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I winced on the inside, hoping Rone wouldn’t let himself be goaded into an argument.
“It’s good to see you, Gofrin.” Rone kept his voice even.
Gofrin hopped out of the vehicle and strode towards us. The soldiers of his Zol clan remained in their vehicles, keeping an eye on their leader. “I see the ambassador from Earth decided she could put up with you after all.”
“Hi, Gofrin.” Yeesh. All we needed was some cheap beer and a deck of playing cards and it would be just like my old family reunions on Earth. Maybe a few hot dogs on the grill to complete the visual. My stomach protested at the thought, and it wasn’t because I didn’t eat meat. I opened my bag to search for a roll of antacids.
“I don’t know how,” Rone’s cousin carried on, talking to me, “but being with my cousin seems to agree with you. You look happy.”
I leaned against Rone and curled my fingers through his. “I am,” I confirmed, before knocking back three minty tablets.
“We are.” Rone watched me chew. I saw him try to fix his face before it could move into a full-blown confused frown at what I was eating. “Let’s go see your family. I'm sure Cammiedoesn’t want to stand out here in the one-hundred-and-ten-degree heat.”
“You both can ride in my sandwheel.”
Refreshed by my quick antacid tablet pick-me-up, I had no problem getting into the vehicle and riding in the backseat. I set my bag on the floorboard and strapped on my seatbelt while the guys climbed in front. Gofrin wasted no time in hitting the gas. The dune buggy rumbled and belched another plume of sand out the tailpipe before we took off. Wanderstar Fleet soldiers followed behind us, using the land vehicles stored in the cargo hold of our ship.
Rone looked out at the desert landscape. “Have you had any Quarek renegade trouble lately?”
“Not since you and I took care one of their generals last time. They haven’t dared to show their faces.” Gofrin made a sharp turn of the wheel without warning. The buggy careened to the right.
Rone turned around to make sure I was okay. “Watch how you drive. My mate is in the vehicle.” His horns lengthened from the sides of his head.
Oh, dear. Time to help defuse the tension. I held down my bag with my feet so it wouldn’t go flying from the buggy. “Gofrin, have you thought about opening up an amusement park? I think you found the first ride.”
Gofrin got a laugh out of my suggestion. “We Zol have no need of such earthly amusements. Here, we’re satisfied with the sun on our backs and the sand beneath our feet. However, I do like how these vehicles give us the advantage over our enemies.”
I tapped Rone on the back and gave him a thumbs up to let him know I was fine. His horns retracted. That was a close one.
We made it back to the Zol settlement where Gofrin’s family and the other members of his community made their home. Itook in the view of the palms and the shimmering waters of the oasis at the center of the residential structures that encircled it.
A dozen or so members of the community were gathered at the edge of the oasis, talking or tending to chores. I turned my head when I saw a small figure come racing for us, long blond hair flying back behind her. I recognized Sofra, one of Godfrin’s daughters. “Cousin Rone and Cammie are here.”
Once Gofrin pulled the vehicle to a stop, I got out and greeted her. “Sofra. You've gotten so tall and pretty.”
The little girl's shiny blond hair bounced as she skipped a pattern in the sand. "You have to say hi to Willona.”
I looked around at the three wives and Rone's cousin. Was I missing someone? Did Rone’s cousin marry a fourth wife since we last visited? Rone appeared to be as unknowledgeable as I was. "Who is Willona, Sofra?"
"You should know. You met her before." The little girl went towards the nearest shrub bush and crouched down, reaching inside the shrub with both hands. She pulled out a wrinkled brown object from that resembled a circular leather satchel and was about as big as her head.
"Sofra, no." I recognized what it was, but I was too late.
At the sound of my voice, the thing that resembled a small purse sprouted footlong insect legs and did its best impression of an alien grasshopper by leaping in my direction. I yelped and did a little leap of my own. I managed to find myself in Rone's arms. He held me six feet off the ground while the insect twitched its antennae near his feet.
"Don't tell me you're still scared of launch bugs." Sofra rolled her eyes at me.
I drew my knees in closer to my chest in case her beloved pet wanted to spring at me again before she had a chance to grab it. "You might say I'm showing rather than telling." I watched the creature tuck its legs back into its body once Sofra picked it up.How was that thing still alive years later? The lifespan of insects on this planet was nightmare-inducing. "It's gotten much bigger since the last time we were here. I can tell you're taking good care of it.”
She beamed. Gofrin patted his daughter on the back. “Sofra, go help the cook prepare the table. We’re all about to eat dinner.”
As the girl and her pet bug went away from us with a skip and a hop, respectively, Rone returned me to the ground. I met his amused smirk.
“That was quite a jump you achieved.”
I resisted the temptation to shuffle my feet in embarrassment. “It was a little over the top, wasn’t it?”
“Another twelve or so inches and you might have cleared my head. Willona may become jealous.”
