“I can’t say I’m missing the rescue business these days.” He put the last kitten in the box.
“You and me both. I like that the only disasters we have to respond to now are when the cats tease Moyo into chasing them across the furniture.” She waved toward the wall’s clock display. “Do you have time for us to try breakfast? Or should I grab something for me and Shen at the community kitchen?”
He set the milk pouch aside, then rose to his feet. “I’ve got rounds this morning. Let’s save our science experiments for the evening meal.”
Neither of them knew anything about cooking, but they were having fun learning. In the win column, they hadn’t yet set the house on fire.
She laughed. “Deal.” Crossing to him, she plied him with a lingering kiss so she’d remember the taste of him for hours. “Love you.”
His arms tightened in a momentary bear hug, then freed her. “Love you, too. Take your flitter. It’s warmer.”
At the door, Shen vocalized a soft yip.
Taz laughed. “Coming, Captain Shen. You’re a much better captain than we had before.”
Rylando watched the love of his life leave the room, suppressing the urge to follow her just like Shen. He had an advantage in that as long as he was physically close enough to the dog, he could find out how Taz was doing without having to ping her more than once or twice a day. If he pinged her as often as he thought about her, she’d never get anything done.
He’d used up all his luck for a lifetime when she’d agreed to give up her career and bind her star with his. With each new passing day, he was discovering how deep her compassion went. Probably what made her so good with people. Made her so good for him.
He wanted—no, needed—to be as good for her. Share his feelings with her, not just with the animals. Talk to her. Tell her how much he admired and appreciated her. Build a strong family together, since her own biological relatives had pushed her out the airlock for the unforgivable sin of being a minder.
“Mealtime,” he announced, and sent a brief nudge to the daylight-active animals. He’d kept his unusual team together for now, but he knew it would change with time and looked forward to it. After one more check on the kittens, he crossed to the room’s food prep station and began pulling out containers.
Thanks to Hatya’s crafty efforts, he and Taz both ended up with more funds than they’d anticipated. The room addition had been his idea, and Taz had readily agreed. She handled all the details that would have driven him to distraction. He was learning to be more careful in what he asked for because she loved making things happen for him. He never wanted to take advantage of her.
Taking a veterinary behaviorist job with the sanctuary and living in a private nature preserve settled his restlessness, but had the opposite effect on Taz. Complaining wasn’t her style, but he noticed how much she looked forward to working with people, or even just socializing. Since she’d given up everything— even her customized GSAR mech-suit— to disappear quietly into the countryside with him, the least he could do was go with her on more trips to the city. Besides, during their first visit a couple of ten-days ago to try out her newly acquired flitter, she’d followed her sharp ears to the alley that had six orphaned kittens, so cities had good things, too.
If he was honest, Moyo the soft-hearted hellhound needed more interaction with people, too. She’d make a fantastic therapy dog for rehab treatment centers.
He couldn’t give up Moyo right away, though. Her comforting love and protectiveness had done wonders for the residual post-stress trauma that afflicted Taz and him both. His nightmares had mostly faded, and only really loud unexpected sounds triggered Taz’s hypervigilance response. Since they couldn’t trust unknown minder specialists to be mucking about in their heads, they’d have to use Moyo’s brand of therapy for a while longer. Better their unorthodox treatment method than hoping for the nonexistent mercies of the CPS.
Two cats materialized on the countertop as if by teleportation. Devious Deimos had learned to broadcast hunger pangs to him as she paced with excitement. Punctilious Phobos sat and hurriedly licked his foreleg in an emergency grooming session.
After Rylando pushed a bowl in front of each cat, he set bowls in front of Moyo and Lerox, then set the mix of vegetables and protein cubes in front of Otak’s den. The rat liked to nibble throughout the day rather than inhale it. He’d feed the snoozing owl later that day around sunset.
When his veterinary rounds were done for the morning, he planned to take Moyo and Lerox out for a ramble near the start of the red-colored canyons. The river that fed his beloved lake came from there. Hellhounds liked the exercise, and exploration was in the big weasel’s DNA. Maybe his, too.
Then he’d have the luxury of a whole evening with Taz. He looked forward to it. Every hour they spent together strengthened their heart connection. No life was perfect, but theirs was damned close.
He couldn’t wait to see what their future together would bring.
Thanks for reading Galactic Search and Rescue. I hope you enjoyed the adventure and romance between Taz and Rylando, and meeting his unorthodox animal team. If you want more space opera, adventure, and romance, check out OVERLOAD FLUX. A pandemic in the stars. A stolen vaccine. Can two brilliant misfits combine their gifts to save the galaxy?
Buy OVERLOAD FLUX today!
Galactic Search and Rescue is an expanded version of the story that originally appeared in Pets in Space 5. Profits from the Pets in Space® anthology series support Hero-Dogs.org, a charity that provides trained support dogs to disabled U.S. veterans and first-responders to improve their quality of life. Seeing the grueling work and quiet bravery of disaster responders inspired this story. Animals continue to surprise us with what they will do for us, so the story honors them as well.
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When the cure for a deadly disease is stolen, two misfits are all that stands between greed and intergalactic tragedy.
Luka Foxe can’t let anyone know about his secret mental abilities. Debilitated by their influence when faced with violence, the brilliant forensic investigator now only takes assignments involving theft. But when he has to hunt down a hijacked vaccine for a galaxy-wide pandemic, the tragic first clue is his best friend’s brutal murder.
Nightshift guard Mairwen Morganthur knows she must keep a low profile. The product of illegal genetic alteration, she’s a lethal weapon with no social graces. But when she’s tasked to protect a detective with frightening intuition, she finds herself falling for him even though he could expose her.
Racing to recover the critical cargo, Luka is surprised by his developing feelings for the capable-but-mysterious guard. And Mairwen may have to risk everything by revealing her identity, with deadly mercenaries hot on their tail.
Can the unlikely pair survive an interplanetary conspiracy long enough to save lives and find love?
Overload Flux is the first novel in the sweeping Central Galactic Concordance space opera series. If you like haunted characters, compelling mysteries, and interstellar romance, then you’ll enjoy Carol Van Natta’s epic tale.
Buy Overload Flux to uncover cosmic corruption today!
Galactic Search and Rescue: A Scifi Space Opera with Adventure, Romance, and Pets: A Central Galactic Concordance Novella Page 12