Page 61 of Whoops-A-Mate From Outer Space
I grinned. “How did you get us going so soon?”
He chuckled. “I was already scheduled for one of my regular trips. Bringing you as my mate, especially so soon after the rush, was expected.”
I scrunched my nose. “You mean you’ll have to work?”
He burst into laughter. “Yes, my love. Though in my brief communication updating my status, I did indicate that it would only be minimal since our mating was so recent.”
I let out a dramatic sigh. “I guess that’s ok. I get to visit the lab again, right?”
He grinned. “I will have to inquire, but I do not expect it to be a problem.”
He stood, then leaned in to kiss me again. “It is time for our call.”
I stood and followed him back into the hall. “Did you get what you needed?”
He nodded and showed me what looked like several marbles in his hand. “I did.”
“What are those?” I asked, wondering what hidden tech was in them.
“I believe you call them marbles,” he replied. “Have you not seen them before?”
I gaped at him, then burst into laughter. “I played with them as a kid, but why do you have them?”
“Oh!” he laughed. “Veeshen teaches an introductory physics class for children. I was discussing our pool games with him, and he was intrigued. Children often learn by doing, but we agreed that the sticks and the balls might require too much coordination for the ages he works with. I was discussing it with somebody else in the lab, and they mentioned marbles. He explained the rules and offered to bring me some.”
I chuckled. “I guess we’re playing marbles when we’re on Lyll. But you don’t have a similar game there?”
He considered the question as we walked down the stairs. “We might have, but if so, those games fell out of favor long ago. However, from what I have learned, they seem to be a very intuitive way of introducing the basic concepts of force and momentum.”
I laughed. “And I was always focused on getting the prettiest ones.”
“I do not understand,” he replied as we stopped at another door.
“We played for keeps on my playground. I wasn’t the best, but I had a decent collection because of that.”
He opened the door to reveal a clean space that had what looked like clear glass panels hung near seats. He led me to a bench in a corner and touched the glass while I sat.
Glyphs in a language I didn’t know appeared, then Tolai, Veeshen, and Naduq appeared on it, the background seeming to be the inside of their house.
“Bapo!” Tolai started, then he spotted me. “Gene! Hello! You were allowed in the communication room? Why are you calling?”
“Mapo! Een!” Naduq cried, reaching for what he could see on his end.
“Hello,” Veeshen said.
“Hi everybody,” I replied.
Eashai laughed. “We are returning to Lyll and I wish to invite you to dinner.”
“We?” Tolai asked. “Does that mean you are visiting again, Gene?”
“I am.”
“It will be a celebration dinner,” Eashai stated.
“We have heard that some countries will start accepting volunteers soon. Is that why?” Veeshen asked.
Eashai gave one of his radiant smiles. “We can also celebrate that. The real cause for celebration is that Gene and I have mated.”
