Goddess's Saga 1: Touch of the Goddess (3 page)

Maria
heard Stephan just fine, but ignored him.

If she gave him a hard time, well, he
’d just have to deal with it. Melota might have been crazy, but he wasn’t a total idiot, and the other ship was guarded. If she hadn’t acted her new friend would have died.

I hope you
’re worth it.

He seemed to be, but she wasn
’t sure, and life was a terrible thing to waste.

She normal
ly used her powers for creation, not for taking lives or destroying.

Dad
obliterated civilizations for defying him. I at least tried to save someone I care for. There were only a dozen or so of them, and I need to protect him. Right? He protected me…

Justifying her decision did not go well.

She heard Stephan mutter, “Crap” across the abyss of her mind. Whatever his problem might be, it would have to wait. She ran complex calculations in her mind, altering minor variables to see if she could reach an outcome other than the ship exploding around them, or Stephan dying. It was hard to predict the future with any certainty, even for her; it was always changing, always moving, but she had a good focal point in him.

The ship rocked around her and Stephan cursed.

“Move, you old bucket of bolts.”

The computer reported,
“Direct hit on level three. Deploying fire-controlling measures.”

They
’re already shooting at us. Even if he gets away in time, they’ll track him down.

As improbable as it might seem, some of the f
utures showed he might be more than just another drunken flesh and blood biped. Disposing of the ship behind them would have consequences, but so would letting him die.

He swayed the odds to his favour through turning away from the consoles, facing her. She felt his fingers caress her cheek.

“Don’t worry. I’ll die before they get you.”

Dammit. Well, I guess he is under my protection, and protect him I will. I
’ve waited for so long, been alone for so long, don’t I deserve a chance? They’ll all be reborn anyway, probably as flies or something, but who cares, right? Ooooh, I know what to do with them.

The pirate ship fired again,
but its hull buckled, subjected to a pressure far exceeding anything anyone could encounter in space. It became smaller and smaller, shrinking but retaining its mass, and within a second, it reduced to the size of a pinhead. The bodies floating in space caught in the gravity of the new black hole, circling it slowly like planets around a blackened sun.

Now, they
’ll be pretty surprised when they appear in a dungeon in a deserted castle. They’re thrifty, they’ll make do. Maybe I’ll check in on them later.

She sensed the ship enter hyperspace and Stephan crouch in front of her chair.

Return to the here and now. You’re worrying him.

He ran a hand over her arm.

“We’re safe. Are you okay?”

She blinked a couple of times, forcing herself to return to the present.

“Yes, I’ll be fine. I just had to… take care of something.”

“
All the people in space, that was you.”

“
Yes… I wanted to save you.”

If you
’re going to run away screaming, now’s the time.

He gazed into her eyes.

“Thank you. You saved my life.”

“
Would you really sacrifice yourself to protect me?”

A wry smile flew ove
r his face.

“
Heard that, did ya? Caring for people is normally against my modus operandi, so don’t make it a habit.”

Acting on an impulse, she leaned forward and wrapped her arms around him. He hesitated before hugging her back, but once he did, the touch seemed to fill a space that had been empty for far too long.

He murmured, “Are you sure you’re alright?”

“
Yeah, I’m fine. Are you?”

“
Of course.”

He was solid and
real,
and she clung to him a moment longer before letting go. Breaking physical contact shouldn’t be this difficult…

When she relaxed her grip
, their faces came very close, and he brushed his lips against her cheek. The gentle touch sent a tingle down her spine. Looking offended and yelling at him would be prudent, but she
had
hugged him first, and scolding him didn’t seem fair.

Or, do I think that just because I want him to kiss me? This is a very strange day.

“I meant that.”

A moment later
he was several steps away, making a humorous gesture of pleading for mercy. Maria lifted an eyebrow and he grinned.

“
Hey, you still have my gun, and women are crazy.”

A few minutes passed and Maria leaned back in the chair, looking at her hands. She needed to distract herself from the day in general and him in particular. Then, a red light flashed and the ship dropped back into normal space.

“Is your life always like this, filled with chiming sirens and blinking lights? I never had an alarm go off, at least not until you rammed me.”

He sent her a sheepish look.

“I forgot about that. One of the long range sensors has been coming loose. I was going to go out and fix it last night, but decided I was too drunk for a space walk.”

Probably for the best.
You would have lost your footing and ended up floating into a nearby star. Walking on the floor seemed quite enough of a challenge.

“
I’ll have to go out there. Imma go gear up, maybe you can stay here and keep an eye on things, and watch the radio for me?”

He didn
’t seem too happy about all this, but she shrugged the thought off and sunk down in the copilot’s chair.

“
Sure.”

S
he could fix his ship without going outside, but maybe he liked climbing around in no gravity. Humans could be so peculiar, especially human men. It might make him feel more masculine, or something.

*****

Stephan loved being in space in a good ship and hated being in it in just a suit; there was too much of it. Walking around out there all sober wasn’t appealing, but he supposed he had to, and checking the ship might be a good idea. His bird had been through a lot during the last day or so.

He couldn
’t remember anything from the previous night, but his passenger claimed he crashed into her, and he took her word for it. There might be more things needing an overhaul than just a sensor.

What happened to the pirates? Oh well, they
’re not here. Maybe she did something to them, that’s one weird chick. Pretty, but weird.

Going outside would feel better if he knew he had someone to talk to. Hopefully, she
’d stay by the radio. It didn’t seem likely; thus far she hadn’t done
anything
he asked her, but she still looked a little shook up, so maybe he’d be lucky.

It only took a few minutes to gear up, and he hoped for the best w
hen he pushed the radio switch.

“
I’m out. Your ship gave mine a good beating yesterday.”

He could hear her smirk, but was too relieved to get an answer to worry
about the sarcasm in her voice.

“
No, actually, your ship ate mine, and it’s only fair if yours suffered some indigestion.”

“Oh yeah...”

He didn
’t intend to stay outside for long, but ended up having to go back in for more tools. Once he was out on the hull again, he sweated in the thermal suit.

Isn
’t this thing supposed to regulate temperature? Oh well, I guess it’s me.

It was difficult to work in the space suit
’s gloves, and he grumbled, “We need to land somewhere, or dock. Flying piece of shit.”

“
What’s that?”

The
radio’s on? Fuck, how much did she hear?

“
Nothing. Glad to hear you’re still there.”

When he was finally done and returned inside, he wrinkled his nose. He reeked of sweat and burned clothing where a shot grazed him
earlier, all mixed with the stench of old booze.

“
Damn I stink.”

This time, the radio was turned off and he sighed, relieved. He didn
’t want his passenger to hear him talking to himself any more.

He ran a hand over his face.
This has been a long day and it’s only noon. A drink would be good… No, I need to show her a better side of myself.

His feet were tired and heavy, and seemed reluctant to carry him to the intercom.

“Maria, you still there?”

*****

On the bridge, Maria tilted the chair back and grabbed an old-fashioned magazine from a pile on the floor. It was filled with naked women, and she tossed it over her shoulder with a grimace.

This place is hopeless, and there
’s nothing to do. Wonder if the computer plays chess...

Stephan
’s voice crackled over the radio.

“
I need to hit the shower. Any chance you could fix us a pot of coffee?”

What? Does he think I
’m a maid now?

“
Maybe.”

T
here had to be a kitchen somewhere, it made sense not even an alone man in space could live on just alcohol, and she got up to look for it. Not because he had asked her to, of course, but it might be good to know. In case she was staying. No other reason.

Her instincts led her downstairs, to the right in the corridor. The door slid open and she stopped to stare.

“Holy sheep shit.”

It wasn
’t at all what she expected. The room was large, inviting, and lit with overhead spotlights dimmed down to a soft, warm glow. The ceiling was made of wood, the kitchen equipment seemed both real and modern, and he had wooden furniture and paintings on the walls.

She turned around and looked at the bare corridor with steel walls and a rusty ladder hanging askew next to the elevator, then back to the kitchen.

I guess he likes food.

Wandering in, she
let herself be amazed; it reminded her of a country house back on old Earth. A little greenhouse held spices and herbs, and a large terracotta pot boasted a tomato plant so tall it almost reached the ceiling.

Peeking into cabinets and large stainless steel appliances for preserving food, she found the ship supplied for living well for months in space. She
knew how to cook the ordinary way, she just usually didn’t do it, but she still couldn’t even guess what half of the things would be used for.

One of the counters supported a large black and chrome kitchen appliance. She stared at it and crossed her arms.

“You’ve
got
to be kidding.”

I
t looked like something she’d seen in a restaurant back in the 21st century, but she never used one. It was the coffee maker, it had to be, but with all these pipes and faucets it seemed built for people with a master’s degree in engineering.

She poked a piece of it
, and her touch reported the appendix was meant for skimming milk.

“
No way. If he wants coffee, he’ll get it the Maria way or do it himself.”

She didn
’t intend to say the words aloud, and jumped at the sound of her own voice.

Sauntering around the room once more, she decided she liked the high counter made of wood polished to a warm glow, and climbed up
to sit on a high barstool next to it.

The door opened a few minutes later, and she glanced over her shoulder.

Ooh, he looks even better
now, I guess staying was the right decision. He must have a shower with water in it and not just sonic, that’s a nice surprise.

His hair was
still a little damp, and it was hard not to look at muscular arms dressed in a bright blue shirt with the sleeves rolled up... She slapped herself mentally; what was she thinking? She wasn’t thinking at all, that was the problem.

His eyes smiled
when he reached her.

“
No coffee, huh?”

It was hard to look away, and for a moment she allowed herself to drown in his gaze. Then, she flashed a smile.

“Oh yeah, coffee.”

Two cups
appeared on the counter next to a pot of coffee and little jugs filled with milk, sugar cubes, and cinnamon.

Stephan gave his head a slight shake.