The Space Spoon novel Chapter 69

Tejeda took his time rinsing his new scrawny body and wondering how Kirian did anything with those long, thin fingers. His pale complexion could have been due to the extended time spent in that cave.

He closed his eyes, swiping through the memories. Perhaps it was because of his entire life spent loitering indoors or an interesting gene inherited since birth. But the last one was a stretch considering his black hair and black eyes. Of course, he could stop and search through the past or inside his body structure, but he got bored before even beginning to do anything.

Unfortunately, Shayla had wasted all of his Zondarian horra, so for now he was stuck inside this weak frame. Of course, he could have increased his strength and perhaps even improved his appearance, but he was too preoccupied with dealing with the tidal wave of memories during the shift. He deserved this nice, relaxing bath!

Usually, starships weren’t equipped with bathtubs, making it impossible to have a bubble bath. But Tejeda was smart and placed this as a requirement on the list with the needed upgrades for Hanga to do while on Yacleemb. The self-sufficient repairing droids did a hell of a job.

He groaned as his skin crinkled. Even the best things in life can’t last. Excessive levels of anything have consequences. For example, he once ate too much cake and died of food poisoning because he mistook the yeast for vermin repellant. Perhaps his death was the consequence of his negligence rather than excess.

While getting out of the tub and drying himself beneath the ceiling-mounted blowers, he thought about this case some more. The warm breeze came from the sonic showers, now repurposed as dryers. The pleasant air felt better than the kicking surge of stifling wind.

He stepped inside his office as the doors slid open. Having a personal bathroom immediately next to his quarters was one of the captain's perks. He obviously enjoyed sleeping here. Why should he wander around the ship when all he needed was just here?

A knock on the door resounded right when he started spinning in his chair.

“Come in!”

Jackeye entered, and Tejeda stopped his spinning.

“I was just thinking about you!” Well, not exactly, but he knew how people wanted to feel important. “Did you manage to retrieve useful data?”

"I figured out how to make a connection." For the first time, Jackeye's expression revealed that he was interested in something aboard the ship. "But I believe she needs more time to process the possible outcomes of this task. We now have the ability to link her to a console, so I can take her inside my world for a bit and see what I can find out without overburdening her."

"It's the first time you've come up with ideas and possible solutions. Heck, you even came to report on your own." Tejeda's eyebrows drew together, and he smiled widely. "You fancy her."

“Your comment is inappropriate.”

“Yes.” Tejeda nodded and chuckled. “On a normal ship with a normal captain and a normal crew. Your out-of-the-blue attempt to be an upstanding member of this team is what’s inappropriate in my eyes, but knock yourself out.”

“So?” Jackeye asked simply.

"I'll indulge you. You have my permission to do the undertaking in whatever way you deem proper. But I'm waiting for results." Tejeda began whirling in his chair once again. "I'm curious what Shayla is doing with those officers."

"On my way here, I saw her. She was accompanying them to the hangar bay."

The Nubilae unlocked the screen above his desk by swiping down. The "Missing Wife" task flashed red on the mission board. That meant Southern Beridian's King Astin had escalated the stakes. There was no limit on the number of ships that may take on this task. The reward was enough for an entire crew of hundreds to retire as affluent men, and now 2379 ships searched for the missing wife.

Tejeda’s finger hovered in the air above the button to accept the mission. Wondering if he should do it and if this would forever change their relationship for the worse, he decided to follow his gut and pressed the button.

He eased open the mission details, his face blanker than a white dwarf star. His eyes darted over the letters. The words lingered like scratch marks in his silica core. He knew Shayla hid things from him, but this was big, bigger than he could have ever guessed.

—

Mission Importance: 9/10

Issuer: King Astin of Southern Beridian

Details: The Queen of Southern Beridian has forsaken the realm, fleeing the planet more than five years ago. She is the daughter of King Gurst of Northern Beridian. Training: extremely skilled assassin; mastery of all weapons, including but not limited to pistols, rifles, and daggers. Her current location is unknown.

—

The picture at the bottom of the screen left Tejeda with his jaw hanging. He whistled loudly. "Damn! Shayla, I knew you were hot and badass all along, but I never imagined you were a princess, a queen, and an assassin."