Sky laughs at this.
“You didn’t want to join, did you? You just felt like it was a way out,” I offer.
She chews her lip and nods but won’t look at me. She scans the fields below, the mountains, the rope course complex, and the garden closest to the women’s hangars for our ships and those of our guards.
Sky wants the money but doesn’t think she’ll get it. That’s my guess.
“Hey, if nothing else, it’s an amazing week’s vacation, right?” I toss a truffle in my mouth and savor the sugar rush. Out in deep space, I live mostly on MREs. “You don’t have to pick a mate. And if you don’t, you can work for ABR anywhere the system is in operation until you can afford another heat.”
Sky seems to remember her food. “I guess you’re right. I’m overthinking this and worrying about what I can’t foresee.”
I arch a brow, understanding how she feels. “I get it. I don’t like going in blind either, so I analyze everything, then do it again. It’s like repairing a machine in a tight space where you can only kind of get a glimpse of what you’re working on. Doing everything by feel isn’t my favorite, so I try to know everything I can ahead of time. I’m always wondering if the piston is going tobreak free and smash my hand because there’s a loose set screw or something that I’m unaware of.”
She smiles genuinely this time. “Now you’re speaking my language.”
We eat in easier silence for several long minutes. The room buzzes with other women in race suits with various colors of bands, doing what Sky and I are, making friends on a whim to stick with while we go through a strange new phase of life.
Then, the face of the Alien Bride Race appears at the other end of the room, and the entire mood lifts. Ohni, the new race official and coordinator, checks on everyone. This heat, her hair is swirled up in a braided bun, and her uniforms have changed into navy blue form-fitted body armor with a glinting gold ABR logo over her heart, complete with wings in a checkered flag pattern.
“Like the change,” someone remarks to her. She thanks them and asks how they’re doing at the booth beside ours.
Sky gapes at her like she’s a god.
I flick a truffle at her.
Startled, she brushes it away and corrals a flyaway hair behind an ear. “What was that for?”
“I had a big brother who always watched over me when I was little. He used to do that when I wasstaring.”
“Right. Sorry. She’s just so famous, and I’m nobody.”
I have no doubt Sky is nervous. “Everyone is important. It takes a lot of parts for machines to operate correctly.”
Sky gets the analogy and nods like she realizes she’s overthinking things again. She tries to politely smile up at Ohni when she walks our way.
Ohni points at the two of us when she arrives. “Glad you two are together. I have propositions for you for after the races, whenever you have time, that is. I’m sure you’ll both be busy for a bit with either your winnings or your new mates.”
She turns to Sky. “I could really use your help with the drones. I’ve got Kip, a Vinym, working in the programming side. But I could really use some help with durable battle upgrades. I need tough equipment.”
“Battle upgrades?” I ask.
“I want this complex totally fortified, under cover, of course. Ruby never wanted it to come to this and fought us on a lot of countermeasures.” Ohni looks at Sky. “But since the Mars battle three years ago, we’ve been tracking reports of the Nebulous Empire inching closer toward this system. So I want us ready in case they ever try anything. Which is where I want your help.”
“Sure.”
“After your week of racing is done.”
“Yes, ma’am. I’ll stay as long as you like,” she says.
Ohni grins. “Temp to hire then. Again, that’s mate-dependent. They come first. It’s kind of the whole point of this.”
Sky’s entire mood lifts.
“What do you need my help with?” I ask.
Ohni motions me up, and I follow her to the windows across the room, away from the elevators, to the quietest corner in the busy room. “I need to update our creature cages, the gardens, and the medicinal and food supplies that we have.
“Beneath this complex is a huge facility where we store backup supplies in case we are cut off from Earth or space, or the envirodome is ever compromised. I need your help getting it properly developed. My team has considered a lot, but I’m certain you can provide insight on the little details that will make the system run reliably without unexpected problems. Would you be willing to come on as a consultant?”
