Ari chuckled.
A-Man? Morgan eyed the man, who had a stupid grin on his face. What a dumb nickname. Did he want to be called that? Or should she now call him Arakiba? She gave the muscular, handsome man a quick once-over. Nah. He’d always be Ari to her.
Back to business. “What do you mean you found me?” Morgan quizzed the bot. “Were you looking for me?” She glanced at Ari, who shrugged.
“Yes!” JR12 replied. “The Chancellor of the Federation Consortium, D’zia E’etu, sent us to find the missing human women kidnapped from the exchange program.”
She couldn’t help it. His little hops made her grin.
“And we were lucky enough to scoreElemito take our journey with.“ The bot stopped moving and glanced around. “And just where is the divine diva?”
Before Morgan pointed the prone ship out, JR12 slumped. His body turned to the vessel in the corner of the large engine room. “Oh no. That purple ass did more damage to her than I thought.”
“Purple…” Ari began.
“Pretty toy!” As’ni stomped over to them, his hands outstretched, fingers clenching and unclenching with an eager childlike rhythm as he focused on JR12. “As’ni want!” The spring he’d coveted swung on the hook from his side, apparently forgotten.
“As’ni, no!” Ari stepped in front of the crystal alien before he crashed into the table.
As’ni skidded to a stop. He stood rigid, his enormous fists clenched at his sides. His lower lip quivered, jutting out as his breath came out quicker, shallower. The unibrow over his deep-set eyes furrowed, casting shadows over his wide eyes, which were rapidly filling with clear crystal tears. He glanced from Ari to Morgan, and his wide chest rose and fell as a soft, high-pitched whimper escaped his lips.
“As’ni no play?” His voice quivered.
“Ack! It’s him!” JR12 squeaked and jumped high enough to land on Ari’s shoulder to nestle under his long blond hair. “Don’t let him get me!”
What in the world? Morgan watched the bot quiver and shake as if the crystal man scared him.
“No, As’ni.” Ari patted the alien’s shoulder. “JR12 not good for you, very boring.”
“Hey!” JR12 chirped from Ari’s shoulder.
“See, you like this better.” Ari picked up a small penlight from the tabletop. “Lookie how pretty.”
“Ooh, pretty.”
Ari successfully diverted As’ni‘s attention.
The giant played with the light after Ari showed him how to click it on and off.
“Now, be a good boy and sit over there to play with your new toys. Okay?” Ari gave him a couple more pats before nudging him with an open palm between his crystalline purple shoulders. “And if you stay there and behave, I’ll make you some more food.”
“Food?” As’ni looked up with a wide grin. “As’ni like food.”
“Good. Go on, then.” Ari gestured to the small pile of discarded metal the creature had played with earlier.
With a cheerful hum, As’ni did as he was told. When he reached the edge of the metallic hump, he dropped his butt onto the floor with a loud thump.
“Jumping galactic glory.” JR12 announced in a calmer tone from Ari’s shoulder as he scratched the side of his bulbous head with one of his spindly forelegs. “Who’d have thunk?”
“Thought what?” Morgan asked, watching As’ni play with this new collection. The alien shined the penlight on his metallic spring as he bounced the coils over and under the light.
JR12 grunted. “That the very creature that blew upElemiis now as docile as a cat pretending it didn’t just eat your pet mouse.”
Chapter Nine
Arakiba?Aah-raack-kee-bah?A-rack-kha-bah?
Ari rolled out the strange name around his tongue, trying it on for size. “Arakiba.” He closed his eyes and let the sound float in the air. No matter how many times he said it, it didn’t feel right. He was Ari.
