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Tolly and Hazenthull’s Private Quarters


“What is that?” Haz asked.

Tolly jerked. He’d been studying the thing in his hand so hard that he hadn’t heard her come in. He threw a grin over his shoulder.

“You tell me,” he said, and held his hand out to her, fingers spread, and the pod resting in the middle of his palm.

She considered it for a long moment.

“It looks like the fruit of the Tree Clan Korval keeps, on Surebleak.”

“Well, it’s the fruit of a tree that’s traveling in Bechimo. Could be it’s related to the tree on Surebleak. Cap’n Theo said something about not being as fine an interpreter as Val Con.”

“I have heard of this,” Haz said. “Why were you given a fruit?”

“That’s an innerestin’ story,” he said, sagging back in his chair. “You’ll remember how I was telling Cap’n Theo that we ain’t family, though we share some starter-genes from the Old Universe.”

“Yes.”

“She tells me that she told the tree I’m not related, but the tree made up its own mind—” He met Haz’s eyes. “I’m told it does that a lot. Get the sense Cap’n Theo don’t approve of plants deciding for themselves.”

He looked back at the pod. It was warm against his skin, and greener than he remembered when he’d caught it and stuffed it into his pocket. Then, it had given off a mild, minty scent. Now, the scent had intensified. Not minty, anymore. Or at least, he didn’t think so. Now, it just smelled like the thing he wanted most to eat in all the universe.

“Tolly?”

He shook himself, and met her eyes.

“Long story short, it smells great, and I really want to know what it tastes like.”

“That’s easily accomplished. Do you want me to open it for you?”

“No!” His breath caught, his palm tingled, and then, right then, the pod fell into neat quarters.

Get up now, Tolly Jones, and pitch that thing into the recycler, he told himself, somewhere between panicked and stern.

Instead, he picked up the first quarter and put it in his mouth.

The pod gave him a jolt, like a hit of stim, almost immediately followed by a warm easiness. He ate the rest like he’d been starving, and when they were all gone, he sighed, sated.

Haz regarded him blandly.

“Is all well?”

“Far’s I can tell,” he said, getting up and depositing the pod’s skin in the recycler.

He turned and grinned up at her.

“So, got plans for the off-shift?”


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