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“Yes. We are. But your home is now at my side. I will be here when you call, no matter which world we are on.” He lifted their hands and kissed the back of her fingers.
There was a chime, and he undid her harness. “Let’s take a tour of the shuttle.”
She stood up, and he pulled her to her feet. “You just want to show me off to the crew.”
He sighed. “Is that a problem?”
“No. I just like to keep things out in the open. That way, there are no surprises.”
He chuckled. “No more surprises. Aside from half of the crew on this vessel being from the first shipment off your world.”
She stared at him. “How big was the first shipment?”
“Four hundred beings. Males and females alike.”
“Wow.”
He smiled. “Come on, let’s see them. They might not recognize you, though.”
“Ah. Right. My people are in many colours, but blue isn’t one of them.”
He wrapped his arm around her waist and walked out of the door and into the ship. It was far larger than she had appreciated on the ground. Yavor guided her around the ship and introduced her to the engineer and other officers of the vessel, all of whom were Terran.
She nodded and was introduced as Irith of Avor. She smiled and spoke to the men in Vor as Yavor’s companion. They looked her over with interest but kept their comments polite.
They were invited to the captain’s table for tea and snacks. Yavor accepted on her behalf, and they walked to the private dining area, where the captain met them and smiled.
“So, Irith, how are you enjoying the trip to the station?”
She smiled. “It is very pleasant. It is far less jarring than the arrival.”
“Have you been on Avor long?” He poured tea for her and then for Yavor.
“It seems like no time at all, and it seems like forever. I have only been with Yavor for a few days.”
The captain took his own cup and smiled. “He let a companion class female run around loose on his world?”
Yavor chuckled. “She never said that. I have had her in my sites since before she landed. She slipped through the cracks of the education station.”
Iris nodded. “I really did.”
Captain Arthur rubbed the back of his neck. “May I ask your world of origin?”
Iris looked to Yavor, and he nodded. “Right. Terra.”
Arthur stared at her. “You look...”
“I had a makeover from the inside out. Stop laughing.” She elbowed Yavor.
The Hmrain chortled, stroked her neck, and said, “She is the one for me. She slipped through before the station caught on that there could be a companion class person in their midst. I wasn’t ready for her, so she remained sleeping until everything was prepared.”
The captain was staring. Iris sipped her tea and then murmured, “I was not prepared.”
Yavor put her tea down and scooped her onto his lap. “You are doing very well, Irith.”
“That isn’t a Terran name, is it?” The captain was wary.
Yavor said, “Irith means fledgling.”
