How would I ever go back to Earth?
TWENTY-EIGHT
SIR
“Are you sure I have to wear all these layers? It’s so hot! I’mdying!”little one complained dramatically.
“Yes, I’m certain,” I told her absently—I was bringing the ship in closer to our destination and it took most of my mental concentration. Still, I found myself thinking of my little pet. It was true, I had synthesized her many, many layers to wear, but I had to be sure she would be kept warm enough in the extreme cold of the planet we were about to visit.
O’nagga Nine, growing closer in the viewscreen, looked like nothing more than a ball of ice—which was basically what it was. They had a short fertile season that lasted only two solar months in which to grow crops. The rest of the time the entire planet was frozen stiff and bitterly cold.
“I really don’t think I’ll need all this—I love Winter. I live in Virginia near the mountains and we get snow every year,” little one said, breaking into my train of thought.
I shook my head.
“I do not believe your cold seasons can compare to the temperatures on O’nagga Nine. The planet is situated on the very edge of its solar system’s temperate zone. Only Naggians can survive and thrive there and that is only because their body temperatures are naturally cooler than those of the other Twelve Peoples and also self-regulating.”
She frowned.
“So…they can control how hot or cold they get?”
I nodded.
“My people can as well. It’s a trait of an advanced species and another reason I wanted more information on the Naggians that I could put in my report.”
I was hoping that Splendara the Third and Thirtieth would recognize the advancements of the Naggian culture and realize that the people there deserved to be left to their own devices instead of being exploited and mind-controlled.
“Oh good!”
Little one’s eyes lit up. She loved working on my report with me—from what she had told me, it was something like her preferred employment she’d had on Earth. Her non-preferred employment had been dealing with small, furry canines.
“I’ll be sure to keep a lookout for anything you might miss to add to your report,” she told me.
“Please, do,” I said gravely. It was very possible she might see something I would not. We were, after all, on two different levels, considering how tiny and delicate she is and how tall I am.
“Well, are we going or not?” she asked impatiently. “If the answer is ‘not’ then I want to get out of all these furry layers.”
“We’re going,” I said, putting the ship on autopilot for the landing. I stood up from the pilot’s chair and reached for her leash…but hesitated.
The material it was made of was fine in normal temperatures but it was likely to freeze and shatter in the extreme cold of O’nagga Nine. I could try to synthesize a new one out of more cold-resistant material, but that would take some experimentation, which I really didn’t have time for. We were scheduled to be meeting the Baron within the solarahrn.
I would leave the leash off, I decided reluctantly. I trusted little one not to run away again—we were much closer now and our Master/pet bond grew daily. I did everything I could to help it, keeping her by my side most of the wake cycle and sleeping with her in my arms during the sleep cycle. She was becoming beautifully submissive, though she could still be stubborn and naughty at times.
“Aren’t you going to put my leash on?” she asked, as though reading my thoughts.
I shook my head.
“No, little one. I trust you.”
“I won’t try to run away again,” she promised.
“I know you won’t,” I told her. “That’s why I’m trusting you and not using the leash.”
“Thank you, Master.” Little one smiled at me—that sweet, warm smile of hers that made little indentations in her cheeks which she had told me were called “dimples.”
I found it impossible not to smile back. I was utterly charmed by her—some might almost have accused me of being besotted. Looking back, I have to admit that my feelings for her definitely clouded my judgment. I should never have let her off the leash.
But I would only find that out later when it was too late…