Page 36 of Crash Landing
“People who were there during the Thinning. People who went into stasis.”
She leaned on the table, tipping her head sorrowfully.
“I studied the Thinning. I’m really sorry that happened to your people.”
“It was a long time ago.”
“But not for you, right? If you went into stasis, I mean.”
“No, not for me,” I sighed. “Which is a curse and a blessing. I didn’t live through endless failed attempts to turn our reproductive problems around. I didn’t see our people fall apart. I didn’t see the thousands of stillbirths that drove our women insane with grief. I went into stasis a young soldier and I was brought out of it to be just that.”
“How long has it been?”
I let my eyes wander as I did a bit of quick math in my head. “For me, it’s been nine Earth years since the gek’tal released their sickness on us. I was too young to have a mate but not too young to enlist as a military pilot. I did it to fight the gek, but we couldn’t fight what they did. You can train your whole life, but you can’t fight something microscopic.”
“Biological warfare. It’s ugly.” There was a solemn cloud hovering over both of us, but Sam was quick to break it apart. She sat up straight with a sweet, kind smile. “But humans finally left Earth and we reproduce so much, the government pays people to remove their ability to have kids.” She laughed at the idea of it. “Hell, sex is virtual most of the time. The media tells us we’re all germ-filled sacks of infections waiting to spread so touching is taboo. That’s how much we have babies. That’s how desperate we became to stop it. So if your people are looking for a way to fix this reproduction problem, I’d say studying humans is the right direction. It might take time, but I believe it will happen.”
“Those were some very kind words, Sam. I didn’t expect that from you.”
“I’m very kind. Stupid, accident prone, and high maintenance, but I’m very kind. You just got to know me when I was at my worst. Well, almost at my worst.”
I laughed at her self-deprecation, but only because she said it with such enthusiasm. None of it was true.
“You’re not stupid. Accident prone and high maintenance, yes, but never stupid.”
“I don’t know. I trusted Mr. Hamburger enough to let him ruin my life. And all the alarm bells went off, too. I just ignored them. I’ve known people like him my whole life and I was naïve enough to think I was going somewhere where I didn’t have to worry about things like that. I’d call that stupid.”
“I’d call that hopeful. You hoped he was better than he was and he wasn’t. That’s not your fault.”
“It doesn’t matter. Now I’m here and I’m sure he’s spreading lies about me as we speak.”
“I told my men to put him in custody for endangering humans under my care. He’s not getting off easy. The Nexus gets very serious if there’s even a hint that we might close the gates to our planets again.”
“That’s why they keep me around. Since I’ve been to Sylos, they think I’m some kind of bridge between valerians and humans. Like I’m special,” she laughed.
“You are special. You’re one of two humans that have ever stepped foot on Sylos.”
She was trying to hold back a smile, but when she lost control of it, it was the most adorable grin I’d ever seen. It was innocent and genuine and completely distracting.
“Yeah, I’m kind of special,” she admitted. “I got to eat your food, which is worlds better than Earth food, by the way.”
“I don’t know. That cold dessert thing you guys have is something I’ve been craving for a long time.”
“Ice cream? You like ice cream? Ugh, dairy and I don’t have a good relationship. Not that it stops me from drinking big lattes. Strawberries and chocolate syrup, though. That’s a different story. Oh!”
Her loud squeak made me jump and I watched as she leapt up from her chair and pranced up to the rooms. She returned moments later with her pack, from which she pulled something in a silver wrapping. She dropped her pack on the table as her little fingers worked at the wrapping, her lips drawn together in concentration.
“I forgot I had this. It feels melted, but I don’t care.”
“A silver wrapper?”
“No, it’s chocolate. If you’ve had it before, you’d be as excited as I am.”
“Let me see.”
I reached out and snatched the squishy wrapping from her. Immediately, she went feral. I started working at the thin covering until I ripped off a corner and a rich, sweet scent wafted out of it.
“Ok, you got it. Give it back.”
