Chapter 10
Luna: So let’s talk relationship goals! Tell me what you really want. Don’t hold back. *waving tentacle emoji*
Gemma: I love your directness, Luna. Never fear, I always tell it like it is. You can probably tell by now that I’m not shy.
Luna: Yet another thing I love about YOU, gorgeous.
Gemma: Glad you appreciate a classy dame like myself. *winky face emoji* But in all seriousness, I suppose I want what a lot of people do—someone I can trust who loves me, who can be a true and equal partner to me in all things.
Luna: I totally get that. Hookups and short-term situationships aren’t my jam anymore.
Gemma: Same. I want a deeper connection and a commitment. But I also want us to have fun together.
Luna: Indeed. For me, chemistry’s also pretty damn important.
Gemma: I think we’ve already got that in spades, don’t you? *flame emoji*
Luna: If I may be so cheesy as to use a mechanical engineering metaphor, we tune each other’s engines to perfection!
Gemma: *laughing face emoji* You’re adorkable!
—Sent via FLIRTT (Frequency Link for Interstellar Real-Time Transmission)
Luna
“Welcome to the Augmented Reality Simulation Environment!” I announce proudly while opening the door to the special room Khephren created with his mad programming skills.
Gemma looks around in confusion. “What is this place?”
On initial glance, I will admit, it isn’t terribly exciting.
The large room is, in fact, empty and entirely white—and on the surface might seem boring as fuck.
But looks can be deceiving; this place provides experiences that will knock your socks off, all through the wonders of advanced technology.
The source of all the magic, a compact computer terminal, is mounted on the wall and serves as the mainframe that runs the different program simulations.
I clear my throat and wave a tentacle with a flourish.
“Ahem. Think of this as an immersive virtual reality experience that’s light-years ahead of those you may have experienced on Earth.
” I lead her over to the mainframe, where I type in my access code and then pull up the program I worked on with Khephren to create my surprise gift for Gemma.
If my tentacles could sweat, they would be doing so right about now. Despite my bravado, I’m stupidly nervous about showing this to Gemma, worried that I maybe went way too cheesy with this plan. Too late now!
As I tap the last command button, the white walls around us disappear, and we’re standing on the sidewalk of a small town decked out in Christmas holiday decorations.
It’s visually reminiscent of many a quaint setting in a Hallmark Christmas romance movie, but with a little twist I’ve added just for us. Gemma gapes, blinking furiously as she tries to adjust to the sudden transformation of the room. She turns to me, face slack with amazement.
“Oh, my fucking god. You have a holodeck on your ship!”
That makes me laugh. “Funnily enough, that’s exactly what Sasha said the first time he came in here. From everything he’s told us about that fictional room on the Enterprise, the Augmented Reality Simulation Environment is quite similar.”
Gemma smirks at me. “Augmented Reality Simulation Environment, huh? You are aware, I hope, that such a name has a somewhat unfortunate acronym.”
I wince. “Sasha also pointed this out to us when he first arrived on the ship, but Khephren stubbornly refuses to change the name of his creation. It’s kind of his baby.”
“Leave it to a man to be fixated on asses,” Gemma says dryly, rolling her eyes.
We high-five one another in total understanding.
Gemma looks around again, whistling. “You weren’t joking about loving Hallmark Christmas movies, were you?”
My cheeks warm. “Too cheesy?”
“Nah, it’s kind of sweet.” She winks. “And I happen to like cheesy.”
My tentacles shimmy happily and those butterflies in my stomach are back.
I hurry to explain things. “Those movies certainly gave me a lot of inspiration in creating this scenario for us. Of course, I didn’t design it entirely by myself. I had a lot of help from Khephren since he’s our master programmer on the ship, but I chose all the details of the town.”
Gemma’s lips twitch. “I see. So that’s why this is an intergalactic Sapphic Solstice Winter Wonderland?”
Heh. That was my signature touch. All around us, walking along the sidewalks and going in and out of stores on the Main Street, are women couples, some of them human, some of them extraterrestrial. There are also quite a few interspecies pairings. I’ve never been one for subtlety, after all.
“I went for the lesbian Christmas utopia angle,” I admit.
Gemma chuckles and links her arm through mine. “I’m totally on board for that. Show me around and let’s enjoy ourselves.”
We stroll arm in arm down the Main Street, enjoying the immaculate Christmas displays in a couple of the storefront windows—a particular feature I have often enjoyed in human Christmas movies and wanted to replicate here.
There are two that stand out most for me.
One contains an elaborate Nutcracker-themed display while another uses the setting of the North Pole to imagine Santa’s workshop, featuring the elf helpers and their toys, Santa’s sleigh, and the eight reindeer.
Even I’m impressed by how well they turned out. The realism is uncanny.
Note to self: Share my Christmas candy with Kheph to thank him.
We turn down a side street in the town and find a Christmas market in full swing.
Gemma’s blue eyes sparkle with excitement as she drags me along to explore the different booths.
Eventually, we stop at The Celestial Cocoa Cart run by a blue-skinned alien with a matching feathery mohawk that trails down her back.
“Welcome to our cart! I’m Zeema and this is my wife, Nala,” she says, gesturing toward a lizard woman with shiny red scales all over her skin.
“Merry Christmas to you both. Would you like to try some of our cocoa?” Nala asks.
“Merry Christmas to you too. We’d love to,” Gemma agrees gamely.
Zeema prepares our disposable cups and serves us piping hot cocoa with marshmallows on top that shift to form different constellation patterns on the surface of the liquid.
“So cool,” Gemma murmurs appreciatively, then takes a cautious sip. Her eyes widen. “It’s delicious.”
We thank the friendly vendors and continue strolling while sipping our cocoa.
“How is this so real if it’s only a simulation?” she asks, her face alight with curiosity.
“This virtual environment is more advanced than human technologies have yet been able to create. Ours aims to stimulate all five senses—the experience includes things you can touch, taste, smell, see, and hear. This makes it so the simulation becomes more fully immersive to the participants.”
Gemma shakes her head in wonder. “It definitely feels, tastes, and smells completely real. I wasn’t expecting that.”
I grin. “Some of that is also the magic of Khephren’s programming skills. He’s truly one of the best out there. He wasn’t lying or exaggerating when he said he’s a genius.”
“That’s awfully handy,” Gemma agrees, “since we can benefit from his brilliance.”
“Exactly!”
As we wander deeper into the market, I pay attention to some of the clothing and jewelry Gemma is drawn to.
Once we leave the simulation, we can’t take anything tangible with us.
Everything here is only “real” while participating in the experience.
But I am getting plenty of ideas for what to buy Gemma when the Sleigh Belle stops somewhere with real vendors selling goods.
Eventually, we stop at a humanoid fortune teller with a third eye in the center of her forehead who offers to give us a free love reading.
Her booth is draped in a fabric curtain that ensures some privacy as we sit in the chairs offered to us.
Madam Aurora, as she calls herself, pulls out a deck of shimmering black cards and places them on the table.
“Are those tarot cards?” Gemma asks.
Madam Aurora flashes a mysterious smile. “Welcome, Earthling. They are similar to such cards in your culture, but specific to mine instead. We call this the Divination Deck, and it can offer insight into the answers you seek.”
I swallow hard. This must be something Kheph added to our scenario because I don’t recall planning any of this.
Not one to waste a golden opportunity, I say, “What do you see ahead for us in our relationship?”
Madam Aurora closes two of her eyes, allowing the one in the center of her forehead to stay open as she begins shuffling the cards. “Ah. You wish to know if this relationship is fleeting or if it will stand the test of time.”
I gulp. Damn, Kheph is good.
Gemma takes hold of my hand in clear solidarity.
Madam Aurora finishes her shuffling and fans the cards out on her table, face down. “Each of you must close your eyes and choose a card. Wait until you feel the pull of a card drawing your hand to the table, then you’ll know which one to select.”
We follow her instructions, and once we’ve chosen our cards, she removes the others from the table and turns our selections face up. She studies mine with all three of her eyes.
“You have chosen The Oath Engine of Solaris.”
I study the shimmering crystalline engine floating among the stars on the front of the card.