The walk to the engineering bay seemed impossibly long. Valorie followed Gareth while keeping a polite two steps behind. She peeked up to see if she could catch his expression, but he was staring straight ahead. She had not gotten another chance to talk with Gareth alone since she had told him of the inspection. He had been angry then. He seemed calm now. In her experience, this change could be dangerous. She tried to be patient while waiting for the hammer to drop. To resist fiddling with her hands, she pinched her side.

“Valorie.” He spoke up.

“Yes, sir?” Valorie braced herself.

“I recall I told you to act as yourself, instead of following the SCT Protocol.” He said and paused. It was the most hesitant she had ever seen him.

“I remember.” She filled the air.

“For this mission, I need you to disregard the Protocol. Act against it even.” He said. Sweat broke out on her brow.

“Is…Is that an order?” She couldn’t help the surprise in her voice. His brow creased.

“Yes.” His voice was final. She looked to the floor. The SCT Protocol was harsh, but through strict training, behavior turned into instinct. It was easy to fall back on, particularly with her Imperial superiors. “I do not wish to reveal your nature to the Empire. Considering your choice to desert, I imagine you would agree. The Hayes is equipped with one of the clones. I believe her captain will be well versed in the Protocol. Do you see where I am going with this?” Gareth asked.

“Yes… I understand. If I act normal, their captain may notice I was once part of the SCT. I will do my best to hide it.” She said. He was right. Didn’t make it any easier.

“It’s not…” He trailed off into thought. She tried to see his expression again. He was rubbing one temple with his right hand. Had she done something wrong? She reached out, and she found a fog of doubt. Gareth was putting together a puzzle in his mind. When it cleared, the corner of his lip turned up in a small smile and he huffed.

“My order when we first met – for you to be yourself – that was a real challenge for you, wasn’t it?” He slowed down, and looked at her for the first time since they started walking. His tone was friendly, and her shoulders eased. She nodded, and he sighed. “I’m sorry.” He said. She was quiet for a moment, searching for the right words.

“I’m not… trained for civilian encounters,” She began, “I believe your order helped me get along with everyone, even if it was only for a moment. Even if it was frightening, it was worth it. Thank you.” She smiled. He was silent as he mulled over her words. Finally, he responded.

“You don’t have to justify my choices, but I’m glad it helped.” He said. The tension in the air around them deflated, replaced by a companionable silence.

When they entered engineering, Quinns was not there waiting for them. Instead, their greeting was a loud drumbeat and guitar solo. The sound made her heart race.

“Quinns! Come on, this is serious!” Gareth called across the bay.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“Hey now, it’s for inspiration.” Quinns called back. Quinns appeared at the door of the lander. He was in a skin-tight jumpsuit. For the first time, Valorie could see the extent of his metal prosthetic. His right leg matched his right arm – a metal frame woven with wires and mechanical joints. The metal frame stretched across his shoulders, and down his waist. The added frame balanced the weight of metal and flesh across his torso. He was lean, but the jumpsuit showed the clear definition of muscle. He saw Valorie and vanished back inside of the lander.

“Ah, Gary, thought you’d be alone.” He said – his confident tone replaced with embarrassment. She wondered why that seemed to happen every time he realized she was there.

“We aren’t the only people on the ship anymore, Quinns. You gotta expect others.” Gareth said. His tone was so different from normal, much more casual. Valorie looked up at him curiously. When he saw her look, he cleared his throat and straightened his back. Before he could say anything else, Quinns spoke up.

“I know, I know. Sorry.” Quinns said. When he reappeared, he had an exosuit pulled up to his shoulders and a helmet under his right arm. He turned the music off at the panels near the lander and made his way over to them. “It’s not like we’re a military ship, though.” He muttered.

“Fair enough. Now is not really the time though.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Quinns.”

“Yeah, yeah. Okay. How much longer for the dock?” He changed the topic. Gareth glanced at the entrance, alight with flashing red no-go lights.

“Should only be another 10 minutes.”

“Leon better be here by the time it’s ready.”

“Let me worry about that. How are your preparations?” Gareth said. Quinns nodded with a sigh. The helmet still clutched in the metal hand, he fiddled with something on his wrist. When he unhooked it from the frame, Valorie saw that it was a wrist PD. It was similar to hers, but a more permanent and expensive model. He fitted the PD into a slot on the helmet, before slipping the helmet over his head. She couldn’t see his face through the dark visor.

He reached up and clicked the buttons over his right ear. Gareth opened his own PD, tapped out a short message and waited. He noticed Valorie looking over and showed her the open message with Quinns.

“Testing.” He said. Quinns pulled the helmet off and breathed.

“Works. Still smells, uh, heavily used.” Quinns said, shaking his head as if it would dispel the smell faster.

“Maybe Sachi has something that could freshen it up?”

“I’ll ask her for next time.” Quinns said, frowning into the helmet. Valorie sensed an approaching light and glanced at the bay door before it opened. Rookie mistake. She looked away and hoped no one noticed.

The door slid open revealing a brooding Leon. When he saw the Captain, the look cleared, but Valorie could still sense the feeling beneath the surface. His uniform had the same purple and gold highlights as the Captain, but it looked a little tight when buttoned up. As Leon walked over, his eyes were on Quinns.

“Quinns, you’re all dressed up. Where ya going?” He asked as he joined their gathering. His movements in the uniform were stiff.

“For a walk.” Quinns tapped on his helmet, “What’s it look like?” It was more of a challenge than a question. Leon shrugged. There was a return quip on his tongue, but the exit lights distracted him when they turned yellow with a low chime. The dock had finished pressurizing and was within a survivable temperature. It was safe enough for an emergency.

“Not long now.” Leon said.

“Everyone all set?” Gareth said, giving both Leon and Valorie a once over. Valorie nodded and Leon grinned.

“All dolled up and ready to dance.” He said, stretching his arms against the stiff sleeves. When she thought about it, she realized the Captain’s normal outfit was quite formal. Leon, on the other hand, was always casual – a t-shirt and slacks along with the same leather jacket every time. The uniform looked restrictive in comparison. Valorie wondered if this might be one cause for his gloomy behavior.

“It fits you. You should wear it all the time.” Quinns said.

“No way. Not happening.” Leon tried twisting his arms back and rolling his shoulders. Nothing appeared to ease his discomfort.

Gareth shook his head, but his lips hinted at a smile. The tension in the air had eased. Valorie relaxed her hands. There was a wrinkle in her pant leg from fidgeting. As they waited, the Captain began explaining the inspection steps one last time. She focused on his face, determined to escape the habits of the SCT Protocol.