Page 54 of My Alien Cellmate

Omni nods. “Me too. I don’t need the money. We can use it for whatever the ship needs. Except for Tareq’s new bed,” he adds with a grin.

“He does have a mate,” Zarkan objects, his smile wide.

“So? I have wings! I need a big bed too. Do you hear me complaining about it?”

Lyri places a hand over her mouth to stifle a snort. “Yes?”

We all laugh. Those two bicker all the time, but it’s still amusing. “Alright, guys,” Zarkan interrupts them before they can get lost in their favorite pastime. “It’s settled then? Everyone wishes to stay together? With me in charge? You know I’m ready to step down and hand it over to someone else.”

“Someone like Tareq?” Lyriana snickers. “We’d be dead within a week. We want you, Captain.”

He seems pleased, his eyes a little watery before he swipes his third eyelid over them. “Very well. And the humans? I assume Astra still wishes to stay with Tareq?”

“Definitely,” she replies with conviction, squeezing Tareq’s hand.

“Good. And you?” Zarkan addresses Nikolai who has been standing aside, quietly observing us. “You said you do not wish to return to your planet.”

He’s clearly nervous about being at the center of our attention. “I don’t want to go back home,” he admits, giving us a shy look. “My family, they are…bad. Bad people. Criminals. My whole life, they wanted me to be like them. I fought back however I could, but sometimes, there was no choice but to be bad. I don’t want to go back to that. I’d much rather stay here, with you, if you…I don’t know, are you hiring?

“I’m not a super-soldier like you, but I can cook or clean or do whatever you guys need. I’ve studied some medicine, too. I know it means nothing out here, not with all the alien species and physiologies and with all the equipment I don’t understand, but I’m a fast learner. I’m sure there are some alien biology textbooks I can read so that I can be a little bit of help? Just, please, don’t make me go back home.”

His words strike a chord with me because he reminds me of myself. I didn’t have a family, and I grew up like a criminal. Nikolai has a family, but they’re forcing him to be a criminal. No wonder he doesn’t want to go home. “Nobody will force you to return to Earth,” I say, putting a hand on his shoulder.

“Of course not,” Zarkan adds in agreement. “But you don’t have to stay here with us either. In case you haven’t noticed, we aren’t on the right side of the law at the moment.” He gives a rueful smile. “The UGC would set up a life for you, if that is your wish.”

Nikolai contemplates it briefly before shaking his head. “I’d much rather stay with you, if that’s an option.”

“It certainly is an option,” Zarkan replies, giving Nikolai another of his warm, toothy smiles. “Welcome to the crew of…what’s this ship called again?”

“GN-13 Cruiser 3Alpha-X,” D’Aakh supplies, rolling his eyes.

Lyri shakes her head. “The Genixarians are truly awful at naming shit.”

“Yeah,” Astra chuckles, “it sounds like one of those auto-generated secure passwords. Does the computer have a name?”

“My designation is Central Artificial Intelligence Command Unit,” the AI responds.

“That’s a mouthful.”

The AI is quiet for a few seconds. “The former captain often referred to me as ‘the fucking cunt’, if you want something shorter,” it offers eventually.

That causes a round of laughter from everyone.

“Central Artificial Intelligence can be shortened to Cai,” Nikolai suggests timidly, as if unsure if he’s allowed to speak.

“I like that,” I say, wanting to support him. “Do you like that name, computer?”

There’s another moment of silence. I normally don’t mind AIs, but this one is a little different. Creepy, if one can say that about a computer program. I hope it doesn’t snap one day and murder us all.

“As an artificial intelligence, I do not possess the ability to like or dislike things,” it replies. “You may call me whatever you wish to. However…I believe that the sound of the name Cai is pleasing to most species. It is a good choice.”

D’Aakh’s antennae twitch and he frowns, surprised by the computer’s answer. He doesn’t say anything, though, so I guess it’s just the tinkerer in him, curious about the system.

“Should we use the same name for the ship?” Tareq asks.

“Eh,” Lyriana smirks. “It’s a good name for a whacky computer, but not for a ship.”

Tareq’s mate gives a timid smile before saying, “You guys are the Nova squad, right?” As we nod, her smile grows more confident. “What if you based the ship’s name on that? Something like…The Supernova?”

“I like that,” Tareq replies, casting a loving look in his mate’s direction.

“Of course you like that,” Lyri snorts. “You’re fucking her. You’d agree to anything that comes out of her mouth just to get some. I like it too, though. It’s pretty badass.”

I give an approving nod, even though I couldn’t care less about the name of the ship. All I care about is that my family stays together, and that everyone is happy. My family has suddenly grown, I realize, watching the humans smile and chat with the rest of the squad. I like it.

I’d like it even better if there was a mate for me, too. I’m happy for Tareq but also strangely envious of the love he’s basking in. I’d love to experience that too. Maybe next time when we dock somewhere, I’ll see if I can get myself a nice female too. Perhaps even a human one.

There must be more human slaves out there. If I rescue an enslaved female, she will surely love me, just like Astra loves Tareq.

Satisfied with my decision, I join the lighthearted conversation and laugh along with the others when Tareq announces that he is taking Astra away to ‘rest’. I’ll have that too, one day. I just have to be patient.

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