“Does he know?”
“Know what?”Tiny didn’t look up, choosing instead to fiddle with her tools.
“That you like him?”
Tiny gasped and glanced at the door, grateful he stomped.“No,” she mumbled.
“Why not?”
Tiny dropped her chin to her chest.How to explain to a woman, a new crewmate, how shitty she felt about herself and why?No, she didn’t want to go down that path when all she’d hear were platitudes.
“You’re beautiful as you are, Tiny.He would be a fool not to see that.”
Tiny snorted, tears pressing at the backs of her useless eyes.“Right, and now that you’re here—”
“Tell him I have someone.”
“You do?”Tiny snapped her head up.
Vic hummed.“In a way.”
Tiny inched closer to sniff.“Is that the man I smell on you?”
Vic laughed.“What does he smell like?”
“Sunlight, hot rocks, sheer masculinity?”Like real sunlight, the kind only experienced on the outskirts of the domed cities.Dad had taken her once to the sand dunes, spinning tales of seas that were now dead.
“Yes,” Vic said, her voice husky.That sound alone told Tiny she spoke the truth.Whoever the man was, Vic was attached emotionally.
Tiny’s twitching fingers nudged a vial.“I’ll send you the results of your bloodwork.”
Vic strode to the door, her faint footsteps now etched into Tiny’s memory.“Mind if I visit you?”
Tiny froze, unsure she’d heard her correctly.“Sure.”
“You’re the only one without a hidden agenda.”Vic sucked in a shuddering breath.“Here, I can be myself.”
Hidden agenda?Like what?“You’re welcome anytime, Vic.I’m alone for the most part.”Damn if Tiny didn’t sound sad.
She almost squeaked when Vic clasped her hand.“See you later?”
The door swished open, and the familiar smell of oil and grease told Tiny who stood in the doorway.
“Sure,” she said then waved at Dieter.“Bye, Deets.”
Chapter Ten
Year: 2219
Meeting the Humans
Lunar Base
Theyweresocloseto finding out who sent that foqen pod.Nenn shuffled his feet, on guard duty with Vaen at the end of theAroagni’sramp.They’d found the source of the species in the pods, going by the term ‘humans.’Which was why Aehort had opted to dock on a moon orbiting a pretty, blue-white planet.Drafe and Aehort had left with the human ambassador, being diplomatic.
Nenn winced.He hated being polite when anger fueled his veins.Every pod they’d found had been in pieces or charred bits.The genders varied, and the injuries were odd, like parts of their bodies were missing.
Before him, stretching as far as he could see, were bridges traveling many levels up, higher than Erasril was tall.Thousands of humans strolled across them, riding those boxes up and down, or they zoomed around in their little yellow shuttles, servicing or refueling the docked ships.The platforms were in crisp white but grayer to black the farther they descended.A dome showed part of the moon’s dull, craggy landscape and a wall of stars behind a blue planet.
