Serac had told her that instead of downloading the languages they needed straight to their brains, Antareans always wore translators. Their mouths couldn’t make the sounds needed to speak most of the more common languages in the Coalition. It was freaky—and kind of cool—to hear both sets of sounds at once.
“We thank you for—” The tall Antarean’s antennae stiffened suddenly and she took a step back.
The other two turned to her with obvious concern. Their eyes turned yellow as all three looked at Serac.
“For…for your shipment,” the Antarean finished, in a small voice.
Serac held completely still, hands at his sides. Kimmy could sense his anguish, that longing rising up in him again. Alien or not, the need to be accepted seemed to be universal.
Kimmy stepped forward and held out a hand. “Hi,” she said, as brightly as she could. “So, this is Serac, who apparently didn’t think to introduce himself and I’m Kimmy. I’m from Earth. I hear you guys are really good friends with my people. I hope we can be friends as well.”
“I… Thank you?” The lead Antarean shifted her attention to Kimmy, antennae twirling.
Kimmy wasn’t sure if she wanted the Antarean to take her hand or not. When she reached out, Kimmy repeated, “Don’t freak out. Don’t freak out,” over and over in her head.
The Antarean’s hand…claw-thing actually felt nice. It was cool and kind of velvety. She gently shook Kimmy’s hand before pulling back.
“An Earthling?” the Antarean asked. “We were not expecting an Earthling.”
Kimmy leaned close. “I bet you weren’t expecting a Centauran, either.”
All three Antareans let out a little hissing noise. They held their arms together in front of them—and they had a lot of arms—and bowed.
“It’s understandable,” Serac said. “I used my captain’s code, and he is Lyrian.”
“Yes,” the leader said. “We were expecting Craig or Barbara.”
“I follow their son, Hank.”
Kimmy wanted to cover her face with her hands. Serac had all the salesmanship of a brick wall. He was standing like a soldier or a guard or something, his expression stern. No wonder Dean had used Serac for the intimidation factor—but that wasn’t serving anyone now.
How could she ease the situation? They’d been expecting a Lyrian. Maybe something else from Lyra would help.
“We might not be Lyrians, but we do have this little guy.” Kimmy reached up under her hair and pulled out Payback. The parcel wrapped three of his hands around her fingers, holding on tight as he gazed at the Antareans and chittered.
“A parcel!” The leader clapped several of her hands together, her eyes beaming blue again. “I’ve never seen one before.”
“Well, this guy is as friendly as can be,” Kimmy said. She cradled him closer and started tickling his belly. “He loves tickles.”
Payback perked up when he heard the word. He looked around, then leaped onto the Antarean.
Kimmy panicked. What if tickles were some sort of insult here? What if Antareans didn’t like them?
“Payback, no,” Kimmy shouted.
He was already wriggling his fingers against the Antarean’s…carapace. She cocked her head, her body arching a bit away from the parcel. She made a little tittering sound.
“I’m so sorry,” Kimmy said, trying to grab Payback.
“It is…not unpleasant.” The Antarean plucked Payback from her side with one of many, many arms. She began petting him, and he cooed and leaned against her. “I would not say it was pleasant, either, however.”
“Serac told me parcels are really good at finding nerve clusters,” Kimmy said.
“I didn’t know that parcels ever left their Lyrian families,” the Antarean said, her eyes turning a deep magenta that matched Payback’s fur.
Kimmy leaned forward and mock-whispered, “I think I’ve been adopted.”
The Antarean’s antennae kept shifting between pointing at Payback and then back to Serac. Kimmy wasn’t sure she’d quite won them over yet.
“But I guess we should get back to business,” Kimmy said.
The Antarean handed Payback over, then turned to Serac, clasping her hands in front of her. Her antennae now pointed straight at him, though she kept her head somewhat bowed.
In a booming voice, Serac said, “We offer this shipment as a show of good faith.” He gestured at the antigrav pallet.
Oh boy.
She was really going to have to work with him on his business presentations.
“Craig and Barbara are occupied assisting the Department of Homeworld Security on Earth,” he went on. “We would like to take over their trade routes to bring you the supplies you need.”
The leader looked to the other two Antareans. Their eyes strobed and their antennae twirled and twitched. Kimmy was sure they were having a conversation—and a heated one at that.
“Your offer is most kind,” the leader said.
Kimmy sensed a but, and not a good but. She didn’t give them a chance to turn Serac away.
“Isn’t it?” she said, stepping between the Antareans and Serac. “Serac has been explaining everything to me, and I’m just overwhelmed at how much you all look after each other. The cooperation between…” Dangit, what was the word?
“Sentients,” Serac helpfully offered.
“Sentients,” Kimmy said. “Right. Your cooperation is inspiring. It gives me hope for our future, knowing that Earth is working with such selfless and generous people.”
She stepped back to stand by Serac, looping her arm around his and hugging it while leaning close into his side. She cast the biggest, brightest smile she could at the Antareans.
“You…” the leader began. “Your pheromones… You are mated.”
Kimmy could feel her cheeks heat. Her smile probably dimmed a bit, but she knew it was more sincere.
She looked up at Serac, and said, “Yes, we are.”
“The bond is new,” the Antarean said.
“Umm… yes.” Kimmy’s face must have been bright red. What else could the Antareans sense?
“This is to be celebrated!” the leader said. “A union between an Earthling and a Centauran is surely a sign of peace.”
“I hope so,” Kimmy said. “But we have a long path ahead. And speaking of that, as much as we’d both love to stay here and celebrate, we should be heading back to Earth.”
She let go of Serac’s arm and then gently steered the antigrav pallet closer to the Antareans, figuring they probably didn’t want him getting closer. As soon as it was in reach, the lead Antarean opened it. Her eyes turned bright blue as she saw the shipment they had brought.
Kimmy had never thought that anyone could be so excited over dirt and seeds, but all three Antareans gathered around, their hands clasped solemnly in front of their torsos.
“Our scientists will begin replicating the microbiomes present in these samples immediately,” the leader said. “Between that and the seeds, we should be able to increase our planetary food production to the point of self-sufficiency once more. You have done our people a great service.”
Where did they get their food if they couldn’t grow enough of their own? Was the Coalition helping them?