Chapter 18
Gemma: There’s something I’m curious about.
Luna: Your curiosity is delightful. Ask away, beautiful. I’m an open book.
Gemma: What made you become a ship’s engineer and mechanic?
Luna: Let me satisfy your curiosity. *winky face emoji* Ever since I was a kid, I loved taking things apart and figuring out how they worked.
It drove my parents nuts. There wasn’t a gadget or device in the house that I didn’t dismantle and put back together again.
It was a no-brainer when I went to college that I’d study mechanical engineering.
Then, when Kheph began creating blueprints for a ship he wanted to build, I knew I wanted to design and construct the engine for it. The rest, as they say, is history.
Gemma: That’s so cool.
Luna: Right? I freaking love my job. You can ask me anything you want.
Gemma: Giving me carte blanche, eh? How thrilling.
Luna: I can thrill you all night long, gorgeous.
Gemma: Dammit! How long until we get to meet? I might explode from all this built-up sexual frustration.
Luna: I have a Christmas calendar and I’m marking off the days.
—Sent via FLIRTT (Frequency Link for Interstellar Real-Time Transmission)
Luna
“Ifigured out what I want to do going forward,” Gemma announces.
I’m pressed right up against her side, lending my support.
Right now, we’re eating breakfast with the rest of the crew, aka our quirky little interspecies family.
All eyes focus on Gemma, the food forgotten.
“Already?” Felix asks incredulously.
Gemma tosses her hair over her shoulder and gives her brother a smug look. “Not everyone needs a lot of time to figure their shit out, bro.”
I cough to conceal my laughter. Not very effectively, mind you.
Kheph squirms excitedly in his seat, his pink tentacles waving in the air. “Don’t leave us in suspense. Tell us your amazing plan.”
So Gemma does. When she gets to the end of it all, I’m relieved to see everyone smiling.
Najar crosses his arms and nods with clear approval.
“This is a strong proposal, and one I’m prepared to endorse.
As you mentioned, we’ve already done some informal emergency response work in the past, and our crew possess a valuable range of skills that can help in almost any kind of similar scenario.
” His lips twitch. “I also suspect that this will appeal greatly to our captain’s do-gooder personality. ”
Unable to contain himself any longer, Khephren shoots up out of his seat and begins twirling around, his tentacles flailing excitedly.
“Exactly right, Najar! When I created the Sleigh Belle, I envisioned it as a future home for me to travel the universe in, ideally with friends and a lover. My dreams on that front have already come true. It’s as if the universe heard my prayers and answered them.
Now I want to give back and repay those blessings, and this could be the perfect way to do that.
” He beams. “Besides, like you said, we are a group of ultra-talented individuals and the perfect cohort to provide emergency assistance to those we encounter in our travels who are stranded, injured, or in any other type of distress.”
Sasha gently but firmly pulls his husband back into his seat, reining him in with ease.
“Wonderfully said, babe. I also support Gemma’s proposal.
” His eyes glitter. “In fact, I could get to work today on creating a promotional video advertising our services as an emergency response ship and then transmit it far and wide.”
“Ooh!” Kheph says.
Najar holds up a hand. “Slow down, everyone. I think our first step is to submit Gemma’s proposal to the Intergalactic Alliance.
” He looks around the table and then sighs.
“In other words, I will reach out to the Intergalactic Alliance and pitch this in a manner I’m confident they won’t be able to resist.”
Kheph and Sasha both start clapping.
“That’s our reliable Najar,” Kheph says.
Felix leans into his boyfriend’s side with a smile full of admiration. “You’re the man, my love.”
“Someone has to be a responsible adult on this ship,” Najar grumbles, but favors Gemma’s brother with a soft smile.
Gemma clears her throat again. “The one little hiccup in my plan is acquiring the medical know-how to be able to treat a wide range of extraterrestrial species.”
Now’s my moment to shine. “If we can get Gemma admitted to the Intergalactic Alliance’s medical school, that would solve our problem.”
Gemma’s brow furrows. “My concern is, even if I get in, it will mean being separated from all of you for quite possibly several years while I complete my training.”
I drape my arm over her shoulders and wrap a tentacle around her waist. “That won’t be an issue, love. To my understanding, their programs are offered both on site and remotely, meaning you could take classes while we’re traveling the universe, no problem.”
Gemma’s stunning blue eyes sparkle like gems as she studies me. “That would be perfect.”
“Right? I know that Earthlings have begun developing some of their own remote educational programs, but institutions of learning across the universe have been doing this kind of thing for centuries. The reality is, many folks who wish to complete certain programs or degrees are not always able to physically be present at a location that could be ridiculously far away from their home worlds, their families, and so on. Some species, like aquatic ones, can’t even travel in outer space, or at least not easily.
But anyone can complete a remote education and stay in an environment that is critical to their health and well-being or simply way more convenient. ”
Gemma nods slowly. “I can see the thinking behind that. The rationale for a lot of online education back home is quite similar. Accessibility is a key component, and remote learning can put education in the hands of those who might not otherwise be able to access it without difficulty, particularly folks with disabilities, illnesses, or other personal responsibilities that make it difficult to be away from home with any regularity.”
“Precisely,” I say, my tentacles doing a happy little shimmy around me.
Gemma surveys everyone around the table again. “I won’t be able to do all of this on my own, so I’m counting on your help and support, and I’ll give you mine in return.”
Felix gets up and comes around the table to hug her from behind. “That’s what family does, Gemsy. I’ve got your back all the way.”
“And so do we,” Kheph chimes in, “because we’re all family now.”
Gemma sniffs back tears and I have to do the same. By Thekmis, we’re so damn lucky to have each other.
Kheph clears his throat and gives me a meaningful look. “Speaking of family, Luna, your bio fam sent us a transmission last night. They want to speak with you, the sooner, the better.”
I still. Could it be bad news? It has to be bad news. I haven’t talked with them in several months, and usually I’m the one to reach out to them, not the other way around.
Gemma pets my tentacle wrapped around her waist. “You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do.”
I sigh. “It’s okay. I should probably talk with them. They don’t reach out to me very often, and since they have, I can’t help but worry about what they want to tell me.”
Gemma nods and pats my tentacle. “Okay, then we’ll get in touch with them today.”
My eyes widen. “We?”
“That’s right, sweetie pie. We’re a dynamic duo now, and I think we ought to make it official with your parents.” She rubs her hands together, a slightly dangerous look in her eyes. “I’m looking forward to meeting the in-laws and giving them a verbal ass-whooping if needed.”
“So fucking hot,” I whisper.
She bats her eyelashes at me so ridiculously that I can’t help but laugh. I love her so damn much.
A short while later, Gemma and I are standing alone on the bridge of the ship.
Kheph and the others have given us privacy to video conference with my family.
My fingers are shaking when I tap the command screen to place the transmission.
After several long, tense moments, it picks up and the screen flickers, then fills with the image of my parents and my sister, Nova.
Only my brother is missing. They look the same as always, no injuries or illnesses to be seen, and I let out a relieved sigh.
“I got your message that you want to talk, so here I am,” I announce.
Nova speaks first. “It’s good to see you, Luna. It’s been far too long since we last talked.”
She’s five years older than me and we share the same green-hued skin tone, although hers is a lot darker than mine. Her hair is cut in a short style that ends at her chin.
“It has,” I agree. “How is everyone doing? You almost never reach out to me, so I had to assume there was potential bad news.”
My parents have the good grace to look somewhat ashamed. Good, they ought to.
Nova shifts awkwardly in her seat and clears her throat. “We wanted to let you know that you’re going to be an aunt again. It’ll be a niece this time.”
I wasn’t expecting this, but good news is always better than bad.
“Wow, that’s awesome. Congratulations, you and Bromar must be thrilled.”
My sister smiles brightly. “We are. We’ve been trying for a second for a while now.”
I clear my throat. “I notice Sirius isn’t with you. How is he doing?”
“Your brother wanted to be here, but his unit’s been deployed to the Southern Rim. There’s been a lot of skirmishes along the border of late,” my father explains.
My brother’s often away. It’s the reality of most Dravethian warriors.
“How are you, Luna?” my mother hesitantly asks. “And who is that next to you?”
I straighten, tightening my grip on Gemma’s hand, and she squeezes back in solidarity. “I’ve been good—great, in fact. This is Gemma Taylor, a human from Earth and my life partner.”
That stuns my entire family into a long, awkward moment of silence.
“How did you even end up meeting a human?” my father asks, bewildered.