Sally smiled widely as they separated. “You know it! I expect to meet that fish man of yours!”
Juliette rolled her eyes, but grinned again as she scooted around Sally and out the door.
Sally looked at herself in the mirror.
“Bout that time, I guess,” she told her reflection in a dull voice, fluffing her hair half-heartedly.
Her stomach steadied slowly as she headed back to her room to collect her gear. Juliette’s pantsuit had made her feel mildly self-conscious, so she decided to make An Entrance.
She changed into her Texas Rose show chaps, put on the boots Tracy had painted for her, stuck on her biggest Lone Starbelt buckle, then topped it off with the matching Stetson. She even added a hint of eyeshadow and a mild lip gloss.
Eat yer heart out, Xenoth!she thought, checking herself out in the mirror.
“ALL PASSENGERS, PLEASE REPORT TO DOCKING BAY FOR DEPARTURE.”
“Okey dokey!” Sally told the announcement cheerfully as she threw her duster over her arm and hefted her duffle.
She’d packed light, essentials only. Everything else was in the shipping container provided by H.E.L.P.
Llewellyn had been outraged on her behalf that they’d had no way to ship Sally’s horse planet side. Sally assured her he was going to bemuchmore comfortable staying with Lou on Earth, and not having to deal with however many G’s of force the space shuttle went through as it left Earth’s gravity.
Lou had pouted, but conceded the point.
Sally smiled a little sadly, thinking about their bittersweet parting. Lou had at least promised not to set a date for the wedding until Sally’s situation was more nailed down.
Sally was distracted from her reminiscence as Captain Gargilla did a headcount before opening the hatch for them to disembark. Sally wasn’t entirely sure the headcount was necessary since everyone wasveryready to leave the ship (except maybe Paisley, who was glued to Gargilla’s side), but the literal giant teddy bear was extremely officious in all capacities, and Sally could appreciate a well-run operation.
The door seal made a hissing noise as the oxygen levels evened out and then swung open.
Sally took her first steps out onto her new home. Her newplanet. She looked around excitedly.
…It looked like an airport terminal. Complete with weird alien elevator music.
She tried not to feel disappointed as she followed the crowd through the hallways and into what she supposed was a waiting room.
“Are those possum motivational posters??” someone in the group asked in consternation.
Sally snorted, seeing ‘We’re imPOSSUMbly glad you’re here!’and ‘Anything’s POSSUMble!’scrawled in cheerful text above pictures of Earth’s infamous screaming marsupials.
“Well that ain’t weird at all,” she muttered to herself as she looked around.
Her alien support group, as she had called them on the flight over, was rapidly disbursing with many chaotic hugs and comments as the various long-awaited males appeared to gather their companions.
Xenoth was nowhere to be found.
Her hand tightened on her bag and she started looking for an exit.
She needed to be outside.Now.
Her long legs carried her rapidly down nondescript hallways, all of which had lots of signage…in an alien language. She huffed in annoyance, trying to find any door that ledout.
Finally, she found something that looked exit-ish, complete with a neon glyph above the doorway, and shouldered her way through it.
It did indeed leadout. Veryout.
She was at the back of the building, staring at a vast scenery of…parked space shuttles. She sighed, then shivered and shrugged into her duster with its custom-made pocket for her bullwhip. Which she had packed, because what self-respectin’ female would go to an alien planet withoutsomesort of self defense handy?
She also had a taser. A yellow one, with rhinestones, courtesy of Tracy.
