Wistful Ascending by J.C.M. Berne

Author:J.C.M. Berne [Berne, J.C.M.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: The Gnost House
Published: 2020-09-05T06:00:00+00:00

He was pulling through his airlock when his comm played the song he associated with Tamara’s comm. Rohan took a quick glance at the time. It was just past five in the afternoon. He tapped to answer.

“Hey. Everything okay?”

“Hello. Yes, everything is okay. Should it not be?”

“It’s just early. I mean, for you. I thought you’d still be asleep.”

“My sleep was interrupted by pleasant dreams. Of you. Now I will ask if you are all right.”

“Oh, sure. Everything’s fine.”

“You do not sound fine. Are you sure?”

He let out a long breath. “Yeah, just had a tiring day. I brought in a ridiculously massive ship just now, and I was afraid I’d tear an arm off Wistful if I made any mistakes. That thing must have had its hold filled with a neutron star.”

“Yes, we were waiting on a large shipment of machine parts. They would be very dense.”

“Yeah. And I got roped into this confrontation with Doctor Stone, who wants to try opening the wormhole or something. It was just . . . uncomfortable. I guess I’m a little tense.”

“Do you . . . need anything?”

“Nah. Actually, is Rinth up? I have something for him.”

“Not an Ursan war gauntlet, I hope. He will destroy my apartment if he runs around with such a thing.”

Rohan chuckled. “No, no. Something safe and harmless. A toy from my childhood that I thought he might like. I had it made, wasn’t difficult.”

“He should be getting up soon. He’ll eat and be outside if you want to see him. Within an hour.”

“Great, great. I need time to get it anyway.”

“Are you sure you are all right?”

He hesitated. “Yeah, just stressed. Sorry. Will I see you after your shift?”

He could hear her smile over the comm.

“I will check my busy social calendar and let you know.” A pause. “Ah, here we are. Yes, fortuitously for you, I am free in the morning.”

He felt himself smiling. She seemed to have that effect on him. “Great. We can have breakfast. We’ll go to your favorite place. They can meet your boyfriend.”

“Boyfriend? Did you say ‘boyfriend’? I fear my Drachna does not cover this word.”

“Oh, sorry. Boy toy? Paramour? Lover? I’ll say it in Fire Speech if you’d like.”

“Wait, you speak the Fire Speech?” Her voice carried genuine surprise.

“Actually, yes. I picked it up on Earth.”

“That’s quite rare. Will you teach me?”

“I wish I could! You have to be very good at it to actually teach someone else, and I’m not that good. I can barely speak it. I can’t read it at all.”

“Hm. Still, I am dating a man who speaks Fire Speech. This is very dangerous, yes? I can ask you to say anything in it and you will be unable to lie.”

“Hmm. Maybe I should have stopped bragging while I was ahead.”

“Oh, no, this is good. ‘Why are you late, Rohan?’ No more, ‘I was held up at work.’ Now I will hear, ‘I was out drinking with boisterous male friends.’ Or, worse yet, ‘I was drinking with boisterous female friends.

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