Page 11 of Ava Stargazer (Planet Xai #2)

By the next day construction was well underway at Celestial , the Spry retrofitting the ship with the other Vorbax’s help. Others from the town came who wanted to learn, but Vox only allowed those he knew well enough to join. The area and ship were much busier than usual. Incredibly busy, actually. So many wanted to learn, and they all peered at Ava when she walked the halls to and from the engine room. No one had come down there but she double checked the locks to the engine room, and the biologics, just in case.

The sound of construction inside of Celestial , and all the extra eyes trying to look at her, set her nerves on edge. She slipped away, letting Vox know she needed a break. Besides, she had a task she needed to complete for Orla. When she visited her before the mating ceremony, Orla had given her a cartful of seeds and bulbs and asked her to take them to Rhutg in the next few days.

Happy for the excuse, she pulled the hand cart out and walked the path to Rhutg’s house, huffing and puffing from the exertion. Her muscles, despite her having been on Xai for several weeks, were still not strong. She gave the wagon another tug. It's so heavy . The path she had to walk seemed endless. And uphill too.

Her grip tightened and her eyes focused on each step as she pulled upward. She kept her eyes trained on the ground, the sky blocked by her visor. Ava tended to look down a lot outside; the sky above still seemed too open at times. Thankfully, Rhutg did not live far from Vox. It was just a short walk down a path lined with stones that marked the way. Feels a lot longer right now though.

Ava only felt sure of walking a few paths so far here on Xai, mainly this one to Rhutg’s and the one around the lake that led to Orla and Erox’s home. She could take the small hover that Vox owned, but she preferred to walk herself when she could.

Finally, the hill incline leveled off and Ava stood and caught her breath, happy to rest a minute. She smiled as she wiped her brow. It is getting easier.

Birdsong trilled all around her from Xai’s many wild birds. Ava breathed deep and listened for a minute before continuing, her sandals slipping in the soil as she moved, annoying her to the point she took them off and decided to walk the rest of the way barefoot.

Rhutg must have sensed her coming because he came out to greet her, raising his hand in welcome and then shifting his gaze to what she pulled behind her as he walked toward her.

“Ava.” He came close and took off her visor to press his blue, scaled forehead to hers. His frame was larger than Vox’s, and he pushed her back slightly while connecting foreheads. “Shouldn’t you be with the others helping with the inventory? Are you feeling better today?”

Ava looked up, putting her visor back on as she absently nodded, still catching her breath. “Yes. The ceremony was a few days ago. I was only drunk for that one night.”

“That was enough.”

She rolled her eyes at him. “We did a lot all morning. Now the Spry are working on putting the cloaking device together and upgrading the communicator on Celestial . There are too many people, I needed a break.”

She dropped the handle to the wagon and pointed to what was inside. “I brought you these instead. They are from Orla. When I visited with her she said you would want them right now. That they would grow into plants?” Ava watched as Rhutg’s amber eyes looked behind her to the cart she was pulling. In it were bulbs, piled high.

His eyes softened. “Those flowers were Violie’s favorite. She planted them every year during this time. It was kind for Orla to remember.”

“Oh,” Ava said softly, already assuming the bulbs were to be grown, but not knowing the real reason for her to give them to Rhutg. Violie’s flowers. Orla didn’t give any explanation when she had given her them. “Planting in the ground? Can you show me how to plant them? I was never allowed to do any planting in the solarium.”

“Yes. I can show you. Once the flowers bloom, we can pick them. They have a fruit at the bottom of the root. Violie ... she used to take the fruit and dry it to then snack on the whole year. I have some left inside. They stay good once dried.” Rhutg reached for the wagon, picking up the handle to pull himself. “Here. Come inside and try one. Then let us plant these and you can see.” He easily moved the cart that Ava had trouble with the rest of the way to his house while she trailed in his wake. “Come, inside.” Rhutg gestured, walking up to his front door.

Ava followed as she eyed the differences in his house. She hadn’t ever been this close before on the walks she had taken this way with Vox to and from the main town. The outside, at least, was quite similar. Ava stepped lightly over the threshold and blinked, her eyes adjusting, before letting out a soft gasp. Rhutg’s home still had traces of his mate, of Violie, everywhere. Silence filled the room as she walked in farther, feeling like she was stepping into a memory.

“She used to dry the flowers too. From those plants,” Rhutg said softly, noticing Ava looking around his house.

Dried purple flowers were everywhere, making the house look bright and cheery. They hung from the rafters, circling the room, strung on artfully arranged strings. A few other varieties were dried and hung as well, adding a mix of muted orange and yellow to the view, but the purple ones appeared to be the clear favorite.

In the kitchen, much like at Vox’s house, there was a simple hearth with a fireplace that extended outward through a chimney in the back. A stack of the IO minerals, a few blue bricks, sat ready next to the hearth to provide extra fuel. Rhutg’s house remained a traditional hut, not upgraded like Vox’s or Erox’s had been with plumbing and air conditioning. The only upgrade she could see was a cold box in the corner that had an IO mineral attached to it.

A feminine outfit was draped over one of the two chairs in the kitchen by the table, as if the owner of it had just stepped out and would be back soon to put it on.

“It’s beautiful,” Ava said, pointing to the flowers overhead. And ... so sad.

Rhutg nodded and swallowed hard. “Yes.”

After she got over the initial shock, Ava was reminded again of how barren the house she shared with Vox was. How empty compared to Rhutg’s and now Erox’s. Ava looked around, and the thought of Orla decorating Erox’s home came to mind. And how plain Vox’s house still looked. It was only filled with his personal effects and items he enjoyed collecting, like feathers from his birds and things he could trade.

Rhutg rummaged in the house a bit and grabbed the gardening tools, a small box, and motioned Ava to follow him back outside the house. He led her to a bare patch of dirt in the back, underneath a large window. “The plants catch the light well here. They do not need much water; the little rain we have is usually enough. Violie also liked them because they were easy to care for.”

Rhutg opened the small box and took out a packet of the dried fruit. “Here,” he said, shaking it until some of the seeds came out, then offered one of the dark plum dried fruits to her. “Violie’s fruit.”

Ava took it and sampled it, eyes closing at the sweetness. “No wonder she loved them. I can’t wait to taste them fresh.”

Rhutg tasted one as well before closing up the small container and putting it in the box to the side and breathing deep. He sank to the ground and began to pull out the old, weathered stalks. “We need to clear these out first. Then the soil can be turned a bit and the new bulbs can go in.”

“Where do the old stalks go?”

“I will put them in your lake. They will break down there and give extra nutrients to the bavla reeds growing on the outskirts.”

Ava copied his movements, her hands quickly becoming caked in dirt. This doesn't seem hard. The shovel bit into the soil easily and she soon worked up a sweat mimicking Rhutg’s movements making small holes in the ground.

Rhutg talked with her as they planted. “Vox told me you looked at the records from Cipra. Are you ready to go there?”

“Yes. And no.” She looked up at Rhutg. “Are you ready to leave here again? Do these peace talks?”

“Not going to be very peaceful, but around the same as you.” He dug another hole before adding, “Vox says you have a hard time looking at the records from that Phor bug, even.”

Ava’s insides swam. She didn’t say anything but kept digging the holes a little deeper. I should look them over again.

Rhutg put his large hand on hers. “It is okay to have trouble, Ava. It is uncomfortable, but sometimes forcing yourself to do what you can will make it better afterward. We will go there and see what we can find.”

Ava chewed on her bottom lip before answering, “I can do it. I am scared, but it is like Torga. If I can do that, I can face ... this.”

“You can.” Rhutg knocked his elbow with her, pushing her over accidentally. “Whoops.”

“Hey!”

He lifted her up by her elbow until she was back on her feet. Then he took his hand and rubbed her hair in apology, making it go flying. “Sorry.”

She swatted his hand away. “That's enough. I'm not a coar; you don't need to pet my hair.”

Rhutg snorted. “Yes, you have fire, Ava. Whatever is there changes nothing that we have here now. And we can have these plants to look forward to when we get home again. They will sprout fast.”

Ava retied her hair from him messing it up. Already, she was thinking about Vox’s house and where she could make a patch like this outside to plant some of her own. “Think these will grow by Vox?”

“Yes. Take a few and plant them for yourself. This is more than I alone can ... you should have some.”

“Okay.”

Ava was on board to do just that. She had always wanted to plant things in the solarium before. This is even better. Before, she wasn’t allowed to even pick a flower in the solarium. She stood back, looking at the freshly turned dirt that now held all the bulbs. And no one is going to stop me either. From doing this.

Rhutg looked at the ground absently, as if lost in his thoughts.

Her heart panged looking at him. Oh, Rhutg. Ava recognized that feeling of being lost herself, and she knew that keeping busy usually helped. She went and grabbed his hand, larger than Vox’s and dirty now from the soil, and pulled him upward. He stood easily at her tugs. “C’mon. The others could use your help too.”

Rhutg stood and dusted his big frame off. He nodded and followed her, pulling the wagon for her back down the path to Celestial .

“Rhutg told me I would find you out here.”

Ava peered up at Vox, having planted most of the leftover bulbs in an area with the same orientation as at Rhutg’s house. “Yes. I wanted to plant these. I am saving a few. I’ll bring them into Celestial and put them in the solarium to see if they can grow there too.”

Vox sank into the ground next to her. He placed a hand on her knee, caked in dirt, and tried to brush some off. “You're planting yourself too.”

She dug her hands further into the dirt as Vox started to help next to her. Ava gave him a lingering look, watching his hands work as he planted next to her. The strength Vox had was evident, even in something as mundane as gardening. She looked at the row of planted flowers in satisfaction. First thing I've done on my own here.

“Vox, I am here to help.” A masculine voice came from above, interrupting her thoughts.

Ava looked up to see a lithe Vorbax, more angular than Vox, in front of them, standing tall and proud, his head angled down and regarding Ava with interest. Like Pyra, he wore a necklace, but his only had a gleaming chunk of IO mineral on a string.

Vox got to his feet. “Yes. Ava, this is Zeed.”

Zeed nodded his head in her direction, a bit more than speculation in his eyes as his nostrils flared, breathing in the air around her.

Ava stood as well, brushing off the dirt before giving him the universal sign of deference. “Thank you for coming and helping with Celestial , which I assume ... ?”

Zeed gave a smile and it reached his eyes, taking away from the stiffness his posture still held as he stayed tense and a bit back. “Yes. I wish to assist in any way possible. I have heard of wanting to find more Humans, and I’m interested in helping.”

Ava felt a jolt of excitement. Acceptance? Just like that? “You want to help?”

Zeed looked at her closely, eyes falling on the biologics around her neck. “Yes. I have spent time with Rhutg feeling an echo of your mind.”

“An echo?”

“Yes.” He glanced between Ava and Vox before briefly shining. “But it is different than feeling in person. I can see why. . .Not everyone here is as opposed like the quorum.”

Vox clapped Zeed on the shoulder. “Thank you for coming.”

“Of course.”

To Ava he said. “I will take Zeed to Rhutg and be back, Ava.”

Zeed inclined his head as well, fixing her with an intense stare before turning and following Vox.

Ava sat back and took a bite of the standard ration bar she had brought from the ship earlier for her lunch while she waited, slowly snacking on it until Vox returned and sat next to her on the soil once more. She inclined her head to him while pointing to Celestial with her bar. “I should go see the changes on the ship. Was Rhutg able to help?”

“Yes, he took my place so I could come out here. I needed a break as well. There’s no rush to go back. The ship is still busy right now.” Vox looked sidelong at the bar she ate. “There’s extra real food inside.”

“I know. I just ... I still like eating these sometimes.” She finished the rest of the bar and rubbed her hands on her jumpsuit. “I collected some more eggs too, they’re inside.” Ava motioned to the yavi trees from the ship’s cargo that were in the garden area, some of them planted. Only a few were left in their containers, waiting. “I didn’t know you had most of them in.” She stood up and pulled off one of the fruits. There weren’t many left now; most had already been eaten, and its fruiting cycle had finished. Tastes even better outside than when I first ate them in the vents.

Vox came over and pulled a fruit down for himself as well. “It is not good for anything to stay uprooted.” He ate it quickly, in four bites, before he picked up a shovel and handed it to her, shaking it so the bit of dirt on it came off. “Here. The others on the ship can manage a bit without me, especially with Rhutg there. His memories of how the panels and everything works on Celestial is actually better than mine. Let’s get the rest of these trees in the ground.”

After a moment of working side by side, Ava knocked elbows with him, pointing to a bird that was close by and watching them plant.

Vox narrowed his eyes and trilled out a whistle.

It sounds just like them. Ava attempted to move her cheeks the same way, but couldn’t make the sound. “How do you do that?”

He chuckled and pinched her cheeks together. She tried to blow again but it didn’t work. Vox’s eyes crinkled as he started to brush her cheeks off. “I got dirt on your face.”

Ava tried to scrub her face as well, but he shook his head, chuckling. “Your rubbing made it worse.” She reached over and left a muddy handprint on his chest. “There, now we match.”

“Match? You’re a mudball. At least you never seem to mind the dirt.”

She put another handprint on him. “Nope.”

He leaned over, close. “Somehow you look even more adorable with dirt all over your face.”

“What does that say about you, Vox? That you prefer me in the mud?”

“I am a farmer, after all. Dirt and I get along.” He looked up over his barren fields. “Or I was.”

Ava responded by knocking his elbow again. “I like learning how to garden, not only because I never got to do it before, but also because I can see how much you enjoy doing it.”

Vox flushed a deep purple and hummed in his throat, bringing his mud-hand-printed body closer to her. “I can feel your sincerity, Ava. We fit together fine, you and I.”

They finished and moved around to feed the birds together. Even from earlier, when Ava collected the eggs, more had been laid.

“You will leave for the meeting at the board in the morning?” Ava asked, spreading some grains on the ground for the birds to peck and pick up.

Vox paused, his hand still extended from tossing out the birdseed on the ground. “Yes, I’ll be back in a week’s time, roughly.”

Ava chewed her lip before looking at him and blurting, “Will you take the tracker receiver with you? Just in case?” Her eyes widened in a frank plea. She still had the monitor in her arm, the opposite arm from her fertility blocker. The tracker was never removed after Torga.

He came close, putting his frilled head over Ava’s protectively. He pushed in gently where the tracker still lay in Ava’s arm, hidden and active. “Fine, Ava. I will take it if it makes you feel better. You are not lost, though. But it will be a good reminder.” He kissed her forehead, then pulled her close in his arms. “A good reminder of where my heart and home lay, waiting.”