Chapter 7
Miran
Staring down at the sleeping human, Miran thought about all the things that had happened in a short period of time. Most of it was because of Nova. Nothing he’d experienced so far had prepared him for her. She was a powerhouse of unpredictability.
He was most definitely in love.
Tearing his eyes away from Nova, he finally stripped out of his armor and weapons.
He stacked everything neatly against a wall.
The fabric and make of his pants and shirt meant that there was almost no sand on him.
His chest plate didn’t fare as well. When he got a chance, he’d need to pull his armor apart and give it a thorough cleaning. It still worked but looked horrible.
The door chime sounded, and he walked to the door to open it instead of verbally ordering it. He didn’t want to disturb Nova’s sleep.
A Fielden stood there with a box on their back.
This box was marked with the building's logo.
It had to be the food delivery. Before the Fielden could speak, Miran gestured for quiet.
It was one of the only nonverbal signs in Space Standard.
When the Fielden remained silent, Miran held his hands out for the delivery.
The Fielden took off the box and handed it to Miran, then turned and walked away with silent strides.
Miran took the box inside, touched the top and watched it open like Dranker’s medical box. It didn’t have as many layers as hers had, but the ones in there were full of the food he’d ordered.
The sight of the many sealed containers made his stomach remind him that it had been a long time since he’d eaten. Except he hesitated.
Should he wake up Nova to eat, or was it more important that she sleep? He was torn.
Delaying his decision, he pulled a table out of the wall and began pulling the clear containers out of the box.
He recognized some of the dishes but had to read labels for others.
He’d made sure everything he’d ordered was marked human safe, which meant he could eat it also.
Of course that didn’t mean they’d taste good.
After setting the containers on the table, he decided he’d eat and see if the smell of food woke Nova up.
He watched her while he ate, but she didn’t stir. The poor thing was exhausted. After he had his fill, he put everything back into the box and set up another order of food for later.
With one appetite sated, he allowed his eyes to feast on Nova’s still form. He took in every detail on her face, including the swollen skin around her eyes. Dranker assured him that she’d be fine after a day, but it still hurt to look at her.
He couldn’t help feeling at fault. He should've thought of a better way to get her into the building. There was no excuse for his thoughtlessness, and yet she never blamed him. If anything, she was patient as he did his best to help her while waiting for Dranker.
She was even sympathetic when finding out about his sisters dying. He’d lost them over ten years ago, but the pain was still there.
Her touch had kept him from spiraling down into a dark place. It was vastly different from their passionate embrace in the shuttle. He craved more of both.
As he watched, she shifted in her sleep and slid a little sideways. She’d fallen asleep sitting up, and now her head was lolling at an odd angle that didn’t look comfortable at all.
Getting up, he leaned over the bed and gently shifted her. It didn’t take much effort, and soon she was comfortably lying down without ever waking up.
A wave of fatigue washed over him. There was another bed in the room that he could pull down from the ceiling, but it might make noise while deploying and wake Nova.
The main bed in the room was large enough to accommodate them both, especially considering Nova’s small size.
Yes, sharing the bed with her was a better choice.
That’s what he told himself, completely ignoring the part of himself desperate to stay close to her.
Grabbing a spare blanket, he manually dimmed the lights in the room and sat down next to her. Unfurling the blanket, he let it settle over both of them and lay back, letting out a deep, silent breath.
It felt good to lie down and even better to know Nova was right next to him.
Nova mumbled something, and for a moment, he thought she’d woken up. The way she shifted clumsily in her sleep told him that she wasn’t really awake. She ended up kicking aside the pillows elevating her ankles, rolling onto her side, and nestling against him.
She said something that wasn’t in Space Standard, then threw an arm over his chest and nuzzled her face against his arm. Then she went still again.
Her embrace felt as comforting as her sympathetic words had been earlier. He fell asleep more content than he’d ever been.
The door chiming woke him. He could’ve sworn only moments had passed, but a glance at his data bracelet indicated it was morning.
He looked over to see Nova sitting up and yawning. “What’s that?”
She didn’t seem to care that she’d woken up snuggled up against him. Was that a good sign or an indication that it didn’t mean anything to her?
“Breakfast,” he said, getting off the bed.
“Great, I’m starving!” she said, swinging her legs over the edge of the bed.
“Don’t get up!” he barked, making her jerk and frown at him. Her face looked perfect again, all the red was gone, and her eyes were no longer swollen. But her ankle probably needed more time. If she tried to walk on it, she would delay the healing.
He softened his tone and pointed. “Sorry. Don’t get up because you might hurt yourself.”
She looked down and nodded. “It didn’t hurt so I’d forgotten about it. Looks like the bandage needs to be changed.” The door chimed again. “But after breakfast!”
“Yes, after food,” he agreed, feeling like he might be able to eat both the leftovers from last night and today's food all in one sitting!
Going to the door, he ordered it open and found two Fielden standing in the hall, both carrying boxes on their backs.
“I have your food,” one of them said, shrugging his box off and handing it to Miran.
The other one took off his box but didn’t hold it out. It looked longer than the food box by a third.
“I have all the supplies you requested. They’re in individual compartments so you can inspect them before putting them all away in the travel box we’ve provided.
” He pointed to the bottom of the box where there was a seam.
“See, the travel box detaches there and is yours to keep. The sales box will be collected with the food boxes.”
“Hi ladies!” Nova called from the bed. “Thank you for delivering everything. May the sand always be at your back and your family at your front.”
Both Fielden leaned over to look around him at Nova.
“Thank you for the blessing, stranger,” one of them said.
“We hope the storm abates soon so you can enjoy our planet,” the other one said. “The crimson dunes are worth visiting.”
“I agree!” Nova said. “After I saw a picture of them, I wanted to view them in person. Can an outsider pour some red sand over their head as a blessing?”
Both of them made pleased sounds at her question.
“Yes, you can! Anyone can be blessed by the red dunes,” one of them said.
The other one made a warning sound that reminded Miran of a clucking bird. “Make sure to check the roller schedule before you go because the storm might have caused some damage to the tracks.”
“Your advice is received and appreciated,” Nova said.
“Your acceptance makes me happy,” one of them said with a pleased thrumming sound from her dome.
For someone who claimed to have never been on any planet, let alone Fielden, Nova seemed to know a lot about their customs and polite speech patterns.
They chatted with Nova a little longer, then finally left, taking the old food box with them. After the door shut, he carried both boxes to the side of the bed where she was sitting.
After setting the food box down in front of her, he pressed it open. “You should pick first.”
She leaned over to see what the offerings were.
“Oh, holkie!” she exclaimed and snatched a box up. She opened it up and took a deep breath before putting the corner of the container to her mouth and tipping some of the food in.
He picked up a container for himself and took a seat on the floor next to her legs. “How did you know about the red dunes?”
“All the Delight workers get lectures on the species we’re visiting,” she explained after swallowing her mouthful.
“It’s important we don’t alienate customers by accidentally insulting them or causing misunderstandings.
This was our third time visiting the Fieldens’ system so it wasn’t hard to remember all the study materials we’re supposed to memorize.
The red dunes are a big deal so there’s a lot of references to them in their mythology, philosophy, and history. ”
It made sense, but he was still impressed. “Fielden didn’t have sexually dimorphic appearances. How did you know Dranker was female, not male?
“It’s true that they don’t use looks to differentiate," she said. “They use their voice and speech patterns to tell everyone if they identify as male, female, or miesha, their neutral third gender. Dranker was using a female voice wobble. We’re at the end of our visit here, so I’ve listened to a lot of Fielden talking. Picking them out is easy now.”
The implications were huge. “You have to study every species you visit? That has to be hundreds!”
“Not quite that many, but a lot,” she said with a little chuckle. “I don’t know everything about any of them, but I know enough to create a good show.”
It occurred to him that Nova was far more sophisticated than he’d previously thought. She might’ve spent her life on the Delight, but that place had introduced her to far more species and cultures than him.
He was ashamed for thinking of her as naive.
“What’s with that?” she asked, pointing her good foot at the med box.
“I thought it would be best if we had extra medical supplies,” he said. “So we can treat someone if they get hurt.”
“Someone, or me?” she asked with a chuckle, then tipped more food into her mouth.
“Anyone,” he said. “But probably, mostly you.”
She rolled her eyes but didn’t comment.
They ate in silence, finishing off several containers of food each. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d eaten so much.
“How bad is it outside?” she asked, shoving an empty container back into the food box.
He ordered the shutters lifted to reveal a large window. The light in the room barely changed because it was so dark outside.
Her eyes went a little wider. “I thought it was morning.”
“It is,” he said, checking his data bracelet. “Late morning. The current prediction states that the storm will abate late tonight.”
Standing up on one foot, she stretched. “I guess we get to spend a lazy day hanging out. Personally, I’m excited about using the bathing room.”
“Please don’t do that,” he begged, rushing to her side to gently pick her up and set her back on the bed. “Your ankle is still healing.”
She made a huffing sound but still gave him a small smile. “I’d lecture you about grabbing me before asking, but you probably don’t realize how well I can balance on one foot.”
“I don’t feel like tempting fate,” he muttered.
She laughed and wiggled her injured ankle. “I need to change the wrap. Can you pass me a new one?”
“I’ll take care of it,” he said, kneeling next to her feet. It didn’t take long to unwrap the treatment bandage and reveal the discolored skin underneath.
“Hey, that doesn’t look too bad,” she said.
He disagreed, it looked horrible! Her skin was mottled with bruising, but at least it wasn’t nearly as swollen as before.
“Does it hurt?” he asked.
“Only a little,” she said with a shrug. She tried to run her fingers through her hair and winced when they snagged on tangles. “I’m way more concerned with how dirty I feel.”
He had the new bandage in his hand but hesitated to open it. “These can get wet, but they probably wouldn't like being soaked. Maybe we should wait until after you’ve bathed before applying the second wrap.”
“Probably a good idea,” she agreed, then gestured at the bathing area. “Do you want to use it first? If we’re not doing anything today but waiting, I’d like to take my time.”
An idea of how to spoil Nova popped into his head.
“Wait here,” he said and strode into the bathroom.