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"Calling someone a tough cookie means they’re stubborn. Calling them a snack means you think they’re attractive."
"You call someone you are attracted to a snack because you think they’re good enough to eat?"
"Um. Yes." I tinkered with the climate control in the pod so I could get a nice little cool vent on my face, which was all warm from embarrassment. Why did he have to be so literal?
"It makes no sense why a tough cookie is bad but a cookie on its own is a snack. Explain."
"How about I teach you slang later?"
"We have plenty of time now. I’m not going anywhere." He gave me a deadpan stare. If this were a poker match, I'd be losing.
"Will you let me concentrate on my flying, please?"
"You call me a tough cookie now. In the shower, you thought I was a snack."
"Good gracious." He had me sounding like one of my pearl-clutching aunties. "Varus, we have to work together so let it go. What happened on Treoid 5 stays on Treoid 5, yes?"
He settled in his seat, clearly entertained by this conversation. "I cannot deny something did happen."
I got tingles under his gaze. I gripped the steering wheel. "It won’t occur again because we’re out of crisis. You are a king, and I am a professional soldier. We are dignified."
"Two dignified snack cookies."
"For the love of, wait. We’re running low on fuel." I pointed to the gauge on the control panel. "We need to find a hub or we’re going to drift in space by the next hour."
"Racopia has a moon settlement an hour’s flight from the planet. The scientists are experimenting with the soil to grow food. They’ll be able to help."
I studied the grid, keeping a lookout for a smaller satellite. We traveled in space for another forty-two minutes before the fuel gauge slipped into the red. My nerves would’ve shot through the roof had I not seen the small luminescent satellite ahead. "Whew. Preparing to land."
I turned on the pod’s landing controls and let the autopilot steer us into the atmosphere of Racopia’s moon. An analysis of the atmosphere read a high concentration of nitrogen and twenty percent oxygen. At least I wouldn’t have to wear a filtration mask on this moon base.
I switched off all systems except for the landing controls and the air pressurization so we could safely touch the surface. Planet Xaxos, home of the Wanderstar Fleet HQ, also had a moon base where I trained for several weeks. Racopia’s moon’s surface reminded me of the one that circled Earth. Its silvery white surface was pocketed with craters and ridges. One stark difference marked this moon: a set of buildings resided on the land. Towers, similar to silos, rose above the smaller one-story buildings.
"What happened here?" Varus undid his seat harness as soon as the pod landed.
I undid mine as well. "Isn’t this Racopia’s moon?"
"Yes, but the terrain didn’t look like this months ago." He pushed on the door to get out. Cold air rushed to fill the cabin. I pulled my jacket collar higher on my neck and got out with him.
He bent down to scoop up a portion of the moon’s chalky soil in his hand. "This soil was fertile. Now it’s dry."
"Drought, maybe?" I stuck my hands in my pockets to ward away the chill.
Varus let the soil fall to the ground. "We need to find the scientists." He unfurled his wings. Before I could set one foot in the direction of the buildings, he lifted me up and flew across the moonscape. I looked down once at the deep pocket of craters blurring past my feet and regretted it.
Several dizzying moments later, he touched ground in front of one of the silos. While I busied myself learning how to stand again, he viewed the silo’s open door. "Empty. This is where the scientists store the crop."
Nothing was inside the silo, not even a crumb or speck of grain. "Where is it now?" My voice carried inside and echoed up.
"If the silo had been full, I have no idea what could have emptied out so large a space." Varus flew to another silo that was empty.
I listened for sounds of life. Instead, I heard air moving through the open door and cracked windows of the one-story structures. "I don’t see anyone around. Do you?"
Varus flew high, to the top of the silo, and peered down at the residences. "No one is here." He touched down beside me. "This moon base had three scientists and twelve workers."
I heard the eerie sound of the wind barreling through the cracks of windows and narrow spaces between the buildings. "Did they all go back to Racopia?"
"I’ll find out. Stay close to me while we look for supplies."
