Page 24 of Abalim

Now it was easy to see the impatience stamped on his face by the way the skin tightened around his narrowed eyes.

“This is why you were given that injection. It would allow us to converse mentally and avoid this type of confusion. Please explain in detail what it is you are requesting.”

“Look, my bladder is full, and I’ve got to get rid of what’s in there. I’d hate to mess up your pretty little room. That clear enough for you?” She put a fist at her lower stomach. Maybe that would give this clueless guy a hint. “I thought you said you’d done a physical examination of me. You should know what I’m talking about.”

“Ah.” Rerqel raised a lanky finger. “You wish to eliminate waste from your digestive system. Correct?”

The only thing to do was nod. She pressed her lips and stifled a moan. Now things ramped up. She bounced from foot to foot.

The guy might be an alien, but the condescending smirk twisting his razor thin lips was easy to see. “You have no need for such primitive ways of accomplishing that. The clothing you wear is more than capable of taking care of that annoying habit.”

Her eyebrows rose. “You want me to pee my pants?” No way. Of all the indignities she could imagine, and as a writer, she could imagine a lot—this was never one of them.

“It is more expedient this way. If only we could discern a way for you to obtain sustenance without stopping to create edible foods for you, we would have accomplished it.”

Trust an alien not to know eating was one of life’s greatest pleasures.

She eyed his tall frame, but the decision was taken out of her hands. Her body decided for her. Her eyes widened when she couldn’t tell what happened after her bladder emptied. The only thing she experienced was relief, and the rest disappeared. Dang, if she could take this suit back to Earth, going into icky public bathrooms would be a thing of the past.

Now, on to more important matters. “You mentioned food?”

Abalim lay on the hard cot with his hands behind his head. Staring at the ceiling, he relived the last Dreamwalk with Lisa.

“Can I do anything for you, Mister Abalim, sir?”

JR15’s quiet voice brought him out of his lustful musings.

He smiled at the quivering tone of his companion's voice. Keeping his own tone low, he answered. “No, just keep watch and report anything unusual to either your brothers or your parents back on Zerin.”

A shimmering sound made him swing his legs off the cot and stand. Keeping his hands clasped behind his back, he raised his eyebrows when Saphira entered. Hmm, wasn’t Gilipthor supposed to come in and get him?

“Human. It’s time for you to meet the crew and discuss things before we set off for Qorath.”

Ah, a lady of few words. This should be interesting. He tilted his head and opened his psychic sense to allow a small portion of her emotions to come through. No maliciousness, so he gave a tight nod. “Lead the way.”

Saphira gave him an up-and-down perusal before turning around and sauntering out to the smooth hallway. She led him to an elevator at the end.

Once he joined her, the ride sideways was a lot shorter than the first one he took. When it stopped, the door opened and revealed a spacious room with a long, oblong table in the middle.

They must be still orbiting FiPan since it filled most of the viewer on the back wall. Damn planet was an ugly, rotating sphere. Its atmosphere was full of smog and pollutants, making it difficult to see the surface clearly. Splashes of puke brown, mustard yellow, and pea- soup green made up what landmass could be seen. Instead of majestic fluffy white clouds, it had a smattering of dusty-brown haze. He doubted it ever held any cleansing water. What remained of what might have been an ocean was now a sludge made up of who knew what. It appeared more solid than liquid.

He turned his attention to the group sitting around the oblong table. They had to be the same species as Saphira, judging by their build and coloring. Only Gilipthor stood out as something different.

The group consisted of three males and two females. All bore a mixture of the coral skin coloring Saphira had—some darker, some lighter—only their wide, almond-shaped eyes weren’t green like hers.

He found himself the focus of brown, orange, and yellow orbs. Two of the males had eyes that were more oval-shaped and in an arresting shade of shiny new pennies. Their faces were identical as well. Must be twins.

Saphira took her place at the head of the table and sat on one of the round balls that converted into a luxurious leather chair. “Have a seat.” She waved to the other end of the table and one of the seating balls in a bland beige.

He’d seen these types of chairs before and didn’t have any trouble planting his backside on it.

The contraption shifted the second he touched it. Before he settled, it morphed into a comfortable utility chair without changing its indistinct color.

JR15 folded his spindly legs as he sat on Abalim’s shoulder.

He was confident the small bot wouldn’t join the conversation, just record what was said.

“Okay, you bloody friggers,” Saphira announced as she placed her elbows on the armrest of the chair and touched her fingers together in a temple. “This here is Abalim from the planet Earth. We’ve finally gotten a break, since the Xeltrians asked us to bring him to Qorath.”

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