Company in Silence

Word Prompt: Everything fell away

Wednesday has come around again and I’m happy to present this week’s flash fiction.

Everything fell away. Atmosphere and with it the noise, the crowds. The staggering bustle of a trillion lives winding through and about each other. Here the quiet rattle of lose deck plates and the engine’s hum embraced her.

“Ugh. How long are we going to be in deep space this time?” If only Max would be as quiet.

Sharleen spun her chair toward Max’s translucent outline. He stood next to the viewport, pressing what passed for his hands against the hull as he peered into space.

“As long as it takes to get to Kisillies.” Turning back to the controls, Sharleen hoped he’d drop it. Giving detailed answers had only prolonged probing.

“But…” His voice drifted off.

Sharleen paused, hands above the controls listening for his next word. A word which didn’t come. She lowered her hands back to the controls.

“But how can you stand to silence for weeks on end.” The words came in a rush as Max threw himself across her console.

She yanked her hands back still disquieted by having them in someone. She took a slow breath reminding herself that she wasn’t mad. Even with an incorporeal passenger who wasn’t a holo interface. “Stop arguing for system runs. I didn’t ask you to haunt my ship.”

Max shrugged. “I didn’t ask for my headstone to be mixed into the hulls alloy.” He waved his hand. “But here we are.”

Sharleen scowled. Here they were indeed. “At least get off the controls.”

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