Species XD-63

Xyon Grand Station

The pod pulled up at Xyon Grand Station exactly 45 minutes after leaving Earth. 

Sestru forced the glass open, revealing a white bunker with all the other pods in a line. Meanwhile, Lola's eyes were as wide as saucers and her mouth was agape. She had been into space, something that Lola had dreamed of since she was a little girl. And now, it had happened. Her hands were shaking with adrenaline and excitement, a stupid smile gracing her flushed face. 

"That was....new." She whispered, just loud enough to Egris to hear.

"Get used to it," he added, heaving the case off the ground. 

Julie and Sestru promptly left, leaving room for Lola and Egris. 

He simply stepped over the chairs, stretching his long legs over the white leather backs. Lola tried to copy but her stumpy legs didn't comply, causing her to stumble over the chairs. She sheepishly grinned at Egris when he looked back to see what the loud thump was.

He started to walk off and Lola hurried to keep up with his hulking strides, damning her short height. Compared to a Yebi warrior, Lola was a squat speck of dust. No one could hold a candle to his physique, especially a human woman. 

They entered a large, continuous white corridor separate from the other Xyon men and marched down. Egris scanned every number on the door as they passed like he was waiting for a specific one. And when they came to no. 35 he stopped completely, causing Lola to ram into the back of him.

There was a small hand scanner underneath the door handle and Egris spread his wide palm across it, waiting impatiently in the corridor. Lola looked on eagerly, wanting to soak up as much information about this place as she could. After a few seconds, there was a sudden pop and the door flung open. Egris barged through, waving his hand in front of another scanner to turn on the lights. She followed on behind, keeping a few steps behind the gargantuan warrior as he threw the case on the sofa.

Room No. 35 was sparsely decorated to a degree in which Lola could've mistaken it for being burgled. The walls were painted the same powder blue as Xyon skin and had metal trimming. A white cloth three-seater sofa, a large flat-screen TV and a small glass side table was the only furniture in the large living room. The floors were a whitewashed linoleum, most likely to bring a sense of human life back to the Grand Station. Egris walked further in and waited in the centre of the living room for Lola. She took her time taking in every detail of the room, from the numerous scanners on the wall to a small shute whose function was unclear. 

Once she was in a meter radius of the Xyon, he started to sate the rules and layout of no. 35:

"There are two rooms, the one on the left is mine and the one on the right is yours. The living room and kitchen are communal areas. I have one clear rule, do not touch anything which isn't yours or you don't know the use of. Clear?" he turned his Prussian blue pools towards Lola's and searched her face for a reaction.

She nodded and turned to pick up her case from the sofa,

"Can I ask some more questions later? Once I'm settled, I mean."

"If you must." Came his curt reply before entering his room on the left, closing the door and any other conversations. 

Lola huffed quietly and slid the cases along the floor until banged it banged the bedroom door. She opened the door and noticed how carpet had replaced the linoleum - which meant she had to heave her case to the foot of the bed.

She unzipped her suitcase and started to remove the folded clothes, sorting them into piles. The letter had never said exactly what to bring and in what quantity so Lola went with the mindset that more is better. She packed everything of any value and most of her closet. For all she knew, this could be her permanent home. 

After everything had been emptied from her case, she zipped it back up and stored it under the double bed. The wardrobe was directly behind her with a large circular mirror suspended by the left of it. Those were the only pieces of furniture in a room double the size of her bedroom back home. She wondered if he lived here, or whether it was just short term accommodation. That was a question she would ask. 

Lola noticed a small white wooden door by her bed and let her curiosity take her to it. With slight trepidation, Lola eased the latch and opened the door. She sighed in relief when white bathroom tiles and a sink came into view. It was like the bathrooms you got in hotels, small and practical but without the free shampoo. She decided to put all her toiletries in the cupboard underneath the sink, noticing that despite the lack of comforts, the place was cleaned thoroughly. 

Everything else - books, her phone and makeup was stored in the small nightstand. She drew out a long sigh in contentment and smiled at the work she had done. For at least 2 months this would be her room so she might as well make it cosy, well, as cosy as it could ever be. 

Lola left her room and softly closed the door. She waited for Egris to make an appearance, deciding immediately not to knock. At the end of the living room, there was a small counter separating this room from the petite kitchen. She didn't know how the Xyon people cooked their food but guessed it probably wasn't the same as ours. The oven and fridge looked unused and recently fitted.

A click from Egris' door brought her attention to the warrior. She offered him a small smile and he returned it with a deadpan expression.

"You wanted to ask questions." It wasn't as much of a question as it was a statement.

"Oh, yes," Lola scurried to the sofa and took a seat on the very edge while Egris remained standing. 

"This place, do you live here?"

He nodded and didn't say anything else. She took this as her queue to ask any other questions fogging her mind.

"Where do we eat? The kitchen or.."

"There is a canteen, on the main deck. It's traditional for Xyon's to eat together." he interjected.

"Will we eat there?"

"On the first night, yes. It's good to see others."

"Okay and one more. What do you do on this ship? I mean, there is very little entertainment in this flat."

"There will be meetings, time for bonding and other activities to entertain. Classes for painting, Xyon history etc." he waved his hand in the air for emphasis as his sentence slowly died out.