Page 59 of Pets in Space 10
Amalena smirked. “Why? Are there more coatracks to climb and desks to clear?”
In one of the Deck Three offices, the kulak had overestimated the stability of what must have looked to him like an artificial tree.
When the coatrack toppled, he’d jumped to safety onto a two-person desk, but his momentum on the slick surface made him slide its full length, creating a flurry of cups, styluses, and notepads in his wake.
“Kulaks are ever hopeful,” Gaerynx loftily assured her, with a fond glance at his feline companion.
Amalena laughed as she gathered her cup and towel and left.
Pavrel was an enthusiastic scout, but the north Labs section laboratories turned out to look like offices, except with standing-height counters and stools instead of desks and chairs.
They smelled musty, too, as if they hadn’t been used for a while.
The unrelenting gray decor was downright depressing, but on the plus side, none of them appeared to have extra listening devices.
They’d just finished a tour of the warren of labs when Pavrel veered toward an unmarked door tucked behind a bank of recyclers.
Gaerynx had dismissed it as a service access panel, but the door slid open to reveal a narrow, uncarpeted metal floor and what looked like a handrail. It wasn’t on the public ship map.
Pavrel boldly stepped in, ears swiveling with interest. Automatic lights came on when Gaerynx stepped over the threshold, revealing a descending stairway.
The kulak stopped at the third step and looked back, as if to invite Gaerynx on another adventure.
After a moment of hesitation, he followed. Curiosity wasn’t only for cats.
He could see why the stairs seemed disused.
They were a square version of a spiral staircase, awkward and disorienting.
As they descended, the air grew warmer, with scents of lubricant and metal in the dust that rose from his footsteps.
The public map had shown Deck Two as a featureless blob with engines at one end.
To his surprise, when Pavrel reached the bottom of the stairs, the door there slid open with a muffled screech.
Quick glances down the utilitarian metal corridor revealed a closed door labeled Computer Nexus to the right and Hydroponics and Trim Engine Controls to the left.
Farther south beyond those, he saw more closed doors in the gloom.
Before Pavrel could venture any deeper, Gaerynx scooped up and carried the aggrieved feline back up the stairs.
He wasn’t about to get caught on the forbidden deck by one of the crew.
“Come on, Noongar,” said Gaeryx, nicknaming his kulak after the famous multi-decade expedition that had discovered and cataloged nearly two hundred potentially habitable planets across the galaxy, “you deserve a midday treat.”
A glance at a clock display on the way to his room renewed his restlessness.
Time was marching on. Sainik, Dequer, and their corporate cabal were free to plot their plots, while he and Amalena were stuck in orbit.
Their reorganization appeals were due in thirteen hours at Primalum’s midnight.
Amalena was probably filing her appeal because unfairness didn’t sit well with her.
He decided to file, too, for all the good it would do.
And if Sainik’s pal Bikendi in Staffing rejected them for being late, Gaerynx was willing to take that decision review request to the board as well.
Too often in the past, he’d been willing to just slink off into the void when companies were flailing.
He might still lose his job, but this time, he was going down fighting.
He didn’t have Amalena’s bone-deep integrity compass, but he appreciated hers, and the company was worth saving. He and Amalena were worth saving.
After doling out Pavrel’s custom-made kibble, refreshing the water, and checking the cat-waste disposal unit had done its job, Gaerynx changed out of his exercise clothes and put them and the gym towel he’d used in the in-room sanitizer.
It sure beat having to share facilities with apartment building tenants.
The luxury unit was large enough that if he wanted, it could fit everything he’d brought for the trip, including his overcoat.
If it got the cat fur off his workout clothes, he’d definitely add this model of sanitizer to his lottery-winnings mansion.
When he was at loose ends at home, he usually drew something.
If only he’d taken Rhys’s advice more seriously about bringing his own entertainment.
He hadn’t anticipated they’d take away his personal datapad and keep it for so long.
His stateroom had nothing to write on or with…
but the Deck Three office, where Pavrel had his mishap, had small reusable notepads and styluses.
He could also check drawers and closets for larger versions.
“You’re a very helpful cat,” he said, petting Pavrel’s shoulders before heading out the door.
***
As Gaerynx and Amalena cleaned up after a late lunch, where Rishi and Pivada had been their uninvited companions, Amalena suggested they introduce Pavrel and Merix.
“Sounds good. Pavrel’s had exploration adventures, food, and a nap, so he’s probably feeling pretty mellow.
” He folded the cleaning cloth. “There’s a storage room on Deck Three north of the passenger airlock that would work.
Just a stained table and some mismatched chairs.
No noisy tech to scare cats and no questionable artwork to avoid.
” He hoped she’d understand he meant the room had no audio devices.
The space was as he remembered, small and unlovely. Gaerynx set Pavrel’s carrier on the floor and opened the door. The kulak emerged, stretched languidly, and gave a soft chuffing sound. A moment later, Merix poked his head out of his own carrier, his ears flat against his head.
There was a tense moment of quiet hissing from Merix, answered by a louder hiss from a now flat-eared Pavrel.
Merix retreated a step. Pavrel sat on his haunches in front of his own carrier.
Gaerynx tensed, ready to intervene, but Merix simply sat and stared, his big green eyes unblinking, seemingly unimpressed by the kulak’s size.
The smaller cat didn’t retreat any further, nor did he seem intimidated by Gaerynx standing nearby.
“He’s beautiful,” Amalena murmured, her gaze soft as she watched them. “Is he a full kulak? I thought they were genetically-engineered fantasy pets, not domesticated caracals.”
“Supposedly,” Gaerynx said, keeping his eyes on the animals.
“But the pet trade never let a few prohibited genes get in the way of profit. He was originally my brother’s.
Lofren was gone so often on CPS assignments that he offered him to me.
” That still surprised him. He’d grown so fond of the energetic, accident-prone feline that he’d been prepared to fight for him when Lofren was reassigned to a base on another planet.
He hadn’t needed to. “Where did you get Merix?”
“Rescued him behind my townhouse three days after I moved in. I took him to a local vet to treat his injured back leg and kept him quiet while he healed.” Her expression softened as she smiled. “Luckily, it turned out we suited one another.”
The door swished open, and Rishi walked in. Merix retreated into his carrier, and Pavrel hissed loudly at the intruder, sharp teeth exposed, ears folded back.
Rishi frowned irritably at Pavrel, then set a small stack of datapads and tablets on the table. “Thought you’d want these back.” She tried for a casual smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “They’re clean.”
Gaerynx suppressed a snort. He’d only believe that after he ran the diagnostic tools added to all company equipment during last year’s security upgrade. He couldn’t resist needling her. “Lucky you knew where to find us.”
She shrugged. “Dhalshun happened to see you go in.” Instead of leaving, she asked, “How’s it going so far?”
“Too soon to tell,” Gaeynx replied, keeping a watchful eye on still-crouched Pavrel. As long as the hiss didn’t become a warning snarl, he should be alright. “Cats have their own ideas.”
“I meant your free trip on the company account just to babysit a crate. Top-level staterooms, run of the ship, posh resort on Carthagenim.” Her tone sounded like she was trying to make small talk at an after-work pub.
“What?” Gaeryx cast a quick glance at her determinedly friendly expression. She couldn’t be that clueless. What did she want? “Sure.”
Pavrel rose to standing, took two steps closer to Merix, then sat back down again. Gaerynx was glad Pavrel remembered feline etiquette. It had been a couple of years since he’d met another cat.
Amalena moved closer to Merix, which put her closer to the table. To his amusement, Rishi’s smile tightened as she moved away, as if instinctively keeping a prudent distance from Amalena.
He didn’t blame her. Amalena, when riled, was unexpectedly formidable.
The way she had shamed the security guards into respectful silence simply by bearing witness to Tikka’s departure had been impressive.
And flatlining Rishi’s power play at the airlock with a single, strategic call had been nothing short of amazing.
“Well,” said Rishi, too loudly, “you seem busy, I guess, so I’ll leave you to it.” With a final, acidic smile, she turned and exited.
The moment the door automatically closed, Gaerynx grabbed his company tablet and powered it on. Amalena did the same with her personal datapad, while keeping a careful eye on the cats.
His tablet displayed nine new company-wide notices at the top, all tagged as high priority. Sadly, that was business as usual. To executives, everything they did was important. He skimmed the summaries as he called up the company pingref directory when one caught his eye. He expanded it.