Page 70 of Zalis
The massive screens in the station all played the same footage of a starliner. There were streaks of light, a small explosion, and then the screen went blindingly white. The ship exploded, over and over again.
Cruise shipAllure of the Starsdestroyed in Suhlik raid.
“All those people,” Gemma whispered.
Fear sank its claws into her, digging deep. She had seen this before and she knew what would happen next: invasion.
An old meme sprang to mind. If she had a nickel for every alien invasion she witnessed, she’d have two nickels, which isn’t a lot, but it was weird it happened twice.
The silent war that Zalis had told her about was no longer silent. No one would be able to ignore this.
GEMMA
And she never saw him again.
Just kidding. It only felt that way.
Within days, they were on Val Mori. Gemma seriously debated staying on theJudgment—it had better shielding and would be safer and was more comfortable—but decided that she’d rather stay closer to Zalis.
The haunted mining moon was as unnerving as advertised. Val Mori went through many transformations: a failed colony taken over by a mining company, who later decided the profit margins weren’t cushy enough to justify the risk, and now a Mahdfel base.
The buildings were laid out for a walkable community designed around hubs. On the surface, they were a bit down in the heels but nothing that made Gemma think she was doomed. Some paint and a little TLC and her dorm would be cozy. Then she realized she and Zalis were the only people in that residential block, and Zalis was gone most of the time. She was completely alone.
New people arrived daily. Construction never stopped. The place was always busy yet somehow managed to feel empty.
Establishing a base was the focus, which meant critical systems and infrastructure received all the attention. Eventually, they’d get around to upgrading the residential buildings with shielding, air filters, and hook it up to the new power grid. As it was, power was temperamental. The lights flickered and circuits tripped when Gemma tried to reheat some food and download a show to watch at the same time.
Gemma and Emry worked in the community kitchen. Well, Emry worked. Gemma got bossed around a lot to use the stool or get out of Dannel’s kitchen. He was an older guy, more silver in his hair than not, and was not afraid to bark orders. Gemma liked him a lot. He had that classic chef bad attitude.
Apparently, that was what happened to Mahdfel when they got to retirement age—taking support roles, not the bad attitude. They became trainers and instructors for the younger generation, worked in the greenhouse and gardens, or tried to feed a literal battalion.
Kitchen work was hot and exhausting. Her body still insisted on bakery hours, so she was up before dawn and making dough. When the rest of the people made their way to the cafeteria for breakfast at a reasonable hour, they had freshly made bagels, sourdough bread, or muffins. Emry worked the grill, making breakfast sandwiches with the sourdough.
She loved it. It reminded her of the fun side of the bakery without all the stress of being the boss.
Being in the kitchen also meant that Gemma got to meet new people. Before, her ankle kept her isolated, only leaving thecabin to let the doctor grumble at her, or if Emry wanted to do something. Gemma had basically sat on her butt, watching shows, and that wasn’t her. She missed people. She liked the chitchat.
She learned that the best friend of Wyn the painter was on the cruise ship that exploded. A rescue crew had been sent out, so fingers crossed. She learned that Vanessa actually used to work for the Val Mori Mining Company and she was less than thrilled to be back.
Thalia actually worked on the same intelligence team as Lorran. When Gemma asked about what Lorran did exactly—the gadgets made her assume James Bond—Thalia skillfully avoided giving any direct answers. So yes, they did James Bond-type shit.
She even met a fretti, which was the size of a medium dog, had the personality of a dog, ranged in color from chocolate brown, tan, reddish brown, orange-red, and a pale red that was definitely pink, and they looked like ferrets. They were just as adorable and fluffy as she hoped.
There were so many babies, including Ramon, the grumpy doctor’s son. Ramon was a giggling, happy baby with chubby cheeks and dark hair, and surprisingly looked human. In retrospect, Gemma didn’t know why she was surprised by that. Mahdfel looked like their mother. Zalis told her that, the pro-alien pamphlets told her that, but she had to see Meridan holding Ramon to believe it.
“Hold him while I eat?” Meridan asked.
Gemma agreed, although her hands-on experience was limited to Clarissa’s baby. She held him awkwardly until he squirmed and tugged at her shirt. After some juggling, he sat happily inher lap and beat the table with spoons like he had a future as a drummer.
“You’ll catch baby fever,” Emry warned, sitting down next to her and the little drummer.
“He’s cute but sticky.”
Meridan chuckled. “I don’t know how he does it. I swear he just had a bath before we came.”
Maybe she’d want a baby one day, just not today.
The most surprising thing she learned was that Emry had a mountain lion.
