That was news to Amina. “We’re traveling inside Ossiso space? Aren’t they in the middle of a civil war?”
“You should be more concerned about the Talin,” Helmen said, a single ear twitching, displaying her amusement. The Talin’s reputation for kidnapping unsuspecting humans was well known to the human communities within the Ilgorian Federation.
“As if any Talin could kidnap me,” she said. Yes, she was human and small compared to other species, but she’d been raised to be tough and resourceful, and she had some surprises no one ever expected. “They must be paying us well if we’re going into a war zone.”
“They are, but we won’t be anywhere near the fighting,” Helmen said. With a grunt, she sat back and leaned against the wall behind her. Amina set the information square down and stretched out her legs with a little groan of relief.
“You don’t sound entirely confident,” Amina said. “What’s going on?”
“Some Talin forces got mixed up with the Ossiso civil war,” Helmen said. “I think the Talin we’re transporting might know someone who knows someone, you know?”
Amina chuckled. “The only reason I understood that was because we grew up together and I speak fluent Helmen.”
Making the snorting sound that was the Ugarian version of laughter, Helmen tried again. “I think a faction within the Talin Empire wants to use the Ossiso war to start their own civil war. The guy we’re transporting is supposed to be able to keep that from happening.”
“One guy is going to stop an entire civil war? That sounds farfetched.”
“I agree, but you know we have to help if we can,” Helmen said.
Their small shipping and transport company had been started hundreds of years ago with one purpose: help where possible.
Occasionally that meant breaking some laws, but that never bothered Amina. She loved working for TML Travel and Freight because they always did the right thing in a universe that rarely cared if anyone lived or died.
Along with doing good, the risk could be thrilling, not that she’d tell Helmen or anyone else. That was a quick way to get labeled “dangerous to herself” and sent home. Ismas had made a few bad calls, put himself in one too many dire situations, and was reassigned to work at their homebase on Ineeko.
Thinking of Ismas made her lean forward and put a hand out to pat Helmen’s leg. “Maybe after this run you and I could both take a little vacation. When was the last time you had a break?”
Helmen blinked a few times and let the tips of her ears droop in confusion, acting as if having difficulty processing Amina’s words. “What do the wordsvacationandbreakmean?”
Amina chuckled and gave Helmen’s leg a little slap before sitting back up. “Let me enlighten you. We could dock the ship at Dilsin Station, then all of us could jump on a transport over to Oristia. I’m sure the entire crew would love to spend a few days swimming in the ocean, napping in the sun, and eating food that doesn’t come out of the reconstitutor.”
Helmen sighed. “That sounds really nice. What we’re getting paid for this run isn’t that much, but we’ve been promised a massive bonus if the guy is successful and we get him back alive.”
Amina raised an eyebrow. “Is there any doubt he won’t survive his meeting?”
“My contact didn’t say anything directly, but I got the impression the hard part is going to be talking him into getting back on the ship when everything's over,” Helmen said.
“Is it because of you?” Amina asked. “We keep telling you regular bathing won’t make you shrink.”
Helmen let out an Ugarian laugh-snort and kicked one of Amina’s legs with hers. “I’m mystified as to why no one hasasked you to marry into their family yet. You’re so sweet and charming.”
Pretending the kick hurt, Amina brought her leg up and rubbed the spot Helmen had brushed with a dramatic sniff.
“Hey!” Amina said. “I’m going to tell the moms you’re hitting me!”
Ugarian families often had multiple husbands and wives. They were large, complicated, and protective of each other. Several years after Amina’s mother died from postpartum complications, her father had married into an Ugarian family.
She’d only been a few years old and suddenly had dozens of siblings and hundreds of cousins, including Helmen, whose family lived next door. It had been the best childhood!
When Helmen went to work for TML there was no doubt Amina was going with her. They’d grown up best friends, and Helmen wasn’t allowed to go off adventuring without her!
When they were teenagers they’d dubbed the mothers in both familiesthe momsbecause they almost acted like a unit where Helmen and Amina were concerned. You’d think they didn’t have dozens of other children to worry about!
Threatening each other with the moms happened at least once a conversation.
“Careful or I’ll tell the moms you were flirting with a Hulg,” Helmen countered.
“I was only flirting to get close enough to copy the keycodes off his information square,” Amina said, trying hard not to remember how gross the guy had been when pressed close to her. “Those are going to be invaluable one day.”
