to havoc cruisers about a decade ago. Our planet has an abundance of the primitive fuel they run on, they are cheaper to repair, and they give human females a sense of home.”
“Is that why you use our land vehicles as well?” I said.
“Yes. Our land travel technology was similar to yours, maybe even a little better, but these land vehicles are more familiar to females.”
“You know we use air vehicles now, right?” I said. “Land vehicles are only used by the lowers who can’t afford even a cheap air vehicle on Earth.”
“We know,” Uzel said. “We have begun to replace land vehicles with the air ones as well.”
He started walking again and I followed him. There was a vroha ship in the bay with a large section of its outer shell stripped away. A few Draax were standing in front of the exposed machinery and Uzel nodded to them as we passed by. They barely gave me a second look and I wasn’t the least bit surprised. None of them would be interested in seducing me in hopes that I’d quit my job and pop out little purple or green babies for them.
Galan doesn’t want babies, remember? And he wants to have sex with you.
Eh, the jury was still out on that one. I’d chalk it up to a moment of madness on his part. He was horny and I happened to be there and making it more than obvious I wanted to bang him. It wasn’t surprising that he would look past my skinny ugly body in the moment. But the ease with which he’d disappeared from my life made it even more suspect that he’d ever found me attractive.
“This is the utility room.” Uzel opened a door near the third hangar. “Make certain you do a good job of cleaning. Melu will be displeased if you do not.”
“Dude, I’m gonna clean this floor so hard,” I said before holding out my fist.
Uzel stared at it. “What are you doing?”
“It’s an old school Earth thing,” I said. “Roden and I are bringing it back. You bump my knuckles with yours.”
Uzel bumped my knuckles before glancing at his hand. “I do not understand the point of bumping knuckles, but I will indulge you, human.”
“It’s Ellis, and thanks,” I said. “Now, show me where you keep that mop.”
* * *
Galan
I sat down next to Melu on the bench. He grunted out a greeting but kept his gaze on the waterfall in front of us. The evening was a warm one. The garden was teeming with Draax walking along the pathway in front of the waterfall, but they merely nodded in greeting and continued. Melu was not known for his good humour or his socializing skills.
“How is she doing, Melu?”
A look of begrudging respect crossed his face. “Better than I thought. She works hard, does not complain.”
A caterra bird landed on the branch of a tree close to Melu’s face. He studied its bright green feathers. “I did not allow her to do anything but clean the first few days. I figured she would whine about it, but she did not.”
He reached a hand toward the bird and it flitted off, diving and dipping through the air with an open beak to catch small bugs.
“Have you allowed her to repair ships yet?” I said.
“I gave her a havoc cruiser to work on a couple of days ago,” he said. “She did well with it.”
“Good.”
Melu glanced at me. “I thought you would be at the docking bay every day to check up on her, considering it was your idea to have her work there.”
I shrugged. “There is no need for me to check on her. You are more than capable of keeping track of your workers.”
He snorted laughter. “I am. But if you think I do not see the look on your face when you ask about her, you are wrong, Galan. I may be old, but I have not forgotten what it was like to lust after a female.”
“I do not lust after her,” I lied. “And what is this talk of being old? You are not even forty yet.”
He shrugged. “Too old for the human females to consider me a partner. At least not when they have Draax like you around.”
“When was the last time you went to Earth?” I said.
“Moons ago,” he said. “But I could not tempt any of the females into sleeping with me. They all wanted juice in trade.”
I sighed. “Too many of our kind are