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EIGHT

AEON

I stood there frozen beside Olivia’s bed. Her question about what she was to me hung between us, demanding an answer I wasn’t prepared to give yet. My mind scrambled for a response that wouldn’t reveal too much.

Heat crawled up my neck, a sensation I’d been experiencing more often around her.

My heart rate increased by twelve percent—a physiological response I couldn’t control.

What was she to me? A doctor, certainly.

A necessary component for our colony’s survival.

But something else had begun to form, something I couldn’t quantify or explain with my usual analytical precision.

I stepped back, creating distance between us. “You’re an exceptionally skilled doctor whose expertise is invaluable to our community.” The words came out stiff and seemingly rehearsed.

Her green eyes narrowed slightly. “That’s not what I asked.”

My jaw tightened. I turned toward the door, desperate to escape the unfamiliar pressure building in my chest. “I need to check on the ship systems. Your earlier... escape attempt may have caused damage.”

“You’re running away from me,” she called after me, her voice somehow both soft and accusatory.

I paused at the doorway but didn’t turn back. “I’m prioritizing colony security right now.”

The door shut behind me, and I stood outside taking three deep breaths—a technique I’d observed humans using to regain composure. It wasn’t working as effectively as I had hoped.

The walk to the hangar bay gave me time to process what had just happened.

I had felt cornered by her simple question, and my reaction troubled me.

I prided myself on control, on precision, and on knowing exactly what needed to be done in any situation.

But Olivia Parker consistently disrupted that equilibrium within me.

The hangar bay doors slid open, and I focused on the immediate task. The maintenance hatch where I had caught Olivia showed signs of tampering. Kneeling beside it, I examined the wiring she had attempted to reconfigure.

“Smart,” I muttered, tracing her work with my fingertips. She had nearly bypassed the security protocol, rerouting the command sequence in a way that showed impressive ingenuity. If I had arrived ten minutes later, she might have succeeded.

I repaired the connections, feeling a strange sense of admiration and pride despite the circumstances. Olivia wasn’t just fighting back. She was doing it with intelligence and creativity. The thought brought an unexpected smile to my face.

“Something amusing about sabotage, Commander?”

I glanced up to find Lieutenant Vex watching me with curiosity.

“Just appreciating our doctor’s resourcefulness,” I answered, standing and closing the hatch.

“She’s trouble,” Vex said. “Helix thinks we should restrict her movements more.”

I felt something fierce flow through my veins. “No. Caging her further will only increase her determination to escape.”

“And what do you suggest instead?”

I considered the question carefully. “Double the guards here and at the medical bay. But I don’t want her confined during the day. She needs to understand this place and our people to see why her skills matter here.”

“You’re different around her,” Vex observed, his head tilting slightly. “More... human.”

I bristled at his assessment. “I’m just ensuring the success of our mission. Nothing more.”

But as I walked away to implement the new security measures, I knew I was lying to Vex—and to myself.

Whatever was developing between Olivia and me wasn’t just about the colony’s future anymore.

It was something I couldn’t name, something that made me feel both stronger and more vulnerable than I’d ever been.

I soon found Tegan at his post in the security center, his eyes methodically scanning the various monitors that lined the curved wall. His fingertips danced across the console with practiced efficiency.

“Status report?” I leaned against the doorway, trying to appear casual despite the tension knotting my shoulders.

Tegan glanced up, his expression betraying mild surprise. “Aeon. Didn’t expect you until tomorrow’s briefing.”

“Recent events have me... concerned.” I stepped into the room, my gaze sweeping across the surveillance feeds. “Our Earth extraction was clean, but we left a trail. How tight is our perimeter?”

“Tight as ever.” Tegan pulled up a holographic map of our settlement boundaries. “I’ve increased drone patrols on the southern ridge and doubled our signal jamming radius. No craft could approach without us knowing.”

I nodded, but dissatisfaction churned in my gut. “Not good enough. Expand the sensor grid. Triple the encryption on any outbound communications.”

Tegan’s eyebrows shot up. “That’s overkill. We’ve detected no pursuit, no probes, not even a passing satellite.”

“And that’s precisely what bothers me.” I jabbed a finger at the outer boundary markers. “It’s too quiet. Earth won’t simply forget we took one of their doctors.”

“This isn’t just about colony security. Is it?” Tegan questioned skeptically.

My jaw clenched involuntarily. “What are you implying?”

“Your sudden concern for the doctor’s safety seems... personal.” An irritated look crossed his face.

“She’s a valuable resource,” I snapped, the words tasting bitter on my tongue. “Nothing more.”

Tegan nodded, but his expression remained unconvinced. “I’ll increase security protocols as ordered. But, Aeon, there are no imminent threats. I monitor our systems and communication feeds daily. We’re safe.”

“For now,” I muttered. “Keep it that way.”

I left Tegan with a frustrated nod and stalked through the colony’s central pathway, my hands shoved deep into my pockets.

The humid jungle air clung to my skin as I passed between our modular structures.

Their metal and composite facades gleamed against the backdrop of emerald vegetation.

Sunset had begun its daily spectacle, casting long shadows across our settlement and painting everything in warm amber light.

My chest felt tight, heavy with something I couldn’t name. Guilt? Probably. The image of Olivia’s face when I had caught her attempting to escape haunted me—the determination in her eyes quickly replaced by defeat, then by fury, and finally by hurt.

“Damn it,” I muttered, kicking at a small stone in my path. It skittered across the packed dirt and disappeared into the ornamental grasses lining the walkway.

I stopped at the edge of the settlement, staring into the dense jungle beyond our perimeter. The distant calls of Planet Alpha’s wildlife punctuated the evening air, a chorus of unfamiliar sounds that had become our home’s soundtrack.

Suddenly, the unwelcome and horrible memories flooded my mind of the three women and five babies we lost. I couldn’t let it happen again. I simply couldn’t.

But locking Olivia up like some dangerous animal... the thought made my stomach twist painfully. She was a doctor, not a criminal. A woman torn from her world because we needed her.

Because I had taken her.

“Figured I’d find you brooding somewhere.” Sage’s voice broke through my thoughts as she approached from behind, her footsteps nearly silent on the path.

I didn’t turn around. “I don’t brood.”

“Right.” She snorted, coming to stand beside me. “And I don’t hack security systems for fun.” Sage crossed her arms, her blue eyes studying my face with uncomfortable precision. “Helix wants to see us both. Her office in five.”

“About the doctor?”

“Who else?” She raised an eyebrow. “Your little Earth acquisition has Helix worried. Can’t say I blame her.”

I bristled at her terminology. “Olivia’s not an acquisition . She’s a person.”

Something flickered across Sage’s face—surprise, maybe, or amusement. “Interesting.”

“What’s interesting?” I growled.

“Nothing.” She turned to leave, a small smile on her lips. “Just that you called her Olivia, not ‘the doctor.’ Someone’s getting attached.”

I followed her toward Helix’s office, my thoughts churning. Was I getting attached? In just a few short days? The possibility was... unsettling. Distracting. Dangerous.

Helix was waiting for us in her office, her pregnant belly clearly visible beneath her fitted uniform. The colony leader stood tall despite her condition, her platinum blonde hair swept back in a severe braid. Her eyes narrowed slightly as we entered.

“Commander Aeon,” she acknowledged. “I understand our guest made an escape attempt today.”

I squared my broad shoulders. “She did. I intercepted her before she accessed or breached any critical systems.”

“And what do you propose we do with our flight-risk doctor?” Helix rested a protective hand on her swollen abdomen. “We need her skills, Aeon. More desperately than ever.”

“I have a suggestion,” I said, stepping forward. “Allow her freedom during daylight hours, with me as her guard. Let her see the colony, meet the pregnant women, and understand more fully why she’s here.”

Sage leaned against the wall, her blonde hair falling over her shoulder. “You want to play tour guide to the woman who tried to sabotage our ship?”

“I want her to see us as people, not captors.” The words came out more harshly than I meant. “She’s a doctor. Helping is in her nature. If she connects with our community, sees the need firsthand...”

Helix studied me intently. “And at night?”

I swallowed hard. “Secured quarters. For now. Until we’re certain she won’t try to leave again.”

“You feel guilty,” Helix observed, her voice softening marginally.

“I feel practical,” I countered. “Continuing to treat her like a prisoner all day long won’t gain her cooperation.”

Sage pushed off from the wall. “He’s not wrong, Helix. The doctor’s skills are useless if she’s plotting an escape rather than focusing on medicine.”

Helix considered this, one hand absently tracing circles on her belly. After a moment, she nodded. “Fine. Daytime freedom, nighttime security. But, Aeon, she’s your responsibility. Every moment, every move.”

“Understood.”