“Duly noted for next time.”
“What makes you think there’ll be a next time?” He turned his focus back to the ventilation ducting and used a folded piece of paper to fan the nauseating aroma deeper into the ship. Terrifying as it was, the idea of the pale scientist sticking around had a certain appeal. At least until he remembered that he wasn’t the sort of person who got close with people.
“Simple. Your captain’s not an idiot.” She stopped the conversation long enough to call “kitty kitty” into the crawlspace before looking over her shoulder and catching him staring. “There’s more than a million credits worth of felines on board this ship. Your captain is mercenary enough to know that selling even one would keep you flying. Someone needs to keep them healthy enough to sell, and you’re the doctor. Ergo…” Her hand waved in the air as though batting away the implied end of the sentence.
Layth failed to keep the wince off his face. She was likely right; not that he had any experience with veterinary medicine. Or that Captain Barnes would care what he knew. “How much do you know about feline biology?”
“Food goes in one end. Waste comes out the other.”
He groaned. “That’s not especially helpful. I thought you worked with them.”
“I’m a geneticist. I just sequence their DNA. I don’t know anything about them above the cellular level.”
He found it hard to believe that someone on the cutting edge of genetic science could write of their work as just DNA sequencing. It wasn’t his line of work, but Layth had no doubts that Meja had enough letters behind her name to challenge a Scrabble board. He scratched the back of his neck and peered into the ventilation. He thought he’d seen a flicker of movement.
“How about you?”
Her question made Layth replay the conversation in his head, so he could provide an answer that made sense. They had barely been on the ship an hour, and already the felines were ruining his concentration. “Mammals share a broad set of similar characteristics.”
“Meaning you don’t know much more than I do.” He could hear her smile in the lilt of her voice. The slight teasing sent a frisson of electricity over his skin.
“Meaning you have to get special consideration to work with cats or dogs, and I had no intention of pursuing that as a career. I’m trained in healing people. Some of that knowledge applies equally to cats. I have no understanding of the various species-specific diseases they might be susceptible to however.”
“We breed out genetic disorders at the molecular level,” she countered. “And fortunately, the lack of cats for several generations means there are relatively few parasites that attack them directly at this point.”
He started to answer when one of the kittens crept forward to sniff curiously at the bowl full of paste at the mouth of the ductwork. At first it looked suspicious, then tucked into the food with a quiet mrrp of satisfaction. It really was a lovely animal; Layth could understand why people could become so attached to them.
Behind him, Meja inhaled as though about to speak. He waved a hand to silence her. Grabbing the cat, which she was sure to recommend, would only panic the animal. He put his hand just inside the ventilation, where the cat could see it. After the animal had finished eating, it prowled forward to sniff at his fingers.
Layth tried to remember anything about cats and what they enjoyed. He settled for gently rubbing one ear, and the kitten rewarded him with a loud, rambunctious purr. He smiled. “Is that so? That’s good?” He mumbled nonsense, working to keep his voice calm and low, so as not to alarm the animal. As gently as he could, he slipped his other arm behind the cat and pulled it closer.
The cat laid against his chest and continued to purr happily. The soft rumble vibrated against him, noticeable even through the heavy layers of clothing he preferred. He stepped back from the vent, and Meja leaped up to put the cover back on the possible escape route.
“Well, Doctor. That was impressive.” She held up a hand. “Wait there.”
Before he could object, she ran from the med bay. Not knowing what else to do, he took the cat to the scanner table, and using a free hand, he connected his omni to the larger system. The kitten stretched out on the table, flexing its small paws and yawning. He continued petting her and reached over the edge of the table with his other hand to start the scan. The kitten ran warm—he’d guess in the low forties. Enough of a difference that the table shouldn’t have any trouble separating them out, even old as it was.
Meja skidded back around the corner carrying what looked like a small vest in one hand. “What are you doing?”
“I’m scanning to make sure she’s all right. Where did you run off to?” The tattoo on the inside of the cat’s ear identified her as 0511-B. He sniffled and rubbed the back of his hand against his nose. Perfect. A cold was the last thing he needed. No one appreciated how much human physiology relied on gravity to make normal, everyday processes work.
“I had to grab the harness for her. Otherwise how would we get her back to her brother?”
“I assumed you’d carry her.” The table beeped quietly, and Layth scanned the readout on his omni. Or tried to. His eyes had started watering, and he had trouble focusing despite repeated attempts to wipe them clear. He lifted his hand from B’s back, and the kitten immediately jumped up to bat and paw at his fingers until it returned to petting. “Though I suppose I could.”
“Are you okay?” Meja looked concerned, and for a moment he was touched by the interest, before he remembered to step away. She was only temporary after all.
“I’m fine, just…” He rubbed at his eyes again. “Actually, no. This is terrible. My eyes won’t stop burning, and it’s making them water, which means my nose is running, and…”
Meja sighed. “Do you keep an antihistamine of some kind?”
He thought. “It should be there. Third cabinet, top right.” At least if he hadn’t sold it yet. “Why?”
“Oh, for all the— “ She shook her head and went to the cabinet. “You’re allergic.”
4
“I can’t believe you didn’t realize you were allergic.” Meja wanted to keep the laughter out of her voice. Layth looked absolutely traumatized by the whole experience. While his sniffing had mostly stopped, his eyes were still puffy and red in ways that she doubted would pass the notice of anyone on the crew. Especially the sharp-eyed captain. Meja hadn’t decided what to make of her yet. The crew she’d surrounded herself with were eclectic, but they seemed loyal to her and to each other, and that spoke volumes about Captain Barnes’s character.
“It’s not like I’ve ever been around a cat to know.” Layth sounded as if he’d been gargling acid. “If I knew the sort of people who could afford a cat, do you really think I’d be working on a…” he paused, as though thinking how to complete that sentence before settling on, “…with a team of independent long-haul operators?”
She dropped the cat in her room and slid the door shut before either of the cats could escape. Once they had all three, the job would get harder, but for now her room would have to do. She followed Layth back to the medical suite. “You can say smuggler, you know. I’m not going to think any less of you. Hell, you’re technically smuggling me.”