a STAR FRONTIERS Novel

by Layne K. Saltern

Chapter 8

No sooner had I re-entered the base than a beep sounded on my chronocom. Katrina's face filled the tiny view panel.

"I thought you would be sleeping," I said.

"I'm not used to these 55 hour days yet," she explained. "I was wondering if you hadn't forgotten me."

"For the poetry? I'm working on it."

Her face lit up. "Wonderful! I'll let you go then." She assumed a brief expression of discouragement. "I still can't sleep."

She closed the communication, and I returned to my quarters. Once there, I asked myself, What am I doing here? I stepped right out again and entered the bullet shaped monorail car that travels through 200 meters of underground tunnel to the part of the base where Katrina was staying.

I invited Katrina to get something to eat. Half to my surprise, she accepted.

But I found the flat walls of the dining area to be too boring.

"You know, Katrina, there's a better place we could go eat. I discovered it today."

I led the way through the hall and into the Space Gardens. Blue light flooded a tranquil scene of bushes and flowers, ranging in hue from pastel blue and pink to bright yellow. The air seemed to be filled with just a hint of spice. A shallow pool of dark blue water shimmered at our feet. The dome-shaped ceiling was transparent, giving us a view of the many stars in the black firmament.

I pointed up at the sky. "That star is your home system, and the one right next to it is Fromeltar, where I come from. Have you ever been there?"

"No," she admitted, her eyes hypnotized by the pool.

"I could show you around, if you ever want to go there," I offered.

"I'd like that," she said. I couldn't take my eyes off her soft smile.

"I've almost finished translating your poetry," I said, changing the subject.

"What do you think of it?"

"I don't know. I haven't read much of that type of stuff before."

"I love it," she said. "When it's written in a planet's local language, it's so much more personal and sincere. It comes from the heart."

"Katrina?" I said, and hesitated.

"Yes?"

"Have you ever. . .considered seriously--"

"How's the weather in here?" Tulk'n barged into the gardens. "I thought I saw you two come this way."

"We're trying out the food," I said, voicing the first thing that came to my mind. "It's not too bad."

He laughed his patented laugh. "Not too bad? It's awful." He sat himself on the other side of Katrina and kept talking.

"Oh, wow," I interjected. "Look at the time. We've got an early meeting tomorrow." I got up to leave.

"See you tomorrow, Kro'khan," said Tulk'n.

I looked behind me as the garden door slid shut. Katrina and Tulk'n were still talking. . .or at least Tulk'n was still talking.

She must be a more patient listener than I am, I told myself.

I lay in my bed for about an hour, unable to sleep.

As a last resort, I pulled out Katrina's pad of poetry and started reading it. Not translating, just reading.

I still couldn't sleep.