Interface
Terran Times

Excerpt

Nother glided up to the platform and a grateful Vikki swam for the ladder. The moment that she latched on to the metal, Nother lazily moved his tail and swam away.

Clinging to the ladder with all her strength, she waited out the swirl of current caused by the huge creature’s movements. When all was still, she climbed up to the surface, flopped on her back and ripped off her mask.

She gasped in the atmosphere, not caring that the metallic taste was in every breath.

The scrape of a boot near her head made her look up, but the shadow was silhouetted by the suns and she could not make out his features. “It looks like it was a rough one.”

She grimaced. “Shut up and haul me into the ship, Vinni.”

Her partner cackled and grabbed her under her arms. “Gross, you are all wet.”

“That is what happens when you swim.” She stayed limp, exhausted from her work under the surface of Nother.

“Was it successful?”

“Yup. Nother has offered an edible breed of fish. There has to be some back and forth with seaweed comparisons, but it should be good.” Her heels were dragging on the platform, but she didn’t care. Vikki yawned.

Vinni was her partner, her pilot and occasionally an interior designer. One of the Dhemon pinks, he was born to never breed and had an active social life on every world and space station they landed on. He also had the sensibilities of her little sister despite his surprising strength.

She let out an oof when he dropped her into the chair near the com. Propping her head on her fist, she typed in the code for Station 13.

“Station 13, how may I direct your call?”

“Funny, Lonar. Is Zenina on the station?” She yawned again and the com officer’s face showed his surprise.

“She is off on assignment.”

“Haunt then?”

“Just a moment.”

She stripped off her gloves while she waited. The closure of her suit fought her fingers, but she managed to peel it open to her sternum when Haunt’s face came on screen.

“Specialist Markham, how nice. What can I do for you?”

“Hello, Haunt. I have obtained agreement from Nother for some compatible fish. He has offered fifty thousand and they are supposed to be edible for most bipedal species. He requires some samples of seaweed to provide proof that the fish will have food. So, with a few of your folk and some more visits, you will have some fish for Balen’s oceans.”

“Thank you. We were beginning to wonder what was taking so long?” Haunt’s attempt at humour didn’t sit well with Vikki’s exhausted mind.

“You try getting an agreement out of a planet who has not talked to anyone in eons, under cold water no less. The details of the agreement will be filed and Balen can make the decision later. Specialist Markham out.” She disconnected the call with the flip of a finger.

“Get undressed, get dry and get to bed. I will fly us out of here to the next station. We are due on Brekari in three days. Time to get in some relaxation, Vikki.”

Vinni lifted her with his hands on her arms and shooed her to the back of the shuttle.

She stripped off her sodden suit and walked into the gel shower. She turned the heat up on the gel and got doused with the liquid, letting the heat warm her as she spread it over her from head to toe an instant before it hardened and shattered, taking surface bacteria with it.

A light vacuuming later and she felt moderately better. She faced the mirror in the small lav and smiled slightly at her pink hair. It was one of Vinni’s best colour jobs. Even after the gel, it still had curl and wave in it. It made her blue eyes wide and bright, a startling contrast to how she felt.

The weight of Nother’s mind was tremendous. Her relief at being disconnected from him was rippling through her thoughts. Sighing, she left the lav and crawled onto her bunk, strapping herself down for takeoff.

Vinni took off smoothly, the shuttle barely shuddering under his control. The dexterity and strength that it took to control the old shuttle was what made him so popular on the stations. Under the uniform, he was ripped. He never lacked for male companionship, which was something Vikki could not say for herself.

The stations held groomers and restaurants, so she focused on pleasing herself without looking for a companion. The few times she had tried, she had been unsuccessful once they heard she was on the waiting list for a Drai mate.

It was on every document she signed, every cursory check of her credentials.

Sighing, Vikki snuggled down into the sheets and blanket of her bunk and rested while Vinni did the flying. It was going to be a long day and they had a station to get to.

She had to wait out an avatar hangover and sleep was the best medicine for it. It was time to dream of dragons.