Tara

Chelzee grinned. "I'm going to hold you to that."

"Good. I'll always be a comm away... even if we're in different systems."

"Do you promise?"

Tara smiled. "I do."

Chelzee closed her eyes a moment and shivered. Tara knew she wasn't cold, it was more like a nervous tic or a release of tension.

"So, um, can you do this? Can we do this?"

"Do what?"

"We've got eleven more weeks until you graduate. Then you'll be leaving, right? Can we live like this for eleven more weeks?"

"You mean as friends with benefits?"

Tara stared at her.

"Without benefits?"

"Without."

Chelzee swallowed and nodded. "I can. I will. You'll be seeing more of me too."

"I will?"

"Yes. I almost ruined my life by living the way I did. That's over, I'm done. You were right all along. I need to focus and make a future for myself. Last semester for me, I need to do better so maybe I can land a better job and be better at it."

Tara slowly smiled at her. "I'm so proud of you, Chelz."

She smiled back and sniffed. "Now if only you'd beat that into my head months ago maybe we— no, I guess we still would be. Damn it."

"I wish it hadn't happened this way, but we're good, Chelz. We're better than ever, even if we're not like we were," Tara said. She slipped out from Chelzee and climbed up off the bed. She looked at the discarded clothes and chuckled.

"What?"

Tara moved to her laundry bin in the wall and put her clothes in there save for her oversized t-shirt. She looked at it and then smiled and tossed it to her roommate.

Chelzee caught it, her eyes wide. "You're kidding me?"

Tara shook her head. "Try not to cry into this one?"

Chelzee grinned and shoved her face into it. She took a deep breath and shuddered. "Oh Goddess... I could cum just smelling this!"

Tara grimaced. "Um... don't make me have second thoughts."

Chelzee pulled the shirt away and laughed. "Okay, maybe not. Could you maybe hand me your underwear though, then I could—"

"What? No!" Tara gasped. "That's nasty!"

Chelzee grinned. "Not to me it's not. Remember, you do things that Bregans would think are nasty too. I know better, after living with you."

Tara raised an eyebrow and then nodded. "You're probably right. No, not probably, I'm sure you're right. I just never thought of that before. Thank you for opening my eyes."

Chelzee lifted her nose from the shirt and smiled. "You've taught me so much, it's the least I can do."

Tara smiled and turned back to her drawers. She pulled out clean clothes and turned to head to the bathroom for a shower. She hesitated and her cheeks began to burn. She opened up her laundry bin, grabbed her underwear, and threw them at Chelzee right before rushing to the bathroom and slamming the door shut behind her.

* * * *

They settled into a routine over the next few days that turned into weeks. Tara still spent most of her time at the lab or in class, but the tension between them was gone. They talked and smiled and sometimes Tara would get drawn into helping Chelzee with some class work. There was only one more kiss between them, but they realized when it happened and stopped before the sense of familiar overruled their better senses.

Three weeks later Chelzee's grades were on the rise and her focus and attitude were joining them. She'd begun looking into opportunities when she received her degree and ranking them by her desire to work for them. She was sharing her list with Tara one afternoon when Tara wrinkled her nose at one of the options.

"A shower manufacturer?" Tara asked. "That doesn't sound very exciting."

"I thought that too!" Chelzee agreed. "But then I dug a little deeper. It's a new manufacturing company based on G deck."

"You're not selling me on this, Chelz."

Chelzee laughed. "I know, I know, but hear me out. This is why I think it might be something... or at least something to start with. Their product is some kind of new technology. Waterless."

Tara's brow scrunched up. "A waterless shower? Now I've heard of everything."

"No, the shower has water. That's a marketing gimmick, but it makes you wonder, right?"

"Okay, you got me there."

"So you wash up like normal, but after you're done there's not hot air frizzing your hair or burning your skin. No towels either, but you come out totally dry. Ninety nine percent water reclamation and it takes a quarter of the time to dry off."

Tara stared at her. "How?"

"New technology. I don't know the specifics, obviously, but it's some sort of energy field. They won't give away too much although I guess it is already patented."

"Huh," Tara grunted. "Well, if that's true, that sounds pretty cool. Definitely new. Still not really a glamorous job but..."

"Nobody has these though!" Chelzee pointed out. "Think of the opportunities I'd have to sell them? Every station, ship, and mining rig in the universe is going to want something like this! Heck, even colonies and outposts will want this!"

"Anybody with a closed system would," Tara admitted. "Or even partially closed systems so that less water is needed to be taken from external sources. Less use of wells, water transport, etc.. Not to mention people would be able to shower more often. That's a huge benefit!"

Chelzee chuckled. "I kind of like you a few days without a shower."

Tara gagged and said, "Sorry, I know, it's a Bregan thing. I don't do smelly people though, even myself!"

"Humans smell so good though... and you're even better!"

Tara thought of her clothes that Chelzee had borrowed and blushed. "Well, it could turn into something so hot it'd be nuclear, but most of those jobs could. This one's not even at the top of your list though."

"No, but it's climbing," Chelzee agreed. "This kind of tech has to have other uses, right? I get to know it well enough here and if something better pops up, I could transition and stand a good chance of stepping up in the 'verse!"

Tara smiled. "That's my girl. Stars are the limit for you."

Chelzee beamed. "Damn right they are! By the time I go back to Brega I'm going to have my pick of partners. Maybe even the royal family!"

Tara chuckled. "Keep at it, Chelz. I believe in you."

"You always have," Chelzee said with a wistful smile.

Tara saw the look in her eyes and felt her stomach flip. She had to get out before something happened. Chelzee rarely ever tried but she knew which buttons to push to flatter Tara and get her to feel and want things she shouldn't. If didn't help that no amount of awkward masturbation in the tiny bathroom could be as satisfying as what Chelzee could do to her.

Tara let out a brief sigh and smiled. "And I always will. I've got to get to the lab though. More experiments... I'm so close! It's a matter of monitoring and proper modulation of external stimuli needed. The tools I have just are sensitive or fast enough to keep up."

"I love it when you talk science to me. Gets me dripping," Chelzee teased.

"Oh hush," Tara said. She grinned and winked at her. "I'll be back... don't wait up!"

"Hey! That used to be my line," Chelzee laughed.

Tara slipped out the door and propped herself up against the wall of the corridor. She took a few breaths and shook her head. She was never going to stop aching for Chelzee, but she knew she had to distance herself. Sometimes it was harder than others though.

She shook her head and started walking. She did need to go to the lab, but she wasn't as sure about her next steps. She knew the problems, but she couldn't find solutions to them. She took a lift to the university deck and wandered into one of the food courts. Maybe some dinner would help her come up with a new angle of attack.

She stepped up to the automated checkout and came away with a Orange Fizz and a cheeseburger. She was hoping the caffeine in the drink would give her a kick. The burger was just a classic that she seldom let herself enjoy. She looked around the mostly empty tables and then did a double take.

A skinny human woman with short brown hair was sitting by herself at a table. She had a plate with an uneaten sandwich on it and a drink of some sort, but that wasn't what caught Tara's eye. An interactive holographic display captivated the woman's attention. She used her left hand to manipulate the figures, charts, and data in it while her right arm lay on the table. Her silver right arm.

No, silver wasn't the right word for it. Her arm was... well, it was silver, but it was a shade or sheen that Tara had never seen before. It was a beautiful prosthetic and it was the source of the hologram.

Before she realized it, Tara was standing beside the woman.

The woman turned her head and started when she saw how close Tara was. "Oh... I'm sorry, is this your table?"

Tara's chest tightened and her face burned. She shook her head and started to turn away, but she couldn't get the woman's face out of her mind. She was beautiful. Skinny and pale, but with amazing green eyes flecked with gold... so beautiful. "I'm sorry," she squeaked. "I... I'll leave you alone."

"Wait," the woman said.

Tara froze and then turned back to face her. She was glad she couldn't see herself right now, she know she looked a fool. A red faced, gawking, fool.

The woman's eyes took her in, sweeping up and down her body and spiking the temperature in Tara's face. Did she linger on how tight her shirt was over her belly? Did she notice that even loose pants weren't loose around her thighs or butt? Tara wished for an airlock to open under her and jet her straight into space.

"Can I help you with something?" the woman asked.

Tara shook her head.

The woman looked around and her eyes narrowed so briefly Tara wondered if she imagined it. The hologram blinked out of existence, making Tara gasp.

"There's a lot of empty tables in here. Why the interest in mine? Or is it me you're interested in?"

Any minute now Tara's face was going to melt or burst into flames. It couldn't get any hotter. "I... you... it's your arm," Tara stammered. "It's amazing. I've never seen anything like it and I thought I knew just about every kind of prosthetic out there."

The woman's head tilted. "Really? You don't have any prosthetics, do you?"

Tara shook her head. "No... it's just... I'm a student here. Well, was a student. I'm working on my PhD now and doing a little teaching."

"And the prosthetics?" the woman asked.

"Oh! Sorry... I... well, that was going to be my thesis, but I can't find a way for modern prosthetics to do what I want them to so I had to come up with something new."

The woman glanced at her arm and said, "I designed this myself."

Tara gasped. "No way! Really? That's... wow!"

The woman smiled and nodded at the chair on the other side of her table. "I'm being rude. Please, have a seat?"

"Really?"

"If you'd like? I don't want to impose."

"No!" Tara blurted and then caught herself. "I mean, no, you're not imposing. I'd love to. I just... Oh, I'm sorry, I'm not very good with meeting new people."

The woman smiled. "Sweetie, I wrote the book on social anxiety. You're fine. What's your name, by the way?"

"Tara," she said and then felt like she needed to add her last name too so it was official, "Hunt."

The woman reached across the table with her right hand. "Well Tara, I'm Nyx Bloom. I'm glad I met you."

Tara reached out and shook the silver hand. She gasped at how it felt in her hand. Firm, but soft and yielding. Warm, but not hot. It was perfect. "You're glad?"

Nyx smiled. "I am. I've been alone for some time now and, honestly, I could use a distraction. You happen to be very distracting."

Tara's had just started to feel normal again and now she was blushing like she'd been caught stealing looks at the other girls in locker room.

Nyx reached down and picked up her sandwich. She took a bite, chewed and swallowed it with a twist to her lips and set it back down. She shook her head and sighed.

"You don't like the food here?"

"No... but I'm sure it's fine," Nyx said. "I was spoiled."

Tara had just enough sense not to ask what she meant but the look on her face did it for her.

Nyx smiled. "I had someone that used to cook for me. An android. She was an amazing chef and she introduced me to a bacon, lettuce, and avocado sandwich. Nobody else comes close to what she could do though."

"Oh... that sounds... interesting," Tara admitted.

"It is... if it's done right."

"What happened to your android?"

A shadow crossed Nyx's face. "She was destroyed," Nyx said.

"Oh... I'm sorry."

Nyx shrugged. "So tell me about this project of yours, Tara."

"Which one? The prosthetic one or the new one?"

"I've got a little time, you pick," Nyx said. "My next stop is the Titan system and that's a several week journey, so I don't mind a few extra minutes talking to someone."

"I don't want you to miss your ship," Tara said.

Nyx chuckled. "Don't worry, it's my ship."

"You own a ship!" Tara gasped.

"It's not much, but it's mine now," Nyx said. "The Rebexa's a utility ship. She's had a few upgrades and I'm always making more. That's why I'm heading to Titan, in fact. I'm picking up one of their variable matter reactors."

"Oh yeah? I think I heard those are supposed to be the best."

Nyx smiled. "It will be... especially after I'm done with it. I'll be upgrading my plasma engine at the same time."

"That sounds amazing, but I honestly don't know very much about ships. I'm a xenobiologist. Although these days that includes human biology too since we're xenos to other species."

Nyx smirked. "I suppose we are. So tell me about your failed project."

Tara's eyes went to Nyx's arm and then back up to her face. "Well, I was trying to come up with an improved biotech interface between prosthetic and organic systems. I am— or was— trying to improve efficiency of communication and reduce long term damage to cells where the two systems merge. It wasn't a huge leap but it would have been good enough. The problem is—"

"You can't find any material that integrates properly," Nyx said. "You're after a symbiotic interface that will create a synergy between systems."

Tara gasped. "How... yes! How did you know?"

"I struggled with that too," Nyx said and waved her arm. "When we— I— designed this that was a major hurdle. You want in on a little secret?"

Tara nodded her head so fast it left her dizzy.

"There weren't any known elements that allowed for the level of sophistication in nanotechnology to make it possible."

Tara let out a grunt and all but collapsed in her chair.

"Sorry," Nyx added.

Tara sighed. "No, I was afraid that might be the case. We just don't have the technology yet."

"No, you don't," Nyx agreed.

Tara gave her a funny look and then let it go. "So what all can your arm do, if you don't mind me asking?"

Nyx smiled. "It's a work in progress," she admitted. "So far I've got wired and wireless data access built in. Dangerous, I know, but I've got it locked down so I have to initiate the connection, nobody can externally connect, even with a wired port. It's strong enough to crush most metals, has a cutting beam built in, and function as a holographic datapad."

"You built all that?" Tara gasped.

"I did. I'm good with tech. Not so good with biology though," Nyx said and watched Tara for a reaction.

She wasn't disappointed. "That's funny, I'm the opposite! We'd make a good pair— oh my! I didn't mean... I wasn't... I'm sorry."

Nyx laughed and shook her head. She reached out with her right hand and patted Tara's hand. "I know what you meant, sweetie, it's okay."

Tara blushed.

"Well, um, now that I've made a fool of myself— probably for the fourth or fifth time—"

"Stop," Nyx interrupted her. "You're fine. Shit, I've been second guessing everything I've wanted to say so far to you. You don't even want to know some of the uncensored versions!"

Tara blushed and giggled. "Really?"

"Really. How about your new thesis, what's that about?"

"You honestly want to know?"

Nyx nodded. "Sweetie, you don't know how lonely I've been. You could describe cell division to me and I'd be happy to let you."

Tara snorted a laugh and clamped her hand over her mouth and nose. Nyx grinned and then laughed too. Soon they were both laughing and the redness faded from Tara's cheeks.

"All right, so, pretending that didn't happen," Tara said. "I'm trying to explore rapid cell growth, division, and evolution."

Nyx spit out some of her drink. "You're fucking kidding me? I was kidding about cell division... are you really studying that?"

Tara blushed.

"Shit, I'm sorry... ah! I did it again," Nyx muttered. "I, um, I tend to swear a lot. Please don't take it personally. It's not you... I've just got bad habits from too long spent by myself."

"I can't imagine what that's like," Tara admitted. "I thought you were supposed to have a minimal crew of two people on a starship?"

"Yeah... well... yeah," Nyx said. She shrugged. "Anyhow, tell me about your cell division."

"Really?"

"Really."

Tara grinned and started explaining her attempt to harness the concept of rapid cell mutation without the cancerous side effects. She spoke for several minutes, detailing her experiments and theories and a few stories of trials she'd done that failed spectacularly. When she wound down she sighed and said, "Funny how I think I'm ending up at the same point I did with my last project. I need an interface that can modulate stimulation to the cells and isolate damaged cells and destroy them before they take over the system."

Nyx nodded. "You need a control module."

"A what?"

"An operating system or a guardian or something that is constantly monitoring and taking necessary actions."

"Oh, yeah... but there's no interface capable of doing that. I don't know if it's like the other problem where we don't have the technology or materials or what."

Nyx was quiet a moment and then asked, "Is there any way to something like that out of organic materials?"

Tara stared at her but her eyes lost focus as she chased the thought. "Biotech uses nanobiotechnology, but that's not good enough... what it would need is a purely organic system. Maybe RNA?"

"RNA? Is that like DNA?" Nyx asked.

Tara nodded. "Yes! Yes, it is. RNA is part of DNA. It's the Ribonucleic Acid part of Deoxyribonucleic Acid. It's used for storing and retrieving data mostly in conjunction with biotech systems. I don't know why I never even thought of that. A biotech interface to a RNA system might just work! If the interface was efficient enough... that's where the hiccup might be."

Nyx tilted her head to the side and then nodded to herself. "Tara, I want to show you something."

Tara stiffened. "You do? Wait, have you done something like this already?"

Nyx ignored her. "There's a problem though... well, it's my problem, not yours. Unless I share it with you, then it's yours too."

Tara's eyes went from wide to narrow. "You're not in some kind of trouble, are you?"

Nyx chuckled. "At the moment, no."

"Um... Nyx, that's not very reassuring."

Nyx leaned closer and whispered, "I can give you the technology you need."

Tara's eyes went back to wide open. She gasped and looked around. Her surprise was tempered by Nyx's secretive display. She leaned back in closer to Nyx and asked. "Um... you can? How?"

Nyx tapped her arm on the table. "It's part of this design. I can show you things you wouldn't believe, sweetie, but you have to come to my ship."

"Um, okay... that's not so scary."

"Well, that's just it," Nyx said.

"I'm sorry... what's just it?"

"You said it yourself. Ships should have a minimum of two crew. I didn't need that because I had Zel— I had an android. She took care of a lot of things on the ship, including me. I never really realized how much she did until she was gone."