Keeping her weight on her heels, Cali began to rise, pulling Jamis up as she leaned back. Carefully she moved her feet so she didn't slip and get them both sucked out of the ship. While it only took seconds, it seemed like forever before the upper half of Jamis’s body was on the deck, and he was swinging his legs in.
"Seal the door!" he ordered, his eyes shooting to where she now sat on her butt. "What did you think you were doing?"
She stared at him for a moment, then spit out sickly sweet, "Saving your ass?"
"Never put yourself at risk like that again! We," he gestured to the crewman who was still flat on his back, "had it handled. You were only in the way."
Cali opened her mouth then snapped it shut. Let the arrogant bastard think what he would.
Chapter Three
Cali silently fumed the entire trip to Star Base Twelve. Her gaze bored holes in Jamis’s back as he spent the whole trip on the comm getting updates on how the rest of the recovery was going. There was no way that pansy-ass crewman could have pulled Jamis in without her help. Yes, the crewman had been able to lift her, but she was a third of Jamis’s weight. She shouldn't let it bother her. After all, how would she explain it, but still?
Now they had finally landed, and all she wanted to do was get to The Brink and forget this trip ever happened. Walking down the recovery ship’s ramp, she ignored the looks she received from the crews on the flight deck.
"Cali!" Jamis called out as he followed her down the ramp. He'd spent the flight making sure the other recoveries weren't as rukked up as this one and hadn't taken the time to make sure Cali was alright. It should have been his first concern.
Cali didn't want to stop, but she was in his territory, and here you didn't disrespect the Commander. Turning, she silently faced him.
"You need to go to Medical," Jamis told her.
"I told you, I'm fine."
"You will go to Medical," he repeated, moving to stand in front of her.
"No, I won't," she told him, tipping her head up to look at him. "I'm not under your command, Commander. You can't order me to Medical. I told you I was fine, and I am. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go use my cleansing unit." She started to turn away, but her conscience stopped her, and she turned back to say, "Thank you for what you did for me when I was unconscious. I won't forget it."
With that, she walked away.
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞
"Commander!"
Taarig called out to Jamis as he approached at a brisk pace. It was the only reason that kept Jamis from going after Cali. Even then, he waited until the much taller crew moving around the flight deck, doing their jobs, blocked his view of her.
"What is it, Sub Commander?" He turned to face his second-in-command and friend.
Taarig's only reaction to Jamis’s curt tone was to raise an eyebrow. "The findings from what happened on the transport. You're going to want to see them." He handed Jamis a tablet.
Jamis took the tablet and, after entering his security code, started to read. His head jerked up. "This has been confirmed?"
"Yes."
"Ruk." Shutting down the tablet, he began to walk.
Taarig followed his Commander, saying nothing until the doors to the lift closed, giving them privacy. "So, are you going to tell me?"
"Tell you what?" Jamis asked, frowning.
"Who the female you were talking to was? I've never seen her before."
"You haven't either?" Jamis gave him a surprised look.
"Either?" Taarig's brows lowered in confusion. "What are you talking about?"
"Her name is Cali Baker, and she says she's been working at The Brink for nearly four standard-years. She's Earthan."
"What?!" Taarig wasn't sure what shocked him more. That she had been on the Star Base that long or that she was Earthan; he’d never met one before.
"I can't believe she was able to survive everything that happened," Jamis admitted.
"That bad?" Taarig knew his friend. For Jamis to comment on that meant it had to be bad.
"We were both squeezed into an escape pod meant for a standard-sized pilot. For some reason, I didn't get us strapped in. When we hit the atmosphere, she was beneath me."
"Ruk," Taarig murmured.
"Somehow, I didn't kill her, but she remained unconscious for nearly a full standard-day. Then that idiot rescue crew didn't prep for anything