“You came back,” I said.
“Well, yeah. What, did you think I’d bailed on you? Not a chance.”
I was smiling. Kavin didn’t think I was a monster. He was just like me, and he wanted to spend time with me.
“Lucky you,” I said. “Now I don’t have to hunt you down and take revenge.”
He laughed. “Buy you a drink?”
“Sure. Let’s get a table, and you can tell me what it’s like being a mercenary supersoldier. It sounds kind of fun.”
The night was still young. Maybe I’d have a new friend by morning.
Chapter 12
I was walking on air as I boarded the ship the next morning. Well, not literally walking on air, although it wouldn’t surprise me if I grew an enhancement like that soon. I had a network of emitters for a momentum exchange system starting to come online now, and that just might do the trick.
Naoko was sitting in the crew lounge with a cup of tea and a sweet roll when I came in. She did a double take when she saw me.
“My, my. I see someone had an enjoyable evening,” she said. Her lips curved into a knowing smile.
“He kissed me!” I squealed.
She opened her mouth, and closed it again. The amusement grew.
“Did he, now. How was it?”
“Amazing! My lips are still tingling. Oh, Naoko, I’ve never met anyone like him. We talked for hours. We danced half the night away, and then we rented a conference room and threw all the furniture out so he could show me a few moves. I’ve never been on a date before, but that had to be the best date ever.”
“A few moves?” She asked.
“Yeah. You know, sparring?” I mimed a few punches.
“Ah. You combat types and your sparring. After an evening like that I’m surprised you stopped at a kiss.”
I took one of the empty seats at her table, and started ordering breakfast. “I didn’t want to move too fast. I mean, I know spacers can be pretty casual about relationships, but that’s not really what I want. I think.”
“You should certainly do what feels right for you,” she advised. “Everyone’s heart is different.”
“Thanks. I just wish I really knew what I want. Part of me wants to take things slow, and make sure he’s really the right guy for me. But part of me…”
I trailed off with a blush. I just couldn’t stop thinking about it, could it?
Naoko’s chuckle pulled me out of my thoughts before I could get lost in another daydream.
“It’s good to see you so happy, my friend. Only, I fear I must remind you that there is a risk in waiting too long. You won’t see one another often, and mercenaries find many opportunities for romance.”
I shrugged. “So? If he meets someone really cool I’d probably like her too.”
A bot deposited a steaming bowl of hot cereal and a nutrient shake in front of me, and silently floated away. I dug in with relish. The stuff the food synthesizer made didn’t have the artistic flair of a hand-cooked meal, but it was still pretty good.
After a few bites I realized Naoko was giving me that amused look again.
“What?”
“Sometimes I forget that you aren’t human. Then you say something like that, and remind me. No jealousy over potential rivals stealing your man’s heart, then?”
I ate for a moment, while I examined my feelings.
“No? We’re both young, and we’re supposed to be experimenting and figuring out what we want, right? But it’s not like he’s going to find a girl as awesome as me anywhere. So if he’s really as smart as I think he is, he’ll come back to me.”
“And if he has some girl with him when he does?” She pressed. “Some charmer with a winning smile and giant breasts, who has him wrapped around her finger? You did notice that he has two mothers, yes? His clan does not practice monogamy.”
I rolled my eyes. “If he’s that easy to manipulate he’s not the guy for me. But hey, having one of those social predator types on my side for once could be pretty sweet. I’d just have to show her who’s boss first.”
“Ah. This sounds like a group bonding instinct to me, Alice. If that did happen, who would be in charge?”
The bot came back for my empty bowl, and dropped off a plate of pancakes and a tall glass of orange juice.
“Whichever of us is better, of course,” I told her. “We won’t know who that is until all my mods grow in, though.”
That seemed to surprise her.
“Truly? I must admit to some relief, then. For a moment I feared you might be like the techs. Designed to bond with a master, and happily accept any treatment he gives you.”
I snorted. “Mom didn’t make me a slave, Naoko. I’m not going to let anyone take advantage of me. I do kind of feel like there’s supposed be a… I don’t know, a chain of command maybe? But I’m supposed to be somewhere up at the top of it.”
“Ah. Some sort of military hierarchy, then? That would fit with your abilities. But I apologize if I’m making you uncomfortable, Alice. I’m only trying to understand you.”
“Yeah, well, I’m still trying to understand myself. Sometimes I really wish Mom had left me a manual, but I guess she thought she’d be here.”
“I wish she could be, Alice. But you’ve come this far on your own, and now you have comrades to share your burdens. I have every confidence that you will come to understand yourself in time, and go on to succeed at whatever you choose to do with your life.”
“Thanks, Naoko. Speaking of doing things with my life, what’s on our agenda today?”
She accepted my change of subject without protest.
“The ship lifts at noon, assuming everyone is back from leave on time. We have only a single passenger, and as our next four stops are dark colonies I doubt we shall take on any more. So you may expect a light duty schedule for several weeks.”
“Sweet. Only, isn’t it kind of weird for a passenger to want to sit around on the ship while we make all those stops? The manifest says he’s going all the way to Markai, but he’d get there a lot faster if he just took a passenger liner.”
“In our line of work we frequently have odd passengers, Alice. Individuals who seek to travel without leaving records of their movements, or who simply wish to disappear for a time. But in this case the explanation is not so interesting. Ginar Desh is simply a traveling bot salesman, and I assume he hopes to do business at the stops along our route.”
“Traveling bot salesman? How does that work? Bots always have a million options, and shipping a big selection of them around would have to be expensive.”
“Indeed. You’ll note that his cargo allotment includes a shipping container full of nuclear batteries, and fifteen hundred tons of assorted industrial feedstocks. I believe the manufacturer he represents has provided him with a design database, and authorization to fabricate orders to spec locally.”