The Secret Space In Erich’s travels there were parts of the ship which were never silent. A hum persisted in rooms and down long access crawl ways. Erich sent Keb a message telling her to go to a corridor somewhere between engineering and sickbay. He arrived five minutes earlier, entered a maintenance hatch, and hastily set up camp. A single candle lit the dark tube. Only his face was close enough to the flame to give any hint of a presence. He waited and listened. Keb knew exactly where Erich had asked her to meet him, but it left her absolutely baffled all the same. There’s nothing there, she thought as she reviewed the instructions again, walking down the corridors. Erich wasn’t there. Is this some kind of joke? The corridor stretched ahead and behind her. The wall panels were blank, save for a solitary access hatch to her left. The hatch opened with a click, its lock status indicator going from green to red. The door swung open on its own. With a start, Keb turned to the hatch, biting her lip. “Erich?” she asked the air. No immediate answer. The Manticore's hum echoed from within the long crawl way. "Hmm?" A voice from within her questioned. "Come inside... first left." The voice sounded warmer the more it spoke. The voice made her jump, heart beating quickly, even though she had half-expected some kind of answer. It was him. She entered the door then crawled down the tube, where she could just see a flickering light. It looked like panel had shorted out, so she started to move a little more quickly, worried that he’d summoned her here because he was in trouble. "I'm over here," a real voice called out. "Sorry for the venue, but I did not have a lot of time. Come. Sit." Down around the corner sat Erich, a candle in front of him and a bubbling kettle of soup beside it. "The plasma here can't keep this warm forever." He gave her an inviting grin as he waved her to him. As it dawned on her what he had set up, Keb couldn’t suppress a smile. She slid next to him and kissed his cheek. “You’re so silly,” she said, quickly adding, “and I love it.” "I like soup, dark places," he hesitated, "And you. Thought I should put them together." She blushed, looking down at her hands in her lap. He put his hand on hers. "I asked the replicator for a human favorite." He waved the smell from the kettle to his nose. "Chicken soup?" With a nod, Keb helped him to start ladeling the soup into their bowls. So warm, she thought as she took a sip and closed her eyes in pleasure, which he felt as warm shivers through his own spine. He cleared his throat. "I'm sorry standing up is not possible, but the hum in here quiets the voices a bit." He tapped her hand. "I, er, sensed, you wanted to talk." Keb twisted her hand around to hold his. “Do the voices bother you?” she asked, which wasn’t exactly the question she had for him, but easier to ask. "Here and there. They are always with me. Even dear friends can get on your nerves after a while. If you're lucky it turns to white noise." He twisted his fingers into hers. "But you have another question for me.” She bit her lip, holding his hand a little more tightly. “I guess since you already know what I want to ask...I...I was wondering if you could teach me how to...how to block it. You know, so I could keep a secret from you or not jump three feet in the air when you think something in my head?” Her words were both hesitant and rushed as she tried to explain it, not able to put it as kindly as she intended to. Erich pulled her over and wrapped his arms around her. "I'm so sorry it..I scare you in that regard. I'll do what I can to help you keep thoughts to yourself." He closed his eyes, pressed a little harder, then released her. She shook her head. “You don’t scare me, Erich. It...it just takes some getting used to. You’re the first person who ever talked to me inside my head that wasn’t me.” She stirred her spoon in the soup, watching the ripples across the surface in the candlelight. “And I don’t exactly want to keep secrets from you...just things like birthday presents and stuff that’s classified.” "So, do you run into a lot of classified information?" he asked with a knowing smile. She tilted her head, her eyes narrow with impatience. “We work on a black ops ship...and you’re evading the question. How...how do I let you in when I want to, and keep you out when I need to?” Erich tilted his head in the other direction, leaned in to steal a quick kiss. "You're right. I first found your mind when your emotions peaked, then I latched onto it...tight," he said while clinching her fingers. "Some of how this works is your amplified emotional state. Now don't get me wrong--this is what I love about you. You have to dampen this attraction the same way I am to ignore the thoughts of others: meditation." He focused on her. They were so close he could see the candle's light reflecting in the darkness of her eyes. "Doctor Abbingdon wanted me to start meditation to calm my own mind; I don't see why it can't help you." “I don’t want to lose our connection,” she said, letting her forehead rest against his as she spoke. “Just control it some. I guess we can try the meditation.” "It should, but it will take some time and dedication to learn." Erich spoke warmly and was glad she could not hear his mind now. "This is uncharted territory, for both of us."