14. “If I get adopted, I can pet my clan as often as I want, right?”

FOURTEEN

“If I get adopted, I can pet my clan as often as I want, right?”

The spaceport bustled, and as promised, Viva took me onto her sleek racer, which had quarters for six people. Two of the quarters were new, and Viva confessed to having sacrificed some cargo space to add additional creature comforts without sacrificing the ship’s integrity and speed.

Unlike Waldren’s ship, which had smaller quarters, hers were more like two that had been combined, and each one had a tub, a desk, a place for pets, storage, and enough room to stretch and exercise if forced into quarantine.

“We had to quarantine last month for a week,” Delta informed me in a solemn tone. “Viva discovered quarantine in the original quarters were a living nightmare. While we had space enough for our bed, we couldn’t take a step without tripping over each other. The instant we were released, she tore out all her quarters, expanded them, and here we are, with a racer that has luxury accommodations just in case we are subjected to quarantine again.”

“It was terrible,” the woman muttered, shaking her head and showing me to the quarters that would be mine for the journey. “We’ll quarantine after our visit to the failed colony. We will need seven days, which we’ll spend cruising around the universe rather than in orbit.”

“My father wanted us to hang around in orbit. We protested until he decided we could zip around charted space close to gates.” Delta grinned and he rubbed his hands together. “We installed a botany lab in the cargo bay, which we’ll be transporting and reinstalling in our main ship once this voyage is over. It was our present to ourselves.”

“I want to explore,” Viva explained. “Having a botany lab expands our ability to explore.”

“Does your desire to explore stem from our mishap to Melody?”

Both grinned and nodded while the Veloc hooted their laughter.

Yulgali lowered his head my way with his crest raised. “Please feel free to draw the attention of more shiftgem gates. Viva might be happy to stay home for a few weeks should she have to conquer the paperwork to claim her share.”

As the Veloc had brought himself within easy range, I went to serious work stroking his muzzle and scratching between his eyes, earning a whistled coo for my efforts.

“How does one get adopted into a Veloc clan, Viva? If I get adopted, I can pet my clan as often as I want, right?”

The fox hybrid burst into laughter. “You could try asking. And then, if you’re extra bold, you could ask your clan to claim that handsome pilot of yours.”

If only. “That wouldn’t actually work, would it?”

Ever since Waldren had departed, taking Squeakers and Palta with him, I’d spent at least an hour a night staring up at the stars and wondering where he might be, what he did, and how his beautiful ship fared.

“It might. Veloc get unreasonable when it comes to romance, and the other clans already whisper about how you’ve done good work breaking through Waldren’s shell. He’s still grumpy, but he tolerates people in his space now. That’s because of you.”

“He’ll take time to tame, I’m sure. But first, I want to see if I can better understand where he came from.”

Our pasts shaped our futures, and I wanted a close look at Waldren’s world before a clan of Veloc had plucked him and his sister from the ruins of their failed colony. The why of the colony’s death pained me, but I wanted to understand, at least a little, what Waldren attempted to cope with.

“In good news, we’ll be able to leave shortly. We’ll have to load up some supplies, a hunting kit, and all the medications we might possibly need. After that, I’ll do our engine checks, get clearance, and escape before Delta’s father has any additional misgivings. He even gets to keep our foxes for this trip.”

“However much we’d love to take Pandora and Boo-Boo with us, Pandora’s pregnant with another litter, and we don’t take her into space once we’ve confirmed she’s pregnant. We were not expecting this litter. Someone forgot the birth control.”

“And I legitimately forgot. It wasn’t intentional!”

“She’s having a huge litter,” Delta complained. “Twelve kits. Do you know what’s going to happen to us when she gives birth to twelve kits?”

“Mayhem,” the woman predicted, and her tail whipped back and forth. “She’s only supposed to have four or five. But we’re getting twelve . Her previous litter had six.”

“She’ll be fine, Viva. She’s larger than normal for a vulpes vulpes , the kits are all small but healthy, and we’ve already modded them. The modding bill might cost me my sanity. But the kits will be fine barring any unforeseen circumstances. We just can’t afford to bring her into space with that many kits on the way.”

Viva bounced on her toes, pointed at my quarters, and said, “Delta, you settle Camellia. Feathered murder machines, you can help me get the cargo boarded, our inventory registered, and help me go over everything in the engine room. Once you’re done settling Camellia, you can take the controls for the takeoff.”

“I was great with everything until you got to the part where I take the controls,” Delta replied, and he faked a pained sigh. “You just want me to get more flight time.”

“I can’t get you your own racer until you have registered flight time. And your racer will be just that: a course racer. I already made arrangements for a permanent parking spot at the spaceport because she is not going to be entering or leaving orbit intentionally. She’ll be built in space, and she’ll live all of her days out in space. My racer is an exploratory racer. Yours will be a course racer.”

“Yet you’ll be entering your exploratory racer in my courses.”

“And she’ll be at a disadvantage, but I still might win!” Viva laughed and headed off, the Veloc following behind her.

“Is she always this bouncy?” I asked, regarding Delta with wide eyes.

“When we’re preparing to head off into space? Yes. She’s extra excited because we were just visiting with Pandora and Boo-Boo, who are in fox paradise. Pandora didn’t even want to come with us to the airport. My mother was grooming her, as she should. Boo-Boo was napping with their last litter of kits, who are about to be shipped off to new homes. If you would like a vulpes vulpes , we can give you one of the females from the litter after training her. Our vulpes vulpes are a bit defective. All of them love cats, Veloc, and space. The females are more social and better suited for space, we’ve found.”

“Shouldn’t I pay for her?”

“No, not at all. Consider her a gift for putting up with us, our planet, and our slow ways. And yes, I checked your education record. You’ve been blowing through the coursework like an obsessed fiend. You now hold the planet’s record for fastest certification in exploratory botany, and you scored the highest grade while doing it. I was asked to find out which certification you’re trying to obtain next, as they couldn’t tell from your rather eclectic schedule.”

“Engine maintenance and rebuilds,” I informed him.

“Okay, to be fair, that one was a little obvious, and they’re ignoring it because it’s keeping you from tearing the school down around their ears. I’m still trying to figure out how you managed to book in for six hours a day of engine courses. I hadn’t even known we could work that aggressive of a schedule. It’s usually three hours three times a week for a semester for the basic certification.”

I was two weeks from bagging three different engine certifications, and I grinned at him before stepping into my new quarters to explore. “I’m trying for three for engines and one for overall shiftgem care, maintenance, and installation. I’ll be done with the shiftgem course by the end of the semester. That one is complicated, because it is all ship systems. The engine ones are excessive.”

“One engine design, one emergency rebuild, and the standard engine care and maintenance certificates?” Delta asked, joining me. He pointed at the tub. “So, this is Viva’s primary splurge. We have a special purification system just for the bathing water. All baths have to be scheduled, as the system can only handle one bather at a time. In good news, the tubs all have heating units, so you can soak for however long you have scheduled. If overall gravity cuts off while the tub is in use, each tub has a backup gravity unit and the tub will immediately drain. The bather will be unhappy, but it’s not actually dangerous.” Delta showed me how it worked, and he went to the desk, opened a drawer, and pointed at a rather thick manual. “This has all the customizations for your quarters. The pages with the red flags are what’s been specifically done in here. I suspect Viva wants you strapped into quarters for takeoff, but I’m going to defy her and take you up to the bridge. The Veloc will hide in their nests, as while they are feathered murder machines, space travel is scary for them until they remember they’re feathered murder machines.”

I laughed. “I’d like to be on the bridge if it’s okay.”

“We have three seats up on the bridge, so you can watch the festivities and learn. Viva can get an authorization to start some pilot training with you at the spaceport. I know, for a fact, that you are barred from piloting lessons through the school. They are worried you will steal a ship and venture off into space alone.”

I pondered such a course of action. “Do you think I could?”

“Everyone knows you could, that’s why you’re not getting piloting lessons in earnest.” Delta laughed and gestured for me to follow him. “I’ll give you a proper tour while Viva’s getting everything ready. We’re honestly behind schedule, but she didn’t want to leave Pandora. Pandora had to reassure her that she’s okay with being left behind this time. Fortunately for us, when she’s pregnant, she has zero interest in space travel, a high drive for the treats she is owed, and a tendency to nap.”

“Is it going to be a problem?”

“Not at all. That’s my fault; whenever I leave the planet, the spaceport tends to become a madhouse. The scheduling is also light today, and I took care to tell them we weren’t fully sure of our departure window.”

“Oh, that’s good. My home world gave Waldren a bit of trouble with my departure.”

Delta nodded. “Your home world is a pain in my ass, I won’t lie. When we tried to get your transcripts, they had nothing matching in the universal education system. That’s why we offered to let you just test out of courses through taking the finals right away. Honestly, we’re all impressed with your general level of education. Some of your knowledge was dated, but it was still applicable.”

“I like to learn.”

“You do, and when you get bored, you find ways to learn more things. You’ve been making good use of the library, and I’m pretty sure you’ve been studying outside of your coursework.”

Busted. “I hate being bored. Space travel didn’t bore me at all. But this? This bores me.”

In good news for my sanity, there was a symphony orchestra coming to the planet two weeks after my scheduled return. With some help from a teacher and the tokens account that’s been opened for me on my behalf, I’d acquired a box seat ticket with one of the best views in the opera hall.

“Well, we’ll be spending a good chunk of our time teaching you how to fend off Veloc. Viva has decided you will not be participating in schooling, as you have lived and breathed education since stepping foot on Cremora Delta.” Delta showed me the engine room, where Viva bounced around, checking on her various systems while the Veloc observed, their crests flattened. “Viva, please relax. They aren’t going to bar you from leaving for space. You do not have to rush through your preflight checks.”

“I wanted to be in space three hours ago.”

“How about I work on loading the cargo bay while you take your time with the engines?”

“The engines are fine. I checked them yesterday.”

Delta shook his head, muttered something under his breath, and stalked off. I followed, and the Veloc tailed me.

“She seems quite excitable,” I said, marveling at the woman’s energy. “Is she really that excited to be going back into space?”

“She really is. After a week on land, she gets edgy and wants to be back in space. After two weeks, she settles, and she’ll be fine for two or three months. We landed within that one to two week window, and she spent the first few days doing ship maintenance. In good news for her, I enjoy doing the inventory, so I guess we’ll get the cargo bay loaded while she calms herself and embraces sanity again. She’ll be fine in an hour. And well, if not, we’ll have a rather swift departure from the atmosphere. She doesn’t know I already submitted her authorizations to race out into space, as it’s a low traffic day and there’s one ship in orbit right now. The ship in orbit is going to bail for safety when she puts in for her flight auth. She’s notorious now.”

“She’s insane,” Fogali informed me in a solemn tone. “She steps foot on solid land, and something breaks in her head. She was among the firstborn on Andromeda, but she lives for voyaging among the stars. You’ll get used to it. She does calm down after a while of being stuck on a planet, but those first two weeks are… interesting.”

Delta paused, turned to face me, and grinned. “She’s learned she can beat up any Veloc to cross her path when she’s edgy because she wants to be in space. As long as she’s not armed with any actual weapons, she can’t really hurt anything more than their pride. And according to the Veloc, should their pride be damaged, it is their fault rather than hers.”

“It’s true.” Fogali bounded ahead, pressed a button on a panel, and opened a door to the cargo bay. “In good news for us, as soon as we are in space, she’ll set the autopilot, promptly pass out in her chair, and nap the excitement off while Delta flies the ship.”

“She needs a nap,” Delta muttered. “The only reason we’re actually getting away now is because I’m piloting the spacecraft. She doesn’t qualify because she needs a nap. But she doesn’t care. She wants to be in space, and I should make use of my piloting license. She’ll stay conscious long enough to tutor me if needed, and then she’ll sleep it off.”

“In her chair?”

Delta chuckled. “I’ll carry her to bed after we’re in clear space on autopilot. My father’s contribution to this beauty is the best asteroid defense system in the universe, and it can ping us on space debris five minutes out, and the autopilot avoidance is spectacular. There are no known instances of a ship hitting debris with it. The ship recalculates its trajectory using the area scanners, bypasses the debris, and keeps going. Sure, it can add twenty percent to the transit time, but we prefer safe rather than dead.”

I would, too. “They haven’t taught us about those systems in any of my courses. Do you think it’ll be part of the certification?”

“Very probably. The system requires a shiftgem matrix to function, but it’s pretty simplistic. They’ll probably do it on one of your last days but before the finals. They’re easy to repair as a general rule. The problems tend to be software rather than hardware.”

I’d already gotten the lecture about software systems; read the manual, reboot, and link with the system to make the configuration adjustments tended to be the beginning and end of those issues. “If it’s software, then it’s just a matter of link configuration, right?”

“Exactly. I’m being scheduled to have a link installed, but my father is being picky about who will do the installation. The top surgeon he wants for the work won’t be available until next year. That’s fine. I’m happy to wait, especially since he has no record of fatalities from link installations. That makes my family feel better. And Viva practically starts climbing the walls at the thought of me undergoing surgery. I’ll be going through mods as well. I will be joining the vulpes vulpes club so we match, except my fur color will match my hair. Viva will be getting a longevity mod to match mine, so we’ll be in recovery together. She’s also being scheduled for a new link, because hers is on older tech and the surgeon can do us both at the same time.”

I perked my ears forward. “You can just request hybridization?”

“Yes, if you can afford it, you can request it. In your case, your fees were covered by the company that owned the ship responsible for the crash.”

I wondered if I would ever fully recover from the crash, as the urge to wince whenever it was mentioned remained. “Nobody has actually given me a sum of my care,” I admitted. “I guess they didn’t want to add to my trauma.”

“Do you want to know?”

I nodded. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful, but I feel like I’m missing the perspective.”

Delta nodded. “All survivors received a sum from the company, mind you, although you were the only one actually crippled. Those who would have been died from their injuries. Regenerative machines, time, and surgeons were able to help everyone else. The few who needed regenerative machines were ferried off world to a visiting medical center that handled everyone at once. They didn’t need your level of care or the same type of regenerative machine you did.” Delta crossed the cargo bay, pressed a button on the wall, and waited for a ramp to lower. “This ship is nice; we have multiple loading points. We can use the one we brought you in on for just people and quick boarding. Her first ship tends to be all or nothing through either an airlock hatch or the cargo bay. The hatch is a pain in the ass. Her newer ship, which is our main explorer and cruiser, shares similarities with her racer. For the record, she still has her first ship, but it’s parked on Veloci Minor, where the Veloc use it for teaching their hatchlings how to fly into space. She even offered it to one of the clans as a payment, and they tricked her. They only accepted usage of her ship, and that means they pay her fees whenever they take it out.”

The Veloc hooted their laughter and bobbed their heads, leaping from the cargo bay to the ground below to begin ferrying the waiting cargo containers on board.

“Every time I go to class, I think about trying to buy a ship.”

“Buy one,” Delta suggested. “Get a racer like this, that way, you can zip off anywhere with ease. If you happen to want to keep company with a certain pilot and his cat, there’s plenty of room. This specific model can actually attach to transports, and it’s pretty easy to install the modifications. We’re going to be installing the mods so we can tow both our racers around when we aren’t game to solo fly. And if there is an issue, that gives us three ships to work with.”

“I don’t know if I can afford a ship.”

“You can afford a ship. I’ll help show you how to access the money in your token account. You received compensation on top of the mods and the links, and you have your share of the earnings from the discovered shiftgem gates and the habitable planets. There are at least two habitable worlds, and because you were part of the initial expedition, you get your share. Waldren refused to do the paperwork without you getting your proper credit. He’s been stuck on Veloci Major handling everything. His clan became uncomfortable with the idea of him not being protected while he handled the paperwork, so he’s visiting with one of the more… dangerous… clans.”

Fogali hooted a laugh, set the box he carried down, and hopped over to me, nuzzling my neck. “Every few years, the Veloc meet on Veloci Major to posture, offer courtship proposals, and invite younglings to change clans. The more combative Veloc clans run the show, as there are many hatchlings in the same place—and hatchlings are targets of traffickers. So Waldren is under lock and key, surrounded by feathered murder machines willing to kill on his behalf. His clan has some younglings present, but they expect to welcome more new members than they lose. The new planets and protectorates make their clan highly desirable.”

“As there is bound to be confusion, I am being hunted by most Veloc clans. I have dodged adoptions to date because I find the Veloc posturing to be amusing. Viva loves it. I have blood ties to the Emerald Crests, which is why we have an escort. Viva has been adopted by the Crimson Crests, and the only reason they don’t have an escort with us is because we got a Crimson Tail instead—and the Crimson Tails are elite feathered murder machines.”

“We truly are,” the elite feathered murder machine confirmed, pausing long enough in his work to offer a gentle scratching behind my ear.

In the time since landing on Cremora Delta, I’d discovered I could, when relaxed or comfortable enough, purr. The sound emerged, and the Veloc chuckled before switching his attention to my other ear.

“Your itching was notorious, and we were warned you could be tamed with gentle scratches.”

I laughed. “I almost feel badly for that, but the itching was just so bad, Yulgali.”

“By the time we are finished with you, you will be a true marvel to behold—and no wise Veloc will allow you to experience even the ghost of an itch should they value their lives. But there will be time enough for that after we finish this bothersome inventorying and are on our way through the stars.”

Delta heaved a patience worn sigh and made his way down the ramp to conquer a box. “Don’t feel like you need to do manual labor unless you want to.”

I followed, grabbed a box, grunted at its weight, and said, “The faster we’re done, the faster we’re in space. I don’t suppose you’ll forget to bring me back, would you?”

The Veloc hooted their laughter.

Fogali whistled, and he fluffed his feathers. “Is this a common trait of hybrid homo sapiens ? Once ears and a tail are added, they thirst for the stars?”

Delta grinned and plunked his box down, pulled a scanner out of his pocket, and checked a barcode. “How many of these boxes contain fresh food this time?”

“Many,” Yulgali replied in a solemn tone. “While we waited, we made use of Viva’s precious containers and put everything into stasis. We went to the market six times. We are spoiled and must enjoy the proper wonders of your galley.”

“I told Viva the instant she decided she was having a proper galley in this ship that we would lose most of our cargo space to ingredients. She did not care. I swear, if that woman forgot the stable rations, I’m going to scream!”

“After Camellia’s prior mishap, we have a two year supply.” Yulgali bounced down the ramp, and he fanned his crimson tail, showing off a fortune of shiftgems. He patted a stack of boxes. “These have the supplies, and there is a spare water production system in one. Two years, Delta. Two. And we might not contain the beast with even that.”

“Two years is good enough. And if it’s not, we have more problems than I care to address. Put those close to the door. Maybe Viva won’t indulge in pointless anxiety this way. And yes, Camellia, she about lost it when she found out what happened to your expedition. That was one thing she hadn’t planned for, and now she plans for it. I’m going to lose my mind. That woman simply cannot relax unless she has addressed every possible scenario. It’s a trauma response for dealing with so many derelicts. I’ve been told I’ll be just as bad one day.”

I could understand that. “Running out of food and water is definitely a scary proposition.”

Delta and the Veloc nodded. “It is a fate Viva has witnessed time and time again, and to her, it’s one of the scariest ways to die. She can accept catastrophic failure of life support systems. She can accept suffocation. In the grand scheme of things, it’s over quickly. But homo sapiens can survive an Earth week without water and a month without food but access to water. She’s one of the bravest people I know, but that can—and does—wake her in a cold sweat. And so we take precautions and hope it’s enough.”

“And if you’re drifting alone in space for more than two years waiting for rescue, you have more problems than starving to death,” I muttered.

“Exactly. I try not to let it bother me. I’m sure Viva will relax soon enough. Once she’s aware we have plenty of supplies, she’ll become focused on venturing through the stars, and all will be right in her world. Well, excepting Pandora’s absence, but she’ll manage.”

“Somehow, with much complaining,” Yulgali stated before hauling up another box. “Please try to remind her that we cannot take any animals off the planet. We are not rated for such things.”

Delta refused to meet the Veloc’s gaze, and he muttered to himself while scanning more boxes.

“Lucas Alexander William Davenport, what have you done?” Yulgali set his latest box down, flattened his crest, and hissed at the man.

“We might be rated for such things.” Delta pointed across the cargo bay at a set of containers. “Viva would have to install the system, but it’s there. I picked it up yesterday while she was trying to fix her broken system.”

Both Veloc groaned, dropped to the floor, and made a scene, drawing the attention of workers in the spaceport.

“Wusses,” Delta muttered.

As the issue of Delta’s name seemed saner than the rest of the mess I beheld, I asked, “Your name is Lucas?”

“It is. When Viva rescued me, she refused to use my name, addressing me as Delta. She didn’t want to make any attachments.”

“Considering that you are married, it seems her ploy failed.”

“It failed miserably,” he confirmed. “Now I only deal with being called Lucas when I’m in trouble. But don’t worry. They love me, and they’ll forgive me eventually.”

“But why are you in trouble?”

“The paperwork for taking any species off a failed colony planet is atrocious, and I happen to have acquired all the equipment necessary to do it. But it’s not going to be my problem.”

“It’s not?” I pointed at the Veloc, who continued to writhe on the cargo bay floor as though they perished. “I don’t think they’re going to be doing the paperwork.”

“That’s right. They’re not going to be doing it. You are.”

It sank in that the Cremora Deltan had gotten me good, and by the time I returned from my ‘break,’ I will have gained far more applicable knowledge about space travel and exploration than anticipated. “You, sir, are a terrible man.”

He grinned at me. “I know, and my wife is going to adore me once she’s figured out what I’ve done. There’s mean, and then there’s mean , and what I just did to you is mean . But you’ll forgive me eventually.”

“We’ll see about that.”