Page 13 of Trove’s Purpose

The woman who exited this time was clearly Garnet’s sister – and if she wasn’t her twin, then their genetics were just copy and pasted because they were practically identical. However, where Garnet was wearing a makeshift maternity dress, her sister was in a standard jumpsuit. However, she had the equivalent of Garnet’s baby belly in a large and rounded pack on her back that was connected by wires to another pack on her hip. It was a busted-looking radio with a big speaker on the end.

This had to be Goldie then, and that thing on her back would be Alred.

“Is it ready?” Goldie asked, completely breathless, so locked in on the open console that she barely even glanced at Chee – which was fine, Trove was staring enough for her.

“Ready!” Garnet beamed, stepping to the side. “Alred, you excited?”

“So very excited,” came the happy, scratchy, slightly staticky voice from the radio on Goldie’s hip.

More people were coming from the lift as Goldie came over, carefully removing her backpack. She and Tanin worked together to pull the large, egg-like core that housed Alred – basically his computer body – out of her backpack and into place. The rest of the crew gathered at the entrance, looking in. The blue feathered male that must be Sway and the human that was his mate – Grace, Chee believed was her name. She was also heavily pregnant in a makeshift maternity dress. Just behind him was a brown, almost rock skinned male who had to be Vytln and his mate, Haven, a dark-skinned human woman with tiny locs that were red at the ends like her hair had been dyed but grown out. She was not visibly pregnant, though according to Hyde’s information, she almost certainly was. However, Vytln’s species had such a long gestation time, she wouldn’t be showing for quite a while.

Then came the unmated males. Sorbet and Tebros and Rok. The male half of the crew combined was eight people, but one was just a speaker on Goldie’s hip. The female half of the crew were also all there, three of the four of which were pregnant. That made somewhere between eight and ten able bodied people – depending on the task at hand and how pregnant you could be while doing it – that had built this whole spaceship. Honestly, it was even more incredible when she saw all of them at once.

And, of course, there was Trove, still staring.

She frowned at him before leaning in just a bit and hissing, “Will you look somewhere else for a moment?”

“I don’t think I can,” he admitted, and his tone was one of helpless despair.

“Well, try. You’re giving me the heebie-jeebies.”

That made him blink as his brain tried to wrestle with the human words that he didn’t understand. At least it broke that spell that had robbed him of all possible thoughts.

“I’ve never heard a female call it that before. Not the most sexual of terms, seems more silly, but-”

“It’s not sexual,” Chee made a face, but before she could explain the combination of creeped out and put off that the heebie-jeebies actually meant, there was a sudden rush of sound throughout the entire ship. Like a sound bar starting up, a huge wave of electronics awakening and settling.

Chee whipped her head around to see Goldie and Tanin stepping back from the console. She got a brief glimpse of Alred’s core, nestled in place, before the top came down and the panel turned back on, concealing him from them.

But from overhead, she heard a long, happy laugh building.

“Oh, does it feel good to be out of there!” Alred’s voice boomed from overhead. Gone was the static and the feedback and the harsh, electrical tone. Instead, seeming to come from everywhere around them, was the deep, rich, modulated baritone of an extremely happy male. And what she could only describe as the hum of the ship settling around him.

“Alred!” Goldie called out, tears filling her eyes as she covered her wide smile with both hands.

“Ah, it’s good to see you again,” he hummed happily, and though his voice was booming out loud, it was clear he was speaking only to her.

“Welcome back,” Tanin said, a hint of satisfaction in his voice.

“Good to be back,” Alred chuckled. “And look at these cameras! This quality is amazing. Haven, you really did very nicely for me.”

The lady with locs smiled, clapping happily. “You should trying to use the light projections. We are thinking you’ll really be liking that.”

“Give me a moment. I’m still learning my new body. And I have to program it into the system. So. You must be Chee, hm?” Though Chee couldn’t see the cameras he was speaking of, she did very acutely feel the weight of his gaze on her. “I should thank you for my new attachment cord.”

“You should thank Hyde. I’m just here to complete a job,” she said.

“Still, you brought it. So, thank you. If you need anything during your stay, feel free to let me know. I’ll be sure not to look or listen in on your room unless invited, but I will otherwise be everywhere. In case you need me.”

Chee nodded, both to the offer and the more subtle threat hidden in it. He wouldn’t stalk her in her private room – or so he said – but he would definitely be watching her.

“Alred,” Tanin stepped into the conversation, “get used to the ship. Get it set up to your specifications. We were initially going to have our takeoff in another two tendays. But with you at the computer, I expect we can move that up.”

“Aye, captain,” Alred responded, a chuckle in his voice. “Put me right to work, why don’t you?”

“No more vacation for you,” Tanin agreed.

“Indeed. Time for me to shine!”