“Better to have fun while you can, than to waste the day.”

-Jill

***Outer Rim***

***Veronica***

“You know... I never really liked you in that particular way. We were co-workers who got along right from the start and I suppose that I liked you very much... as a friend. Don't get this wrong, but at least I still like you well enough that I don't want to see you suffer. Please be assured that this is totally not your fault. As far as I got to know you, you were a splendid guy, not counting our jobs back then. We were both serving the same masters and didn’t consider whether our actions were right or wrong. Now that I am on the other side, I see things a little different.”

“Regarding this thing between us, you see... I never really was into this whole, man and woman and happily-ever-after shindig. I guess that's why you never really had a chance with me to begin with. The fact that I rather tried to kill you, than to save you, should be proof of that.”

Great! And now that I hammered Ouluk with the naked truth, Dad will rush in and try to exact horrible and everlasting pain on his chosen archenemy. It will be like that time when that idiot showed up in the throne room and challenged his authority. He took the poor bastard apart – piece by piece!

A shudder runs down my spine at the memory.

No, this hypothetical scenario isn’t to my liking. I guess that I could try to trim my speech a little? Let's see how this plays out inside my mind.

We drag Ouluk into the throne room. He will be screaming and whining – sadly – I really don't expect him to take the situation with honour. And then he realizes that I am his long-lost flame, probably after Antioch inducts him into my little secret. Ouluk will say that he doesn't believe it, and then he will look at me. And why should he believe it? With that, the ball will be in my playing field.

“Sorry, Ouluk. It's the truth. A long time ago, I was the person you loved. I have changed since then, but even if I hadn't changed, even the old me never liked you. I am very happy with my new existence and I can't return your feelings.” Then I will tell him something only he and I can know. Probably something we talked about during our research.

No. If I start my speech like that, then Ouluk may not believe me, even if I give him personal details. The words would be too cold. He will think that Antioch is just trying to mess with him, or that the humans somehow drained his lover's memories when she infected herself with the nano-tech. I only knew him for a short time, but that was enough to understand that Ouluk is good at rationalizing things to himself. During all of our interactions, he seemed like he lived in a world of his own. He was just a little researcher, but he acted like he had an influence on the powers that be.

Then Dad will get mad and we are back to square one. There will be blood and bones and a not so pleasant death for the little turd. That wouldn’t be too bad if it weren’t for the possibility that Dad might do the aforementioned stupid thing.

I clench my teeth in frustration and glare at the cryo chamber in front of me. “You stupid little man, you should have died in space like you were supposed to! Everyone would have had it easier. My bad conscience would be better, Dad wouldn't be tempted to do something stupid, and you would have had a clean death! Now you are going to drag me into this mess! I don't want to watch your face when you realize who I am.”

Stepping forward, I touch the glass which separates me from his sleeping body. In my current form, it would be so easy to twist his neck until it snaps. Should have done that, instead of following a stupid impulse to space him.

Now that I am lamenting about it, am I weird for thinking that killing someone would lessen my burden? That should make me feel sick. I clearly got affected by decades of being surrounded by human insanity.

Jill enters the medical bay, drawing my attention away from the cryo-sleep chamber, a large, greenish tube at the wall with Ouluk's little body floating inside it. I step away from the device, hoping against hope that Jill won’t interpret too much into my behaviour.

“Are you talking to yourself? Again? You know that he can't hear you.” She shakes her head and looks at me as if I have a few screws loose.

I blush. Normally, I am the one who does the belittling. “I am just trying hard to get a little time for myself. Three weeks of pure Jill are grating on my nerves. And who cares if I talk to the sleeping beauty? It's my time and I can do as I please with it,” I complain and stomp my foot down.

My sister looks slightly amused at my tirade. “I am just worried, and I know that I am not the best company.” She looks at the cryo-sleep chamber. “We could still wake him up, turn him, and have some fun!”

“No turning! We have a deal on that!” I quickly shut her down. “That’s a path I am not going to walk! Not ever!”

She pouts. “But he is so little, there won't be any fun without-”

“No fun either! Nothing! Zilch! He stays inside that pot!” I gesture with my hands to affirm my position on this matter. If we must bring Ouluk to Dad, then we will do just that. I don’t know why Jill wants us to take a mate together, but if I have just a little say in it, then it won’t be Ouluk.

“Okay.” Jill studies me with a doubtful expression. “Then we just have to make do with the limited VR access on this ship. I hope you remember the deal when we get back.”

I sigh. “Yes, Ouluk stays inside the pot and you get to choose a mate for us when we get back to the others. I won't complain about your choice and we will live happily ever after.”

She starts grinning.

“It has to be someone other than Ouluk,” I add quickly, knowing her tricks. It would be just like Jill to wait for a year, only to choose the toad after all.

The Blue stops smiling. “Spoilsport. You just don't know how much fun guys can be, especially when they are too weak to fight back. Don't worry. I will choose someone you will like.” She turns and leaves the room.

That allows me to return to my moody contemplations. To think that I agreed to share a mate with Jill, just so that she doesn't turn Ouluk into a Demon to use him as our mate. I have truly fallen.

The only silver lining on the horizon is that the new ringworld named Haven can travel through warp-space. Its speed isn't extraordinary, but it's reasonable, which means that we will reunite with the rest of the family sooner than expected. It will still take three hundred and fourteen days though.

“314 days on a ship with five compartments... and Jill.”

It's been just a few days with her and I am already turning nutso! How will I deal with three hundred days of her? And why doesn't this ship have proper VR equipment? I get that this is a highly experimental warship and that the designers avoided anything that could give away a signal that would lead to the ship's discovery.

But to limit the ship's power production to the point that we can't connect to the V.C. while we are in warp, that's a design flaw! I'll have to make do with the few minutes we spend in real space. A few words with Mom should be enough to keep me rooted.

Yes.

It's just a little more than three hundred days. No biggy. Other people are separated for years from their parents and they survive it too. Like, studying off-planet, or something similar. Aw... but I guess that the two scenarios can't be compared. In such a case there are still lots of different people to talk to. I only have Jill and as much as I got to think of her as my sister over the years, there are limits to how much of her I can endure!

“Three hundred and fourteen days!”