How does she know—The thought cut off with a thud. The pieces fell together. “Um, yeah, we’re, uh, happy to help. Hey, sorry, what did you say your name was?”
“Gapei Tem Seri. Do you need me to send over my ID—”
“No, no, I just, ah… are you Pei?”
The Aeluon paused and glanced over her shoulder. “Yes,” she said. The sound from her talkbox had gone soft, secret. “That’s a nickname I let my friends use. Ashby included.”
Kizzy grinned so hard she thought her face would break. This lady—this insanely beautiful badass who wore energy pistols and said things like disruptor mine without kidding around—was Pei. Ashby didn’t just know this Aeluon. Ashby was banging this Aeluon. “Captain, um—sorry, I don’t know which name to call you by.” Aeluons had two last names, one for their family, and one for where they were from. She wasn’t sure which was which.
“Captain Tem is fine.”
“Well, Captain Tem, I think I’m speaking for my captain and all the rest of us when I say that you’re welcome to come aboard for as long as you like.”
“Thank you, Kizzy.” Captain Tem paused again. “I’m not quite sure how to ask this—”
Kizzy got it. Captain Tem was an Aeluon, with an Aeluon crew, with Aeluon soldiers on board, and she was about to come aboard her Human boyfriend’s ship. Kizzy leaned forward, wiping the grin off her face. “Yes, we all know how to… be polite.” Meaning keep our mouths shut. “Especially around soldiers.”
Captain Tem looked grateful. “Thanks, Kizzy. I appreciate that. I’ll signal again when we’ve reached your coordinates.”
“Sounds good. See you soon.” The vidlink panel on the scrib flicked off. Kizzy started laughing. Oh, man. So cool. So. Cool. “Hey, Lovey,” she called to the vox. “Wake up Jenks. Sissix, too. I need to talk to them like right now.”
“What about Ashby?”
“Nah. I want to wake him up myself so I can see his face.”
“Nosy.”
“Says you.”
The AI laughed. “Do you really think Captain Tem will let Jenks aboard her ship? He’d like that very much.”
“Lovey, I have the feeling that this little rendezvous is going to be awesome for everybody.”
Ashby’s brain wasn’t working right. For starters, he’d been startled out of three hours of sleep by Kizzy, who had decided to wake him up by hacking the lock on his door and turning on all the lights. Then she’d told him the most incomprehensible thing: Pei was coming aboard. Pei. Here. On his ship. And she’d been talking to Kizzy, of all people.
“Do you have any idea what Kizzy said to her?” He was in the bathroom, finishing the fastest shower of his life.
Sissix answered from the opposite side of the shower curtain. He could hear the amusement in her voice. It was the sound of the look she’d been wearing for the past ten minutes. “I have no idea,” she said. “But she didn’t even realize who she was talking to at first. I think your reputation is intact.”
Ashby switched off the shower, blotted himself dry, and wrapped his towel around his waist. He stepped out into the room and grabbed a dentbot pack from the communal basket. He caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. “I look like shit.” He pulled back the seal on the pack and squeezed the gel onto his tongue. He tossed the empty package and pressed his lips together. He could feel the gel spread itself around his mouth as the bots searched for plaque and bacteria.
Sissix leaned against the wall, holding a mug between her claws. “You do not, and even if you did, I highly doubt she’ll care.”
“Mmph mm.”
“What?”
Ashby rolled his eyes and let the bots do their job, wishing they’d work a little faster. After a minute or so, the gel went thin, indicating that the bots had begun to break down. He spat the vaguely minty goo into a sink and rinsed it down the drain. “I said, I care.”
“I know. And it’s very cute that you do.”
He put his hands on the edge of the sink and looked into the mirror. His eyes had a hint of red, and his hair had seen better days. He sighed. “I don’t want to screw things up for her.”
Sissix stepped over and put her hand between his shoulder blades. “You won’t. And neither will the rest of us. No jokes, no innuendos. We know how serious this is.” She pointed to a stack of clothes resting on the counter. “That’s the least wrinkly pair of pants I could find.” She handed him the mug. “And I had Dr. Chef make you some of this awful stuff.”
The smell hit his nose before he even brought the cup to his face. Coffee. “You are the best.” He tipped the rim of the mug between his lips. Dark, bitter, strong. He felt better already.
Sissix patted his forearm. “Come on. Put on your pants. I want to meet the woman who gets to take them off.”
A short while later, he was standing in front of the airlock, surrounded by the self-appointed welcoming committee—Sissix, Dr. Chef, and the techs. Caffeine, adrenaline, and the need for sleep all battled for supremacy, chasing each other around like a pack of dogs. He felt like hell.
“So, Ashby,” Jenks said. “You gonna tell us how you two met?”
Ashby sighed. “Not right now.”
Jenks grinned. He’d been doing that a lot this morning. “I’ll wait.” He pulled his redreed tin from a pocket.
Dr. Chef nudged him. “No red smoke. Aeluons are often allergic.”
Jenks closed the tin. “Real allergic, right? Not Corbin allergic?”
Dr. Chef let out a percussive, laughing chord. “Real allergic.”
“The Aeluon ship is now extending their docking tube,” Lovey said. Ashby could hear metallic clanking against the hull. “Their hatch is open. I’m initiating decontamination protocols.”
Ashby could hear footsteps beyond the airlock door. Oh stars, she’s there. She’s in there right now. He exhaled.
Sissix rubbed her cheek on his shoulder. “Nervous?”
“Why would you say that?”
Sissix rested her chin against his neck and squeezed his arm. Ashby’s mouth twitched. He knew it was a friendly, reassuring gesture, and Pei probably knew enough about Aandrisks to know what Sissix meant by it, but something in his Human brain balked at the idea of Pei walking in to see another woman draped over his shoulder. He lowered his voice. “Sis, sorry, but could you not… um…”
“Hm?” Her yellow eyes searched his face, confused. “Ohhh. Right. Right.” She moved a step away and clasped her hands behind her back. She didn’t say another word, but Ashby could see the laughter in her eyes.
“Ashby, there’s something weird here,” Lovey said.
“What’s up? Some kind of bug?”
“No, no contaminants, but I’m confused. Their patch scans all check out, but there are supposed to be two soldiers with them. All I’m getting are civilian patches.”
“They’re probably undercover,” Ashby said. “It’s okay to let them in, Lovey. I trust them.”
“So cool,” Jenks whispered to Kizzy. They both giggled like schoolkids. Stars and fire, you two, behave.
The doors slid open. The airlock was full of people, but Ashby only had eyes for one of them. He was very much awake now.
Pei stepped forward. “Permission to come aboard?” she said, looking deep into Ashby’s eyes. The air seemed to crackle between them. She had to play the captain now, but he could see that she wanted to say much more.
He nodded. All was understood. “Come out of the open and into our home,” he said. It was an Exodan expression, one used for newly docked travelers. “It’s good to see you.” He extended his hand. This was a joke, though neither of their crews would get it. He knew full well that Aeluons pressed their palms in greeting, but he hadn’t known that when he’d first met Pei, and likewise, she hadn’t known what to do with his hand after she held it.