Delivery to Nimbus X: Part 4
By: Eric S. Piotrowski
Tags: Roman Feuilleton, Space Travel, Serial, Fiction, Science Fiction

Dactyl released the carbonator on a canister of Cherry Nitrous and poured it into two tumblers. Hess watched with eager eyes as the red liquid splashed into the hard plastic cup. “Cherry Nitrous,” Dactyl said, holding the canister up and gesturing with his left hand.

“Erry I-russ,” Hess said, smiling.

“Cherry,” Dactyl tried, dragging it out.

“Erry,” Hess said, eyes curled in concentration.

Photo by Lucrezia Carnelos on Unsplash

Dactyl looked around and shook his head.

Chirwa sighed and walked over to the countertop. He held up the hard plastic tumbler. “Cup,” he said.

“Cup,” Hess spat back. “Cup, cup!” It reached out with all three hands.

Chirwa raised an eyebrow and looked at Dactyl. “If I didn’t know better,” he said, “I’d think he’s developed a chemical addiction.”

“Whatever,” Dactyl said, and took the cup. He handed it to Hess, who poured it vertically into its mouth, gulping it away in seconds. With closed eyes, Hess lolled its body back and forth a couple of times and made a hissing-purr sound.

It placed the tumbler on the countertop and said “Cup!”

Dactyl smiled. “Later,” he said, and patted Hess on the top of the head.

“Disgraceful,” Fetu said from the dining table. It had made the spot an office of sorts, writing in its notebook for much of the time they spent flying toward the Nimbus system. Chirwa once asked what Fetu was writing, only to receive a curt answer about corporate records.

“Oh shush,” Dactyl said, walking toward the navigation station. He paused and held his own cup toward Fetu. “Do you want some?”

Fetu gave a weak chuckle. “No thank you,” it said. “This ‘beverage’ corrodes the insides and rots the mind.”

“Not like this nutritious health food we’re transporting,” Chirwa said, jerking a thumb toward the entrance to the cargo hold.

Fetu blinked at him. “The products we are delivering have been certified — ”

“Fecal fornication,” Khopesh cried from her seat at the main control bank. She turned to face them. “You wanna be a drug dealer, fine.” She spread her hands. “But don’t give us a bunch of crap about how safe they are.” She rose, walked to Dactyl, and took the cup from him. “And don’t chastise our crew with lectures about their drink of choice.” She took a sip of Cherry Nitrous and immediately spat it onto the floor. “My mouth!” she yelled. She barely managed to get the cup back into Dactyl’s hand before she collapsed and spat twice more onto the floor. “What is in that garbage?”

Chirwa laughed and retrieved a towel. He dropped it onto the floor and Khopesh moved it around to soak up the mess. “Weren’t you just requesting an end to lectures about dietary choices?”

Khopesh heaved with a hand over her mouth and stood up. She gave the towel a few more wipes with her foot, then kicked it toward the laundry nook. “That was before I tasted it,” she said.

“How have you never had this before?” Dactyl asked, and took a swig.

“Cup,” Hess said. Dactyl patted him on the head.

“I don’t know,” Khopesh said. “I’ve never liked sweet things, so I figured it wasn’t my jam.” She scowled at the drink in his hand. “I didn’t expect it to be so … acidic.”

Dactyl sat down at the nav station and took another swig. “More for me,” he said.

He loaded up the spaceship game and scanned his list of contacts. “No one around,” he said to Hess, who peered up at the screens with wide eyes. “Just you and me.”

“Oo an ee,” Hess said.

Dactyl smiled. “That’s right,” he said, and launched a small solo vessel into the void of space. “Let’s go find some raiders to fight.” He paused and pulled out a folder from his file drawer. He laid out three maps and produced a marker. He numbered them and showed them to Hess. “One,” he said, handing him the first and pointing to the numeral. “Two,” he said, passing the second and pointing to it as well. “Three.”

Hess stared at the pages and looked up at Dactyl. After a moment, it held up the first map. “On,” it said. “Oo,” it chirped, lifting the second. Then, with a grin, it held up the third. “Ee.”

“Three,” Dactyl said slowly.

Hess hesitated. “Ree,” it said, straining to produce the digraph.

Dactyl smiled. “Close enough,” he said. He looked at the nav screen for the game and held his hand out. “Gimme map two,” he said.

“Oo!” Hess cried, and put the second map into his hand.

“Yes!” Dactyl said. “Hi five.”

Photo by Denny Müller on Unsplash

Hess stared at his hand. It reached up slowly, took the second map back, and put it into Dactyl’s open palm. He laughed and set the map down. Then he took Hess’ middle hand and held it up. He awkwardly shuffled it toward his left palm and connected them. “Hi five,” he said again.

“I hive,” Hess said.

Dactyl nodded, and dropped his hand. Then he swung it up again and said “Hi five!” Hess pushed his middle hand out and they slapped.

“Yes!” Dactyl said. He ignited the FTL boosters and his ship took into a neighboring system.

“Ess!” Hess said with a grin. It studied the names on the first and third maps. After a moment, it walked toward Fetu. Its stride was timid and slow, testing the space between them for danger. As it got within earshot, it said a few whisper-words.

Fetu gave a harsh guffaw and waved its hand, then said a single whisper-word back.

Hess didn’t have eyebrows, but the top of its head folded in on its eyes to produce a kind of scowl. It said another stream of whisper-words and gestured twice to Dactyl as it spoke. Fetu shook its head and responded with a few more whisper-words. They continued the exchange for a moment, Fetu’s harsh tone eventually softening. Then Hess said one last string of words and Fetu froze. It narrowed its eyes and pulled its antennae back over its head. Then it removed a device from its belt and tossed it onto the floor. Hess made a joyful sound and scooped it up.

It returned to Dactyl’s area and sat on the floor. It pressed the device to the first page and it beeped. Then the word “Andromeda” issued from the gadget.

Dactyl looked down and smiled. He glanced over to Khopesh and Chirwa, who nodded with intrigue.

“It reads words on the page?” Khopesh asked Fetu.

“Yes,” Fetu said, and continued writing.

“Andromeda,” the device said again. Fetu hissed a string of whisper-words and Hess replied with one. When it pressed the device again, it said “Andromeda” much more quietly. Hess moved the device to a different spot. “Cassiopeia,” the device reported. It repeated this process four times for each name, and continued around the map.

One hour later, Dactyl was sweating as the virtual missiles flew around the screen. “They’re getting away,” he cried. “We gotta follow them into Canis Major.” He held his hand out. “Gimme map two.”

Hess handed him a page. “Ree,” it said, looking up hesitantly.

Dactyl froze and took the page back. He held it up and scanned the names. “Holy crap,” he said. “You’re right. It is map three.” He gazed at Hess with something like wonder. “Where is Triangulum?” he asked.

Hess instantly pushed the first map toward him. “On,” it said with a grin.

“Hess!” Dactyl cried. He wrapped his arms around the creature’s squishy body and squeezed. He plated a kiss on his head and nuzzled into him. “I love this guy.” He let go and sat back, then watched as Hess lolled itself back and forth, emitting the hiss-purr sound.

Fetu grumbled.

Khopesh tapped some lights on the main controls and sighed. “Okay, crew,” she said. “We better turn in. Tomorrow we reach the Nimbus System.” She activated the holographic viewscreen and a cluster of planets floated into view.

“Should be an interesting day,” Chirwa said.

Dactyl was fixated on his virtual space battle. “I gotta finish this,” he said.

Khopesh approached the station. “We need you sharp tomorrow,” she said. “You need sleep.” She glanced down at Hess, who was feebly waving the remaining map page at her, scowling, as if to move her back. She chuckled. “Is he your bodyguard now?”

Hess hopped back and pointed to Dactyl. “Ee an oo.”

Dactyl glanced back at him. “Yeah,” he said. “Me and you.” He put up a hand. “Hi five.”

Hess tapped his hand and waved the page at Khopesh again.

She held up her hands in surrender. “Okay,” she said. “I’m going.” She stepped back. “Don’t hurt me.”

Hess watched her go and said “Ee an oo” again quietly.

Photo by Jp Valery on Unsplash

After wiping out two swarms of Zentreli warships, Dactyl yawned and headed toward the crew quarters. He pulled off his cap and ruffled his hair. “See you tomorrow,” he said to Hess. Then he paused and looked back. Hess was standing to the side of the nav station. It glanced at Fetu, who was stretched along the side wall across from the cargo hold. Dactyl scanned the room and thought for a moment. “Uhh,” he said finally. “You wanna sleep in my bunk?”

Hess blinked at him.

Dactyl put a hand out and waved toward himself. “C’mon,” he said. “This way.”

Hess gave a little smile and trotted toward him. They entered the dark room, where Khopesh lay asleep on the bottom left bed. Dactyl moved slowly to the top bunk and pulled Hess up after him. They nestled together, Dactyl wrapping one arm around Hess’ soft body. He gave a relaxed sigh and looked over to see Chirwa, reading with a tiny light over his page, give Dactyl an intrigued grin.

Dactyl glanced at Hess, then back at Chirwa. He half-shrugged, as best he could in his cozy position. Chirwa gave an approving shrug of his own and returned to the page.

“Ee an oo,” Hess said softly as he drifted off to sleep.