“Girl talk?” Veera asked idly, her gaze remaining on the doorway where her human had left her. With a sigh, she collected her spare dress from the foot of her bed, leaving the one she’d worn the day before to air out.

‘Unless you’d prefer to stare at the door until he returns?’ Io suggested with a chuckle. Veera looked at the VI, who was dressed in some sort of casual clothing as opposed to the standard military uniform.

“I suppose not. He’s always so big, stupid, and noble, isn’t he?” Veera lamented.

‘You’d rather be out feeding the shen?’

“It’s not that Io, I’m just complaining for the sake of it. He doesn’t seem to realize that most of the reason I look so comfortable in the mornings is because he’s sharing my bed. He’s really quite warm,” Veera confided with a small pout, finally throwing on her garment. Io gave her a sly look.

‘You looked much more than comfortable, if you don’t mind my saying; seductive even. The Lieutenant clearly agreed, as you no doubt experienced. Yet again you surprise me with your boldness Veera.’ Io continued as Veera looked away. ‘Please don’t get me wrong, that was not meant to be an insult. I find your confidence refreshing. It’s just that in light of what transpired between the two of you last night I believe there are some things us ladies should discuss privately.’

“Uh…alright?” Veera settled herself at the foot of her bed so that she could be next to the piece of armor that Io was using to project herself. “What is it?”

‘You wish to mate with the Lieutenant?’ Io wasted no time. Veera gasped and her feathers rioted. ‘Oh, I suppose your bravery on the subject is selective?’ Io teased.

“Well kind of! Yes! I was…in the mood last night,” Veera admitted. “But yes. I do want to become one with him. Maybe not now but…someday.” Io reached out and placed a projected hand over one of Veera’s fingers.

‘I may have come on a little strong there. I am sorry Veera. The reason for this conversation is to protect Russell, as I’m programmed to do. But that involves protecting you as well. Knowing that you wish to mate with him means that there are some things that need to be examined.’

“I’m not sure I like the sound of that,” Veera replied cautiously, remembering how thrilled Io was at the dissection of the chesko the night before. Io nodded.

‘I understand you reticence. I will admit that even I, an entity without a body, find the discussion of your…intimate regions…to be a bit uncomfortable. That said, I think it is wise to ascertain whether or not the two of you are compatible. Wouldn’t you agree?’ Veera was silent for a long moment but eventually nodded.

“I would. It’s not a topic we’ve ever discussed together, but I’m sure he thinks about it. I know that I do. I just don’t think that either of us has been ready to talk. I honestly don’t even know where I’d start,” Veera said dejectedly.

‘That, Veera, is why I am here. It’s also why I decided to ask you about this now, while we had some time alone. I thought it might be a more approachable subject if it was just us girls?’ Veera smiled at the VI’s gesture of kindness.

“You’re right on that count. Are you…” Veera’s feathers began moving rapidly again. “Are you going to show me what he looks like?” She asked intently. Io smirked but shook her head.

‘I suppose I could, but I think that’s better left as a surprise, no? All I need to know is what you look like Veera, and that will hopefully resolve the first issue.’

“There’s more than one?” Veera’s worry grew.

‘Yes, but first things first. I would like to scan you…more intimately,’ Io requested, a blush gracing her cheeks. Veera moved away, casting a suspicious glance at her.

“Why? I mean, I think I understand but is it really necessary?” Veera asked, rubbing her upper legs together. Io sighed.

‘I suppose we could attempt this in a roundabout manner, but I will have to ask you some questions about the anatomy of your species and your mating process. I know from what you’ve told us that female Cauthan bear live young, so I assume your sex organs are on the inside of your body, yes?’

“I think so?”

‘You don’t know?’ Io didn’t bother hiding her surprise. Veera looked at her lap, downcast. ‘Why don’t you tell me what you know about it then?’ The VI encouraged her.

“Well,” Veera began shakily, lacing her fingers together. “A female will arouse a male, like at the festival, right? And then when they’re ready she gets on her knees with him behind her and…he puts his seed in her.” Io’s surprise grew as Veera fell silent, clearly at the end of her tale. She opened her mouth to voice her frustrations but stopped as she beheld the embarrassed look on Veera’s face. She knew that Winters would likely be comforting her in such a moment. As she referenced her information on Veera in the blink of an eye, Io pieced it all together.

‘No one ever taught you.’ Veera shook her head and sniffed.

“I don’t know what to do Io! That’s all I know but Russell has done all these other things to me…with me. All of these wonderful things but what if the time comes and he wants to do something else? What if he wants to mate some way that I can’t?” Io shushed her comfortingly.

‘Now now Veera, please, take a moment to think about the Lieutenant. I know the gulf in sexual knowledge between the two of you is daunting, but has he ever expressed displeasure at the situation? Well, beyond his mild physical discomfort?’ Io asked, giggling at her partner’s situation.

“No,” Veera agreed softly.

‘No, and I do not think he would. What I hope to learn with you today is whether or not such mating is possible. If it is, then I know he will continue with you in the manner he always has, alright?’ Veera nodded. Taking that as a signal of consent, Io took a deep breath and continued. ‘There is a…cleft…between your legs, no? Something separate from how your body disposes of waste?’ Veera nodded again, clearly too mortified to speak. ‘Splendid. In that regard you are most similar to a human female,’ Io informed her, gratified to see Veera’s ears perk up at that news. ‘Do you know its dimensions…roughly speaking? Do you know if there’s anything inside you that might harm the Lieutenant during mating?’ Veera squeaked and shook her head vigorously. ‘You don’t know, or there isn’t?’ Io tried again.

“I don’t really know anything about it.” Veera’s voice was almost inaudible. Io nodded, figuring that was the case. In a society that placed great importance on courtship and mating, but almost none on personal pleasure for either sex, Io found it completely believable that a young woman who’d lost her mother and been spurned by the males of her village would have had no reason to explore that area of her body. “Maybe you should just…scan me,” Veera finally suggested after a long moment of silence, taking the gauntlet that hosted the B-MASS unit in her shaking hands.

‘I will not convey anything of what I learn here with the Lieutenant unless it could harm either of you,’ Io promised, meeting Veera’s eyes. With a nod, Veera stood and tentatively spread her legs, lifted her dress, and moved the piece of Winters’ armor underneath her, holding her breath all the while. Io’s voice reached her ear. ‘Could you…make contact with your body, please?’ With a frustrated growl Veera shoved the cool metal against her, sobbing as she waited for Io to finish. ‘Thank you Veera, you may stop now.’ Io was returned to the foot of the bed with a collective sigh of relief.

“Well?” Veera asked, having never felt so ashamed in her life. Io smiled at her.

‘I’m most pleased to inform you that from a physical standpoint you and the Lieutenant should have no problems mating. I can’t speak to the exact fit, but I confirmed that your womanhood is roughly the same size as that of a human female, perhaps a bit smaller. Much as I apologize for the distress I caused you Veera, the sounds you made during the examination allowed me to determine that there are no…hard points…that could injure him.’ Veera seemed horrified at the idea.

“That’s…that’s good to hear. I guess his manhood is very sensitive?”

‘Last night wasn’t enough evidence for you?’ Io replied with a wink. Veera managed to laugh for a moment before a reserved expression covered her face again.

“You said there was more?”

‘Unfortunately, yes. Fear not though, there will be no scanning.’ Io’s words elicited a sigh of relief from the young Cauthan. ‘During sex, both human men and women produce various fluids which serve to aid the mating process. Male genetic material is transferred this way, as an example.’

“Genetic…” Veera repeated the word, remembering vaguely the lesson about her DNA. “Wait, is that how it works?! The male puts some of his…instructions…into the female?”

‘Precisely Veera. This brings us to the crux of the issue. Though it is sensitive, the Lieutenant’s sexual organ is covered in skin, affording him the same sort of protection there as on the rest of his body. You, Veera, do not have that luxury. If he releases inside of you, your body will, without a doubt, absorb his seed. It will not impregnate you, but your body will still process it.’ Veera’s eyes had grown wider than Io had ever seen them as she spoke about the moment of sexual climax. ‘If you want to think of it this way, your inner walls are likely similar to the inside of your cheeks. It will bring both of you great pleasure, I’m sure, but the fact of the matter remains that if something in his seed is toxic to your body, it will be able to gain entry…’ Veera’s feathers drooped.

“I see what you mean Io. What do you think would happen?” Io held her chin in consideration as Veera took the gauntlet in her hands again, resting Io in her lap.

‘Hello there Veera. The worst case scenario, which is also the least likely, would be death. Between the samples taken from you and from the chesko last night, I don’t see how that could reasonably happen given the proteins I’ve imaged, but I can’t rule it out entirely.’

“Anything else?” Veera asked hopefully.

‘Of course. As I said that was the least likely scenario. The next is actually something that’s documented in human females,’ Io began, noticing Veera cock her head in curiosity. ‘An allergic reaction to male seed.’

“What?”

‘Oh…hrrrm, how to explain? I suppose you could say the body rejects it. If it touches the skin or other sensitive areas like the mouth or throat, it can irritate that surface.’

“Wait wait wait! You said male seed…in the mouth? In the throat?!” Somehow Veera’s eyes got larger still. Io wagged a finger saucily at her.

‘All I’m doing is presenting scientific possibilities Veera. I said nothing about deviant and extraordinarily pleasurable sexual acts involving the use of one’s mouth to bring pleasure to a partner…’ Io explained confidently, though she directed a most impish grin at Veera who looked ready to fall off the bed. ‘Now where was I? Oh, yes, right. Honestly Veera, in all likelihood your bodies will be different enough that you won’t even react to his seed and you’ll have no problems. However, it would be best to do what we can to be sure of this.’ After recovering from the mental image of raking her tongue over her lover’s body low enough to reach his manhood, Veera refocused on the VI.

“What can we do though?” Veera asked, surprised to see that Io was the one blushing.

‘Well, we would need to acquire a sample of the Lieutenant’s sexual fluids and apply it to your body. I would personally recommend the inside of your mouth. Either side would do.’

“Why there?!” Veera shrieked.

‘If something goes wrong, would you rather us poke around in there or between your legs?’ Io asked with a raised brow. Veera slouched, immediately getting the point.

“So…you’re saying I should attempt to bring him to his peak outside of me…and then…you know…”

‘Yes Veera. Alternatively we could just ask him to get himself off. Human males are notorious for pleasuring themselves. I’m honestly shocked that he hasn’t since landing here.’

“They do?!” Veera couldn’t help her inquisitiveness. A general conversation about human men sounded like a wonderfully less awkward way to learn about her own partner.

‘Oh yes Veera. Sex is an immensely pleasurable act for humans, human males especially, as they are basically guaranteed a climax no matter how fulfilling the act is…or is not…for their partner. So if females are unavailable, unwilling, or both, men will simulate the act of sex themselves. I will leave it to you to imagine how…my processors are overheating.’ Io began fanning herself.

“Sorry Io, this was a pretty taxing conversation for you, wasn’t it?” Veera asked, stroking the piece of armor in her hands. Io gave her a warm look, even as her projection was disturbed.

‘Yes, I suppose I did get a bit excited for a moment, but it was mainly an excuse to move to another subject. As I said, the discussion of sex is still uncomfortable for me as well, especially when it pertains to my partner and his lover,’ she admitted.

“You love him very much, don’t you?” Veera smiled as the VI looked away, unsure what to make of the question.

‘I am devoted to him, yes, both by construction and of my free will. That said, I don’t know Veera. I am not sure, even with the Lieutenant’s data, that I understand love well enough to say. He may not be the best at understanding the finer points of the female mind, but his description of love I find to be very apt. It is something so profound that he doesn’t even know how he does it. His body reacts in such a way, and eventually he put together enough environmental clues to come up with a recognition of what love is. Even so, he could never love someone on command. He came to love you over the course of your time together, with all your trials and tribulations.’ Io sighed wistfully. ‘I was never built to simulate love, so I must first understand it fully before I am able to feel it. I am not sure I will ever succeed.’ Veera held Io up to her face and booped her with her nose. After flailing about for a moment, Io projected herself hugging Veera’s muzzle.

“Thank you Io, for everything. I’ve never had a big sister before; someone to, you know, talk about this stuff with. Thank you. I’ll try to help you out in exchange, even if I’m not sure what I can do!” Veera promised, causing Io to stagger back a couple steps.

‘A…sister?’ Io asked breathlessly. Veera closed her eyes and nodded happily.

“Mhm!”

‘Then I promise the next time we have girl talk we’ll not speak of boys at all! Thank you Veera, and please do not hesitate if you have any other questions about mating that you might be uncomfortable asking the Lieutenant.’ Veera was about to convey anew her heartfelt appreciation to Io when Winters burst through the doorway with a triumphant grin on his face. He was burdened with at least a dozen eggs between his hands and the myriad pockets on his clothing. Io was absolutely certain that if there had been a door in his way, he would have kicked it in.

“Who’s ready for breakfast, Winters style!”

‘Oh mein Gott,’ Io groaned, giving Veera a knowing wink before she killed her projection, allowing the two of them to begin their day together. She whispered into Veera’s earpiece. ‘Let’s do this again sometime.’

-----

“So, what did I miss?” Winters asked cheerfully once he’d gotten a fire going. He was pleased to see that Veera and Io were getting along, but he certainly hadn’t expected to return to find Veera holding the B-MASS to her in such a way.

“Oh nothing much, just a little bit of girl talk. Is there anything I can do to help with breakfast?” Veera deflected, easily changing the subject. Winters, however, was not to be denied.

“Is that so? What about?” He asked again, raising his eyebrows at her.

‘That’s classified sir. You should know better than to pry into the private conversations of the women in your life,’ Io admonished him from atop the bed with a wave of her finger. He chuckled.

“Very well, I’m clearly outnumbered here.” He looked back at Veera. “Is everything alright? Are we ok after last night?” He wanted to make sure. She smiled and nodded.

“Yes Russell, I promise. You need no concern yourself. Now please, focus on breakfast. I find myself quite hungry in spite of your insistence that I allow you to prepare our meal.” She stared at him kindly, hoping to convey that she was truly alright and that she trusted him enough to come to him with questions or concerns. Regardless of his level of comprehension, Winters nodded back. “I am excited to try another one of your breakfasts.”

“Not mine, exactly.” His smile turned nostalgic and his eyes softened, a look Veera had come to know meant he was thinking of home. She waited for him to continue. After a moment’s look to the side, he continued. “My dad did this a lot, back when we were all kids at home, before my sister and I went off into the military and the other two began their careers. He was never a good cook really, certainly not when it came to lunch or dinner, but for whatever reason he loved breakfast, and was damn good at making it too.” He began rummaging around the new cookware that Veera had acquired, muttering about how they still didn’t have any good plates. “Hey, how many eggs did you want?” He called over his shoulder.

“Uh…three?” Veera replied, wondering what he was going do to prepare them this time. She continued to watch as he set aside multiple bowls next to the low cooking fire. One contained six eggs, another contained a large slab of salted meat that Winters had cut from the stomach of the chesko the night before, it was marbled with fat and looked absolutely wonderful to her, even raw. He’d also collected some bread, his knife, some salt, and a couple of dato. “So your family bonded over breakfast?” Veera asked, wondering if there was more to his story.

“Yeah, I think that was his goal. None of us ever wanted to miss it, for sure, but that was mainly because of the food, you know? I think we all realized once we weren’t together anymore just how much it meant to us. When we got older we’d all pitch in a bit, dad would play his favorite tunes, mom would finally get a break from, you know, being a mom. Gave her a chance to catch up on her reading or just sit out on the porch with a cup of tea and relax,” Winters’ tone was heartfelt, but melancholy.

“You’re wondering if you’ll ever see them again?” She spoke tenderly. He nodded, even laughing a bit in the face of cosmic irony.

“Yeah, it’s funny though. Right now, they probably think I’m somewhere halfway to home, maybe a little less. No one will have even the faintest idea that something went wrong until deep into winter, maybe even spring. It would be another year after that until they even have a chance to know if their son is alive or dead.” Winters paused his preparations as a bout of fear caught up with him, causing him to sigh deeply. His discomfort drew Veera to him, where she knelt at his side and placed a comforting arm around his shoulders.

“I’m so sorry, my love. I won’t lie and say that everything will be alright, but you know you don’t have to face it alone,” she promised him.

“I do. Thanks Veera. Sorry for letting my emotions get the better of me. Today’s supposed to be a day of triumphant celebration right? Fresh food, new pelts, maybe pick up some items from the temples-”

‘New batteries,’ Io chimed in, waving at him from her perch. He acknowledged her with a thumbs-up.

“Right you are Io. I’m sure we’ll have time to make the trip today. In the meantime, do you think you could get some music going?” His request had Veera’s feathers waving lightly in anticipation. Every time he’d played music for her she’d learned something new and experienced new sounds. She hoped today would be no different.

‘Of course sir, did your father have any particular tastes during his breakfast preparation?’ Io inquired, wanting her partner to recall his past with something other than wistful regret. Winters considered the question, bringing a hand across his chest to hold onto Veera’s, which still rested on his shoulder.

“It was mainly classic rock. The Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, Boston, The Rolling Stones, that sort of thing. We always would give him so much flak over his singing, but I think mom found it endearing,” he remembered. Veera couldn’t help but be envious of Winters’ parents. She may have just been hearing the good, but it sounded as though they’d created a loving home for their children. Io wore a thoughtful expression as thousands of albums flew past her, randomly spitting out tracks that she assembled into a list.

‘I hope you enjoy sir.’ Io waved to them as she disappeared, leaving a do not disturb sign as well as some z’s in her wake.

“What does that mean? I recognize that rune. It’s the last one.” Veera mentioned, leaving his side and moving over to where Io had just been.

“You got it Veera, that’s z. If you link a few of them together like that, it’s meant to evoke the sound of someone snoring in their sleep.” Veera giggled.

“I’m very glad you don’t snore.”

“So am I love, believe me. Seems like Io still has a lot to process after last night.” Winters stood and beheld his various materials, seemingly satisfied that all preparations were complete. He looked over at Veera. “Would you mind hitting that sideways triangle above where Io used to be? That should get our music started.” With a playful smile Veera complied, emitting a small cry of happiness as a much more natural guitar chord reached her ear.

“Hmm, Hootie and the Blowfish

eh? Nicely played Io. Unorthodox, but not bad for breakfast,” Winters mused to himself as he sprang into action, humming and singing under his breath as he went about making what he hoped would be the best breakfast Veera had ever had, at least in recent memory. Having been expressly given the morning off, Veera allowed herself the comfort of laying on the bed again, turning so that she could watch her human as he worked. With what looked like practiced ease, he split each egg open, raw, and collected them in one of their bowls, setting the shells aside. Veera was curious as to what he might do with them, as she’d only ever seen raw eggs used at the bakery before. She would have to wait, however, as Winters shifted his attention to the dato, slicing them into small cubes on a piece of leather that he’d chosen as a makeshift cutting board. Setting those aside as well, he finally began to carefully slice off thin strips of chesko bacon from the slab of meat he’d so lovingly taken care of the night before, laying each one into Veera’s cooking pot, which he’d set over the low fire. The sizzling sound of fat was quickly followed by a most delicious smell that made Veera’s stomach growl and nose twitch with delight. As the song changed, Winters began nodding his head to the beat

, salting the eggs and whipping them together with a wooden fork, turning the initially distinct eggs into a uniform yellow liquid. He paused for just a moment, turning his head to meet her hawk-like gaze.

“You’re unbelievably cute when you do that, you know?” He teased, looking up at her tail which was lazily flicking back and forth behind her. Veera felt his words warm her insides.

“And you’re proving most attractive as well darling. I can’t wait to taste it all,” she encouraged. He developed a proud look on his face.

“Right you are my lady, let’s see how we’re doing in here.” He tore his eyes away from her and peered into the pot, finding the strips of chesko frying nicely in their own fat over the fire. He turned them over using the fork and his knife and added the dato, rewarded with a sharp increase the noise of sizzling breakfast. He drew his head back quickly as some of the fat began to pop and boil. “Woah, there we go! Alright, we’re cooking with gas now.”

“Huh? Cooking with what?” Veera asked, cocking her head delightfully at him.

“Human expression, don’t worry about it. Most of our cooking technology involves lighting flammable air on fire in a controlled setting. Some of the newer stoves use tech that I don’t know much about. I never liked it much. Couple times I used it I always burned my eggs,” he grumbled, returning to his task while Veera shook her head at the idea of some sort of box that produced fire from air. It was yet another aspect of his world she figured she’d never understand unless confronted with directly.

“Alright, these are looking almost done. So out they go! Man it’s been so long since I had real bacon!”

‘That is not a pig, sir.’

“Go back to sleep Io. Let me have this moment.” Io gave them a short laugh before disappearing again, leaving Veera to study Winters and his movements.

“Letting them cook the rest of the way out of the fire?” She asked.

“Exactly. The fat gets very hot, traps a lot of heat, so even when you take them off the fire there’s still a bit of crisping that goes on. Looks like the dato are getting along nicely as well, though they’ll take a bit longer. Want a piece while it’s piping hot?” He grabbed a piece and blew on it for a moment, hoping to cool it down for her. He had no idea what the actual heat tolerance of Veera’s mouth was. She roused herself from the bed and joined him on the floor, extending a hand to him. With a nod, he turned over the bacon and returned his attention to the pot, continually stirring and moving the dato so that they browned evenly in the bubbling fat, managing to find time to cut a few slices of bread and leave them on the hot stones surrounding the fire to toast. As he stood and moved to put his gloves on, Veera made a most interesting noise, something between a moan of satisfaction and a grunt. He spun quickly to look at her, finding an embarrassed pair of eyes staring back at him but no bacon in sight. He raised an eyebrow at her.

“That was…divine,” she whispered. “Is understanding the preparation and cooking of meat some sort of tradition amongst humans?” Winters and Io shared a chuckle. He knelt before her and caressed her head softly.

“I’m glad you liked it Veera. And yes, I suppose that among my people you could call it a cultural tradition of sorts, a set of skills passed down from father to son. The thrill of the grill, we call it.”

‘Oh you’re just full of it today,’ Io opined, projecting herself sprawled out as if hanging lazily off some invisible couch. ‘Veera, much as I want to tell you he’s wrong, he’s not actually wrong. He’s just very self-satisfied right now.’ Veera beamed at the two of them as Winters removed the pot from the stove and carefully laid it on the dirt floor. After a few moments he’d managed to scrape out the fried dato while leaving enough fat to cook the eggs. Veera couldn’t help but crowd him and stare over his shoulder as he poured the mixture of eggs and salt into the pot, beginning to stir immediately. Veera’s ears and tail subconsciously twitched back and forth to the beat of a new song

as she watched him work, marveling at how the eggs solidified and were immediately turned over, allowing more liquid egg to touch the hot cooking surface.

“Stand back Veera, sorry, but these have to come off the fire right now,” Winters cautioned, tipping the pot over in the dirt and scraping out the last bit of their breakfast into a third bowl. After quickly distributing half of each portion to Veera and giving them both a couple pieces of toast, he grabbed his own bowl full of breakfast and sat on the floor with a happy sigh. “You ready?” He asked his girlfriend with a wide grin, most pleased at what he was able to achieve in their primitive kitchen.

“This smells amazing Russell, what do you call it?”

“Well, what I did to the eggs is called scrambling them. It’s honestly one of the easiest and most forgiving ways to make eggs, but even then there’s a bit of an art to it, what with making sure they don’t become too dry and all. That cut of meat, if it came from an animal on Earth, would be referred to as bacon. As for the dato, we call that home fries.” Figuring that was adequate explanation, Winters dug in, finally sating the hunger that had been building in his stomach. “Oh man that’s good!”

“Don’t talk with your mouth full, I don’t want to see that!” Veera playfully admonished him before daintily picking up a piece of dato and sampling it. The explosion of flavor and texture on her tongue was just as magnificent as the bacon had been. For most of her life, her family had used that cut of meat in stews or boiled with egg. Both were delicious, but somehow her human had managed to coax out even more flavor from the meat using his methods, not to mention then preparing both the dato and the eggs in whatever fat remained. With a most contented sigh, Veera joined Winters in silent consumption of breakfast, happy to have again seen a bit of his domestic side. When they were finished, she offered to clean the dishes. Winters was hesitant at first, but didn’t put up much of a fight when she insisted. Taking the moment for himself, Winters laid down on the bed as Veera departed, hands behind his head. It’s certainly no state of the art kitchen, but if I can manage that on my first try…maybe this won’t be so bad after all, he reasoned, idly watching Io’s ‘screensaver’ float above his armor.

“Hey, Io. You got a moment?”

‘Of course sir, what is it?’ She asked, appearing in a pair of slim fitting sweatpants and her familiar tank top.

“Sorry to wake you, just wanted to ask real quick. You and Veera…”

‘We did not discuss anything vital to the mission or that would be of your immediate concern sir,’ Io informed him with a stern look. ‘Please sir, do not pry further. I am sure Veera will tell you when it is relevant.’

“Alright, fair enough Io. I know you’d never put any of us at risk. I’ll remain in the dark then,” he tried, hoping to make her feel a bit guilty. Io nodded curtly.

‘Excellent. May I return to standby?’ Winters laughed at her casually defiant attitude. She was feeling anything but guilt.

“Of course Io, sorry to bother you.”

‘It’s no trouble sir; please wake me when we arrive at the pod.’

“You got it Io, enjoy your downtime.” He leaned back again as Io vanished, blowing out a long breath. So…matters of the female variety then, Winters concluded as his brow furrowed and he recalled Veera’s advances of the previous night. Her inherent dichotomy had shown itself anew, seductive and innocent, forward and nervous. As Veera returned to exchange clean dishes for the dirty cooking pot, he looked at her fondly, taking the moment of her distraction to really look her over. The answers he was looking for were not forthcoming, even as she left him in solitude again. He looked to the ceiling and wondered. “I suppose I always have enjoyed a challenge.”