WIP Wednesday - Clans of Europa: Tina

 

 

An impetuous Dramok hears good news:

Dramok Tukui kept his head down at his computer station, trying to look busier than he was. With the spyship locked in orbit, there wasn’t a lot for the navigator to do, however. All the action was on the small moon of Europa.

Even so, he performed an instrument calibration he wasn’t required to run and checked his unchanging readings. With Captain Tranis on the main holo-vid, his bearded face taking up the middle third of the circular bow of the bridge, Tukui didn’t want to attract attention for the wrong reasons. He’d done more than his share of that in his short career on the spyship.

He listened to the conversation between the captain and First Officer Simdow, a Dramok barely older than Tukui. Ever since hearing there were fertile women on the moon, every man on the spyship was eager for information. Like everyone else stuck on the vessel, Tukui wished he had been among those who’d gone to the colony to hunt for General Hamilton. And maybe encounter females.

Lucky Osopa. My Nobek had better be ready with details when he gets back. If Tukui’s taciturn clanmate dared to show up with no more than generalizations, he’d—

Tukui’s head snapped up, cutting his train of thought clean off. Had Captain Tranis just said the three-man clans on board would get their choice of Matara?

The holo-vid was set up so that those on either end could look each other in the eye. The captain’s gaze flickered to Tukui, and he visibly winced before saying, “Of course, if a clan doesn’t feel they can shoulder the responsibility—the heavy responsibility of caring for a Matara—they need not claim one.”

Tukui’s mind raced along with his heart, disregarding the obvious suggestion that Captain Tranis spoke for his benefit. A Matara? For his young, low-ranked clan?

It took all his self-control to keep a delighted grin from spreading wide. He somehow managed to maintain a composed expression. Of course he could handle caring for a Matara. Even he, as impetuous as he tended to be, was capable of doting and loving and telling a woman how wonderful she was. His fathers had made it seem easy.

 

Coming in December.