Love and Rockets Part 5

She wanted to cry, but didn't want to dehydrate herself even more. So she counted the stars. It didn't help at all, but it did pa.s.s the time.

Evie was on star two-hundred-and-three when the radio crackled. "Distressed s.p.a.cer, do you copy?" It was a man's voice, human, not robotic.

She sat there for a moment, disbelieving. Then she lunged for the communicator. She managed to get the two-way working. "Yes." Her voice shook. "Yes, I copy."

"What's your status?" The man sounded calm and in control which was comforting.

"I got caught in a comet shower. My s.h.i.+p took a lot of hits. I can't get the engines to fire, I'm running on reserve generators, and . . . my water reclamation's shot."

"How long ago?"

"A week. I think."

"How many on board?"

"Just me. That's why I'm still alive."

There was a pause. "What happened to the s.h.i.+p you were on?"

"What do you mean?" Evie looked out and saw what she was pretty sure was an older mining s.h.i.+p. It didn't have either A-Cla.s.s or Galaxy Mining markings, meaning it was probably an independent. Which might be good for her. Unless the miners on board were so happy to see a woman that freezing to death would seem like her better choice.

"You're in a shuttle, and one not capable of long-range flight. You couldn't have gotten here from Mars or any of the Lunars and certainly not from Earth."

Then again, maybe this was an ancient Galactic Police vessel. He was certainly asking law-like questions. "Could you interrogate me once you get me? I haven't had anything to eat or drink for several days and it's cold."

There was another pause. Evie got the impression whoever she was talking to was talking to someone else. "We're going to hook your s.h.i.+p." We. The someone else was confirmed. "Do you have a s.p.a.cesuit?"

"Yes."

"Do you know how to seal it properly?"

"I . . . think so."

"Not something to take a chance with. What's your name?"

"Evie," she said slowly. He didn't react. "Who are you? Galactic Police?"

"No. I'm a miner. I'm Cal."

"Oh. Are they coming, the police?"

"No. Not unless they got your signal, which I doubt. We're a long way from any s.p.a.ce station, let alone one of the giant rocks."

"Ah, okay then." Evie heaved a quiet sigh of relief. No police was good. And only the old-time miners called Ceres, Pallas, and the others 'giant rocks'. So he was probably a geezer, so unlikely to be interested in raping her as payment for rescue. "Can you talk me through getting the suit on right, Cal?"

"Are your airlocks working?"

"I think so."

"Then wait there, have your suit and anything you need to take with you ready. I'm going to hook your s.h.i.+p, then come help you get suited up."

"Thank you." She hoped she sounded grateful. Because she was.

The s.h.i.+p sent cables across but a robot did the hooking. Evie hadn't seen a model like this one in active service-the conglomerates wouldn't use something this old due to repair costs.

It was an adaptable model. When it left the mining s.h.i.+p it looked humanoid, but it turned crab-like to scramble down the cables and run all over the outside of her shuttle. She waved to it when it looked in at her. It waved an appendage back.

She expected the robot to come get her, but it went back up to the s.h.i.+p and a s.p.a.cesuit-clad figure exited shortly after. She a.s.sumed this was Cal. He crawled across carefully. She lost sight of him once he was on the shuttle.

A new voice came over the communicator. "h.e.l.lo, Miss Evie." It was definitely robotic. "I'm Mule. Cal is at your airlock. Can you activate it, please?"

"Yes." She pulled the lever and shortly heard the clomping of magnetic shoes.

Evie stood and turned around. There was someone in a s.p.a.cesuit, all right. He had his helmet on, so it was hard to see what he looked like, but he was tall-she only came to the middle of his chest.

"Are you Cal?" He nodded. Helmet or no, she saw he was gaping. "What is it?" she asked nervously.

"You're beautiful!" He shook his head and blushed bright red. "And a baby."

"I'm twenty-five. But, thanks for the compliment, I think."

"Sorry about my outburst." He sounded embarra.s.sed. "You aren't what I expected."

"Clearly. I appreciate your coming." Her voice shook and so did she. She tried to control it.

"Let's get your helmet on," Cal said gently. He sounded back under control.

"I have my things packed." Evie pointed to the suitcase and lockbox she'd tied together and hooked to the captain's chair. Unfortunately, she caught her foot against the box and lost her balance. He caught her as she gasped and stumbled.

"Gotcha," he said as he righted her. "There's food and water on my s.h.i.+p. We'll get your things over there with us, don't worry."

It was a good thing he'd come, because she could barely manage to get the helmet on with her hands in the suit and she had no idea how to lock it. "How do you do this all the time?" she asked as he took it from her and got it situated.

"You get used to it." He glanced at her belongings. "You work for A-Cla.s.s Mining?"

Evie cursed in her head. The lockbox had the A-Cla.s.s logo on it. "Not exactly."

"Huh." He didn't say anything else about it, but she had the feeling his suspicions were raised. Cal found some rope and tied it around his waist, then around hers. He hooked her belongings to the rope around her waist, turned the distress signal off, and then led her through the s.h.i.+p. He put his helmet against hers. "Is there anything else you need that's on board?"

"No."

"Then follow me, don't fight me, and don't untie the rope connecting us."

"No worries there."

They reached the airlock and, once the outer hatch was opened, he felt around for what turned out to be his lifeline. He hooked it on, never letting go of her hand. He pulled them out and crawled them along the s.h.i.+p to the main cable. She did what he did. They reached the cable and he put her hand on it, indicating she should climb across first.

She nodded and started across. Cal stayed right behind her; there was just enough play in the rope connecting them that they didn't pull on each other.

Finally they were in the belly of his s.h.i.+p and Cal closed the doors. Evie felt the pressure come back as the inner door opened and Cal helped her through it.

She was alive and presumably safe. The tears she'd held back all this time cascaded down her cheeks.

Cal unlocked her helmet and took it off, then did the same with his. They were both still in their s.p.a.cesuits, but he put his arms around her. "It's okay. You're safe now."

She didn't stop crying, but put her arms around him. Cal patted her back while she sobbed. "I thought I was going to die," she said finally.

"I know. But you're not." He let her go. "Let's get out of these suits and get you some food and water."

She nodded. "That sounds like a brilliant plan."

It turned out that Cal and Mule were the entire crew of the Gold Rush. Mule made her a light but filling meal while Cal monitored her water intake. He didn't let her eat or drink too much too fast, so she didn't get sick.

She'd been wrong about Cal's age. He was using old equipment, but he wasn't old himself. She figured he was about thirty-five. He was also ruggedly handsome, with longish dark brown hair and bright, dark blue eyes. He was as tall as she'd thought in the shuttle, and he was broad and well-muscled, too.

He wasn't like most of the miners she'd met, and not just because of his looks. They were usually crude and uneducated-asteroid mining wasn't considered the best career in the solar system. But Cal didn't speak like most miners and he also seemed gentlemanly and old-fas.h.i.+oned.

"Do you need anything more to eat or drink?" he asked. "And are you still cold?"

He'd put her into a sweater of his which was like a short dress on her, and wrapped her in a blanket as well. Between these, the food, and drink, Evie felt almost normal. She shook her head. "I feel better than I have in a long time."

"Good. Now," he said gently, "tell me what you're doing out here."

"I got lost."

Cal sighed. "Don't lie to me, please."

"I'm not. I was trying to get away and I thought I could hide in the Belt."

He nodded. "What did you do?"

"Nothing illegal."

Cal snorted. "Right. Look, tell me this-did you kill anyone?"

She felt shocked. "No. Do I look like a murderer?"

"No. You look like a beautiful young woman." He said this without blus.h.i.+ng, which was sort of a disappointment. "But beautiful young women don't appear in short-range shuttles in the middle of the Belt by accident."

"Well, it surely wasn't by design."

He chuckled. "Fine. Hurt anyone?"

She rolled her eyes. "Call it a victimless crime, since you're so sure I'm a criminal." She didn't know whether to be angry, flattered, or relieved. She settled for annoyed.

He shrugged. "Fine. I'll take your word on it." She didn't believe he was going to let it go forever, just for now. "Let's get you settled."

"Settled where?" Evie prepared herself for the "what you need to do to thank me for rescuing you" explanation. At least he was handsome.

"In your cabin." He led her to a hallway with a series of doors and opened one. Evie looked around. Her suitcase and lockbox were in here, but the room didn't look lived in. "Where do you sleep?"

"In my cabin, which is not your cabin."

"You're not . . . expecting anything for rescuing me?"

His eyes narrowed and she got the impression she'd insulted him. "Just that you'll do your share of the work until we're back at a s.p.a.ce station."

"We're not heading back to Ceres or Pallas?"

"I'm a miner. I need to mine. In fact, I left a claim to come get you. I have to mine that before we consider where we go next."

"Okay." So, no forced companions.h.i.+p. Cal really was a gentleman. This was a relief. And, in a way, a little bit of a disappointment. "I'm a fast learner. I'm sure I can help." She knew she could help, but it wasn't a good idea to let him know that.

"Good. Get unpacked. I need to determine if we drag your shuttle or leave it."

"Leave it," she said quickly. "It's not going to be worth repairing."

He gave her a long look. "How would you recommend we log it with Ceres Central?"

She knew it was a test, and she also knew he clearly thought she was a criminal. But better that than what she really was. "Log it as large debris. There's nothing worth salvaging on it."

"I had a feeling that's what you were going to suggest." Cal sighed. "I can't salvage anything from it, you're not willing to tell me the truth about what you're doing out here, and I don't feel like fighting with you or having a visit from the Galactic Police. Large debris it is."

"Good choice. Really."

"I'm sure." He shook his head. "I'll give you a tour of Goldie after you're unpacked."

"Goldie?"

"It's my nickname for the Gold Rush. She likes it."

"I'm sure she does." He'd given his s.h.i.+p a nickname. And the robot was called Mule. s.p.a.ce did funny things to people's minds. s.p.a.ce or loneliness.

Cal nodded to her and left, closing the door behind him.

Evie looked around. It was the smallest room she'd ever been expected to live in, but it was more than big enough. And she was alive and, against all the odds, on a s.h.i.+p where she might not be found. The plan was back to working.

It didn't take her too long to unpack. Evie shoved the lockbox under the bed, put her clothes into the dresser, her toiletries in the bathroom, and was pretty much done.

She wandered out. Goldie was what was commonly called a family-miner, meaning you could crew up to a dozen if people were bunking double. For one man and a robot, it was a lot of s.p.a.ce.

s.p.a.ce Cal wasn't exactly filling up. She didn't know where he was, so she gave herself her own tour. There were seven bedrooms, which didn't skew with other s.h.i.+ps she'd seen. She opened all the doors, but only two of the rooms seemed lived in. One was clearly the captain's quarters, and not just because it said it on the door. This was obviously where Cal spent a lot of time and had his things, such as they were.

The other bedroom appeared to be a child's, but there was no child on the s.h.i.+p. She considered this. Goldie was old, and so was Mule, and a lot of miners willed their s.h.i.+ps to their children. She studied the room.

One big bed, raised high up, under a domed ceiling. The bed looked like it was slept in, which was odd, because the bed in the captain's cabin had also looked slept in. There were pictures of different s.h.i.+ps taped to the walls, several drawings of the solar system, and lots of drawings of houses and s.p.a.ces.h.i.+ps. She was pretty sure the same person had done all the drawings.

The houses were interesting. They were clearly on the surface, not underground, and they didn't resemble Earth or Martian houses. They were asteroid houses, under domes, placed on what looked like floating rocks. Each house had a s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p nearby with the letters 'GR' printed on it somewhere. From what she could tell, the artist wanted his own home, on his own asteroid, with his s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p handy. She could relate to the desire.