Page 37 of A Monster’s Future

“I don’t really need to head up to the ship,” Chris insisted again. “I feel fine.”

Sergio pushed him right back down. “Sit your ass down. There’s a fucking hole in your body. You’re going back whether you like it or not.” Then he was pushing the chair right into the shuttle. When he pushed the chair back out, Chris was no longer on it, having already been strapped down to a seat.

The Vossell female stood off to the side, watching the whole thing with an amused look on her face. Something told me that Chris didn’t just want to be part of the negotiations, but that he also wanted to spend more time with the female.

I hated leaving Julie behind, even for a short while, but I knew the right thing to do now was to get Charlene stabilized first. At least I knew that Julie and I would be reunited in a day or so. She’d be well protected on the station now that Vossell Industries had pulled their VIP card and had Halcyon security protecting our group.

Julie gave Tatertot one last little scratch behind her ears before passing her makeshift cage over to me. Checking up on the little kukee had been the right thing to do. She had gnawed most of the way through the “unchewable” wires holding the panels of the cage together, and had been minutes away from freedom. I wasn’t sure we’d be able to find her again if she got lost in the station.

“Alright, Tatertot, be good.” Julie gave the cage a little pat before turning to me. “I think she’d be more comfortable back on the ship anyway. She doesn’t approve of the nutrition bars, and we don’t know if the station’s stuff is safe for her.”

“It’s so cute! What is it?”

I turned to see the Vossell female peering through the cage at Tatertot.

“It’s a cooki.”

“Kukee,” I corrected, even though I knew she’d end up pronouncing it the way all the other human females at the stronghold did.

“A cooki! How adorable.”

“This one’s trouble,” Julie said. “It snuck on board during liftoff. They live inside the walls of the Kadrixan stronghold. Their job is to eat all the garbage and hunt down the vermin.”

“Oh, so they’re like really cute garbage disposals. Why can’t it have the stuff at the station?”

Julie shrugged. “We don’t know if it can or not. And I didn’t want to take the risk. They’re native to Vokira. This one’s a little spoiled and just begs for food.”

“Sounds like how cats domesticated themselves. One day, they’re hunting down the mice, and the next they’re the king of the house and expect you to feed them the good stuff.”

“Sounds about right.”

“Alright, Grtirr. They’re all strapped in.” Sergio slapped me firmly on the back. “Josh is in the pilot seat and ready to go. Fly safe.”

I searched for Julie, but Annabel had already called her away, and they were bent over something on the bench. I stepped into the shuttle and took one last look back. Julie chose that exact moment to glance up, caught me staring, and waved, giving me a smile.

The smile was small and meant only for me. I held onto it the whole way over to the warship.

***

Chris sat on a bed in the ship’s medical bay, nursing a cup of bitter tea like it could wash away the memories. The painkillers had worn off hours ago, leaving Chris grumpy and a little too clear-headed, almost like he regretted a night of excessive drinking.

“I made a complete ass of myself,” he muttered. “Tessa must think I’m an idiot.”

I leaned back in my seat, studying him. “You protected her.”

“Sure. And she thanked me for saving her and even gave me a kiss on the cheek.”

“A kiss is a good sign,” I said.

“But that was before they pumped me full of that painkiller and I started acting like a total idiot.” He buried his head in his hands and then groaned. “I don’t even remember half of it. Just fragments. Telling her she smelled nice. Asking if she wanted to see my ore samples.” His voice cracked. “My ore samples, Grtirr. What the hell is wrong with me?”

I pressed my lips into a thin line. “Technically. You were there to show her your ore samples.”

“Not like that. My chances with her are screwed. I’m lucky she even wants to continue talks with Sergio.”

“I don’t know. The female did not appear upset at you when we left. She seemed to be quite impressed with the… ore samples.”

Chris groaned again. “I’m never living this down. Normally, when I feel like this, I just promise myself I’ll never drink again. But I can’t even do that this time. And the thing is, I liked her. Like really liked her. I know we hadn’t known each other for long, but when we were in the infirmary, and it was just us, she was telling me how she wished she didn’t have to wear her silly suits and visit stuffy space stations. And I told her how beautiful the valley was. Showed her pictures too. Do you know she’s never seen a natural waterfall? Just man-made ones?”