by Tasha Black
“Oh, you wanted me to cling to you in fear?” she teased him back.
“Or just cling to me,” he said. “The fear is unnecessary.”
She laughed, tilting up her chin. He feasted his eyes on the column of her neck.
“Your picnic, sir,” a waiter announced, handing him an enormous picnic basket.
“Thank you,” Zane said, slipping the man a few credits.
“Wow,” Juno said, eyeing up the basket.
“Are you hungry?” Zane asked. “I know it’s early for lunch.”
“I’m always hungry,” she replied enthusiastically.
Somehow it didn’t sound exactly like the common female joke - implying that she was different from other females who avoided consumption.
It sounded more like she maybe hadn’t always had enough to eat.
But she was a royal, wearing casual clothing in fabrics more valuable than the average hover-mat. She could clearly afford as much food as anyone could ever want.
He shook off his silly notion and offered her his arm. “Shall we?”
“We shall,” she said, taking it.
They promenaded through the main ship, BFF-67 flitting around them in ever-increasing circles.
When they reached the glass entry to the forest, Zane held up his palm to the door.
“Don’t you need clearance to enter?” Juno asked.
“I have worker clearance,” he said, before he could stop himself.
“You work in the forest?” she asked.
“Most of the time,” he replied.
“I thought you were a valet,” she said.
The doors slid open.
“Only under special circumstances,” he said, winking.
“Wow, this princess thing is really something,” she said. “You guys go all out.”
“Why?” he asked. “Are princesses common in the land of Adair?”
She laughed. “Sure, common as cats.”
“What are cats?” he asked.
She laughed again.
He tried to listen to her explanation of the furry mammals. But it was hard to concentrate when she was beside him, dimples in her cheeks, dappled light playing on her hair. All he wanted was to throw himself at her feet.
“…and so that is why they should never have been domesticated in the first place,” Juno said with finality. “Can we go in?”
She was indicating a path through the trees.
“Of course,” he told her, pressing a button on the side of the picnic basket that instructed it to follow him in hover mode.
They walked the main path for a few minutes, and even ran into a familiar, older couple heading in the opposite direction.
“If it isn’t the Shoemakers,” Zane called as they approached. “You’re out early today.”
“Good morning dear,” the old woman said with a smile.
“You know my Maude,” the even older man said. “She likes to go for her walk every day.”
Zane introduced them to Princess Juno, though in truth he didn’t really know the couple from anything more than seeing them in passing during his work.
Once the pleasantries had been exchanged, they continued along the main path a little farther, until Zane led them down an offshoot that was barely noticeable.
He only spotted it because it was a path that he’d cut himself. It was narrow and wild compared to the old established walking trail at the center of the forest. And also offered more privacy.
The Shoemakers were sweet, but he didn’t fancy any more company today, besides the lovely woman that already accompanied him.
“This is incredible,” Juno said, stopping to caress the spiny trunk of one of the trees. “I’ve never seen so much vegetation in one place. I can’t imagine how much water it takes to maintain.”
“There’s an excellent drainage and filtration system, so it’s not as much as you might think,” Zane explained. “Bio-systems were one of the first things humans learned to do properly in space, so even on an ancient cruiser like this one the system can be restored.”
Juno nodded, her chin lifting as she gazed up at the canopy.
He’d spent a lot of time doing the same, there was something comforting about communing with such ancient beings.
“I wish they could talk to us,” Juno mused, echoing his own thoughts.
He smiled.
“Don’t laugh at me,” she said, rolling her eyes and continuing their walk.
“I’m not,” he told her earnestly. “I’ve thought the same thing many times.”
She didn’t reply, but she glanced back, and he could see that she looked pleased.
It was nice to hike this trail with her. He’d planned for them to find the first meadow off the main path and eat, but this was the kind of walk he enjoyed himself.
She was active for a royal. And she carried herself with quiet confidence.
He wondered if she had trained in battle arts. Though it was a forgotten skill for the upper classes on many planets, since peace reigned through most systems these days, some kept it going for tradition’s sake.
But none in the outer rings, as far as he knew.
Where are you from?
He had used the ship’s code to search for Adair with no luck. It was probably in an alphabet that hadn’t been shifted to phonetics for universal mapping.
Once she knew his story, it would be easier to ask for details on hers, he reminded himself.
They walked on in companionable silence, BFF-67 zooming back and forth between them.
The path was rough enough it was real exercise, and the morning mist rolled in, filling his lungs. Water dripped from the leaves above, making sounds like a tiny drumbeat.
At last they reached an opening at the base of a huge tree he knew was called a sycamore.
“Shall we stop and eat?” he asked.
“Sure, this looks like a great spot,” she replied.
He grabbed the basket and pressed the sequence to release the automated blanket.
It floated out above the clearing, found an ideal spot, and settled itself, expanding and contracting its foam core to the contours of the ground, so as to provide the perfect surface for their meal.
Zane took Juno’s hand to help her down, even though she hardly needed it.
He sat beside her, and BFF-67 settled onto her wrist and folded into a bracelet.
“Let’s see what we’ve got,” he said.
They opened the flaps of the basket and looked inside.
There was enough food here to feed a small battalion, all contained in clear cells dedicated to keeping them hot or cool.
“Say what you will about cruise ships,” Zane said, shaking his head in admiration. “They know how to feed you.”
“Wow,” Juno said appreciatively.
Zane laid out the first ten or so cells and set the table with dishes, cloth napkins and silverware. The kitchen staff had provided implements from many systems. Some made sense to Zane, some were more mysterious.
He examined a strange tool with a handle and a half-sphere with a half-metal ring as a satellite.
“Is that a melon-baller?” Juno asked.
“A what?”
“Let me see it.” She held out her hand and he passed it to her.
He watched as she thumbed a sort of trigger mechanism near the half-sphere and the half-ring swept across from one side to the other.
“What does it do?” he asked.
“It makes perfect little round scoops,” she told him. “Just skim this through your food and then pull the tab to release the ball.”
“Incredible,” he said.
“Does this mean there’s melon?” she wondered out loud.
They dug through the basket to look, but what she was looking for could not be found.
“I’m sorry,” he told her.
“Don’t be,” she said. “I want to try new things. This is my chance.”
“What would you like to try first?” he asked, wondering what kinds of
foods she could get on this ship that might not be available to her at home.
“Surprise me,” she suggested.
He piled a plate high for her with his favorite things as she watched closely.
When he handed it over, she waited politely for him to fix a plate for himself - definitely not customary for any royalty he knew. Most of them barely knew their valets existed. But he suspected that after last night, he was becoming something much more to his princess.
He handed her a canister of juice and took one for himself.
“To new adventures,” Juno said, holding out her canister.
“To new adventures,” he agreed, smiling at her.
If he had thought she would be shy about trying new foods, he was wrong.
Juno grabbed a rack of Lydoflame ribs and took a bite.
“Mmm,” she moaned.
“I love those. They’re hard to get where I come from,” he told her, hoping to spark some conversation about her homeland.
But she didn’t take the bait.
He took a bite of a bun and watched her as she tried each of the foods on her plate before going back to the ribs.
For a moment, he envisioned what their life could be like if he never told her the whole truth about himself.
What if they stayed here on the ship?
He could continue to work in the forest, free of his status.
She could live in the lap of luxury on the ship, visiting him in the forest for lunch every day if she wished.
Each spaceport would be a new adventure to explore.
They could spend their nights in each other’s arms.
They could be happy here.
Juno bit into a piece of ripe fruit and squirted purple juice all over her pretty blouse. Her eyes opened wide in surprise, then she threw her head back to laugh.
He was already happy here.
14
Juno
Juno sat back against the trunk of the old sycamore and sighed.
The meal had been incredible. And the company even better. If only things could be like this forever.
She thought about the cost of the meal and felt momentarily guilty. Whether he was a valet or a forest worker, this was far too luxurious a meal for Zane to treat her to.
“Everything okay?” he asked.
“Sorry, I just get sentimental after an amazing meal,” she said, giving him a reassuring smile.
He nodded, eyeing her thoughtfully.
“So what else is there to do around here?” she asked.
“You like food and you like bio,” he said. “I think I know just the place to explore next. Are you ready?”
“Absolutely,” she agreed, hopping up.
Zane grabbed the basket and followed her onto the grass.
The picnic blanket lifted itself up, contracted, and folded back into the open basket.
Zane closed the lid and they made their way down another path.
“Where are we going?” Juno asked, wondering if somehow, she had turned herself around.
“Oh, there are a couple of hidden entrances for the staff,” Zane told her. “Top secret though, so don’t tell anyone.”
“My lips are sealed,” she agreed.
He led her behind a stand of small pine trees, and brushed the ivy away from the wall to reveal another sensor.
She watched as he placed his palm against it.
A pane of the glass that looked the same as all the others slid open to reveal a narrow corridor.
“Certain departments work together frequently,” Zane said. “The shortcuts through the forest make it much easier to collaborate.”
They passed several unmarked doors.
Zane placed his palm against one more sensor and double doors opened to reveal a massive room. The walls and floors gleamed white and the whole ceiling was lit so brightly Juno was forced to bring a hand up to shade her eyes for a moment.
But as soon as her eyes adjusted to the glow, she didn’t care about the ceiling anymore.
The room was lined with row after row of trays of leafy vegetables, lush fruits and even small trees, each with a neat rubber tube spiraling in and out of its container.
“Agro,” Juno murmured.
“Hydroponics,” Zane said, pride in his voice.
“This is incredible,” Juno said, sprinting over to take a look at the main source for a stand of tomato plants. “Whoa.”
“What?” Zane asked.
She bent to study the valves.
“You’re still using the PS5-87 valves,” she said.
“Those are the newest valves available,” a female voice said.
Juno straightened up so fast she nearly fell over.
“Sorry to startle you,” the woman said. “My name is Raina.”
“Juno,” Juno replied.
“What were you saying about the valves?” Raina asked.
“Oh,” Juno said, feeling a little embarrassed. “Those are the latest technology in hydroponics, for sure. But they cut some corners with the redesign, so you have a drop in efficiency of nearly thirteen percent.”
“So what should we be using?” Raina asked, looking deeply interested and not at all offended.
“The older model PS5 is fine, if you can still get them,” Juno explained. “And you can chain them together to get the power of an 87 without losing efficiency.”
“Interesting,” Raina said, nodding. “Feel free to have a look around and if you see anything else we could be doing better just let me know.”
“I’m sure everything is fantastic,” Juno said, not wanting to hurt the woman’s feelings. “You obviously spared no expense.”
“More expensive doesn’t mean better,” Raina replied.
Juno spotted a sprayer with the nozzle inserted upside down. “Oh, wow, do you mind if I adjust that really quickly?”
“Be my guest,” Raina said, sounding pleased.
Juno tweaked the power housing and slid out the nozzle immediately. It would still work upside down, but it was losing a ton of water right back into the drain.
She slid the nozzle back in and watched with satisfaction as the flow opened up.
“That will help this plant catch up to the others,” she said, indicating the delicate tomato plant being fed by the nozzle she had just corrected.
“To be honest, we’re doing the best we can here, trying to substitute equipment for expertise,” Raina said quietly. “We can afford to make mistakes since we have so much space and so many resources. We were hoping to pick up some Agro experts along the journey.”
“Looks like you found one,” Zane said.
Juno turned to him, feeling her cheeks warm at the admiration in his voice.
He smiled at her and she smiled back, feeling the pull more strongly than ever.
“We would appreciate your thoughts on our facility any time you wish to honor us with a visit, Princess Juno,” Raina said, bowing deeply.
For a moment, Juno pictured a life living on the ship, caring for the beautiful produce and equipment.
She could sneak through the corridor to visit Zane anytime she wanted.
They could be so happy here - grow old together, like that sweet little couple they had met on the forest trail.
It would be heaven.
15
Zane
Zane spent the rest of the morning in a happy haze, looking forward to a day in Juno’s presence.
But around lunchtime Juno mentioned that she needed to hologram a friend.
He accompanied her up to her suite and went to his own to wait for her. She hadn’t asked for privacy, but she looked so grateful when he said he had a few things to do in his room that he was glad he had offered.
Now it had been over two hours.
In spite of their big breakfast, his stomach was grumbling.
Something about this scenario reminded him of last night when she had delayed going to dinner.
He hoped she wasn’t deliberately depriving herself bec
ause of some notion of waif-like nobility seeming fashionable. But somehow, he knew that wouldn’t be the case. Juno was relaxed and self-confident about her body, as well she should be.
Maybe it was his own voracious appetite that was unusual. After all, he was considerably larger than she was.
He tried reaching out to her through the bond they shared, but he couldn’t feel anything.
Damnit, he needed to claim her. Then he would be able to feel her emotions even when he wasn’t near her.
He sat down and forced himself to look out the window and breathe.
A terrible thought occurred to him and he leapt up, feeling the silver take over his vision.
What if the princess had ventured downstairs without him?
He knew he wasn’t her keeper. She was free to come and go as she pleased. But the thought of her hobnobbing with a dangerous array of lascivious royals and hangers-on disgusted him.
The idea of another attack like the one on King Cassius last night sent ice through his veins.
She was his blood mate, and it was his duty to protect her. He could not allow her to step out under potentially dangerous circumstances if he was not a safe distance away.
Yet he couldn’t exactly insult her independence by banging on her door to check on her.
He touched his communicator and signaled Anna.
Just before she replied it occurred to him to wonder how many calls he could make to the ship’s founder before she told him this arrangement wasn’t working out.
“Zane?” Anna’s calm voice said.
“I, um, the princess hasn’t called for me to bring her to lunch yet,” he said. “She hasn’t gone below without me, has she?”
All VIPs had voluntary bracelet chips for security purposes. Anna would be able to locate Princess Juno quickly.
“Crap on a cracker,” Anna blurted. “I’ll signal her droid. She’ll be along for you in a moment, I’m sure.”
“Please don’t bother her on my account,” Zane said. “I just want to make sure she isn’t out without an escort.”
“You’re amazing, Zane,” Anna said. “Really, I’m grateful. It seems like Juno is having a wonderful time.”
“I’m glad,” he said, gratified.
“You’re one in a million,” Anna said. “I suspect she’ll be along shortly.”