Chapter Twenty
The short, bald-headed, gray-bearded, scowling white man on the screen before her was not a sight for sore eyes.
In fact, if she had never seen his face again, she might have been happy.
He was in his usual pearly military jacket decorated with black edges and shiny metals.
Stood before the lens, his attention was on Aphrodite first then it moved to the shadow looming over her shoulder.
His eyes widened. “That had better not be what I think it is.”
“Captain Winrow Smith, this is Xexis. Kannatch to the Vroskrowz, and my mate.” She glanced up to her drone, buddy, bobbing over their heads.
Smith’s left eye twitched. “I had better be having a stroke.”
“If you’re experiencing a medical emergency, you should address that with the medical bay. Why are you calling me?” Aphrodite sneered, adjusting to hold the pad comfortably in her hands. Usually, it was strapped to her wrist, but she wasn’t keen on Smith staring up her nose the whole time.
“Me? Experiencing a medical emergency, have you seen the festering wound on your throat, technician Kerso?”
She glanced at the mini bubble of a video reflection in the corner. Cocking her head, she eyed the deep bruise from where Xexis bit her. With a shrug, she returned her attention to Smith, “Love bite.”
“Kerso, you’re clearly under duress and unable to think. Do not worry, we’re coordinating your location right now. We’ll be there to rescue you!”
“Xexis didn’t kidnap me!” She left out the part where, technically, at the beginning he had.
But, that wasn’t for Smith to know or debate.
Especially knowing what she knew now. Smith froze on the other side of the camera; his face pinched in insult.
She scowled, “I only picked up your call because I wanted to know why we were sent to a zone that the Council of Beings dubbed as a resource Quadrant, and wasn’t ready for cultivating yet?
Or that the Xinti are the ones who do the gathering? Why the hell were we there?”
Smith’s face paled to a lifeless translucent. His eyes were steady, but his nostrils flared. Aphrodite narrowed her eyes. She waited. Go ahead, explain yourself. She watched the captain’s upper lip curl in a disgusted fashion. “See, they’re already filling your head with their lies and—”
“And this man, he is your leader? A coward behind a screen who lies?”
Smith burst like a tomato under pressure. His flesh was splotchy and pink as he roared, “How dare you!”
“No! How dare you! Your people know the punishment for trespassers! But you are lucky I explained to the Council that your being there was for Aphrodite and I’s mating hunt, a simple misunderstanding. As I am sure your people understand.”
Smith straightened, his nose scrunched in the middle. Aphrodite couldn’t help but revel in seeing him put in his place. He was a controlling dickhead; it was nice to see him cut down a notch. She smirked as he exhaled heavily through his nose.
“Correct, all of this was a misunderstanding. My crew was misinformed, had the coordinates wrong, and Aphrodite was following the directions of her mate.” The curl of the word coming from Smith’s mouth was enough to leave a film of disgust over Aphrodite’s skin.
In the last week or more, she’d only ever heard it used affectionately.
She hated how he made it sound shameful.
Aphrodite scoffed, “So that’s how we’re going to play this?”
“I suggest you and your mate make it to the Council at your next convenience. We wouldn’t want to miscommunicate again.” Smith hung up like a petty teenager, flippantly.
Aphrodite set her data pad on her lap. Instantly, the screen flipped. The neutral command screen was back. Green text flashed over the screen.
Does Aphrodite Kerso wish to disconnect the tracking capabilities from her data pad?
She stared at it, tapping a finger against the edge of the device. “No,” she exhaled. Glancing up at Buddy, she shook her head, “Because if they can track me, that means they can track the others, and so can I.”
More green text typed across the screen in quick succession.
Further upgrades will be required to backtrack the device and its capabilities.
Aphrodite shifted to look at Xexis, “About that workspace?”
Xexis chuckled, “Yes, let us eat first, and I must raise a toast in the mess hall to Fqa, but then, we shall. That will allow my mate to work while I rip the heart out of a widow many stars away from us.”
She grimaced, rubbing the outside of his thigh sweetly. “I’m sorry, I can be there with you when it happens.”
“No, I bear this burden, I am Kannatch.” He leaned forward to press his forehead to the side of her head. She let him stay there, silent and mourning, for a long time. It wasn’t until both their bodies made it known they’d gone past breakfast by two or more hours, did they finally move.
She was at a lab table, alone. Had it been any other day she would blame that people were avoiding her.
However, today? She’d come to realize Fqa ate three people.
They were down a guest they promised to help and three of their crewmates were dead.
The ship was quiet and somber. All the researchers were away, and the subtle hum of the engine was the only sound.
Aphrodite sat on her barstool, staring at the large table before her.
Tapping her fingers over the top, she looked at her data pad.
She’d spent no time breaking it open and spreading its guts across the table.
Buddy sat on the table, watching her with his big camera lens.
Footsteps echoed in the room around her. She glanced up and found Rexna tiptoeing her direction. After they were caught, Rexna smiled broadly and rushed to her side. Rexna took up another stool and slid in beside her. “How goes the upgrades?”
“I’m kind of at a loss, as distracted as I am.” She leaned her chin against her hand. She spotted a brightly wrapped square in Rexna’s hands and furrowed her brows.
Rexna swayed happily, sliding the box across the tabletop. “Merry Chrysler!”
Aphrodite sputtered, taking up the red box. It was wrapped in shimmering tissue with glittering streaks, and a whole bow of wires wrapped around it. Glancing up at Rexna, Aphrodite chuckled, “Is this a present?”
“Yes! I understand it is tradition that once a year, you yell ‘merry something’ close to what I said and chuck boxes at each other. That the wrapping is torn and everyone cheers and then stomps on the paper. Then there was something about candles and one text said that you all light explosives, then someone else said food. So, I figured I’d go with the box. ”
Aphrodite thought about correcting them.
However, whatever Rexna suggested sounded better than reality that Aphrodite hadn’t celebrated Christmas, or any holiday, in years.
Many holidays fell to the way side, along with religion, once humans left Earth.
Many suspected the shift in their culture having to do with a loss in identity.
How does one celebrate ideology and religion when the place where those things once held meaning is gone?
Plus, with everyone lumped in together, it was harder and harder to find joy in individualism.
Things like holidays became an archaic celebration of a civilization long past…
as if they’d not just left earth within the last four generations. How fast things change.
She nodded, “Pretty close, yeah, not all humans celebrate holidays, but presents are a universal thing.”
“Perfect! Go! Open, so we may cheer and stomp!” Rexna clapped their hands vigorously.
Their pincers writhed and curled with excitement.
Aphrodite couldn’t help it. She tugged at the wires and watched them fall apart.
Tearing into the paper was satisfying. It fell to the floor and Rexna hollered cheerfully.
Aphrodite pulled a few items out of a box.
Furrowing her brow, she eyed the devices and tools she had clutched between fingers.
“Is this a data pad?” She spread the items across the table.
A data pad and a magnetic tool that both screwed, drilled, and soldered.
There was a handful of data chips of varying sizes, an allen wrench, the regular engineer toolkit, and a three-finger glove with sensors.
Aphrodite turned to Rexna and smiled. “Thank you!”
“When I approached the Kannatch about your stay and if we were going to fashion your own lab for you, he wasn’t sure where to start. So, I told Kannatch, ‘Not to worry, Rexna knows what technicians need’! Especially since he left you with nothing but the drone and the outdated data pad.”
Aphrodite wheezed, “It’s so old.”
“But old is good for one thing,” Rexna beamed, pincers standing out straight as they spread all four of their hands out like an explosion, “Personalization.”
“Yeah, they’re a good base for your own alterations.
” Aphrodite beamed, wanting to toss her arms around Rexna but resisted.
I’ve not had the time to even ask for Rexna’s pronouns or if they have preferred pronouns.
Xexis might be a hugger but I don’t know if Rexna is.
It was simply a lot to interrogate a person with right off the bat. Instead, she grinned, “Shall we stomp?”
“We! Shall!” Rexna bound from their stool. Aphrodite tossed the paper up as they pumped their arms into the air. Cheering felt good after the day she had. Aphrodite let it out as loud as she could, bouncing and stomping from paper to paper. Rexna howled louder, dancing from piece to piece.
Panting for air, Aphrodite steadily stopped stomping over the discarded paper. Warmth pooling in her chest, she rasped, “Thank you, Rexna.”
“It was an honor! I cannot wait till your next Chrysler.”
Aphrodite chuckled, nodding. “Me either, next time, I will make sure to bring you a present as well.”
Rexna inhaled sharply, their face full of childish wonder, “May I make a request, my Mphronatch?”