Lana stared dazedly at Aiden's back; he was striding determinedly up ahead, not even glancing back at them. She'd just come out of a battle where she could've been blown into as many pieces as that pirate ship, and now he'd given her an assignment that sounded even more daunting? “Do I have to do this?” she asked, trying not to sound whiny but probably failing.
Ali rested a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “The spacesuit has maneuvering jets that I can operate remotely. If you run into any trouble I'll take over for you.” That was a relief, since Lana had a feeling she definitely would. Although the relief was short-lived as the companion continued. “As long as you don't start flailing around and injure yourself within just a few seconds, before I can intervene.”
“Can I just tie myself to you and follow you around?” she asked the beautiful woman miserably.
Aiden snorted. “Can you? I insist that you do, for your own safety.” He abruptly paused in front of a door Lana hadn't been through before. One of the restricted access ones, even with her new status as a crew member. “Ali, get her suited up and out into space. I'll follow with the tools.”
Lana reluctantly followed the companion into a small room lined with lockers, apparently a changing area to prepare for spacewalks.
Ali immediately went to a locker and pulled out a suit that would completely cover Lana's entire body, although it wasn't much bulkier than her uniform. She held it out for her. “For optimal safety and environmental control, the suit's mechanisms require direct skin contact,” she explained. “You'll need to disrobe, at least down to your undergarments, to put it on. If you wish for privacy I can turn away, and still give you any advice you might need for the task with my back turned.”
Lana didn't know how she'd felt about nudity before she lost her memories, and she wasn't sure how she'd feel about being naked in front of any of the others now. Although the thought of Aiden or Dax seeing her like that made her blush, while the idea of one of the twins seeing her made her distinctly uncomfortable.
But she didn't see any logical reason why she should be embarrassed in front of the adult companion. “It's fine,” she said, starting to take off her uniform.
Ali helped her put on the spacesuit, which was heavier than she'd expected, but not awkwardly so. The companion fiddled with a few of the instruments attached to the material, then paused as she prepared to settle the helmet down over Lana's head. “I haven't seen any indicators of claustrophobia in you, but be advised there may be an adjustment period as you get used to being in a small, enclosed space such as this helmet. If you experience difficulties, closing your eyes and breathing deeply will help, as that is not only proven to be calming but will also confirm to your subconscious mind that your air supply hasn't been cut off.”
Great. It was looking more and more as if Dax needed to teach her how to perform one of the useful salvaging functions done from inside the ship as soon as possible, so she wouldn't have to do this again. At least not often.
Lana nodded to the companion's questioning look, giving her the go-ahead. Moments later the helmet was on, hissing slightly as it formed a seal with the rest of the suit. To her relief, she didn't feel any sense of panic at the enclosed space, and when she breathed deeply the air remained fresh and sweet, accompanied by the feeling of it constantly cycling through the suit's filters with an almost inaudible hiss.
Ali was still looking at her expectantly, and she gave a thumbs-up to indicate she was fine. Nodding, the companion spoke, but instead of hearing her voice muffled through the helmet, she heard it coming from the helmet's earpiece. “First things first, we should probably make sure you know how to operate your suit's radio, so you can communicate with me and others.”
“Okay,” Lana replied.
“As I just said, can't hear you,” Ali explained with a slight smile. “Although I can read lips. Here, this is what you do . . .” She spent a minute or so showing Lana how to work the radio, toggling the mic on and off and to different frequencies to communicate privately with individual crewmembers or groups of crewmembers.
Once that was sorted out and Lana could finally talk to her freely, the companion gave her an apologetic look. “This may seem hypocritical, and I assure you I have no personal qualms with nudity, but could I ask you to turn around while I put on my suit? The Captain has requested that I not allow anyone but him to see me without clothing, among other things, and I try to comply where possible.”
Fair enough. Lana turned away, focusing on learning to move within the suit, adjusting to its weight and slightly restrictive stiffness. She couldn't hear anything outside her helmet, of course, but a minute or so later she felt a firm tap on her shoulder, even through the thick material there, and turned to find Ali suited up and ready to go.
A thought occurred to her. “You don't need to breathe, do you? Why wear a spacesuit?”
The companion smiled through the faceplate of her helmet. “I can operate unprotected in space if needed, true. But exposure to vacuum, to say nothing of solar radiation and cosmic dust, would be damaging to my superficial features, marring my appearance. This is because making me convincingly authentic to all the senses makes me vulnerable to things I otherwise wouldn't be. And unfortunately, while I can repair most superficial damage and wear and tear that occurs over time, there are some components I can't replace without ordering them from HumanAssist Enterprises, which is currently impossible.”
“Why?” Lana asked.
“Because I'm stolen property,” Ali
