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“I thought we should be inconspicuous,” she said.
“First, I guarantee that getup will draw more attention than anything else down there. Second, I dwarf the average colonist on this ship by three heads, Kaia, and our blissful wedding portraits are plastered all over the hull. How inconspicuous do you think we can get?”
She sighed. “I’ll change.”
“No time. Let’s go, little thief.”
Grumbling something under her breath, she followed him out the door.
Orion had his NS pull up the resident database and direct them to Peter’s cabin through the narrow blood passages surrounding the CRD. When they slipped into the bustle of the main deck, Orion grabbed Kaia’s hand, keeping her close. He ignored the eyes trailing them as they stopped outside their destination. Orion was lifting his palm to the gene reader set in the door when Kaia stopped him with a tug on his sleeve.
“No, Orion.” She shouldered him out of the way.
“What? I’m permitted to enter.”
She stared at him like he was an idiot for some reason. “This is someone’s home. Private space. You don’t just barge in like that.”
She sure had some weird hang-ups about using her newfound privilege, or allowing him to use his. But he humored her, crossing his arms on his chest as Kaia first looked for a chime—there wasn’t one—and then resorted to banging on the door three times like some sort of commoner.
When there was no answer, she knocked again, louder this time. Finally, she slumped a little and glanced back at Orion shyly. He cocked an eyebrow. “Got that out of your system?”
“Fine. Go ahead.” Kaia stepped back, letting Orion take over and unlock the door.
“Stay behind me,” he muttered, stepping into the darkness of the cabin.
Orion first assumed the place must be empty, but when he got his NS to bring up the overheads, the guy from Kaia’s class was hunched over on a ragged foam couch in the corner. He was leaning forward with his hands threaded through his hair.
“What are you doing here?” The guy raised his head. His eyes were blue on the outside and red on the inside. Swollen in that way that they get after someone cries and doesn’t rehydrate for too long. Must’ve used up his ration.
“You look like hell, Peter.”
Orion blinked at Kaia. For someone insisting on politely knocking on doors, she sure as hell didn’t seem bothered about insulting a guy. She strode to the couch, bending down to stare into Peter’s gaunt face. “Did he do it?”
The lines in Peter’s face deepened. “Yes.”
“When?”
“What’s it to you?”
Kaia gnawed her lip, shooting Orion a quick glare that told him it was his turn. She really wasn’t very delicate about this… It’s like the woman had no ability to fake a little empathy. He cleared his throat and took a step forward.
“We came to talk to your father about his research,” he said. “But I see we’re too late.”
Peter turned his eyes to Orion, his face wrenched into an angry mask. “Oh, suddenly you’re interested in his crazy theories?”
“Maybe not so crazy.”
That didn’t make Peter look like he felt any better. He was shaking his head, slumping back against the backrest with that hollow look on his face. “It was all bullshit. He knew enough to make plausible sounding stories even when his mind went downhill.”
“We’d love to learn them anyway,” Kaia said, more softly this time, mirroring Orion’s vibe.
Despite her attempt, Peter’s hands curled into fists. “Now? You want to hear themnow, after months of my father trying to get through to you people?”
“I didn’t know before. Not until you told me,” she said.
“How the fuck not?” Peter’s wail bounced off the bare walls.
“That’s enough,” Orion said, stepping between them. He nudged Kaia behind him, glaring at the broken man. “She didn’t know because she isn’t privy to colony business.”
