I smile like an idiot thinking about all this.
Then… I feel like an idiot.
What the hell am I thinking? She’s a fucking Cygnian princess. The exact opposite of what I’m looking for. The whole damn reason I’m on my way to the Outer Highway to get my DNA signature scrambled.
But then I hear her talking in the bedroom. I walk over to the door, press my ear against it just as she lets out a sigh and mutters, “Oh, that’s nice.”
I want to open the door and see what she’s doing.
Shopping, I think. I told her to shop and get anything she wants.
Why did I say that again?
I slowly back away from the room, trying to put some distance between us. Is she emitting pheromones or something? Am I under some kind of Cygnian spell? Is she gonna ruin my life?
Once my retreat back into the living area is complete I contact Dicker on my wristband.
“Oh, hey, can’t talk,” Dicker says. “I’m in the middle of winning a salvage bike from this crazy Queenie.”
“Queenie?”
“The ship? Sun’s sake, don’t you pay attention to anything?”
“We don’t even use salvage bikes, Dicker.”
“Yet,” she says. “But they’re good to have on hand. Do you or do you not recall how Serpint saved Lyra’s life back at Bull Station because we had Luck and Valor’s salvage units on board?”
“Are you OK?”
“Fine, why?”
“Because you’re acting weird.”
“Weird? I don’t know what you mean. But did you need something? Because I need to get back to my game.”
“Did you lose anything yet?”
“Yet? And lose? Uh… no. I don’t lose. I’m the Big Dicker.”
“Well, I just called because I feel strange around this girl.”
“Strange as in you’re a freak? Or strange as in she makes you uncomfortable?”
“Neither,” I say. “I feel like… I dunno. I like her.”
“Good! That’s great. I’m really glad you found a friend.”
“No, not like—”
“OK, awesome talk. I gotta run. Keep me posted.”
And then she cuts the connection.
I just stare at my wristband for a second wondering… does my ship have a gambling problem?
I think about this for a few moments. She’s always been into games. And sure, she typically finds at least one sentient ship to play with wherever we stop. But she’s never been so into winning. Maybe that’s because this is strip poker?
Which, I have to say, I do not approve of. My ship is perfect the way she is. Water generator issues aside, I’m quite happy with our current configuration. Like… why does she suddenly want a kitchen? I’m the only one on board who even eats. Xyla just recharges her core battery in a customized sexbot charger. And while yeah, everyone can use salvage bikes, I guess—they’re small, and easy to maneuver, and handy in an emergency—we don’t pick up bots in space. And we don’t even have a charging station to store them.
A message chimes in on my wristband.
Dicker: We won the salvage bikes! Yay! I’m gonna go for the charging station next!
Me: We don’t have time to mess with this stuff. How are we going to retrofit the ship for salvage bikes and charging stations?
Dicker: Ye of little faith. We can just throw it all into the cargo bay and deal with it back on Harem. Dicker out.
The sound of the shower starting in the bedroom jolts me back to my current issue.
This girl.
Delphi.
Who the hell is she?
And she’s pink, which means she’s important. Which means she probably explodes like Lyra and Corla. Which means… why the fuck is she here?
Sun gods, Jimmy. Get a grip. She already told you in not so many words, she’s here for you!
Oh, yeah. How did that slip my mind? Like… it’s kind of an important fact, right? She’s here for me.
There’s definitely something wrong with me. Maybe she drugged me? Maybe this DNA signature scramble is wearing off?
It shouldn’t be. I’m months early for my booster. This whole trip was just about extra precautions.
But everything has gone wrong since I dropped Xyla off. When was the last time I was in danger and Xyla wasn’t around to have my back?
Never, I decide. This is the first and only time that I’ve been out in space without her.
I wonder if I could reach her from here?
I tap my wristband and find her contact, so wishing we were on Harem and I could just open an air screen or command Baby ALCOR to send a neutrino wave to her comms. I ping her, hoping that Blue Sand Beach is close enough for me to get through.
But a Mighty Minion message appears stating that while I’m not authorized for inter-station calls I could purchase an add-on communication package for the low, low price of twenty-five thousand credits.
Figures. This place is such a scam.
I decide this is worth it, so I tap the ‘Purchase’ tab. I need to get in touch with her and let her know what’s happening. My Mighty Pass chimes and says, “You can now make inter-station calls in the Vacation Sector.”