Chapter 11
CARL
I thought I’d been really getting somewhere with Kittinir.
He’d been so shy when he’d first arrived on campus, one of those guys who was engaging and enthusiastic in front of his class, but out of it?
Quiet and definitely on the introverted side.
Little by little, I’d drawn him out, and over the past few years, I liked to think we’d become close.
Last year, when I’d given him that silly kid’s cookbook my mom bought me at the school book fair she’d helped with as part of the PTA, I thought I’d really nailed it as for at least being his best friend.
Heck, I’d not only gotten him to do the movie night and TV series binge watching thing with me, but to agree to host half of them at his place, and make popcorn for us to eat.
Not to mention, I’d cajoled him into coming out to the bowling alley with me to learn how to bowl, on the pretense that I wanted him to join our department’s bowling league team.
It was actually a multi-department team as our university had three.
One was made up of science, math, and engineering, while English, history, and philosophy were another, and a third was entirely made up of students.
Would I have liked for him to join the team with me?
Hell yeah! But the real joy was just spending time with him, hoping he’d start to see me as mate material, because gosh darn it, I’d taken one look and fallen hard in crush with him, but over time it had grown to full on, head over heels love.
Sure, I knew I could go and see if we matched, but I’d wanted him to feel that pull to me on its own.
And truth be told, I was worried that I might end up matching someone else entirely, and then what?
Okay, sure, that someone else would supposedly be my perfect match, but what if I was the first guy they got it wrong with?
What if I matched this other guy an infinitesimal amount more than I did Kittinir, so they put us together, but all I could do was look at him and not see Kit?
Or worse, realize that he was a Temu version of Kit?
I wasn’t ready to give up yet, though, which is why I was sitting here on a shuttle carrying up stuff people living aboard the Fleet’s ships had ordered from goodness knows how many stores, as well as things their extended human families sent up as care packages and gifts.
“Thanks for letting me ride along,” I said to the pilot, who was named Rantyr.
“No problem! Xeranos cleared you, and there was space for you to sit down,” he replied cheerfully.
“So, have you had anything to do with what’s going on with the Dragonii?” I asked.
“Me?” he chuckled. “No. Not yet anyway, who knows what’s in store for us down the line, am I right?
I never would have imagined this new program happening here.
But the Dragonii are nice people. A little reclusive, but they’ve had their reasons.
I think it’s great they are participating more in Galactic affairs. ”
“Yeah, I guess. I was wondering because my friend had to return to the Fleet to help with the new educational stuff.”
“Yeah, the Dragonii are sponsoring alternative energy studies and homesteader skills workshops, I heard. Oh! And animal husbandry and exo-biology with grants going towards research on hybrids crossing Earth animals with similar ones within the Alliance.”
“Stuff towards furthering their colonial goals,” I said dryly.
“Definitely. Bringing otherwise barren worlds to life isn’t easy, nor is taming wilderness worlds. I’m sure all of us will actually benefit in the long run.”
I hated that he was right, as it gave legitimacy to the reason they’d plucked my beloved from my grasp and kept him so very far away, high in orbit. Though as much as I hated to admit it, knowing he was doing such a worthy thing was also an irritatingly soothing balm to my soul. Damn it.
“Whoa!” I cried out as I noted how ginormous the ships truly were as we began our final approach. “I knew they were big, but somehow, I was thinking big like a cruise liner or big shipping container carrier.”
”They are much bigger than that, unconstrained by having to be built on a planet’s surface with limited docking space.”
I mutely nodded as he began softly speaking to the ship we were about to dock with.
My breath caught as it loomed ever larger and then appeared to swallow us up as we entered a docking bay.
Then the ceiling turned non-transparent, indistinguishable from the rest of the walls and flooring, just as a soft bump let me know we’d actually landed.
“As you all say, okie dokie, we’ve arrived A-OK! You can take your seat belt off and mosey on out. Someone from guest services will meet you as you disembark and help you find your friend. Thank you for flying with Mylos Spaceways!”
I snorted as I undid my seat’s harness and stood up. “You sound like you watch a lot of cowboy movies.”
Rantyr beamed at me. “I do! But I watch other things too, and they don’t all have cowboys. Have you ever watched a vid series called Car 54, Where Are You?”
“Can’t say I have,” I replied as I watched the hatch open and the ramp descend.
“Oh my goodness, really? You definitely should. And The Dick Van Dyke Show! Oh, and Green Acres! Those are two of my favorites, along with Bonanza.”
I smiled back. “I will. And if you haven’t seen it, The Brady Bunch is one you can’t go wrong with.” Then, thinking of his general golly gee whiz vibe, added, “And Andy Griffith and Gomer Pyle.”
”Thank you! I will!” He beamed at me with such golden retriever energy, I had to fight the impulse to pat his head. Instead, I made good my escape, hurrying down the ramp.
“Carl?” A Mylos holding a data pad asked me.
”That’s me!”
”Great! I have a data pad here for you to use during your stay. Simply leave it with Kittinir - it’s yours to use whenever you visit, as Xeranos indicated you would be a recurring visitor.”
“Hopefully, yes.” That all depended on how Kittinir responded to my surprise visit.
At least, I thought it was. I’d not told him I planned on going to the nearest Fleet mail hub and asking if they could let me ride.
And when Rantyr called up to ask permission, I may have asked Xero, as the AI insisted I call him, not to mention my trip, as I wished to surprise Kit.
He’d sounded delighted for some reason, so I was pretty sure he hadn’t, otherwise Kit himself would have been here to meet me.
“Well, if not, Kittinir can return it to the quartermaster. Now, please place your thumb here to lock it to your biometrics. Perfect! You’ll be able to ask Xeranos anything via this tablet, as well as call out to ask for his assistance anywhere on the ship.”
“Anywhere?” I glanced around nervously.
“Yes, saying his name will turn his attention to you directly, rather like one of your home AI systems, only sentient.”
I wasn’t sure how I felt about that, having watched Terminator and Space Odyssey.
The male gestured towards a door across the hangar. “And if you have anything you’re more comfortable asking me personally, I’m Norlok. You can simply ask Xeranos to open a comm to me or use the tablet to send me a written comm.”
I walked alongside him towards the door. “Thanks, much appreciated.”
We reached the door, and it opened, revealing a bustling corridor outside.
“We’re rather busy today, with all the deliveries and whatnot.”
”So I see. Well, I’ll just get out of your hair then.” I glanced around. “Um, Xero, where’s Kittinir?”
”Kittinir is currently at Bratty Dogs in the main leisure area.”
“Bratty Dogs?”
“It’s a restaurant,” Norlok informed me as he walked away.
”That it is,” Xero’s voice said from the tablet. “It serves a variety of hot dog style sausages. I believe he is on his lunch break. Would you care to join him?”
”Yes, please.”
“Follow the purple lights,” Xero said, just as a lit purple stripe appeared on the wall.
I took a step, and the line moved with me, staying about a foot ahead of me.
I followed it straight to what looked like an elevator, which slid open as I reached it, with several Mylos getting off.
I got in as the purple light appeared inside it.
A young human man remained inside. “Dang it, I think I messed up again.” He licked his lips.
“Um, Xero, am I in the right place? I’m trying to get to the bowling alley. ”
“No,” came Xero’s voice from somewhere inside the elevator now. The doors slid shut. “If you follow the purple lights along with Carl here, you’ll reach the correct deck. Can you find your way from the main leisure area?”
”You mean the park with all the places to eat and the shops? Yeah. The bowling alley is on the other side of that, behind that Japanese noodle bar place. Ichigo’s, I think it’s called.”
”That’s right,” Xero answered, just as the elevator began to move.
“Hi, I’m Carl,” I said, feeling sorry for the cutie.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Alec, the chronically lost. I’ve been here for three whole days and still can’t find where I’m going.”
“Did I hear you right? There’s a bowling alley?” My mind was already conjuring up some fun there with Kit.
“There is,” he nodded. “I just started working there. Um, I’m in a work program, Youth and Recreation.
So far it’s mostly checking out shoes and serving food and drinks, but on days when the youth club comes in, I’m to handle all that.
Help them choose the correct size ball, set up bumpers if they need it, see that they get their pizzas and drinks, clean up any spills, all that jazz.
I’ll handle just them, and someone else will take care of everyone else. ”
“Sounds like a fun job to have.”
“Yeah, I like it so far.” He swallowed. “Tonight is league night, and I’m supposed to keep an eye on any heckling.”
“There’s a bowling league?” Oh, this was too delicious.
“Yep. Some teams on both ships, and apparently, they also play teams on other ships sometimes. I’m not clear on all that yet, so I can’t give you details. That’s part of what I’m still learning.”
The elevator stopped, and the doors opened to let a woman wearing a baby sling on. “Xero, I’m on my way to the pool,” she said.
“Understood,” came the reply, and the doors slid shut. This time, the elevator began moving sideways.
”Well, that’s different.” I swallowed noisily.
“You get used to it,” the woman told me.
“I hope so. I’m still not, so I hope it doesn’t take long,” Alec said.
The elevator paused and began moving upward again for several moments, then stopped, the doors sliding open to reveal a park.
“Main recreation deck,” Xero said, as the purple light appeared on the floor outside. A floor that looked suspiciously like a sidewalk, with trees on the other side. And grass. Okay, my mind was now officially blown.