Page 38 of Alien's Love Child

"Better. Remember that Odex tea blend you loved? Found some on Novaria."

My nose wrinkles. "The stuff that smells like wet fur?"

"The very same. See you in twenty?"

"We'll be here." Where we've been for the past three years. Safe. Hidden. Boring.

I watch Leo arrange his rescued daisies in a crooked line. He has Davin's careful precision, even at two and a half. Sometimes I catch him staring at the stars with that same intensity his father had.

The garden dome's climate controls hum steadily overhead. Everything here is regulated, predictable, secure. It's what Leo needs. What I need.

But some nights, when the station's artificial day cycle dims and Leo's asleep, I still feel the pull of open space. The thrill of outrunning patrol ships. The rush of a successful job.

The memory of silver hair and blue skin under starlight.

Sometimes I think about the way I was raised: always on a ship, surrounded by my father's crew who all raised me like one of their own. I was always in danger. Sometimes they even used me as a distraction! After all, what sort of dangerous smugglers would keep an adorable seven year old on board?

Obviously we were up to no good.

When I find myself missing those days, I wonder why I can't see myself raising Leo the same way. Then I remember.

Mom and Dad ran their crew together. They never thought twice about having me in their world because their world never blew up in their faces.

No, it's better like this. It's better for Leo.

I shake off the thought as Leo tugs my sleeve. "Mama, hungry."

"Let's get cleaned up before Auntie Rena arrives. Race you to the bathroom?"

His delighted shriek echoes through our small home as he runs ahead, leaving a trail of dirt in his wake.

Leo sprawls on the floor, making whooshing noises as he pilots his new toy ship through imaginary asteroid fields. Rena settles next to me on the couch, kicking off her boots.

"You wouldn't believe who applied for the navigator position last week." She takes a long sip of the Odex tea. "A Thraxian who couldn't tell port from starboard."

"You're joking."

"Wish I was. Nearly crashed us into the docking bay during the test run."

I pull my legs under me, getting comfortable. "What about that Kaleidian you mentioned?"

"Too rigid. Kept quoting Alliance protocols." She rolls her eyes. "We need someone who can think on their feet when patrols show up."

"Like that time you reversed our engine signature mid-jump?"

"Exactly. Though I'd rather not have to do that again. Pretty sure I singed off my eyebrows."

Leo crashes his ship into the coffee table with an explosive sound effect. I wince at the bang.

"The crew misses you," Rena says softly. "Especially Paraxan. Says the food's gone downhill since you left."

"That's because no one else will put up with his picky eating habits." I watch Leo right his ship, checking for damage. "How is the old grump?"

"Still complaining about his back. Still refusing to retire." She leans forward. "You know, good navigators are hard to find, and the captain's chair feels a little too big sometimes."

My chest tightens. "Rena..."

"Just saying. The option's there." She gestures around our little home. "This isn't you, Jess. Never has been."

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