Close Call

Month 9 Day 3

(Shore Leave Day 4)

0651 Hours

Smitty

Smitty impatiently pulled Caroline onto the shuttle and tossed their bags into a bin while she made her way to a seat in the front. As he followed her, he unthinkingly glanced around the shuttle’s passenger area, and then sighed in relief. Apparently, they were the only ones leaving the dude ranch this morning. Mentally congratulating himself for a successful get-away, he sat down beside Caroline and activated his safety restraints.

“Now can you please explain why you’re in such a hurry to leave this morning?” Caroline asked reasonably. “You ordered room service, but, I barely got a few bites of breakfast eaten. Did those 2 shipmates you saw last night rattle you that much? I thought they were underlings.”

“They were. Are. They startled me, true enough.”

“I understand. I suppose you thought if they were here, then my original was probably here, too. But I thought you calmed down later. Like you said, if she wasn’t with them, then she probably wasn’t here. But you got us up and out in record time this morning, so now I’m confused.” Her not-quite emerald eyes waited for an explanation.

This whole thing was a bad idea. Can’t imagine why I ever thought of it. But it isn’t her fault, so I shouldn’t treat her as if it is. “I couldn’t sleep last night,” he reluctantly confessed. “So I went to the lobby in search of a nightcap. As I was drinking it, your… original… arrived.”

Silence, for a moment. “Dear, I think you were dreaming,” Caroline eventually stated evenly. “She can’t have arrived during the night. The shuttle only brings visitors twice a day.”

“No, I didn’t mean she arrived on a shuttle. She was-“ He jumped as the door from the cockpit opened.

A tall woman in a flight suite emerged, smiled at them. “As soon as I close the door, we’ll take off.”

Smitty nodded as the woman moved on. Caroline searched in her handbag for something, and the conversation was over.

Behind them, heavy mechanical joints moaned as the door started to close. Outside, a distant voice called, “Hold on!”

Smitty stiffened. It can’t be.

Footsteps pounded up the gangway. Without turning around, Smitty heard someone enter the shuttle, breathing heavily, then bags settled into a bin and bodies landed abruptly in seats.

“Anybody else?” the pilot asked.

Bugalu gasped out, “Just us.”

Who’s with him? Capac? Or… Colleen?

The door slammed, machinery moved and locked it tight. The pilot walked back to the cockpit, but tossed a quick, perplexed glance at Caroline as she passed. A moment later, the engines started to push the shuttle up from the ground.

“Okay, Mac,” Bugalu began. “Why are we leaving? You obviously need more sleep.”

“Lots more sleep. Wake me when we land.” The voice wasn’t just quiet, it was almost inaudible. As if she’s just worked around the clock, and now she’s been called back to the bridge.

“You could have kept sleeping here,” Bugalu pointed out. “Neither of them were in the dining room, so they’re probably still sleeping. There was no sense getting up so early.”

“Please, Bugs, let me sleep,” she returned. “Why won’t this seat recline?”

“Don’t recline yet, eat a little bit first,” he told her. “The kitchen packed fried eggs, toast, bacon and orange juice. Hmm, but no silverware. Okay, so it’s an egg and bacon sandwich. Eat what you can before you fall asleep.”

“Oh, that smells good,” Caroline whispered, and started to look back between their seats at the other couple.

“Don’t look,” Smitty told her as softly as he could. At her questioning look, he explained, “The woman is... her. I don’t... want either of them to... see you.”

“I see.” She faced forward again and settled into her seat. “Well, that could be difficult, once we reach Ulseess City.”

“I know. I’ll... think of something.”

Several minutes passed in relative quiet as the shuttle sped through the air. “I suppose we could just sit here and take the shuttle back to the ranch,” Caroline suggested.

Smitty nodded, acknowledging the suggestion, but didn’t really consider it. There’s others at the ranch I don’t want to see me with a look-alike for one of my underlings. And it‘s entirely possible some of those might ride the shuttle back to the city later today. I don’t know if there’s any way out of this for us.

Eventually, he thought of one remote possibility; to have the pilot let the others get off first, and allow he and Col -  Caroline to disembark after the other couple were gone.