“Maybe I’ll skip it then,” I say casually. Zann releases my wrist and I carefully place the cupcake back in the box and close the lid. “I should get some more work done anyway. Would you like an escort back to your quarters?” I ask Zann.
“Are you offering to be an escort or would you send me with someone else?”
“Someone else. I have something I need to do right now.”
“Then I will find my own way by scent and memory.”
As soon as Zann is out of sight, Liu is pulling a plastic bag out of his desk and carefully placing the entire box inside it. “I’ll need tox and anything else they can find out,” I say quietly.
Liu nods, his face pale. “Commander, I was only gone a couple of minutes. I didn’t see anyone. I didn’t even see the box when I got back.”
“Not your fault. Let’s just find out what is in those cupcakes and if we can figure out where they came from.”
I glance at my computer as I sink uneasily into my chair. Curran will be in drills for another hour, and I don’t want to interrupt him until I know more. But I have a feeling that my day would have gone very differently if Zann hadn’t been right next to me at that particular moment. Depending on what the reports say, I might owe Zann a serious debt of gratitude.
It isn’t until hours later when I’m lying in bunk that it occurs to me to wonder if Zann’s answer about an escort would have been different if I’d said I’d go with him.
Chapter Thirteen: Krish
I sit in the interview chamber letting my tail curl lazily around one of the chair legs while I wait for Corrina. I am wearing a pair of the pants that Corrina procured for us and what is called a tee shirt. It is a somewhat strange feeling to be covered like this, but at least the material is loose and comfortable. I did have to use my claws on the pants to create a hole for my tail, but it was a simple matter.
Zann offered to lead me to this chamber, but the lingering scents of him and Corrina made it easy to find my way on my own. Although Corrina is still meeting with others right now, the man with the black head fur –hair, I remind myself – told me that I could wait with him or in this chamber. As many interesting objects as there are in the other chamber, I wanted to be ready as soon as Corrina is. There are many interesting things I am learning about Azuris Station, and if we want Corrina to be able to take us visiting then it is important that we help her be efficient with her time.
Unlike Davix and Zann, I find that I have missed the companionship of others beyond my brood brothers. Before we left the city for the wilds, as is our species’ custom, I often sought companionship with others. I did not realize that I would missit as much as I did. Being here in the station, surrounded by so many others, is an interesting change. There are perhaps a few too many creatures for my comfort, but it is nice to be able to spend time with others and then retreat to the solitude of our chambers for a time.
For now, this chamber offers a similar solitude and stillness as I wait for Corrina. It gives me an opportunity to think about the many things I am learning from the videos and from talking to soldiers around the station. Wenschel and I spent many hours talking yesterday, mostly about the physiological differences between humans and haleens. And although they seem less interested in answering my questions, the soldiers who are assigned to guard our quarters seem interested in asking their own.
The idea of having human soldiers assigned to guard our quarters does not make sense to me. The doors can be sealed from the inside to prevent anyone from entering without our knowledge or permission, and I do not think even four soldiers with weapons could stop the three of us if we truly wanted to go somewhere. Davix, Zann, and I are perhaps not fully recovered from our capture, but we are regaining our strength every day. I glance up as a new scent filters through the air and see a strange human standing in the doorway watching me. I nod my head in greeting.
The human does not say or do anything other than stare at me. I am still learning to read human facial expressions, but I do not think his is friendly. I am wondering whether to speak to him when I hear Corrina’s voice.
“Councilor Vertage,” she calls loudly. “I wasn’t expecting you until later today.”
The man turns to glance down the hallway. I watch Corrina approach with a smile and extend her hand to the man. I tilt my head and study her. Though her face indicates pleasure to see this Councilor Vertage, her posture and scent suggest irritation and perhaps a touch of fear. It is similar and yet different from the scent from our first meeting with Corrina, when we stood over the remains of the Lianov creature with its blood on our skin. “I arrived early,” the man says simply. “I don’t have to report my movements to you.”
Corrina’s smile grows as her scent grows more bitter. “Of course not. I just want to make sure that you are taken care of in a manner befitting a man of your caliber.”
The man grunts. “This one of them?” he asks, gesturing at me. His lip curls in a show of either distaste or threat. It is difficult to tell which, but the hostility is clear. My tail uncoils from the leg of the chair as I stand to my full height. I am less broad than Davix and shorter than Zann, but I am still taller than this man.
“This is Krish of the Broken Tooth Clan of the planet Gyria,” Corrina says. The sound of her voice saying those words is pleasing somehow. “I am just about to begin his interview.”
“I’d be interested in hearing it,” the man replies.
“The recordings and reports will all be available to the council when they are ready. Now if you’ll excuse me.” She steps around him and closes the door firmly without waiting for a response.
“I do not like that man,” I say softly as I sit down in the chair again.
“Me neither,” Corrina whispers. She huffs out a breath and smiles at me, and the difference in her expression is so different from the smile she gave Councilor Vertage that it surprises me. I tilt my head and stare at her curiously.
“What?” she asks, tilting her head to imitate me.
“You did not smile at him the way you are smiling at me.”
Corrina laughs. “Like I said, I don’t like Vertage.” She glances down and begins to fiddle with equipment.
“Do you like me?” I ask.
She pauses and is quiet for a moment. “As Station Commander, it is important that I be impartial in the matter of Captain Lianov’s death,” she finally says in a calm, even voice.
