by Mara Jaye
She leaves, followed by the probe first, and then me. There’s no way I’m letting her run around, curating acid alone. I might not be at full strength, thanks to the painkillers, but I’m more than half. “The sunsets are terrific when the trees let you see the sky.”
“You’re not even supposed to be here.”
Xell isn’t looking back at me. Like I’m a charkin who goes back home when ignored. Not happening. “Do you have a particular stalk in mind?” Her exasperated sigh amuses me. “Or are you going to be on the hunt for the perfect one?”
“Perfect is nice, but I’ll bet they’re all the same inside.” She shakes her head, stopping at a short specimen. Peering into the depths, she adds, “Nothing ever makes it out of these things and after your uniform, no wonder.”
“How will you get a sample?”
She reaches into a pocket. “Voila!” A slender metal tube shines in the dimming sunlight. “I’ll slide this into one of the stems.” She opens up the blade.
“I’ve seen those in rest stops on Earth.”
“Souvenirs.” She slowly slides the blade into the stalk. “This is from one of my friends who didn’t survive the landing. I have no idea how he got it.”
A thin trickle of goo begins running down the tree. The probe comes up, reaching a flat tongue like appendage from between the lens and the curved bottom half. “I hope the acid doesn’t destroy the device.”
“Me too, or the doc is back where she started.” We’re both watching the probe to see if anything goes wrong. I feel Xell touch my hand and our fingers intertwine. “Nothing is melting, which is good. These things are tough, though.”
“Oh?” She pauses for a second, “Oh, yeah, they’re very versatile. I’d love to have a couple just to explore Earth with. It makes our deep ocean robots look amateurish.”
I can’t help but laugh. “Considering your society’s age, they are.”
“Come on, be nice.” She leads me back to the shuttle. “I’d ask you lots more about your part in the Alliance and how everything started. Especially about the Originators and how they seeded the galaxy.”
“But?”
“Everything is in the datalinks. I don’t want to pester you for answers I could search for on my own.”
“You can ask anything at any time.” I try using my bionans with no results. Frustrated, I admit, “I may not be able to answer, but I wouldn’t mind discussing whatever I remember.”
“I’ll bet you used the datalinks as a backup brain a lot more than you thought you did.” She squeezed my hand. “If it helps, I don’t know anyone’s phone number. My phone stored everything for me.”
We’re back at the shuttle. The first star of the night twinkles. “About those carnivorous plants, shouldn’t we be inside right now?” The probe is already there, sitting on the floor like a waiting pet.
“Yeah,” she says, leading me onto the craft. “I wouldn’t mind keeping the door ajar to let some fresh air in.”
“I can solve that with a shower.”
Xell laughed, wrapping her arms around me. “You smell terrific. I don’t know how your cologne smells like bergamot and chocolate, but it does.”
“You like?”
“Love. Is it an Earth brand?”
“It’s natural. Something about our bonding means my scent attracts you and yours attracts me. Our systems reach out for each other based on the best DNA match. There have been enhancements over the centuries with personality and bionans being the latest. But, when our bodies decide who our bondmates are, resisting is nearly impossible.”
Her eyes glow. “How do you cope with all of the “accept match” queries?”
I give her a long, lingering kiss before answering, “Since it’s just you and me here, you accept.”
She stares at me for several seconds. “If I do, will you regret being tied to me?”
Xell can’t be serious. But then, she’s had difficult relationships and I understand her insecurity too well. I cup her face in my hands. “Never. I’d be the happiest person in the universe.”
She presses her lips against my palm. “Not just the galaxy?”
“Everywhere.”
“Match accepted, then,” she whispers. “If you weren’t so ill, I’d set notifications to do not disturb.”
Unable to resist, I kiss her again. “I’m not too ill for sealing our union. Parts of me are doing quite well, in fact.”
“Maybe later, when you don’t need pain meds to function.”
She’s not wrong. Several parts of me have begun to ache and the microexpressions must be giving me away. I help her spread out our mattress and bedding for the night. The earlier nap refreshed me but I’m exhausted. Neither one of us talk while getting comfortable. She turns down the lights and keeps the door open a small bit. All silently communicated through her internal system. I try to not be jealous, but I am. I want my access back soon or I’ll go crazy from the isolation.
Xell snuggles me, pressing her cute butt against my hips. She chuckles when my cock responds. “Down boy. Tomorrow, if you’re better.”
“Tomorrow it is, then.”
I didn’t think I could fall asleep with her body against mine but the shuttle’s incoming message chime pulls me into consciousness. She’s still out. I disentangle from her and go to the command center. Dr. RenShell’s face appears. Going by the dark circles under her eyes, she hasn’t slept since she left Ghar. I greet her with, “Good morning.”
“The acid works. It dissolves the Emol nanos and is the only thing that will.”
I don’t think I’ve seen anyone so pleased with themselves since graduation day at the academy. Reluctant to destroy her glee, I try to keep my question soft. “And the host body?”
Her expression changes. “All right. Yes, there are a few more problems to solve, but one at a time. I hate to admit if I do administer this and it doesn’t kill you, all of your internal systems built up by the prior Alliance nanos will need replacing.”
“They’ll melt too?”
She nods. “Like they are now, only this time, the Emol nanos are the ones removed instead of doing the removing.”
“It’s progress, right?” I shrug. “If they could be built in the first place, they could be rebuilt.”
“Yes, very true and it’s tremendous progress because I didn’t know what else besides throwing them in a black hole would kill them.” RenShaw all but claps her hands as Xell comes up beside me, rubbing her eyes. “About time you woke up. I’ve isolated a few elements in the acid’s fluid which might leave biological components unaffected. All I need now is a true sample, isolated in a containment field, to double check my theories.”
“Does that mean…?” Xell begins.
“Yes. Director LureShell has sent the unlock codes to your shuttle. Please bring the craft up to my ship as soon as possible.”
Chapter Fifteen
Xell
I’m beyond happy. Even if nothing works out and we have to return to Emol? We’ll have left the planet for a brief moment in our lives. I can’t help but stare at G’nar for a moment. I see my own hope echoed on his face. “This is good news,” I say, ever the savant for stating the obvious.
G’nar laughs. “Very. I just need to remember how to fly this thing without internal help.
“Eh,” I wave away his concerns. “It’s just like riding a bike.”
“Sure. Let’s pretend that’s true.” He kisses my forehead. “If she clears us of the contagion, we might not be able to return.”
“I see.” I put my arms around him. “I’d like to go visit the graves one last time and gather a few things.”
“Do you need me to go with you? Or would you rather have the time alone?”
I almost ask him to come along, but can feel his worry over piloting the shuttle. “I’ll be fine. Just a quick goodbye to them and good riddance to the Vahdmoshi ship.”
“It made a pretty good home, though.”
“It did.” I give him a ling
ering kiss. “Contact me the instant anything changes, okay?”
“Will do.”
I glare at him. “No leaving me behind?”
“Never do.”
“Good.” One more kiss and I leave to let him run through the prelaunch tasks. There’s not a clear path to the other ship and I smile. Seems G’nar and I are homebodies. We might change after the honeymoon is over. I can’t help but love at how he and I connect. Mentally and so wonderfuly physically. If we were somewhere even a little more lush with running water, fresh fruits and vegetables, and a solid bed? I could be happy not returning to Earth.
The Vahdmoshi ship now seems shabby now that I’ve lived in the Alliance shuttle. G’nar’s right. It made a good temporary home. The crack in the hull is bigger than I remember and mold is growing along one of the walls. Everything material I wanted is already in the other vessel. Kik bird tracks run through parts of the cargo bay. I consider following them to see how far into the ship they go. But no, because I know I’m stalling. After a deep breath, I walk around and over to where my friends lie in peace.
Their graves are still undisturbed. Now, I know there are no animal predators on Emol. Still, I’m glad I didn’t wait before taking care of them. My hip hasn’t bothered me since the antidote. Not much, anyway, and I remember the horror and pain of that day. I shiver despite the warm morning. “Goodbye, everyone,” I whisper. “I’m so sorry I couldn’t do more.”
Tears fill my eyes and I can’t go on. Silently, I apologize for not being able to tell their families where they are. If I was in their place, and I sometime wished I had been, I hope I’d understand. Besides surviving the crash, happiness over being able to leave enhances my guilt. After a few more minutes, my innercom notifies me of a message from G’nar via the shuttle. I open it and smile at how he’s sent feelings instead of words. I didn’t know such a thing was possible. There are plenty of sensations I’d love to transmit to him. I give one last look, press my fingertips to my mouth in a goodbye kiss to them, and return to the ship.
The look of happiness and relief on G’nar’s face makes everything I’ve gone through since Earth worth it. He turns back to the control panel. “Good timing. Secure whatever you’ve brought back and strap in.”
“Yes, sir,” I quip, sliding into the co-pilot’s seat. “Do you want me to download a Flying Shuttles for Earthers manual so I can help?
He laughs. “Would you?” After giving me a wry glance, he adds, “No. I’m good. You were right about how fast this is coming back to me. Part of our training is to turn off everything inside and use natural skill to do the basics. I’d still prefer every bit of artificial help I can get in a fight, but this is good.”
The craft lifts off and he’s right. This is good. I think about what outside must look like and options to view through various shuttle cameras pop into my mind. Nice, and I cycle through several. Mountains lie in the distance, as does a large body of water. Big enough to be an ocean, maybe? I’m not sure because there are so many other things to examine. A desert in the middle of one continent. I had learned a lot of the geography in the Emol database but to see it first hand is awesome. “I can’t imagine why the fight to clean up the planet hasn’t been more aggressive. A little bit of development and you’d have a tourist destination.”
“Just not at night and stay away from the stalks.”
“Good point, though people go on safari in Africa. I feel like stalks are a lot more predictable than lions.” I turn to him, remembering his lack of bionans. “Do you remember them?”
He nods before relaxing a little. “Yes. We took the prince to the zoo when he was younger to let him see Earth animals up close.”
I have a feeling his time there is somewhat classified. Especially after I ping the datalinks and very little comes back. It doesn’t matter. I’m nervous and chattering.
“We’re not going as fast as Dr. RenShell’s cures because the forces aren’t as kind to us.”
“I’m glad you’re taking it easy on me. It’s only my second time in space,” I add and laugh. “Not a whole lot of Earthers can say that.”
“Not yet.”
“You lived there and still have hope for us?” I shake my head, watching as another spaceship looms larger in the forward windows. “I’m not sure I do sometimes.”
“You’re a very promising species of humanoid. A little too much like the Vahdmoshi at times, but for most of you, your hearts are in the right place.”
“I’d like to think so.” I watch as a door in the side of the ship slides up. This all doesn’t seem real. If I didn’t know better, I’d swear I was in one of those tricked out movie theaters. I keep cycling through the shuttle’s cameras but only a couple of viewpoints are interesting. There’s no frame of reference for how big Emol is. I switch back to the doctor’s ship, which is impressively large. “Are all medical spaceships this size?”
“This is a middle sized. Some are faster and smaller, like ambulances, and others are hospitals.”
He’s frowning a little. I’ve already grown so used to bionans, I’ve forgotten his are offline. Letting him concentrate, I stay quiet while we enter the larger ship. There’s a huge difference in the Alliance vessel and the Vahdmoshi’s. It’s brighter with more grays than anything else. The lighting is much better, too. G’nar’s landing is perfect and I don’t feel when the feet touch the floor. I look at him, wondering what to do.
“We’ll need to be disinfected first. Outside, then inside, then us.” He unbuckled and stood, looking out. “Although, I don’t know how she’s going to clean us entirely. We might be here a while.”
“Welcome.” The doctor is a small figure in a large bay window. She waves. “I have a primary cleaner being sprayed. It’s beneficial to humanoids and will allow the probe to give me the sample.”
G’nar opens the shuttle. A rush of the mist wafts in, smelling like Emol’s plant life after a hot and humid day. I want to breathe deep but my throat tickles. The probe rises and floats out toward an open door.
“Relax for a while. The medicine will clear out the inactive nanos in both of you. Expect coughing and needing to visit the facilities.”
“I don’t know if I like this,” G’nar mutters.
I look to see what he means and he’s right. The mist is coating our shuttle in a gray film. “Me either. Dr. RenShell, are you sure we should be breathing in something like this?” I send an image of the slime and of lungs.
“Absolutely. Those are the inactivated nanos floating around. They’re in your body even more than in the air.”
“Yech.”
“Agreed,” G’nar adds.
I give him a wink. “We could shower the slime off of us together. Might be fun.”
“Hm, would be very except for the coughing.”
The suggestion leads me to clear my throat before giving into coughing. He joins in while going to the washroom for wipes. We each have a stack, using them and going to the restroom as needed. An Earth hour goes by before I realize we’re both getting better. No word from Dr. RenShell, but I feel comfortable talking to G’nar without having to interrupt myself. “I hope she’s close to a cure.”
“This is more than I hoped for when landing.”
My heart expands in my chest with love for him. “Thank you for staying with me. Your kindness is why I want the best for you.” I take his hand. “No matter what happens, you’re my bondmate.” An incoming message alert, high priority, distracts me. “There’s something important. Let me send it to the display.”
I do and the best looking man I’ve ever seen is on the screen. I whisper, “Holy shit.”
“Hello, Enforcer MaKrell, Ms Perches, a pleasure to meet you. The circumstances are unfortunate, but I hear are improving.”
Words escape me and I sit there transfixed. He speaks English and did I mention gorgeous? Like, wearing a uniform similar to G’nar’s, only white with gold piping. He’s very clearly a Gharian and if all the men look like him? I can see
a mass exodus of Earther women headed for Ghar. “It’s a pleasure and yes, improving.”
“Do you need a towel for the drool, dearest?” G’nar hisses.
“Possibly,” I whisper back. “Do you allow polygamy for your women?”
“Some do.” He takes my hand. “I don’t.”
“Have I contacted you at a bad time,” the Emperor asks. “You both seem distracted.”
G’nar lets go of me and sits up straight. “Not anymore, sir. Please continue.”
“As I was saying, the Empress is eager to meet Ms. Perches in person. I’ve warned her doing so may not be possible, given the nanobot situation. I’ve explained I may have to sentence you both in absentia.”
“Sentence? What? Like for a crime?” I manage to croak out.
“Yes, for a crime. Dr. RenShell has briefed me you have bionans. Your accesses to our datalinks prove your ability. You’re a Sixth Worlder who’s off planet—”
“Come on, Eldan. You know that isn’t her fault,” G’nar interjects and I turn to him, my mouth a little agape. He’s arguing with the Emperor of the entire galaxy? He’s crazy. “Plus, you can’t charge her for being on Emol when it wasn’t her choice.”
“You were reading my mind. She is in fact charged for violating the Emol Quarentine. I would punish the Vahdmoshi who left her there but they’ve succumbed to the contagion. Enforcer BaKrell found them on his way to Pon.”
Now that I know my accesses leave digital footprints, I’m loath to look up all the punishments for the crimes they want to stick on me.
Still think he’s hot? enters my mind.
I nearly break my neck to look at G’nar. You’re back! He’s still talking. Should we be paying attention?
Slowly, but yes. He coughs. We should, but did you know you can play all of this back later?
What about sexy times? Can we play them back as well? I send a few choice memories from our lovemaking.
He laughs, covering it up with another cough. That too.
“I’m glad I amuse you two. Get better, then get back home. You’ll have a reception, provided you’re allowed in public, and then we’ll talk about your punishment.”
