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“Too big and squishy. What will Nerxie say when the mat’s all sticky?” Britt bit her tongue to hide a chuckle. Maybe she should start calling him that, just to irritate him.

“A tiny ball?” Lily twisted to smile.

“A cube or an odd shape that won’t bounce or roll away.” Britt leaned in as she finished braiding and tied the end.

“I have old data cubes,” a man said.

Britt jerked back, having not heard him approach. She knew that face—the other man sitting at the console when she’d accused Nerx of kidnapping. Great, a witness.

“How big are they, Uncle Ziot?” Lily crossed to him to grab his hand.

He kneeled and tugged on her braid playfully. “About the size of my thumb.” He wiggled it.

“That could work. Want to join us?” The idea of a big alien skipping and hopping had Britt swallowing her laughter.

“Certainly and my thanks for the offer. How many cubes do you need?”

Britt held up three fingers. “One for each player.”

Lily trailed Ziot, leaving Britt alone. She swept a stick of chalk off the table and began to draw squares on the blue mat.

They couldn’t be too big otherwise Lily wouldn’t make the jumps, and they couldn’t be too small for Britt and Ziot’s feet.

One square, two on top, then another one, and two again, until she hit the end.

She wrote ‘10’ in that block, then added the numbers going down to ‘1.’

Lily raced into the common and thrust a three-inch cube at Britt. The thing was iridescent and too pretty to be tossed around. Old, he’d said.

“This is perfect. Thank you, Ziot.” Britt stood before ‘1’ and dropped her cube on it.

“The goal is to make it to ’10’ and back without lowering your other foot on a single square.

Those side by side like ‘8’ and ‘9,’ you use both legs.

You toss your cube in each square as you progress.

If it touches the chalk, you lower your foot, or step on the chalk, you lose your turn.

” She hopped over ‘1,’ spread her legs for ‘2’ and ‘3’ next to each other, then hopped on one foot to ‘4.’ When she reached ’10,’ she swiveled and hopped back, bending to pick up her cube.

She beamed at Lily. “Want to show Ziot again?”

Lily placed her cube on ‘1,’ then went through the motions, almost perfectly. She did touch the chalk once, but Britt let it slide. This was a demonstration, after all.

“Wanna try?” Lily asked Ziot, who’d watched them with puzzlement furrowing his brow.

“Yes,” he said, then stopped at ‘2’ on the way back. “And I pick up my cube?”

“To finish you turn, yup. Technically, a successful completion means you get to carry on by throwing your cube onto the next numbered square. Trust me, it gets harder the farther away the numbers are.”

The poor man threw his cube to ‘2’ and hopped along, his braid swaying violently and almost wiping the chalk off the mat. He picked up the cube, hopped over ‘2’ then swiveled to aim his cube at ‘3.’ He missed and scowled at it.

Lily scooped it up and placed it in his hand before standing at ‘1’ to throw her cube at ‘2.’ By the time they all reached ‘6’ and ‘7,’ they were laughing, swaying on the spot, teetering over, and generally smearing chalk dust everywhere.

Cubes flew every which way in attempts to land it dead center of each square.

Britt’s thighs and calves burned, her breathing was ragged, but she found air to laugh.

“Shall we try again tomorrow?” she asked Lily, who’d sprawled on the mat beside the hopscotch blocks. “I could do with a soda.”

“Me too,” she squealed, leaping to her feet to race to the rehydrator.

“That was…enjoyable,” Ziot said as he settled at the table. “We do not have such activities as damu .”

Nerx had used that word before, when Britt accused him of being a baby. “This builds motor co-ordination, sportsmanship, and how to count, all while having fun.” She tapped the rehydrator when Lily slid her fruit juice off the surface. “Soda, water, beer, what’s your preference?”

“Whatever you are having is fine, Lady Britta.”

She huffed. What she should do is order a Bloody Mary, just to teach him that letting her choose wasn’t wise. But then he’d given them data cubes and played with them. “Soda it is.” She placed the chilled can in front of him then sat on the bench next to Lily.

“What’s next?” she asked the girl.

“Lunch with Nerxie,” and off she bolted, leaving Britt alone with Ziot.

He stiffened and rose, taking his can with him. “I did not realize it was that late. Please, do excuse me. I must attend to my tasks.”

She blinked at the empty common, alone again before she’d taken her first sip.

A moan slipped out as she downed the cold soda.

Sweat stuck her T-shirt to her body, and the mat was a mess.

This ship had to have a mop and bucket somewhere.

And she could do with a shower. She pushed off the table and placed her glass next to the rehydrator, not knowing what to do with it.

“The waste receptacle converts it back to sludge,” Sena said, striding into the common. He tossed a glance at the hopscotch pattern but didn’t comment. Instead, he waved his hand over a dark circle, and a hole opened. In it, he shoved her glass. “Your quarters has one too.”

“Thanks, Sena. Tell me, what do you for…fitness?” She tried not to glance at the man’s bulging biceps and muscled shoulders, bared by his sleeveless armor. But he couldn’t have gotten those by doing nothing.

He touched a panel. It glided up and disappeared at the top of a boxing pad. “We punch this or spar with or without weapons. I suggest you not touch those, Lady Britta. They are made of Maloidian steel and can slice through bone with ease.”

“And you practice with them?” Having the medical close made sense. Speaking of which, she’d better tidy up, both the common and Aldur’s quarters. Because he was smitten with Mom didn’t mean they’d be getting it on just yet.

“Yes.” He glanced from her to the mat. “Do not worry. The auto-servos will clean it. Though, if you want to keep the data cubes, it is best to rescue those.”

She did just that, scooping up the cubes then stacking them on a nearby shelf. “When is the common the quietest? I want to exercise but not be in the crew’s way.”

“Before six and after nine in the morning.” Sena ordered a plate of meat and dark sauce then settled at the table.

It felt awkward to force her company on him but also to leave him alone. He didn’t help her make up her mind either way, just sat there, eating.

“Thanks,” she said, rocked on the balls of her feet and headed for Mom. Might as well find out first if she was to move permanently.

Walking into her quarters was met with Mom kissing Aldur like they were teenagers.

Britt spun on her heel and exited post-haste.

She pressed her flaming cheek to the closest metal panel while squeezing her eyes shut.

That imagery was worse than the caesarian.

Yup, she was staying in Aldur’s quarters for the duration of the trip.

A peek through the door Lily always used showed a narrower passage with doors going off it in both directions.

This had to be the staff quarters, or in this case, the barracks?

She closed the door then peeked in to find the common empty.

Once inside Aldur’s quarters, she showered and dressed in jeans, a T-shirt, and sneakers she had to order from the replicator.

Time to kit out the star deck. She’d already ordered the blanket.

Next would be a cushion, since a pillow wasn’t on the menu.

Popcorn, crisps, and biscuits followed. She stared at her choices then wondered how she’d get them up the ladder.

The cushion flew through the hatch when she threw it for the fourth time.

The snacks she’d trapped in the blanket and slung over her shoulder.

Climbing the ladder was difficult with one arm to hold the rungs but as soon as she could, she pushed the bundle through. Her tablet sat where she’d left it.

Memories of Nerx holding her came to mind, bringing with them a frisson of awareness.

She shivered in remembrance. He’d swept her anger aside with directness and the unwillingness to release her.

His unemotional responses had sucked the air out of her sails.

Yet, he had an intensity about him that made her hyper-vigilant in his presence.

Not willing to think about him, she returned to Aldur’s quarters to order a jacket and another bottle of water to join her half-empty one she’d left there.

The star deck hadn’t been as cold as last night, which was odd.

Still, she’d find that panel and set the temperature.

Rather safe than sorry, or worse, land herself in his lap again.

She settled on the floor, her back against the wall, the blanket over her legs. While nibbling on popcorn, she flicked through the novels she’d downloaded. Before she could blink, she was elbows deep in a fantasy romance and loving every word.