The Luca Luna rocked gently across the ocean swells. The sea was calm, reflecting a symphony of bright colors as the sun went down. Tajlon had spent the afternoon teaching Soshe basic sailing skills. She was an eager student with good instincts. Many years of navigating a small canoe on these same waters had honed her natural talents. She quickly learned everything Tajlon showed her about catching the wind and tacking. A school of dolphins crossed their path, swimming alongside the bow for a while. Soshe leaned over the railing to watch them play.

Nova had curled up for an afternoon nap in the cabin leaving them alone to get acquainted. His empty stomach stirred him to consciousness. “What’s for supper? Not all of us can live on smiles and giggles.”

Taljon looked up and toward the cabin when Nova spoke to him.

“I can spear a few fish.” He replied telepathically to Nova.

“What’s going on?” Soshe asked when she saw his attention diverted.

“Nova’s awake and hungry. I told him I’d get some fish for dinner.”

“How do you speak with him?”

Tajlon hesitated. He didn’t want to frighten Soshe, but decided it was best to tell her the truth.

“Okay, this is going to sound strange, but…”

“I figured that part out already.”

Tajlon laughed. “I’m sure you have.” Soshe laughed too. They had been doing a lot of that together.

“When I was very young, Nova and I both had computer chips implanted in our brains to boost our learning ability. We made this telepathic connection somehow and have been able to communicate mentally since.”

Soshe was quiet while trying to understand the full meaning of what he just told her.

“What kind of chip exactly?”

“Data processing and memory chip similar to ones used in the lab computers. I’ll show you the computer lab when we get back.”

“So, you had brain surgery?”

“Yes.”

“Wasn’t that dangerous?”

“It was, but my dad got the best neurosurgeon on Beldora. He experimented with a chip in Nova first, then his own brain. It worked so well, he decided to implant one in me as well.”

“I can’t believe your mother would let him do that.”

“My mother wasn’t alive then. She died in the tsunami two years earlier.”

“Oh. Sorry. My folks died in that too. I was raised by Lokanne from the age of four.”

"That makes you a couple of years older than me. Twenty?"

"Nineteen."

"But Lokanne died over five years ago, so you've been on your own since you were fourteen?"

"Yes. Most of the islanders moved away, but I didn't want to leave the home I knew."

Taljon was stunned. He couldn't imagine the life she'd led any better than she could his.

“I better get those fish or Nova is going to get a little hard to live with. Let’s anchor off that penisula over there.”

They sailed over to the lee side of the peninsula which offered protection from the ocean currents. Tajlon dug his dive gear out of a storage bin then stripped off his shorts and shirt down to a pair of swim trunks. He strapped on an air tank and vest, before reaching for his spear gun. Soshe was sitting on a chest watching him, a strange look on her face. He knew it wasn’t the dive gear that had her attention, suddenly self-conscious of their mutual attraction. It was his smooth muscled body, tanned and lean, that held her gaze.

"So, you can just swim down and get some fish with that?" Soshe asked pointing to his spear gun.

“Supper is just a few minutes away. I’ll be glad to teach you to dive too,” he said, glad to break the awkward silence.

“Yes. I’d like that,” she answered. A blush rose to her cheeks.

Tajlon secured the anchor and jumped in. The water was warm and inviting. He only had to go down twenty or thirty feet to find his prey. He easily speared a couple of nice sea bass and surfaced. Nova was on deck with Soshe who was setting up the grill on the stern. They cleaned the fish together and prepped them to cook.

“I’ve got it from here,” Soshe said. “I found a few canned goods in your pantry. Sit back and relax while I prepare our feast.”

Nova nuzzled her leg and purred. Soshe laughed. "I don’t need telepathy to know what that means."

* * *

Tajlon put away his gear and went below to put on some dry trunks. He noticed the light flashing on the radio indicating he had missed a call. That would be Jejliard wondering where he was. He’d been busy talking and laughing topside with Soshe and hadn’t heard the radio.

Tajlon put in a call back to Novabase and hoped Jejliard hadn’t sent out a search party for him. Normally it wouldn’t be a problem, but by now Hal would have told his dad he’d gone to Turodey. Under the circumstances Jejliard would be worried because of their recent run in with the alien.

“Luca Luna to Novabase.”

“Tajlon! Where are you?” Jejliard answered.

“Sorry, Dad. I’ve been a little distracted. I should have checked in.”

“Is everything okay?”

“Yes. I’m fine. Nova’s with me…” he didn’t quite know how to tell Jejliard about Soshe.

Jejliard picked up the hesitation in his voice. “And?”

“Just spent the afternoon sailing and only about an hour from home in the cayes now.”

Uncertainty still came through in his voice. “We’re anchored and about to have dinner before we come in.”

“Tajlon, what is it?”

“Nova found someone living on Turodey. We had to convince them to leave, and the best way seemed to bring them with us.”

“What was he doing there?”

"Lost their canoe and got stranded on Turodey several months ago," Tajlon said. "Uh, it’s a she, Dad. A girl. About my age actually. I’ve been teaching her to sail.”

Jejliard chuckled in spite of himself. "Well, that explains everything. I am relieved to know you're safe, son.”

“Could you ask Mara for a guest room?”

“Sure. Whom should I tell her will be staying?”

“Her name is Soshe. Tell Mara she was raised by Lokanne after her own parents died in the tsunami.”

“Mara’s father?”

“The same.”

“This should prove interesting.”

“Yeah, well Mara is sort of her older sister. They should have a lot to talk about.”

“I’ll take care of it. See you at Mara's place.”

* * *

Tajlon plopped a long cushion down on the deck. "Have a seat."

Soshe sat on one end and gave him an inviting look.

"Care to join me?" she asked patting the cushion beside her.

Tajlon smiled and sat down close to her. They enjoyed their dinner while the moon rose over the horizon. He relished Soshe's cooking and unique blend of spices.

"Say, this is really good. What kind of spice is that? Mara will be wanting some."

Soshe laughed. "I'm glad you like it. Unfortunately, I'm almost out. Mostly it's just common herbs you can find anywhere, but one is special. It comes from some far-off islands that are only safe to visit at certain times of the year. I call it the 'lost spice'."

"That's a strange name. Wait... does it come from the Lost Mountains?"

"Yes. Few people have ever guessed that."

"I'm planning an expedition there after my birthday next week."

"Really. What a coincidence." Soshe gave him a suspicious look.

"No. Really. Ask Nova."

Soshe laughed. "I'm sure he'd back you up if I could ask him."

Nova had polished off his meal. He walked past and swatted Tajlon's foot with a big paw before lying down beside Soshe on the other side. She took his head in her lap and petted him.

"Point taken, but I really do plan to go. The sub runs under water below the storms, and I can explore those areas that have been too dangerous for surface vessels."

"The sub?"

"Uh... yeah. It's a ship that travels underwater."

Soshe's smile faded. "You must think I'm terribly stupid. I don't know anything about the modern world."

"No. I don't think you're stupid at all. And only a handful of scientists here know about the sub. It's new to Beldora. I'm giving a demonstration next week if you care to attend."

"I'd like that. Will you take me for a ride on your sub too?"

"Sure. But to be perfectly honest, I'm not sure my dad will let me take it exploring the Lost Mountains. I haven't run that past him yet."

Soshe smiled again. "I'm not sure I'd want to go that far underwater. It sounds dangerous."

"It's a lot of fun. I can't wait to show you everything."

"Do you think I could get a chip like you and Nova someday?"

"I don't know. Shouldn't you think about it a little longer?"

"You didn't. It seems to have worked out well for everyone."

"It did," Tajlon couldn't stop smiling at Soshe. "I'll speak to Dad about it." He started laughing.

"What? What's so funny about me wanting a chip?"

"It's not funny. It's just that I never thought I'd meet anyone like you. You're perfect."

Soshe was lost in Tajlon's smile. Tajlon really wanted to reach over and kiss her. He'd never been this close to a girl before. He leaned toward her and then lost his nerve and leaned back just as Soshe closed her eyes.

Nova got up and tackled Tajlon, batting him with his claws retracted. He pushed him down and sat on him. His full weight of two hundred pounds pinned Tajlon to the deck.

"Okay Soshe. I've knocked some sense into him for you. Come and get him."

"Nova!" Soshe cried out. "What was that all about?"

"Tell her you fool, or I'll throw you overboard."

"Is he jealous of us?" Soshe asked.

"No. He's mad at me for not kissing you." Tajlon sputtered as he managed to get the words past the weight of Nova on his chest.

"You still can, you know." Soshe giggled. "Kiss me if you want..."

"Well, I can't have Nova mad at me..." Tajlon laughed. "And I will kiss you if the beast will get off of me,"

Nova got up and walked away toward the bow. He cast a warning look over his shoulder before disappearing past the cabin.

Tajlon picked himself up and moved over close to Soshe again. She smiled at him.

"I've never kissed a girl before," he admitted.

"Finally. Something I know more about than you do."