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Jace sighed at the thought of this “honeymoon”. The thought of a party like Jace was suggesting was overwhelming. To share one’s most sacred feelings for a mate with hundreds of people? But if Jace wanted this…

“With everything going on would we have time for such a party?” Khoth asked, praying not.

“Probably not.” Jace sighed, deflated, and Khoth regretted saying that or hoping against the party. “But what about telling people? Our parents? The crew?”

“Such a relationship is normally shown with a change in selchitte.” Khoth touched his scalp where his used to be.

“So we need to figure something out for that! And I need to think up a cool special name for you, too,” Jace said and peppered his face with kisses. Jace settled back down against his chest with a happy sound. “Oh, I ordered some food for us. Someone should be bringing it soon.”

“The AIs?”

“Yeah, I told them but they’ll need to find a person to cook it and bring it. Though I could get one of the maintenance bots to do it, but they’re not really good at cooking,” Jace answered. “Their programming isn’t quite up to snuff.”

“What did you order?”

“All your favorite things. I’m hoping I’ll like some of them,” Jace admitted.

“Ah, that is most acceptable.”

Khoth let his eyelids shut as he caressed Jace’s hair, neck and back. The happy humming in his head increased pleasantly. He could almost fall asleep until a knock on the door brought them sustenance. He couldn’t wait to see Jace’s reaction to some of Haseon’s finest food. He frowned a little. It was nothing like the junk food that Jace seemed to adore. It was actually nutritious and came from food that was grown or bred on the planet. Khoth was certain that junk food was made in some terrible lab. But Jace did eat other things so…

It will be good for Jace to eat real food.

“I have Typhon and Amana fetching the database,” Jace said. “Evidently, it was damaged during the Khul fight. They dropped it when Davies and the others dropped them.”

“Do you have any idea what’s in it and why the Khul wanted it so badly?” Khoth asked.

“No, and I’m still leery about having Gehenna… well, she’s not here so maybe when it's brought up the Osiris can hack it,” Jace said. “The AIs tell me it was brought here some time ago, but they don’t have any real information on it either.”

“It is of great importance yet you have sent Typhon and Amana to retrieve it?” Khoth questioned carefully.

“I know. I know. After what I said about Typhon, here I am trusting him with something important,” Jace sighed.

“You were worried about my feelings, not Typhon’s. He could be lusting after me forever and it would not matter. I am yours,” Khoth reminded him. “But no, I was more concerned with them being… not crew.”

“Yeah, there’s that too. But the database was in their Compound. Or beneath it anyways. If I had Davies or one of the others take it that would not be friendly,” Jace explained.

“True.”

“And they supposedly want to help. And we’re supposedly working together,” Jace pointed out.

“Of course. All sound reasons.”

“Besides, they can’t access it without me. I’ve had the AIs make sure of that,” Jace added.

Khoth smiled even as he kept his eyes closed. “I see. Clever Izail.”

“Always.” Jace undoubtedly was grinning too. “Trust but verify. We’ll see how they do with this task. It’ll tell them how far we can trust them with others. Like Davies.”

“He has lived up to his file,” Khoth admitted. “I am impressed. I am not the only one. All of the crew show surprising traits.”

“Yeah, they’re definitely interesting. Each and every one of them. I can’t wait to see what happens with the ones that we add from other species,” Jace said.

“Nothing is ever boring with you, Izail.”

Jace shot up. He was blinking rapidly and rigid as a board.

“Jace?” Khoth asked.