Nenn gawked, his mind reeling at having a human on theAroagni.A pale-yellow braid draped over a shoulder.Her body was tiny, compact, but rippling with strength.She met his gaze with warriorlike boldness.
With an odd wiggle of her fingers in greeting, she sat next to Nenn, bringing with her a feminine scent so sweet, he longed to inhale it deep into his lungs.“Those are your names?”
Drafe laughed.“Your family name is last; our tribe name is first.Aac means from, and maed, taed, arrak, uz, and sava are ranks.”
Now, that is intriguing.Nenn glanced at Gusin who’d frozen in place, a kurrula hallway to his mouth.
“This is a military ship.”She gestured to their armored pants then chuckled.“You’re so colorful.Is there a significance to your red and blue hair and matching eyes?”She smiled at Drafe when he set water, tulsig cakes, and garak before her.
“Each tribe has a color.None know why.”Nenn grinned, delighted to have met her.He tore another strip off his audinna.“That’s the Giniiri in my name.”
“It also means from which clime we stem.”Gusin finished the last of his kurrula.“Giniiri is the volcano tribe.Zuphayr is where the sky meets the water.”
“And Meorri?”She hesitated to eat a tulsig cake, but when she did, she moaned, her eyelashes fluttering.Thinking her in pain, Nenn almost pulled his med-dev from his pants.“This issogood,” she said, gazing at them, honesty in her expression.
When Drafe didn’t react with any alarm, Nenn released a breath and carried his empty plate to the disposal.“Drafe is from the desert tribe.”He gripped Drafe’s forearm then left, eager to research kissing now that he’d met a living human female.
His room, dark and hot, was reminiscent of his home in Erasril.His bed was like a rock ledge, but the indoor waterfall instead of a pool he’d had to get used to.At least he could set its temperature to scorching, which he doubted Caah did.The ceiling was speckled with fake venai stones, mimicking the formation of stars above his beloved volcano.He stripped off his pants and boots, setting them in alcoves in the ‘rock-hewn’ walls.
Exhaustion pressed on him.The day had been eventful, rattling his perceptions of the universe he barely knew.Change and death were life’s constants, yet he hadn’t expected both to be so swift and impactful.His father had gone from a hug to the fire, forever altering Nenn’s course.They’d abandoned a dead human on Ceres and returned to a live one in their ship.
He stepped under the water, hissing when it engulfed him in heat.Tilting his face to the spray, his thoughts circled to Vic.He hadn’t expected her softness or her core of controlled strength.Something niggled.He squeezed his eyes shut, focusing his mind.What was it?
His breath caught.Vic had the same hairline scars as the female in the pod.No wonder Drafe had reacted with shock.Not all humans carried the same scars.Did that mean she had hidden implants?Nenn itched to scan her and study the results.How did her body handle the robotic creaturesandsymbiotes?Was she exhibiting symptoms?
Judging by her and Drafe’s exploits, humans and Qaldreth were compatible, but could she bear children?
Did Aehort know any of this?
Nenn scoffed.An Ivoyan, even an uz, had intelligence far beyond a mere Qaldreth’s understanding.Aehort had steered them well thus far, his insights phenomenal.Nenn deactivated the spray, rubbed his body with a towel, then sprawled on his bed.He tapped his tablet and typed in the word ‘kiss.’
Streams of video footage showed acts of kissing, their varieties, and for the most part, how to do it.His gut tightened when a female swirled her tongue into a male’s mouth.He’d never seen the like.
And as Osnir was his witness, he wanted to try this kissing with every fiber of his being.
Chapter Thirteen
Year: 2219
Mula Pesada
En Route to Europa
Tinyfroze,anglingherear toward the ceiling.“What did you say?”
“Victoria Barnes has been lost to space.”
A crushing weight squeezed Tiny’s chest, and she staggered back, throwing her hand out to catch the counter.“No, it can’t be.”She pressed a fist to her mouth as the tears flowed.“Oh, Vic,” she sobbed.“When?”
“Hours ago.”
“And you tell me now?”she yelled between sniffs and wiping her cheeks.
“So you heard?”Dieter asked, startling a squeak from her.
“Just,” she rasped, wishing he’d come closer for a hug.She wasn’t going to ask for one, though.“How…did this happen, Deets?Don’t we have safety nets in place or restraints?”
“Some freak accident, so Nikko says.”
