Sure, Haze had been angling for it, but the captain hadn’t wanted to stick the rare visitor in a middle berth. Now the current situation made the captain seem prescient.
As the door slid open, Oz stood aside, so Molly could enter first.
As he watched her, he found himself talking to cover his nervousness about what she might think of her new home. “These all have private bathrooms, so you won’t have to go into the hall. This one has a larger one than—”
To Oz’s horror, Molly’s face crumpled in pain. She waved one hand in front of her face quickly as though fanning herself.
“I’m sorry,” she wailed. “I can’t believe I’m here.”
Oz took a quick step back. “Do you… do you need the doctor? Should I send for him?” He moved to the side panel, his hand raised uncertainly.
“No.” She sniffed wiping her eyes with her hand. She managed a small smile and waved him off. “I swore I wouldn’t cry today. I just miss my family, and it’s crushing me. I probably can’t ever show them this. I can’t believe I’m never going to see them again.”
She turned around. “It’s a lovely room.”
She glanced down at his hands. “Oops.” She reached toward him. “You can just put them down there. I’m sure it’s heavy.”
Oz glanced down as well, confused. He had completely forgotten the bags he was holding and set them down awkwardly.
Oz grabbed the remote and punched in a command for the back wall. It went transparent gloss and re-animated with the 3D display. His favorite scene from home came on the display.
Molly gazed at the wall, her eyes wide and a hand going to her mouth in surprise.
“It’s beautiful.” Molly reached out to touch the wall. “It’s like I could walk into the forest.” She pulled her hand away from the wall and turned to smile at him. “…just walk outside.”
“There are about thirty scenes to choose from. You can pick your favorite. I didn’t want to overwhelm you, but the ceiling and this wall here can change as well. You can feel quite away from it all when you need to.”
Oz showed Molly the rest of the room’s controls and moved to the door. His wrist chirped out, and he tapped the screen. “I should go. I’m due for another check on ship’s functions. Just routine,” he clarified so she wouldn’t worry.
Actually, he could run the checks remotely as easily as in engineering, but he wasn’t sure of the expectations for him in the female’s room, and it made him uncomfortable. He’d only heard rumors of the exact specifics of mates and females, beyond his small experience with a few females from his childhood, before the plague broke out on their world.
Molly’s face fell a little, and Oz wondered if he’d made a mistake. Perhaps she wanted him to stay and get the procreation over with?
As the door slid closed behind him, he froze outside the door uncertain. Should he go back in?
He pressed the door chime and heard her timid voice call out, “Yes?”
Oz cleared his throat. “Did you… um…” Stupid, he chided himself. What had he been thinking? Oz recovered. “Shall I come back for you in an hour to show you the mess hall?”
There was silence for a minute, and the door slid open. The little female stood at the door looking up at him, utterly lost and fragile. She didn’t say anything, just nodded her head, glancing down the hall in the direction of engineering.
“All right. I’ll see you in an hour.” Oz took a step back, and the door slid closed again.
Should have offered to bring her with me, he immediately thought.
But no, he was not going to ring the chime again. Best to get the checks done. He could spend the remaining fifty minutes pacing the engineering deck and regretting he’d not stayed to get to know her better.
7
Molly
As the door slid closed, Molly had what she recognized in herself as a complete freak-out. A million thoughts collided and tripped over themselves in rapid succession.
Holy crap, they’re huge. If only they didn’t look so dangerous. And tails. And green. And what’s with the tattoos? Crap, what am I going to do?
I’m going to have a green child with a tail. Assuming I survive. What if I don’t survive?
I mean, I’ll get used to the look. I’ll love my baby. But this is the craziest thing. This can’t be real.
I wish my mom was here.
I’m going to have a baby. Crap. What if I’m not a good mom? What if…
Molly shook her head. She could die for Pete’s sake. All this would be nothing and done.
Molly sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the door nervously, feeling like she couldn’t turn her back on the outside world with the strange beings on the other side.
Finally, she lay back so she could keep her eye on the door and also see the forest on the opposite wall. It was beautiful although alien too, strange shapes and colors, and the sky was a soft orange color.
She selected the same scene for her other wall and ceiling, but it just made her feel more alone and lost. There was nothing of home here.
She flipped to a new setting, and her bed was in the midst of outer space and millions of stars surrounded her. It was as though she were no longer in the ship, but in the midst of space with a purple and blue nebula off in the distance.
No, NOT for her. Definitely not for her, unless she wanted nightmares of being lost in space forever or of falling endlessly.
She quickly flipped through several others until she found one that turned the walls into a view of a blue ocean with waves lapping the shore. A blue sky with white puffy clouds drifted slowly overhead.
Molly didn’t have this view in Kansas, had never — beyond TV — seen the ocean so close. She could pretend for a bit that she’d finally taken that vacation to the coast and only had to tell everyone she’d be back in a week. That’s all this was, just a well-deserved, completely-overdue vacation. Really.
There were still too many thoughts running fast through her head. The ‘shorter’ one, although still way too tall and big, was Oz. The taller one was the doctor, Seban.
Molly sat up again and slid to the floor to open her suitcase. She couldn’t even remember what she’d packed for herself.
The first thing she found was Max’s badge, lying at the top. He’d packed it for her:
Max Galloway
Galloway H&S Supplies
Ask us about The Galloway Difference
She leaned against the end of the bed to watch the ocean, a few feet from her. Max always knew just how to handle things. He’d known she wouldn’t have packed anything sentimental and with this, she had a bit of home with her. Also a message to her that he would keep his promise, even without yet knowing about the money. He wouldn’t need his badge anymore; he’d make their dreams come true, just like they’d talked about.
“You got this, Max,” she said out loud. She hung the badge from the post of the bed.
The room had storage built into the walls, and she quickly unpacked to a few drawers.
When she was done, she checked out the bathroom. It was the compact layout she expected, everything designed for premium function and minimal space.
She laid out her brand new toothbrush and paste and other items. Then took off her shoes and stood in the shower. Luckily, the men here were so large that the shower was larger than it would have been on a human ship. She could spread her hands wide and raise them fully over her head and not touch the walls. Heck, it was larger than the shower in her own home.
She washed her face, trying to get fresh eyes on the situation. She would survive, she told herself. Some day this would just be the adventure that you were supposed to have in your twenties. No trip to Paris for her. No. Only a whole new world would do.
Yes, she could do this. She would do this, with a brave smile on her face. Only looking forward now. This was the new reality, and she would experience every moment of it.
Starting with this.
Determined, she walked over and cl
icked off the ocean. She turned on the window mode so that a small section appeared showing the view outside the ship. She dragged her chair over, hugging her knees to herself as she stared outside.
She held on to New-and-Improved Molly for a few minutes. Then: This so sucks. …Shut up, Molly.
The ocean view went back on immediately. She got out her notebook and pondered her latest menu ideas for The Crushed Olive, which had been their latest idea for a restaurant name. Anything to avoid thinking about the real ‘outdoors’ for a while.
8
Oz
On the way back, Oz stopped by his quarters for a quick minute. He logged in and ran his checks and reports. No point heading to engineering now. His concentration just wasn't in it. Best let the ship do its thing and alert him. Oz added a few extra checks to be safe. Captain wouldn't notice the omission, not really.
Nerves ran through him. It was now his job to keep his mate safe until he had sons to take his place. The Suhlik had turned mating into such a clinical thing. Mating was about continuing on the race — nothing more — so that they could exterminate the Suhlik completely.
The Suhlik had proved impossible to exterminate, but the victories had been satisfying. Captain Vren had fought on Earth. Maybe one day Oz too would find himself on Earth. Perhaps.
For now Earth was safe from attack, not accounting for the occasional skirmish, and the Mahdfel could turn most of their attention elsewhere. He just hoped no one turned too close an attention on the crew and their whereabouts so close to the Suhlik territory.
Time to shower then to get ready. He felt like he was getting ready for the admission board at the council. But best to make things as agreeable as possible for the girl.
His tail started whacking the shower wall. His tail always gave him away. He put his tail to use on the soap bottle to keep it busy enough to hide his nervous, energetic tic.
Just make it through dinner. Maybe he needed to make it through a lot more than that, but dinner would be a good start.
Oz looked to the ceiling and groaned silently: Fraska, he swore. Haze would be there. He’d probably get there early with a big frasken grin on his face. Great. Haze was definitely at this moment putting thought into how best to make this miserable and uncomfortable for everyone. Well. Everyone except Haze that is.
9
Molly
As it often did when Molly was creating and pondering, the world faded away and time passed quickly. Molly looked up confused when the chime sounded out and reality crashed back in, sending a chill through her.
How rude would it be to eat in her room? Surely they would understand?
Hmm.
…Better face it.
Molly slid up from her seat slowly and approached the door. She wasn't ready for dinner yet. Maybe she never would be.
“I’m here,” she called as she swiped at the door console. The door slid open, and she did a quick double-take.
Oz had changed into a more formal-looking dress uniform. The crisp gray looked excellent with his green skin coloring. Not that she was looking, but hard to miss.
“Come in. …I just need a minute.”
He raised his brows at her and took a step inside the room, the door sliding shut behind him.
“I'll just change. I have something…” She rooted around in her dresser for her white skirt with tiny blue flowers and hints of green in stem and leaves. She grabbed her matching, light blue blouse and strappy sandals. “I didn't really know what to pack, but hopefully this will do.”
“You don't have to change. I thought you might be more comfortable if I didn't come in my grease-stained uniform. I figured the least I could do is clean up a bit.”
Molly swallowed her nerves and tried to smile. “I suppose, if I'm to meet the rest of the crew, I should at least try to be presentable.” She ducked out to the bathroom and changed.
“You like the endless-water's edge?” Oz called from her room.
Molly pulled a brush through her hair and tried another smile at the mirror. It looked too much like a nervous grimace. She opened the door before she lost her courage completely. He was inspecting the wall view of the ocean. Oh, that endless-water’s edge.
“It reminds me of Earth; places I've never been.”
Molly froze again, tentatively hovering in the door frame. The alien was so big. Especially standing in front of the ocean scene behind him, his alien-ness filled the room: green skin, tail flicking back and forth restlessly like a cat. She stared at the floor.
“You are of pleasant eyefulness.”
This caused her to glance over again surprised.
“You will make a good mate for me. The crew will approve of the match. They would certainly want to verlok with you, if not for our curse.” Verlok? The translator supplied the words quickly: Family tree grouping. Start a family.
“Uh…” Molly's face warmed. “…Thank you…?”
He nodded with a wide smile, obviously pleased by his compliment of her. He went to stand by the door.
As she reluctantly moved toward him, he swiped the console, so it slid open for her. The hallway beyond was silent. She drew to a stop beside him, not wanting to leave the familiarity of her room.
“They are certainly at dinner now and will be waiting.”
“Right. Sorry.”
“No trouble. They know you are settling in.” He turned and flicked off her wall viewer, so it settled back to the blank, gray wall of the ship.
Molly took a deep breath and stepped outside. Oz followed behind.
Oz led her to the ladder and made a move to go up, but paused as Molly hesitated and took a step back. Apparently the guy had really good hearing.
“Right. The ladder,” he said.
Molly flushed. She hadn't thought her outfit through. She smoothed her skirt and looked down the ladder but couldn't see anyone coming up. “Eh. Okay.” She took a step forward to grab the ladder railing with one hand, waiting for Oz to clear the way.
Instead, Oz took a step down to land on the floor next to her, the movement bringing him just a bit too close. She smelled leaves and nature, a lush forest. For a second, she stayed where she was, inhaling peace and comfort.
His eyes met hers, and he cocked his head to the side in question. “You seem uncomfortable. I thought I might show you our service elevator. It's a tail-crick but still… Unless you wished—” Oz gestured up the ladder.
“Elevator? Yes.” Molly cleared her head and took a step back.
They went back to a break between the rooms, and Oz pressed the call button with his tail. “Don't mind the creaking. It is safe but mostly used for cargo.”
Oz squeezed into the small elevator, hunching over. Molly was forced to stand uncomfortably close to him. He was solid, with hard muscle, and she breathed in his woodsy scent again. His tail flicked at her heel a couple times as he pressed the up button. He glanced down, and his tail swished quick to the other side of the elevator and pressed against the wall. “Sorry.” He leaned away awkwardly but still towered over her head. “Tail-crick,” he repeated with a shy smile.
A moment later the door slid to the side, and Molly extricated herself carefully, standing to the side so that Oz could duck out as well.
Molly heard boisterous, male laughter through the doors in front of her, and her heart tripped. More of them.
“It’s just through here,” Oz said as he opened the door.
10
Oz
As they approached the doors, Oz’s heart clenched up. He couldn’t be sure what he was worried about: Molly not liking the boys; the crew judging his mate poorly; the crew judging his mate too well? It was weird to see a girl with no tail to grab, no tail at all.
At home, a seeking mate would wrap her tail about her chosen’s leg to show her approval and openness to mate. Not that his kind, the Mahdfel, could ever take part, but in the youngling days, the girls would show their appreciation anyway, a bit of flirting practice for their later times. Oz’s kind
was off limits to general mating, and it made the girls flick their tails at them all the more fondly.
The danger to mate. Girls knew not to take it too far, but the tail expressed enough of a promise to make all the Mahdfel his age a bit on the edge of sanity, and it was why most left for the cold comfort of space. No taking part in the communions of his planet for the Mahdfel-bred. They were set apart from the community, for always.
Oz held the door for Molly, and his eyes flicked to her skirt. No tail but much to appreciate anyway: round hips to grab and pull to himself; a waist to wrap his tail around and possess.
The crew were in the middle of a story as they entered. The room fell silent, all except Haze who continued to laugh as he finished his sentence: “…and that’s why they don’t have tails…” Haze glanced over and ran his eyes over Molly’s form.
Oz hurried forward to stand between Molly and Haze’s gaze. Haze laughed and reached to pop a chip in his mouth, his eyes sliding away. Oz guided her toward the head of the table where the captain sat.
The captain rose. “Captain Keto Vren. It is nice to have the connection, Molly.” The captain held out his hand to Molly.
Molly stepped forward and clasped the captain’s hand in an odd up-and-down motion. She smiled, and the dimples that awoke upon her cheeks brought a smile to Oz’s face as well.
The girl was very cute, even with her sad lacking of a tail.
Oz felt his tail twitch toward her, and his wrists warmed again.
Haze, missing nothing, clicked his tongue loudly in code, Looker Code.
Oz steeled himself to bring himself back under control, before Haze could get any more obvious.
Oz (The Telorex Pact Book 1) Page 3
