Traveler: Planet Athion Series (Equinox Book 1)

by Lily Harlem

  “Not as much as there used to be, but yes, it’s tropical forest.” I opened the wire door on Magic’s cage and put my hand in.

  Instantly Magic jumped onto it, his claws gripping gently as he ducked his head to get out. “He doesn’t like takeoff and landing but he’s not allowed on the bridge.”

  “I’m sure Captain Rivers would have a meltdown.” Anki peered at Magic. “He’s very beautiful. Those red feathers on his head…I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a color. Brighter than any sun.”

  “Sun. Sun. Sun.” Magic bobbed his head. “Sun. Sun. Sun.”

  “You have to be careful,” I said, tickling Magic’s chin. “He has a habit of saying the last words in a sentence. He forgets it soon after, but it can be a bit of a nightmare.”

  “Mare. Mare. Mare.”

  “See what I mean?”

  Anki had a look of utter fascination in his eyes. “Can I touch him?”

  “Sure, just here, like this beneath his beak. That’s his tickle spot.”

  Anki reached out a little gingerly then ruffled the feathers.

  Magic tipped his head as if wanting more.

  “He likes it.” Anki smiled, a big, wide grin that balled his cheeks. “Doesn’t he?”

  “Yes, he does.” My heart softened, as it did whenever I saw anyone appreciating the beauty of animals. “Magic, would you like to be friends with Anki?”

  Magic spread out his wings, showcasing a rainbow of blue, yellow, and green. “Anki. Anki. Anki.”

  Anki stepped back and laughed. “He’s saying my name…it is like magic.”

  “I thought you’d like him.” I placed a kiss on top of Magic’s head. “You’ll have to go away now, buddy, but I’ll be back soon.”

  As I put him back, Anki studied the cage. “Why does he have a mirror? Does he like to check his hair…sorry, his feathers?”

  “No, he thinks his reflection is another parrot—he’s his own friend.”

  “Oh, I see.”

  I set a few sunflower seeds in a bowl for Magic to nibble on.

  “How come you’re allowed to have him on board?” Anki watched with clear fascination as Magic broke the case off a seed.

  “A condition of my employment. I’ve had Magic for over ten years, since he was a baby. He’d pine without me as I would him.” I shut the cage. “Except his pining could lead to his death.”

  “He’d be so sad without you he’d die?”

  “That’s the way of parrots sometimes.”

  Anki stepped close, so close his cologne invaded my nostrils. I hadn’t expected him to wear any, but like Hurin, he must have picked up some new habits during his visit to Earth. “If I were your parrot, I’d pine for you, too.”

  “You would?”

  “Yes.” He spoke softly. “We haven’t known each other long, Uma, but it’s clear you have a lot of love in your heart.”

  “I try to love more than hate, despite what’s happening on my planet.”

  “A good plan.” He paused. “So is there a special human male in your life?”

  I shook my head.

  “Not even our handsome copilot, Mateo Ty?”

  “Why would you think that?”

  “You seem to know each other well. He called you hun, which I believe is a term of endearment.”

  “It is.” I hesitated. There was something going on with Mateo. How could we not have a connection after what had happened? But it was just a bit of fun. Scratching an itch. Fulfilling a need when we were in deep space and the hours were long. “We’re friends, that’s all.”

  “You did your last hyperspace journey to Planet Athion with him.”

  “Wow, you really did read my file, didn’t you?”

  “I said I wasn’t good with universe physics, but I can read the human language—several human languages actually.”

  “Of course you can. You wouldn’t be in this job otherwise.”

  He smiled. “Including body language.”

  What?

  “In that case,” I went on quickly, “you’ll be able to tell by my body language that I’m anxious to check the goats. We lost one on takeoff last time. The postmortem determined a heart attack. Poor thing must have been so scared.”

  “Okay, let’s go.” He opened the door. “To the goats.”

  The goat pound was set only a few minutes away, and we quickly reached it.

  I used my key card to open the door. It was necessary to keep it securely locked at all times because goats were such chewers. Once a young female had escaped and munched through a vital cable on a pressure seal. It had taken some time to fix. Since that day, I’d become obsessive about keeping the curious creatures in.

  “Always have it double-locked,” I said to Anki as we stepped inside. “And make sure none of the little rascals have gotten loose from the pens and is waiting to make a dash for it.”

  “Noted.” He shut the door and locked it. “No such problem today. They all seem too engrossed in hay.”

  I didn’t answer. Instead I counted my charges. There were one hundred female goats in pens of ten, and five young rams kept separate from the females and housed in smaller enclosures. They would all be well cared for during transportation as they were hugely valuable to Planet Athion. Having no milk-producing animals naturally, the goats, who had some Angora in their heritage, would provide diary products and wool.

  “All present and correct.” I breathed a sigh of relief and went to the computer screen set into the wall. I tapped away at it, logging numbers, the temperature of the pod, and the amount of methane in the air. All were well within normal limits, which I’d anticipated.

  “What are you doing?” Anki asked.

  “Come here, I’ll show you.”

  He moved close, and I went through the tasks again, enjoying the heat from his arm on mine and, once again, the spiced scent of his cologne.

  Stop it. He’s your student.

  I quickly finished up and turned to the pens. “We’ll restock the hay now.”

  “Why do they have it in these baskets? Why not just sling it on the floor?”

  “They’re browsers, they prefer to eat at head level.”

  “Ah, I see.” He dumped a pile of hay into the first feeder. “And what’s this?” He pointed to a square pink block attached to the wall.

  “It’s a Himalayan salt lick. In the wild, they’d find other sources of minerals, but in captivity we have to provide it.”

  He frowned. “I’m not sure we have salt blocks on Planet Athion.”

  “The cargo hold has a big supply. That won’t be a problem. Previous flocks transported there will also need more.”

  “And if they run out?”

  “The animals will become sickly within months and stop producing milk.”

  “I read that we don’t have to milk them during this transportation.”

  “No, none of these goats are lactating yet. Which saves us a lot of work.” I pointed at a female with a blue smudge on her back. “Well, except for Dolly. She’ll provide us with milk and give me a chance to teach you how to do it.”

  “Now?”

  “No, later today. She was milked just before takeoff.”

  “Ah, okay.” He bit on his bottom lip.

  “Does that make you nervous?” Surely he’d known that would be part of his duties.

  “No, not really.” He shrugged then smiled suddenly. “No more than anything I do for the first time does.”

  “Or a few times, like takeoff.”

  “Mmm, that I don’t enjoy.” He walked up to a small round window and looked out. “I much prefer it once we’re in space.”

  I studied his long back and the fall of his tunic over his butt. “What do you like about it?”

  “The stars, the dark, the peace.” He turned. “Not that it isn’t peaceful where I live on Planet Athion, it is, but this…it’s different.”

  “It might be quiet but it’s dangerous.”

  “I’d agree with you there.” He
put his hands in his pant pockets, and his top bunched around his wrists. “But it doesn’t feel it in here. This is like our own world and only four of us exist.”

  “Don’t let Hurin hear you say that.”

  “Hurin takes life too seriously. That’s the way of the Southern Tip natives.”

  “Southern Tip?” It was as I’d suspected, he was from the south of their planet.

  “Yes, he’s from a very remote part, they’re quite…distinct.”

  “Their skin is darker.”

  “Mmm, there is that difference.”

  “Is there more?”

  He looked away. “I guess that’s for him to tell you.”

  I gathered up more hay, curiosity prodding me. “Why can’t you tell me?”

  “It’s…personal.”

  “Now I’m intrigued.”

  Anki picked up a watering hose and checked the fluid containers. “My lips are sealed.”

  “Is it just him, or are all the men from his region of Planet Athion different?”

  “All the men, I believe. Because there are no women—there haven’t been on the Southern Tip for a very long time.”

  “From what I gather, there are very few women in all of Planet Athion.”

  “That’s true.” He moved to the next pen with the water. “Which is why it’s such a treat for us to meet Earth women.” He paused. “Especially beautiful ones like you.”

  I coughed. “Beautiful. Me? Hardly. I’m in my working gear, I didn’t sleep last night because I was busy getting organized, and then Magic demanded my attention and—”

  “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, isn’t that what one of your famous old writers said?”

  “Shakespeare, yes. I think he said a sentiment something along those lines.” Shakespeare…it had been years since I’d had to study his works. Perhaps I should try and read a bit more on this trip.

  “And I think you’re beautiful,” he said, moving to the next pen. “And I’m thankful to the Laird that I don’t have an old grouch teaching me how to be a shepherd.” He looked up and grinned. “Because we’re going to have so much fun.”

  I laughed. “I like your optimism. These trips are long, boring, and repetitive.”

  “Is that why you like company?”

  “Company?” Was he talking about Mateo? No. How could Anki possibly know about our history and present arrangement?

  “Yes, Magic. Is that why you like having him in your quarters?”

  “I love Magic. He’s my friend, you’re right. And certainly he gives my mood a boost when it feels like it’s taking forever to get to our destination.”

  “If you need company in your room, you only need to ask.” He turned off the hose. “And if you’d like to disembark on Planet Athion, I’d be honored to show you around. We could go find some krolls.”

  I studied his face and realized that Anki was an open book. He said what he thought. What you saw was what you got. And I liked that. I liked it a lot. It was a refreshing change after the near miss in London. Perhaps finally my confidence in being able to judge new people was coming back.

  Chapter Three

  I ate in the small, soulless canteen with Anki and Hurin. Hurin devoured his meal as if were an urgent task that needed completing—one that was purely about fuel and filling himself with energy and not about enjoyment. He demolished two plates full of wheat with dibbin sauce—a popular choice for Athions—his attention barely leaving the screen of his tablet.

  One thing was for sure, if I ever traveled as a sleeper, I’d definitely want to be on Hurin’s watch. He took his responsibility very seriously and was diligent about monitoring vital signs.

  When I’d finished my rehydrated meal of chicken, carrots, and potato, I leaned back and tried to hide a yawn.

  “Tired?” Anki asked, breaking a small, jam-filled sponge cake in two.

  “I always am on takeoff day. It drains my energy, all the preparation and planning, then the actual event.”

  “Also a relief to get up here, huh,” Hurin said, nodding briefly at the large oblong window and the stars outside.

  I turned to him, surprised he’d decided to add to the conversation now the meal was practically over. “Yes, I suppose there is that, too. Now our charges are in hyperspace and settled we can relax.”

  “Charges?” His eyebrows tugged close together over his dark, almond-shaped eyes.

  “Yes, my goats, your sleepers.”

  “Ah, yes.” He looked back at his tablet. “Your goats.”

  I frowned. Of course, the humans and Athions he was responsible for were the most important cargo we carried, but still, my goats also required constant tending, and I continually worried about their wellbeing. Spending months in space was hardly normal for a goat and so a strain on them physiologically. “Would you like to come and see the goats, Hurin?” I asked. Perhaps then he’d have more of an understanding of my role.

  “See them?” Again he looked up.

  “Yes, they’re quite sweet really. Well, the females are. The rams can get a bit boisterous when their testosterone kicks in.”

  “Which is what we want,” Anki said. “So they can impregnate the females.”

  “Yes, it is. They’ve got mean horns, though. I’ll show you how to handle them.”

  “I have a lot to learn.”

  “How much can there be to learn about goats?” Hurin returned his attention to his tablet.

  Irritation swarmed over my scalp. “Actually, there is more than you think.”

  He didn’t reply.

  “And for the record, I have a degree in zoology so I know quite a lot of stuff about other animals, too.”

  He swiped left on his tablet and studied another screen.

  I gritted my teeth, then, “I did a research thesis on—”

  “Uma.” Anki rested his hand on my forearm. “Tell Hurin about Magic.”

  “Magic.” I huffed and sat back with my arms folded. I couldn’t be shaken from irritation that easily. Though talking about my beloved Magic was a good attempt at it.

  “Yes, tell him,” Anki went on. “I’m sure Hurin would be interested. Likely he’s never seen a parrot before.”

  “Parrot?” Hurin said.

  “Yes.” Anki grinned. “Uma has a pet parrot in her quarters. He’s from Costa Rica”

  His eyes widened. “And they let you bring it on board?”

  “Of course.”

  “What about bird flu?”

  “He’s not diseased and he’s fully vaccinated.”

  “Good. I wouldn’t want the sleepers catching anything.”

  “The sleepers”—I stood and picked up my tray—“breathe sterile air and are in sterile pods.”

  “Er, yes, I do know that.”

  I clicked my tongue on the roof of my mouth and turned away. Six months with Hurin, the surly southerner, would be plenty long enough.

  “Don’t let him bug you,” Anki said, standing alongside me as I cleared my tray and put it to wash in the steam drawer. “He just didn’t get a sense of humor when they were being handed out.”

  “I think it should be obligatory to have one if you take a job as a cognitive traveler.”

  “He’s not, though.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “He sees himself as a worker not a traveler.”

  “We’re all workers. Two pilots, two shepherds, and a medic. We each have a job to do.”

  “I get that, but there’s two of all of us. Only one of him. And when we reach Planet Athion, he’ll turn straight around and come back to Earth with a fresh batch of sleepers.”

  “So will I—turn right back, that is.”

  He nudged his arm against my shoulder. “Not if I have my way.” A mischievous glint danced in his eyes.

  “What do you mean?” I liked the cheeky smile tilting his lips.

  “I told you, I want to show you my planet. So you can see where I live and how I live.”

  “I’ve seen the document
aries and educational screenings.”

  “That’s not the same as the real thing.” He tilted his chin and pulled in a breath. “You need to smell the deep oceans, feel the star’s heat on your face, the breeze that comes from the valley laden with the scent of our flowers.”

  I giggled, my irritation with Hurin evaporating. “Are you a budding poet?”

  His smiled widened. “If you want me to be.”

  “I want you to learn to be a good shepherd so I don’t have to worry about those goats when I leave them in your care.”

  “I can do that, too.”

  “I’m sure you can.” I shoved my hands into my pockets and nodded at the digital clock set into the wall. “But that’s enough for one day. I’m going to get some sleep.”

  “Me, too.” He lifted his arms over his head and stretched. His tunic rose upward, showing the pockets and zipper on his pants.

  I forced myself to look away from the bulge there.

  “Will you wake me so I can check the goats with you?” he asked, dropping his arms to his sides again.

  “That’ll be in six hours, unless there are any alarms or a problem when I check on the monitor in my room now. Also, Dolly will need milking.”

  “Okay.” He placed his hand on my shoulder and squeezed gently. “Have a good rest, Uma.”

  As I walked back to my quarters, I considered how different the two Athions were. Hurin with his brooding, gruff ways was someone I’d have to tolerate on this trip. Anki was fun to be around, very cute, and willing to learn. He was almost boyfriend material.

  Boyfriend?

  Human women and Athions did hook up; it seemed when it came to being compatible, in and out of the bedroom, they matched pretty damn well.

  Hurin returned to my thoughts. What had Anki meant when he’d said Hurin was different—that all Southern Tip Athions were different? Was he simply referring to his lack of humor or was it more? I could sense it was more but for the life of me I had no idea what.

  I arrived at my room and let myself in. “Hi, Magic.”

  “Magic. Magic. Hello. Who’s a pretty boy, then? Magic. Magic.”

  “You’re pleased takeoff is over, too, huh?”

  “Too huh. Too huh.”

  “You sound like an owl.” I laughed.

  He bobbed his head up and down and stepped along his perch from left to right and back again.