Page 66 of Soros
Tania and I exchanged a glance. “Not too much though or he’ll think you’re difficult to work with like Nerix.”
The moment we said her cousin’s name, Cacala scanned the room. “Where is Nerix?”
“He’s… ehm…” Tania looked left and right as if searching for Nerix as well.
“He’s sleeping,” Star exclaimed. “He was sleepy so he’s sleeping.”
Cacala lowered her brow. “Does he know that I’m here?”
“No.”
Cacala looked skeptical and asked Star. “You say no, but you’re twisting your ring so does that mean it’s really a yes?”
Star stopped touching her ring and looked pressured, so I stepped in. “It’s not that Nerix didn’t want to see you. Lios asked him to stay away.”
“Why?”
“Because Nerix is very protective of women and with you being his cousin he doesn’t want you to put yourself in danger. Working on theGreat Defendercomes with risks. Lios wants you to make your own decision and not be dissuaded by Nerix.”
“Nerix doesn’t want me here.” Cacala’s shoulders fell. “But I thought he recommended me. Lios said someone had made a recommendation. That’s why he contacted me.”
“That was Malliko,” Tania revealed.
“Oh… I see. But if Nerix doesn’t want me here, maybe I should respect that.”
Lios came back and with his exceptional hearing he heard Cacala’s last words. “I want you here.”
Turning her head, Cacala lit up. “You do?”
“Unless you’re as difficult as your cousin we should be fine.” His smile was charming and for a moment Lios looked like the captain he was when I first came onboard. The contrast made it clear how stressful this mission had been. “The good part is that if you take the position, we start out slow. The crew has a small vacation coming so after dropping off Ko’roz on Fedaros, we’re going to Scilm for some well-deserved time to rest. It will give you a chance to bond with the rest of the crew. We’re hiring three new members in total, so you won’t be the only new one.”
“Sounds tempting.” Leaning back on her heels, Cacala scaled down the enthusiasm we had experienced moments before. “I have questions though.”
“So, do I. Let’s find a place to conduct the interview.”
As Cacala and Lios walked off the bridge, Star cried, “I don’t know why I lied. I just didn’t want her to think that Nerix didn’t care about her. He’s not like that and I would have been sad if I thought that my cousin didn’t care about me.”
Placing a comforting hand on Star’s knee, Tania assured her, “It’s fine. Everything will work out.”
It was typical of Tania to play that role, but when she looked into my eyes, I could tell that she wasn’t sure. I felt the same way. What if the Federation didn’t allow us to be together and what about Star? Ko’roz’s cruel words earlier underlined how dangerous her situation was.
Giving both women the reassurance that they needed at that moment, I followed Tania’s example and said, “We’ll figure it out.” Internally, I added,I hope.
CHAPTER 25
The Fight
Tania
When Cacala and Lios returned, he gathered everyone including Nerix and introduced Cacala as a new team member. “Cacala will be our third pilot. She’s the cousin of Nerix, which explains why they have the same green eyes.”
Nerix stood leaning against the wall looking displeased as Lios continued.
“Due to Cacala’s delightful optimism, we are lucky that she had a colleague fly her here and that she already packed her things. We’ll just give her a moment to say goodbye to her colleague and then we’ll continue our journey toward Fedaros. Star and Tania, will you show Cacala to the cabins and have her choose which of the unoccupied ones she wants?”
It felt good to be of use and Star was eager to make a new friend. After getting Cacala’s bags from the shuttle and watching her say goodbye to her friend, we showed her the two available cabins. Cacala was bubbly and talkative, telling us about her home planet Eidrona and her work as a shuttle pilot.
“I’ve been to Earth so many times, but I’ve never been allowed to stay and experience it up close. Every time I brought someone to Earth or picked them up, I felt a little jealous that they got to explore and meet humans. I can’t believe that you’re both part human.”
