There was a satisfying *thunk* as the panel slid back into place. Natalia swept some sweat from her brow and stood up; her legs protested slightly after having been crouching for at least two hours. “I’m done over here, how are you doing?” Her shout reverberated through the room, echoing off the dull metal walls. Betula appeared a moment later, swinging up from the lower floor like an elegant acrobat. 

 

A proud smile was plastered all over the affini’s face “done already? My, my you are fast. I finished pylon nr.11 only a few minutes ago and all the others are good to go. I believe the only thing left is to turn on the generator, you have done so well!” For the fourth time this shift and the fourteenth time since she had met Betula, Natalia felt her face warm up in a blush.

 

Betula was as radiant as ever, her eyes sparkling with amber light…Natalia forced her eyes away from the captivating sight, looking towards the generator instead “so we are almost done then…this honestly went far better than I expected.” The combination of Betula’s expertise and strength, with her knowledge of terran engineering and jury-rigging, had proved a surprisingly good combination. 

 

The affini came a bit closer, stretched out an arm, then hesitated “hmm…could I…would It be possible if I, and I don’t mean any disrespect…could I pet you a tiny bit?” Natalia’s brain did a double take and upon understating the request promptly stopped working. Her lack of response only serving to make Betula even more hesitant “I…please do not take it the wrong way, it is just how we affini like to praise….non-affini. You have done so well…but if you don’t want to then I perfectly understand, sorry for bringing it up.” Wait….the last thing she wanted was for Betula to be upset. 

 

Hugging to keep warm like yesterday was one thing…or was it? Part of her recognized how blatantly of an excuse the cold had been. Still being pet was another thing…for her. Right! The affini probably had very different cultural practices when it came to physical affection. And it was not like she was very opposed to it “if-if you want to….” Natalia tilted her head slightly forward “…you can pet me…” her blush was probably crimson at this point. 

 

Betula made an adoring squealing sound and a second later a massive hand enveloped the top of her head. The pure amount of glee in the affini’s voice was overpowering “thank you so much for letting me do this. You are such an amazing, wonderful girl!” long delicate fingers began to gently go through her hair and carefully scratching her scalp, sparks and tingles following their every touch. 

 

Her mind had used most of its power to come up with a reply, the adoring words and sensation of being pet by the alien had shut it down once more. It was far too easy to lean her head a bit more forward, into the hand and let the affection flow over her like the most comforting of waves. “You like that? Awwww, you do. Such a good girl, maybe you would like this as well?” Another hand began to scratch her underneath her chin, in the process making her lift her head further into the hand still placed on the top of her head. 

 

The affectionate praise from Betula began to blur together as her mind felt like it was being pressed from both sides by tingles of indescribable comfort. How was it is this good?...Mmmmm, she could tell Betula to stop in a few minutes…maybe 5….or 10…

 

Somewhere in the distance, a door opened “I understand that he is sick, but why are you coming along?” Other people? Why were there other people here? The petting stopped, the hand drawing out a weak whimper from her as it left her head. 

 

Betula shoved her gently backward so they would not be seen from the platform above. The affini gave her a wonderful and slightly nervous smile with a finger signaling her to be silent. “Ceasefire or not, we are not giving you free rein of critical ship systems without oversight.” That was Duran….oh fuck that was Duran! The prospect of being found out kicked her mind back into gear, dispelling the wonderful mist that had covered it. 

 

The sound of footsteps, one set metal, the other heavy but softer, sounded from above and were coming closer. There were a few quiet seconds…luckily, very luckily it did not seem that Alyssum or Duran had seen…oh stars what was she doing?! Betula gazed down at her “are you ready to go out and meet them?” Her voice was a seductive whisper, unfortunately pushing all the buttons that Natalia did not need to be pushed right now. 

 

Natalia pointed towards the generator “helmet…please” A stealthy vine slithered across the floor and grabbed the helmet before lifting it back and placing it on her head, covering the furious blushing. Just as Duran began grumbling they both walked out from beneath the hiding place. 

 

Alyssum smiled and something about the glint in his eyes told Natalia that he knew “there you two are, how are the repairs coming going?” Natalia waited for Betula to answer…but she didn’t. In fact, both the affini and Duran were looking at her, waiting expectantly. 

 

She cleared her throat “good…I-I mean: Repairs are proceeding as planned, all the pylons are fixed…we only need to power up the generator.” If the echo she heard herself was any indication then the helmet distorted her embarrassed flustered mess of a voice well enough. 

 

Duran nodded, cautious optimism on the edge of his mouth “wonderful, when can we expect that to be done?” A good question, if the affini data pad had enough power to kick start the generator, something that sounded ridiculous but that was something new with the affini, then getting it back online shouldn’t take that long. 

 

Betula’s consideration was not dissimilar “the main problem will be interacting our technology with yours. As long as we have a terran assistant that can be overcome easily.” The comment pointed aptly at the lack of both Philip and Alister, the two other ‘engineers’. 

 

This did not seem to discourage Duran much “Philip caught a cold yesterday and we are not taking any chances of letting it get worse, so he will stay in the infirmary. Alister is still resting from the last shift, I could wake her, but she won’t be happy.” The two affini seemed uncomfortable at the prospect, Alister had probably not even gotten half the sleep she needed….

 

“I can continue to work.” it was the logical solution, and she didn’t feel that tired….okay maybe a bit tired, but only a bit. 

 

Betula looked conflicted “there is no need for that. I and Alyssum can finish this ourselves. You should get some rest.” Natalia was not sure she even wanted to rest and spending more time with Betula was…no, it was to get the generator online, nothing else.

 

Duran scratched his beard “getting the generator online is the top priority, if Natalia wants to work overtime to get it done then that is her choice.” He looked down at her, sparks of pride in his eyes “just make sure to stop if you start dozing off. The last thing we want is you frying yourself through that suit.” Natalia had a feeling that as long as Betula was in the room, the likelihood of her being hurt was vanishingly low.

 

They began to work, Alyssum and Betula striping open one of the xeno data pads, her preparing the generator, and Duran helping to lift stuff despite the affini’s protest that it was unnecessary. The inside of the data pad was infinitely complex, and from first glance, it was obvious there was nothing about it she could even begin to understand. The one thing she very much could understand was the tiny power cell that Alyssum managed to retrieve from it after an hour of silent work. 

 

“Here, this should hold enough power to get your prim…delightfully simple generator to work once more. As long as we don’t overcharge it and fry the pylons again.” The image of explaining that mistake to the captain was not tempting to bring into reality. After calculating the correct voltage and a whole lot of finagling with the generator’s internal systems with Betula, everything looked good to go. The glowing affini power cell was placed into a transformer and said transformer was hooked up to the generator’s entry socket. Alyssum pointed to the controls “why don’t you do the honors, Natalia?”  

 

The subtle rhythm of work had lulled her into a nice comfort, the prospect of seeing if all their work had been for naught broke that rhythm like shattered glass. “Maybe we should go over the pylons one last time to make sure?” What if something went wrong, like seriously wrong? No one said it out loud but the fuel to the backup was almost gone, if she had fucked up…

 

Betula placed a hand on her shoulder “don’t worry dear, everything is ready. All you need to do is press the button.” There it was again, that gentle hum in the air…She could do this. With reinvigorated determination, Natalia walked up to the control console and after only a second of hesitation and double-checking, pressed the button. 

 

The generator rumbled and the transformer shook as the power cell gleamed sharply. The lights above flickered, and Natalia felt her hair stand on end. Then the rumbling stopped and was replaced by a loud hum. The console displayed that the generator was indeed offline, not only that it was at 89%, 2 points higher than the last time she had run maintenance a couple of weeks ago. With another press of a button and the ship shifted its power source…there were no warnings of pylons being overloaded, or the core being overloaded…everything was working properly.  

 

She looked back and gave a thumbs up, Duran’s nervous frown broke into a huge smile “darn fine work!...and thanks to you as well.” It was less enthusiastic, but he gave the affini a courteous nod. “Now, I think that we two should have a word with the captain, and tell him the good news.” He wanted her to come along? Hopefully, it wouldn’t take too long…some sleep would be very nice. 

 

Getting up to the top platform without Betula’s help was a hassle she had no particular need to re-experience but being lifted would probably raise an eyebrow or two. Natalia waved the two affini goodbyes and followed Duran. Betula had a certain smile on her face, and just as she turned the corner the two affini began talking, Betula seeming very enthusiastic. 

 

The walk to the captain’s office was slow, Duran did not seem to be in a hurry “I have noticed that you are not the most sociable person on board…and if you have your reasons for that I won't pry or judge. Just know that I see that you care for this ship and its crew, you have proved as much these last days. Me and most of the crew might be a rowdy bunch, but you are always welcome to eat at our table.” He turned around as they neared the captain’s office, was that a tear in his right eye? “You’re a pride to have on this vessel and as part of this crew, remember that.” Oh…oh….Natalia was not quite sure what she was feeling, but her eyes had started to water. 

 

Duran gave her a few moments before he knocked on the door, and an affirmative response came from within. When they entered Luis was seated at the large central desk, a green sheet covered it and was filled with small metallic parts. The captain finished fastening something near his elbow with a wrench and looked up “caught me right in the middle of something, hold on a second.” It was slightly unnerving to see the arm directly, especially where the flesh connected to the metal frame. “There we go!” Luis removed what looked to be a bent piece of metal from within the arm and replaced it with a new one. 

 

The commander lieutenant stood straight-backed “we are here to report that the generator has been brought back to full operational capacity. The aliens have not attempted any tampering as far as I could see…and their cooperation has been helpful, no doubt about that. Not that we can trust them or anything, but I don’t think they have attempted anything just yet.” There was no way that Betula was up to something, maybe it was naïve, but it made no sense for her to like the propaganda had described. 

 

Luis put the captain’s jacket back on “excellent, then it should mostly be smooth sailing from here. How are the rest of the repairs going?” The glove was put on as well, completing the illusion…She had to admit she was slightly curious how he had lost it, the stories flowing around were probably why. 

 

She had not been present in briefings like this before and thank the stars for that. The two navy veterans droning away about subsystems this and supply shortages that. Natalia zoned out almost immediately, a trait picked up from her previous job, at least they were not discussing the quarterly growth of media profiles…how could she have been naïve enough to believe that digital design would ever land her a job giving her creative expression? 

 

“…. And Natalia has proved she knows her way around the ship almost as good as four-eyes did.” The mention of her name snapped her back to reality “this brings me to the request I mentioned. Ensign Natalia, Alister, and Philip have performed above and beyond what can expect. I reckon they’re all due for a promotion. Checked up with Verek and my personal supply of Cebrex Ale is still intact…would it be possible to give the crew time off after dinner?” Time off? And actual ale? Was Duran suggesting…

 

Luis chuckled “I suppose the crew has earned as much. Go ahead, throw a party. But that mess hall better be clean before lunch tomorrow and I reserve to right to throw anyone who acts up into cleaning duty. Got that?” Duran struck a salute, but it was far from formal “and when it comes to the promotions, I can have them signed before dinner. Make sure to enjoy the celebrations, probably the last opportunity in some time.” The captain began to tidy away the repair equipment and pulling out some data pads from the desk. 

 

Dinner wasn’t in that long… “you’re not joining?” This was the first R&R they were going to have after several months of running errands and preparing for war… from how it looked Luis was planning to spend the evening working?

 

A hint of embarrassment passed along Luis’s face “I have a lot of work to….” He let out a long sigh “fine, fine I’ll come. Now go and rest, at least give me time to finish these work orders for tomorrow.” They were shushed out of the office and parted ways. 

 

Natalia did not even bother undressing before collapsing upon the bed. It was not the most comfortable thing, but right now it might as well have been a stone slab for all she cared. Every joint in her body felt stiff and sore, her mind crying out for sleep. Despite all that, and the situation as a whole, she had to admit things were not that bad. 

 

>>>>>

 

Ageratu shuddered as she consumed the last of the mineralized water. Not only was the taste reprehensible, but it did not contain nearly the nutrition that she required. The rescue could not come too soon. Betula did not seem to mind, her rhythm an excited and happy beat while her eyes were staring into nowhere in particular. The young bloom was beyond mere distracted, there was something more.

 

There was great comfort in knowing she was in better spirits, and Ageratu had a pretty good idea of why. “So, I heard the repairs on the generator is finished, what a relief. That room is far too dangerous for xenos, can you imagine why they have not built proper railings and protection?” for being so fragile Terrans had a terrible sense when it came to self-preserving design, another reason to allow the cuties not to make such decisions in the first place.

 

Alyssum shrugged and drank some more, a few flowers wilting slightly in the process “from what Natalia said it had something to do with ‘budget restraints’, part of that hopeless economic system they have. I'm glad that we can finally begin repairing the communication relay, if the xenos were not so paranoid we could work on it continuously.” There was a mix of frustration and sadness in his voice “do you think there is anything we can do to convince them to trust us, make them understand that we only want to help?” It was difficult to miss the suspicious looks and whispers whenever the terrans noticed they were close. 

 

The moment Natalia’s name was uttered Betula refocused on the conversation “unlike back home, we can’t force them. Gaining their trust will mean getting to know them and making them feel like we trust them first….like equals.” That was remarkably unreasonable, and not at all something Betula would come up with on her own. 

 

There had been a chance to gain the trust of their pack leader yesterday. They would have been uninterrupted and the likelihood of him contacting anyone was low. Nothing would have stopped her from wrapping him up, staring into his cute little eyes and filling his mind. By the end he would have accepted the proposal without a second thought, letting her deal with this mess while eagerly awaiting an owner upon return to society….but she hadn’t done that. Why?

 

On the other vine…this was an extraordinary situation, requiring extraordinary measures “we can’t let them harm themselves, but the more they trust us the more we can guide them away from any poor judgment. You got this advice from Natalia, the engineer girl you captured when we first got on board, correct? How are you two getting along?” Several of the flowers on Betula’s form bloomed in unison.

 

“Oh, she is just the sweetest little thing I have ever seen. So cute and helpful and clever and nice and cute…And the way her mouth opens slightly when she looks into my eyes, it's just so…so…” Betula probably meant to say cute, adorable, or something similar, but it came out as a high-pitched squeal of joy. 

 

Alyssum let out a low chuckle, a few of his flowers shaking until pollen fell out “not many finds what they want on their first fishing expedition. But seeing how pollenstruck you seem to be, I think we can safely say you found the perfect one.” There was something very endearing in its own right to see the young bloom so root over vine for a xeno. And Natalia was perhaps the politest xeno on the ship, she would make an excellent floret. 

 

A few terrans had begun trickling into the room, and many of them looked excited about something. Peculiar, but then again little was ever needed to make terrans excited in one way or the other. More and more entered and some of the last carried large, by terran standards, metal boxes with tiny taps at the end. 

 

The social atmosphere in the room indicated that there was some sort of ritual about to start. “What do you think they are doing? And what are those boxes for?” the lack of knowledge sparked that familiar uncertainty. Were they planning something dangerous? were the boxes some sort of explosives, or maybe radioactive? 

 

A vine wrapped around one of hers, Alyssum gave her a reassuring smile “there is nothing to worry about…or at least I don’t think so. The terrans are having a party to celebrate that the generator is fixed, and something about a change in hierarchy…I didn’t quite understand that part. I believe the boxes are filled with a primitive drug called ‘Al gul’, a sort of mix between class-D and A. But far less potent and from what their medical professional said overconsumption can give some uncomfortable downsides.” That was…good? At least there were no explosives involved, and uncomfortable was not the same as hazardous. 

 

As her worry ebbed Ageratu spotted Natalia entering while yawning adorably. Betula and the to-be-floret saw each other and the terran waved while smiling. There was no denying what Betula saw in the girl, ‘high-pitched squealing noise’ was an excellent description. The room went silent as all the terrans sat…what were they waiting for? 

 

The answer was revealed as the pack leader entered from the door behind them. The stoic façade was still in place, but a smile tugged at both sides of his mouth. He walked into the center of the room, all the terrans watching him meticulously “I know you are all impatient, so I will keep this short. First of all, let me just say: Great work! These last three days have been difficult and all of you have stepped up to the plate and done your duty, just as I knew you would.” There was always something interesting about seeing the pack leader give praise to the rest of the pack. The remainder of expectations, and how they were met seemed remarkably effective. 

 

“While all of you have done more than should have been asked of you, a few have gone beyond even that. Our three engineers have done the impossible and secured our survival despite all odds and hardships. It therefore my pleasure to promote the three, Natalia, Philip, and Alister, to junior lieutenants and full-fledged engineers.” There was a round of applause and the three terrans in question were hoisted up into view, all three of them blushing profusely but proudly. “Duran has told me he does not expect any of these canisters to have a drop left after 0200, so drink up. You’ve earned it!” The ‘captain’ stood aside and in the split of an atom, a line had formed in front of the canisters. Tankards were filled with some brown liquid that the terrans drank with gusto, an undeniably jovial atmosphere filling the room. 

 

Luis looked to have no interest in the liquid and had sat down on a small desolate table in the corner of the room, strange. Maybe giving Betula’s advice a try would not be a bad idea, she moved over and the terrans made way…a few of them having to be pulled aside by their friends. “Could I sit here?” It was an innocent enough question. 

 

He did not look up, but nodded “is there something we need to talk about?” A tiny cold edge to his words was enough for her to understand he was still displeased about the events on the bridge. 

 

Ageratu sat down letting her vines spread over the floor into a comfortable position “need? No. But seeing as we are going to spend a good deal of time together, I thought we might get to know each other a bit better. Is that acceptable?” A long silence passed, silence from the pack leader that was, the other terrans not so much. 

 

Finally, Luis leaned back against the edge of the table and crossed his arms “fine but let us not discuss anything…controversial. I don’t want to ruin this party, the crew has more than earned it.” approachable but not open, she would have to be diplomatic “guess I can start with the most standard of military questions: got anyone waiting for you back home?” the question spoke to how important pack bonding was for these xenos…

 

While mulling the question over Ageratu was momentarily distracted by some of the terrans. They had started to chant something, and more and more of the cuties joined in. When enough of the terrans were humming the melody they began to sing. 

 

 

 

They were obviously affected by the al gul, slurring voices and uneven tones more common than not. Still, Ageratu had to admit they were adorable…and the music wasn’t half bad. Luis cleared his throat performatively. oh right, the question “I run a small café together with two other affini abord the Vindex. At the moment it is closed down due to a lack of…guests but that is likely a problem easily solved once we get home…other than my two fellow operators there are several regulars I look forward to seeing again. What about you?” Best to leave the class-J aspect of the café out of the discussion. 

 

 

 

As the signing continued duel emotions of pride and melancholy blossomed in Luis’s biorhythm “I am right where I want to be…though wouldn’t complain about being closer to some stable supply lines. There is no one waiting for me anywhere, this is my home.” From the florets she had talked to even the most ventured space travelers usually had a home on a planet.

 

 

The pack leader was not fanatically devoted to the pitiful terran government, so why was he rooted on a military ship? “Your home?  Would you not like something more stable and comforting?” This vessel was far too cramped for extended living. 

 

A hint of nostalgia entered his voice “it was better before the war, less stressful and far less dangerous. Worse than that however has been the crew transfers, several good people dragged off to stars knows where…I just hope they are alright.” With any luck, they had been found and were taken good care of “the new crew are not bad at all mind you, they will find a good place here.” Ageratu flowed his gaze and saw Natalia with a few of the other terrans singing while raising their cups before drinking more.

 

 

The display, while holistically different brought back very old memories. It reminded her of xenos she had helped domesticate during the early part of her first bloom. That odd tingle of familiarity in the terran's social dynamic finally made sense. “So, you are like their…” what would be the most appropriate terran term? Ah! “Brood mother.” That was the word, not a perfect translation to the social dynamics of the Lxtle’tric’til but close enough. 

 

The terran’s body shook and he let out a short wheeze in surprise “brood mother?! I…wha…no, I don’t think…” he took a couple of calming breaths “I turned 28 two months ago, over half the crew are older than me. No, I am just their captain, nothing more…” for the Lxtle’tric’til age was rarely an indicator of who would become brood mother when the role needed to be filled. Although a brood mother was genetically different from the rest after her transformation, a capacity terrans did not have. Ageratu gazed down at the ‘captain’, maybe the hat and different clothes were an indication of something similar. 

 

 

They sat in silence listening to the singing until Luis spoke again “except for me none of these people choose to be here. Debt, mistakes, prosecution for something or another, the draft. They all have their stories for ending up under my command, very few of them happy ones. I’m not naïve enough to believe that the world will change for the better, but…But if I can make life livable, maybe even good for these people, on this ship; then I’m content with that.” The determined, protective, and worried tone: it was like listening to the clicking of Slkt’kree’s mandibles all over again.  

 

 

The millennia-old memories welled up in her core and for a moment it was like she was there. The moderately rusted grey metal of the ship was replaced with the slick black rock that formed the walls of the massive underground borough. The massive cavern was illuminated by the shining crystal half-revealed in the ceiling, several dozen tunnels going in every direction. Terran chatter was replaced with the wave-like clicking of Slkt’kree’s brood, feasting on the first shipment of replicated jelly-feed. Slkt’kree herself was perched on a carved seat beside her, her claws dug into the stone and the two sharp appendages from her back swaying uncertainly. 

 

Ageratu wanted to comfort the brood mother, promise the safety of the brood, but she had done so already to little effect. Slkt’kree’s pheromones showcased confident calm reassured by the supply of food, but the worry and uncertainty still clouded much of the xeno’s biorhythm. The Lxtle’tric’til looked up, her six eyes black and reflective like the carved stone around them {are you alright?} Reflected in the six black pools of darkness Ageratu saw her own anxious gaze looking back at her. 

 

 

Uncomfortable with the sight Ageratu looked back toward the brood. Reports from the cotyledon project said that most of the Lxtle’tric’til did not have problems with domestication, on the contrary, they found it familiar to their previous society. The brood mothers on the other vine were trickier, their old roles clashing painfully with the care that they needed. Ageratu settled on an approach  “You care a lot about them, don’t you?”  This newly discovered brood had to be domesticated rapidly so they could be moved, reminding Slkt’kree of what mattered to her would go a long way in convincing her of evacuation. 

 

Slkt’kree’s polished obsidian-like eyes shone with determination {they are everything to me, and I would do anything to keep them safe” Luis’s eyes were slightly bloodshot, tiny streaks of red dividing the white…but they held the same glow that she had seen millennia before. 

 

 

She had been so young back then, inexperienced and foolish. This would not end like that “we will keep them safe, and I will keep you safe. I don’t expect you to believe me, but I promise this nevertheless.” For once he kept eye contact with her, his cautious eyes inspecting her curiously.  Slkt’kree had inspected her in a similar manner, trying to determine if she was a threat to the brood. 

 

The brood mother looked back towards the crew and adjusted the brim of his hat “indeed we shall. To say that you and your friends don’t pose difficulties would be a lie, but I am grateful for your help. We’re lucky you got on board in time…thank you.” Her core bloomed with a gentle warmth that spread throughout her vines and flowers. Thousands of years and a galaxy apart, but still so similar. She resisted both hugging and petting the brood mother but allowed herself to sit slightly closer as they listened to the end of the song.

 

 

 

Betula had joined in the last chorus, much to the amusement and delight of the inebriated terrans. Natalia had drunk a lot and was practically having to be propped up by the young blooms vines to not fall over. Some of them were still singing but at this point, the words were too slurred for her to make anything out. One of the terrans separated from the others and shambled over to her and Luis, Ageratu recognized her as one of the xenos who had gotten agitated at her in the thruster room yesterday. 

 

The brood mother noticed as well “Ari, I would prefer if you did not cause a scene…and it looks like you have had more than enough to drink, why not head to bed?” Another terran had seen what was happening and was closing the distance 

 

Ari Park giggled and dropped the empty tankard haphazardly on the table “don’t worry *hic* cap…captain…I’m not mad at the…the plant lady.” The hazy focus of the adorably drunk terran moved to her “I…I just wanted to say…you *hic* have pretty…pretty…blue fluffs.” Was she referring to her flowers? How nice of her! 

 

The other terran caught up and gently guided the adorable girl towards the door “let’s listen to the captain and go to our cabin…” Ari followed but muttered something that made the slightly less inebriated one blush “…yes we can sleep together, just shhhhh. I think they can still hear us.” Ageratu made sure to note that the two would probably have to be treated as pinnates upon return to the compact. 

 

The brood mother chuckled slightly “they might be a bit rough around the edges but once you get to know them you’ll understand that they are good people, every last one.” An undeniable pride had taken center place in his biorhythm, for a moment pushing out worry and concern. 

 

Ageratu entwined a vine around Luis’s left shoulder and down the arm “you have a wonderful brood, I mean crew…you have every right to feel proud.” His hand carefully grabbed the end of the vine, holding it gently. 

 

The brood mother didn’t reply for quite some time, instead, they sat and watched the last embers of the party dying out as people slowly left for their beds. Alyssum was seated in the other corner talking to the same terran that he had talked to during the power outage…maybe there were more than one pollenstruck affini on the ship. 

 

When Luis spoke again his voice sounded choked “thank you…and sorry that you didn’t learn as much about me as you intended.” Poor thing was likely starved for validation, she would have to supply plenty of it when given the time. 

 

Ageratu took the opportunity to move closer, she and the brood mother were almost touching now “we will have more opportunities in the future, and in my judgment, I’ve learned a lot about you little one.” He did not lean against her as she had hoped but did not pull away either, staying comfortably close as they shared another few silent moments.