Page 2 of Purring, Presents, and Parties

“I’m not going to hang out while you have a bunch of boring conversations,” Ari said.

“What will you do while I’m engaged in sorting this out?” Baz asked, still poised to pick her up.

“There are plenty of people here,” Ari reminded him. “Someone will want to have a cup of sopa and chat.”

The Ident pinged a dozen times in rapid succession, telling Ari the situation was rapidly deteriorating. Poor Baz was always being pulled in a dozen directions at once; she didn’t need to be the thirteenth.

“Go!” she ordered, pointing to the door. “I’m going to find someone to have a snack and talk with.” She forced a smile on her face. “Come find me when you get back. Then we can have some fun, yeah?”

“I will,” he promised. Then he dropped a kiss on her forehead and rushed out the door. He’d probably be in his office in holo meetings for the rest of the day. Maybe even into the evening. If that happened, this would be the fourth evening meal he’d missed in a row.

Ari tried hard not to focus on that as the door slid shut behind Baz. Looking around the empty room, she debated about what to do with the rest of her day. Before being rescued by Baz and the rest of his squad, every waking moment was filled with simplytrying to keep herself and the rest of the humans on the mining colony alive.

There were no deadly dangers anymore. They had plenty of food, medical care, and an abundance of leisure time. All Ari had to do was figure out how to spend her free time now that Baz was so busy she might go an entire day without seeing him.

“Zuri,” she murmured to the empty room. “Maybe she needs help with her distillery. It would be something to keep me busy at least.”

Now that she’d said it out loud, the idea grew on her. Hopping off the exam table, she grabbed a handful of sweets out of Kasium’s jar and headed out.

The journey should've been simple enough, just a walk from one section of the property to another. As she got closer to Zuri’s home, she found her path blocked by large containers of construction materials and several massive construction bots in motion. Damn, she’d forgotten that this area was under construction to accommodate the new humans arriving in a few months.

The construction meant no human was allowed in the area without a dedicated Talin escort. Annoyed but not deterred, Ari ducked behind a moving bot, narrowly avoiding being seen by Goleenun and Valcinan.

The moment she got within arm’s reach, the bot halted. The stop was so abrupt the hopper on the massive bot’s back swayed a little. Ari eyed it critically, trying to figure out if she needed to get out from under it and potentially expose herself to the two men working. After a few seconds the hopper steadied, and she relaxed.

Her relief didn’t last long. The sound of footsteps drawing closer put her back on edge.

“I’m getting a warning from bot forty-seven,” Goleenun said. “It’s indicating there is a potentially harmful situation with a living creature.”

“It must be a havanak,” Valcinan said. “I noticed several nests. The humans think they’re pretty, so we don’t drive them off.”

“You’re probably correct,” Goleenun agreed as the footsteps got closer.

Of course, Ari knew she was the living creature the bot had sensed. These construction bots must have sensors all over to keep from causing an accident. There was no skimping on safety when it came to the Talins. When she decided she was going to visit Zuri, she didn’t expect to play hide-and-seek with several well-meaning Talins.

A big grin unfurled across her face—let the games begin!

Goleenun and Valcinan weren’t trying to hide their presence, so it was easy to gauge when they were close. When they were on the other side of the bot, she ducked under the machine and crawled to the opposite side. Once she was sure it was clear, she rolled out from under the bot and sprinted around several containers of material stacked on top of each other.

She was close to laughing when she almost ran straight into a havanak. The large, flightless bird shrieked in outrage and fluttered over her head. Turning, she watched it land on long, nimble legs and sprint off in the direction she’d come with its long, arching tail fluttering in the wind. Her fellow humans weren’t wrong, the bird was gorgeous. It looked like a combination of two Old Earth animals called a peacock and an ostrich.

“See!” Valcinan exclaimed as the bird disappeared from Ari’s view. “It was a havanak.”

“I’ll restart the bot,” Goleenun responded. Then he said something else she couldn’t hear because she was already turning to jog to the next hiding spot.

It wasn’t until she was at the edge of the construction area that she ran out of coverage. There were a total of five Talins overseeing the sight, but only one of them was anywhere near her. Biting her lip, she gauged the distance.

If she was seen, all the fun would be over. She’d be escorted home and a report would be filed about her being in an unsafe area. That would upset Baz and make her feel guilty.

Suddenly getting to Zuri’s place unseen didn’t feel like a game—it was imperative. Her life on Old Earth learning geology or her experience working at a mining compound didn’t give her much in the way of spy skills, but it had taught her patience.

Going still, she watched the Talin as he studied the half-completed building he was standing next to then tapped on his Ident. He kept doing this, probably going over a check list. Each time he checked something off, he’d move a little. By simply waiting, he was eventually in a position with his back turned to her.

It was time!

Digging the toe of her slipper into the dirt, she shot off, running full speed at Zuri’s door. Breathing hard, she slapped the door display to demand entrance.

Nothing happened.

---