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Vanity had never been important to me until Cora. I was no longer the same male who had stepped onto Onis, but a changed version of myself. One that longed for her approval.
Which is a ridiculous waste of time!
My sivot stirs in disagreement. What used to hold the greatest importance is insignificant compared to the female I've chosen to mate. The Universe remains the same, it is me that is different. Where I was once certain of the path my life was taking now I see an uncertain future when it comes to Cora.
Yet I have to remind myself there is no future with Cora. She will not change her mind about returning to her world. Knotted or not, she cannot be a Kaul's mate. My mate. She is a human and belongs with her people, not flying around the Universe with a Star Maverick.
I step into the purifier and crank the handle a little too hard. The machine screeches and whines from my abuse before warm mist shoots out in a cleansing cloud, but I don't linger. My time inside the pod is quick and efficient before toweling off and donning the pant's and boots Qhix left for me.
Once I'm done, Cora and I leave the med bay and make our way to the cargo hold where Qhix is waiting for us at the hauler.
"Ready?" Qhix tosses me the sack of tellic. "It's all there."
"I know." And I do without looking inside. Qhix might be a marauder, but he is a fellow Star Maverick who swore an oath to the brotherhood, to each other. Mavericks never betrayed the other. Even with my trust issue, I knew Qhix would never steal from me.
I open the sack and pull out a handful of tellic. "For your trouble."
Qhix's eyebrows shoot to his hairline. "I can't take that, Navik. It's too much. You have already given me payment in the form of Moktian tech."
I take a step forward and stuff the tellic inside one of Qhix's many pockets. "Without the medical cuff, I would still be healing or dead. I owe you my life."
"You owe me nothing," Qhix says, "but I thank you for the tellic."
I nod my head as Qhix opens the hauler door and climbs into the driver's seat.
I help Cora into the passenger seat next to Qhix and take a seat in the back with my share of the Moktian tech from my stripped down ship.
Qhix drops the ramp and drives us out of the cargo hold and onto the surface of Neptus. It's a barren world with powdery dirt coating the ground like dust. The sky is an ashy gray, heavy with dark clouds that never seem to break. Illuminated by two suns, one red and one blue, it bathes the desolate landscape in an eerie hue.
Qhix navigates around an obstacle of boulders, and I spot my spacecraft in the distance. I'm relieved to find that it is still right where I left it. Neptus isn't known for many visitors, but the ones that do stop here are as unscrupulous as I am.
We come to a halt just in front of my ship and I disembark. "Give me a minute to drop the ramp to the cargo hold."
The atmosphere on Neptus is hospitable, letting me breathe without the use of a respirator or encapsulation suit. I walk around to the side of my spacecraft and enter a code into the keypad. The retinal scanner above it blinks green as I press my eye against it, and with a loud thunk, the ramp locks disengage.
I wave to Qhix who drives the hauler closer. The conveyance won't fit inside my smaller craft, so Qhix and I will have to off load my loot from here.
Cora takes tentative steps out of the hauler and onto the arid terrain, her face pinched in worry as she peers around. I move to stand with her.
"Would you rather wait inside the ship while Qhix and I empty the hauler?"
She surprises me when she slips her hand in mine. "No. It's just strange to be standing out in the open on another world."
My starfire seeks my comfort and protection. The simple gesture sends a shiver of excitement through me that must be ignored. Part of me wants to surrender to this newfound connection, yet I fear the consequences of allowing her to get too close.
Qhix’s question lingers in my mind. What will I do when I return her home? If I allow her into my heart, will I have the strength to let her go?
* * *
CORA
Navik's ship is a sleek, shiny black conveyance, gleaming like a dark gem in the weird light cast by two suns. I keep out of the way, but don't wander far as Navik and Qhix unload the hauler.
At the front is a large dome made from some kind of shiny material I know isn't glass. It's tinted so dark, I can't see inside.
Along the sides are several portholes that glow with a soft blue light, and four circular pipes are attached to the back. The whole thing looks powerful and mysterious, a machine capable of flying me anywhere in the Universe.
Flying me home.
