Page 19 of Craving Stardust

I helped her cook eggs that came from birds called chee-kin. I saw someone discussing them on the viewing screen already. We’d eaten the meat from these birds already. And we also ate ba-con, which I enjoyed. It tasted smoky, a flavor we didn’t indulge in often on my planet.

“Can you take me to my ship?” I asked after we’d cleansed the dishes. “I need to assess the damage. The computer can generate components at my command, but generating and replacing them is a time consuming project. I need to make sure the computer functions and assuming it does, ask it to start producing materials.”

“Of course.” She frowned, nibbling on her lower lip. “My only concern is you being out in view while we do it. We could wait until tonight, when it’s dark, but the longer we wait, the greater risk you’re going to be discovered.” Her arms snaked around her waist “I feel like we’re on the edge all the time.”

“I do as well. I’m healed enough I can get to my ship.” I’d get there no matter what, because I refused to endanger Iris any longer than necessary.

“We can go through the shed that’s attached to the farmhouse.” Frowning, she tapped her chin. “That’ll put us closer to the barn. With all the trees lining my driveway, I don’t think anyone will see you as we cross the open area between here and the barn. We’ll hurry, and we can cover you.”

She dressed me in a garment that stretched across my torso and pulled up the head covering at the neck. It was a comical thing with my horns jutting through the soft fabric. She tied the sweetshirt houd at my chin. The garment was too small, the sleeves coming only to below my elbows, but she added meetons that covered my hands.

Leaning heavily on the crutch, I slowly made my way through the shed and to the big building housing my ship, Iris pacing beside me.

“It isn’t as damaged as I’d feared,” I said after she helped me climb up into the bridge. Thankfully, the computer functioned after I replaced a few components, and I programmed it to start producing parts. It would take the ship a few Earth days to generate what I needed. After that, the repairs themselves wouldn’t take long.

Then I’d have to leave. I wasn’t sure what I thought about that. Actually, I knew. I did but didn’t want to leave. My hearts ached at the thought of climbing into my ship and sending it toward the stars, of leaving her behind.

How was I going to tell Iris goodbye?

“Are you okay up there?” Iris called out from the barn floor. She fretted, alternating between staring out the small crack she’d left in the building’s front doors and standing beside the ship, making sounds with her tongue about the scratches and bangs on the outer surface. Some had come from meteors or other flying objects encountered in space, but much of the damage on the underside had been sustained when my ship impacted with this planet. Fortunately, there was no structural damage. I could fly with dents. I could not fly the ship with holes in the surface.

After making a mental list, I gave the computer another order, and we went back inside. We ate a midday meal and sat in her reclining area, watching a moo-vee about a female character called a mur-made. It was fun and cute, and I wished I could take it with me to show my friends and the small younglings in my family.

By my third day on this planet, my leg was nearly healed. I should go to my ship and start installing the parts the computer would’ve generated by now, but I wanted more time with Iris. I sensed she wanted to be with me as much as I did her. She didn’t say this, but I felt her gaze on me always. There was no fear in her eyes, only the same longing inside me.

We came from vastly different species, yet in this, we were the same. Hearts knew hearts, and that was all that mattered.

That afternoon, we played a human word game for hours, coming up with outrageous phrases and trying to stump each other. I marveled again at how different yet alike we were.

“It feels good to laugh with you,” I said, stroking her arm that lay on her leg beside mine. “It’s something I don’t do often. I’m alone most of the time. Even when I land my ship on a new world, I have exploring to do, plus a document to produce that I send home so others can share my adventures.”

“Ah, so you’re kind of like a blogger in outer space.”

“What’s a blooger?”

She laughed and pronounced the word until I could say it just like her, and we laughed about that as well. “A blogger is someone who writes regularly on various topics and publishes them for others to read. In my world, it’s commonly done online and readers can enjoy the story or scroll through the information from anywhere on the planet that has internet access. A blogger could also be someone writing a column in a newspaper, I suppose, since that’s distributed for others to read.”

“You’re right. I’m a blogger. My stories are shared throughout my planet. We have something similar to your internet.”

Katie sat on my lap again, making the friendly rumble in her chest called a purr. I could see why humans encouraged these pets to reside with them inside their dwellings. They made nice companions. Ours did as well, though they were different.

“Your turn," Iris said, leaning into my side. "Give me a five-word phrase."

I pondered for a moment, trying to come up with something unusual. “The hungry stars blinked awake.”

Iris laughed, the sound music to my ears. “That’s a good one. How about this? Dancing shadows, whispering dreams.'"

“That’s four words.”

“You’re right. Hmm. Dancing shadows bring whispering dreams.”

I nodded, hyperaware of her body sitting close to mine. She smelled wonderful, like starlight dewdrops when they first opened, plus pure female. “Very poetic. Your skill with words is impressive.”

Color rose into her cheeks. "Thank you. I love reading. My bookstore means the world to me. It’s been a long dream of mine to open one.”

Since books were not a common thing in my world, she’d lose her dream if she left with me. There must be curators of books for our coms, but I doubt there were many jobs in that field. And she’d told me she savored the smell, the feel of books, another thing no one would mention when it came to a com.

"I can tell stories are important to you." An idea came to me, and I leaned closer to her, watching her face. "Would you like to hear more about my home planet? I could tell you tales of the three moons, the vast purple oceans, the—”

---