The crew pictures…The captain, Aaron Lucio, forty-two. He’d be handsome if he smiled. He looked like a brooding man, with deep brown eyes she couldn’t fathom, but his serious stare wasn’t the hard, professional glare of the first two crews. First Officer Caphis Bates, forty, had shaggy blond hair, not long but definitely overdue for a haircut, playful green eyes, and an infectious smile. She found his appearance to be an interesting contradiction when she studied his impressive service record. From his picture, he didn’t appear to fit the role of experienced officer. Mate Ford Caliban was forty-one, and his blue eyes and teasing, sly grin stirred something inside her.
In the spirit of disclosure it was noted that while the Tamora Bight’s crew was experienced and highly decorated, they had so far in their six months at the dry dock facility wracked up more demerits than any other crew in DSMC history.
Ever.
Because the DSMC wasn’t military, crews didn’t get disciplinary action beyond pay cuts and mission assignment withdrawals, but apparently they were the bad boys of the dry docks.
Fantastic.
She switched back to the Kendall Kant’s crew file and took a deep breath before making her way to the main hatch. A low tone sounded when she stepped up to the closed hatchway, and then the intercom crackled to life.
A male voice spoke. “Dr. Hypatia?”
“Yes.”
The hatchway slid open. “Permission to come aboard, ma’am.”
“Um, thank you.”
She nervously stepped through the hatch and looked around.
She’d never been inside a spaceship before, even though she’d seen pictures her parents had sent home from their journeys. A sterile-looking corridor stretched out into the distance before her. She hesitated, unsure what to do.
The man spoke again. “Wait there, please. The mate is on his way to meet you.”
She wished they called the second officer something else, considering what her duties would entail, but that wasn’t her decision.
“Okay. Thank you.”
A few minutes later, a man turned the corner down the hallway and strode toward her. Big, beefy, broad-shouldered, he apparently grew taller the closer he got.
Whoa.
Exactly how tall he was became apparent when he stopped in front of her. “Dr. Hypatia?”
He was a good foot taller than her, and she was a respectable five-seven. “Uh, yeah. That’s me.” His tight T-shirt stretched across his huge chest, defining every sculpted muscle. And he had quite a few.
She might not mind playing doctor with him.
While his face wasn’t cold, it was…appraising would work. His eyes unapologetically traveled up and down her body and¯was that a slight frown?
“Nice to meet you, Doctor.” He held out his hand. She shook it but got the distinct impression he wasn’t thrilled. “Follow me, please.” She knew his name was Gregor Davis from his crew file, but he didn’t introduce himself.
With that he turned, and she had to rush to keep up with his long strides. She wasn’t a natural empath, but she’d had extensive training, enough to earn a class two ranking. If she wasn’t mistaken, this guy wasn’t totally happy. Not hostile, but he was certainly chilly.
They wound through corridors and passageways and walked deep into the ship. Hades, she’d get lost in this damn place. They ended up in a common area, where two other men waited at a dining table. Both men stood at their arrival. Emi noticed all three men were physically stacked, dressed in identical T-shirts and work pants. Apparently the military was turning out tough guys in more ways than one.
They also wore stern looks nearly identical to Davis’.
The captain stepped forward. “Dr. Hypatia, I’m Captain Elloy.
This is First Officer Johnson and Mate Davis.” Each man nodded, as did she.
“You can call me Emi, that’s fine.”
“No offense, Dr. Hypatia, but we tend to stick to regulations about addressing crew.”
“Oh. Um, okay.”
He indicated a seat at the head of the table. They waited to sit until after she did. Well, they got points for that, at least.
Captain Elloy sat at the far end of the table. “Did you have any questions?”
The other two crew members flanked him. While handsome and certainly with great bodies to match, they didn’t fill her with lust.
They barely filled her with like.
“Yeah. Why are you going into exploration when you were military?”
She tuned out after three minutes. Twenty minutes later, he finished droning and the other two men nodded.
“Okay,” she said. “That was…detailed.”
“I run a tight ship, Doctor. It’s how I’ve managed to stay alive all these years.”
“That’s always a plus. I’m rather fond of living.” They didn’t even crack a smile.
Greeeeeat.
The men stood, and the captain spoke. “Davis will show you around the crew quarters.”
“Don’t you have any questions for me?” she asked.
He shook his head. “We already reviewed your file and found that your qualifications are adequate.”
Adequate? She’d graduated at the top of her class as an Alpha-ranked healer. And his eyes didn’t look very pleased. “But?” He frowned. “I don’t understand.”
“There’s more to your statement.” That much she could sense.
The men exchanged another glance. “Well, we’ll have quite a bit of time ahead of us before we ship out. I’m sure it won’t be difficult, with our help, to get you into a training regimen to improve your physical condition.”
She swallowed, hard, to keep the acerbic retort in her mouth. She instead opted for, “Improve my physical condition?” The captain nodded. “Not that you’re not attractive, because you are, we all agree on that. For a mission like this, every crew member’s life depends on the others. Each member must be in top physical condition.”
“So, you think I’m fat?”
Apparently he wasn’t much in the relationship department because he didn’t even flinch at the question. “No, but your musculature isn’t as developed as it should be for endurance and strength. I mean, for an on-Earth assignment, that’s fine. In a mission such as ours, however, there are certain expectations. All crew members must be in top physical condition. I’m sure a few months of physical training would bring your BMI and other stats within regulations.
Regulations?
Oh, she and this dude would be butting heads if she picked them.
Still, they were all good-looking. No reason to discount them¯yet.
“Let’s get the tour out of the way,” she said.
Davis showed her around the crew quarters. The men each had their own small cabin with a standard single bunk. The only way she could tell whose was whose was the nameplate on the door. There were no signs of personality in any of the rooms.
“This would be your quarters.” He opened a door, and the room looked…identical.
“Those are pretty small beds.”
“Space is tight. It’s not like everyone will be sleeping together.
They’re adequate for what they’ll be used for.” That was about as romantic as a root canal. “Anything else I should know about you guys?”
“Feel free to ask whatever you want, ma’am.”
“No Emi, huh?”
Not even a hint of a smile. “Doctor, we’re preparing for a deep-space mission. Our focus must be on our jobs. Surely a professional with your academic qualifications can understand that?” She felt something else. “Tell me about your captain. He makes the calls around here, doesn’t he?”