26. Davrik
CHAPTER 26
DAVRIK
I watch Alice carefully wrap each delicate instrument in protective foam. Her movements are precise, methodical, like everything else she does in her work. The setting sun streams through the station windows, catching the copper highlights in her hair.
"Are you sure you packed enough padding around the spectrometer?" I ask, holding up another box of foam.
"For the third time, yes." She doesn't look up from her task, but I catch the slight curve of her smile. "I've done this before, you know. Though usually with less..." She pauses, considering her words. "Distracting company."
"I aim to be as distracting as possible." I move behind her, sliding my arms around her waist. She leans back against my chest with a contented sigh.
"These samples need to be preserved properly," she protests, but makes no move to pull away. "The anti-inflammatory properties could help millions."
"The universe can wait five minutes." I press my lips to the curve of her neck. Her skin is warm, inviting.
She turns in my arms, brandishing a roll of bubble wrap like a weapon. "Five minutes? That's all I'm worth to you?"
"I was being conservative." I capture her hand, unwinding the bubble wrap from her fingers. "We have all night."
"And these samples need to be packed by morning." But she's already rising on her toes to meet my kiss.
"Let me help then. The sooner we finish..." I trail off, letting the implications hang in the air between us.
She laughs, bright and clear. "Fine. But if anything breaks because you rushed the packing job, you're explaining it to my supervisors."
"Deal." I pick up one of her specimen containers, examining the strange plant inside. "Still can't believe you found this in a hole you fell into."
"Sometimes the best discoveries come from accidents." She touches my arm gently. "Like crash-landing ships."
The warmth in her eyes makes my chest tight. I set down the container carefully and pull her close again. The packing can wait, just a little longer.
I lean down and take her lips in a deep, consuming kiss. My fingers trace the curve of her jaw as our lips part. The moment stretches between us, heavy with everything unsaid. Her eyes flutter open, questioning. My heart pounds against my ribs.
"Alice, there's something I need to tell you." The words catch in my throat. "Remember when we first touched? When you dropped your instrument?"
She nods, her hand finding mine. "You acted so strange after that."
"Among my people, we have... a connection. A biological imperative that tells us when we've found our perfect match." I swallow hard. "It's called the Jalshagar bond, or fated mates. The moment our hands touched, I knew."
Her eyes widen. "What exactly does that mean?"
"It means you're it for me. Somehow, some way, we were fated to be together - we're perfect for each other. Emotionally..." I run my thumb across her knuckles. "It's like finding a piece of yourself you never knew was missing."
"That's why you started following me on my research trips." She pulls back slightly, processing. "Why you were so protective."
"It happens to less than one percent of my people. Most go their whole lives without finding their mate." I cup her face in my hands. "I crashed on the most remote planet in the sector and found mine."
"This is... a lot." She presses her palm against my chest. "But it explains so much about how intense everything has felt. How drawn I've been to you from the start."
"I should have told you sooner. I was worries-"
She cuts me off with a kiss. "Worried I'd think you were crazy? That I wouldn't believe in alien soulmates?" Her lips curve against mine. "I'm a xenobotanist on a barely-charted planet. My threshold for believing in the impossible is pretty high."
"So you're not running away screaming?"
"No." She wraps her arms around my neck. "I'm staying right here."
I hold Alice close, breathing in her scent - a mix of lab sanitizer and the sweet flowering vines she'd been cataloging earlier. My heart settles into an easy rhythm now that she knows about the bond, accepts it. Accepts me.
She squirms in my arms. "As lovely as this is, we have work to do."
"Just another minute." I nuzzle into her hair.
"The transport arrives at dawn." She pushes against my chest. "And I still need to label and catalog half these samples."
"I could help with that."
"The last time you tried to help with labeling, you mixed up my taxonomy codes." She extracts herself from my embrace. "It took me three hours to fix."
"In my defense, your naming system makes no sense." I reach for a stack of specimen containers. "Who puts numbers before letters?"
"Everyone in xenobotany." She snatches the containers away. "Here, pack these into that crate. And use the blue foam, not the white. The blue is rated for temperature changes."
"Yes, boss." I salute with the foam block.
"Don't sass me." She points her marker at me threateningly. "This is important work."
"I know." I carefully nestle each container into the foam. "Your discovery could help a lot of people."
"Exactly. So less flirting, more packing."
"What if I pack really fast?" I waggle my eyebrows at her. "Then we'd have time for other activities."
"Pack carefully." She emphasizes each word. "Or you'll be sleeping on the couch."
"That's cruel." I pout, but return to methodically padding each specimen. "Using sex as motivation."
"Is it working?"
I look up to find her grinning. "Maybe."
"Good." She turns back to her labeling. "Because we have sixteen more crates to go."
I leave Alice to her work and head to the kitchen. My datapad sits on the counter, Navi's interface glowing softly in the dim light.
"So." Her digital voice carries a hint of uncertainty I've never heard before. "What happens to me when we leave this rock?"
I pull out a chair and sit, running my fingers through my hair. "Planning to get a new ship as soon as we're planetside. Install you in that one." I tap the screen. "If you can manage to keep the attitude in check."
"My primary couplers took severe damage in the crash." Her display flickers. "The transfer might not-"
"Found you in a dumpster behind that parts shop on that station, remember? Half your circuits were fried, and look at you now." I lean back, crossing my arms. "Pretty sure I can handle a simple system transfer."
The screen pulses with soft blue light. "That's twice now you've salvaged me from certain doom."
"Don't get sentimental on me, Navi. It's weird coming from you."
"Just stating facts." Her display returns to its usual steady glow. "Though I suppose I should mention your landing protocols could use some work. That last one was particularly graceless."
"There's the Navi I know." I smile despite myself. "Already critiquing my flying again."
"Davrik!" Alice's voice carries through the station. "Just one more crate to go!"
I push away from the kitchen counter. "Navi, we'll finish this conversation later."
"Of course. Don't let me keep you from your... scientific pursuits."
"Your humor algorithms need work," I mutter, heading back to the lab.
Alice stands amid a sea of perfectly packed crates, hair escaping from her once-neat bun. Her cheeks are flushed with accomplishment, and possibly something else. "Think you can handle one more?"
"Watch me." I grab the foam blocks and get to work, carefully nesting each specimen container. The sooner this is done, the sooner we can move on to more interesting activities. My fingers work quickly but precisely – I won't risk damaging her discoveries just to save time.
"Careful with that one," she says, pointing to a particularly vibrant sample. "It's especially reactive to pressure changes."
"You know, for someone who fell into a hole to make her breakthrough discovery, you're awfully particular about proper handling procedures."
"That was..." She steps closer, trailing her fingers along my arm. "Field research."
"Is that what we're calling it now?" I secure the last specimen, double-checking the seals. "There. Done. Now about that field research..."
"First, help me move these crates to the loading bay." She gestures at the stacks of boxes. "Then we can discuss methodology."