Page 43 of Healing Creek
“I was on a farm planet—” Toby began.
“An agrarian colony world,” corrected Feeona.
“On a farm,” Toby complained. “The only good thing about being there was the root beer.”
Grace covered her mouth with her hand to contain a giggle. “I’ve never had real root beer. Just the artificial kind, made from a lot of artificial chemicals.”
“This is much better,” promised Feeona.
“Where are we going?” Grace looked over her shoulder to see Creek watching her walk away.
“There’s a recreation room on this level. When I told Samantha I had Toby with me, she said she’d meet us there.”
“I’m surprised she was willing to leave the bridge with so many ships and transports coming and going.”
“Said she has a visitor. Someone she wanted us to meet.”
Her visitor must be important to take her away from her duties and welcoming so many new crew.
“This ’bout my necklace again?” Toby took long strides to keep up with the pace Feeona set.
“Maybe.”
Grace looked over to see that the boy had a shiny piece of metal dangling from a cord around his neck. A handmade memento?
Feeona made a sharp turn and a double door slid open to reveal the mentioned recreation room. There was a Ping table, a pool table, and a VR pod. There was also a storage station with every sort of card, dice, or board game a person could want and a handful of gaming tables. Grace heard Toby whisper, “Cool.”
Across the room Samantha stood in front of a viewport to rival the one she and Creek had been at moments earlier. And beside her there was…a Golley, if blue-tipped, silver hair above a stocky build and rounded shoulders was any indication. She’d never actually met one in person. They tended to keep to their side of the border. He stood just taller than Samantha. As they turned to see who’d come in, she noted the distinctly wrinkled gray skin that confirmed her suspicion.
Samantha stepped forward and beckoned them in. The moment they got close she went down into a crouch to meet Toby at his level.
“Hi there, buddy. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
Toby’s brown cheeks darkened with a blush, but he didn’t try to hide as some kids did. “I’ve heard about you, too. Feeona says you’re good people.”
Samantha got to her feet and introduced them to the Golley. “Pillar, Port Chief of Haverlee Station, and an old friend.”
“Old is right, Sam-mie. I was old when you were just a bump in your mother’s bel-ly.” The Golley chuckled at his own joke.
Samantha laughed with him. “And you were there to escort me home when I got caught sneaking into the port at five years old.”
They spoke pleasantries for a few minutes more before they all settled around a too-small gaming table. Toby passed around the root beer. Grace twisted off the tube top and drank. The fizz made her nose itch but the taste was sweet and exotic. “Mmm.”
Feeona grinned. “I told you it was good.”
Pillar took one sniff and sneezed.
Toby let loose a belly laugh. As he settled down, he pulled his necklace over his head and plunked it on the table.
Pillar leaned in and reached for the medallion, stopping short to meet Toby’s brown-eyed gaze. “May I ex-am-een it?”
“Sure,” said Toby with a shrug. “Long as you don’t damage it.”
Pillar closed his bony fingers around it then hefted it in his palm. “Feels like the same alloy.”
“Same as what,” asked Toby.
Pillar laid the medallion back on the table and opened a pack he had strapped across his body. He dug around inside for a moment then pulled out a disk-shaped piece of alloy.
