The monkey-mammal girl stood alone in the waiting room of response-ship dock D-Twelve on Satamia Star Station. She could see the spherical ship Manessa Kwi, through the clear walls, as it carefully entered the blue and purple docking fingers. A moment later, the boarding tunnel began moving toward the ship.
Ashley was excited about having lunch with her friends, and felt no need to hide her facial scars, as the crew of the Manessa Kwi knew all about the events, back at Lyceum on her home planet, that had caused those scars.
But she frowned when suddenly, just as the boarding tunnel made contact with the golden ship, several people from the medical center came striding into the waiting room, some with floating stretchers. She quickly stepped to the side, out of the way.
She was still having a little trouble thinking of birds and reptiles as
“people,” but it was getting easier, especially because most of them were smarter than her, and nearly all of them far more experienced. She loved her new home so much that she was determined to succeed. Anyway, she had always had a hunch that people — that is, human beings — weren’t quite as important in the universe as they liked to think. Now that she was here, she knew her hunch had been quite correct.
The huge spider, last to enter the waiting room, caused Ashley to swallow, but she quickly noticed that it was in charge of the medical team, and even Dakalio, the only human healer on Satamia Star Station, was listening
carefully to the spider’s instructions.
As soon as the ship’s hatch opened, stretchers floated in, and soon came out with bandaged ursines and avians. A reptile who walked upright came next, supported by Healer Dakalio, its arm in a sling and a bandage on its head.
The spider quickly examined each person with the help of a hand-held instrument, then waved them along.
Finally, when all the healers had departed with the wounded, the crew of the Manessa Kwi emerged. None were injured, but they looked like they hadn’t slept, eaten, or washed in days. They hardly noticed Ashley and flopped onto couches or the soft floor itself, sighing or moaning with relief.
Ashley was suddenly very glad she had chosen the Education Service instead of the Transport Service.
A few minutes later, a large beetle arrived with a tray of nutrition drinks.
“I’ve marked Manessa out-of-service for a day,” he said.
“Thanks,” Kibi said from the floor. “The ship needs everything.”
“We do too,” Sata said from a couch, reaching for a cup. “Hi, Ashley.”
Seeing that the crew had no other immediate needs, the beetle departed.
Ashley noticed there were seven drinks, wondered how Nebador . . . um, people . . . always knew these things, and grabbed one. “Looks like you guys had a tough mission.”
“It
wasn’t
supposed to be,” Ilika said from a couch, his head nestled in a pillow.
Boro, still on his back on the floor, sighed. “At least no one died.”
Rini chuckled. “I think they came close a couple of times.”
“Too close,” Mati declared before taking a long pull from her drink.
“You’re pilot, next hard mission, Boro.”
He swallowed. “Um . . . that’s fair, I guess.”
Rini laughed again. “Yeah, next time we get another Education Service mission, we’ll know to stock extra medical supplies!”
Ashley’s eyes snapped open wide.
After a Satamia day of rest, the crew was busy cleaning and re-stocking
their ship, chatting about tense moments during the previous mission as they worked, when Arantiloria appeared and swirled into her purple-haired human form.
“In a few days, you have another Education Service mission . . .”
Boro moaned from the floor as he guided a hovering machine over the blood-stained carpet.
“. . . but this one should be without any dangers or injuries.”
“Whew!” Kibi breathed from where she sat on the galley counter, unloading boxes of food packets.
Ilika poked his head out of the toilet room, long-handled brush in hand.
“That’ll be a nice change.”
“But there is some training I want you to complete,” the spirit continued,
“before you get that easy mission, training that will — what’s that saying from Sonmatia Three? Oh, yes — curl your toes.”
Sata slid out from under the navigator’s console. “I knew it was too good to be true!”