Page 37 of Right on Time

Nitiel chuckled once again. “That means, ‘go on with it, then’. Not a very patient cibiri, my Cheyda.”

My Cheyda? Chloe felt a pang in her chest, overcome by a gripping need to be claimed so affectionately too. Strange, she had never found attractive those possessive romance heroes growling ‘mine’ like cavemen.

Chloe tried to focus on the braid. Her fingers itched to make something; after all, she hadn’t worked with her hands for more than a day. She had only grass for the decoration, but the long pink blades would look great on Cheyda.

“Will your cibiri come with you?” Chloe asked as she worked. “To Earth, on your new job?”

Nitiel gently ran his fingers up and down Cheyda’s muzzle. “No, she is not truly mine. She belongs to the flock you see around us. Whoever Gaenthian soldier in the Solar System needs a cibiri, be it for a child’s flight training or during wing recovery, they have to come here.

“They choose a cibiri to assist them, but the cibiri has to agree. Sometimes a strong bond is formed, and the cibiri never forgets that rider no matter how many others ride them. I like to believe Cheyda and I share such a bond. She certainly was ecstatic when I returned here several weeks ago, after close to a year since my injury.”

“Wait, you don’t live and work on this station?”

“No. I’ve called the Venus military station my home since coming to this star system. I’ve stayed here only for my recovery and now that my work as a Subcommander is coming to an end.”

“I see… Will you miss it? Life in space?”

“Perhaps. I am yet to find out. But the change will do me good, I think.”

“Yeah…”

“How about you?” There was hesitancy in his tone as he elaborated, “Do you think you’d like life on this station?”

She sighed. “Honestly, I don’t think so.”

Nitiel stopped petting Cheyda, and Chloe felt his gaze on her as she kept braiding. “Loe, whatever you have on Terra, you can have here. Your family and friends can come visit at no charge for space transportation. Your favorite food, clothing, possessions – everything can be delivered to you. Nielas are denied nothing, for they are our most precious gift.”

Cheyda snorted. Otherwise she stayed put, clearly enjoying the braiding session.

“Cibiris are precious too,” Nitiel added, patting Cheyda’s back.

Chloe sighed again. “It’s not stuff that I want brought to me here. Sure, I do need materials for my business, but it’s the clients who I can’t have here.”

“What is this business you speak of, Loe? You’ve mentioned it before.”

“I make jewelry. Um, decorations with my hands. Much like this braid here, but with various materials sold on Earth. Then I sell my jewelry to people all over my continent; the plan is to expand to other continents as well. If I get the funding I need, now that I’ve left my potential investor hanging… That’s what I want to do, Nitiel, and staying here makes my dream impossible. There’s a website to run, clients to communicate with, deliveries to make – having my production base next to Jupiter won’t do.” She scoffed at how absurd that even sounded.

Nitiel stayed pensive for a while. “Commander Siriniel could move to Terra for you.”

“Yeah, and resent me for the rest of his life for having cut his military career short. No, I can’t do that to anyone. Just like he can’t expect me to give up on my dream.”

“Loe, you’re fated mates. You’ll find a way to make things work. Together.”

She rolled her eyes. “You know, for a tough soldier with no experience with women, you sure know what clichéd romantic statements to make. But you’re being unrealistic.”

He grunted. “I may have no personal experience with females, but I have fellow soldiers blessed with a niela. I have also studied on the subject in school, like every Gaenthian. Therefore, I can say it is you who are being unrealistic, Loe. Everything is possible when fated mates are brought together.”

“It may be so. But your Commander and I are not some star-blessed couple; we’re just two names that some AI has placed on the same line of a computer code.”

“How do you know? You have not met him yet.”

“Because I–”I have met you, she wanted to say, but that would not go well. Not with Nitiel constantly withdrawing every time things between them got heated. “Never mind,” she said instead. “Cheyda, you’re ready. Three braids for good luck should be enough.”

That got the cibiri on her feet and strutting over to the rest of the flock grazing nearby. They all lifted their heads from the grass to regard the pinkish braids adorning her mane. Excited sounds followed, something between a horse’s neigh and a bird’s whistle. That sent Cheyda into a happy run, then she took to the air with a powerful flap of her wings. The entire flock followed suit.

Chloe gaped. It was a stunning sight: the cibiris’ bright colors against the blue canopy, their moves graceful in the air despite their impressive size, and Jupiter bathing them in its soft glow through the transparent dome. She laid back into the grass to watch without having to crane her neck.

“Amazing,” Chloe said on a sigh, her eyes following the dips and turns that the cibiris were executing.

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