Chapter 10
Han
The thick jungle flew past them as the leaper took long jumps over the dense greenery. She caught flashes of movement and occasionally heard a yowl or growl loud enough to pass through the leaper’s armored body.
She leaned forward to talk to the Leemron operator. “Nothing can get to us, right?”
The catlike Leemron hissed out a laugh. “Only a herd of nafty could bring us down, but it’s too early in the season for them to be this far north.”
Han was a station and city girl. She’d rarely ever dealt with wilderness or wildlife, so the Leemron’s assurances didn’t calm her.
“Do they have accurate calendars? Could they accidentally move north sooner than they’re supposed to?”
The Leemron hissed again, making Han realize he thought she was joking.
She wasn’t, but she let it go. The operator wasn’t concerned, so she shouldn’t be either. She tried to relax back into the chair, but the moment she heard another strange animal sound, she sat bolt upright, gripping the armrests with white knuckles.
“Han, are you well?” Zeph asked. “Is the motion making you feel bad?”
Before she had a chance to answer, he picked her up and snuggled her onto his lap. His hibiscus scent surrounded her, familiar and comforting.
Although last night was the first time they’d been intimate, it felt like they’d been together forever.
“I'm fine,” she said, snuggling against him. He rubbed a cheek on the top of her head and the scent got even stronger.
Despite their time in the cleansing unit that morning, Zeph’s plating was still bright red. She looked forward to when he returned to his natural sand-like coloring. Now that she’d realized how lax security and law keeping were on the planet, she didn’t bother using the thinsill to hide herself.
She’d felt even more relief when she talked to the Leemron operator and found out Sandar and her husband were the only Talins on the planet.
A research group was scheduled for next year, but that was it.
The Leemrons on the planet weren’t interested in anything but either surviving or studying the wildlife.
Something banged against the belly of the jumper, making her jerk in Zeph’s arms. “What was that?” she cried out loud enough for the operator to hear.
“Nothing to worry about,” the Leemron answered. “Sometimes the tiffors that live in the trees attack the leaper. They’re harmless.”
“I doubt that,” she mumbled, gripping one of Zeph’s hands in both of hers.
Zeph stroked her back with his free hand. “You have nothing to fear. I’ll protect you.”
“That’s sweet,” she said. “I’ll get to see you get eaten first.”
He sounded a rumble of amusement. “I’ll make sure to choke the beast.”
The banter helped distract her. “You do that, and I’ll set up the nicest memorial for you.”
A look past Zeph showed her Tumoro with his excited face pressed against the small oblong window. Tumoro was like her insofar as he’d never visited a place so wild. Unlike her, he was fascinated instead of terrified.
“We’re almost there,” the operator announced. “Three more lengths and we’ll be settling inside their perimeter.”
“Is there a fence? Like at the port?” she asked. “Or are we going to be chased indoors by wild beasts who think I look tasty?”
“I wouldn’t blame any animal,” Zeph said, purring. “You’re the tastiest thing I’ve ever had in my mouth.”
His words helped distract her.
“Yeah?” she murmured, putting her face close to his. “You're pretty delicious too.”
She brushed her lips against his. He moved the hand that was petting her back up so he cupped her head and pressed gently. Opening her mouth, she welcomed a deeper kiss.
All thoughts of the deadly jungle disappeared.
Despite making love last night and this morning, Han felt lust rush through her system. It was like she was a teenager again!
She moaned into Zeph’s mouth, and his purring changed to the sexual rhythm she loved so much. It made her want to strip him down and ride him right in that chair.
She moved one hand to rub on a scent gland, making him shudder.
A hard jolt brought her out of the make-out session. Ending the kiss, both of them looked around to see they’d landed and the controller was flipping switches.
“First Matriarch Han, we’re here!” Tumoro said, his body vibrating with excitement. Now that he’d decided she and Zeph were his new family, he could relax into perceiving everything as a grand adventure. “Oh, I think I saw something in the bushes!”
“That’s a nafty,” the controller said. “I saw a herd just as we were landing.”
All the anxiety Zeph had pushed away with his kiss came flooding back. “How do we scare them off?” she asked, wishing she had some kind of projectile weapon.
“No need to worry,” the controller said and pressed a final switch. The leaper’s motor lowered into an idle mode and the side door to the vehicle opened. He pointed out the open door. “See, you’re safe.”
Han was relieved to see the tall zapper fence between them and the dense wilderness beyond. As she stared past the fence, she saw multiple things move but couldn’t clearly distinguish them from the thick plantlife. Was that a horn or claw she saw?
More tree branches and bushes moved as she got off Zeph’s lap and exited the leaper. He and Tumoro were right behind her.
No sooner was she standing on the ground than a terrible scream filled the air. It ended as abruptly as it started. She almost got back on the leaper and demanded the controller take her with him!
She couldn’t wait to get off this planet and back to civilization.
The three of them waited beside the jumper as the operator stood at the door and handed them their stuff from the secured lockers. Han was a little surprised no one came out of any of the buildings to greet them.
“The trundle is missing,” the operator noted after handing them the last bag. They’d packed as many supplies as they could for the night they’d need to spend here before the larger leaper brought the cargo boxes tomorrow.
“Trundle?” Han and Zeph asked in unison.
The operator pointed to a spot in the fence that looked like a square door.
“That’s the trundle access point. If they were here, there’d be a trundle parked just beyond there with the back hatch against the door.
Trundles are designed to be electrified on the outside so they can be left parked and become part of the fence.
They must be out collecting samples or tracking something. ”
She felt Zeph relax a little behind her, probably because he had a little reprieve from seeing his sister.
Han kinda understood. After missing this holiday season, she wasn’t looking forward to facing her family, especially her mom and aunts.
It had to be worse for Zeph; he hadn’t seen his sister since they were young.
She couldn’t imagine life without her family and community. They might be noisy, intrusive, and irritating, but they were also loving, caring, and supportive. Honestly, was there one without the other?
“I can’t wait for them to get back,” the operator said apologetically. “You’re safe here, but you have the option to return with me and come back tomorrow with the cargo.”
Even though the operator was looking at her, she moved her gaze to Zeph. “It’s your call.”
Zeph sounded a negative rumble. “We’ll stay here.”
“Sure,” the operator said. “I’ll see you tomorrow with the cargo.”
“Thanks,” Han said, then stepped back to let the operator shut the door and prep to leave. Between the hot sun, high humidity, and scary sounds coming from the jungle beyond the zapper fence, Han wanted to go inside.
“Let’s wait in the domicile,” she said. “Normally I wouldn’t simply walk into someone's domicile when they aren’t home, but I feel like these aren’t normal circumstances."
Tumoro, who was used to a colder environment, was quick to agree with her. “The walls of their domicile are made of cooling panels, so it’ll be much nicer inside.”
Zeph rumbled his agreement. “I’m sure they’ll understand. And your face is looking a little flushed.” He sounded a worried rumble. “Are you feeling feverish?”
“My skin is pale, so I turn red easily when I get hot.” She gave him a salacious smile. “Don’t you remember last night?”
He sounded a rumble of amusement as he reached down to grab the bags. “If you don’t return to your normal coloring once we’re inside, I think we should check your core temperature.”
“Give me a bit and I’ll be back to my pale self,” she said, reaching down to grab a bag.
Tumoro and Zeph were quick to heft most of them, leaving only two small ones for Han to lug inside. Bemused, she followed them to the domicile.
The door opened automatically, and they stepped inside. Han let out a relieved sigh and dropped her bags next to the door.
“Oh, this is nice,” she said, leaning against a wall that was almost too cold.
“Very nice,” Tumoro agreed as he and Zeph carried the bags to a table set up against a wall.
While they stacked their bags, Han took in the domicile.
The place was nice for a scientific outpost. Along with all the basic necessities like a food storage and preparation room, there was a good-sized central space set up with lab equipment and a few empty cages, and then three other doors.
One was open and it was clearly a cleansing and elimination room.
The other two must be a bedroom and storage.
What struck Han was the small details added that made the place welcoming.
There was a glass mosaic set in a window, casting colorful light into the room.
The low couch-like piece of furniture looked fluffy and inviting.
There were also several bundles of leafy plants hanging from the ceiling creating a pleasant scent.
Han pushed away from the wall and walked up to the guys. “Sandar and her husband have done a good job of making this place look nice. I wonder what those herbs are.”
Zeph looked around the room. “My sister has always excelled at efficiently using space.”
“Rensom, are you back already?”