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“Or do we need to bring up certain moments from your past to entertain Dr. Clark while we wait for dinner?”
Jody laughed and tried to sound casual as she made the request she’d been trying to voice for weeks. “Please call me Jody. We’re not at work right now. There’s no need to be formal. And I would love to hear some of Vixi’s childhood stories. I can trade you for some of my son’s.”
“You have a son?” Sulat asked. “I didn’t realize. He didn’t come with you to Haven?”
“Jacob is too old to follow his mother around anymore. He joined the AIF last year and is leading his own life now.” She chuckled softly and lowered her voice to a conspirator’s whisper. “Which means he isn’t around to complain when I tell his most embarrassing stories.”
“It’s one of the best parts of being a parent. Right, Riq?” Sulat joked.
“Revenge,” Tariq agreed with a wicked smile.
She liked this unguarded and informal version of Tariq. Some of Jody’s concerns faded as the three of them exchanged stories about their children. Vixi returned with drinks and joined in, attempting to defend herself.
“How was I supposed to know it was one of your experiments? It was in our kitchen and I was thirsty.” She exclaimed at one point.
Tariq pointed at his anrik and laughed harder. “Raenia was furious when she found out you’d stored that stuff in the house. I thought she might kill you.”
“You’re the one who told her what happened!” Sulat retorted, laughing almost as hard as Tariq. “I’d already bribed our little whirlwind into keeping it a secret, and you ruined it.”
“And you told mom about our deal, too.” Vixi pouted. “I lost out on a bunch of candy and games Dad promised to buy me.”
Jody stayed quiet and watched the interaction. It was the first time any of them had brought up Vixi’s mother.
Tariq quieted, one hand straying to the arm band on his left biceps. The harani was identical to the one Sulat wore. It showed their status as mated males, though the sky-blue color showed they were in mourning for their mate.
Sulat let the mention of his lost mate slip past without comment, choosing to continue teasing Vixi instead. “I still don’t understand what made you want to drink it. As I recall, the stuff was a vile shade of green and stank. No sane being would ever consider consuming that. You never told me why you did it.”
Vixi’s lips twisted in an expression Jody hadn’t seen before, and the young female flashed her fangs at her father. “It looked like the potion Kashtar drank when she turned herself into a…” she glanced at Jody. “Superhero. Is that the phrase?”
“You drank your dad’s experiment because you wanted special powers?” Jody didn’t even try to keep the amusement out of her voice. “Oh, you really must meet Jake one day. He broke his wrist during an attempt to see if he could fly.”
Vixi looked puzzled. “I thought that wasn’t a human ability?”
“It isn’t, but that doesn’t stop some children from trying. They see vids and hear stories about such things and…” Jody shook her head. “He was more upset to discover he was an ordinary human than he was about his injury.”
Tariq glanced at his daughter with a bemused smile. “For children, everything is an adventure. For their parents, it’s one set of worries after another.”
Vixi rolled her eyes, a very human expression she must have picked up from the colonists. “Dad, I’m an adult now. You can stop worrying.”
All three of them chimed in at the same time with variations of the same statement. “We never stop worrying.”
It was a moment of camaraderie, one she hoped would bring them closer together as friends. It was all she could hope for. Anything else was just fodder for her late-night fantasies.
4
Sulat didn’t want the evening to end. He always enjoyed spending time with Vixi, but tonight was special. Jody added a new dynamic to their normally quiet family gatherings. Her infectious laughter was contagious, and her interest in learning more about Vardarian customs and attitudes carried the conversation through their meal and beyond.
Why had he avoided getting to know her better until now? Vixi’s machinations had surprised them both on arrival, but now he was happy she’d intervened, even if she’d tricked them into it. When Tariq had used their internal comm line to demand what she was up to, their little whirlwind had smiled sweetly and replied that if they wouldn’t help themselves, she’d have to do it for them.
Apparently, she was right.
“Does anyone need a snack? Dinner was hours ago,” Vixi said.
“I’d love to stay and try more of your cooking, but I think it’s time I went home.” Jody smiled and pointed to herself. “Unlike all of you, I don’t have medi-bots or nanotech to help me stay awake.”
Qarf. He’d forgotten about that. As a new arrival, Jody wouldn’t be offered the enhancements immediately. All new human colonists had to pass the training and be accepted as full citizens before that happened. Accepting the treatment also meant abiding by the rule set by the humans’ governing body. They had to stay on the planet for the rest of their lives.
Sulat didn’t understand the restriction. Vardarians were free to come and go as they pleased. Only the humans and cyborgs were subject to that rule, and there were reports the human military was giving the tech to some of their soldiers.
