The Space Spinster (on HOLD)

Log 15. (Some) Humans Call It a Date

Time Stamp: 16th of the 5th month, year 2696 CE, 06:00

Location Stamp: Space Port, in orbit of Planet Mars, Solar System, Milky Way Galaxy

***

I created a spectacle out of myself in the Space Port, and this was a major achievement, because it teemed with alien life and commerce. The dizzyingly tall framework around me supported monumental holoart; glittering shops offered million objects from across the Milky Way; the smells of the food court tantalized. In this fast-paced kaleidoscope, I brought a yowling cat in a custom-made space suit...instant attention.

"Shut up, Wasabi, and enjoy the sights. This is supposed to be a triumph of sahibs' space engineering," I muttered.

My cat said meow, thought for a moment, then added more forcefully: "Meow, meow, meeeh."

I dragged the talkative feline to the Tourist Information booth to browse the maps. They didn't mark the Venus docking bay as a major attraction. "Could you believe that, Wasabi? I'm fucking disappointed!"

Disappointed, but not surprised—basically, the same way I felt about breaking down and buying the ticket to Venus, to see Mikado off on his voyage of discovery, or self-discovery or whatever else this jerk had planned.

I cringed as I shouldered my way to the furthest terminal, while the aliens stared at us. The green-and-indigo myms stared, and the dark hissing globes of '...' Well, they didn't have the eyes to stare, but they floated differently when I passed them. These two master-races made up eighty percent of the crowd jostling me. The oddballs found my cat fascinating too—I caught towering barrks, opalescent tarksi and some other sentients that I had never encountered before looking at us.

Finally, the touristy buzz died down, the artworks thinned out and gave way to practical advertisement panels. Freight, parts, nutri-packs, water purifiers. I was at the cargo terminal, with the Venus bay signs everywhere.

Wasabi liked the less frantic pace here and condescended to walk on his leash rather than being toted around. After a few tentative circles around my legs, the cat led the way to a small lounge for passengers catching freighter flights to Venus.

I followed him inside and squinted into the gloomy ambiance. How so many light fixtures could give off so little light was a mystery. The owner of the lounge must have done it to hide the shabbiness of the pretend-oak counter, the pretend cast-iron stools, and the round tables covered by the genuine plastic tablecloths, crinkly, sticky and red-and-white checkered.

"Vera!"

"Wh--" The last thing I expected to find here was Lola. But there could be no mistake. I made a beeline for the mym through the rows of the round-top tables, while the humans in uniforms lifted drawn faces to watch me interact with the master race. They did not speak, but I would bet their half-eaten donuts to dollars on their being engineers coming on to the next shift in the corporate factories of Venus. Only perpetually fixing problems caused by incompetence, mismanagement and corruption bestowed this kind of hollow demeanor.

Lola squeaked in delight to meet Wasabi. "Is this a cat?"

"Yup. A cat. But...what are you doing here?"

Lola's eyes looked in different directions each to avoid my gaze. "Dr. Mikado invited me to the launch. Not a date, like you—"

"It's not a date."

"Well, know better what it is. I thought when one human invites another human to a posh party before setting off on a long journey with romantic intent—"

"No romantic intent."

The mym lowered her voice and leaned over. "Maybe not from your side?"

"From both sides." Frankly, I had no idea why Mikado invited me, but romance wasn't it. "It's not a date.Hence, i

"I'm sorry if I misread the situation." Most of Lola's eyes looked puzzled, but three seemed sad. "Humans don't really... you know, ask me out much. At all, actually. So how would I know what's a date and what's not. It's confusing."

My chest constricted. Lola wasn't welcomed by the other mym. They worshiped the detached, calculated, analytical sentients. Lola was anything but. So, she fraternized with humans, or tried to...and failed miserably. "Hey, we gotta fix that, L. We'll do a girls' night after we see Mikado off."

Lola giggled in response. "Not much chance of that. Mikado's leaving that is. But I hope the girls' night is still on? Yes?"

"Sure thing, but why—" I wasn't fated to find out why Mikado was unlikely to disappear from the black vastness of space and get out of my hair.

"Excuse me, ladies?" a nasal, sleepy voice called. "Is this your pet?"

I looked up. Oh, yes, it was. Wasabi glared at me from a pear-shaped belly clad in a washed-out uniform.