"Is this what you eat at home?"
"No, of course not. These are emergency ship rations. An emergency can include the loss of shipboard gravitation, and it is difficult to eat solid food with no gravity."
"What is that you are sucking in?"
He handed her the tube. She tasted it and was shocked. "That tastes just like chocolate pudding!"
"Chocolate? I don't know what chocolate is. This is smashed goigo, a fruit from my planet. Very healthy."
"A planet with a fruit that tastes like chocolate can't be all bad. So tell me about these space emergencies. What can happen?"
"Plenty of things," said Rev. He sat back and looked like he was about to give a lecture. "You're traveling in a tin can through space, and it's a hostile place. Meteors can hit which are bad, but you can usually detect them and avoid them before they become a problem. Micrometeorites are worse. They rip tiny holes in the bulkhead, and your air will seep out. Radiation is always a danger, which is why ships are triple shielded against it. All it takes is failure of a critical system, and you are in a bad spot. That's just talking about natural and mechanical phenomena. That doesn't account for pirates or other criminals that are on the run from the law."
"You mean people like us."
Rev chuckled. "Yes, people like us."
"If we do manage to free your brother and get back to your planet, what can I expect? Are your people tolerant of differences?"
"You mean, will they accept a Terran as the mate of the member of the royal family?"
"Yes."
"As a culture we embrace diversity, but if you suspect that royalty is treated differently, you are right. We have strong traditional elements in my nation, and the ruling family is looked at to uphold traditional values. But remember, Tracy, technically I'm not royalty."
"From what I gather, the Du strongly influences governments under the banner of the Aligned Worlds. How much pressure will they put on your family to give me back to the Aligned Worlds government?"
"I see what you are concerned with now. Tracy, we value family above all things. I can't imagine my uncle giving you to the Aligned Worlds when we are so solidly mated. He would never hurt me that way."
"But Doctor Akar said we had a failed mating."
"I don't believe that, and I never will. Things changed for us while you were in the med bay . Now that I learned they removed your contraceptive, I can understand why. The contraceptives were interfering with our bonding between us."
Rev's face took on a different look.
"That isn't a problem anymore. You can see for yourself that I don't have the same drive to deliver the mating bite. When we arrive on our home world we will visit with the Priestesses of Endra. They will examine my mating claim, and when they return with their verdict, there will be no more questions."
"Who are the Priestesses of Endra?"
"Traditionally, they presided over mating claims, challenges, and rituals."
"Wait? There can be a challenge to a mating?"
"Sometimes family objects, but more typically it is a rival or other party. Challenges from males are more common than females, but it's not unheard for a woman to make a mating challenge."
"We have that too."
"You do?" Rev sounded doubtful.
"Sure, there are all sorts of reality and talk shows that challenge people about their relationships. Some do DNA tests to check paternity of a child, other shows have people compete for a man or woman's affections."
A look of horror spread on Rev's face. "That sounds barbaric," said Rev.
"On my world it is considered entertainment."
Rev had been sucking again on his goiga, but when Tracy said these last words he choked on the paste.
Tracy handed him a pouch of water.
"My word, woman," he said once he had recovered. "What a place you come from."
"Don't judge. At least we don't secure mates by injecting venom in them. What do they do to examine a mating claim?"
"I don't know. It's never happened in my lifetime. Most of us don't follow the old traditions anymore, and the traditions were steeped in secrecy anyway. I know we will spend some time in the temple, both together and apart, while the priestesses apply different tests to our bond."
"That idea seems so strange to me. On Earth it is easy to get married."
"Married? I'm afraid that doesn't translate."
"Two people exchange promises of life-long love and commitment to each other. It's a civil and a religious ritual for some people. It is formalized by the exchanging of rings and vows before an official. It is full of beauty and meaning. People often cry at weddings."
"Sounds time consuming and soggy. I like my way better."
"You would, you horny alien."
"Our ritual is full of beauty and meaning too."
"What is your ritual?"
"We have sex in front of the priestesses."
"What? Oh, hell no. I'm not having sex in front of anybody."
"Why not? Are you ashamed at what we do?"
"No, of course not."
"Then what is the problem?"
"Witnesses. People watching."
"If it makes you feel any better, they are hidden behind screens. It is as if they aren't there, and I'll make you think of nothing other than me."
Tracy gave Rev a doubtful look.
"That doesn't make me feel any better." She sighed. "I guess I have a lot to learn about your planet, your people, and your customs."
"No doubt, but I have no worries about your ability to learn quickly. Now, let's get some sleep. We've had a couple busy days." Rev pulled down a panel in the pilot's cabin that revealed a folding bed.
"What about the ship?"
"It's on automatic pilot. If there is a problem, a warning will sound. Come. The best part of the day is here."
"The best part?"
"Yes, laying next to you and holding you."
"Turn off that alarm clock," Tracy groaned. An insistent buzzing noise filled the cabin. She shook her head and realized that the noise was what the ship's warning sounded like.
Rev lay next to her lightly snoring.
"Honestly!" said Tracy. "Do men sleep through everything?" She shook Rev.
"Rev!" she said loudly. "There is an alarm going off."
"What? Ah, just a second."
Rev woke, sleep still in his handsome brown eyes, and slid off the bed. He moved to the pilot's console where he touched a button to silence the sound.
"It's a distress beacon from another ship." He hit another button and a mechanical sounding voice came through the ship's speakers.
This is an automated distress beacon from Jer'hym trading vessel Ceichis. This is a Code Black distress call. Asking for any or all assistance.
"What does that mean?" Tracy asked.
"I think it means that their propulsion systems failed, and they are drifting in space."
"What are we going to do?"
"Well, we'll see if we can help."
"Help? We're on the run."
"Do you want them to die in space?" Rev asked directly.
"No, of course not."
"We have an obligation to help if we can." Rev pressed some buttons on the control panel.
"This is the vessel Amon Rith. How can we be of assistance?"
What followed was a series of jabbers that Tracy didn't understand.
"Please use standard speech. You are aware Jer'hym does not translate well."
""Yesss. This is sssships Ceichis. Pleassse asssisst. Enginessss not work."
"Is that how they are supposed to sound?" Tracy was shocked at the sounds coming out of the ship's speakers. Rev looked like an alien, but sounded like a person. The noises she was hearing were unlike any language she had ever heard before.
"Yes, they are invertebrates. They can't vocalize the way humanoids do."
"What do you need, Ceichis? We have limited resources."
"Need transsssport. We pay."
"Our next port-of-call is Chougyrc."
Tracy heard more jabbers and hisses.
"Yes. We go there with you."
"Rev? Intergalactic hitchhikers? What do you know about them?"
"Quite a lot, actually. The Jer'hym are an intelligent and peaceful people. Because their environment is weightless, they are naturals at space flight. They come in different colors, mostly light yellow and brown for males, silver and blue for females. Jer'hym have two wings, two clawed arms and four legs. Some people think they look shifty, but that's because their round eyes sit on the top of their heads and move all around three hundred and sixty-degrees."
"They aren't humanoid?"
"Definitely not."
"They sound like a snake with wings."
Rev snorted. "You and your fear of snakes."
"You seem to know quite a bit about them."
"Yes, in my first tracker assignment I was paired with a Jer'hym inspector. She was fascinating to work with."
"She?"
"The Jer'hym are a matriarchal society and females hold the majority of the jobs. In the case we were working, males were abducted for sale to brothels. The males have a unique quality in their singing voices that can bring many humanoids to orgasm by hearing hear it."
"Sounds like the Sirens from Greek mythology back on Earth," said Tracy. "And what about the females?"
"Yes, the females enjoy their singing too, in much the same way."
"That's not what I meant!
Rev chuckled, and Tracy became more annoyed. "Are you bothered by the idea of a Jer'hym female singing to me...before we knew of each other's existence?"
"That's not...I mean...well, I guess." Tracy felt embarrassed. She was never a jealous person, and now she was practically seething at the idea of an alien female singing to Rev. Worse yet, singing to him before he and Tracy even met.
Rev's eyes danced with delight as he studied her reactions.
"Well, the experience is impossible to put into words."
Tracy felt her face flushing.
"You can't," she croaked.
"Nope. It's because the females can't sing a note."
"What?" Then she saw Rev laughing at her.
"You! You're teasing me!"
"I couldn't resist. You're cute when you're possessive."
"I am not possessive. Okay, maybe a little. It's your fault."
"Of course. I have total control over your feelings."
"What? No, you don't."
"Then I can't be held accountable for your possessiveness, right?"
Tracy crossed her arms. "Probably has to do with your alien venom, trying to bind me to you."
Rev smiled. "You are supposed to be resistant to my venom, but maybe Doctor Akar lied about that too.
Seeing the look on Tracy's face, Rev got serious. "Let's see what we can do for the Jer'hym," he said.
It took a few hours to find the Jer'hym craft, but when they did, it was in obvious distress. The long cigar shaped vessel looked broken and part of it was attached at an odd angle.
"That will be a challenge to dock with." Rev remarked.
"Uh huh," said Tracy. She sat in the co-pilot's chair, still a little annoyed with Rev for teasing her.
She sat up and took notice as Rev piloted the transport closer to the disabled vehicle. As the distance closed between them, Tracy realized the Jer'hym ship was much larger than their transport. She wondered how many Jer'hym were on the ship.
"Rev," said Tracy, "That's a big ship."
"Yes, it is a trading vessel. Much of the space is used to carry goods."
"What's going to happen to it?"
"Well, if the Jer'hym are lucky, when we reach Chougryk, they can put in a salvage claim and recover their vessel."
"And if they aren't?"
"Someone will have salvaged it before they file their claim."
"Ceichis," said Rev, "We have visual sighting and will dock with you shortly. Please be ready to disembark."
A high squeal came over the speakers, causing Tracy to cover her ears.
"What is that?"
"I don't know," said Rev frowning. Jabbers and squeals came over the speakers, but finally someone responded in Standard.
"We are ready, Amon Rith."
Tracy watched as Rev carefully maneuvered their small ship to align with the other vessel. Every movement of their ship felt like it took a long time, as if she was watching things in slow motion. Finally, their ship jolted slightly.
"There we go," said Rev with relief in his voice. "Docked. No problems."
"Pretty good, Rev," said Tracy.
He smiled at her. "Thanks! Even experienced pilots have trouble with docking."
Tracy's heart skipped a beat. "Hang on a second.. You're not an experienced pilot?"
"I have a license to pilot ships in emergencies, and I have all the training."
"When you and I have a moment, we are going to have a serious talk about your communications skills."
"Let's go greet our guests first."
Tracy and Rev looked into the airlock expecting to see a welcoming party, but saw nothing.
"I wonder where they are?" asked Rev.
"Rev, I don't like this. Something seems off."
"They are probably just getting their things together. They may have been broadcasting that signal for a long time."
Rev pulled down a space suit hanging on the wall next to the airlock.
"What are you doing?"
He handed her a suit as well. "Suit up," he said.
"Why?"
"Standard procedure in a transfer. Just a precaution in case something goes wrong."
Rev handed her a pair of boots. They looked unusual to her, heavier than the other ones she had seen.
"These are gravity boots. The Jer'hym don't have gravity fields on their ships."
Tracy grumbled as she pulled on the space suit. Nothing about this seemed right to her, but the space cop didn't seemed worried, so she supposed she shouldn't be. He was the one with experience in space, not her.
So what was bothering her exactly?
Rev looked her over after he put on his suit and nodded in approval.
"Looks good."
"Yeah," she said. He put the helmet on her head and twisted it on.
"This suit has three hours of air but we should only be using it for a few minutes."