Page 41 of Defiance
Two days later, I was still laughing about it.
And he really knew his stuff. I learned so much about Renata’s place in the Union, what we could expect in the future, and the common problems colonies often faced. When he didn’t know something—like the history of an old city wall or how much dissolved oxygen they injected into their aqua farms belowthe surface if their stocking density was so high—he made a show of pulling up his holotab and pretending to be an expert.
Most of the time, I forgot that Novak was trailing behind us. He remained aloof and cold. Even if I asked him a question, he’d only nod his head or twitch an ear. If I was really pushy, he’d grunt out a few words.
Then we’d sit down to eat in some little alcove of a small restaurant, and all that changed. Novak would slide in next to me to taste test my food. He never stayed for the full meal, but poured my water and patiently arranged side dishes with his four-fingered claws so that the ones I liked were closest. How he knew, I could only guess, but his intuition was spot on. Maybe hiscolearacould detect what type of salad dressing I’d liked eight years ago.
Jharim’s warning words about his tail kept me from enjoying what I’d otherwise mistake as flirtation, though. Under the privacy of a restaurant table, Novak’s tail brushed up the back of my calf or squeezed my ankle. Once it slapped at my braid like a cat’s paw, and I snorted right into my water. I kept out of its range once we were back in the sun, surrounded by people that might notice.
If the wrong person realized he could find me anywhere, what would that mean?
But it was hard to remember that I was in danger, dangling like a silk-draped worm in chummy waters. The paranoia faded, replaced with historical sites, professional conversations, and delicious food. I felt like I was at the galaxy’s bougiest convention as a guest of honor, which was exactly how I was supposed to act. Play the part of an endlessly curious tourist? Give me my BAFTA Award. This role was made for me.
Visiting the La?we swarming channels had been especially fun.
“Thank you for giving me a tour. I’m sure it’s not something you do for acquaintances under normal circumstances,” I’d said pointedly when Sath met me at the Canal, the entrance to each family cluster’s spawning channels.
“It’s my honor.”
He’d worn a pleated skirt with a loosely woven tunic that gave glimpses of his marigold chest. A golden chain and fob hung from his crest, which he’d powdered with bronze glitter that smelled delicious.
Hjarnas had wide hips and narrow chests, the sort of build that suggested they were made for belly-dancing. Sath wore his skirt low on his hips where it swayed as he walked. They weren’t a sexually-driven species, but part of me wondered if they’d learned courtship through centuries of cohabitating.
Because Novak had been right. This was definitely not the sort of tour one gave their new colleague.
Sath’s open-hearted smile glowed brighter throughout the day. He offered me assistance when we crossed the channel, hovered his hand over my head when we ducked through some crystals into the family’s spa, and set up a thick blanket with several samples in glass cylinders on a short table.
They were the cluster’s genebank. Samples of eggs and milt dating back almost a century. The cluster withdrew a few of them with each spawning now to reintroduce genetic diversity to the population. Perhaps it wasn’t a romantic sort of date, but it certainly was an intimate peek at hjarna life.
Afterwards, I found Novak at the Canal entrance leaning on the archway with his iridescent scales fanned open in the sun. Some sort of soft fur or downy was bright orange beneath them, popping against the lapis lazuli dunes and marbled sandstone.
Novak threw a glare our way as Sath stopped me in the shade just outside the gate. He apologized, needing to return the La?we genebank to its vault. When he bowed farewell, theshimmer decorating his crest blew little dust devils into the air. Novak looked away, squinting at the horizon and rolling the scales along his neck.
Later, I found the powder glittering on my skin and clothes. Was it a sort of dry lotion or suncream? When I washed it off, my skin was supple. It was either a desert miracle or alien science.
The ensuing days were a dream. Sath took me to a private tea with some of his colleagues. HIXBS Director Caher Bi?dou treated me to dinner and music. I was invited to enjoy beautiful hanging gardens on the surface and to inspect the massive farming operations underground. Millions of mushrooms, mollusks, and seagrasses. The scale was astonishing.
Each person we met had something to give or gain. One wealthy woman was just a big nerd for humans. An entrepreneur wanted to talk to me about products humans missed from Earth and how he could develop similar things. And there was a doctor that desperately wanted to take my temperature to confirm her research. There was always a give and take, even if it was pleasant.
But the shine wore off as a pattern emerged. Agent Gaul accompanied me everywhere, but not always inside. Sath would wave him in after sharing a look with restaurant owners. He touched nothing, ate nothing, never sat except to taste test my food. I understood not entering the Canal and taking up a post outside the director’s office, but they hadn’t permitted him into the gardens either.
When it happened outside a women’s boutique, I swore with exasperation. How was he supposed to be a bodyguard if he couldn’t guard me? He claimed it was an advantage. Looking ineffective would make space for an opportunity. I saw the merits, but I hated it. Agent Gaulwasn’tinept. Advantage or not,people shouldn’t be treating him like “the help.” After how John had made me feel, I wasn’t standing for it.
I started planning late night walks on the third day, hoping that I could swing the ineptitude meter towards me instead. The naive human with a billion-dollar price tag taking a jaunt at midnight? I even turned up the music on my linguitor and hummed off-key. Did it twist up my guts with anxiety? Sure, I practically pissed meself nightly. But doing my part to protect Novak’s reputation felt worth it.
Then we were stopped at the security vestibule of the HIXBS aquatic xeno-ecology lab.
“Dr Faxou!” Sath beamed, brushing his knuckles against the back of another man’s hand in greeting. “It’s my honor to introduce you to Charlie Halloway. She has a masterful degree in ichthyology, emphasis aquaculture. Of course, I thought of your lab…”
Dr Faxou was an older gentleman with a kind-hearted set to his round shoulders. His crest was magenta at the top while the rest of him was a rosy pink. Wide smile lines stretched around his thin mouth, and they stacked upon each other as he took my hand in both of his.
“Hello, Master Halloway.” It was so sweet how often they got this wrong, and I couldn't bring myself to correct him. He rubbed my knuckles between his thumbs, long fingers clasping my forearm closer to my elbow. Appreciating the labor of someone’s hands was considered a formal greeting.
“It’s wonderful to meet you, Dr Faxou,” I said, brushing my fingers over the back of his hand with a bright smile. “I’m so excited to see what you do here.”
“Lovely, yes? Just lovely,” he tsked, smiling and tapping on my callouses. “The pleasure is all mine, Master Halloway. Perhaps I can run some numbers by you as they pertain to our Earth samples, hm?”
My heart skipped. “You have samples from Earth?”
