Page 21 of Her Alien Cyborgs (The Drift: Haven Colony #10)

Hezza wasn’t sure she believed in the afterlife.

If such a thing existed, the last few days with Kalan and Fyr’enth had to come close.

They’d laughed, hugged, fucked, and even danced together a time or two.

Could it last? Of course not. Knowing that made every moment sweeter and every memory more precious.

Today’s morning meal had passed in near silence because they all knew things were about to change. They were about to drop back to normal space as they entered the Taza system and made their way to a colonized moon orbiting Taza Four.

While the system was far from the main trade routes, the existence of the agricultural colony combined with the mining outfits on the planet itself brought enough traffic to make it a small but significant trade stop.

They’d come here in part because she hoped someone would buy her current contract and finish her deliveries. The other reason they were here was to see an old friend and ask for a favor. If he was still here.

Now that they were about to enter the system, it was time to find out.

“Ship, how long until we drop into normal space?”

“Transition will occur in ninety-seven seconds.”

“Good. And the recorded messages I made are buffered and waiting to be sent?”

“Affirmative.”

She felt a bit silly for even asking the question. The AI wouldn’t deviate from her orders unless she told it to. “Sorry for doubting you.”

The apology made her feel even sillier. There was no need to apologize. The AI was software. She hadn’t even given it a personality upgrade, for fraxx sake.

“Your apology is unnecessary but appreciated. I have detected an elevated heart rate and body temperature. Do you have concerns I should be aware of?”

She laughed. “I’m worried about a lot of things right now, but it’s all messy, organic being stuff. You just keep us flying straight and true, and I’ll take care of the rest.”

“Understood.”

“You two ready to set foot on an actual planet? Well, a moon, but close enough.”

Fyr’enth sat in his newly modified seat, which was now more of a stool with a vertical bar where the safety harness was attached. “More than ready. Do you think we’ll get a chance to fly?”

She’d already thought about this. “It’s not like we can hide your wings, so you’re going to attract attention no matter what.

Even if someone makes a report, we’ll be long gone before the IAF or anyone else can get here.

Don’t do it until we’re clear of the port, though.

No sense in annoying the local air traffic control center.

They’ll get tetchy and probably try to fine me for operating unregistered aircraft in their airspace. ”

“We are not aircraft,” Fyr’enth sounded insulted.

“Doesn’t matter to them. They’ll find something with a nice juicy fine attached and try to make it stick. We’ll know it’s bullshit, they’ll know it’s bullshit, but that won’t change anything.”

“We are now entering normal space,” the ship’s AI announced, ending conversation on the topic.

Stars filled their viewscreens. Some of them weren’t stars at all but planets too distant to appear as more than balls of light.

“Which one are we headed for?” Kalan asked. As usual, he was behind them in the gunner’s seat.

“We’re headed for a moon orbiting this planet.” Hezza pointed to the largest monitor and then tapped on the screen to zoom in until one planet filled most of the screen. It was a nondescript place, colored mostly gray and brown.

“That is Taza Four. It’s rich in ores and minerals but short of almost everything else. Minimal water, a slightly toxic atmosphere, and not a lot of anything other than rocks. The only populations are in the mining camps and processing stations.”

She tapped the screen again, and they got their first view of the moon that was their true destination. From this distance, it wasn’t much more than a green and blue sphere.

“There’s a colony on that moon. The original goal was to be able to grow enough food to support themselves and the miners on Taza Four. It’s gone so well that now they have a surplus to sell or trade with other colonies.”

“The corporation that owns this system is okay with them trading the goods away?” Fyr’enth asked.

“There’s no corporation out here. We’re in Pheran territory, and they’ve signed over the rights to the system to a cooperative. The corporations aren’t thrilled about it, but they can’t dictate to the Pheran government the same way they can with humans.”

“We’ve only ever met one Pheran. The one that gave us that data stick.” Fyr’enth scowled. “I worry about what happened to her.”

“So do I. I got the feeling she wasn’t a willing participant in the project,” Kalan said.

“Once we land, you’re going to see Pherans, humans, and even a few Torskis. Hell, the last time I was here, a handful of Jeskyrans were trying to set up shop. Flek was not happy about that. I imagine he’s run them off by now. But in case they’re still around.”

She turned to look at them both. “If you see orange and yellow beings with lots of thorny protrusions and wearing nothing but a loincloth? Do not make eye contact. If they try to sell you something, say no and walk away. If they try to give you anything? Do not take it.”

“Noted,” Fyr’enth said.

“Who is Flek?” Kalan asked.

“Flek is the exception to everything I just said. He’s a friend and the only decent member of his species I have ever met. He’s the contact I told you about.”

“Your contact is a member of one of the most untrustworthy species in the known galaxy?” Fyr’enth gave her a sidelong look that held more than a hint of confusion.

“He is. His day job is running a local pizza shop. But his real source of income comes from buying and selling information. If anyone can get the information on that data stick to the ones who need to see it, it’s Flek. Just don’t stare at him too much.”

“He’ll take offense?” Fyr’enth asked.

“Hell no. He won’t care, but Jeskyrans are not an attractive race by any measure. If you look too long, you might lose your appetite, and his pizza is delicious. Trust me, you don’t want to miss out because you didn’t listen to me.”

Several seconds passed in silence, and then Kalan grunted. “I would like to unsee that,” he muttered.

She cackled as she realized they must have checked their onboard databanks for information on the Jeskyrans. “I warned you!”

“You did,” Fyr’enth agreed. “But that was…”

“And most of them have personalities to match their appearance. Like I said, Flek is the exception to the rule.”

The conversation faded after that, which suited her fine. She was trying to calculate if they’d need to buy another fuel cell while they were here while sending messages to traffic control to let them know about their arrival.

They were less than an hour away when she received the message she’d been waiting for.

Flek’s diner was still open for business, and he’d reserved a table for them at the requested time.

He also confirmed that he still served his special dessert and was happy to make her a batch.

That last bit had a double meaning. It told her Flek would take the job and move the information she had.

It also meant that she’d be coming back to the ship with an order of freshly baked cinnamon and sugar dusted bits of leftover pizza dough.

It was good news all around, and she happily shared it with her mahoyen .

They were still peppering her with questions about the night’s meal when they finally entered the moon’s atmosphere.

Unlike the planet it orbited, the moon had water, plants, and a breathable atmosphere. The gravity was lighter than standard, but the colonists had adapted by adding gravity plates to most of the building interiors.

She placed them on a course that would take them to the colony but would also allow her passengers a chance to get a good look at a view she always enjoyed.

“I think you’ll want to see this,” she said as a range of mountains filled the viewscreens.

The peaks were impossibly high, rising to jagged points marked by lines of perfectly white snow. In some places, the wind had blasted the snow away, revealing ridges of blue and gray stone.

“That is beautiful,” Fyr’enth said, his eyes locked on the screen in front of him.

“Imagine flying over that,” Kalan said. His voice held a note of longing she’d never heard before.

Clouds dotted the sky, some of them clinging to the peaks as the planes flew overhead. Where they blocked the sun, they left shadows that dappled the snow.

After a few minutes, a river appeared. It snaked through the valley below the mountains. In some places it was a brilliant turquoise while in others the sun’s reflection made it shine like silver.

Over time, the blue peaks softened, becoming rolling hills covered with trees, and then finally flattening out into grassland. Eventually, the green and gold grass gave way to farmland with crops of various types turning the land below into a patchwork of color.

They all watched the viewscreens, though she stole glances at the males from time to time. They never looked away, and the expressions on their faces told her everything she needed to know.

For them, this was their first real look at what freedom meant. She was so glad to share the moment with them.

She didn’t speak until the colony showed up as a gray smudge on the horizon. “Welcome to Taza’s lunar colony.”

The buildings took shape as she pointed to the main viewscreen. “In about ten minutes, we’ll be breathing unfiltered air, and you can take your first steps in real gravity. It’s lighter than you’re used to, so take that into account when lifting anything or pushing off the ground to fly.”

The two males grinned at her and then at each other.

Whatever the future held, today they’d finally get to fly. Today would be a good day.

She hoped it wouldn’t be their last.