43. Bambi
BAMBI
A FEW LUNAR ROTATIONS LATER (EQUIVALENT TO EARTH MONTHS)
Winding down for the night, I think about how much I enjoy my new life, and how much better it is than what I had back on Earth. We’ve all managed to find our place here in one fashion or another.
Slavic and Ruarc mined for a precious mineral when the Aynar controlled this planet.
Using that knowledge, they’re assessing whether or not any of the existing shafts are viable to resume excavating.
The minerals are still valuable on the Void’s market, and would provide an important commodity to sell or trade with other worlds.
Rembz would be able to begin intergalactic commerce without being indebted to anyone else for start-up costs.
After an initial period of observation, Murgul was asked to start training people who want to learn to fight.
Vornek was rather insistent that Murgul fill the role.
Apparently, he was able to hack some of the Aynar’s records and found out what Murgul is.
What he didn’t account for was Vrog. Murgul has patience…
Vrog does not. It’s been pretty entertaining—you can tell who ran combat practice each day by the number of wounds the warriors in training leave with.
Einar and Rowan took over the infirmary.
No one else in the community has the medical expertise Einar does, and he’s been training Rowan to be his assistant.
Most evenings at supper, Einar chastises Murgul and Vrog—mostly Vrog—for making so much extra work for him and Rowan—reminding them it’s not necessary to treat combat simulation training like real-life or death situations.
Heather conned Bikar into installing a CIP and reproducer in the vacant building she claimed. With Gwen’s help, they’ve opened a boutique-meets-mercantile. Whatever you can think of, they can figure out how to make for you.
Ruby’s used her various life experiences and opened a café. She’s having a lot of fun using real ingredients to make dishes instead of relying on the replicator for meals. The little patio space in front of her business is always full of customers.
Shagar opened a daycare and school. She was taught back on Uzrul how to teach the young and prepare them for adulthood.
It was an easy role for her to slip back into, and it makes caring for Atasha easier.
Atasha has made several friends her age as well, and seems happier than ever once she settled in.
Since my emotional connection with Bikar has deepened, my nonexistent relationship with Shagar has started growing.
I’m still not comfortable calling her “mam”, but I don’t actively avoid being around her anymore.
In fact, spending time with her is actually enjoyable since we like a lot of the same things.
Bikar’s been working his way through a massive list of repairs Vornek gave him.
The virus Bikar made that fried all the systems when they escaped worked a little too well.
It’s been causing Vornek and the other Ruks a lot of problems. Bikar had to figure out how to reverse-engineer part of his code to start making repairs and turning machinery back on.
Then there’s me.
I started a community garden.
It’s not glamorous like some of my friends’ roles in our little neighborhood, but I love it.
Bikar downloaded everything I could possibly need to know about Rembz: from the seasons, how long the days are, weather patterns, plant husbandry, and more.
Thanks to some of the advanced technology here, I’ve been able to grow plants relatively quickly without sacrificing the integrity of the process, or stripping the fruits and vegetables of their nutrients.
There’s only one storm cloud in my otherwise sunshine-filled new life.
It’s the end of another day, and I’m in my bed, in my room, alone. How is it that I’m surrounded by people all day, basically living with my alien boyfriend, but I’m still lonely? Bikar’s just as attentive as he’s been since we started dating, or in his words, “the wooing,” but something’s missing.
Intimacy.
Bikar and I don’t have the same type of closeness the other couples do, and it’s all my fault.
I’ve been ready to move our relationship to the next level—sex—for a while, but every time I’ve tried to talk to Bikar about it, I chicken out and change the subject.
Thank God he isn’t affected by the mating sickness, or else he’d be long dead by now.
My heart squeezes painfully at the thought.
Somehow, the infuriating pain in the ass has weaseled his way into my heart.
I’m in love with my alien boyfriend.
Not that he knows that either. Because, again, I’ve lost my nerve each time I’ve tried to confess my feelings to him.
Scrubbing my hands over my face in frustration, I try to think this through.
Heather’s been harassing me for weeks to rip it off like a Band-Aid and just tell him.
That’s her advice, but I’m not bold like that. I never have been.
Am I sassy? Yes.
Am I bold enough to just blurt out deep inner feelings? Not really.
But… I’m not making any progress doing it my way, so what the heck do I have to lose?
Time to follow my bestie’s advice.