Mooncrossed

Other Works by Ashleigh Stevens

Young Adults

Camp Piquaqua

Hartfield Chronicles

Elephant on My Chest

Romances

Kayaks, Kisses & Monsters

Mooncrossed

Mysteries

(writing as Carrie Latimer)

One Night In Sedona

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Acknowledgments

There are so many people I need to thank. First of all, James. You really helped me figure out who my characters were and where this story was going. I really enjoyed working with you on this.

I also want to thank everyone at NTSB who helped me with all the little details. Finally, I need to thank everyone who helped me polish this: CB, Patrick, Richard, Suzanne, Yelena, Adara, Braith, Katelynn, Tyler. Your input was invaluable.

Prologue

Tyler

ON BEHALF OF THE FACULTY, ADMINISTRATION, AND staff of the International Space Endeavor, it is my pleasure to welcome you to the ISE Academy’s fourteenth annual commencement. This year, eight new pilots will join our fleet, along with six flight technicians, two station engineers . . .

I looked down at the tablet I had propped on the back of the chair in front of me. Since I wasn’t wearing my hearing aids, I had turned on the automatic captioning. Technically, if I were looking at him, I would be able to understand Andrew Westinghouse without the tablet. His microphone was at a volume within my hearing range and he glanced my way often enough that I could read his lips. But, it was much more fun to watch the translations.

. . . Four nuance eating three . . .

Beside me, my roommate tapped me on the shoulder. Jesse pointed to my tablet and sent me a quizzical look. I just shook my head as I signed my response.

I’ll explain later.

Watching the horrible captions helped make the dull speech by the ISE founder more endurable. Every so often, I would look back toward the speaker to make sure I wasn’t missing anything important.

As you are aware, I founded ISE back in 2050, when the United States, Japan, China, and the European Union simultaneously decided to completely defund their space exploration programs.

Yeah, of course I knew that. Everyone graduating did. And I was willing to bet all the people gathered to here to watch the ceremony knew as well. I turned back to my tablet.

But as Westinghouse droned on, even the captions lost their novelty. The heat and humidity were too unbearable to pay attention to a boring speech. I watched the guy in front of me pull at the collar of his uniform. The girl next to him had beads of sweat dripping down the back of her neck. I resisted the urge to wipe my own.

The faculty were seated on risers behind Westinghouse. My boss was among them. Argo’s bald head was shining in the summer sun. He looked nearly as bored as I was. He kept glancing to his left.

To the travelport. Where shuttles were taking off and landing like clockwork. Some were heading to other travelports across the world. One was most likely heading to Gagarin, the space station named after the first person to orbit the Earth. Beyond the travelport, I could see the towering skyscrapers of New York City.

Suddenly, everyone around me started cheering. I turned to Jesse.

Is it time to march?

Jesse shook his head. Westinghouse just announced a second resort.

I glanced at my screen. Miraculously, the captioning had worked, although I had to scroll up slightly to read it all. Thanks to two members of this triumvirate class, I am pleased to announce that dream is becoming a reality.

Everyone was looking around. I tried to avoid making eye contact with anyone. Three seats to my left, my best friend caught my eye. Anika gave a small smirk before returning her attention to the podium.

Westinghouse was smiling like the cat who swallowed the canary. Four short years ago, each of you completed a Business 101 course prior to entering the Academy. One student among you designed a revolutionary new type of solar panel. When combined with the shuttle designs of another student, JT Designs was born. Over the last four years, this company has developed a new fleet of ships that are faster and more efficient than anything ISE has created to date. With these new shuttles, we can now make it to the moon in six hours.

A murmur went through the crowd. A fellow pilot sitting in front of me turned around.

Six hours! Can you imagine?

Jesse balked, a hint of Southern twang in his voice. I’ll believe it when I see it.

I elbowed the co-founder of JT Designs, signing so no one could overhear us. You have seen it. The prototype was finished last week.

Oh man! Jesse closed his eyes with a satisfied smile. She was FAST. I bet I could make her faster. He opened his eyes. If you just streamlined her a little more—

I elbowed him again as Westinghouse held up a hand for silence. He gave us the highlights of the project timeline. But, despite the technology, it would take nearly a decade before they would be able to break ground on the new resort.

Finally, it was time to march across the stage to receive our diplomas. I followed my roommate to the queue at the base of the steps.

Ryan Sweet, Security. Morgan Taylor, Communications. Captain Jesse Townsend, Pilot. Captain Jason Tyler, Pilot.

I marched to the center of the stage, where Argo pinned wings to my lapel and shook my hand. Then Westinghouse handed me my diploma.

I returned to my seat to watch the final few names. When Doctor Anika Verde, Medicine and Counseling was announced, Jesse and I cheered and whistled. Anika tried to glare at us as one of her professors pinned a caduceus to her lapel. But I could see the gleam in her eyes. She had been waiting for this day for a long time.

After a few more closing remarks, the ceremony was finally over. Jesse gave Anika a huge congratulatory hug before running to find his mother and grandmother. I went to stand with my best friend.

She was looking mournfully at the main building of the Academy. I can’t believe it’s over.

I put my arm around her shoulders and squeezed her tight. I flashed her my famous smile. No it’s not. It’s just the beginning.

Anika shook her head. I’m going to be up on Gagarin. You and Jesse are going to be doing shuttle runs. I’m going to miss seeing you guys every day.

I shrugged. You heard Westinghouse. You, me, Jesse? We’re the triumvirate. Nothing can keep us apart.

If only I knew then how wrong I was.

Chapter 1

Anika

THIS MORNING, I REALIZED HOW MUCH I TRULY MISSED my kitchen. Not the one in my last apartment, but the one in my house back home, where I used to help my mother make pancakes when I was little.

I came to this realization when I sat down to breakfast and was served the reheated ready-to-eat substance that was being called a bagel. In reality, it was a round brick with a hole in the center that would not even be fit to use as a hockey puck.

Nevertheless, I smiled as I took my first bite of the dry, dense donut, quickly hiding my distaste with a large swig of water. Captain Valerie was trying graciously to be a good hostess. It was not her fault that her cargo vessel did not contain a true kitchen. It was not her fault that she was provided with enough field rations to last several months, not the one week her voyage was scheduled to take. After three days of prepared meals, I was craving real food.

I studied Captain Valerie while I tried to chew and swallow the sawdust in my mouth. The drink of water made the substance even more difficult to masticate. She poured some steaming water into a mug of instant coffee, then folded her long, slender body into her Captain’s chair.

When she swiveled to face her cockpit, her pale blonde hair fell in soft waves just below her shoulders. Over the past few days, however, I had come to learn that her social skills were very limited, probably a result of spending so much time hauling cargo without much company. Her relief captain, a student doing a correspondence semester, spent more time in her cabin sending transmissions to her friends than interacting with us.

Captain Valerie turned back to me, nodding her head toward the window. There it is, Doc.

I followed her gaze to see our destination ahead. Although the ten-story cube was smaller than my previous assignment, it was still a monstrosity. In the nearly nine years I had spent living on Gagarin, I had never failed to appreciate its beauty. However, even though Gagarin was more massive and elegant, Anders-Borman-Lovell was by far the more impressive station. For, while the larger, older station orbited the elegant, enduring Earth, the newer, smaller station orbited the mysterious, majestic moon.

Captain Valerie’s voice brought me back to the shuttle. We dock today. Looking forward to getting off this rust bucket?

I finally managed to swallow my bagel. I took another large gulp of water before answering Captain Valerie’s question.

It’s not that bad. Been a long three days, though.

I know. I’m looking forward to spending some time with my boyfriend.

There weren’t many people living at the new station and I had a feeling I knew whom she was anxious to meet. I sent her a curious look. You’re seeing someone on ABL?

Her bright blue eyes twinkled with excitement. One of the senior pilots.

I tried to not to roll my eyes. According to yesterday’s staff meeting, which I was able to attend remotely, there were three senior pilots currently on the station, one of whom would probably depart before we arrived. I had little doubt she was seeing one of my least favorite people, but I held my tongue. Thankfully, Captain Valerie changed the subject.

Are you excited about your new assignment?

I am. Working at Gagarin was fun, interacting with all the tourists, but this is exciting, too. It’s like frontier medicine. We’re three days away from the nearest hospital.

Plus no annoying tourists.

I smiled. In my previous position, my boss detested the tourists. He attended to the station staff and left everyone else to us underlings. It was amazing what trouble they could get into. I had one man come in full of bruises. His nose was bloody and broken, so were four of his ribs, and he had a mild concussion. I assumed he had gotten into a bar fight. You know what he said when I asked what had happened?

Captain Valerie shook her head.

He didn’t see the need for his safety harness in the shuttle. When the pilot tried to match the station’s rotation in order to dock, he was tossed like a rag doll.

Captain Valerie laughed. That’s one of the reasons I chose cargo over passenger shuttles. Tourists can be really stupid. She sighed. I can’t imagine living out here. I thought about applying, but it’s not for me. My boyfriend told me they have to shuttle people back and forth every day. One day off out of every four. I like my job better. Three days of quiet, hauling cargo by myself, a day at the new station to hang out, three quiet days back, and a day at the old station to rest. Watch tourists. Maybe visit my family and friends. You guys are all alone.

I gave a noncommittal shrug as I tried to finish my breakfast. One of the best advantages of the new station was that I would be working with one of my best friends.

THE FIRST TIME I HAD MET JESSE TOWNSEND, I WAS sitting at a table in the Academy cafeteria, only a few weeks into my first semester at the school. I was eating lunch while studying for an anatomy exam, trying to read the book on my communications tablet and my study notes on my research tablet. I was memorizing the different types of cells when Ellie’s face popped onto my screen. With a sigh, I accepted the study break as I waved a greeting to the holographic image of my pseudosister.

I moved my tablet so I could better see her miniature projection frantically lamenting about her latest breakup. Both her parents were Deaf and Ellie had been born with a slight hearing impairment that became more profound as she grew older. At twenty-two, Ellie’s hearing aid no longer helped her to hear words, only background noise, and she preferred to go without, relying mostly on American Sign Language as her primary form of communication. Since my father was Deaf and my mother always signed, I was also fluent in both English and ASL.

I did my best to reassure Ellie that she would eventually find her soul mate. However, I was distracted by the guy staring at me from the next table. His eyes, the color of a tropical ocean, were watching me intensely as Ellie and I held our silent conversation.

When I finally managed to end the transmission, I rearranged my tablets so I could resume studying for my exam. Before I could open my files, he came to sit at my table. His lean, muscular six-foot-two body was dressed in the olive-gray shirt and khaki slacks required of all flying students. The badge on his lapel indicated he was in his first year. His sandy hair stood straight up, about three inches above his head in a flat top. Since this hairstyle had become the trend of most of the flying students in our class, it had been dubbed the pilot’s cut.

The guy was tan, as if he had spent his summer on the beach, not here in New York. I later learned that his tan was a result of running track at his Georgia high school. When he spoke, his voice revealed just a hint of Southern twang.

Hi. He glanced at my brick-red shirt and khaki uniform skirt. I, uh, know greys aren’t supposed to fraternize with reds, but I wanted to ask you a question.

I smiled at the joke, since socialization between departments was actually highly encouraged. As I nodded for him to proceed, I prepared myself for the inevitable medical pickup line.

Can you teach me to sign?

My smile faltered and my face must have taken on a look of surprise. I had been expecting the Will you play doctor with me line I had heard nearly every day since arriving at the college.

The guy noticed my confusion and continued with a hurried explanation. You see, my roommate signs like that to his tablet and I kinda want to learn it. If we’re going to be flying together, I want to be able to communicate with him. But I don’t think he’d make a great teacher. He gets annoyed when I ask too many questions. But, you’re in the medical program, so you need a lot of patience.

At first, I thought he meant patients, creating a bad joke. I scowled, figuring he had just taken the long route to a bad pickup line, and he quickly continued his monologue.

Okay, so maybe you don’t have a lot of patience, yet, but you need to practice your patience and you can practice on me and then you’ll have enough patience to deal with your patients.

He paused as he considered what he had just uttered. Oh. That came out wrong. Lemme start over. My name is Jesse and I noticed you know sign language. I would like to learn. Do you think you could teach me?

In the coming months, I would learn that I would be the only person to ever see that shy, embarrassed side of Jesse, who usually had such a confident air about him. As I watched him repeatedly lifting a drink bottle, only to put it down without reaching his lips, I welcomed the opportunity to teach Jesse and I invited him for what would become a weekly silent supper. Every Sunday evening, I would make us dinner, since I loved to cook, and we would spend the entire evening communicating in only ASL. We learned a lot about each other and he quickly became one of my best friends.

NEARLY AN HOUR AFTER MY FIRST GLIMPSE OF THE NEW station, I was standing at the cargo door, ready to disembark. My few pieces of luggage would be unloaded by the cargo room attendants and delivered to my quarters. Meanwhile, Captain Valerie would monitor the offloading of her vessel. In addition to the food, clothing, and other supplies requested by the permanent and temporary workers on the station, the shuttle also carried the construction materials necessary to begin the lunar resort project. The cargo attendants would spend the next several hours removing the load from the ship, storing it in the massive two-storied cargo hold at the base of the cube.

I was met at the airlock by a young man wearing khaki pants and the pumpkin-orange shirt of a communications student. He introduced himself and said he was to bring me to the staff meeting room. I followed him into the lift, carrying a small bag containing some personal items and my communication tablet.

During the short ride, my escort reminded me of the layout of the station, which I had memorized before leaving Gagarin. While he did this in a friendly, tour-guide manner, I got the impression his motivation had more to do with the hope he would not have to continue to serve as my guide for the remainder of the day.

We exited on Deck Seven and I could see my infirmary on the left. However, we turned right, instead entering the administrative offices home to the communications and operations departments. I followed my guide along a winding corridor to a small conference room, where Director Kimura had already begun the daily briefing with the senior staff members. My escort beckoned me inside, and I stood just over the threshold, observing the woman standing with her back to me as she addressed the table.

The director was petite, about five feet tall, with black hair reaching her waist. Her gold uniform shirt indicated that she had been a security officer before becoming director of the station. At the director’s right, Sonia Menendez, director of station communications, donned an orange uniform shirt, her dark eyes fixed intensely on the director.

The chief engineer, Ito Chen sat on the director’s other side. He was shorter than I had imagined, his chocolate brown uniform making him appear even more diminutive. Sitting beside Ito, silently drumming his fingers along the table, sat the chief of security, Malcolm Palmer. His muscular frame stretched his gold uniform, and his blonde hair was cut so short, he almost looked bald.

Captain Tyler sat beside Malcolm, quietly signing across the table to Jesse, who looked just as good as he had when we first met in the Academy cafeteria. I watched their conversation for a while, curious to know what could be more interesting than the meeting, raising my eyebrows when I realized Jesse was interpreting Director Kimura’s words for his roommate.

Examining Captain Tyler more closely, I was surprised to see he was sporting a nice summer tan. I wondered how had he managed to do that in January while running passengers from New York to Gagarin and back. His blue eyes twinkled mischievously as he watched Jesse’s hands, occasionally asking a question in return. His brown hair was sporting the still-popular pilot’s cut, making it easy for me to see his ears.

He turned his attention toward Director Kimura, catching my eye instead. He sent me that cocky smile of his that made women swoon, but instead filled me with anger. We had only spoken a handful of times the last few years, always with Jesse as a mediator, despite our complicated history.

Instead of returning his smile, I simply glared at him, hooking my index finger behind my ear. It was the sign for hearing aid and I knew immediately he understood my question, since he refused to acknowledge me and returned his gaze to Jesse. Frowning, I paid closer attention to the director’s discussion of the construction crew.

The crew arrives Sunday. If Doc ever arrives— She interrupted herself when she saw Captain Tyler’s raised hand. What is it, Ty?

He simply pointed in my direction and everyone turned to face me.

Chapter 2

Tyler

SORRY I’M LATE, ANIKA APOLOGIZED. SHE BRISKLY walked to the empty chair beside Jesse. He gave her a quick hug. As she settled into her seat, I couldn’t help but think how run down she looked.

Sure, everyone else probably saw her Dr. Verde facade: the petite, confident young woman who had managed to earn dual medical degrees and be the chief medical technician by the age of thirty. And, man, she looked hot in that uniform. She was the only person I knew who elected to wear a black knee-length skirt instead of slacks like the rest of us. It definitely worked for her.

But, I saw past all that. Her chestnut hair was falling out of its red tie. Did she even realize she was absently tucking it behind her ears? Then, there were her brown eyes. The weariness I saw told me she hadn’t had a decent night’s sleep in forever.

Maybe I was simply projecting. After all, when was the last time I had slept through the night? But, her skin. Although she was normally pale, today she looked nearly transparent. It was as if she hadn’t seen the sun in months. Knowing her, she had probably locked herself away on Gagarin. I wondered when she last visited home.

Anika caught me watching her and sent me an angry look before turning away. She had been doing that for the past five years. It didn’t even bother me anymore. It was so good to see her. I was excited to be working with her. Suddenly, it hit me.

I really missed you, I signed.

Unfortunately, Director Kimura had just asked Anika a question. All eyes but mine had been looking at one of the two women, so thankfully no one saw my confession.

I haven’t been to the infirmary, yet. Anika was signing as she spoke, probably for my benefit, though she refused to look in my direction. "I’m hoping everything I requested has been delivered. I’m going to do inventory today and make sure I know where everything is. Then, I’m going to review all the medical files. Everyone is supposed to have had evaluations within the past six months. Both physical and mental." She sent a knowing glance around the room.

I followed her gaze. More than one person shrank back, looking anywhere but at the doctor. When Anika caught my eye, I gave her my famous smile and wiggled my eyebrows. She simply glared at me. Maybe she already had figured out that my evaluations were overdue. She looked back at Kimura as she continued.

After all that, I want to start going over emergency protocols. I’m assuming that there are plans in place for injuries on the surface?

Director Kimura shrugged. The site supervisor arrives in a few days with the crew. The company may have some emergency plans. But, we, as a station, do not.

Anika’s eyes narrowed. The moon is about to become a major construction site.

Uh oh! I recognized that body language. I could just barely hear the tone of voice that usually accompanied it. It was the one Anika saved for when someone seriously messed up. I’d lost track how often I had heard it. Usually in my direction.

There are going to be accidents. What happens when a beam falls and crushes someone? We need protocols. At the very least, I’m going to need someone with medical training. Someone on the surface to handle the emergency from the beginning and assist me when the patient returns to the station.

Director Kimura frowned. Do you have anyone in mind?

Why not the site supervisor? asked Jesse.

Anika shook her head. The supervisor rotates every four weeks. I don’t want to have to train a new assistant every month. And, frankly, I need someone who understands medical terminology. I don’t have time to explain myself in a life-or-death situation. Anika pursed her lips as she sighed. I’ll figure something out.

I could see the wheels had already started turning.

IT WAS NOT LONG BEFORE KIMURA ENDED THE MEETING. Everyone scattered in various directions. I tried to catch Anika’s eyes, but Sonia with the sunny personality got to her first. Checking my tablet, I discovered a suggestive message from Voluptuous Valerie. She listed some creative reasons why I should find her when my meeting was done.

I let my mind drift toward Valerie as I rode the lift alone to the cargo hold. Her message mentioned the multiple ways she wanted to show me how much she had missed me since we last saw each other. It had been four days, not an unusual amount of time for us. But, she always seemed to miss me more with each absence.

Valerie and I had been together for, what, two months now? That was a new record for me. Yet, it still felt like something was missing. I had no idea what it could be, but something. I considered talking to Jesse about it, but his relationships never lasted much longer than mine. There was that nurse who was doing a correspondence semester on Gagarin last year. They were together nearly the entire six-month term. Then again, that was probably because they only saw each other every other weekend.

The problem was, whenever I complained to Jesse about my girlfriend troubles, he gave me the same solution: consult Anika like he did. Having a best friend who was also a therapist was pretty advantageous. Unfortunately, Jesse kept forgetting that she had wanted nothing to do with me the past five years.

ENTERING THE CARGO HOLD, I HEARD VALERIE BEFORE I saw her. She was chewing out someone I assumed was a cargo room attendant, based on his charcoal gray shirt and slacks. Valerie was only about an inch or so shorter than my five-ten, but the guy had a good foot on her. He was also easily twice her weight, appearing to be solid muscle. Yet, the man cowered under her unrelenting glare. She pointed to something I couldn’t see.

"Do you realize what would happen if you dropped that? That is pressurized gas. If you dropped that, the container could explode. Do you know what an explosion in this room could do? Do you? It could cause the entire station to depressurize and we would all drift into space. Is that what you want?"

I was pretty sure she was exaggerating. The cargo hold was designed in such a way to prevent the exact scenario Valerie had just described. But, I said nothing. I leaned against a crate while watching her sternly monitor the unloading of the rest of her cargo.

I observed the volatile scene from afar until Valerie caught sight of me. She broke from her authoritative role just long enough to send me a coy wave. Then she returned her attention to her cargo.

When the hold was empty, Valerie dismissed the attendants. They scampered away, probably to lick their wounds. Valerie sent me a lustful look, beguiling me to join her. I followed her into the ship, through a small door that separated the cargo area from the rest of the vessel.

Just like on Gagarin, there was a room on Deck Two of the station reserved for the daily cargo pilots. They were required to rest for a full day after docking. The station had been open for less than a week and so far the room remained unused. All the pilots, even their student relief pilots, seemed to prefer the comfortable berths they had made into their homes to the stark quarters provided by the station. Valerie’s bed was certainly bigger than the one upstairs, I thought as we crashed onto it.

Clothes were flying across the room in a matter of moments. Her hands were all over me. Her mouth was greedy. I was equally so, but I had learned long ago not to be selfish when being intimate