Page 33 of Galactic Search and Rescue
Taz nodded. “Yes, let’s do that. I bet he hasn’t checked messages.”
Her hand was halfway to her ear before she caught herself. Civilians didn’t wear earwires at home. They talked in person.
She reentered the warm house with Shen at her heels. The doors irised closed behind them. The dog veered straight for the built-in solardry unit next to the coat rack and barked the two-one-two pattern Rylando had taught her. Contained jets of warm, dry air coaxed the water out of her wet fur.
Taz dropped her mug off in the kitchen, then walked with the damp-smelling dog to the largest room at the far end of the house. It stood nearly two levels tall, with a domed ceiling full of octagonal window ports that concentrated or generated daylight as needed to keep the room warm, bright, and airy. Rylando designed it as a playroom room for his team… er, pets, and she’d put her construction experience to use and helped build it for him.
He sat in the center of the room, cross-legged on the floor, with gaily colored Moyo sprawled to his right, gently snoring. Rylando’s back rested against the heavy crescent-shaped padded bench. The blue-green color complemented the fading blue tint to his skin, the remnants of the hasty cosmetic job from the passenger liner’s body parlor. His lap held a blanket filled with six roly-poly feline kittens. They snuggled against a custom-printed, fur-covered pouch that delivered temperature-regulated formulated milk.
He looked up at her with a grin. “The new pouch you designed is a hit. They’re all eating today.”
“That’s great.” She basked in the warmth that flooded her from his smile, unabashedly admiring the smooth planes of his muscled bare chest. “If you don’t mind my asking, can you feel the kittens with your talent when they’re this young?”
The orphaned litter of starving babies had kept her and Rylando up at all hours for days. He’d insisted on taking most of the shifts, so he was tired but full of heart-melting smiles. This was his element, helping animals thrive.
“Sort of.” He twitched a shoulder. “They’re like little sparks of potential. Once they start recognizing and interacting with each other, they’ll start recognizing me, too.” His finger delicately brushed along the top of the darkest kitten’s head. “They’ll know our scents a lot sooner. The dogs’ scents, too.”
Taz laughed. “They’re going to be very confused kittens, thinking they have four mothers.” When neither she nor Rylando could tend the kittens, Shen or Moyo stayed with them and patiently let them snuggle up against their warm bellies.
“They’ll be fine. Domestic cats are amazingly adaptable creatures.”
She pointed toward the media wall. “We got news from Hatya. Want me to queue it up for you, or just tell you the highlights?”
“Highlights. I’ll listen after I feed the rest of the menagerie.” He gave her a shy smile. “I like the sound of your voice.”
“Thank you.” Subtle pleasure stole over her, making her want to curl up in his lap with the kittens. He always seemed to know the right thing to say.
“Let’s see. First, the CPS held an emergency mass sale of GSAR’s non-military ships and equipment. Maybe they needed the funds? Anyway, Hatya and her brother bought six of the better transit ships and a bunch of shuttles to start an interstellar transport outfit. They’re hiring ex-Jumper buddies as pilots.”
Rylando smiled. “How fitting. I’ll put in a word with the office. Paz de Lune will be needing a trustworthy shipping company more than ever.” He pulled a damp textured cloth from the small bucket on the floor to his right. “I got a casual ping yesterday from a rescuer I went to vet-med training with, asking about job leads. The sanctuary replied with the usual ‘no one here by that name’ notice, but sent the link to their position list. If the query is legit, we might have more new residents on the way.”
“This would be a great place for them.” She sighed. “Chaos, but I hope we can someday go back to assuming old friends just want to reconnect, not betray us to the CPS. Buying a new set of permanent identities and running again would totally tank.”
“Yeah, it would. I don’t hold it against them, though. The CPS can exert tremendous pressure when it wants something.” He lifted the dark-furred kitten to gently wipe its butt, like the mother cat would have done, then put it in the heated nesting crate to his right. “I’m glad the sanctuary asks for background checks on all new residents, regardless. Some people shouldn’t be allowed anywhere near animals.”
“Like Bhayrip.” It still outraged her that their asshole former captain would have killed Rylando’s team out of spite. She hoped his next post made him the local commanding officer over the bots on a hazardous landfill moon.
“What else did Hatya say?” The snowy-white kitten squawked and squirmed when he lifted it from his lap.
“She misses Moyo.” Taz glanced down at Shen, still standing by her side. “I was thinking maybe you could source a trained military dog for her like Shen. Someone to travel the galaxy with her. A Jumper might be too proud to accept help from people, but I bet she would from a dog.”
His eyes crinkled as a smile widened his face. “What a great idea.” He deftly wiped the white kitten’s butt and put it in the nest. “I don’t know how she got the CPS to pay out our supposed debts so fast, or we’d still be staying in the sanctuary’s guest suite. We owe her.”
“That we do. Let’s see, what else? Oh, yeah, she found out why that jerk Po wanted to blow up the galactic node data center on Perlarossa. Turns out they’d already secretly destroyed all the others across the planet. Some twist about deleting the last authoritative archive of land ownership records so his family could scam a bigger percentage of the RSI settlement. And Stramlo wasn’t as innocent as he claimed. He sold Po the explosives and the instructions. Po wanted insurance, so he kidnapped Stramlo and Jhidelle. Even with the scans and Kem-X packet I saved as evidence, Po’s family matriarch got him and the bodyguard acquitted. Stramlo got sentenced for indenture, but he disappeared himself and his bank accounts, abandoning Jhidelle. I guess he’d already showed her how little he valued her when he let Po shove her out of your airsled to lighten the load.”
“Still a rough ride for a kid.” Rylando frowned. “I hope she finds a better family of her own.”
“She’s smart and resilient. She’ll be okay. Besides, she’ll inherit Stramlo’s fraction of the RSI settlement, plus an extra decimal for her part in saving the planet’s last node. I’m glad our last mission had no casualties.”
“I can’t say I’m missing the rescue business these days.” He put the last kitten in the box.
“You and me both. I like that the only disasters we have to respond to now are when the cats tease Moyo into chasing them across the furniture.” She waved toward the wall’s clock display. “Do you have time for us to try breakfast? Or should I grab something for me and Shen at the community kitchen?”
He set the milk pouch aside, then rose to his feet. “I’ve got rounds this morning. Let’s save our science experiments for the evening meal.”
Neither of them knew anything about cooking, but they were having fun learning. In the win column, they hadn’t yet set the house on fire.
She laughed. “Deal.” Crossing to him, she plied him with a lingering kiss so she’d remember the taste of him for hours. “Love you.”
