***
I scan the frozen lake, looking for the low rock that broke my fall.
“I wonder what my sister was doing out here when she found you,” Kiran grumbles. “This is far from her house and on the wrong side of the mountain.”
He’s been grouchy ever since I asked him to come with me. Apparently, he made his wife call in sick so she could watch the kid, and now he babysits me every day. I don’t know what hethinks I’m gonna do to Neela—if I meant her harm, I would've already acted. But his daily presence lets me observe their community and my charming hostess.
Instead of rolling the dice with him this morning and teaching him the subtleties ofRyu no Saikoro, I asked him to escort me back to the crash site. I’m going to dive into the wreck of theBakartiaagain and bring back two or three things that might come in handy. And I need someone up top to keep the ice hole open and hold the rope that'll guide me back to the surface.
I finally spot a small snow mound on the vast smooth white sheet. Barely noticeable, but I think it’s what I’m looking for. I guide Kiran to the nearest bank and signal for him to leave his snowmobile behind. I had no trouble convincing him that recovering a few items from the wreck could be useful—especially since all the tech they use down here is basically hand-me-downs from the Confederation.
We carefully walk onto the ice and stop at the base of the low rock.
“This is it,” I say. “TheBakartiais about fifty feet straight down. We’ll cut a hole, I’ll dive, and you’ll hold the rope and help pull me up.”
“You’re totally nuts,” he mutters. “My sister spent days nursing you back to health, and now you’re risking your life for a couple of random gadgets?”
“Noted. Are you ready?”
“Go ahead, but don’t say I didn’t warn you. And I’m not taking the fall when Neela freaks out!”
“One, I have no idea what ‘freaks out’ means. Two, no one’s asking you to snitch.”
“Yeah right, smartass kitty. You think she won’t notice?”
Instead of answering, I get moving before the ice seals back up. Since it’s just the two of us, I decide to strip off my pantsbefore diving in. No point soaking them. In two seconds flat, I’m naked—and Kiran’s eyes nearly pop out of his head.
“What?” I say. “It always looks like this in cold water. Isn’t that normal for Humans?”
His choked grunt is the last thing I hear before plunging in headfirst.
Just like last time, the cold is brutal, slicing through my thick fur like it’s nothing. I don’t linger. I pass through the open hatch of the Bakartia and head toward the hygiene module.
With Azkarra gone after the crash, there’s no AI left to manage the wreck. I manually unlock the access to the rear compartment. I grab the cleaning-drying cube I came for—about a foot and a half wide. Right next to it are a few of my things, which I stuff into the box. I throw in my backup sleeping pod too—one I’ll need to hide from Neela and her creative urges.
Dragging the whole bundle back to the hatch, I feel my body starting to go numb. I can’t stay down much longer. Just as I reach the ship’s exit, the rope around my bicep tugs. Kiran’s pulling—good. I swim upward as fast as I can. He hauls me in with surprising enthusiasm.
I hand him the cube, which he sets aside without even looking at.
“Hurry up, Whiskers! You’re gonna freeze solid if you hang around down there much longer. And you might end up freezing off what makes you a male… That’d be a damn shame if it just dropped off!”
I shrug, ignoring his sarcastic quip.
“She’s not exactly warm,” I mutter as I finally emerge from the icy water.
I don’t waste time—I grab the towel and start vigorously rubbing down my fur.
“All that for what? A box we didn’t even need. Guess cats reallydolike water after all.”
“Human, I’m a Sadjim, not a cat. And quit your whining—I’m the one who did the diving, not you.”
“No kidding. There’s no way I’d go in there. I’m not insane. And besides—chat-pelletoo cold!”
“What? What did you just say?”
“Nothing you’d understand,” he laughs. “Just saying it’s way too cold for me.”
“You’re just a frail little Human. Us Sadjims don’t fear a little cold water.”
