Page 25 of Ava Stargazer

She didn’t let any pain show on her face though as Lirell grinned back at her and walked in her direction. It had only been a little more than three weeks since she last saw him, but it didn’t matter. She bounced on the balls of her feet.I missed him.

The shuttle parked on the baked ground next to the main lake where Orla and Erox’s ceremony had taken place. The landing area was the same place where Ava herself had first stepped onto the planet.

Lirell was not alone. Ava gave a jolt as she saw the pair of Spry exiting behind him. They were bigger than she expected, almost matching the Vorbax in height. The Spry gleamed blackin the sun and had a carapace attached to many limbs and short, stubby arms, with a few longer appendages they used as legs. Their insectoid, segmented bodies easily climbed down from the shuttle and onto the dirt of Xai.

Ava raised her finger in signal to silently communicate, looking at Vox and raising her eyebrows. He tilted his head to her and mutely glowed, connecting them. She asked silently. “Is it only the two?”

“No, there are others still in the transport, but one of the ones with Lirell will be working on the modifications and cloaking for the ship.”

She winced, realizing connecting like that with him made her head throb a bit. Ava looked to the Spry as they went back into the transport to bring out some bags.

Lirell joined their connection as he walked close, his glow steadier than it had been before.“It is good to see you, Ava.”

He opened his arms wide and Ava rushed into his embrace. The boyish charm was still present in his expression, but more subdued. He stopped glowing and grinned down into Ava’s face. “Your mind seems clearer, but your head hurts a little.”

Ava gave him a large hug back, gripping him tight. “Yes. It’s better overall though. You got bigger too.”

“Did I?”

“You’re not as easy for me to wrap my arms around like before.”

“Oh, good.” Lirell’s tone was pleased as he hugged her back.

Lirell noted Ava’s gaze at the Spry exiting. “These are the Spry who will help retrofit the Phor ship. They have some good ideas on how to cloak it so it will look completely new and like part of our fleet once they’re done.”

In an undertone he added, his eyes snagging on the biologics around her neck, “They are very interested in seeing the biologics up close in return for their help. They gave a betterdeal than usual on some supplies with that as part of the negotiations.”

Ava frowned at that, still unsure she’d given the right answer in letting them observe the biologics. “Yea, Iryl told me they were happy about it.” The biologics, for their part, remained calm. Ava took that as a good sign they were not upset. Vox had told her that they weren’t when he connected with them, but Ava still felt the container for unease, rubbing it soothingly.They will look only. I promise.

Vox pressed his forehead to Lirell’s before waving above at the shuttle. “This ship is different from the one you left on. Is it here to stay, or on loan?”

Lirell was eager to explain. “On loan, our transport is still with Iryl. This is the Spry’s, and they fit a lot inside. Some of it is for Ava’s ship, but a lot of this is for plumbing and electrical upgrades for homes here that collected the IO minerals this summer.”

Vox nodded. “Very good, Lirell. We should relocate this shuttle next toCelestialfirst and unload those components before taking the other materials to the quorum.”

The large shuttle was around a fourth the size ofCelestial, making it almost a ship of its own. Ava looked up and down its sleek hull as she walked closer, the design unfamiliar. “This will fit so much to take back to sell.”

Lirell frowned, nervousness on his face. “There is something else.”

Vox turned back. “What?”

“One of the Tuxa ships were spotted nearby as we were coming in. They were off their path near us. The Spry were not concerned though.”

“Let the quorum know. We'll find out more about their intentions when we visit Iyrl. They still think settling for peace will be easy.”

Ava lost track of Lirell and Vox’s discussion and noticed the Spry looking at her, their large eyes reflecting her face back. That was what was odd about their eyes that Ava remembered.Definitely mirrors.She gulped as their gaze bounced between her face and the biologics on her chest.

The twin pair of Spry came closer, their segmented black carapaces dragging on the ground. Ava could see her own wary expression reflected back in their countless forward-facing eyes. “You are Human?” one asked, their furred mirrored heads coming closer to her.

The one on the right had a streak of muted red on the top of his head instead of being all black. He leaned forward, his antenna extended. “We can sense your tension. We mean no harm.” Both him and his companion gave her the universal sign of deference.

Ava relaxed at seeing the gesture made.That’s the first time anyone’s done that gesture for me. It felt respectful in a way she had never encountered before, filling her body up with a warm feeling. She watched as their mirrored eyes tracked her movements and again settled on the biologics she carried. She resisted the urge to cover the biologics with her hands and instead gave the universal sign of deference back. Her posture softened as she watched their antennas dance in the air as she matched their gesture.

The antennas reminded her of Ebel, only the Spry’s antennas were longer and more delicate looking, which probably put her more at ease than she should be meeting another foreign species for the first time. She kept her eyes on them as they danced, ignoring their eyes in front.

Her heart panged, and she fought to keep a frown off her face as she remembered Ebel and how his antennas had moved like that as well. The Spry tilted their heads at her questioningly, their mirrored eyes seeming to reflect more than just her face.

Vox stood at her side, but was quietly conversing with Lirell about the peace talks instead of paying attention.

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