Chapter 6
My Mate
She was crazy. That simply had to be the reason she had blurted out the yes. It was a commitment to Elm not only for the length of a human lifetime but for a very long lifetime. Her feelings for him were strong even in such a short time and she didn’t seem to be able to control them. Right now, they had time together to explore each other and find common ground. That felt wonderful but a bit scary.
Never a relationship kind of girl, the learning curve was sharp. Not only was this a relationship, but it was with an alien during a time when they were fighting what might be a losing battle. Maybe that was a good reason to grab life by the balls and give it all she had.
They entered the cafeteria and saw several of their crewmates there. They filled their plates and sat with Oak, Angel, Ash, Ranger, and a pretty young girl that looked like Phoenix. “I don’t think you’ve met Maple, my baby sister.” Elm said.
“No, I haven’t. It’s nice to meet you. When did you join the crew?”
“It’s a test arrangement. I got here a couple hours ago. Phoenix do allow their females in the military, but Mazlans are reluctant to. I’ll be in a support position for now while the decisions are made about how much me and other females will be allowed to do. Ranger will be helping me to learn about several positions and show me around the ship.” Maple explained.
That might explain Rangers presence, but not the looks he was sending her. The poor guy was smitten. “Females rock. It’s just hard to get around Mazlan protectiveness to show them.” She admitted.
“The way this situation is escalating, we’ll be able to show them quickly.” Maple admitted.
“What are you trained in?” She asked.
“I’m considered an expert among our people in languages, including ancient ones and decoding, both words and symbols. Someone thought that might come in handy. I’ve also had the type of training in weapons and hand to hand that the regular army gets. It will be great to see some of your more intensive training. I’ve worked in communications, navigation, and even a bit in engineering. There’s a lot still for me to learn.”
“Those are great places to learn about. They always need help, even novices are welcome. Carlos is talented and can teach even the most capable a little about engineering. Angel is amazing in communications. I’m not sure we have anyone that really specializes in Navigation, but there are many that are good at it.”
“Teresa says I’ll be rotated on those and some other positions until she finds out what I’m good at.” Maple admitted.
“This is an exciting place to work. I think you’ll love it.” She assured.
“It has been great so far. I can’t wait to get to work.” Maple admitted.
She was a pretty girl and already had one admirer. With all her skills, she would be an asset in the coming war. Some of those skills were shared by others including herself. It made her wonder if Maple might be able to teach some of the ancient languages she was sure she didn’t know that would be needed in the war ahead.
They had finished eating and Elm squeezed her hand. “We will be turning in now. Good bye everyone.” Elm said. He pulled her out of her seat by the hand he still clutched. No one would have any doubt they were together. Maybe that was the whole point.
“Where are we going?” She asked.
“Aren’t you tired?”
“A little bit.”
“Your room or mine?”
“Mine.” She decided.
They went straight to it. Of course he knew where it was. She was aware he’d made sure he knew everything about her and she couldn’t deny she’d done the same. When they got there, she pressed her thumb against the lock and it granted her access. It wasn’t a complicated lock, but it also had a heat sensor so cold dead fingers wouldn’t grant access.
Her room was neat and clean generally. She didn’t have a lot of items to clutter things up. Those small things she loved were kept in a footlocker that was tall enough to give extra seating. Clothing didn’t fill up the closet as she had just a few uniforms, tactical gear, and two civilian outfits. The bed was made since she did that as soon as she got up.
Organized? Not really. She just had developed habits to keep herself in line. On certain Earth ships, quarters were inspected and if they were messy, punishments were handed out. Everyone knew since the punishments were things like cleaning the public bathrooms or working in the cafeteria. Making the punishment public was part of it. Embarrassment helped correct the undesirable behavior. Crewmates would tease the unfortunate one until they themselves were being punished.
She’d avoided that by putting cleanliness above and beyond everything including sleep if needed. Say whatever you would, but it was much better to tease than to be teased.