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in the
mirror. It was worse than she’d expected. The left side of her face
was swollen beyond recognition and covered in green and purple
splotches.
    She returned the cool-pack to her cheek and
went to her sleeping pod, opening another compartment filled with
first aid supplies. She fished out a packet of pain-killers and
retrieved the aluminium foil with her left hand. The foil slipped
free and fell to her lap, empty.
    “Dammit,” Nova said.
    Her head pounded, her shoulders burned, and
her side was in agony. She needed relief.
    “Cal!” she said, standing up and limping to
the dining area. “Do we still have the structure for Parapem in the
food generator?”
    “Food generator: Many other functions,” Cal
said.
    Nova groaned. “I know it has lots of other
functions. It doesn’t mean I have to say it every time.”
    “I don’t understand why you humans feel the
need to shorten everything. It causes nothing but confusion,” Cal
said.
    “The Parapem, Cal,” Nova said. She stomped
to the food generator (many other functions).
    “It’s automatically programmed. I thought it
would save us some time.” Cal stopped by her side.
    She pressed a button on the generator and it
whirred into life. The light flashed red for three seconds and the
generator dinged. She popped open the door. In the centre of the
plate was a small blue square which looked like a section of
plastic.
    She lifted the square to her mouth, placed
it on her tongue, and closed her eyes. The soothing sensation
spread out in ice-cold tendrils, licking up the sides of her
cheeks. It spread into her head, over the pounding ache, making it
fade away.
    “Public domain drugs,” Nova said. “Best.
Invention. Ever.”
    “You hurt my feelings,” Cal said, hovering
away.
    Crusader’s voice came over the intercom.
“And mine.”
    “Okay, Class four labourbots and Z400 cargo
ships are the best inventions. Closely followed by public domain
drugs,” Nova said, shaking her head and smiling at the small
robot.
    “Much better,” Cal said. “Will you be
retiring now?”
    “Yeah, I’m going to bed. See if you can find
any more information and we’ll make a plan tomorrow. Also, can you
apply a healer-pad to my eye once I’m down?”
    She pointed at the bruised mess of her face
and her left eye which still wouldn’t open.
    “Affirmative,” Cal said.
    She stumbled away to her sleeping pod and
collapsed, fully dressed, with a sigh of relief. She was vaguely
aware of a cool sensation running over her face as Cal laid down a
healing pad but was asleep before he finished his
ministrations.

 
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    CHAPTER
FIVE

    Nova awoke the next morning to find her left
eye could sliver open. Her relief was overpowered by aches and
pains returning as the effects of the Parapem wore off. She lifted
her body from the mattress and winced as her shoulders flexed. She
stumbled out of her sleeping pod and slumped into her pilot’s
chair.
    Cal hovered around the corner. His panel
lifted and he held a metal arm out towards Nova. She held out her
palm and Cal dropped a small blue square onto it. Parapem.
    “I was wrong. You are the best invention,”
Nova said, tossing the blue square onto her tongue.
    “I know,” Cal said with a flurry of beeps
that sounded like a trumpet fanfare.
    She waited until the Parapem seeped into her
muscles and then made her way to the food generator. She pushed in
a few numbers and three seconds later the machine dinged. Nova
reached in and pulled out a bowl of cereal.
    She scooped mountains into her mouth with
each spoonful and sat back down.
    “Cal, do we know what’s going on?” she
mumbled.
    “What if they’re just barbarians?”
    “They’re not just barbarians. Did you see
how that girl’s mouth opened? And where are the adults?”
    “Aliens then?”
    “Check the Cloud. I bet they’re not
mentioned anywhere.”
    “I already checked, just thought I should
put all the suggestions out there,” Cal