Derelict: Halcyone Space, Book 1 Read Online Free PDF Page B

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    Nomi laughed. "Much more interesting than my story, I'm afraid."
    They moved through the commissary quickly as the line built up behind them. Nomi had been right about the morning offerings. Not a huge amount of variety, but the food was filling and nutritious enough. She selected some nondescript hot grain equivalent and black coffee. Ro chose the same and smirked, watching Micah purse his lips, shake his head, and dispense just a cup of coffee.
    "Trust me, this isn't what the commander eats," he said.
    Ro raised an eyebrow.
    "It'll do," Nomi said, navigating easily through the now crowded room to an empty table in the corner. "So, Daedalus is my payback."
    "What did you do to deserve us?" Micah asked, laughing.
    Nomi took a sip of coffee and grimaced. "I can put up with almost anything except this." Sighing, she set the cup down and slid it away from her. "Just fulfilling my end of a bargain. My family didn't have the capital to send me to a Hub Uni, so I took a scholarship and signed on to give back one for one in an under-served posting."
    "You agreed to come here for three years?" Ro asked.
    Nomi's lips turned down into a pout. It made her face seem very young. "Four. Advanced degree."
    Micah cocked his head. "Seriously? When did you start at Uni?"
    "Before I turned fifteen."
    "You have full citizenship?" Micah asked.
    Nomi nodded.
    Ro balled her hands into tight fists under the table as Micah whistled. She would have just about killed to get early admission somewhere, but her father had refused to sign her release papers during their last posting. Unless she figured out some way to attend Uni, Ro wouldn't even be eligible to take placement tests until she turned eighteen. And then she needed another two years of work experience to apply for citizenship. All to prove she wouldn't be a drain on society. She relaxed her hands and focused on Mendez's promise.
    "But they didn't warn me about the coffee," Nomi said.
    "I think I can help with that," Micah said.
    "Oh, really?" Nomi's smile lit up her whole face.
    "My father loves his coffee. Has it shuttled in special, direct from the Hub."
    "I suspect your prices are above our pay grades," Ro said, looking at Nomi, trying to convey some kind of warning. What could Micah want from her?
    "You have no idea," he said, laughing. "But not in this case. Besides, I think I owe you, Ro."
    "All in an evening's work," she said. If he only knew what she planned for the ship, he'd figure a way to make her pay him. "Besides, how does giving Nomi coffee help me?"
    "Well, it does if I share it with you," Nomi said, smiling, the light glinting in her eyes.
    Ro felt her face get warm.
    "See? You never know," Micah said, winking. "Just jumping it ahead."
    "Look, I need to get going," Ro said, sliding her chair out. She leaned forward to pile all the dirty dishes onto her tray. When she reached for the half full cup in the center of the table, Nomi touched her lightly this time, just the press of her fingers on the back of Ro's hand. She wanted to curl her blocky fingers with their squared off nails and hide them behind her back.
    "Hey, Ro, no static, yeah?"
    Ro took a deep breath and let her hand relax. "Yeah."
    "Time for bed." Nomi stifled a huge yawn. "See you around, Ro." She turned to Micah. "Nice meeting you."
    "Right back at you," he said. After she left, Micah turned to Ro and took the tray out of her hands. "Communications. Hmm. That could be useful."
    She grabbed the tray back and banged it down by the recycler.
    "What?" he asked, his expression the very pose of innocence.
    "Go back to your little botany project," Ro said, through a tight jaw. And leave me alone, she thought.
    "Hey, I only meant that it's good to have friends. And now I have one in engineering and one in communications."
    "So I guess your father taught you everything he knows."
    Anger flashed across his face. In a heartbeat, his power charm was back on full display. "No, not everything," he said, his voice light.