Free Seeder Saga by Adam Moon Page B

from me before I do?”
    Sarah didn’t answer right away so Michael added, “Alright then. See you on the other side.”
    Sarah said to the computer, “I want to be revived each time Michael Stevens is revived.”
    “Understood, Captain.”
    “How much longer until I can go back into stasis?”
    “Seven minutes.”
    She started to undress and hook up the IV’s. She climbed inside her pod and waited until the computer told her enough time had elapsed. Then she closed the lid.

Awake Again
     
    This time she was pissed when she was revived. She knew the shivers were coming. She knew her head would start to ache any second. She pulled the IV’s loose and focused on the clock. Only fifty nine years had gone by. If she got woken up this frequently, she’d die of old age before they ever reached the seed planet.
    “What now ?”
    The computer said, “Michael Stevens will be revived to work on three malfunctioning pods.”
    If she felt bad for herself, she felt doubly bad for Michael. Then again, if his report was true, he was a murderer, so he deserved the discomfort of so many thaws.
    She dressed as the shakes overtook her appendages. Her head started to ache just as that burning sensation erupted in her muscles.
    Once dressed, she headed straight for the pod chamber.
    Michael was already dressed, rummaging through a tool bag for what he needed.
    Sarah walked over and said, “I’m sorry for the way I introduced myself last time.”
    “Don’t worry about it , Captain. Just let me know if you start to get overwhelmed. I can only imagine the kind of pressure you’re under.”
    She nodded and smiled, thankful to be on better terms. Whether it was a good idea to befriend the man, she didn’t know. But accusing him of things she couldn’t prove had got her nowhere.
    She heard a throat clear and then a deep voice said, “What the hell is going on?”
    Jack Mayberry came around one of the open, hissing pods that was to be repaired. It was his pod.
    Michael said, “Sorry, buddy, but it looks like I need to take a quick look at your pod.”
    “I thought these things were designed to last for billions of years.”
    “If they were all built to spec, then I’d say you’re right, but you know how the government likes to cut corners. No worries though. I’ll have yours up and running in no time.”
    “ Shit. Now I have to find something to keep me occupied for the next three hours. How long have we been traveling?”
    “I don’t know.”
    Sarah said, “Altogether, a little less than two hundred years. We’re somewhere in the wasteland of interstellar space.”
    “Hi , Captain,” Jack said. “Are you still pissed at me?”
    Michael smiled at Sarah and said, “Him too, huh?”
    Sarah said, “I’m very sorry for my behavior. I haven’t been myself since those bastards ran their tests on us.”
    Michael interrupted. “I don’t mean to sound rude , but I need silence if I’m going to find this leak.”
    Jack said, “No problem. I need to walk around to shake this frost loose anyway.”

 
    Old Acquaintances
     
    Sarah walked with Jack. She found that her annoyance with the man was only temporary, partly because he was the only person on this ship she knew. She said, "You should know that I saved your ass."
    "How so?"
    "The Chinese shot a nuke at us and I dodged it."
    "When? How did they know our position?"
    Instead of telling him that she was a damn dumbass and trusted a guy who ’d simply called himself Greg without offering a surname, she just shrugged as though she didn’t know.
    He didn't need to know that it was her fault the Chinese had known where to point their weapon.
    Jack put a hand on her shoulder and said, "Thank you , then."
    "No problem. That's just what I do."
    "Are you sure you're not making it up though? Hallucinations are the first sign of space madness."
    She said, "You know there's no such thing."
    "I know. I was just teasing. Thank you again for saving my tight muscular ass."
    "I'd say