I grin at him. “Maybe you’ll find your very own Captain Starblade cosplay partner? You never know. I’ve found that romance is often in the air at fan conventions. When nerds get together to geek out about their most beloved franchises, it can lead to passion beyond just the fannish variety.”
“May your words make it so. But for now, I must say my farewells. I’m scheduled to meet up with a group of my online forum friends. Enjoy your honeymoon!”
Nirblob practically kicks his heels up as he glides off on his roller skates, accompanied by some kind of hover luggage transport device carrying several bags and a large chest containing who knows what. All he told me was that his costumes for the cosplay contest and the ball required him to bring a lot of equipment with him. I’m not sure what he has planned, but I hope the Force is with him.
And that he doesn’t get us kicked out of Tentacular Tales Con.
“Alone at last,” Kai says, wrapping his arms around me.
I chuckle. “Hey. Nirblob has actually been super chill. He gave us a lot of alone time last night, most of which, I’m kind of embarrassed to say, we spent sleeping.” I fake a mock wistful gaze into the distance. “Has the spark between us dried up already?”
One of Kai’s tentacles tickles my rib, and I giggle.
“You’re trouble,” he growls.
I waggle my eyebrows. “Honey, I’m the kind of trouble you can’t get enough of.”
“Exactly.”
We hurry to the automated screening area, where our Alliance credentials fast-track us through the checkpoints, and once we get out of the docking area, we enter a vast network of corridors.
“This place is massive,” I marvel. If I thought the docking bay was big, this is so much more intense. It’s essentially a floating megacity among the stars—just like onDeep Space Nine!
“This is a pretty popular intergalactic port of call, so to speak,” Kai says, seeming to read my thoughts, “even though it’s more remote than others I’ve visited. In general, it’s usually guaranteed that any space station is going to be fairly busy at all times. They’re critical travel destinations or stopping points for travelers to refuel and restock food, water, and other critical items. Many also deliver or pick up cargo of various kinds, and others are here, like us, to vacation at one of the fine hotels or resorts most stations have.”
One of Kai’s tentacles wraps around my hand. “I don’t want to lose you in the crowd. Stick close,” he says as he leads the way.
It’s kind of like having one of those child leashes on me. But as usual, Kai is thinking ahead and really damn smart—that’s my boo—because I am basically the equivalent of a starry-eyed hick staring in open-mouthed amazement at everyone and everything I see as he drags me through the crowds.
It’s likeStar Trek: The Next GenerationandDeep Space Ninegot together their casts of extras and had them hang out here. Our sci-fi films and television shows from Earth aren’t far off the mark in terms of imagining other species. There is a higher percentage who are not bipedal, resembling more exoticmulti-legged animals if looking for an equivalent on Earth, and a disturbing number are far more insect-like than I’m personally comfortable with, but I’m also very aware of my position here. I’m trying not to judge anyone or anything I see from a biased, human-centric lens and instead going into this whole experience with an open mind and open heart. I want to enjoy every second of it.
I know I’ll probably have other opportunities to travel the universe in the future, and when the embryos Kai is gestating are ready to be born, we’ll need to go to his home world. But nothing in life is ever guaranteed, so I plan to treat this as if it may be my only chance to experience the magic of the universe. Besides, I already warned Kai I’m going to be in full-on tourist mode, wanting to see everything and asking about a million questions along the way. Because he fucking gets me, he just nuzzled my neck and told me in his best Cary Elwes voice, “As you wish.”
Swoon!
After about twenty-five minutes of walking, we stop in front of closed interlocking doors, a guard of some sort stationed outside them.
“Welcome. Are you guests of GalactiCon Resort?”
Kai nods and holds up his holotablet with our reservation details.
The guard scans our information on his own handheld device and then uses a retinal scan to open the doors.
Kai and I step inside and enter what feels like an entirely different world.
We’ve somehow stepped into a tropical wonderland, complete with a bright blue sky overhead and steamy hot air around us. I nearly trip over my feet while staring up at the freaking sky.
Kai keeps me upright.
“How are they doing that?” I ask in wonder.
“Advanced technology,” he says with a shrug. “A lot of space stations have places that are designed to simulate sky and daylight, especially since there are some folks who live here year-round. A lot of species need blue skies and sunshine, even if they’re only simulated.”
We’re surrounded by palm trees and a wild array of vibrant alien flora and fauna. I gesture toward a magenta-hued plant nearby. “Are the plants real?”
He nods. “Yes. Although the sun and sky are simulated, almost everything else here is real. Despite being artificial sunlight, it was designed to be able to activate photosynthesis. Biodiversity in space stations is imperative for oxygen production, but in addition to plants, they have also found ways to grow edible fruits and vegetables. Most stations harvest a fair amount of their fresh produce on-site year-round. Climate-controlled biosphere environments ensure the ability to sustain almost any kind of farming, albeit on a smaller scale.”
Mind blown, I whistle. “Right on. Talk about cool.”
