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pod.
    When the gravity was restored and the scrub scanners had cleaned the pod
of any contaminants, they would be able to approach whatever it was that had
been sending out the distress signal. Standing quietly with Vareen and Nellia
they waited. When the all clear was given they entered the docking bay.
    Striding forward, Cali muttered appreciatively at the sleek lines of the
pod. “Very nice craftsmanship. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
    To the naked eye, it seemed without
joints or closures. There was some kind of panel on the outside, with flashing
symbols she didn’t recognize. Looking to Vareen she ordered, “We could probably
use an engineer. They might be able to figure out those symbols.” She moved to the pod unit admiring it.
    Nellia was standing opposite her with Vareen at the console with the
flashing lights. “It couldn’t hurt to try some of these buttons.”   So saying, her friend moved to put her hand
on the console, and then pulled it back quickly. “Ow.”
    “What? What happened?” Cali’s eyes fixed on her friend's hand.
    “There was a slight shock when I tried to touch the pod.” Nellia
hesitantly reached for the console again and this
time, her fingers met the material of the pod. “Nothing this time.”
    “Perhaps it was the shielding.” Vareen deducted. “It could have been
active when you tried the first time, and your hand somehow deactivated it?”
    “Well, since I’m able to touch it. It couldn’t hurt to try some of these
buttons.” She started hitting them in random order.
    “I don’t think—” Cali stopped her protest when there was a whirring sound
and the pod unit suddenly had a lid, which proceeded to lift off.
    “Ohh.”
    “Wow.”
    She heard Nellia and Vareen gasp at the same time, but she was beyond
hearing anything else.
    Inside the pod was a humanoid male. There were tattered scraps of purple clothing
in the pod strewn along his shoulders and stomach that Cali surmised at one
point had been a shirt. The black pants he was wearing were still snug on his
hips and legs. His feet were covered in some type of black, military style boots.
Cali wondered what had happened for his shirt to be destroyed, but the rest of
his clothing to remain intact. Not only that, how had the pod sustained him?
    After her initial, clinical perusal of the contents of the pod, she
started at the top of his head and really looked this time. Then she had to try
to regain her composure. He was so incredibly handsome that he stole her very
breath. His dark black hair was a sharp contrast to his pale skin and her
fingers itched to find out if it was as soft and thick as it looked. He hadn’t
opened his eyes when the lid released, so she didn’t know what color they were,
but they were an exotic almond shape, accented by arched brows and thick
lashes. His nose had a small bump on it
as if broken and hastily repaired. His cheekbones were prominent, but that must
be because of lack of sustenance. His chin was square and smooth. His lips were
full and lush. Altogether his face was very masculine and appealing.
    Moving her eyes down his body she realized there were a few faint marks
on his chest, arms, shoulders and stomach. Scars like that came from a finely
bladed weapon. Who, what and why was he fighting Cali wondered.
    Overall, his body seemed slightly emaciated, as if he usually carried
more weight. His shoulders were broad and tapered to an indented waist. After a
quick look, she made herself skip over his groin area and then finished her
perusal by noting his thickly muscled legs and calves.
    “The pod was some type of stasis unit.” Nellia was moving a portable
scanning unit over his body. “That would account for the slight loss of body
mass, but he seems incredibly well preserved. I have no idea how long he’s been
in stasis. It could’ve been days or years.” Her friend was making a ticking
noise, as was her habit when thinking about something. “I think it’s safe