“Where were you all night?” Eva asked.

Camellia opened her eyes to an argument.

“I was with Benham,” Meladee said.

Camellia lay in bed and tried to hold on to her dream. She listened to the argument at the end of her bed.

“You shouldn’t sleep away from us,” Eva warned. “You have no idea what these men might plan.”

“Yeah, I do. I know exactly what they have planned. And, you know what?” Meladee paused. “It’s not a terrible, immoral thing.”

“Do whatever you want as long as you don’t delay our getting help for Iruedim.”

“We’ll get help. Look, we need to hang around and learn about this place. And, it’s better to do it with locals, considering I saw a couple get arrested yesterday for hopping a checkpoint. We have no idea what we’re doing. We could make tons of mistakes and never know it. We should follow their lead.”

Eva fell silent.

Camellia sat up in bed. By the couch, she saw Meladee and Eva. Eva stood with her arms crossed, and Meladee just waited.

Camellia remained quiet and thought, So, Meladee saw something of this Finial too.

“Meladee’s right.” Camellia slid out of the sheets. She knew she should raise concerns about the Finial but felt too tired to address it specifically. “We need chaperons – at least for a while. And, she can have sex with whoever she wants. Let’s not be late for breakfast. We did make a promise.”

In one of the pools, Meladee and Benham played. While they splashed each other, the ceiling overhead simulated mid-morning. The pools had yet to attract a lot of guests, and they had a small one to themselves.

“Stop! Stop!” Meladee squealed. She held up her hands to block Benham’s powerful splashes.

He swam over, keeping his stroke smooth. As he tread water, he put his arms around Meladee. “I win.”

Meladee smiled, but she couldn’t maintain the expression.

“What’s wrong?”

“I’m just thinking about my planet’s problem. Eva scolded me this morning for goofing off.” Meladee frowned. “She’s right. We really have to do something.”

“Tell me. Maybe, I can help.”

Meladee studied Benham and deemed him sincere. “Alright. But, you have to promise you’ll keep it secret.” Meladee cocked her head as she rethought her request. “On second thought, no one’s going to believe you. You can tell anyone, and they’d just think you were crazy or a liar.”

Still, Benham promised, “I won’t tell anyone.” He waited.

Meladee glanced around to ensure no one could hear. She floated close to Benham. “If you want to unknow this whole story after you hear it, remember it’s not my fault.”

Benham nodded and put his head near hers.

“We come from a planet called Iruedim. Don’t look it up because you won’t find it anywhere. Our planet has a little problem. Let’s call it an infestation.” Meladee paused as some kids passed their pool. “This infestation is like...a giant monster that can get as big as a continent. Probably bigger. The thing communicates telepathically, and that part is no fun at all. It has a cult following – the baby one does. Did I mention that? There’s an old monster and a baby. They hate each other. The old one is huge, but it’s kind of trapped. No one is really in danger from it yet, with the exception of its willing robot hostages. Any day, the baby could get free, and it’s converting more people to its cult. It’s only a matter of time. We need to get rid of it ‘cause you can imagine what living on a planet with that thing is like. We came here hoping to find help.” Meladee stared at him. “Are you keeping up?”

Benham’s mouth hung open. “Yeah. I understand what you’re saying. I’m not sure I believe it. I don’t really know you well enough to tell if this is a joke or if you’re serious.”

“It’s both.” Meladee stared into his eyes. “I’m serious. Nothing I told you is a lie or even an exaggeration. It’s a joke too. A joke that I have to put up with this kind of crap in my lifetime, and it’s already getting old.”

“So...where is your planet?” Benham asked.

A couple of kids watched them from the water. Meladee knew they couldn’t have overheard. Maybe they can. I have no idea how well they hear. Eh, their nightmares aren’t my problem.

“Let’s go somewhere else,” Meladee said.

As dinner approached, Camellia’s stomach growled. She and Eva followed their dates to an upscale restaurant, a long, multi-floored room. Each table had a view of a massive window, studded by the stars. The lowest floor housed a mere thirty tables. The upper floors had even less seating. Each table had its own space separated from others by painted screens and plantings.

On the third floor, Amantius choose a place in the corner. He offered Camellia a seat by the rail, closest to the view of stars. Eva also took her place by the rail and looked down on the diners below.

Amantius moved his chair close to Camellia and wrapped his arm around her. She stared out the window and let him stroke her hair. She couldn’t decide if she liked it or not.

Camellia looked across the table. Fotis gazed at Eva. He tried to scoot closer, but Eva just moved her chair against the railing and looked over.

Camellia sighed. In Groazan, she said, “I know it wasn’t your idea, but you shouldn’t put your disdain on display.”

“I’m not disdainful. Just uncomfortable.” Eva crossed her arms.

“Eva, they’ve paid for our meal. They’ve paid for everything. We don’t have much choice. All he wants is to sit close to you.” Camellia set steady eyes on Eva and waited.

Eva scooted her chair closer to Fotis.

Fotis smiled and nodded appreciatively at Camellia.

“People from her culture take a long time to become friendly,” Camellia said, not sure if it was true.

Fotis nodded again, and before he put his arm around Eva, he waited a few minutes. When he made the move, Eva let him, but she didn’t look happy.

The group sat quiet and watched the stars. Camellia laid her head back on Amantius’s chest, forcing herself to give him what he paid for. She tried not to pretend she was with Adalhard, but she had to admit the fantasy added comfort to her situation.

Amantius is handsome and good, cheerful company. I should let myself enjoy him. Gradually and mournfully, she foisted Adalhard from the fantasy and replaced him with the reality of Amantius.

As they waited for their dinner, Camellia spotted Eva’s miserable face.

She smiled. A second time, she spoke in Groazan, “You look so miserable.”

“I’m not certain, but I may be composed of twenty percent misery.”

Camellia laughed and earned a smile from Eva. “Me too. Just please pretend.”

Eva nodded. “But, no bedroom activities.” Eva gave Camellia an almost accusatory stare.

“No, of course not.” Camellia shook her head.

One quiet and uncomfortably cuddly dinner later, Meladee had not returned.

The men offered to walk Camellia and Eva back to their suite.

They exited the elevator onto a quiet upper deck and strolled towards a large, dark lobby. On the ceiling, red and pink stars shone among swirls. Neon lights glowed in the shapes of seductive men and women. They beckoned visitors into dim lounges beyond the lobby.

Eva and Camellia exchanged a glance. Camellia couldn’t help feeling that the place was somewhat familiar.

“Ah’nee’thit’s love temple,” she said in Groazan. “This place reminds me of it.”

Eva nodded.

“What was that?” Amantius asked, bowing his head to hear Camellia. “You’ve had a number of private conversations tonight.”

“Sorry. I was just wondering about this place.” Camellia gazed into the lounge, decorated by pictures of strapping neon men.

Gazing back she saw beefy male robots, with soft flesh and bright realistic eyes. She turned her head and, on the other side, saw their feminine counterparts. Camellia slowed her step and looked at Eva.

Eva mirrored her wary expression.

“Relax. They’re just companion androids. For when you can’t find a date to bring back to your room.” Amantius glanced into both rooms. “I guess they look a little scary when you don’t know what they are. Not a whole lot of reasons for people to stare at you from the dark. Don’t worry. You won’t be needing their company.” Amantius squeezed Camellia’s arm.

She tried not to look at the sexy robots, but Eva stared in open disgust. Luckily, due to their height, neither man caught Eva’s frown.

The quartet exited the love lounge and walked the hall.

After a couple turns, Amantius stopped. “Your suite is a bit further, but we can stop at ours. Maybe, see if Meladee and Benham are there.”

“Okay,” Camellia agreed slowly.

Eva stiffened.

Amantius and Fotis led the girls into the suite. The cabin consisted of five rooms: three bedrooms and a bathroom off the main sitting area. From the sitting room, Camellia could peer into each bed chamber.

“Meladee,” Eva called.

“Not here,” Fotis mused. “Maybe, we should call Benham again. It’s not like him to disappear so completely.”

“The same is true for Meladee. I’d like to check our cabin, and if she’s not there, I want to search for her.” Eva turned to the door.

Camellia made to follow.

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“How about you and Eva search for Meladee and Benham, and Camellia and I wait here. We can try to reach them.” Amantius pulled out his communication device and dialed Benham.

“I think you should come,” Eva said in Groazan. She gave Camellia a meaningful gaze.

“You’re probably right.” Camellia recognized the setup. Her heart started to beat fast, and she felt queasy.

Fotis didn’t understand their words, but he must have caught their meaning. “Come on, Amantius. We can’t wait here. Everyone will be more relaxed once we find Benham and Meladee.”

Amantius frowned. “Alright. Benham isn’t answering.” He stowed his communication device and followed the others.

Eva grabbed Camellia and pulled her out of the room. “I’m not a sex bot. We need to lose these men, whether they help us find Meladee or not.” Eva whispered her entire statement in Groazan. She switched back to Ganden and said, “We go back to the ship, and I can use some tools to track Meladee.”

“Or we ask an information desk.” Camellia looked down the hall and tried to remember where she would find the closest one.

“I’ll check your suite,” Fotis called. He handed Eva a communication device and hurried off.

“We’ll check our ship,” Eva told Amantius.

Amantius spread his hands. “I can ask at information, but I want one of you to come with me. You can give a better description.”

Again, Eva stiffened.

“I’ll come,” Camellia volunteered, feeling wary. She promised herself that if she was wary, nothing would happen. She followed Amantius, noting Eva’s uneasy glance as she walked away.

Eva hoped Camellia would take care of herself and not cave to Amantius’s amorous advances. She hurried to Half-moon. She walked through the busy decks, but once she reached a clear corridor, she ran. She kept the pace slow, like an organic. As she trotted through the lobby, she increased her speed, moving like a champion organic sprinter. Inside the hall of ads, she ran at synthetic speeds. In a mess of color, the ads blurred by.

She slowed and entered Half-moon’s bay. The door stood open, which suggested Meladee had returned to the ship. Eva ran up Half-moon’s ramp and entered the storage deck. She walked to the ladder and listened. Before Eva could call for Meladee, she heard her own name.

“Eva?” Meladee’s voice asked, not from above but from among their boxes.

Eva searched the cargo bay and found Meladee and Benham amid open crates.

“What are you doing?” Eva strode towards the two.

“We have a problem.” Meladee replaced a lid on one of the crates and climbed over to reach Eva. “There is a piece of that monster on the outside of the ship.”

“What? We cleaned it so thoroughly. How could there be?”

“I don’t know. I put a freeze spell on it, but it’s got this weird shell. Nothing seems to work. I even tried some of the Agaric Healer spells that Ah’nee’thit wanted me to use. Nothing. Nothing works.” Meladee glanced at Benham.

The man seemed stunned, but he kept searching the crates.

“Do we have anything we can put it in?” Meladee asked.

Eva raced among the boxes and searched their labels. When she found a promising inscription, she popped open the lid. “I’ve never seen the flesh form a shell. Maybe, it only occurs during space travel. I should have a compression box around here somewhere.” Eva rummaged through the crate. “Yes.” From inside, she pulled a sturdy metal box, with two handles. Eva ran to the ramp and grabbed a scraper tool.

Meladee and Benham followed. Meladee soon overtook Eva, ready to point out the offensive piece of flesh.

“Right here.” Meladee pointed to the hull, near one of Half-moon’s extended support struts.

Eva got close, circled the support, and searched the hull. “Where?”

Meladee came closer. “It’s...gone.”

“That’s not good, is it?” Benham looked all around the docking bay and pointed at a small maintenance bot. It slipped into a service hatch. “That robot is a cleaner. It might have taken the...monster flesh.”

Eva ran to the hatchway. As Eva knelt by the hatch, she set down the compression box.

“You won’t be able to open that,” Benham warned. “The cleaners have special codes to get in and out.”

Eva ran her hands over the service hatch. She found the seam and stuck her scraper under. She pried the scraper back and forth, and gained some leverage. Then, she employed her synthetic strength to tear the hatch open.

“What species are you?”

“I’m a robot.” Eva crawled into the tunnel, dragging her compression box. Her petite form had plenty of room to move. She heard the others follow behind, not sure if Meladee or Benham came first. The trio crawled through the hatch, with Eva in the lead. Eva listened. Then, she crawled quickly after the hum of a small engine.

“Will the cleaner store the flesh or discard it?” Eva asked.

“Their entire bodies are trash cans, so it’s probably going to store it, until it gets full,” Benham called ahead.

From the sound of his voice, Eva determined that Benham was last.

“Then, let’s catch it before that happens.” Eva crawled fast and outpaced her organic companions.

“Fuck. That’s creepy,” Meladee swore in Tagtrumian as Eva left them behind.

The hum and light of a spell followed Eva. Meladee probably planned to track her.

“More magic,” Benham said in awe.

“Yep, there might need to be a lot more of that tonight,” Meladee promised, sounding distant.

Their voices faded, and Eva glimpsed the cleaner bot as it left the tunnels. Eva slid out of the maintenance hatch, pulling her box behind her. She saw the cleaner bot enter one of the bathrooms. Eva stopped, realizing that she must be near the lobby. No one would arrive or depart for hours, and the hall seemed empty. In the glistening white corridor, Eva peered down the hall and confirmed that the lobby was just outside. She plunged into the male bathroom, glancing briefly at the penis on the wall.

Eva rarely ventured into bathrooms. Still, she could tell that this bathroom was more than the average collection of toilets. She crept past the garbage chutes and opened one. It was empty, and Eva worried she had missed the bot. But it never came out, she reminded herself. She strode through the double rows of stalls. Sit-down toilets lined one side, complete with seat adjusters. The other row of stalls just had sleek little holes in the floor.

Eva stopped. From the final stall came the whir of wheels, and Eva knew she wasn’t too late. The little bot exited the stall and rolled her way.

“I’m afraid you’ll have to come with me.” Eva blocked the cleaner’s path. In one hand, she held the compression box, letting it dangle by a handle. In the other hand, she raised the scraper.

The cleaner, a rotund little trash can on wheels, looked side to side. There was no escape.

Behind Eva, Meladee and Benham entered.

“This is it?” Meladee sneered, gesturing to the men’s bathroom.

“Ah, Meladee. Perfect timing.” Eva pointed at the cleaner. “Silence or freeze it. I don’t care which.”

Meladee complied. She conjured a dual-ringed magic circle, which hummed around the cleaner for just a moment. The blue glow faded, and the cleaner rested under a sheen of ice and frost.

Benham watched.

Eva handed the compression box to Meladee. With scraper still in hand, Eva strode to the wheeled garbage can and pried open the lid. She looked inside, careful to keep her distance.

Among little bits of paper and discarded food items, Eva saw a hard, black shelled, lump of flesh. The exterior shone, but over the perfect surface, Eva saw some telltale cracks.

Eva closed the lid and picked up the cleaner bot. “I’ve never seen flesh like this. Let’s get it back to Halfmoon.”

Despite Benham’s protests, they crawled back through the service hatch. Once they arrived at Half-moon, Eva worked to set the cleaner right.

“Those two guests were last seen going to the docking bays,” a silver robot informed Camellia.

Amantius smiled. “So, they went to your ship. Eva will catch up with them. I hope she doesn’t interrupt anything.”

He tried to catch her eyes, but Camellia just looked down. She remained silent, feeling numb.

“What’s wrong?”

“Benham wouldn’t do anything bad to Meladee, would he?” Camellia wondered if he would try to take Meladee on his ship. If that happened, would Meladee know to resist? Would she have enough warning?

“No, of course not. You don’t think I’m going to do anything to you, do you?” Amantius asked.

Camellia paused. She glanced up at Amantius. “No... I’m just worried about my friend.” For the first time, Camellia reached for his mind. She found him easy to read and glimpsed her role in his perfect evening. In a shallow puddle of water, she saw herself under him.

Amantius frowned and shook his head. He’d felt her intrusion, so Camellia retreated.

Amantius rubbed his forehead. “Do you want to go back to my suite?”

He tried to take her arm, but Camellia pulled away.

Amantius sighed. “You don’t want to. Dammit, Benham ruined the mood.”

Camellia shook her head. The mood had never been good. She thought back to their swim sessions. The water was deeper than she’d thought. The smell different from Iruedian water – chlorine Amantius had called it. Camellia had clung to Amantius. He mistook her fear for affection, and every time they swam, she stifled fantasies of Ah’nee’thit or Ul’thetos below. Worse, Camellia had tried to banish memories of her father’s lake, recently replayed for her profusely by Ul’thetos. She should have said something. She shouldn’t have done something that made her so uncomfortable for Meladee’s sake or this man she didn’t know. And, of course, there was Adalhard.

“I have to go..”

Amantius growled. “I’m never going to let Benham hear the end of this.”

Camellia trotted down the hall.

“Hey! Wait a minute.”

Finally familiar with the Galactic Enchanter, Camellia ran for Halfmoon. Amantius gave up the chase early, and she took an elevator all the way to the lower decks. Though she was alone, the space felt tight, and Camellia paced.

When the doors opened, Camellia ran out. She walked through the lobby but raced over the threshold, into the docking bay’s hall. Camellia passed the ads, briefly registering the one for the tentacle garden. She reached Halfmoon’s bay and ran to the ship’s open hatchway.

As she climbed the ladder, voices echoed from above. Camellia crept onto the uppermost deck and found the lounge empty. The voices came from the cockpit, several steps ahead – Meladee’s, Eva’s, and Benham’s. Camellia sought the back of the ship, where their sleeping quarters lay.

Camellia turned for her door but glanced back. She moved quick and quiet, but with her eyes turned away, Camellia didn’t see the lounge table. She bumped it, and it made more noise than she thought it had any right to.

“Camellia, is that you?” Meladee called. Her footsteps approached. “We tried to reach you, but Amantius said you ran off.”

“It’s me. I’m just going to the bathroom.” Camellia ran to the back of the ship, found the living quarters, and shut herself in the bathroom.

“Must really have to pee.” Meladee’s voice sounded close. “We’re up front when you’re ready to join us.”

Camellia could have called back, but she didn’t. She sat on the toilet and put her head in her hands. Her heart pounded, and Camellia rode waves of dizziness. She waited, vaguely worried that the others might come looking for her. Before anyone tapped on the door, her heart calmed and her breathing too. Camellia took the opportunity to summon calming images: fluffy barometz, Benji sans fangs, chocolate...Adalhard.

God, not this again. He is not calming. He is not a therapy tool, and he’s not your particular friend. Camellia felt her anxiety rise, a distant buzz growing closer. She stopped her negative stream of thought. But, it’s okay to think about him. It’s okay to be a little stuck on him. Camellia breathed and prepared to leave the room.

“Are these people equipped to handle that kind of specimen?” Eva asked, staring skeptically at Benham.

“They handle everything from viruses to super bacteria, ooze, and growing rocks.” Benham pointed at Eva’s pressure box. “I think they can handle that.”

Eva looked at the box.

“Man, I thought we were thorough.” Meladee shook her head. “What if there’s more of that stuff?”

“There isn’t. I just searched the ship again. If there was any more, I would have found it.” Eva crossed her arms and considered for a moment. How had the flesh gotten on the outside of the ship? The bots had cleaned it. She had checked their work. The flesh could grow fast, but not that fast. And, not in space. When they fled, they must have picked up new flesh from the attacking tentacles. Eva frowned and looked at one of Halfmoon’s panels. “The hatchway is still open. I’m going to close it now that Camellia is aboard.” She reached for the switch and flipped it.

As the ship closed, Halfmoon rumbled.

“If I didn’t see that, I would never have believed it,” Benham repeated, wide eyed. “You don’t think any got away? You cleaned the trash robot well, right?”

“I did. I should have just destroyed it, but I don’t want to commit a crime under the Finial’s rule. It was a small robot, and I’m positive there’s nothing more. Without the larger creature, the flesh is not sentient. It just grows. Maybe, it would have turned necrotic without sufficient tissue and environment.” Eva paused. A thought nagged at her. “The only thing that worries me was that black shell. I suppose the flesh creates it for space travel. When it warms up, it cracks off.” But, the flesh didn’t do the same during Winter, so why in space? Eva hoped Benham’s friends could give them answers. She needed them.

“I wanted to stay the full three days. Maybe, let Camellia have a look around, but I think we have to go. I thought she might have liked that library, but it kind of sucked for anthropology anyway. Just entertainment stuff.” Meladee sighed.

“Entertainment is useful for anthropology,” Camellia said as she slowly entered the cockpit. “I could learn a lot about their cultures from their entertainment. Why do we have to go?”

Meladee took a deep breath, “Here’s everything you missed. I told Benham about our little problem. He suggested we go to the library. It was all just fiction, really not useful for defeating monsters, but Benham said we could use the computers to look up more information and maybe contact someone. Some xeno whats its...”

Meladee paused and waved at Benham.

He took over, “Xenobiologists. Sometimes, when work is slow, I volunteer to guide academic groups. I remember working with an adventurous group. They wanted to study living, growing rocks. It sounded similar enough to your problem. We got their information and returned to the ship to give them a call.”

Meladee spread her hands as if she described a fish she caught. “That’s when we saw it. This giant, disgusting, black-shelled barnacle on the hull of Halfmoon.”

Though he raised his eyebrows at the dramatic retelling, Benham nodded along with the description.

Meladee continued, “I panicked and froze the monster flesh with a spell, but it wouldn’t freeze. Then, Benham and I raced all around the ship looking for more – inside and out. He was a big help. Didn’t need much direction on what to look for at all.” Meladee gestured to Benham.

“I’d just seen it,” Benham murmured, smiling slightly at Meladee’s showmanship.

“After we were sure there wasn’t more, we ran inside to find something to help remove it. That’s when Eva showed up. She got this box and scraper tool. We ran outside, but the barnacle was gone. Some little robot took it. We caught the robot, cleaned the robot, and put the flesh in the box.” Meladee pointed at the compression box. “Now, it’s great because we have a sample to take the xeno guys.”

Camellia frowned. “We brought some of that thing with us? We shouldn’t have come here.”

A part of Eva agreed, but instead, she soothed Camellia. “No harm was done.” Harm could have been done, but Eva had prevented it. Her next sentence sounded more confident. “And Meladee is right, this little development has worked in our favor. The xenobiologists can help us better if we bring them a sample.”

“So, we just go there now,” Meladee said. “Benham is going to guide us.”

“Right.” Camellia took a deep breath. “It’ll be fine.”

Eva nodded along. “Yes, it will.”