Page 19 of Fallen from the Stars

“It would appear so,” Kane replied. He highlighted something at the edge of her field of view, and she turned her head to focus on it.

Several large leaves had been laid atop the sand only a few meters from the pod, each with a pile of alien fruit atop it.

“He brought breakfast,” she said, surprised.

“Now we just need a long-range transmitter, and we can recommend him for a medal. He’ll be hailed as a hero.”

“You’re in a mood this morning.” She sat down and tugged on her boots.

Kane scoffed. “I woke with a foul taste in my mouth. Apologizing does not agree with me.”

“You don’t have a mouth.”

“No one is more aware of that than I.”

Theo stood up. “Though it definitely doesn’t stop you from running it nonstop.”

“What is our plan, Theodora? What are we going to do?”

“First,” she said as she climbed out of the pod, “I am going to eat.”

She dropped down into the sand and approached the fruit Vasil had left. Most of it looked at least somewhat familiar to her now — he had pointed out several edible varieties as they’d trekked through the jungle together following Theo’s near-impalement by the thorns of a sentient stick. Plucking up one what he’d calleddaruk nuts, Theo popped it into her mouth and bit down. The crunchy morsel broke apart between her teeth, and its salty smoothness caressed her taste buds. She closed her eyes and hummed as she chewed.

“Maybe it’s just because the food on IDC ships tastes like crap, but I could get used to this planet if everything tastes this good,” she said.

“What’s next? We haven’t discussed it, Theo, but thisisa serious situation.”

Theo’s brows fell. “You think I don’t know that? Can’t you let me enjoy a meal without bringing up the fact that I lost everything but my life over the course of a few minutes?”

“Sorry.” The word was followed by a faint, static-like thrumming in her head.

“What the hell was that?” she demanded, rubbing her temples with a finger and thumb.

“I’ve exceeded my maximum number of apologies for the month. I fear I might be damaging my CPU.”

Theo grunted and tossed a handful of nuts in her mouth. She brushed off her hands and started peeling the winefruits. “You don’t have to be such a jerk all the time, you know.”

“I don’ttryto be,” he said. “I…I put you in danger yesterday, Theo, and I need you to know I never intended for that to happen. Iamsorry.”

She stilled her hands for a moment, staring down at the purple stains on her fingers from the juice. “I know, Kane. I never once thought you did. You always have my back.”

“Do you believe what Vasil told you? About thishalorium?”

She tossed aside half the rind and held the remaining fruit in one hand. Its natural wedges reminded her of pictures of oranges she’d seen back on Old Earth. Pressing her lips together, she tilted her head and considered what Vasil had said, studying her memory of his expression in her mind’s eye.

“Yeah. Yeah, I do,” she replied. “He didn’t have to tell us anything at all.”

“No, he didn’t.” Kane was silent for a few moments. “I’m IDC property, and I’m not technically supposed to feel anything, but I’m troubled by what he said.”

“Me too.” She climbed back into the pod, careful to hold the exposed winefruit upright. “The IDC was covering up something, and I’m pretty sure it was the kraken. I just… I don’t understand why they just left them. I mean, they had the manpower, and they could have come here and wiped the kraken out. Could’ve destroyed every trace of what they did here. Instead, they just…pretended it didn’t happen.”

“I guess we should be grateful for that, given our current situation.”

“Yeah.”

Vasil had done so much for her already — despite her distrust of him, despite the way she’d treated him. The fruit he’d left this morning was only the next item on a growing list.

She slipped a wedge of fruit into her mouth as she moved to the rear of the pod, pausing as the sweet juice flowed over her tongue. She tilted her head back. “Oh my god, Kane. I swear I don’t know how I’ll be able to go back to that artificial crap they serve on the ship.”

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