The Cop and the Mechanic
"Hey Kal, we got a 10-4 along the outskirts of Deneb. Gonna need you to check it out."
Officer Kal Verrik sighed, his tuna salad sandwich raised partway to his lips. So much for taking a lunch break. Switching on the mouthpiece of his com, he answered,
"Alright, send me coordinates."
Seconds later, the exact location of the crashed shuttle flashed across the screen in his cruiser. From the information he got, it appeared to be the government-owned kind used to transport factory workers. It was small, and Kal had certainly seen worse accidents in his two years on the force, but he still felt a twinge of sorrow anyway. Any loss of life was a tragedy to him, although he knew the corporation wouldn't see it that way. They would be far more concerned with making sure their insurance covered the damages.
With a heavy heart, he pulled onto the scene, and mentally prepared himself. The Ellora Vena was floating at an angle, having crashed stern-first into a meteor. The body was cracked, and the systems were clearly failing. The engine was pulsing electricity, spitting out sparks of light that quickly became less frequent and slowed, flying away to simmer and die in the cold blackness of space. When he got there his friend on the force, Jeff Anders, was already there to greet him.
"The whole left side of the ship caved on impact." He said. "But parts of the right are still intact. The rescue crew are checking for survivors now."
Kal nodded. He could see the familiar red uniforms moving in and out of the wreckage. He approached a woman on a stretcher, and began taking statements. He was just finishing up talking to the first witness when he heard a shrill cry that rose above the chaos.
He turned his head and saw a first responder coming onto the GA ship. In his arms was a baby. Kal doesn't know what it is that pulls him closer, but suddenly he's there, watching the EMT check the child over.
It was a little girl, less than a year old. She had thin dark curls that stuck to her forehead and wore a dirty yellow dress. Kal could see cuts and bruises on her skin, though she looked mostly unharmed. She was still healthy enough to wail at the top of her lungs, if anything.
"Found her crying in the air vent right next to her mother's body." The man who rescued her was saying. "She must've put her inside right before they crashed. It worked. None of the flying debris hit her. There's barely a scratch on her."
"Smart woman." He commented. Then he looked at the EMT. "Is she going to be okay?"
"Oh yeah, I'm just cleaning up a few scrapes and giving her some Tylenol. She'll be fine."
"Good. That's good." He fidgeted. The baby was still screaming, waving her tiny fists in the air and making her face go red. He clears his throat. "I can take her, if you want. You go check on the others."
She nods once. "Thank you, officer." She says, and hands him the squirming girl.
Kal was an eternal bachelor. He had almost no experience with children other than the few times he's been over at Jeff's house. It wasn't that he disliked them, but they were simply too fragile for his comfort. He was always afraid that he was going to somehow hurt them.
His hold on her was awkward and unsure. She was still crying. Crap, crap, crap. How do you comfort a baby that just lost its mother? Kal had no idea. Feeling lost, he began to bounce her up and down.
"Shh, shh. Hey, princess. It's alright. Just breathe. There's a good girl."
Slowly, she calms herself. Her monstrous sobs shrink into tiny whimpers and then disappear into the crook of his neck. Kal traces soothing circles on her back. Her bones remind him of an injured bird that he once found as a boy. Long, thin, and delicate. It was both humbling and empowering, handling something so fragile. It made him feel needed. She was staring at him now. Her blue eyes were enormous and unblinking. He couldn't look away.
"There you go! Look at me, watch."
With her attention now away from the destruction and bloodshed, he began to make silly faces at her. She didn't laugh like he thought she might, she just watched, drinking in the information until something else caught her eye. She grabbed at the shiny metal dog tags dangling at his chest, and promptly shoved them in her mouth.
"Hey! That is not food! Get that out of your-yuck."
She pulled away, leaving behind a string of saliva from her chin to the front of his shirt. He grimaces, and she burst into giggles. Well, at least she was happy now.
"Sneaky girl," he scolds, with no real heat to it. She grins, showing off her three teeth. He can't help but smile back.
"Hey Kal," Jeff materializes beside him, breaking the moment. He searches his face. "Are you ready to go?"
The GA officer snapped back to attention. "Hmm? I mean-yes. Yes, I'll be right there."
Another officer came to collect the child. Kal was reluctant to let her go. He released her, and his arms felt cold where she once was. She stared at him over the man's shoulder as she moved away. He couldn't shake the feeling of sadness that settled on his gut, though he didn't understand it.
He thought about that baby the whole ride back to the office.