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“The oxygen levels are still good. I’ll just air it out a little.” She engaged the environmental system. The whoosh of fresh air dissipated the stale scent and the constant sulfur smell that permeated everything.

He grabbed the rope they brought then hunkered down on the cold, rocky floor.

“Need some light?” Elena knelt beside him, shining the artificial torch for him.

Between the levitators, he spotted the hitch that once anchored the pod inside the Miran Sona ship. He uncoupled the mangled hardware and threaded the rope through the hole, then knotted it.

“I think that should do it. With the levitator engaged, I should be able to pull it up the ravine path.”

“I certainly hope you’d leave the hover thing on! These pods are heavy as donkey balls without them. It’s still going to be a nightmare.” She shook her head.

“Donkey balls!” He barked out a laugh as he glanced up at her in amusement. “You have a lot of experience with the weight of animal gonads?”

“Hush.” Elena’s eyes crinkled up and he knew she was grinning behind her mask.

“I don’t personally have expertise with giant animal genitalia, but I think I can heft this,” he assured her.

As he started to get off the ground, he noticed the rocky soil was damp.

“Elena, didn’t you say something about the tide?” He studied the ground, trying to determine if it looked wetter than when they entered the old lava tube.

“Yeah.” Her brow furrowed as she followed his gaze. “But we should be good. The evening tide isn’t for a bit.”

“Mmm. All right.”

The notion that Elena regularly risked her life to tend to her people gave him chills. Everything she did on this planet was a game of risk against death.

He grabbed the rope and started pulling the stasis pod down the central aisle.

“Goodbye, we’ll be back, hopefully with friends next time,” Elena said as they passed the last pod.

The artificial light cast shadows on her face, but it was enough to see her poignant wistful expression. She didn’t know these people, had never spoken with a single one, and yet she cared deeply for them.

My mate is truly exceptional.

“That’s a promise,” he assured the hibernating humans, but the oath was more for Elena. She had done enough. It was time to let others help carry the burden.

“It’s too bad we don’t need to take this thing downhill. It would make an awesome sled.” Elena nodded, her voice filled with nostalgia.

“I know what a sled is, a simple means to carry goods, but the way you said that makes me think there’s something more to it.”

“Oh definitely.” She beamed at him. “First you have to have a lot of snow and a hill. Well, with this pod, you wouldn’t need the snow. Anyway, you hop on the sled at the top of the hill and then rocket all the way down. Whoosh.” She made a fast swiping motion with her hand.

“Ah. That does sound fun.” He grinned. “If we come across any hills going back to the cruiser, we will try this sled.”

“It’s a plan.” She happily nodded. “Does Cadi get snow?”

“Some. Occasionally for a few days in the rainy season.”

“Where I lived, we didn’t really get snow, but I had an aunt and uncle up in Washington who did. We used to go there sometimes to play in the winter.”

“You know, that does remind me. Sometimes me and the other males at the youth asylum would use a rope tied to a board and take turns spinning around in circles riding the board. I was rather small so they always had fun trying to fling me off.”

“Those little bastards!” Elena angrily shook her head. “If my abuela was there she would’ve chased them all with her spoon.”

“It was actually rather fun. I got the most turns,” he chuckled. “Although I did go flying into the head warrior’s legs once. We all got latrine duty for a full rotation.” He smirked at the memory.

“I honestly can’t imagine you ever being considered small.” Elena shook her head in disbelief as she stared straight up at him.