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Rutting spirit, I think blasphemously. Tiny Raffa would be reaching close to mating age now. I haven’t seen Rossa’s brother in many passings now. It’s hard to imagine the small boy as anything more than a sweet, toothless thing that could only say “Roro! Roro!” when he wanted his sister. When I left for good, he had started to talk more.
“Don’t leave, koko,” he had whined.
“You have enough kokos to take care of you,” I had told him. “I’ll see you when you’re a big, strong male.”
He had flexed his arms indignantly. “I’m a big, strong boy.”
“Yes,” I agreed. “Yes, that was my mistake. I’ll see you when you have a beautiful mate.”
He wouldn’t have a mate yet. He’d be fourteen passings or so now. Was I lying when I told him that? Did I realize then that I had no desire to return home? Even now, my heart twinges painfully at the thought. But it wouldn’t be a return home, it would just be a favor. It would be one mission on thePrimordial Avenger, and then I would convince my mate that I could be helpful on her terraformed farm. I can learn how to repair agricultural bots even if I’m a worthless engineer. I will convince her that the spirit was never wrong. I don’t care what she has in mind, children or no. I would follow Raina anywhere, do anything to be at her side.
My stomach lurches when I hear a sad beep from my breather.
It’s letting me know it needs to be recharged. Not a good sign for how much longer I have before asphyxiation.
Raina stirs as the sound becomes increasingly insistent. The repeated beeping seems to speed up as it comes closer to dying.
An adorable crinkle appears between her brows, and then her eyes flutter open.
“What is it?” she mumbles.
“Nothing,” I say. “Sleep.”
Her gaze widens as she realizes the beeps are coming from me.
“Is that your mask?” she exclaims.
“Yes.”
“Shit.”
“What?” I snort. “Is that a human curse?”
“Well, yes,” she replies.
“Excrement!” I cry, then chuckle. “That’s ridiculous.”
“You’re ridiculous! Were you going to let me go on sleeping until I woke up attached to a corpse? You’re a psycho. Switch masks with me. We can go back and forth. It takes minutes to die from lack of oxygen—”
She speaks so quickly I start to think she will use extra oxygen.
“Calm,ti kori,” I firmly interrupt her. “I am not going to die, and I am not switching masks with you.”
The thought of watching her fight for air turns my stomach. I’ve seen my fair share of deaths in space, and they can be gruesome even if they are bloodless.
“But listen closely. If I do happen to die, there’s something you can do.”
“What?”
“There’s a few Kar’Kali like me that live on Station City. You heard of it?” I’m certain she has, but I ask regardless. It’s the biggest city in Alliance territory, a monster of a station, packed with every manner of being.
“Of course,” she says. I hate the grave softness in her voice. She thinks I’m going to die, and that’s why her smart attitude has evaporated. But I’ll take all the softness from her I can get.
“Look up a male named Lakkavi,” I say. “He and his mate run a restaurant on the top floor of the Seventh Bright Sun Building.”
“Seventh Bright Sun,” she repeats, nodding. “Lakkavi.”
“You can ask for his help. Tell him Niko La’Nira sent his mate. They can take you to my home if you need somewhere safe to stay.”
