Page 20 of Alien on the Moon

Getting to her feet, she pulled up the soil composition of bral fields on Thryal and pointed to the percentage of organic matter. “Do you see all this?”

He nodded. “Our soil here is missing that.”

“Exactly! You’re treating terraforming like a greenhouse. A sustainable environment, though, requires an ecosystem. You need squigs, and fungi to break down plant matter.” She pulled up a picture of the Thryal equivalent to an earthworm. “And you need pollinators like zegs.” She called up the image of an insect similar to an Earth bee.

“Like the Milpas you mentioned yesterday,” he said. “Things feeding one another while also helping to strengthen each other.”

She snapped her fingers and, in the same motion, formed them into finger guns. “Bingo.”

Getting to his feet, he brought the schematics forward again. “I don’t think we need an entire overhaul. We still need the machines we use to oxygenate the air and feed the soil initially, especially if we bring in plants and insects from Thryal. Something has to sustain them until we’ve stabilized everything.”

“So, instead of having the moon under constant life support, it will eventually begin to sustain itself,” she said.

He winked. “Bingo.”

Bouncing on the balls of her feet, she clapped her hands in excitement. “In the meantime, we can begin filling the soil with organic matter from our base by composting our food and waste. Give the squigs plenty to eat before they arrive.”

He openly beamed at her as her mind raced, already trying to figure out what plants and small life forms would best work together to make the soil healthy and sustainable.

Feeling his eyes on her, she blushed. “What?”

“You’re so beautiful like this.”

“Like what?”

He moved in closer, taking both her hands in his. “Excited. Your mind moving so fast that your body cannot seem to contain the energy.”

“It’s not annoying?”

He shook her head. “I never understood people who act annoyed by the happiness of others, especially when they’re taking joy in something they love.”

Why was she so afraid earlier that he’d push her away for speaking her mind? Everything Rylan had ever said or done indicated he valued her point of view. He respected her as an intellectual equal.

Standing on her tiptoes, she surged upward to kiss him. His hands found their way to her waist and pulled her closer, and she hooked her leg around his. Leaning lower, he deepened the kiss, his hands working their way inside her shirt and cupping her breasts, and—

There was a knock at the door. Elena and Rylan hopped apart like two kids caught necking under the high school bleachers. Rylan cleared his throat. “Who is it?”

“The team morale committee,” one of the residential staff, a Thryal named Ged, said. “We reserved this conference room for our meeting.”

“Right.” Rylan straightened his clothes. “We’ll clean up and be right out.”

Elena stifled a giggle attack as she helped Rylan shut off the holographic plans and followed him out of the room. Ged and the other members of the committee watched them pass with knowing stares. She couldn’t even find it in herself to be embarrassed.

Rylan took her hand and gave it a squeeze. When she looked up at him, he winked, and she had to cover her mouth to stifle her guffaw.

As soon as they were safely out of earshot of the committee, both broke down in laughter so powerful that they had to lean on each other. Elena’s fit lasted long after her sides and cheeks ached.

When was the last time she’d laughed like that with someone? It was probably at her sisters’ antics, but she couldn’t exactly remember. It definitely wasn’t with any of her boyfriends, though.

Rylan was special, more special than Elena was ready to admit to herself.

Chapter 8

Rylan

Rylan smiled as he stared at the import form’s label of “Approved.” The squigs and other pollinating and soil-enriching insects were ready to be sent up from Thryal for introduction into the soil. Throughout the past few weeks, they had been composting the base’s food and waste, and now they had enough to make a tasty meal for their new arrivals.

Elena looked up from her workstation as he approached, her blue eyes bright. “Did you get it?”

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