Total pages in book: 182
Estimated words: 171288 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 856(@200wpm)___ 685(@250wpm)___ 571(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 171288 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 856(@200wpm)___ 685(@250wpm)___ 571(@300wpm)
“And we’ve got plenty of food cubes, you know,” Y’lla added. “So we should be able to stay right here in the shuttle while we get everything fixed and then continue on our mission to Yown Beta.”
Penny felt a surge of relief mixed with possibly just the tiniest smidge of regret. She had never been off Earth before and she could tell just by looking at the Hell’s Gate structure that it must have been built by many different alien cultures over hundreds of years. It was an archeologist’s dream come true.
But of course, she reminded herself, it wouldn’t be safe to go explore the massive structure at all. Far better to stay safe aboard the shuttle until they could get it fixed and then go on with the mission as planned. Still, she couldn’t quite squelch the little voice in the back of her head that wished it could go exploring.
It was the same little voice that had led her to get lost in some underground caves she and her cousins wandered into in Kentucky when she was a kid. The same voice that had urged her to spend time in the Peace Corps in her gap year before college. The same voice that had led her into archeology in the first place and to jump at the chance for this interstellar mission before she even knew what it was about.
Penny supposed that little voice—that impulse she felt to see and try and do new things—was the thirst for adventure. It was the main reason she could never imagine settling down and having kids. Even if she had been tall and thin like Y’lla instead of on the short side with too much “junk in the trunk” and had a hundred guys after her, she still would have wanted to go exploring instead of having a “normal” life.
Penny had no idea that little voice inside her was about to be answered in a big way—a way that would change her life forever. If she had known, she probably would have done a lot of things differently.
But at that moment all she knew was that they had to get the ship fixed and try to get on with their expedition.
Five
Rive opened the service hatch to expose the engine and they got to work on the propulsion system.
It turned out the system had thrown a rod, which in this context seemed to mean that a long metal tube had buckled and broken. Rive announced he would need to print a new one in pieces and then put it together and replace it.
“It’s complicated but it can be done,” he said decisively. “It’s just going to take a few days.”
“Should we call the Mother Ship and let them know we’ve run into trouble?” Y’lla asked a bit anxiously.
Rive frowned.
“No need, darling. I don’t like to worry Commander Sylvan for nothing.”
Penny wished he would put in a call anyway—it would have made her feel better to know that the Mother Ship knew they’d been having some problems.
Unfortunately, though Kindred males were so much better than human men in so many respects, it seemed they shared the trait of not wanting to ask for help. Maybe it was just a male ego thing that couldn’t be bred out, no matter how nice or kind or civilized a race was, Penny thought dryly.
“Well, I’m going to take a shower,” she said decisively, looking down at her hands. “I’ve got this black grease from the engine all over me.” She raised an eyebrow. “Er…unless you two would like to take one first?”
Because of water restraints on board, only one shower could be taken at a time. In fact, Rive and Y’lla made it a practice to shower together, as Y’lla had confided to Penny, for just this reason.
She rather doubted that water limits were the only reason they showered together. Honestly, the two of them would take any opportunity to make love and from the thumping and groaning she’d heard coming from their cabin—which could clearly be heard over the sound of water rushing—they were definitely doing more than showering in there.
But Rive shook his head.
“No thank you, Penelope. I still have a few more things to do down in the engine compartment before I’m ready to get cleaned up and start printing the new rod.”
“And I’ll stay with Rive and make sure he doesn’t get lonely,” Y’lla smiled seductively at her husband and gave him what she no doubt thought was a sly wink.
“That will be fine, darling.” He returned her look with interest. “You’re a dirty girl, you know,” he murmured to her, clearly forgetting that Penny could hear him. “But I bet I can make you even dirtier before we go get cleaned up.”
Penny had to fight not to roll her eyes. Who talked like that outside an erotic romance novel? And could they really not keep their hands off each other even when the two of them were covered in engine grease?