Epilogue
Two Years Later
The dark green landscape flashed by as their research unit, carried by a transport vessel, flew over a jungle. Brown rivers that sparkled like jewels flowed through the trees. Nicole’s face pressed against the window, and little squeals of joy occasionally escaped.
Krir turned his attention to the monitors.
“We’re almost there,” he said.
Nicole dragged herself from the window to give him a brilliant smile. Even after two years, her smiles set his spirit alight. They deserved this field mission after dealing with both the Qilffiran and Interstellar governments in the fallout from the Giuk “incident.”
Incident. Murdering enslavers, but to be fair, it was one ship from one clan.
And they’d been caught and punished. In exchange for their lives, they readily disclosed Earth’s location.
The humans who had wanted to return home were repatriated with little incident.
Most had been missing for weeks, and the longest had been missing for a year.
Some cover stories were concocted, and as far as the envoys stationed on Earth could tell, everyone had settled back into their lives.
Krir’s distant cousin had reappeared after years stranded on Earth, with his own human in tow.
Zganif’s knowledge of the customs and culture had been invaluable.
Now he and Mere could float between Qilffir and Earth as they helped to ensure the Giuk’s prisoners received the proper treatment and restitution for their ordeal.
The transport slowed, then hovered over the prettiest little meadow Krir had ever seen, bounded by tall fluffy trees the reports stated smelled like the mzol in bloom.
A clear stream the color of Nicole’s favorite tea ran along the northern edge.
Grasses dotted with flowers in all the colors of a rainbow flattened under the transport’s engines.
Their research unit—Nicole called it a CHU for some human acronym he kept forgetting—lowered toward the meadow until it came to rest with a gentle bump. The clamps holding their unit to the transport released with a loud metallic clank.
Nicole threaded her fingers through his, her leg bouncing with excitement. A few moments passed before a voice came over the com channel.
“Aostea Research Unit Two, this is Geological Agency Transport Forty-Nine. Clamps have fully retracted. We will signal safe distance with a ping, then you may begin entrenchment procedures. May the ancestors keep you in their hands.”
Krir pressed a button on his console. “Thank you, Transport Forty-Nine. Safe journey home.”
Krir pressed a few more buttons, taking readings and ensuring everything was ready for entrenchment. As soon as they received the ping from the transport, he engaged the protocol to anchor the unit, level and stabilize it, and dig a well.
“How long is this going to take?” Nicole asked as time passed.
“Read your book. It’ll be a little longer.” Though hopefully not too long. Sometimes, like on Vrul 4, the well needed to be deep, but Aostea had plenty of shallow aquifers. They’d chosen sites for the six research teams to take advantage of this geologic feature.
With a huff, Nicole pulled out her tablet and thumbed open the reading application.
She’d begged Mere to bring a bunch of e-books on her last visit to Qilffir and had a library of hundreds, if not thousands.
Plus, she’d worked hard to learn Qilffiran fluently, and Krir couldn’t wait to share some of his favorites.
At least this assignment wouldn’t be solo.
Each of the six teams had two personnel, and they planned on monthly dinners to share results and data in person, as well as for the social aspects.
The other members of the research mission looked forward to associating with Nicole, their first human.
After dealing with so many new people over the past two years, Nicole was grateful for a small group of “nerdy scientists who will leave me to read smut in peace.”
The console beeped, and Nicole looked up hopefully from her book.
“Yes, it’s time,” Krir said with an excited trill. Her enthusiasm was catching.
Together, they unbuckled their harnesses. This was his favorite part—setting foot on a new planet.
He opened the door and jumped the short distance, about as high as his knee, to the ground. He held out his hand and Nicole took it, not because she needed the help, but because she never passed on an opportunity to touch him.
She crouched and ran her hand over the grass and through the pebbles littering the ground. Taking a deep breath, she held her face up to the twin suns and closed her eyes.
“Does this ever get old?” she murmured.
“No, no, it doesn’t.”
“Good.” She stood and brushed her palms on her pants. “So, what’s first, boss?”
Krir pulled her to him. “I am not your boss. I am your partner, your mate.”
“I’m lucky they let me come with. I was no help on Vrul 4.”
“The Geological Agency was keen on the idea of being the first to employ a human, and your medical skills will be useful.”
“Okay, ego boosted. But you didn’t answer my question.”
Krir held up a finger. “Well, we have to erect the solar array.” Another finger. “Construct a shed for the rover.” A third finger. “Put in some steps.” A fourth. “Then—”
Nicole grabbed the front of his tunic and pulled him close. “I can think of more fun things to erect.”
Her voice was low and husky and sent a thrill straight to his cock. He threaded his fingers through her hair and lowered his face.
“Oh, and what does your mammalian brain think is more fun than erecting a solar array so she can charge her tablet to read all those e-books from Earth?”
“This.”
Nicole closed the distance and pressed her lips to his in a light kiss. Before he could linger in her taste and scent, she let go and danced back with a mischievous grin.
“Catch me if you can, lizard boy!” And she took off running across the meadow.
He chittered to himself and gave her a count of ten before he gave chase. His long legs carried him swiftly to her, and her laughter floated on the softly scented breeze. The reports had been right—exactly like the mzol trees back home.
Krir grabbed her around the waist and swung her until they faced the unit again. He rested his chin on her shoulder and kissed the spot under her ear that always made her shiver for him.
“Look at that, Nicole, our home.”
She spun in his arms and caressed his cheek. “You’re my home, Krir. Now and forever.”
Nicole kissed him again, deeper this time, tongues dancing, teeth nipping until both of them were breathless with desire. She broke away.
“You know, we haven’t had much privacy the past few weeks.” She clasped his hand and tugged him toward their unit. “And here we are, the only sentient creatures for a hundred miles.”
“You’re right.”
Krir slung her ass-up over his shoulder. Her peals of laughter scared the avians that had resettled into the trees after the transport left. The suns were shining, the sky was clear, he had the woman he loved all to himself.
And Krir couldn’t imagine a better day to be a geologist on any world.
The End