Chapter 8 Rotten
I’ve never seen someone get dressed faster than Elana after she came for the third time. We were wrapped in each other's arms. Hell, I was still half hard inside her. Her whole body sang with bliss as I stroked her to completion. At least it seemed like it.
At that moment, if she had said she loved me, I would have believed it. But then something came over her. She shrank away from me, grabbed her glasses and flashlight, and said, “Thanks. That really hit the spot.”
Before I could suggest anything more, like spending the night, she was hustling into her jumpsuit at breakneck pace.
Does she find me so repellent she had to leave?
Did I misunderstand some of her unspoken human messages?
I tried so hard to make sure I respected her humanity, but I could have messed up.
What makes it more galling is that I feel something for her already; something real and special and possibly permanent.
I mean, I know it’s too early to say something like that to a human.
But some sign of affection would have been nice.
Instead, she gave me an awkward wave and flew out the door, her cheeks still flushed and her lips red from kissing.
I frown. Without Elana, all that’s left is work. I’ve got to make a plan for offloading the fuel we stole. I have The Adventure survivors to offload as well. Once they’re gone, I can get back to normal, which is less appealing now that I’ve glimpsed heaven in a human’s arms.
Bahhh. I don’t need Elana to have a rich and amazing life, but my hearts disagree.
Well, it doesn’t matter what they want, because it looks like I’m going to be alone for the foreseeable future.
I pour myself some water and stalk back to my hammock.
Might as well try to get some sleep before the next stupid day arrives.
***
“What’s wrong with you today?” Wyn asks as we sip coffee on the bridge.
Falen and the crew have set a course for Lemargo, the furthest habitable planet from Xanx. Even though I’m in a rush, Lemargo is light on law enforcement, which is best for our current situation.
“Nothing. I’m totally fine. Can we move this ship any faster?”
He gives me a look and Falen mutters under his breath. The other two crew members present try to remain invisible, which is probably for the best. I wonder what Elana is doing now. Probably eating breakfast with the other rescuees.
I look over at Wyn and notice he’s frowning as he looks at his com device. Is he having romantic troubles too? I bump his shoulder.
“You don’t look much better, my friend. Did you get dumped?”
“No, a planet got dumped,” he says.
“What do you mean?”
“Not dumped. That little planet in the Calyx quadrant, Xanxes 8, got swallowed.”
What is he even talking about? I press a hand to my forehead.
“I don’t understand.”
Wyn takes a steadying breath.
“A ginormous unidentified ship opened its jaws and gobbled a whole planet earlier today.”
“That doesn’t sound possible.”
“But it happened.” He keeps reading on his biocomm. “Oh hey, one of the other Lady Scientists of Earth cast members was there.”
“Really?” How cursed was that show? It all sounds pretty unbelievable. “Did the lady escape?”
“Yeah. She and the Xanxian guy she was with were fine. But it was a close shave.”
“Hmm.” I smile.
“Why are you smiling?”
“Because I’m sensing something interesting. A mystery. A big problem that has to be solved.”
“I’m sensing a disaster. What if that thing comes for Xanx or Earth next? It’s pretty damn terrifying.”
“Exactly! The IES will definitely be more worried about that than us.”
“But none of that will matter if we get eaten by this mystery ship.”
“True. So, we should go on the offensive.”
“What do you have in mind?”
“After we make our drop at Lemargo. We should see if we can track down this enemy ship. If it’s got a whole planet in its belly, it can’t be moving that fast.”
“I’m not sure.”
“Come on! If we can figure out who’s behind this, we could stop them. We’d be heroes.”
“Or dead. You’ve got to admit that’s a likely outcome, too.” Wyn crosses his arms.
“Bahh. When have we let danger stop us?”
Wyn doesn’t immediately respond, but sighs when he sees my eager smile.
“Never. We laugh in the face of danger.”
I see a hint of a smile beneath his scowl.
“That’s right! We’ve got to get going. Our unknown enemy awaits!”
I feel totally reinvigorated by the prospect of chasing down this mysterious threat and neutralizing it. We need a plan, something better than randomly seeking the ghost of a big ship. But for now, just the idea of what we’re going to do is enough to keep me energized.
My mind flits back to Elana. I wonder what she’ll think about one of her co-stars nearly getting devoured by a planet-eating spaceship.
She doesn’t seem like the type to dissolve into tears.
I bet she would want to investigate, too.
Maybe I should talk to her. The thought of saying goodbye once we reach Lemargo twists my stomach.
Perhaps if I ask, she’ll come along. She’ll probably have some super smart scientific insight to offer, too.
Yes, it would definitely be best if she came along.
The only question is, how do I convince her?