Page 62 of Sol Survivor

Summoning his symbiotes to cover the bottom half of him in armor, he padded barefoot to the galley, thirsty and eager for a strip of hudu.Nenn sat at the table, his face buried in his tablet.He didn’t glance up when Drafe entered.

“What has you awake?”he mumbled around charred meat Drafe didn’t recognize.

“The pod exploded.”

“So I heard.”Nenn met his gaze.“Yet, you left the loving arms of your female?”

“Mm, I have a dilemma I need to work through.”Drafe filled a jar of water and sat on the bench.

“Care to share?”Nenn flipped his tablet over and pulled his half-empty bowl closer.

“She does not want to involve herself out of fear.Revenge is driving her to take the hauler, but after that is completed, she might…leave me.”Drafe sighed.There, he’d said it, his biggest fear.

“You want a way to keep her?”Nenn arched a brow.“Drafe, she is not Qaldreth—”

Drafe growled.

Nenn raised his hand, a strip of white meat dangling from his fingers.“Let me finish.She does not know our ways and cannot be held to our expectations.In addition, she is a warrior who will not be subservient to you.Perhaps all you need to do is ask her, warrior to warrior.”

“Thatisour way.”Drafe frowned.“To ask.”

“No, I mean, explain it to her, how staying with you will impact her life.”

Drafe rested his chin on his hand and stared at Nenn.“She knows nothing of our homeworld.It is right that I share this with her.”

Nenn grinned before sipping his steaming tisane that smelled of the inside of a garak.“If you are serious about having her as your love mate, then yes.”

“Wise, Nenn.Do we have any Ivoyan data vids on Qaldreth?”

“We do.”Nenn wiped his fingers on a cloth and splayed them on the table.He leaned back and stared at Drafe.“As wonderful as images will be, memories spoken from the heart have greater impact.”

Memories were good and bad, painting him as strong or weak.No, he need not relive those with her.“She has my symbiotes and access to all Meorri history.”

“Yes, but she has not learned to commune with them.You are rushing the most beautiful thing to occur to a warrior, Drafe.”

“I know.”He slumped.Nenn was right.Itwasincredible that he had found a worthy female, more so that she was a warrior.“I want it done.I want her to be mine with no chance of her walking away.”

Nenn laughed, his red eyes glowing.“You are feeling insecure.It is not the way of a fearless warrior.”

Drafe glared at him.“Foq, Nenn.Wait until you meet your female.”

Nenn shrugged.“I hope to be as senseless as you.”He pushed aside his empty plate while licking his fingers.“On a more serious matter, her besting Ulvus has enraged the male.I will guard your back.”

“Ulvus is predictable.”Drafe downed his water.“Thank you for the advice and warning, Nenn.”He squeezed Nenn’s shoulder, then strode along the passage, debating whether to return to Vic, visit with Aehort, or do a shift.Restlessness consumed him.Spinning on a heel, he headed to the bridge.

Caah Taed flicked a glance at him but returned his focus to the screens.“The scans for the seventy-nine moons are turning up the usual: mining colonies, some on the surface, and others orbiting the applicable moon.I left Europa for last.I wanted to make sure we covered our bases.”

“Wise.”

Caah grinned and tapped a beat across the console’s buttons.“Want to scan the ice moon with me?”

“Sure.”Drafe leaned against the bulkhead to watch.

Still in stealth, theAroagnishot into orbit around Europa.It was a beautiful little moon with white streaks carved into its surface.Many boreholes had been sunk to best harvest the oceans beneath the layers of ice.The images showed land vehicles carving chunks of ice and rolling on, leaving cubes behind them as they moved onto the next section.A hovering ship lifted the cube and flew off.

“Where is it going?”He glanced at Caah.

“To the nearest ice base.From there, the ice hauler will deploy their riggers to collect.”The taed tapped the screen to the far right where unnatural bumps marred the horizon.The screen zoomed in on the camp with housing structures that looked like capsules.

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