waited for her to get out of the pod.
The moment her feet were on the ground, he pattered up to her and pecked at her legs until she shifted her bag and picked him up.
He chided her for leaving him, and his mind demanded that the next time she leave, she take him with her.
Ioko looked at them. “What is he on about?”
“He is upset that I left him with his sister and her person.” She smiled and nuzzled his pink, fluffy head. “I am telling him that I had to go to a place where no Yaluthu would be welcome.”
The indignity blazed in his mind.
She laughed.
“What?” Ioko was curious as he put his arm around her to escort her into the base.
“He is indignant at the thought that there is any place in the universe where he would not be welcome.” She rubbed her face against the silky softness again and breathed in the scent of her bonded companion.
Iara came toward them in the hall, her expression shifting with delight as she took in the sight of her brother.
“Ioko! I am so happy to see you.”
To Koara’s surprise, Iara wasn’t wearing the baby or Harmony.
“So, Rion is home?”
Iara grinned. “He has confiscated the baby so that I can make arrangements for some sort of high-security Alliance discussion on the world that Koara just went to.”
Iara took in Ioko’s arm around Koara’s waist, and she asked, “Is there something I should know?”
Koara smiled. “Not yet. We will keep you posted.”
Ioko squeezed her waist, and he chuckled. “I have something to tell you, sister. I am preparing to throw Koara between us.”
She held Sookar toward Ioko’s chest, and her little beast pecked him for her.
He yelped, and the ladies laughed. As a homecoming went, it was pretty fun.
She was putting the finishing touches on her report when there was a knock on her door. She looked over at Sookar in his food stupor. “Can you answer that?”
He just gave her a smug look from those beautiful eyes of his, and so, she was forced to get to her feet and answer the knock.
Ioko was standing there with his bag over his shoulder. “Good evening, Koara.”
“Good evening, Ioko. Would you like to come in?”
“Yes, thank you.”
He walked in and put his bag on the floor near the wide couch. “I have a favour to ask you.”
“What is it?”
“May I stay here tonight? Iara has a strict rule about booking a place to stay at the Citadel. As I did not call ahead, she isn’t willing to provide me with a guest room until tomorrow night.”
She cocked her head at him and said. “Couch.”
He blinked as if he had expected more of a fight. “Really?”
“Well, I would have said bed, but Sookar would have pecked your eyes out while you slept. He has come around to blaming you for my absence and will need some time to get over it.”
“Ah, I see. Well, the couch is fine. Do you have extra covers?”
She smiled. “I do. Just a moment.”
She headed to her closet and pulled out the one thing she had brought from home. It was a quilt that she and her mother had made when she was a child.
She grabbed the extra pillow off her bed and brought it along. “Here you go.”
“This doesn’t look like Citadel issue.”
“It isn’t. I just haven’t been able to put it on my own bed yet. It reminds me of home.”
He was solemn as he took them from her. “I promise not to eat in bed.”
She grinned. “Good. I just finished my report on Gol. It is going to be quite the lecture, but I hope that I manage to convey what it is that I discovered.”
“What is that?”
“They would be restricted trading partners, and no one can live on their soil.”
He blinked. “Really?”
“Really. They are well educated, have an all-inclusive religion that does not focus on them being the only beings in the universe. The pay rates, even in the rural areas are high enough to allow everyone to live decently given the cost of living. The technology is amazing, but it is solidly focused on the crystals and that is
The moment her feet were on the ground, he pattered up to her and pecked at her legs until she shifted her bag and picked him up.
He chided her for leaving him, and his mind demanded that the next time she leave, she take him with her.
Ioko looked at them. “What is he on about?”
“He is upset that I left him with his sister and her person.” She smiled and nuzzled his pink, fluffy head. “I am telling him that I had to go to a place where no Yaluthu would be welcome.”
The indignity blazed in his mind.
She laughed.
“What?” Ioko was curious as he put his arm around her to escort her into the base.
“He is indignant at the thought that there is any place in the universe where he would not be welcome.” She rubbed her face against the silky softness again and breathed in the scent of her bonded companion.
Iara came toward them in the hall, her expression shifting with delight as she took in the sight of her brother.
“Ioko! I am so happy to see you.”
To Koara’s surprise, Iara wasn’t wearing the baby or Harmony.
“So, Rion is home?”
Iara grinned. “He has confiscated the baby so that I can make arrangements for some sort of high-security Alliance discussion on the world that Koara just went to.”
Iara took in Ioko’s arm around Koara’s waist, and she asked, “Is there something I should know?”
Koara smiled. “Not yet. We will keep you posted.”
Ioko squeezed her waist, and he chuckled. “I have something to tell you, sister. I am preparing to throw Koara between us.”
She held Sookar toward Ioko’s chest, and her little beast pecked him for her.
He yelped, and the ladies laughed. As a homecoming went, it was pretty fun.
She was putting the finishing touches on her report when there was a knock on her door. She looked over at Sookar in his food stupor. “Can you answer that?”
He just gave her a smug look from those beautiful eyes of his, and so, she was forced to get to her feet and answer the knock.
Ioko was standing there with his bag over his shoulder. “Good evening, Koara.”
“Good evening, Ioko. Would you like to come in?”
“Yes, thank you.”
He walked in and put his bag on the floor near the wide couch. “I have a favour to ask you.”
“What is it?”
“May I stay here tonight? Iara has a strict rule about booking a place to stay at the Citadel. As I did not call ahead, she isn’t willing to provide me with a guest room until tomorrow night.”
She cocked her head at him and said. “Couch.”
He blinked as if he had expected more of a fight. “Really?”
“Well, I would have said bed, but Sookar would have pecked your eyes out while you slept. He has come around to blaming you for my absence and will need some time to get over it.”
“Ah, I see. Well, the couch is fine. Do you have extra covers?”
She smiled. “I do. Just a moment.”
She headed to her closet and pulled out the one thing she had brought from home. It was a quilt that she and her mother had made when she was a child.
She grabbed the extra pillow off her bed and brought it along. “Here you go.”
“This doesn’t look like Citadel issue.”
“It isn’t. I just haven’t been able to put it on my own bed yet. It reminds me of home.”
He was solemn as he took them from her. “I promise not to eat in bed.”
She grinned. “Good. I just finished my report on Gol. It is going to be quite the lecture, but I hope that I manage to convey what it is that I discovered.”
“What is that?”
“They would be restricted trading partners, and no one can live on their soil.”
He blinked. “Really?”
“Really. They are well educated, have an all-inclusive religion that does not focus on them being the only beings in the universe. The pay rates, even in the rural areas are high enough to allow everyone to live decently given the cost of living. The technology is amazing, but it is solidly focused on the crystals and that is
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