by A. G. Wilde
He hadn’t visited regularly before; why would he do so now?
As she dumped manure at the root of one of the fluffy fruit trees, Nia felt a pain in her chest.
Ever since she’d returned that day, that ache had developed and hadn’t gone away. Every time she so much as thought about him, she felt it.
She could forget. At least, she was trying to forget, but even the little holographic animal he’d gotten her reminded her of him.
And she saw the thing every day.
She could only ignore it.
What else could she do?
She really didn’t have anything to feel sad about.
Lauren and the others were trying their best to make her happy, even though she’d told them constantly that they didn’t have to.
She didn’t blame them for any of what happened, but they still held some guilt.
Cleo kept making her that sweet tea, Sohut went foraging to find nuts that tasted like almonds, Lauren spent her time in the kitchen trying to create human foods like cinnamon rolls and oatmeal cookies, and even Riv was trying not to scowl at her so much.
She appreciated it all, but contrary to what they believed, she wasn’t sad about what had happened.
She was sad because of what it felt like she’d lost.
Nia dropped the shovel and leaned against one of the trees, her eyes moving up to the sky.
The rain had fallen for three whole days and the soil was still soggy from it. Over those three days she’d focused on forgetting, albeit unsuccessfully.
“What did I do wrong?” Her words were a whisper carried away by the slight wind.
But what had she done wrong?
He hadn’t even called…
It was like…she didn’t exist.
Get it together, Nia. Are you really that lonely?
You have a family. You have the animals. You have more than most.
And this was true.
Her shoulders stiffened as she leaned off the tree and picked up the bucket and shovel.
As she headed back toward the main buildings, she repeated this to herself over and over again.
She had more than most.
She should be grateful.
There was a loud boom as she reached the main building and she saw Grot run from the main house a little animal that looked like a chihuahua mixed with a monkey running before him.
The little one was Cleo’s pet and he and Grot had an ongoing feud, though they didn’t actually ever hurt each other.
Cleo’s pet looked cute, but it was a vicious little thing. She’d seen it attack one of the robots in the fields once.
The robot did not survive.
As she heard Lauren shout from the house, Nia huffed a laugh through her nose.
“Grot! Leave Wawa alone!” Lauren appeared at the door, gripping her belly as she shouted. “So stubborn!”
Lauren was frowning and when her eyes fell on Nia, she blushed a little.
“Sorry, this must be crazy to you.”
Nia shook her head. “Not at all.”
She watched the animals run off into the fields before her gaze moved back to Lauren.
“I came from a big family.” At least, she considered all those kids her father helped to be a part of her extended family.
She was an only child but home life like this comforted her. Especially when she was feeling like shit, like today.
Her gaze fell to Lauren’s belly as the woman rubbed it and she smiled again.
“Don’t look at me like that,” Lauren groaned. “It’s not as great as it looks. This child is growing faster than my body can keep up and I swear he thinks my bladder is a punching bag.”
Nia’s smile increased, she couldn’t help it, and Lauren huffed out a breath before smiling herself.
“Watch, you’ll see.”
Nia set down the bucket and shovel just as Morpheus dipped his head to chew on her hair.
“Morph—” The tilgran stopped and she focused back on Lauren. “What do you mean, I’ll see.”
Lauren shrugged. “When it’s your turn, you’ll see.”
Nia shook her head. “I’m pretty sure that’s not going to happen.”
“What makes you so sure?”
Well, maybe because the only man she could think of having a relationship with had forgotten about her?
She didn’t say that though.
She only shook her head. “Would take a miracle.”
Lauren grinned and waggled her eyebrows. “Miracles do happen.”
Nia nodded and acquiesced.
Yes, they did.
But if every human had been given a certain number of miracles. She was sure she’d already used up all of hers.
39
Ka’Cit’s fingers brushed over the braids in his hair.
Well, the remnants of them.
It had been weeks now since her fingers had crafted them into his locks and he’d tried his best to preserve them.
But every day that passed, they unwound more and more. A bit like everything within him.
He was hardly keeping it together.
A glance at the reflective control panel of his hover car and he let out a breath.
His green eyes met him and so did the rest of his face.
He wasn’t wearing his mask today…neither was he wearing his standard dark clothing.
Today he wasn’t the bounty hunter who did jobs for free.
Today he wasn’t the Bone Crusher.
Today he was himself.
Ka’Cit Urgmental.
The male Nee-ya saw him to be.
His life organ clenched within his chest at mention of her name and it solidified why he had to do this.
He’d have done it sooner too if he’d been able to sort things out in time, but what should have taken days had ended up taking weeks.
It turned out that not keeping records of his assets all this time, not really caring about all that he’d built since being on his own, hadn’t been the wisest of ideas.
But, he couldn’t be angry with himself about it.
He hadn’t cared about his worldly possessions. And he hadn’t cared because he’d always lived the last day as if it was just that…his last.
Only now…
Phek.
He ran a hand over his face as he stared at his reflection.
Now, he had reason to think about those assets.
They finally had some purpose.
Slipping out of the vehicle, he locked the doors and turned on the protective shield.
No one glanced at him as he made his way through the Exchange and more people dared to bump into him.
He could almost pretend as if he fit in.
He had one destination—a huge government building at one end of the Exchange.
He had someone he needed to see there. Someone he trusted to handle this properly.
Caught up in his thoughts, it didn’t take long for him to reach the building and he blinked as he stepped within the doors, his life organ thumping against his chest.
The decision he was about to make was big. But it was the right one.
A clerk behind the desk looked up at him, her singular eye blinking with boredom as she gestured him over.
“I need to speak to Geblit.”
The clerk blinked at him once more.
“Ambassador Geblit Cakhura,” he repeated.
“Ambassador Cakhura does not take personal calls. We handle all inquiries here at on this floor.”
Ka’Cit held back a growl.
This was where his mask helped.
Beings always underestimated those they thought had no power.
Releasing a breath, he reached into the papers he was holding and flipped through them. The clerk watched him with disinterest until he found the one he was looking for and slid it in her direction.
Her bored eye flicked to the paper and she blinked slowly as she read what was there.
He saw the moment she realized her e
rror, when her gaze suddenly became alert and her head snapped in his direction.
“Oh.”
Ka’Cit’s gaze narrowed. “Right. Now where is he?”
For the next few minutes, clerks came out of the woodwork all around the building, most ignoring their duties to pander to him.
Word had apparently spread.
He was offered refreshments. An invite to the private waiting room. Entertainment while he waited.
Ka’Cit ignored them.
He only wanted to speak to Geblit.
He was just about to rise and go look for the Torian himself when he heard Geblit’s voice echo down the hallway.
“All right, all right. Give me space. I swear, it would seem like the first time you beings were ever in the presence of a dignita—”
Geblit’s eyes widened as they settled on him and the Torian’s lips formed a thin line.
He shook his head and began turning to go in the other direction. “No,” he said and Ka’Cit was sure he heard the clerks gasp.
Ka’Cit stood. “It’s business, Geblit.”
Geblit glanced over his shoulder, his eyes narrowing. “If I recall, your sort of business…”
Ka’Cit smiled a little. “Clean business.”
Geblit’s gaze narrowed some more before it darted to the interested clerks watching them.
“Well, what are you looking at? Get back to work.” He shooed them off. “And you, follow me…though I’m sure I’m asking for trouble by inviting you to my office,” he murmured as he headed back down the corridor. “You and your friends have always brought me trouble.”
Geblit continued muttering to himself even as the door to his private office closed behind them and he sat behind his desk.
“What do you want Urgmental? And please do not tell me,” he closed his eyes for a second, “do not tell me it has something to do with smuggling anything.”
At his blank expression, Geblit let out an exasperated breath.
“Fine. I guess I have no choice but to listen. I rue the day I got involved with you three.”
Ka’Cit huffed out a laugh. Geblit had always said that about him, Riv, and Sohut. “You’re here already. It’s logged in the records. If anything I will just say you came to discuss your assets.”
“That is what I am here to discuss.”
“Oh,” Geblit brightened. “Then by all means, take a seat.”
He gestured to the seat in front of him before activating his computer.
The holo-screen materialized in the air before the Torian and Geblit tapped a few inputs on the screen before glancing back his way.
“Now, what about your assets.”
“I want them transferred.”
Two of Geblit’s eyes grew wider while the other two remained the same size. “What?”
“I want them transferred.” Ka’Cit slid the papers in his hand toward Geblit and the Torian took them, flicking through quickly as his eyes darted across the pages.
“This…this is a lot to transfer to one being…”
Ka’Cit shrugged. “I don’t see your point.”
Geblit blinked at him as if he was looking at an idiot. “It’s not usual for a dignitary—”
“I am no dignitary. There’s nothing dignified about me.”
Geblit scoffed. “Your assets…your status…they say otherwise.”
“Just because you and those other excrement pipes who run this planet think I’m rich doesn’t make me dignified. I’m just…lucky.”
Geblit scoffed again. “Well, I’ve seen where you live. I agree.”
In another circumstance, he might have laughed.
“Just tell me what you need to get it done and I will provide it.” He watched as Geblit looked through the papers once more.
“It’s all here. Must have been a pain in the sphincter trying to gather all these deeds… Are you sure about this?”
“As sure as my life organ beating in my chest.”
“You have a habit of being…reckless. If this turns out to be a mistake…it can’t be undone.”
Ka’Cit leaned forward and looked the Torian in the eyes. “I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my life. This isn’t one.”
Geblit studied him for a few more moments. “Okay. I’ll process it, but it will take some time.” He glanced back at the papers. “You’ve done a horrible job at keeping these records.”
Ka’Cit let out a soft laugh through his nose.
He’d done a horrible job at life in general so far.
This might be the first good decision he’d ever made.
40
She’d stopped counting the days…the weeks…but each day that passed, things got easier.
She could smile now and put enough effort into it that it was convincing to the others.
She could even convince herself when she looked in the mirror, despite the ache in her soul that she couldn’t get rid of.
More than once, she’d caught herself just staring off into the distance at nothing, the image of Ka’Cit’s hover car retreating over the tall grass replaying in her head.
She’d been right.
That day, it had been goodbye.
A final one.
He wasn’t coming back and she shouldn’t have expected him to.
What had happened between them hadn’t affected him the way it had affected her.
She really was a fool.
And that realization had turned her want, her hope, into anger.
She was sitting on one of the huge hay bales now, looking out over the tall grass.
Since those three rainy days that followed his departure, it had been pretty dry conditions.
The sun was shining as usual and the wind was a soft caress.
Nia rubbed the pebbles she had in her hand and absentmindedly threw one toward a bucket far away.
It hit the bucket so hard, the thing toppled over.
Taking another, she threw again, hitting the bucket one more time.
That one was hard enough to dent the side of the container.
Her accuracy had improved in the past few weeks; she was pretty sure she could hit things now with her eyes closed.
Anger was a fuel she never knew she’d find useful.
She flexed her wrist to throw another pebble when her gaze caught something approaching in the distance.
Nia froze and her heart thudded in her chest.
As she rose to her feet on top of the hay bale, she squinted and focused.
A hover car.
But even from the distance, she could tell it wasn’t his, and she felt her heart sink—a feeling that was promptly followed by anger at herself for even hoping.
The hover car that was approaching looked new. It had smooth curves and a paint job that made it glisten in the light.
Hopping off the hay bale, Nia moved farther down the path and put up a hand to shield her eyes from the sun.
As soon as she recognized who it was, she turned and shouted toward the house, “Riv! Geblit is here to see you.”
A few moments passed before Riv stuck his head through the door with Lauren following close behind him.
The two were inseparable, especially now that Lauren looked close to popping.
Riv scowled and Nia turned to see the hover car pulling up at the barrier.
Geblit Cakhura’s four eyes found her before darting to Riv. “Well, aren’t you going to let me in?”
“Geblit, on Raxu’s name, if you’ve brought me another human…”
Geblit looked affronted and his four arms crossed, his green skin turning slightly gray. “I want nothing to do with any more of those troublesome humans. I can assure you, I am here on official business.”
Riv growled and disappeared inside the house.
A few moments later, the electric barrier stopped zinging and Geblit’s hover car slowly advanced into the property.
“Hiya Geblit.” Lauren smiled at the alien and, as she stepped down the path to stand beside her, Nia s
aw the exact moment when Geblit’s gaze fell on the woman’s belly.
His four eyes moved from being narrowed to slits to becoming large round pools in his head.
“You…you…you’re multiplying.” He almost fell backward in shock.
Lauren chuckled and rubbed her belly.
“Yep, you’re going to be an uncle.”
“Absolutely not!” The big protrusion at the back of Geblit’s head pulsed. “If adult humans bring so much trouble, I cannot imagine what immature spawns of your species will do to my life.” He made a face then the color drained from his skin. His gaze fell on Riv, who was now coming down the path toward them. “Phekking qrak, it will be a hybrid.”
He began shaking his head. “I’m telling you from this moment, I want nothing to do with this…this spawn.”
Lauren chuckled again. “I think the baby likes you.”
Without warning, she grasped one of Geblit’s arms and put his hand on her tummy.
Geblit was so shocked, he could not move. “What are you—”
Then he froze, his gaze falling to Lauren’s belly. “The little menace is trying to assault me already.”
Nia had to stifle a laugh at that while Lauren openly chuckled.
Riv’s eyes narrowed and he growled underneath his breath.
Geblit’s body relaxed a little. “Your spawn will make a great fighter,” he said.
They all went silent then.
To admit that he might actually like the child was a moment no one wanted to ruin.
Riv made a sound in his throat. “What business do you have? You don’t run errands.”
Geblit snatched his hand away from Lauren, his skin growing a little darker in color.
“Right,” he said. “That’s because this is out of the ordinary. I had to do it myself.”
Nia glanced between them.
Time for her to leave and give them some privacy.
“I’ll be inside if you need me.” She nodded to Riv and Lauren. “Nice seeing you again, Geblit.” And she meant that. She hadn’t seen him since that day he’d bought her and taken her to the Sanctuary.
If not for him, she wouldn’t be safe right now.
She began walking away when his voice caught her ear.
“Actually, Nee-ya. This business concerns you.”
Nia turned. “Huh? Me?”
