Page 52 of Naughty List Delivery
“Excellent idea! Transmitting now! Also, should I begin preparations for next year’s Christmas operation? Because I have several optimization suggestions that involve—”
“Later, PIP,” Mother cuts her off. “Jaxson, I’ll expect you at Junction One within the week to begin your new position. And Kraine, try not to let all those marriage proposals go to your head.”
“Marriage proposals?” Noomi asks. “Mother, we never said anything about—”
“Kid, you’re bonded to a territorial alien who just gave up his ship and his entire way of life to follow you into legitimate work. If that’s not marriage material, I don’t know what is. Just try to keep the romantic drama to a minimum until after you deliver the mail.”
The comm unit goes quiet, leaving Noomi and me staring at each other across the galley table.
“Well,” I say finally, “I guess we’re engaged.”
“I guess we are,” she agrees, grinning. “Think we should make it official?”
“What, more official than Felaxian bonding and public declaration in front of your boss?”
“Good point,” she says, leaning across the table to kiss me. “Though I reserve the right to demand a proper proposal later.”
“I’ll make a note in my calendar,” I tell her solemnly. “Right after ‘Learn to fill out legitimate shipping manifests’ and ‘Figure out what security consultants actually do.’”
Kex stands, gathering his data pad with efficient movements. “I’ll leave you two to your... planning,” he says with the kind of diplomatic tone that suggests he knows exactly how we do our best planning. “The transfer papers will be ready by this afternoon.”
After he leaves, Noomi and I stand in the quiet galley, holding each other and processing the magnitude of what we’ve justdecided. In the space of one conversation, we’ve dismantled the lives we’ve built separately and committed to building something entirely new together.
“Are you really okay with this?” she asks, and I can hear the vulnerability beneath the question. “Giving up the Shadowhawk, the crew, everything you’ve built?”
“I’m not giving it up,” I tell her, stroking her hair. “I’m passing it on to someone who’ll take care of it. And I’m not losing anything that matters—I’m gaining everything I want.”
“Even the settling down part?”
“Especially the settling down part,” I say, and realize I mean it. “Three years ago, the idea of being tied to one place, one person, one life would have sent me running. But that was before I learned that the right person doesn’t tie you down—they give you a reason to stay.”
She melts against me, and for a moment we just hold each other in the quiet galley while the future reshapes itself around us.
“Actually,” I say, remembering something that’s been burning a hole in my personal storage for the past three days, “since we’re talking about new beginnings, I have something for you.”
“Ober, Christmas was three days ago—”
“Which is exactly why this is perfect timing,” I interrupt, disentangling myself from her arms. “Christmas gifts are supposed to be about hope and new beginnings, right? And we’re definitely beginning something new.”
I disappear into my quarters for a moment, returning with a small package wrapped in utilitarian shipping material—not exactly festive, but functional. Noomi looks at it suspiciously.
“You didn’t have to—”
“Open it,” I tell her, and I can’t keep the anticipation out of my voice.
She unwraps it carefully, revealing a small device that looks like a standard personal communicator but with several modifications that wouldn’t be obvious to anyone without technical knowledge.
“It’s a comm unit,” she says, turning it over in her hands.
“It’s a comm unit with a few special features,” I correct. “Encrypted channel that only I have the frequency for. Tracking beacon that’s undetectable by standard scans. And—” I pause, suddenly nervous about whether she’ll appreciate the most important feature. “Emergency signal that will reach me anywhere in the galaxy, no matter what I’m doing or where I am.”
She looks up at me with an expression I can’t quite read. “You made me a panic button?”
“I made you a ‘my mate needs me’ button,” I correct. “Because even though we’re going legitimate, even though we’ll be working together most of the time, there might still be moments when you’re in danger and I’m not there to protect you. And I never want to spend another minute not knowing if you’re alive.”
The tears in her eyes are definitely happy ones, but she’s also laughing. “This is the most romantic gift anyone has ever given me.”
“Really? Because I was worried it might be too—”
