Aly smiled. “It’s not like you can overturn ten years in a few months.”
“I know that, and if I were in Tyler’s shoes, I’d probably feel the same way.” Jason leaned back in his chair. “Frontier’s Reach can’t come soon enough. Once it’s all over, things can go back to normal, and I’ll be on my way.”
Aly tapped her fingers quietly against the table.
“What?” Jason asked.
“Nothing.”
“Come on.”
She sighed. “Well, I’ve been thinking, what would be so wrong with you staying?”
Jason wondered if she was being serious. “That wouldn’t be wise.”
“Why not?” She sat up in her seat. “This is your home, and as you can tell by now, we could use the extra pair of hands around here.”
“This place stopped being my home a long time ago, Aly.”
She frowned.
He tried to be more concise. “There’s just too many bad memories here.”
“You seem to have got back into a good routine since coming back. I can’t remember the last time Dad was so happy. And Tyler. He’ll come around. You two just have to work at it.”
“I would never place him in that position.” Jason chuckled. “Then there’s Althaus. Somehow I don’t think this ship would be big enough for the two of us.”
They both laughed.
Aly stood from her chair. “I’m going to bed.” She put a hand on his back. “Seriously, though, please think about it.”
Jason humored her by giving her a nod. She walked out and he rubbed at his face. There was no chance he’d stay aboard the Argo after his mission to Frontier’s Reach had concluded. He felt like a jerk giving Aly even a little false hope. He yawned and stood, passing by the ping-pong table and through the door into the A Deck corridor.
Proceeding down the elevator, he stopped at B Deck and strolled toward his quarters. But then he stopped at a sound resonating from somewhere.
It filtered upward from the elevator chute. They were the twangs of an acoustic guitar. A familiar tune. It sounded good. Really good.
Jason got back on the elevator and made his way down to C Deck. He searched the entire cargo bay wondering where the sounds were coming from. As he listened to the melody bouncing off the bulkheads, he had his answer. He made his way over to the port side of the cargo bay while the song broke out into its chorus. Through the circular airlock he spotted Tyler sitting in the pilot seat of the Maybelle, one of the Argo’s two pods.
Tyler faced away from the controls with his eyes closed. Jason decided not to disturb him until he’d finished his song. Unfortunately, Tyler must have sensed his presence. He turned in his chair and opened his eyes. The song came to an abrupt end.
“Don’t stop on my account,” Jason said, raising his hands.
Tyler put the guitar down at his feet.
“That’s the old man’s guitar, isn’t it?”
Tyler nodded. “Still works after all these years.”
“I see you’ve had to make repairs.” Jason pointed at the different colored strings.
“Here and there.”
“It’s still got a great sound. Helps to have a talented person wielding it. I don’t think I’ve heard Over the Titan Moon played so well.”
Tyler blushed. “Plenty of practice, I suppose. It gets quiet out here, you know?”
“Oh, I remember all too well.” Jason immediately realized he’d put his foot in it. “I didn’t mean—”
“Yes, you did. The slow-paced life was never for you. That’s why you left.”
Jason almost lamented how smart Tyler had got. “You’re probably right.” He folded down one of the seats in the aft cabin and sat. “When Kevin taught me how to fly, that’s all I ever wanted to do. It felt like there was so much more beyond these bulkheads.”
Tyler twirled the guitar around in his hand. “It hurt Dad you never wanted to stay. He wanted you to take over from him one day.”
“You’ve made a better go at it than I ever could. You should be proud, Tyler. I know the old man would be.”
Tyler blushed again.
“You know, maybe you could give me a lesson on that thing. I always wanted to learn how to play.”
Tyler held the instrument close to him. “You teach me how to play cards, and we’ll call it a deal.”
Jason smiled. “Done.”
With that, Tyler left, leaving Jason to ponder that all the nights since he’d returned. Why didn’t I ever invite him to play with us?
Eleven
UECS Vanguard
As Susan Tai walked by a pair of ensigns in the corridor, she noted their long faces. The night was still young, but she knew it was going to be a quiet one for a lot of people on the Vanguard.
She stopped at one of the many doors lining the corridor and knocked. But there was no response. She put her ear to the door. Music played on the other side. She knocked louder.
“Come in!”
Susan pushed the door open and walked over the threshold into the dark confines of Nicolas’s quarters. The only illumination was of the passing stars from the viewport.
The Vanguard’s captain sat on the sofa with his eyes closed. Susan listened intently to the music. She’d heard the tune before but couldn’t put a name to it. All she knew was that it was classical. Which seemed odd because Nicolas was no music buff, much less a classical one.
“Nicolas…” she whispered.
“Susan?” he sounded surprised.
During their journey to Orion V, she’d given him a wide berth. She didn’t want to make the trip any harder than it was.
“You’re up late.”
“As are you.”
“Yes. Well…” Nicolas looked at her with a brave face.
She pointed toward the speakers in the ceiling. “What are you listening to?”
“This?” He sat up on the sofa. “Symphony Number Nine. Beethoven. This particular part is the Ode to Joy.”
Now Susan knew why it sounded familiar. It was a famous piece of music. A beautiful tune. One that had transcended centuries.
“This was one of Chief Keene’s favorites.”
