Total pages in book: 175
Estimated words: 166095 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 830(@200wpm)___ 664(@250wpm)___ 554(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 166095 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 830(@200wpm)___ 664(@250wpm)___ 554(@300wpm)
Dora would hate it here.
I tell myself that, even as I worry that she’s going to fall in love with the place and want to stay. She loves green things, right? And seeds. And what is life on Risda III but growing things and farting around in the soil? That’s totally something she’d love to do. Our “greenhouse” here on the ship has been transformed in our short journey over to Risda. Dora’s planted every seed that Sophie gave her and she waters them faithfully every day, checking the nutrient charts to ensure that everything is as it should be. I even caught her talking to her seedlings yesterday, encouraging them to grow.
Maybe Jamef and I should talk about what our plan is if Dora decides to stay. Maybe he’d be down with farming. I guess we could all give it a shot if it makes Dora happy. I don’t think I’m a farmer but we need to hide out, and as long as we’re together, I don’t suppose it matters what we’re doing.
I guess.
If I have to handle a beast of some kind, I’m not sure how happy I’m going to be. Meat-stock shit everywhere. Absolutely everywhere.
I glance over at my mates. Jamef’s hand is over Dora’s, his face close to her ear as he whispers instructions. Our human mate is wearing a look of supreme concentration, biting down on her lip as she carefully maneuvers the Pleasure Spot into the appropriate lane. They look so good together that my heart aches.
Okay, I guess I’ll deal with beasts and dirt and farming if they want to.
DORA
I’m still coming down from the adrenaline rush of landing the ship.
Well, okay, I didn’t actually land it. Jamef did, and the system course-corrected us to a minute level every time we moved even slightly off track. But I got a feel for things. I got to guide her down. I got to see what it was like, and I might be addicted. I can’t wait until I can fly her on my own and without the assistance of others. I’ll be so useful then that my third-wheel feeling will completely and utterly disappear, and I’ll never have to worry about whether or not I should get an arm cannon after all.
Because every good bounty hunter or corsair needs a reliable getaway driver, and it’s a role I’m happy to fulfill. Just the thought of being so important to our triad makes me giddy. I want to be integral. I want them to rely on me. I want Bethiah’s eyes to shine with approval and for Jamef to tell me that he’s impressed with me.
I need that more than I need air.
I change into a bland-colored tunic with a hood attached to it. Here on the ship I like to wear something pretty and girly, but if we’re going down planetside, I want to blend in and look as inconspicuous as possible. It’ll be easier given that this planet is seemingly chock-full of humans, but you can’t be too cautious. I still haven’t had the clone markers removed in my blood.
A shiver moves through me at the thought.
Just before Zakoar and Tessa had left Jerrok’s junk station, Zakoar had pulled me aside. He explained that there was a way for my blood to be modified. Right now, I show my own personal DNA, but the way its laid out automatically flags it as artificial or something. He told me all about it but my eyes glazed over. There’s a way to mask my cloning markers. Zakoar has a modifier that’s full of nanobots. They’re invisible to all law enforcement readings of my genetic material and will automatically mask my information. If someone scans my DNA, instead of me reading as a human clone, it’ll come across as unreadable. Which means tampered.
These sorts of masks are usually only used by criminals, Zakoar explained, and so law enforcement would automatically assume that I’ve got something to hide. But on the other hand, they won’t assume that it’s that I’m a clone. It’s a risk I can take if I choose, and he left the vial of nanobots with me. I can’t take them yet, because the nanobots working through my system will make me feel under the weather for a few weeks before I acclimate, and so I’ve held off.
I’m pretty sure I want to do it, but I need to talk to Jamef and Bethiah about it first. I don’t want to put us in even more danger by flagging myself as a criminal. I left the vial back at Jerrok’s station and I’ll talk to them about it when we return. There’s no rush, and I want to make sure we’re all in the right frame of mind before we discuss it.
And that means getting rid of Rhonda.