Page 57 of Mazorium Buys a Human

Living with Maz meant I never had to rush and was never so hungry I felt desperate. I was a little scared that if I got used to this life, it might be ripped away from me. Someone once said showing happiness was taunting the universe.

Did I dare be happy?

After we’d both finished eating, we lapsed into companionable silence. I let my mind drift, sifting through all the things that had happened. Not focusing on any one thing, but simply letting memories filter in.

I don’t know how long we sat like that, but when I looked down, Nadia was sound asleep in my arms.

“We’ll need to leave soon,” Maz whispered. “I promise, we can come back though. This will all still be here. The awning, mats, and pillows are all weather resistant.”

That explained why nothing here was as soft as what was on the ship. “Thanks, Maz. I look forward to coming back.”

I moved off his lap with a little wince. It wasn’t until then that I realized how badly I needed to pee. Especially before I squeezed back into the flier.

“Can you take Nadia?”

Maz didn’t hesitate to hold out his hands. He handled the baby with his usual gentleness, and I stepped over to find my shoes.

“Where are you going?” he asked, sounding a little alarmed.

I pointed to a spot. “Over there. I’ll be right back and won’t go near the edge.” I gave him a warning look. “I’m doing something private. I don’t need an escort.”

“If you’re not back within a few submarks, I’m going to come looking for you,” he warned.

I shook my head and made my way to a spot that would give me a little privacy. I’d used a lot of different types of elimination units in my life, so peeing out in nature was actually one of the easier places I’d gone to the bathroom.

I hurried back but stopped when I got close enough to hear Maz talking to Nadia.

“I feel very strongly about you, Nadia. I’m not your biological sire, but I think of you as my child anyway. I hope someday you will call me father.”

What was that sound? Oh yeah, it was me falling hard for this Talin.

That was it. From now on I would dare to be happy because I had Nadia and Maz.

Chapter 18

Mazorium

After a frustrating rotation, all I wanted when I walked back into the ship was to sit down with Mika and enjoy a hot mug of tea. I’d spent all day dealing with one problem after another while making no progress.

I knew rotations like this happened. There were always time periods where I wouldn’t be able to do assigned tasks. I had No Progress rotations built into the proposed work schedule I submitted with my contract, which meant I was still on track to finish within the three solar time span.

That didn’t make today any less disappointing.

It didn’t help that a storm system had moved over our area that morning. It hadn’t rained yet, but the air was cold and damp. A nasty wind had developed a few marks earlier that was bad enough to force me to erect shielding to keep my bots sheltered. It took a lot to make a Talin hypothermic, but the low temperature and damp air wasn’t pleasant.

Rain began falling as I stepped into the ship, making me doubly glad I’d stopped early.

The outer hatch shut and the inner hatch opened, bathing me in warm air. Due to the more delicate humans I cared for, I kept the ambient temperature higher than I used to. I’d become accustomed to the cozier temperature and found it comforting. I’d been living on this ship for many solars. Until Mika and Nadia it never felt like home.

I didn’t expect to find Mika waiting for me at the entrance. She looked excited but also a little apprehensive. “Mika?”

“Are you done working for the day?” she asked.

“I was planning to do a few things in the lab, but that can wait,” I said. “Do you need me?”

A beautiful smile lit up her eyes. “I don’t need you, but I want you. I know you’ve been courting me as you think a human would do, but we humans don’t always follow our own rules or customs. We like to try out new things, so I thought I’d create our next date.”

I wanted her to be happy, but this made me worried that all the things I’d done were inadequate. “You don’t like the activities I’ve planned out for us?”