Yanna helped her onto the stool. The medical officer set two carafes of liquid in front of her. One was clear. Water, she thought. The other looked very similar although it had a slightly cloudy tint. It looked like tea, although as she thought about it, she wasn’t sure exactly what tea was.
Pachya spoke to Yanna, who then translated. “The clear one is a sample he tried to synthesize based upon what was in your lifepod. The cloudy one is what we normally drink. Apparently, your water has far fewer minerals in it than ours. There are no harmful microbes or living organisms in it, however. Nothing that will harm you. So in that respect it should be safe. He said he does not believe drinking our water long-term will harm you, but if you cannot drink it, he will have to filter some for you on a daily basis.”
She nodded and took a sip of the clear liquid. It tasted a little stale, but okay. She tasted the cloudy liquid and while it had an odd, strange flavor, it wasn’t objectionable.
Nothing that worried her.
“I think it’s okay.”
Pachya and Yanna exchanged comments. “He says if you want, he will still filter some for you until your body gets used to it.”
“Thank you.”
Pachya brought a plate of food over and talked to Yanna. Yanna explained. “He said based on the samples of food you had, he is sure these will be safe to start with. Until he can run more tests, he wants you to limit yourself to these items.” Yanna pointed to the different foods. “Tay is similar to what Terrans call pasta. Patu is a plant protein similar to what I believe you call tofu. And this is a fruit preserve made from a fruit called hana that we use for many things, but you might find it similar to what you call apples.”
She cautiously tested each, her stomach growling as she realized how hungry she was. It felt like she hadn’t eaten in days. Her clothes felt loose on her, like she’d recently lost a lot of weight. She began heartily eating.
The doctor said something, and Yanna laid a hand over hers to stop her. “He said you may need to eat slowly. You look like you have been starving for a while. You might make yourself sick if you eat too much too quickly.”
After thinking about it, she nodded. He pulled his hand away. He was right, although she didn’t know why or how she knew that. She slowly tasted and chewed. All three foods, while not spectacular, were edible. After twenty minutes she felt a little full and then realized she had another issue.
“Do you have a…” She thought for a moment. There were two words juggling for importance in her mind, but she didn’t know which one to use. “A…bathroom? Or a head? I have to go.”
“Go?”
She closed her eyes and struggled to make the words fit together in order. “Eliminate waste. Use the bathroom.”
Yanna looked at her, puzzled, then at Pachya. They exchanged a few words and Yanna nodded with comprehension as his eyes widened. “A sanitary facility. Over here.” He took her to a door, opened it, led her inside, and explained how to use the facilities. He then left her alone inside, closing the door behind him when he left.
With relief she dropped her sweatpants and sat there for a few minutes relieving herself, studying their version of what she knew she called a sink. Strange writing covered small placards around the room, including labels she couldn’t begin to decipher.
Oh boy.
Other than the facilities themselves, nothing looked familiar.
After she used the toilet, she stood at the sink and stared into the mirror. Grey eyes, although sort of sunken and lined with dark circles at this point. Pale skin, especially when compared to the men she’d seen. Auburn hair, currently a stringy mess, that hung well past her shoulders.
Who am I?
She stared into the mirror. “Erin Cafford,” she whispered to herself.
It didn’t feel right, although the word itself did when she said it the only way she remembered.
“Aaroncaphford.”
That made her heart ache in a sad way she didn’t want to contemplate right that moment.
When she finished washing her hands she returned to the lab. She felt a lot better, stronger, although still exhausted. “What now?” she asked.
Yanna studied her. “We will give you crew uniforms to wear, some personal supplies, and I will take you back to your quarters. You probably wish to clean up.”
She nodded.
He smiled, and it comforted her deep within her soul. “Well then, Erin Cafford, let us get you settled.”
Erin felt strong enough to walk as she followed Yanna through the ship to gather the spare uniforms for her and supplies. He appointed a guard to stand watch outside her cabin and left him instructions to bring her to him when she was ready.
“My cabin,” Yanna said, “is right over there.” He pointed to a door across the hall and two down from hers. “But I must return to the bridge for my duties. Take as long as you need, or even nap if you must.”
“Thank you.” Alone inside the room, she thought she might want to take a nap, especially after Yanna had encouraged her to do so. But after taking a shower with real water—why that felt like a rare treat she didn’t understand—and donning the slightly oversized uniform, she wanted to be back with Yanna.
Safety.
Was someone missing her? Now that her initial fear had slipped away, she wondered if there was someone who loved her, someone who was looking for her.
Or if the reason she was in the lifepod meant they were dead. Was she truly alone? Why did the possibility of Yanna leaving her somewhere fill her with fear? Was she on the run? Was she a criminal?
The guard, Pabo, smiled when she emerged from her cabin. He was friendly. She felt that from him. Yanna had told her that Pabo was his personal guard.
Can everyone feel emotions?
“I’m ready to go,” she said.
He returned her smile, but shrugged, held up his hands, and shook his head.
She suspected that was a universal sign for, “I have no clue what you’re saying.”
Pabo turned and waved at her to follow him. He led her to the bridge where Yanna sat in the command chair and directed operations. He smiled when he spotted her.
“Erin. I have something for you to listen to.” He stood and led her to a private office just off the bridge, closing the door behind them for privacy. “You had a device in your pocket when we found you. It appears to be a voice recorder. I made a copy of the recording onto one of our…” He hesitated, searching for an equivalent word. “We use them for voice notes, reading, sensors—”
“A handheld?” The word burst like a bubble from the blackness of her memory.
His eyes widened as he nodded. “That sounds like a very good word to use.” He handed her the small device and showed her how to use it.
The male voice spoke English standard. “The grav plate systems mess with your empathic senses, babe, that’s all. Combined with the jump drive…”
She closed her eyes and listened, her heart feeling like it would explode. She loved this man, whoever he was.
He said, “I’m heading to the bridge for the jump.” The sound of a kiss. “Love you, babe.”
“Love you, too, Ford.” Her own voice.
“See you on the bridge in a few.”
“Okay.”
Aaroncaphford.
She swayed on her feet and had to reach out to steady herself against the desk. The recording stopped. Yanna handed her another device. This one felt right in her hand and struck a familiar tone deep within the inky miasma of her memory.