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He smiled, showing two rows of even, white teeth. "This is called the sh-shaking of hands." He seemed very pleased with himself.
I chuckled. "Something like that." I took back my hand regretfully. "What's your name?"
"Danec, son of Jaec," he declared. He glanced down at his palm, a smile on his lips.
"Where are you from, Danec, son of Jaec?"
"Freytauri, a few st-stars over." He jerked his head in what I suspected was the wrong direction.
I smiled. "Is it nice there?"
"Nicer than Earth," he replied. His jaw dropped and he looked mortified. "I mean, um, it's just…"
I laughed silently and held up my fingers, my hand bent backward at the knuckles. "It's okay. I am leaving for a reason." A good reason, but that didn't make this any easier. I lowered my fingers and sighed. "They say Earth was lovely once."
"Before pollution, war, and the climate made it harder to live there," he said as though reading from a vidscreen. "I came top of my class in history." He puffed out his chest and for the first time I really noticed the bulge of muscle under his shirt. From what I've heard, the training with the IF was rigorous.
"Where are you headed?" he asked.
I glanced down at my watch. "I'm making a stop at the Moon Station for a night, then on to Agus."
Danec's face lit up. "Me too. Are you joining the GASP?" The Galactic Armed Space Force.
I hesitated. "I don't think I'm military material. I trained as a nurse, but my knowledge of alien—I mean, non-human biology is limited. I've heard the medical training facility on Agus is the best in the IF. After that, I'm not sure what I'll do."
"It is the best," Danec agreed. "I might see you around then." He looked hopeful. The expression made him even hotter, if that was possible.
"I'd like that," I said softly. "Can I ask you a question?"
"I…" He blinked and his shyness returned. "I suppose so."
I chewed my lip for a moment. "Is everyone from Freytauri blue?"
"Oh," he looked relieved. What had he expected me to ask? "Yes, we are. Although some tend toward purple. Some confuse us with the Agusians because we look similar, but they tend toward green. We share a common ancestor with them and the people of Earth—" He stopped, eyes wide. "I'm babbling again."
"Not at all," I said. "It's nice to see someone so passionate about things."
He blushed again. "My friends called me a gwarp, because I like to read and learn."
I bit back a laugh, in case he thought it was directed at him. "A gwarp? Is that like a nerd or a geek?"
"Or a dork," he said. "Human slang is fascinating."
"Oh I don't know, Freytaurian is pretty interesting too, by the sound of it."
He cocked his head. "We have fewer words for toilet and penis than humans do." He said 'penis' like he'd said 'arm' or 'leg.' Just another body part, nothing to be embarrassed about.
I liked that.
"I'm not even slightly surprised," I said ruefully. "Humans have long been obsessed with both of those things." Not that I could talk. I enjoyed toilet humour and cocks as much as the next girl.
"We have many words for stars and hard work." The side of his mouth quirked up. "I suppose our culture has different priorities."
I laughed again. "You could say that." Apparently ours was all about the groin area. No wonder the planet was a mess.
I looked out the window and sighed, as did several other humans who sat in the seats behind me. The shuttle was small, only big enough for a hundred people, but it moved fast enough that I could already see almost the whole side of Earth. Mostly blue, the continents stood out as the only landmasses still above water. The rest were gone some fifty years ago, before I was born. Old footage shows islands dotting the ocean, full of life and odd trees called palms. Agus had islands. With any luck, I'd get to see one.
"I remember the first time I left Freytauri," Danec said softly. "I was nervous too. I was worried I would never return."
