by Amanda Milo
It’s enough to make a man concerned.
But I shrug. Tiernan can rescue her all he wants; Beth likes my special brand of harassment. I call to her, “Will I be seeing you tonight, narra?”
“No!” is her hotly delivered response as she’s whisked out of my immediate clutches.
I lock my fingers together and rest my head back on my arms, content. If Beth doesn’t come to me, I’m happy to steal her. She’s supposed to be Prow’s tonight, but I can take him. Oquilion’s been planning an ambush to nab her from him all rotation anyway. I’ll swoop in and snap her up before he has a chance.
In my favor, I started filching Beth’s caramel iiwykia ration and doctoring the bags to look like Beth’s been tearing into them. While her supplies appear to deplete, I’ve slowly been embezzling a little nestegg of goodness and burying it behind less desirable frozen goods, so no one’s the wiser—and now I have a stash hidden away just for days when I need to tempt her to my side and sweeten her up.
Best of all, Tiernan doesn’t suspect a thing, because he expressly expects Beth to thief from her iiwykia rations. This is failproof. “See you tonight, narra!” I holler down the corridor.
CHAPTER 59—ENDGAME—BETH
BETH
When we got the news that the Gryfala wanted to hire us, Ekan had raced to me, gathered me up and shouted, “Can you believe our luck? We were planning a trip there, and now we’re getting an all-expenses paid tour of the place!” He went still against me, a new thought evidently occuring to him. “AND the gratitude of the Gryfala,” he’d added in a speculative tone.
“Very lucky,” I’d agreed.
Ekan had squeezed me tighter and danced us in place. “You are the best toy I’ve ever bought myself!”
“Go me,” I’d tried to say flatly. But it’s hard, when a hot guy is dancing with you and completely, unreservedly, blissfully happy to hold you and share his good news.
Now we’re on the Gryfala planet, and I saw our manifesto—we’re only set to pick up a couple people.
Yet, we have a heckava lot more aliens in our ship than we said we’d carry.
And everyone’s so quiet.
I find Prow, Oquilion, and Ekan scanning credit sticks almost faster than the system can process the charges. “What are you doing? I whisper to them. “Are you charging these people to sneak onto our ship?”
Ekan sighs big and hands off his credit reader to the next male in line. He waves for this stranger to continue where he’s left off and, nonplussed, the very tall winged man shrugs and starts doing exactly that, charging himself to enter the ship.
Ekan tucks my head under his chin and adopts a super, un-Ekanlike reasonable tone. “Beth, their people have allotted only a set number of officials with the permissions to join this expedition. You know what that’s created—”
“Demand,” we both say together, and he smooshes me tightly, so proud.
I look to Oquilion—who ducks, and Prow, who rolls his shoulders unapologetically, defending, “These good men simply desire a chance to visit your Earth and perhaps collect a momento. Who are we not to offer them a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for a nominal fee?”
This also sounds reasonable enough, as long as you don’t know that ‘momento’ probably means ‘abduct a human.’ I shake my head at them—at all of them.
The sound of a throat clearing has Ekan turning, and because he’s still got me squeezed to his chest, I’m turned too, to see Tiernan standing at the bay door, arms crossed—and in one fist, he’s holding a small bag of my caramel goodie iiwykia.
“Oooh! I cry, lunging for him. “I thought they were all gone!”
Ekan drags me back. “Waaait… where did you get that?” he asks Tiernan.
Tiernan waves it slowly. “You hid it under the frozen belmallow. Fool, that’s half my diet. I’ve known what you’ve been doing all along.” He holds them out to me. “Narra? Care for a treat?”
Ekan’s eyes narrow. “You’re either pulling the longest con in history, or you’re one lucky machaii. Prow’s right, you are a cog-damn latent, aren’t you?” he asks dangerously as he reluctantly releases me and allows me to race in Tiernan’s direction—where I was headed anyway.
Tiernan takes me in his free arm—and just smiles.
CHAPTER 60—ENDGAME—OQUILION
OQUILION
LOCATION: On Earth
We touch down in a meadow, our ship cloaked from atmospheric entry to surface landing so that Earth’s systems stay unaware of our presence.
And we split up from the others, each of us taking various methods of transport such as stealth cruisers and stealth terrain vehicles, while the rest of us traverse on foot.
Beth, with Annalise strapped to her front by way of a colorful, thin-weaved blanket wrapped artfully over her body, leads Prow and me into human civilization, to a place called a pawn shop. She explained that we can convert gemstones to human Earth-cash, and then we can purchase props and movie-making equipment to make it appear that our groups of aliens are, in fact, simply humans in costume filming each other for the entertainment of human masses.
Beth’s dressed herself in modest clothing; a calf-length skirt, a top that covers all but her throat and wrists. She was going to adjust our wardrobe too, but she declared our attire attractive and said human women wouldn’t complain over what we were wearing.
We set off in good spirits and with a solid enough plan, but once we reach the pawn shop, Beth reads a sign informing gem-and-precious-metal seller-hopefuls that they must provide proper identification.
“Crap!” she whispers furiously. “They didn’t exactly give us our purses when they abducted us! Now what?” She casts her gaze around—and goes still.
I follow the direction she’s pointed, and see a woman standing behind the counter of the shop, running a dust cloth over clear cases containing jewelry and odds and ends, patiently waiting for customers to approach her.
Without moving her lips, Beth angles her chin in the woman’s direction and orders, “Flirt with the clerk.”
I nearly stumble into a stand of eyewear-shades. “What?” I hiss. “I can’t! I swear it, Beth, I’ll yark on her if I so much as try. I can’t—and don’t want to be—close to any female but you.”
Hands cradling Annalise’s head, Beth tries to widen her eyes at me in exasperation—but then she grins and hauls me in for a serious kiss, Annalise gurgling happily as she’s fitted between us.
She’s quite used to being pressed between her parent crew, since this has been happening since before she was birthed.
Beth pulls from me and turns a considering gaze on Prow.
Prow sighs, rolling his eyes like Beth does sometimes. He shifts a step closer to the clerk—but then he waits.
And waits.
Beth pokes him in the ribs. “What are you waiting for?”
He catches her and Annalise in a hug. “A send-off with a kiss. You just gave Oquilion one for not being able to do the job,” he complains, incredulous. “Just because I’m not mate-locked doesn’t mean I’ll enjoy flirting with any other female but you. What do I get for my sacrifice?”
Beth takes his hands from behind her, holding him delicately between her fingers and thumbs. “You’re going to get us busted.”
Prow grins. “Hmm. I like busting with you.”
“Not in front of Annalise,” I warn.
Grimacing, Prow agrees, “Ick.”
Beth snickers and eases back from him. “Well I can’t send you off with a kiss,” she says with regret. “That’ll tip the lady off that you’re in a relationship, and that’s gonna hurt our chances at success here.”
Prow’s hands close carefully around Annalise’s ears, and he mutters, “If I don’t get a kiss on the mouth, where do you intend to put it?”
Beth’s lashes brush her cheeks as she smiles demurely. “Do a good job, and you might find out.”
CHAPTER 61—ENDGAME—PROW
PROW
I flirt with the
clerk.
It’s cog-damned odd to engage in flirtation with another female, and even stranger to do it right under Beth’s nose and at her direction, no less.
I’m sweating the entire time, but I must do a fair enough job charming the woman because she gives me human cash for my gemstones without the human security identification passes called a drivers’ license. It’s not an easy experience though. I vow to myself that as soon as we exit this place, I’m dragging Beth into the alley and thoroughly rutting her.
After we pass Annalise to Oquilion, of course. I’ll be a responsible Beth-ravager.
But I’m waylaid in my plot when I inspect the human cash with disbelief. Swiftly, I take it to Beth to be sure we weren’t just swindled.
She nods at it and at me, grinning. “Great job!” Then she takes in my concerned expression. “What’s the matter?”
I lean into her, breathing into the shell of her ear mostly because I enjoy watching her every time she shows her little shivers of interest. I whisper, “This is just paper?” I pull back and peer at it again in curiosity and skepticism.
“Yeah,” Beth says slowly. “Why?”
I wave the papers. “These portraits are flat. No motion. What prevents you from printing copies?”
“Ah this,” she says, pointing to light-catching, shiny strips on the money papers.
“Is this supposed to be a holographic strip?” I ask, barely containing my derision.
Oquilion and I start laughing, and heartily.
“Oh my Creator,” Oquilion gasps. “This job’s gonna be a snap.”
CHAPTER 62—ENDGAME—TIERNAN
TIERNAN
I have a wallet stuffed with paper bills, care of Prow, Oquilion and Beth’s efforts. Beth declared that my outfit was suitable—black pants with fewer weapons strapped to my hip and thighs than usual, but we don’t expect much trouble on Earth. I’m wearing a black long sleeve shirt, and Beth’s only suggestion for my ensemble was to add something to cover my ears. Since my mission isn’t with the others who are passing for movie-makers or costumed convention-goers, I added a knit cap. I pull it down now to fit warmly over the tops of my tapered ears, knowing it hides them well because Beth told me so. I ascend the two steps it takes to stand on a simple wooden porch, and approach the door of a small wood plank-sided home.
In front of the door, like a warning, is what appears to be a leg bone that nearly matches the size of my own thigh. It’s stained brown, one of the knuckle-ends gnawed away by a great beast.
Brows raised, I reach forward, and knock on the door of the first human on my list.
A roar of alarm answers me, and something large thuds against the other side of the door. My hand flexes out of habit at hearing a possible threat, my body processing the need to defend myself—but I don’t move. This is Earth. There are no monsters here that will need killing.
The thing battering the other side of the door suddenly gives a very loud, very deep bark.
Kota the German Shepherd, Sanna’s guide dog, barked in happiness, but I imagine this must also be a vocalization a dog employs to warn their people of a stranger’s presence.
My theory seems to play out. A man calls, “Quiet,” and his voice is nearing the door.
The growling and barking falls silent.
The door opens a scant increment, and from the portion of face revealed, I see the man’s gaze is level with my chest. Slowly, he cranes his neck, and his head moves up, up, up until he’s looking me in the face, clearly regarding me with caution.
“Hello,” I offer. “I’m here to look at your litter of puppies.”
The door opens a little wider and the man squints one eye. “You ex-military?”
Surprised at a question I’m not prepared to answer, I pause. “I didn’t think my clothing would indicate a unit of the military—”
The door opens all the way, and the man looks more relaxed. “You’re fine son—you can always tell who’s a jarhead.”
My smile feels crooked. “Is that a good thing, or a bad thing?”
The man’s face splits into grin. “Semper Fi.” He holds out a hand.
And like Beth practiced with me, I grasp his firmly but not harshly, and give his limb a confident shake in the American-human variant of greeting.
But his words are unfamiliar. Beth did not mention these to me. Thinking quickly, I repeat his salutation, and pray this is the correct response. “Semper Fi, sir.”
The man’s eyes warm, and he drops our hand-clasp maneuver to invite me in saying, “Come in, come in—don’t mind the dog hair.”
It’s not the dog hair I have to worry about at all. It’s the two Kota-like beasts who seem to bristle when I step into their master’s home, their dark autumn and teak eyes showing shock—and it’s nearly comical how their long-nosed profiles twist sharply to stare at their owner as if to ask, Can’t you tell he’s different?
But they settle down when I’m handed a stack of paperwork to fill out. “You think when your service ends, you’re done with the paperwork, but there’s always more forms to fill out, right?” the man comments with a laugh.
“I was prepared for this, sir,” I tell him truthfully. Beth warned me that a dog breeder would likely require a glut of data and a written testimony of my intention to provide proper care for any puppies I manage to purchase. She had me memorize all of her old-world information in order to fill out the forms.
She also sent me with enough funds to obtain a special option for registration and future breeding rights. Although the registration portion won’t be necessary, we’ll have the breeder’s blessing to have the puppy from their kennel continue their line.
Regrettably, when I get to the form’s question that asks why I want a puppy, I can’t very well tell the man that I intend to deliver the young dog to a friend for a gift to his wife on their planet where they have no other dogs anywhere save for Kota.
But I am completely truthful when I say this puppy will be loved beyond measure and be well cared for all of its days, and when all is said and done, I’m carrying a wriggling puppy back to the ship. I don’t at all regret that this is my assigned duty on Earth. I’m to pick up six more of these treasure bundles for Sanna at Breslin’s impassioned behest.
Save for one kennel who informed me they had no puppies—either because they truly didn’t, or because the woman answering the door was too nervous to let me in, I’m not certain—each subsequent visit goes similarly, until I’m filling out my final stack of puppy-papers, and something tugs on my boot.
Glancing down, I spy a muddy-colored oddity. And as if the little animal can sense my gaze, it raises its head—and spooks.
Setting my papers aside, I move to the puppy and hunker down, down, down. I ask the tiny animal, “You look a little different than your siblings, don’t you?”
The puppy’s eyes go round. It nervously wags its tail at me, its ears lowering—flattening—before it promptly squats on the floor and a small puddle forms under it.
I make a distressed noise. I’ve met seven litters of puppies without issue, but I’ve managed to terrify the urine out of this young pup.
“Oh, it’s okay!” the breeder says quickly, carefully lifting the puppy and swiping at its underbelly with a cleaning towel. “This one gets nervous with tall men. She’s really super, but she’s naturally submissive. Poor girl’s going to be hard to place all around,” the breeder says with a sad sigh.
“Why do you say that?” I ask.
“Well,” she waves her hand at the other puppies. “Black and tans and black and silvers are classic. Popular.” She tips her head at the puppy in her arms who, now that she’s not so very, very far from my level, looks happy and shyly excited to see me, slowly wagging her tail, tongue lolling. “This one is a sable. You get a lot of people asking if it’s a mix-breed, because the color is different from what most people recognize.”
Haltingly, I reach my fingers out, and after a moment, the puppy laps them—then lunges and begins
to slobber my whole hand with great enthusiasm. “That’s a shame. She’s very fetching.” And, it would seem she’s willing to overlook a tall man if she feels safe in his presence. I happen to know a female who struggles with this very same unfortunate affliction. She may never entirely grow out of her instinct to flinch, but she’s improved with time and love.
I scan the rest of the litter, knowing I only need one more puppy for Breslin and Sanna—but we have a little narra on our ship who would probably love to grow up with a lovely-hearted, slobbering, muddy-colored best friend. Letting my fingers gently stroke the velvety fur behind the sable’s ears, I send a hopeful smile at the breeder. “May I please fill out a second puppy application?”
CHAPTER 63—EPILOGUE 1—BETH
BETH
Before we leave Earth, there’s just one more tiny, insignificant matter the guys feel they must take care of.
Tiernan leaves his puppy, Serenity, (Yes! She’s named after the ship from the Firefly show, how cool is that?!!) in the capable hands of Angie and Arokh, who are hanging out on our ship, and my Na’riths, me, and Annalise take a ride in one of the stealth cruisers.
Annalise falls right to sleep. For the first time in her life, I lay her down in her crib when the cruiser comes to a stop at a house I remember too, too well.
My skin’s crawling, and my hands feel clammy as I cover Annalise up. With trembling fingers, I turn on her monitor.
With a little tinkering, the guys made it a long-range one, which will work very well for the little event the guys have planned.
The guys and I exit the ship in near silence, all of them uncharacteristically serious, not laughing or joking or even jibing with each other. They’re deadly quiet. Focused.
“He may not be here anymore,” I say without conviction as we travel the pristine white bricks that lead to the front of a modest brick house.