Alonzo wrapped his hands around the mug, enjoying the warmth of a substitute that actually, for once, tasted like coffee. Outside, the ground around the bio-dome had a fresh covering of snow, disturbed only by his footprints. Nobody else had made it out of bed yet; sunrise wasn’t even for another hour.
He hadn’t planned to, either, but he’d been an early riser since his first run as a senior pilot. That was the first time he’d been the first person to come out of cold sleep, and he’d discovered that the time between his wakeup and the passengers’ was delightful. It was often the only chance he had to simply relax and enjoy being in space; if anyone else was awake, he had duties that kept him busy the whole time.
Those early wake-ups had become a small, private indulgence just for himself. Blowing on the coffee, he took a deep breath, pushing all of the tension out and letting himself just be as he looked out the windows.
A few minutes later, the bio-dome’s main door slammed open. Magus took her gloves off and blew on her hands. “Cold out there.”
“Mm.” It was impolite not to acknowledge her, but he wasn’t in the mood for conversation.
Dropping her remaining outerwear on a chair, she sat down with a mag-pro and began disassembling it for cleaning. What John Danziger was to vehicles, Lynn Magus was to weapons, and she was just as fanatical about keeping them in good shape.
“I can’t wait for winter to be over,” she said as she set components down all over the table. “We’ve been stuck in here in the cold and snow for freakin’ ever.”
He didn’t turn around, hoping she’d take the hint.
“Once the snow’s gone for good,” she continued, “I think I’m going to find the first patch of grass I can and just lie down in the sun for an hour. What about you?”
He shrugged, admitting that his quiet moment had ended although he was still grateful to have had it. “Hadn’t really thought about it. It’s probably still a little while yet.”
“Yale thinks it might be just a few more weeks. Can’t get here fast enough, if you ask me. Roughing it is not my idea of a good time.”
Alonzo came over to the table, watching as she finished taking the mag-pro apart. Out of respect he didn’t sit down. She moved with the same quick assurance he did when he was at the controls, and he suspected that her routine was equally automatic. “We’ll have our work cut out for us then.”
“I’d rather have hard work than sitting around staring out windows.” She glanced up. “Or standing around. You all right?”
“Yeah.” He blew on the drink again. “I like quiet mornings.”
An embarrassed look appeared on her face, but it was too late for her to respond to the hint now. “Sorry.”
“There’ll be another one tomorrow.” And, he realized, there would, and that was fine. He could wait.
As if on cue, the door opened again, admitting Julia. Her shoulders relaxed when she saw him. “There you are. I was wondering.”
“Hadn’t gone far.”
“Good.” She poured her own cup of coffee. “Did you wake up early? Or have trouble sleeping?”
“Just woke up early.” He wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “But it seems it was exactly the right time.”
“I thought you liked being alone in the early mornings,” she whispered. Magus was politely ignoring them as she focused on her task.
“I had time alone today.” He squeezed her. “But now I’m not. That’s good, too.” He meant it, he realized, Somehow, over the long weeks in the snow, the presence of the other Advance team members had started to energize him instead of drain him, as long as he had a chance to wake up slowly. When had that happened? He’d always resented the intrusion of people before, since it had always meant the end of his peace and quiet.
Of course, he’d always been on a ship before, and never with the same people twice. Maybe that was the difference. Dropping a quick kiss on Julia’s forehead, he dropped back into the conversation again. The smile had never left his face.