Page 2 of Proslo

Darryll glared and if looks could kill, he would have murdered the judge right on the spot. I shivered, knowing that look. It was the reason I’d stopped seeing him after only six dates. It was the first and last date he’d picked me up from my apartment and after watching him lose his cool with a random guy in the parking lot who he decided had stolen the spot he wanted in the large, less than half full parking lot, I’d sneaked into the ladies’ bathroom at the restaurant right after we’d been seated, called a Lyft, and got the hell out of there.

He’d blown my phone up and showed up at my apartment for the first time that night. Two weeks later, he’d showed up again and kicked in my door. That’s when all of this then happened. I’d had terrible boyfriends before, but never like this. Patrick had been a cheapskate and Bill a serial cheater who’d try to gaslight me over it. Timothy had been a passive aggressive jerk who liked to make me feel bad about my weight, my clothes, and even my job, telling me that as a CNA, I wasn’t even a real nurse. He knew I wanted to go on to become an RN but didn’t want to burden myself with outrageous college loans any more than I already had. I was determined to never make myself vulnerable ever again. I was finished with men.

I listened numbly as the judge excused the witness and Amos let him know the prosecution rested. I stood up and left the room, unable to handle listening to anything else. I just wanted this to be over. I hurried outside, walking up and down the corridor, trying to catch my breath and slow down the thundering of my heart. When he’d kicked Pumpkin, my senior rescue kitty, I’d been certain that he’d killed him. When I discovered Pumpkin had landed on his feet halfway down the stairs, hidden under a nearby bush after running away, and only had minor injuries, I’d felt so relieved. It was only afterward that I let what he’d done to me sink in, not to mention the officers who’d responded.

I wanted him to go to jail for every last thing he’d done. Amos had tracked down the guy from the parking lot incident and he’d been charged over the abuse he’d shouted at him and for pounding on the hood of the guy’s car. He was charged with breaking and entering and criminal damage, and for assaulting me and Officer Pitkiss, as well as for animal abuse.

I went out the door, sitting on a bench just outside. Amos found me there a while after. “Jury’s deliberating now,” he told me. “I’m sure we have a slam dunk on all counts, and I don’t think it will take them that long to decide it, either. We’ll probably know before the end of today and sentencing will be scheduled shortly after.” He gave me a conspiratorial grin. “He got another contempt charge though. All through closing, he was telling off his lawyer and then mouthing off at me, until he got a full ninety days just for that.”

I shook my head. “He was so charming and sweet right until he knew where I lived and came to pick me up.”

“Yes, well, he probably thought he had you hooked good and proper. He never expected you to kick him to the proverbial curb.”

I nodded.

“What are you going to do after this?” he asked me. “Your landlady told me you’ve given her notice.”

I picked at an imaginary piece of lint on my skirt. “I’ve decided to stop looking for a boyfriend for now and concentrate on me. I want to become an RN and I want to be a mom, to a human kid and not just my cat.” I cracked a tense smile at him. “I don’t need a man to do either of those things. I spoke to a counselor at Humbledale, and they suggested I apply for the Mylos scholarship. Social Services said I can foster with a view to adopt as long as I have a stable income, even if I’m in school full time. The scholarship will see that I do and will increase to cover any child related expenses until I graduate and find a position using my degree. I’m almost forty, and if I don’t make my own dreams come true now, they won’t ever be.”

He hummed thoughtfully. “And if you end up being that one in a billion?”

I snorted. We both knew that wasn’t likely to happen. “Yeah, right.”

“Someone has to be that one,” he reminded me and I sighed. “Well, if that happens, I’m still golden. I get to have my studies paid for and the Mylos are big on kids so I'll still get to be a mom. And since they are always perfect matches, I’ll never have to worry about dating an asshole ever again because I’ll have met my alien Prince Charming and gotten alien married just like that.” I snapped my fingers to demonstrate.

“All right. As long as you’ll be happy, it’s all good. You know that, right?”

I smiled at him fondly. Amos Findley had taken my case pro bono and quickly had become like a father to me.

“Yeah, I do. I’ll let you know when you become a grandpa.”

“A grandpa again,” he reminded me, eyes twinkling. “My grandkitty counts, you know. And I expect an invite to a proper wedding if you end up mated, you hear?”

I nodded, a lump in my throat. “Yeah, okay.”

A bailiff came out. “Mr. Findley, the jury’s returned with a verdict.”

Amos stood up, his eyes twinkling. “See? I told you they wouldn’t take long.”

As always, Amos proved to be right on all counts. Darryll was found guilty of all charges and his sentencing was scheduled for next week. I stopped and picked up a pizza on my way home. Pumpkin and I had something to celebrate. My last ever boyfriend was going away to prison and Pumpkin and I were moving to Jericho where I’d attend Humbledale and we’d get Pumpkin a human sibling or two, without us ever having to worry about our finances. Things were looking up at long last.

2

PROSLO

My protective gloves allowed my claws to punch through, which was just as well, since otherwise, I’d have no other way to provide enough grip to climb this tree. On either side of me, two other officers were doing the same thing, scaling a towering coconut palm tree at Kimo’s behest.

We could, and did, do other things to build our strength and agility, but here in his hula class, we did things in the tradition of his people. Up the towering trees with only our hands and feet, nothing else to aid us. Only myself and a handful of others whose hands had to remain in as pristine condition as possible were permitted to use the claws borrowed from our battle forms. Then back down, followed by a swim in the simulated surf and a run down the sandy beach. After all that, we’d practice our actual dancing. It was grueling but exhilarating. I much preferred this period of thrice weekly training to the once a week combat training, especially if it was swordsmanship.

I got to use practice swords as did the rest of medical and the sciences, not that it prevented us from bruises and strained muscles. The rest of the crew, however, regularly came in with enough deep cuts and even the occasional broken bone that I had grown to loathe the sight of anyone sparring. I knew it was necessary, of course. We were warriors, and if we were to come under attack, we needed to be ready to defend ourselves within the walls of our ships. Unlike projectile and energy weapons, swords and daggers were incapable of punching through a ship’s hull.

I reached the top of my tree and paused to catch my breath. It was unfortunate timing, as the mere thought of fighting and hull breeches unlocked a memory. I wrapped my arms tightly around the trunk, knowing I had to face it so I could think myself past it.

My father strapped his twin daggers and sword on, kissing my mother briefly before hurriedly pressing one against my brother’s forehead, and then mine.

“Do not open the door for any reason, and if they try to get in, lock yourselves into the safe.”

I glanced over at the hidden door inside my father's closet. It was designed to act as a weapons safe while doubling as a safe room in case of emergency. Locked inside, we’d not run out of air and Nigellos, our ship’s AI system, would turn a part of the floor in the corner into an open hole we could eliminate in so he could whisk it away to waste processing. Each set of quarters had such a safe and each contained a signal booster coupled to the ship’s distress beacon as well as each safe’s beacon which would allow rescuers with security access to Nigellos to pinpoint those of us locked away. A small food cache and mini replicator were also inside.