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“No.”
“A hover-cart for your purchases?”
“Leave.”
Riana stared at the android, surprised at its insistence. Someone must have programmed it to squeeze maximum shopping potential out of people with lots of money. “You can go now, Boris. I’m sure you have a lot of other things to do. We require no further assistance during this visit.”
The robot looked at her with blank aquamarine eyes. “If you insist. But please remember that I am can be summoned in an instant if youdoneed any assistance at all.”
“Pretty sure we’ll befine.” Riana hastily waved the bot away, fearing Kail would do some serious damage to him.
The Boris-bot gave them the android equivalent of a dirty look as he stiffly turned and walked away. “Enjoy your orbital shopping experience.”
Kail snorted; half-amused, half-irritated. “Why do your people have to create the most annoying machines in the Universe? Do they intentionally make them so ingratiating? Do humans enjoy this sort of servitude?”
They passed through a set of sliding doors and into a wide avenue lined with shops. Humans and the occasional alien milled about, strolling at a leisurely pace. The roof of the mall soared above them. Made of transparent aluminum, it was perfectly clear, providing a spectacular view of the glittering stars above.
The blood in Riana’s veins turned ice-cold. She shot him a cool stare. “Better to have androids than slaves though, isn’t it?”
Kail stared at her, his eyes narrowed, eyebrows drawn together. He looked so intimidating that the people around them instinctively gave them a wide berth.
But Riana wasn’t worried. Kail was just perplexed.
Maybe she could read him pretty well after all.
“Hm,” he said at last, letting out a short, sharp huff of exasperation. “Better to be irritated amongst humans than corrupted amongst Kordolians, is it not?”
Riana slipped her hand into his, finding reassurance in his presence. She knew perfectly well what he meant. “Something like that. Let’s call them theoldKordolians. Not you guys. You’re not a corrupting influence at all.”
Kail’s expression was completely deadpan. “Aren't I?”
Well, sometimes.
“Nope. If anything,I’mthe one that’s going to corrupt you.” Excitement flickered in her chest as she caught sight of the familiar lime green and white logo of Eukia. The entrance was massive. Bright fluorescent lights illuminated endless rows and bins of shiny newstuff. It was by far the largest individual shop on this station; probably around the size of two big warehouses on Earth.
Eukia was a global juggernaut, and this was their first venture off-planet. Ofcourseit was going to be over-the-top. They sold everything. You name it. Flat-pack auto-assembling furniture, homewares, fashion, toys and collectibles, and even rare, exotic food items imported from space.
Things you couldn’t get from ordinary supermarket drops.
And the way it was designed…
It was dopamine on steroids; an endless, maze-like riot of vibrant colors and too many options.
Kail looked suitably unimpressed. “Ever since I claimed you as my mate, I have been incorruptible.”
Riana stared at the lights, the colors, the shiny white floor, the people streaming through the gates. “We’ll see about that,” she muttered as a sense of urgency overtook her. She tugged at Kail’s big, callused hand,dragginghim toward the entrance.
Her Kordolian followed; silent, lethal, a pool of indomitable stillness amidst the chaos.
THREE
Kail puthis arm around Riana’s waist and watched the commotion from behind his human-appearing visage, quietly bemused by the scene before him.
Humans truly were the mostun-seriousof all the alien species. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t understand how their minds worked.
Their little inventions and entertainments were endless. They turned their native fauna into characters—miniaturized, distorted, ridiculous.
And then they became obsessed and worshipped them like deities.
