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aboard my ship. The intimidating glare that accompanied this directive had Ava s fellow
passengers each nodding vigorously. The Drell scurried over to one of the chairs, climbed
up in it, and folded his furry hands in his lap. The Kitnocks both cracked their knuckles a
few times but otherwise remained silent.
The captain s pretty tough, huh? Ava remarked as Dax and Waroun departed. Taking a
seat near the hatch, she set her bag down beside her. My name is Ava, she said by way
of introduction.
I am Teke, said one of the Kitnocks.
And I am called Diokut, said the other.
At first, given that they were both wearing identical red body stockings, Ava couldn t tell
them apart, but upon closer observance, she decided that Teke must be older than Diokut;
the tiny tufts of hair sticking straight up from the top of his head were a salt and pepper
mixture, whereas Diokut s hair was red and not just auburn either. It was really red, like a
candied apple. Their skin was a sickly-looking greenish brown, but she knew from
experience that this was typical and not indicative of illness. She wasn t so sure about the
Drell, who identified himself as Quinn.
Quinn was covered in coarse, unkempt gray hair that grew all the way down to his feet,
and since the only thing you could see on him were his eyes and his mouth, he had no
need of any clothing whatsoever. Even his hands and feet were hairy, and as smelly as he
was, if it had been Ava s ship, she would have scanned him for parasites before allowing
him to board. She was trying to decide how to casually request that he have a bath when
the engines fired up. After only a brief warm-up, the ship lifted off from the docking bay.
Ava hadn t been on very many starships, but this one definitely had the smoothest ride of
them all. The various ornaments didn t budge a bit.
They hadn t been airborne for long when a dome-shaped droid with numerous arms
hovered in with drinks. The Kitnocks each received a tall glass of a purple beverage,
which Ava recognized as Morovian ale, but the thick orange stuff given to Quinn was a
mystery. Approaching Ava, the droid held out a glass of water.
Guess this means I m definitely in economy class, she muttered. The surprising thing
was that it didn t seem to be ordinary water. In addition to being significantly more
refreshing, she could have sworn it made her hair grow a few centimeters or something.
Either way, it seemed to& move. She could feel it. The droid responded with a single
satisfied beep.
After giving them all the opportunity to consume their drinks, the droid started in on
Quinn with a brush and a vacuum cleaning attachment. When the Drell began to protest,
Teke put out a hand to calm him. Please, do us all a favor, Quinn, and just sit still.
Are you saying I should submit to this? Quinn demanded. I am not in need of
grooming!
Well, obviously the droid thinks you are, and we agree, Teke said, indicating himself
and Diokut. Don t you, Ava?
Ava nodded in reply, afraid to say more. Drells could be very touchy, and this one was
already ticked. Quinn almost went ballistic when the droid began spraying him with foam
and then sucking it off with its vacuum cleaner arm, but Waroun chose that moment to
enter the lounge.
Ah, very good, Kots, he said to the droid. I was hoping you d do that soon.
Kots? Ava echoed.
Stands for Keeper of the Stars, Waroun said with a wry smile. His former owner had a
real superiority complex.
No kidding, Ava said with a chuckle. Couldn t you change the name?
Why bother? said Waroun.
Ava shrugged. I see your point.
Quinn chose that moment to file a formal protest. Jumping to his feet, he drew himself up
to his full height, which was less than a meter, and stated angrily, I do not wish to be
groomed by a droid!
Then groom yourself and the droid won t have to, Teke suggested.
You stupid, spindly, hairless freak! Quinn began, rounding on Teke. I don t care what
You ll let Kots do it and like it, Dax said as he walked in his tall, imposing presence
startling Quinn and everyone else into silence. I won t have my other passengers
catching any vermin from you.
Quinn responded by holding out his arms for Kots to clean and didn t make another
sound.
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