11
Kolvin stepped onto the transport with the others, to ride back to Sol.
It felt like home, and he was not even connected to Master System yet. The lines of the ship, he knew. The feel of the metals, he knew. The way the ship was designed, it was all home to him. Where he came from. He inhaled a breath. Even the air smelled of Sol. He could smell where the blue grass had been stored, and what other foodstuffs had been brought on board, as well as the metals and other supplies.
It was home.
But he wasn't as pleased as he thought he would be.
Already boarded were Marcin and his mate Gianna, and Solkan and Officer Vinka.
"You probably do not need to escort him any further," Kolvin said as he sat down next to her.
She glanced at him. "Yeah, I probably do."
"Your dedication to your mission is admirable."
"Whatever," she muttered. "Where is Tina?"
"She is not coming," Kolvin said.
"What?" Vinka asked.
"She is not coming to Sol. She wants to return to her family and take care of her elder relatives," Kolvin said.
It hit him while he was sitting there, that she was more concerned about them, about their well-being than her own, and she would not want to avoid her responsibilities. He found it admirable.
"Don't even get me started," Gianna said.
Vinka leaned forward. "What happened?"
"I found some records when I was there, about our arrival. One of the things the doctor and Re-lee said was that we had to wait thirty days before going back through the dimensional portal."
"Right," Vinka said. "It could rip you apart if you did it too often. Common knowledge here."
"Well, evidently, there's no reason it will hurt me or Tina. Something about our chemistry being just different enough that we can do it without worry."
"Wow. That's interesting."
Vinka blinked. "Wait, so she's going back?"
Gianna nodded. "She's sure that Kolvin will just get a new upload, and he'll forget all about her."
Solkan, who'd been silent, shook his head. "That is not how that works."
"Right?" Gianna said. "I tried to tell her."
Vinka pulled out her communicator.
She looked at Gianna. "You, come with me."
Kolvin stood. "What are you doing? We are launching soon."
"Listen, you go do you. Get connected to Master System and get your upgrades. I'll be in touch," Vinka said.
Kolvin nodded.
Gianna leaped out of her seat, and Marcin grabbed her hand. "Be careful," he said.
