Page 38 of Alien Peacock
We walk back to it. It’s one of the few rooms in the ship that isn’t bathed in a cold, blue light. Instead it’s warm sunlight that appears channeled in through the floor. Red, carefully-tended plants are hanging from pedestals of various heights. They’re all twisted and gnarly, looking like miniatures of big, upside-down trees. Boulders and rocks of all sizes are spread through the room, making it seem like we’re outdoors. The air is thick withexotic perfumes, but very different from the jungle experiment. This is cleaner and more wholesome. Low benches are arranged under the pedestals, where the view of the plants is likely the best.
“This is nice,” Maeve says, touching a branch. “I didn’t expect it.”
I walk slowly further into the room. It’s been made to look bigger than it is. “Nor did I. I would not expect those nasty Bululg to have this kind of beauty in them.”
“They didn’t until recently,” says a voice behind us. Bari, the little furry robot, has followed us inside. “When their homeworld was ruined for them, they tried to recreate famous spots inside their ships. It’s a way to feel at home, I suppose. They still long for a planet that no longer exists. This is as close to a holy site as the Bululg will ever have.”
Maeve runs her hands up along a twisted branch. “It’s beautiful. It almost makes me feel bad for them.”
“Don’t,” I scoff. “They’re just feeling sorry for themselves, while at the same time they want every other species enslaved or dead. From what I’m slowly learning about them, the galaxy would be a better place without the Bululg.”
She sends me a quick glance. “Do you missyourhome?”
“Sometimes. Not so long from now, I will return there. Robot Bari, can any of these things be eaten? The plants?”
She glances up at the hanging branches. “Thank you for reminding me I’m a robot. You must think I keep forgetting. Yes, I’m sure all these things can be eaten. Whether or not youshouldeat them is a different question.”
I sigh. Robots get on my nerves. “Should we?”
She tilts her pink little head. “I’m not sure why you’re asking me these xenobotany questions.”
I clench my jaw, holding back a scathing reply. Instead I let my eyes rest on Maeve’s back, enjoying the grace of her moves. “Probably not worth the risk. I saw us passing several nutrifabricators. Bari, run to the control room and ask Cerak to bring us something nice. Drinks, too.”
The robot stops wagging its tail. “It feels like there was something missing from that casual command.”
I sigh. “Pleasego and ask Cerak, if it suits your schedule and if it’s not beneath you, to bring us some food and drinks. Please. If you have no pressing xenobotanical business to attend to.”
“There’s no need to overdo it,” the robot huffs and trots out of the room.
I close the door. “That will take them a while, I hope. Cerak is going to resent having that robot tell him to do something. Also, I assume Bululg nutrifabricators need reprogramming to make food that won’t kill you and me.”
Maeve comes towards me. “Itwouldbe annoying to be killed by food poisoning, after we’ve survived so many other dangers.” She stops in front of me. “I was serious back there. Thank you for everything you’ve done for me. You said you’d only help me once, but now I’ve lost count of how many times you’ve saved my life.”
I reach out and stroke a wisp of her exotic hair out of her face. “It’s the kind of thing that shouldn’t be counted at all. It’s not a debt to be repaid. I’m just as happy as you are that we’ve been able to help each other. And I have a feeling we’re not done.”
She reaches up, takes my hand, and places it flat on her own cheek. “You’re the strangest person I’ve ever met. Sometimes you’re all gruff and dark, sometimes you only have eyes for yourself, and sometimes you’re like this. And I find that I really like it.”
“Interesting,” I ponder, enjoying the feel of her smooth, warm cheek. “I find that I like you, too. You were ready to take the ultimate step back there. I’ve seen that look in the eyes of soldiers before. Did you think I was going to let them have you?”
She looks away. “I wasn’t sure if you’d have much of a choice.”
“And you weren’t sure if I would sell you or not.”
She flicks me a quick, tense glance. “I… I didn’t actually know you that well, Arelion. And it would probably have been the smartest thing for you to do.”
I gently grab her chin so she has to look up. “Next time, you can save yourself some worry and just assume that I won’t let you down. Maybe we can even coordinate our efforts.”
“Okay.”Her face scrunches up in the most heartbreaking way, and I pull her to my chest. Her little shoulders shake for a while, and I just keep her close, hoping she won’t mind the very active bulge in my pants that results from having her this close.
“Sorry,” she sniffles. “It’s just that I wasn’t ready for someone to help me. I thought I was all on my own out here.”
“I know what that can feel like,” I tell her. “But sometimes we find friends in the strangest places. That’s how I met Cerak, for instance. I tried to put a piece of trash into him, and he protested against it in strong terms. We discussed it for a while, and thenwe realized we were going the same way. He’s been a helpful companion.”
“That’s nice.”
“He’s not reallynice. But he’s all right. My search for the archmagus became much more effective when Cerak joined. Oh, look!” I reach up to pick a seed pod off a nearby plant and hold it up. “Did you know the Bululg grow from these?”
Maeve wipes her red-rimmed eyes. “Really? I thought they were born in hives or something.”