Page 12 of Ava Stargazer
He chuckled. “The biologics were already excited enough. At any rate, maybe you could go visit with Orla, as some of the quorum will be here for this meeting. Orla has been asking about you. She said she could use some help in getting ready for her ceremony.”
Ava nodded, her eyes snagging on his strong frame as he stretched.That’s a good idea. I don’t want to see any of the quorum right now.Seeing just Orla on her own was fine, and welcome. She liked meeting with all of the five women they’d rescued from Torga. “Sure. I bet Sai will come too.”
“Probably. She can’t seem to leave you alone lately.”
Ava had to smile at that, warmth traveling through her body. Of all the women that had traveled back to Xai with her, Sai had been the most vocal in trying to help Ava adapt. The friendship felt good, even as it stung a little, reminding her of how she used to be with Nuor.
“I’ll go get another box. You can be my muscle and take this one down to the cargo bay,” she said to Vox, tapping on the open one in front of her.
Vox looked down and quirked an eyebrow. “Your muscle. And here I thought we had a genuine connection.”
“Yes, and you are strong. Dual benefits.” She looked at the boxes still scattered around her. “I want to get through at least a few more before going.”
“I will carry for you.” Vox sat down with the boxes she had already gone through and looked over her notes. “The meeting will not be for a few hours still.”
“Okay.” Ava looked down into the engine parts.I can do a bit more.She left Vox with the boxes she’d already sorted and waltzed into the control room to get another.
Inside, however, her eyes snagged on the monitors toward the back of the room. She changed direction and her foot missed a step, making her stumble a bit as she caught sight of what was on the screen.What is that?
Right ahead of her, on the monitor Ebel usually used, was the data packet Iryl had referenced earlier from Cipra, now finished loading.
Oh.Her face fell as she crept forward slowly to look, as if the screen could bite. She was almost afraid of scanning it, and actually walked out of the control room first on impulse, turning her back from the screen and skittering away like a pom.
Ava stopped herself after only a few steps and sighed.I’m not a coward. I need to look. Especially after Joy. There’s moreout there. I know it.She went back a moment later and walked quickly to the monitor. A brief signature was displayed, flagged by Iryl to be the first thing highlighted.
Her fingers opened the packet Iryl had in the foreground, placing the information prominently on the monitor. She sank down on the same beanbag chair Ebel always sat in as she read the screen.
“She was never just a tool to me,” Ava said the phrase out loud in a whisper, her tongue tripping on the words in Common. Her heart felt like it was skipping beats.Ebel.Tears pricked her eyes. She repeated it a second time, a bit louder, but her tongue tripped just the same again.He sent this to me.
Ava turned away from the screen toward the main engine hall, where Vox was still ripping boxes apart. She tried to yell but her voice came out in a croak. “Vox. Come here.”
Vox’s large frame filled the doorway a moment later.
“Look.” She waved her hand, beckoning him to come closer.
His brow was furrowed as he leaned over next to her to see the monitor.
Despite the screen being large, Ava scooted to the side for him to sit closer, pulling on his arm. “Do you see? It says, ‘She was never just a tool to me.”
“Yes. It has to—”
Ava cut him off, nodding rapidly. “It’s definitely from Ebel,” she said in a soft voice. “I miss him so much.”
Vox sighed, his touch heating her where his hand rested on her shoulder. “I know. Look inside further. See what he gifted you.”
Ava steeled her heart and opened the data.Okay.She sat in the chair by the desk to lean forward and concentrate. “This information is different from what I had access to. It’s from behind the classified area on the Phor mainframe. I never asked or talked about my family to Ebel before, and he never mentioned anything. I didn’t know he had access to ... this.”
Vox regarded the data carefully. “Maybe he always did and never shared since you didn’t ask. He felt distress to see you upset, Ava. He avoided—”
Fire was in her tone as Ava barked back, “You don’t know him like I did. He ...”
She immediately regretted the snap, taking in Vox’s open eyes and startled expression. “I’m sorry.”
Vox pressed down on her shoulder comfortingly as he gestured to the tablet. “It is fine.” He shook his head. “That Phor surprises me more and more. I underestimated him. Do you want company, or to look alone?”
“I think alone first to focus. I need to sit and think in the quiet to ... remember. I only remember pieces from back then. It’s hard.”
“I’ll continue sorting. Call if you want me. I can help scan your mind for you if your conscious memory fails. If you want.” Vox gave her one last pat on her shoulder before leaving the room silently.
