Page 11 of Kailirex

CHAPTER 7

KAILIREX

“How are we getting on with casting Gorfo’s assistant?” I asked as I entered our production office.”

“I’ve reached out to several talent agencies in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles,” Ritl replied, “and placed an open casting call Fleet-wide for both that and the Playtime Fleet resident children. First auditions are in three week’s.”

“Excellent. We’ll cast the remaining adult positions from those who show up. Do we have a name for Gorfo’s assistant yet?”

This time it was Tithys who answered. “We polled several names and the test group responded best to Sam.”

I arched an eyebrow. “Really? Shopkeeper Sam?”

Tithys shrugged. “Not that he’ll go by that. He’ll just be Sam.”

“Alright. Sam, it is then.”

“The head puppeteer wishes to know if you have a preference for Sparkles the Star Kitten’s fur,” he continued.

“A normal cat color.”

“They come in a large variety of fur patterns, black, white, black and white, orange striped…” he began to list.

“Black and white is fine. Just make sure she’s glittery,” I decided, wanting it done so choosing at random.

“I’ll let her know.”

“I take it your meeting was as delightful as expected?” Ritl asked.

“The kidnapping brought out the usual bigots who tried to grasp onto yet another flimsy excuse to shut us down.”

“Seriously? I thought they’d be pressing for more of our surveillance, each citing public safety concerns.” He shook his head.

“No,” I sighed, rubbing my hand down my face. “They went on a tangent about how we must be hiding things from them. They accused us of having non Mylos working here within the Fleet, citing my green skin as proof, and Playtime Fleet as a vehicle for alien indoctrination.”

“Alien indoctrination? Whatever is that supposed to mean?”

I shrugged. “Apparently we’re really here to colonize their planet or something like that in their wild imaginations. And it turned out to only be two males from the US House of Representatives, not their ambassador, nor a presidential delegation, or anything like that.”

“So possibly Humans First sympathizers,” he postulated.

“Maybe. I’m sure the Commander will be apprising Lieutenant Commander Sachuu.”

“Glad I’m not in Security. Bad enough being in Public Relations,” he muttered.

I wanted to ask him if we had word on the Playtime Fleet Saucer prototypes but my kunnarskyn made an urgent alert sort of chime. Ugh! What now? I glanced down, tapping it to open the message.

“Sir?” Tithys asked, sounding concerned.

“Everything alright?” Ritl pressed.

I lifted my gaze to meet his. “I’ve got to go,” I managed to say.

They looked alarmed. “What’s happened?” Ritl gasped, taking my stunned expression for a reason to feel alarmed.

“Is it Humans First again?” Tithys fretted.

I shook my head. I’d known in the back of my mind that there had been a small possibility that my mate match would be found here, but truly, I had never expected it to actually happen. Hoped, yes.