“Doesn’t count if the planet doesn’t exist anymore.”
“Hmm.” S’samph wasn’t sure exactly how to respond to that without starting an argument. K’kaen was several years his junior, just a fresh recruit on his squad when the planet had imploded. Although he was a male well grown now, he hadn’t much left his egg mother’s nest before spending many of his formative adult years in an IA refugee camp.
“I miss the people we left behind, not the planet itself.” K’kaen’s tail gave a lazy swish by way of explanation. “Not all of us were so dedicated to serving for the honor of Latilla.”
“Losing K’taya must have been difficult.” The medication was making his tongue loose. Normally, he would have grunted and moved on with the conversation. K’kaen likely wouldn’t appreciate him prying into his personal business. His friend surprised him by sitting on a low outcropping near the entrance to the nest.
“We spent our entire lives together, and we were our egg mother’s only clutch. If you cut my tail off, it would grow back, but I can’t regrow K’taya.”
Despite the growing fog around his mind, S’samph knew he should respond. At least the throbbing in his shoulder had subsided. “There are old holos of her in the memorial database. I’ve seen them.” K’taya had been a popular video presence on the intelewaves before she’d been lost in the cataclysm.
“You think I haven’t? I watch them before I sleep most nights.”
“I’m sorry she wasn’t able to make it to an evacuation shuttle.”
The tip of K’kaen’s tail curled. “It should have been her on that shuttle instead of me. Don’t try to convince me otherwise. She had so much more value as a person than I ever will. I’m grateful for my life, but this life should have been hers.”
S’samph held his tongue. He had little advice to offer. Since his own evacuation from Latilla, there were few days he didn’t wish he could trade his life for those who had been left behind.
K’kaen stood abruptly and stretched. “Well, I’ve had about as many feelings as I can handle this morning. What do you say we go get drunk and try not to reminisce too muchabout all the enemy cities we stormed?”
S'samph slid down from the ledge where he was perched. “It’s not even sun-high, and you want to get drunk already? Besides, Eleri said this medication shouldn’t be mixed with alcohol.”
“Only if you regale us with stories of how Eleri vomited on your boots when you tried to get her to come back to your nest.” K’kaen’s tail swished with humor. S’samph didn’t feel the same level of amusement. Remembering that night only left him with a bitter aftertaste.
“I’m not drinking.”
“You don’t have to, but I cooked enough food to keep you alive for a week. The least you can do is buy me a glass or two.” K’kaen started for the door, and S’samph followed more out of a desire to not spend the day alone and brooding than any real enthusiasm for the activity.
When they arrived in the town center, S’samph could detect the strong sweat pheromones and overly loud music thumping from inside The Eon while they were still several paces away. K’kaen entered first, shoving the door open with his usual energy while S’samph trailed behind. A few of the other patrons acknowledged them as they walked in. K’kaen sauntered up to the bar, and S’samph took the opportunity to scan the room for a quiet corner table. Gavor shoved two slightly sticky tankards of a teösian favorite called kvöst across the counter, and K’kaen carried them back to their table. Teösians drank it like water with little effect, but most other species found the alcoholic nature overwhelming after a few too many glasses. S’samph found the drink too intense for his preferences and frowned when K’kaen placed a mug in front of him.
“I told you I wasn’t drinking.”
“I’ll let Eleri know you’re a model patient. More for me then, since you’re paying.”
He was about to express his annoyance when a few urtazi males joined their table.
“How’s your arm?” Dynzol asked.
“It has been better.”
“Have you heard about the missing pichari on Ular’s farm?”
“Missing pichari?” K’kaen asked with mock enthusiasm. “Is this really the most interesting thing going on in Laurus at the moment?”
“It’s raviks,” Dynzol insisted. “Iulia, the urtazi girl, said she saw them creeping around the farm at night. You know her useless sire is never around, so it’s not like there was anyone to chase them off.”
“They’re bold lately,” Arz added with a long pull on her drink. “Things have been going missing around town. Datadisks taken, clothingstolen from lines, but it’s mostly food people have noticed gone missing.”
“They came after you, didn’t they?” Dynzol turned the question back to S’samph who was starting to regret not accepting the offered dose of painkiller and spending the night sleeping things off back in his nest.
“I gave them some vela beans after they shot me.” S’samph tapped a single claw tip against the warmth of his still-full tankard. “A binary and then a few klatches; I don’t think they knew what they wanted. Usually, they don’t make much sense unless there’s a singularity around.”
“And to think we thought we’d gotten away from all thatf’fretwhen we left the space station.” K’kaen shook his head, staring down into the dregs of his drink and then seemed to realize S’samph was serious about not drinking, so grabbed the full tankard for himself.
“I thought the same,” S’samph replied. Raviks had been common enough on Latilla, as they hailed from the same galactic quadrant. He’d never expected them to follow him here.
“We should set up a patrol. You and K’kaen are ex-military, aren’t you?” Dynzol asked.
