Nat rolled her eyes. “Say, Nat, what’s that constant droning noise? Oh, that’s just Sheldon complaining again. Wow, that’s amazing, Nat. Does he ever shut up?”

Chapter Thirty-Three: Reviewing Options

Chapter Thirty-Three: Reviewing Options

Day 26. Tuesday morning

I sat up, slowly and painfully. The couches were comfortable, for couches, but for a full night’s sleep, they didn’t compare to an actual bed. I stretched carefully, trying to get the kinks out while avoiding a charley horse. “Coffee. That’s what we’re missing.”

Patrick, who was just starting to sit up as well, replied, “Yeah, if we’re going to be bunking in the Halo longer term, we need supplies.” He looked up, as everyone did by reflex when speaking with the ship intelligence. “Sheldon, can you give us nondescript, nobody-in-particular disguises using the cloaking belts?”

“Absolutely. What do you have in mind?”

“A little shopping trip, this time maybe without the police drama. Get us near a CVS or a shopping center or something similar. We’ll go in looking like Joe Random, stock up the fridge, and pick up a coffee maker.”

“Toiletries as well,” I added. “And I think it’s time we set ourselves up in our own rooms. Sheldon, can you do anything about clothing? Or should we just buy some?”

“The Gen are not big on clothing, so my cloth materials library is limited, and my design experience even more so. If you could purchase some articles of clothing that you prefer, I will analyze and attempt to duplicate them.”

“What about the stuff we’re wearing?”

“Burn it. Then I will fumigate the ship.”

“Charming as usual.” Patrick said. He looked at me. “You got enough cash for all this?”

“I doubt it. At some point … ”

Sheldon interjected, “Give me a sample of cash, and I will attempt to duplicate it.”

“Counterfeiting? Woof, that’s a whole other level of nasty.” I hesitated. “I’ll give you a sample, Sheldon, but let’s hold off on the actual replication until we’re desperate, okay? We’ll try Phil’s account first.”

“Acknowledged.”

Nat, awoken by the discussion, was sitting up and rubbing her eyes. “And once all this housekeeping is done,” she said, “we have to discuss what we’re actually going to do about the central problem. As much fun as having our own spaceship is, it doesn’t thrill me as a lifelong career. I want to know there’s some kind of resolution in sight.”

“Agreed,” Patrick replied. “First, the coffee. And other stuff. Then, a council of war.”

It took almost half the day, but eventually we had a fully stocked pantry, toiletries, a toaster, and most important, coffee and a coffee maker. Sheldon had given us directions to the crew quarters, which were on the third floor. We’d each picked a room and moved in our possessions.