Page 19 of Life-Debt

Soft and fluffy sounded fun, especially as a child. “I probably insulted them by stating Pandora is not a snack for a Veloc.”

“Probably not. It depends on who you were speaking to.”

“A Cremoran.”

“Then definitely not. They have turned asking Veloc not to eat their family and pets into an art.”

“One day, I will find out how us homo sapiens lost out on the name game. Everyone else gets dignified species names. Us? Not so much.”

“Ah, that’s easy enough to explain. Several hundred years ago, humanity opted against being dubbed Earthlings or some other variant of naming with Earth in it. As such, we go by our species designation rather than our home world. So Cremorans and Veloc—and all associated names of races—are proper names and not just a generic species name. I’m of the opinion humanity enjoys making things more difficult than necessary.”

That I could agree with. “Are your people Deltans then?”

“We’re called that sometimes, yes. If formal, we’re Cremora Deltans, which distinguishes us as the adoptees of the Cremorans without being Cremorans.”

Damn. “Do the Andromeda homo sapiens have something like that yet?”

“Not yet. There are a few species currently bickering to get to claim the planet. Your people will eventually be adopted like mine were. And if you end up picking a different planet, you’ll get to claim their name, too.”

“It’s times like this I have some regrets about skipping straight to space before learning more about what would be waiting for me in space,” I confessed, and I gestured in the direction of the cargo bay. Since I was in quarantine anyway, I’d take the time to sort everything, resupply, and prepare for my next adventure. “Pandora, heel.”

My fox yipped and heeled as ordered, wiggling her butt in general excitement. I giggled at her antics and rewarded her with a petting. “Once we go greet the Veloc, I’ll have treats just for you,” I promised. “Play nice with the Veloc. You know those big, mean, nasty predators get sad when they see a fluffy sweetheart like you become afraid. If you’re lucky, you’ll get more pets.”

As Pandora lived for being pet, she whipped her whole hindquarters in her general excitement. I thanked my lucky stars she wasn’t one of the vulpes vulpes who peed upon reaching maximum excitement capacity. Pandora tended to squeak, and I gave her thirty seconds before she could no longer contain herself.

“I’ve never wanted an animal more in my life,” Delta confessed. “I was concerned about how you handled space alone, but she’s smart, she’s engaging, and she’s soft. I noticed she also enjoys sharing sleeping accommodations with others.”

“She’s a lot of work, especially when she sheds. I actually keep her fur and sell it to weavers, as it’s long, plush, and suitable for spinning. But when she sheds, it’s a marvel to behold. I have to be really careful to monitor when she sheds, as it can make a mess of the various systems on board.” I headed for the cargo bay, opened the doorway, and sighed at the clutter of lashed down storage boxes, most empty, and the limited remaining supplies waiting for my use. I went to the gangway, pressed the button, and waited for it to lower.

Waiting outside of the danger zone stood a Veloc with cyan blue feathers and a green crest. Perhaps once upon a time, the Veloc could fly, but they’d exchanged wings for lethal, curved claws on their fingers and toes. One such curved claw tapped at the bay floor. Delta grinned, waited for the gangway to lower, and hopped down to greet the Veloc, who towered over him. “Mystoran!”

“Little Cousin,” the Veloc replied, lowering his head to brush his muzzle against Delta’s cheek. “You had us worried. How do you feel being the potential source of plague, doom, and destruction?”

I chuckled, as I held an equal responsibility in our quarantine situation. I set the ship to lock the gangway into the open position and joined Delta on the ground. I bowed to the Veloc and greeted him in the low trill of his people.

The Veloc’s crest snapped open, and he cooed a reply, welcoming me to the spaceport before issuing a series of hoots, trills, and clicks, inquiring on where I’d learned even some of his language.

As I couldn’t make the same clicks he could due to the lack of the appropriate tongue and teeth, I improvised with my fingers. Then, aware Delta might not understand Veloc, I translated, “I spend a lot of time alone, so I try to learn other languages so I can navigate dangerous space. I’ve found most sentients take me more seriously if I can speak a little of their language.”

“An accurate translation, and an excellent method of mimicking our sounds. Well done,” Mystoran praised. “You’ve fallen in with someone unusual, Little Cousin.”

“Is his name Little Cousin to you?” I asked, tilting my head to the side.

“It’s an honor-title we use for homo sapiens of our same generation. I am his elder by a year, so I get to tease him with his age.” The Veloc’s bright golden eyes, slitted like a cat’s focused on Pandora. “And who is this delightful creature?”

With the slow and deliberate care of a predator attempting to mask his nature, the Veloc lowered himself to the floor, resting his claws against the metal to provide the illusion of being less of a threat, bringing his head down to Pandora’s level.

I crouched beside Mystoran and patted the floor in front of his muzzle. “Pandora, come meet Mystoran.”

Either her excitement of being off ship or my presence beside the Veloc did the trick, but my fox’s hold on her general behavior snapped and she yipped and squeaked, wiggled forward, and plowed into the feathered predator, doing her best to snuggle without understanding how to make friends with someone completely covered in down and feathers.

In a way, I envied her and could understand how a human might be enamored with a Veloc.

Mystoran cooed his delight, and when Pandora didn’t flinch from him, he splayed his tail, revealing a fortune in glittering jewels hanging from his feathers’ shafts. He lifted his clawed hand and pet my fox on the back, careful not to cut her with the sharp tips. I blinked, realizing the tips were covered with caps to blunt them. I peeked at his feet to discover he wore the same caps on his toes as well.

How curious.

“While I’d been informed your new friend was xenodiverse, I had been warned of her pet. It seems the pet is just as xenodiverse as her owner.” Mystoran cooed again and nuzzled Pandora. “We will hunt well soon enough, my little friend. Mice and rabbits are plentiful, and we will set up little obstacles throughout the quarantine bay to entertain us while your owner does the busy things captains do when at a spaceport after a long journey.”