Packing for our journey to Narul is…

15

Naomi

Packing for our journey to Narul is surprisingly easy. Marv barely has any personal belongings in his space quarters.

When he’s finally ready, he opens the doorway to a long corridor. I stare at the shiny metal walls, then absently touch one with my hand. It feels smoother than I expected, and cold.

I’m trailing just behind him as we move down the corridor. Another alien with golden skin approaches. “Hey, Marv. Is this your mate?”

Marv is grinning like a nerd who got asked to prom by the hot girl. I stifle a giggle. Whoa. I’m the hot girl.

Is he the nerd?

“This is Naomi,” Marv says. His arms are full with his large box of belongings, so he tips his head to introduce me. “Mate, this is my friend from V’aalara. Leov. When did you get back?”

“This morning. We had to intercept a Foog ship and rescue four females.”

“They’re out of control.”

“Precisely. They tried to leave with Goran’s mate, Camila. But Camila and the females overpowered them.”

Marv looks surprised. “Wow.”

“We Earthling females can be quite resourceful,” I tell them both with a shrug. “Just don’t forget that.”

Leov chuckles. “I’m sure of it. My mate made sure to tell me that she’s in control.” He glances at Marv and blushes. “She totally is.”

“Well, you should come visit sometime. I’m taking Naomi to Narul.”

Leov nods. “We’ll do that, once everything settles down. I’d like to check on your tribe and the success of the App, so we should plan on it.”

“Great.”

They say goodbye to each other, and Marv gestures for me to continue walking. We move down the long corridor, then enter a spaceship hangar. There are several dozen sleek black ships spaced evenly around the room.

“Wow,” I say.

“Just wait until you see how fast it flies,” Marv tells me.

I wink at him, then say, “I’ll bet you can fly faster.” I watch as his face changes and he blushes.

“Alright. Let’s get out of here.”

We cross the room to a black ship, which looks like all the other ships, but somehow Marv knows it’s his. He reaches out a hand momentarily to touch a square on the black paneled surface. The ship recognizes him, and a door opens. He quickly replaces his hand under the box and steps inside, leading me inside.

“Wow,” I tell him again. There’s a series of long panels that appear to be supercomputers. They fire to life and begin doing whatever they’re intended for.

I walk through the small craft to the cockpit.

Mmm. I never really thought about that word before.

“I noticed that the hallway was circular. Is there a room in the center?” I ask.

Marv smiles. “Yeah. I have a bedroom inside, just in case we have to stay overnight on some strange planet. This is an explorer ship. We use them when we’re studying other planets.”

“I guess that’s a new kind of mile high club,” I tease.

“Mile high? It depends which planet is closest to us. Definitely more than just a mile.”

I can’t help myself. I burst out in laughter.

“What did I say?”

“It’s okay. If I had forgetting juice, I’d make you drink some right now.”

Marv gives me a strange look but sets down his box in a special container that immediately latches around it. Now that his hands are free, he wraps himself around me again.

“I can’t wait to take you home with me.”

I nod. Home. At least one of us still has one.

“Where do I sit?” I ask, trying not to think too much about it. He’s lost every female he ever loved. I just lost my home. I guess there’s a difference.

I guess I’m the solution. The App is the answer. But I feel sad, nonetheless.

“Are you ready?” he asks after I’m seated.

I shrug. “Ready or not,” I mutter.

He doesn’t react to my change in mood. Instead, he sits down beside me and fires up the ship. An airlock door opens and within minutes, we’re off, darting through space. Like it’s nothing. Like it’s just another routine commute on the freeway.

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