and sleepy.

  “It’s rude to wake us. What do you want, Dovis? It better be urgent.”

  It sounded like the ill-tempered one. “Two, first thing in the morning, replicate Mari some clothing and everything she’ll need to do her job. Those bastards on the repair station sent her with next to nothing. That includes a coat, gloves and fire suit. Understand?”

  “This couldn’t have waited?”

  “No,” he said, ending the call.

  He returned the toolbox and jacket to the maintenance locker before heading to the bridge. He took a seat in the captain’s chair and stared out at dark space, finally relaxing.

  He liked being alone…most of the time. Dovis was good at it. He’d been sentenced to outcast status the moment his mother had birthed him on Amarai and had fled the planet the first chance he’d gotten at the age of fifteen.

  Past memories of his childhood surfaced but he pushed them back. They only made him angry.

  A red light flashed on the console before him, and he straightened just as the computer announced a problem. He hopped out of the seat and approached the pilot controls, his fingers flying over the screen to get more information.

  Suddenly, there was some kind of power surge—and the engines shut down.

  An alarm blared.

  He silenced it fast, scanning all the readouts. Power seemed stable all over the ship except to the engines. They refused to restart or respond. Next, he checked if any other ships were in range. Nothing showed on the radar.

  He turned, opening comms. “Cathian? We have a problem.”

  Long seconds passed before his friend’s voice responded. “What?”

  “The engines went down and aren’t restarting. We’re floating dead in space but internal power and life support haven’t been effected.”

  “Did we hit something? Are we under attack?”

  “I don’t think so. I’m leaving the bridge to go down to the engines to see what the hell happened. The computer isn’t reading the problem. It only registered some kind of power surge before the engines shut down. I just wanted to let you know what’s going on.”

  “Call Mari to help.”

  “I’ve got this.”

  “Damn your stubborn ass! She’s our mechanic. Wake her, Dovis. That’s an order.”

  He snarled, ending comms and storming off the bridge. He didn’t need the human. She was w