"I could leave you behind..."
"No, no. I'll play the role," Teddy declared. "Just promise that there will be no petting or talking to me like a baby."
I agreed, but Aeren took the opportunity to squat her tall slim form down in front of him. Though sexy as all hell, she did look motherly. Patting him on the head, the hooded elf witch said with exaggerated baby talk, "I will make no such promise."
Strawberry and I burst out laughing. Teddy just slumped his shoulders as he glared at me. At least he didn't swat away her hand or threaten her. He knew that Aeren was in a similar place as himself. An intelligent alien creature on a human ship, trying to find her way in a strange new world. His keen sense of things held his tongue. In some ways, he was the most stable of all of us.
"No cradling then," Teddy told the robed beauty.
After a good laugh I reminded him of the plan to stay close to me. Climb up onto my shoulders a few times just to sell the act. And absolutely no talking.
"The witch gets to talk," he objected.
"She's not pretending to be a pet," I answered.
"Besides, I'm leaning more toward the elf assassin character," she told him. I knew from experience that was a role that could earn her an academy award. Not just the look, but also the skill set.
When Aeren stopped in the walkway toward the lift that connected us to the station, she stared in awe at the vastness of space through one of the small pill shaped windows. I waited patiently, fully appreciating what she must be going through. Her kind did not travel the stars or even realize that it was possible.
I noticed that Teddy was interested in seeing the view, too. But his pride kept him from asking me to lift him up. Eventually he gave into his desire and tugged on Aeren's long robe.
"May I?" he asked respectfully when she glanced down.
With a motherly smile she nodded and extended her hand. Teddy used it to propel himself up onto her shoulder where he could see through the tiny window. When Aeren reached for him with both hands he allowed himself to held in her arms. That was an image that I never thought that I would see.
"It is amazing," Aeren voiced her admiration.
"The fact that we can see part of the station and one spaceship in motion adds incredibly to the impact of the view," Teddy responded, trying to sound less awestruck.
"Will there be windows like this on the station?" Aeren asked eagerly.
"Not many," I told her as I thought back to my last two visits. I didn't recall ever being able to look outside. It made me wonder why.
"You can stare at space all you want when we return," Strawberry told them, her patience finally wearing thin. "There is lots more to see inside the station. Try to act less bedazzled by it if you can. Otherwise, you are going to stand out as dirt monkeys."
"Monkeys?" Teddy asked with a rare raise in his voice. He resembled that remark as much as he resented it.
"Sorry, that is a term we spacers use for planetary dwellers. No offense. Can we go now?"
I walked slow to give the two newbies a chance to look around inconspicuously on the dock level. In my mind there wasn't much to see. Cinnamon was busy using the loader to stack our outgoing cargo in the appropriate section for pick up. Teddy had seen it in use a few times before, up close and personal during a battle sequence. But Aeren had not.
Strawberry was a fast walker naturally. I was easily able to keep pace with her when I wasn't intentionally going slow. In our current situation she found herself stopping and waiting for us several times. I decided to use a trick to keep her at our pace. It was one that a couple of my girlfriends had used on me when strolling through a mall.
When I reached out and took the redhead's tiny hand in mine, she stared at me like I had gone crazy. I laced my fingers though hers and continued on my casual stride.
"Am I Cinnamon now?" she asked. "Holding your hand everywhere that you go?"
"No," I answered, glancing back to make sure Teddy wasn't getting into any trouble. I trusted Aeren more than him despite her lack of exposure to the world on a galactic scale. "You could never take Cinnamon's place. And that's okay. You are special in your own way, and so is our relationship. We can hold hands sometimes, can't we?"
"I guess so," she answered as she squirmed a little. The gesture was making her much more uncomfortable than I had expected. "I've never really held hands with a man before."
"Oh, I didn't know that. How about girls? Have you held hands with any female lovers?"
Strawberry glared at me as we continued along slowly. "I've had less of those than you obviously think."
The comment brought to mind Sage's remark in the shower just before my freckled friend went ape shit on her fat ass. I was seriously concerned that she was going to pull the trigger and electrocute the hefty old boss lady where she stood on the wet floor. The silence that ensued suggested that maybe Strawberry was remembering that moment as well.
"So, why are you holding my hand," she finally asked. I could tell by her body language that she had gotten more comfortable with it. "Are you working me? Do you need me to agree to something? Or are you just trying to advance our personal relationship?"
We were nearly to the lift that would take us up to the markets. Aeren and Teddy were staring into the entrance of Snookers like a birthday boy into a strip club. I should get them a nice meal while we're out, I thought.
"I'm okay with that, if that is your intent," my newly trained navigator said with a grin. Not a conniving manipulative one. More like the girl next door that just realized that you found her attractive. She was getting a little giddy despite herself. She had so many facets to her personality. I never would have dreamed that before.
"That does sound good to me," I answered. "And I still owe you a special thank you. But honestly, I've been holding your hand for another reason. Have you noticed how slow you have been walking?"
Strawberry looked back the way we had come from as we waited for our turn on the station lift. Was she expecting a trail behind us that confirmed my message? Did she think that there would be boot prints closer together than usual?
"Huh," she muttered, then pulled her hand out of mine.
She placed both of hers together in front of her chest to prevent me from grabbing them again. I didn't like how my confession affected her, so I put my arm around her and pulled her shoulder to my chest. She turned to stare at me, confused by my gesture somehow. Or maybe just hesitant. I had planned to kiss her on the cheek, but her lips were closer. She didn't shy away from the contact between our closed mouths.
"I can hold your hand for two reasons, can’t I?" I whispered to her.
A moment later we stepped into the large lift car with a dozen other people. I gestured for Aeren and Teddy to stand in front of me where I could keep a watchful eye on them, mostly for their own safety. I had to admit that I was a little surprised to feel Strawberry's small delicate hand worm its way back into mine. She was smiling when I looked at her, but she kept her eyes forward.
When the lift doors opened to place us on the markets level, I got my first view of children on the station. And they immediately saw Teddy. Before we could even take a step forward, they lunged for my furry little friend.
Then Teddy yelled, "Stop!"
Now I didn't only have excited children to deal with, but confused adults. A lot of them. My pet koala monkey bear just spoke the human language. Everyone was shocked.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN:
"That's the only word that he knows," I announced in near panic. Everyone was standing still except a few dockworkers that apparently didn't give a shit about talking alien pets. Their motion thankfully prevented the massive door from closing.
Teddy, always quick to pick up on things, looked right up at me and shouted, "Stop!" He used nearly the same tone as he did with the kids. His support of my claim was so convincing that anyone holding their breath released it happily.
To sell the act even further he looked up at Aeren and made that gesture th
at little kids did with their fingers when they wanted to be held. Our alien elf, who hadn't drawn any stares yet from what I could tell, did two things on Teddy's no-go list. She hoisted him to her hip like a toddler, then spoke in baby talk, "Oh, did Teddy get scared by the little humans?"
No one picked up on the fact that she said humans instead of people. Those exiting the lift car did so hurriedly, some in obvious contempt for the delay. Others, including the troublesome children, loaded into the elevator bound for the higher levels.
"I apologize," Teddy said in his monotone manner once we were clear from the crowd. "May I please be put back down now?"
"That was a scary situation," I told them. "But you both did well. Thank you."
"We only followed your lead, captain," Teddy responded, wiggling his body until Aeren released her grip. He didn’t even need to be lowered. His athleticism made him like a cat falling from a two-story building. Twisting and turning but always landing on his feet.
I was getting used to everyone following my lead. So much so that I was starting to fear making any big mistakes that would knock me off that lofty perch. Station mishaps. Relationship blunders. Mishandling the Sage situation.
"Let's buy some cargo," Strawberry then said energetically to get us all back on track.
We went to Clark's One first. But I knew from experience that my first officer wasn't going to sign the deal that she lined up right away. She wanted them to sweeten it first. When we went to walk out the door to check other offers, the old man stopped us before we could get away this time.
"Why do you want to make a planet run with your ship?" he asked. "There are much more profitable ventures on the board for interstellar shipments."
When Strawberry looked to me for a response I said, "We like to get out and stretch our legs a bit. It is more about the lifestyle than the money."
The guy laughed and repeated what I said to himself. "I like that expression. I tell you what. Finish this deal right now and I'll give you a spending chit for ten thousand that you can carry out the door with you. Spend it however you like here at Clark's. I can see that you are into exotics. There is a private club that I can get you into tonight. I guarantee that you will enjoy yourselves."
"We'll take the deal," Strawberry said before I could. "But no club, thank you."
We finished up our business and left the office without me saying another word. As soon as we got outside I asked her why she turned down the club visit so quickly. It sounded like fun to me.
"It is a setup," she whispered. "They get their money back and more if you go there. Trust me, we don't need that kind of trouble."
"What kind of trouble do we need?" Aeren asked, looking honestly confused.
"Girl, we already have more than we can handle."
We walked the station more casually after that. It felt like we were finally hitting our stride as a newly formed merchanter team. Strawberry even took me by the hand a few times. When I gave her a proud look, she humorously clarified that it was only for the purposes of slowing her down.
The floor curved upward if we looked far enough ahead. We were basically on a giant hamster wheel. The levels with lower ceilings made the structure design more noticeable, but we didn't spend much time on those.
We tried to get a table in the Rain restaurant but they flat out refused to let Teddy enter, and insisted that Aeren shed her hooded garment. So, we took them to Snookers instead. They barely batted an eye at our unusual group but did seat us way back in the corner. Both Teddy and Aeren fell in love with all the faux wood surfaces quickly, passing their hands across them sensually. Their appearance didn’t draw notice, but their fondling of the décor was starting to do so.
"Did you ever get it on with the bartender?" I asked Strawberry as I glanced to see if the blonde was currently working.
"Stars, no," my happy redhead answered. "I assume get it on means to have sex. All we did was some harmless flirting. I did find her incredibly attractive, though. She would be a nice addition to our crew, don't you think?"
"Why would we need a bartender?" Teddy asked as he leaned on the table. He had to stand on the padded seat to even do that. I had considered asking for a child's booster chair when we entered, but he was doing too well for me to embarrass him like that. "Is there a party section of the ship that I have not yet been allowed access?"
"What is a bartender?" Aeren asked before either of us could answer the first question.
The next hour and a half went by pretty much like that. Teddy diligently refrained from speaking when anyone was in earshot. When we placed one of the food orders in front of him, the server merely smiled and said nothing. It was Strawberry's idea to order four drinks of the house cocktail. I wasn't against having a nice soothing beverage myself, but there was no way our two guests could handle a full drink intended for average human bodies.
"We have something like this where I am from," Aeren told us after the first sip. I had to assume the drinks were not very expensive because I could easily taste the bite of the alcohol.
"Really?"
"Yes, we usually give it to our males before we perform rapid secession reproductive ceremonies," Aeren answered with her melodic voice.
I nearly spit out my drink when I heard that. "You gangbanging monsters used a date rape drug on your men?"
It came out as much more of an accusation than I had intended. Both Strawberry and Teddy stared at the hooded elf assassin impersonator to see her reaction. They had to be expecting her to get offended. Hell, after I heard my words come out I expected it.
"I'm sorry..."
"Yes," Aeren answered, not looking too upset about it. "I'm not entirely sure that I understand your terms correctly. But to be completely clear, our society had resorted to getting our few males drunk so we could line up and extract their semen into our vaginas. The higher your station in our community the closer you were to the front of the line."
We were all laughing at her story like it was some sort of a joke. Based on her stoic expression it most certainly was not. But that didn't reduce the humor in the least.
"The poor women at the end of the queue barely got any of the valuable reproductive fluid," Aeren continued with barely a smile. "It was not uncommon to see a female scoop up spilled cream from the male's testicle sack and plunge it into herself. I can see that you are all amused by this, and that it fine. However, it was no laughing matter to us."
After I apologized for our rude behavior, my mind went back to the doctor's wishes. "Do you still want to get pregnant?" I asked tentatively. When she didn't answer right away, I thought maybe my question was inappropriate. "I mean you would like your race to continue, right? And this galaxy could certainly benefit from more Xoticos like yourself."
"I would very much like to reproduce," Aeren declared with a tear in her eye. "The desire is almost as strong as my will to live. To be entirely honest, one of the reasons that we decided to flee our city with you is the hope that you would at some point be generous."
"Generous?" Strawberry asked. I was quite sure that she was understanding the conversation.
Aeren glanced around at the fancy restaurant around us. No one was paying us or our conversation any attention. "I had hoped to have this discussion in private," she whispered to me. "I know that the situation has completely reversed, and I am dependent on you for survival now. Still, I had hopes. Mixi and I both, to be truthful. That eventually, you would consider inseminating us."
"Are you kidding?" Strawberry asked with a touch of that drunken slur I heard yesterday. "Kash is probably restraining himself from bending you over the table right now and plunging your tight little hole until he blows his load!"
The statement sounded so crude that I was embarrassed and ready to apologize for my first officer. The only reason that I didn't was Aeren's response. She was grinning wildly. I wondered how much of that was the alcohol.
"Why have you two been acting so bashful?" I asked. "In the bedroom especially."
Aeren's smile disappeared, but her voice was friendly when she answered. "We do not wish to be roughed up. Mavdaios had shared some details of your sexual episode with Honeysuckle. And to be completely transparent, your penis is much larger than either of us have experienced."
Strawberry laughed before responding. I was worried that she might snort again. She was acting so loose around us that she seemed to be finding everything extremely funny. "It does hurt a little at first, even for us petite human girls."
CHAPTER NINETEEN:
"Where did you get modded?" a weird looking woman asked as she approached from out of nowhere. We had just left the fancy restaurant and Aeren forgot to pull her hood back up after adjusting her long braids. The inquirer had bluish skin with a repeating pattern of lines that made her look like a fish. Grossly enlarged lips and blue eyebrows that stood on end like fins. Keeping with the style her turquoise hair was formed into a tall, skinny mohawk. Her uniform indicated that she worked for the Rain restaurant that had all the flowing water. Based on her appearance, she just might be their public relations agent or mascot.
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