Page 45 of Devin
“Where is my suite?”
“Guest quarters are not yet ready. Since I didn’t think we’d be having any guests, they were not top priority.”
No, having his mother here put a bit of a wrinkle in his plans. Hopefully she’d lose interest and be gone in a day or two, but an extended stay was out of the question. She could not keep her nose out of anyone’s business. His relationship with Val was still a bit tenuous to withstand the full brunt of his mother and her incessant interference.
“Well, I’m sure you’ll manage something by the end of the day.”
“I’m sure there’s an extra spot down in the camp.”
“If you’re staying in the city, then I’m staying in the city.”
“We still haven’t finished putting everything together yet. There’s no guarantee that the living quarters in the city will be up to your standards of living.”
“Oh, sweetie, I’ve roughed it before. Did I ever tell you about the time my father sent me to Belokay? Now there was a backward colony if I ever did see one. First of all, it was as dry aspaper. There wasn’t a single drop of rain the whole time we were there. You know what they fed us? Crackers! Plain crackers, spicy crackers, sweet crackers, or would those be cookies, I don’t know, but either way, they only ate one texture. It was fine at first, but after three days I was ready to leave, and I had to be there a whole month.”
“Yes, mother, I’ve heard that story before.” He’d heard it probably once a year, maybe more since he was old enough to understand language. If he didn’t shut her up soon, she’d start to tell him about the Largilan who sleep with their pets, which wasn’t so bad, except they were quite large and smelled like bad farts.
“Is that the ship you came in?” He said, pointing over to the brand new landing pad, where an Adrastian cargo vessel sat.
“I know! But you’d be surprised how hard it is to charter a vessel to this side of the universe. No one wants to go out here. I had to promise him a lucrative trade deal as well as a very generous stipend.”
Adrastians were a bit unnerving to look at, considering they were super pigmented. Everything from their eyes to the toenails and flesh was black. Their skin would take tattoos, but they were invisible unless they glowed. The Madfel Adrastians were tall strong brutes well suited for fighting in darkness. Their non warrior equivalents were lacking that strength and height, but were also known for their ability to eat and digest nearly anything. It was nearly impossible to poison an Adrastian. That’s probably why the Suhlik had invaded and added them to the Mahfel collection.
The Adrastian in question stepped down the ramp. His stride told Devin they had been spotted and he was heading straight for them. If he were like most captains, he’d stay on his vessel, but he’d want a quick turnaround time with a cargo hold full of goods. Perfect. He could easily requisition some of the flugleand a few other types of meat that were sitting in their freezer containers and send him and his mother on their way.
Three days was the perfect length of visit. Long enough for her to be satisfied that he was doing his best to produce a grandchild for her, but short enough that he wouldn’t go crazy with her talking his ear off.
Devin pointed out a few more features while they waited for the captain to cross the distance between them.
“Hail, Warlord!” the captain said to him.
Devin took a deep breath, but did not correct him. He had nearly the power of warlord, but without the final say. Some species wouldn’t even speak with an underling or someone they did not determine to be an alpha.
“Well met, Adrastian.”
“Captain Cocak at your service. Or at your mother’s service.” He gave a little bow to the both of them. There was a slight smile on his lips, as if he were putting on a show and just below breaking character. This did not sit well with him.
Devin had been among the Etlonian Mahdfel too long. It was disconcerting to speak to another male, and not have his skin reflect the overtones of honesty or anger. He could not even discern which way the Adrastian was looking, as his eyes were just spheres of inky blackness. His overall impression was this Cocak was not to be trusted. But if he did not trust him with his mother, Devin would be stuck with her until more suitable transport could be found, and that might be another month. Had she planned it that way? Devin spared a glance at his mother, but she was in diplomat mode, all serene smiles and benign expressions. There was no way she was letting him see her true thoughts in front of this stranger.
“This city is a work of art and masculine beauty,” Cocak stated.
“Oh you’re such a flirt!” His mother stated.
“I’m sure Gordo will be happy to arrange for you to fill your hold with some unique delicacies. I also believe we may have a passenger or two who would like to book passage.”
It wasn’t Terra, but getting Charlette off to Takalia with his mother to supervise would be ideal. From there, his mother could arrange transport to Terra with other more trustworthy Takalian pilots.
“If you would like, I could take you to speak with him now,” Devin offered.
Cocak nodded. Devin pointed toward the base camp where the others were still staying, at least for the next few days.
Hopefully Zenik had already finished delivering the other Mahdfel and their mates back to the main camp, leaving at least one set of quarters free for his mother. Speaking of his mother, she had not started moving with them.
“Mother?”
“I was promised an introduction to my new daughter.”
“Your request is in opposition to protocol. Our meal facilities are still located this way,” Devin stated, pointing again toward the base camp, this time with both hands.
