The big bulbous black eyes of Sera Rankor, and all of the other ant-like people, were on Betta without any sign of remorse.
The console beeped. Several fast-moving screens of text sped across, leaving a single page that awaited her hand print. The final script that ran across the top of the screen said, “I am Betta Reganta, and I agree to all of the aforementioned terms.”
Betta halted before putting her hand on the screen. “What kind of gear do they have? I made the order for Octin Suits, not Federation grade, or Pilo recyclables.”
Teena stepped forward. “They arrived a few weeks ago. I assumed they were meant for luxury space-walks… as a type of entertainment.”
“You assumed wrong,” Betta rested a hand on the side of the metallic console. Her body felt as if it were vibrating. Or maybe the room was vibrating? “Every operator who has clearance for a spacewalk better get one. Especially those going on the walk.”
“I understand.”
Was there a hint of a smile there? Teena had the small square of an old-fashioned hand-held phone at her ear. Her lips moved, but Betta heard nothing. Some sort of privacy screening? She recalled requesting such a thing. Of course, that was before she started vibrating, and it was only getting worse.
Betta wiped a layer of sweat from her forehead. “I want those operators in the Octin Suits, Sera Rankor.”
“As you command, Betta of Arys.”
Betta placed her palm on the display and it came alive.
“Thank you, Betta Reganta. Your account has been debited.”
“Dammit!” Betta snapped at the air. She knew they would take a security deposit, but it still hurt to hear it happen real-time.
“Could I paint you?” Sera Rankor asked. Was he really speaking or was she hallucinating? “I mean without all of these fabrics. I’ve never seen a dark Human up close.”
Teena put down her phone and shook her head.
“I didn’t know…” Was it getting difficult to breathe? “…Antogins paint?”
Sera Rankor said, “No. It is a Human past-time I have acquired. Would you pose for me?”
Betta shook her head in one quick motion, tossing aside another layer of sweat from her forehead. She turned her gaze to Teena. “Is he any good?”
Teena was immediately at her side, propping her up. “I think its best we get you to your compartment.”
“You said I had a few hours.”
“I said maybe an hour. I was… guessing.”
“Is he any good at painting?” Betta demanded again.
Teena outright laughed this time. “Yes. He’s very good.”
Betta grinned. “After I’m done passing out, we’ll negotiate, Sera Rankor.”
The station swirled. A flash of heat ran through her body before she was pulsing her way through a dream of endless starscapes.
Waking was far worse than Betta expected. Her eye-lids scraped against her eye-balls. Every turn of her head elicited a cascade of pain that touched every nerve-ending down to her toes and then back to her head.
Betta knew the symptoms of dehydration well after spending her youth on a planet covered in pollutants. There was a time when finding a clean water source was rare and expensive enough that it was easier to just go without. She’d witnessed young miners that were new to Arys-27 fall into the trap of ignoring their bodies until it was nearly too late. Pilo charged quite a few marks for uninsured medical expenses. Those young men soon found themselves indebted to the corporation for decades.
Betta forced her head to the side. There were two gel tabs and another cup of the clear liquid. She had no sense of how long she had been unconscious.
Reaching out a shaky hand, Betta forced herself into a sitting position by grabbing hold of the nightstand. It was then that she realized she languished in a full-size bed. It was the largest, most luxurious bed she had ever seen. It wasn’t something she imagined when she laid on the small cot in the chamber the feds gave her. She sat atop a white comforter and moments earlier her head had been nuzzled on a proper soft pillow, not the hard, standard recruit pillows. No, this had caressed her head and was even now calling her back for another moment of blissful sleep.
If she had any fluid left in her body, Betta would have salivated. Instead, she grabbed the cup from the table and poured it into her mouth. She tried to swallow, but nothing happened. The liquid fell from her mouth and onto the comforter.
Betta moaned. This was the first truly pretty thing she had, and now she’d dribbled all over it. She tried another sip of the mixture, throwing her head back and attempting a gurgle. Soon there was movement and she felt it falling down her throat. The wet journey caused most of the tension in her body to relax. The next sip was easier, and then she was ready for the gel pills.
As she laid back, Betta could feel the release of moisture into her body as the gel pills went into action. This time, when she closed her eyes, it was an easier slumber. Far easier because she woke enough to enjoy the soft pillows that contoured to hold her head. She slid beneath the comforter that warmed her flesh, then her insides.
Betta was hours into this cuddling session when the area just below her belly button vibrated and buzzed. She realized immediately she still wore the flight suit with the utility belt. After pressing the rotating planet insignia at the buckle, a square pad the size of her palm slid into her hand. She lifted this to her face.
“Hello?”
“Miss Reganta. This is Teena. I hope you are feeling better.”
A series of holo images jumped before her as the suit presented several options for syncing with her phone. She chose the remote option and placed the phone back into her belt. From this point forward, she could answer calls with gestures or voice commands. The suit would also direct any audio to her inner ear.
“Thank you for anticipating my needs.” Betta sighed into her pillow.
“I thought you would like an update on the hazard walk.”
Betta sat up, her body tense. Her mind saw the face of her father behind the black-tinted helmet of the Octin suit floating away from the station.
“Yes. Please. The operators?”
Betta felt ill, thinking that she had been lounging in comfort while people risked their lives.
“The procedure went as planned and there were no casualties or injuries. The 500,000 marks that were held from your account have been refunded. There is a later charge of 80,000 marks. You can access this data on your Reader when you have rested.”
“Thank you, Teena.”
“Yes. You are welcome, Miss Reganta. On to other business. Onboarding has nearly completed. Now that the Disc has artificial gravity and all repairs have been completed, the employees have been taken out of stasis. We should have merchants operating their wares in time for the Miner’s Half-Holiday from Gregious Prime.”
Betta tried to envision the star charts she’d studied before stasis. The clarity she’d known on Arys-27 came blurred, then focused. She shook her head, as if that would clear it further.
“The two mining moons closest to us? What about the planned colony on Galatan One? I expected a lot of travel—”
“As I mentioned earlier, Miss Reganta, there are several messages that need your approval. In fact, I will end this call, so you can get up to date. You do know how to access your Reader?”
Was she annoyed? Betta fought not to let her emotions take over. She was tempted to walk to the next compartment and demand whether Teena was really getting snippy with her. After a moment, the images of her last encounters with Teena eased her mind. The sight of the empty cup on her nightstand cooled her insides. She owed Teena the same dedication as the woman had shown her. It still didn’t make sense. By choosing Teena for this job, she’d given her another chance at a career. Second chances. The list appeared in front of her as though it truly existed. On it were the names of every person she had chosen for Betta’s Station and every one of them deserved a second chance. At the top of the list was one Teena Maverick.