Levi yawned once, wishing that he hadn't got to work as early as he had. He didn't dare go home for fear he'd fall asleep. He finished cataloging the new plants and then checked on the market's numbers. Winston waved at him from the bin of plums and while Levi was very tempted to eat a couple, he was trying to be wiser with his credits.
He wanted to take a week off and go to the lake, and the only way he could do that was if he stopped eating all the expensive foods in the botany bay. Reluctantly, he turned back to his holo-rib, typing up the assignment reports for Anatoly.
"Hey Levi," came an unexpected voice.
Levi turned suddenly; surprised that Dylan was here again. He had seen her yesterday too, and usually she needed time in between. She was holding two plums and extended one to him. He took it as she sat on the edge of his table.
"Early lunch?" he asked.
"My papa gave me the rest of the day off," she replied. "I went to the congress meeting for him."
Levi grimaced. If Anatoly ever asked him to fill in, he would ask for the rest of the day as well.
"How was it?" he asked.
"Rotated," Dylan answered. "Dashiell wants the data from Earth more than he has concern for our safety. They're compromising Austen's satellite with the data stream. I don't get why congress didn't speak up for her; they all just let him do what he wants."
There was a spark in Dylan's eye that had been missing for a long time. Levi bit into the plum, savoring the fruit while trying to keep it from running down his face.
"Oh, and Cameron wants you to take a look at the data coming in. I think it's in old Earth code, not quantum. I don't know what kind of computer setup they have. You don't have to, obviously, but," she shrugged; "it might be a good way to find out what happened to Earth. I worry that Dashiell would keep bad news away from us."
"Why?" Levi inquired.
"Because if Earth exploded, or something else happened like that, then they aren't sending any more ships," she pointed out. "They can't send any more help or technology. We would truly be on our own. Which means that Dashiell and his ilk are more useless than they want to be."
"I see you've still been reading," Levi teased.
"I don't like him. I don't like Titus. They arrested us without cause, and they storm about the place like they own it instead of just living here."
She took a bite of her plum with a sigh. Levi was amazed how animated she was, but didn't want to say anything that might break the spell.
"So what are you working on?" she asked.
"Just the cycle reports," he answered. "We made a lot of progress. Ibsen's fertilizers are working better than projected. Now we're prepping to build a garden on the east side of the base. Dumas is in charge of our print queue, and once the storm stops, we'll have a garden." He grinned. "This one will have some herbs in it that people can pick. Have you ever smelled rosemary? It's amazing."
Dylan smiled at him. "You love plants a little too much."
"No such thing, ma belle," he laughed. "What do you want to do for lunch?"
"We're doing it," she countered. "I thought I could come by for dinner, but only if we have green beans. So I'll grab some on my way out."
"Ouch," Levi sniffed.
"And we'll cut your hair," she noted. "It's getting shaggy."
"It'll go with the beard I'm growing," he protested.
YOU ARE READING
If Jove Stray
Science Fiction{✨Book 5✨} Earth. Light years away, and yet now that some on the base were born there, it seems so...close. As communication with the mother planet seems more and more likely, Dylan and Alcott have to wonder if Earth really has anything to offer to...
