The Space Spoon novel Chapter 55

Shayla marched inside the Space Spoon with her arm wrapped around the dog. The little pooch pressed his snout to the side of her chest, happily wiggling his tail that periodically slapped her back. She huffed but didn’t have time for Tejeda’s antics.

“E00, fire up the engines. We’re leaving Aunald ASAP.”

“May I ask our destination?”

With her free hand, she reached for her pocket and unwrapped the crumbled piece of paper she had gotten from the clerk. "Larva 5."

“Where’s Tejeda?” Cato asked. She was standing in the far end of the corridor, looking over the hangar bay.

“It is he, Tejeda, the Doggo.” Shayla tilted her head toward the pet. Then she continued her march, strode past Cato, and headed straight for the Captain’s office.

She entered the room, shut the door, and placed the dog down. He misstepped, rolled over, and then got back up. A bark echoed throughout the ship, showing his dissatisfaction with walking on all fours.

Shayla occupied his seat and swiped down. The screen appeared above the desk, and she searched for details regarding Larva 5. Once she found them, her eyes darted over the information.

Difficult, but habitable desert planet. Villages and small cities scattered along the continent that covered the entire planet. All the citizens were mostly traveling at night and hiding in dunes and caves during the day.

A 12% water prevalence meant they had to get water provisions during their time there. If they were to find a way to strike a deal with a desert chieftain, the chances of finding Kirian would increase considerably.

Something gripping her left leg jolted her out of her reverie. The pooch held her firmly between his front limbs, his rump moving at a steady pace. She couldn't decide whether to smack him or laugh.

"You couldn't walk a few minutes ago, and look at you now." Shayla shook her index finger at Tejeda. "Don't think I can't hit you because you're a dog!"

He literally gave her the puppy eyes, and he whimpered for maximum effect.

"Well, maybe I can't," she mumbled, disappointed.

Shayla jerked her leg until the dog left her in peace.

A few seconds later, she heard E00’s voice through the speakers. “Shayla, I think being a dog is affecting his mind.”

She raised an eyebrow and gave a low grunt, nudging E00 to continue.

“First, he fantasized about chewing a bone. After that, he got a boner while humping your leg. Now, he’s philosophizing about the similarities between bones and boners, both in meaning and in word structuring.”

“I get it.” Shayla looked at those black, big, round eyes. “Uh, mmm, but how can we bring him back?”

Until now, she had only known of one event that had caused his shift: death. How could she get rid of this small, fluffy dog?

Tejeda whimpered and scratched at the door.

She sat back in the captain's chair and accessed the mission board, scrolling through the tasks. The assignment on Beridian, her homeworld, was now red. She opened the file to see what was inside. During their time on Aunald, the mission had moved from a low to a high-priority task.

King Astin allowed multiple teams to search for his wife and offered a bounty for all those who would give any information about her. Next to the mission title, numbers flickered. 227, 228, 229. The incremental algorithm continued. Those were the number of ships scouring around the galaxy after the King’s wife.

Someone knocked at the door, and Shayla winced.

A rough, grumpy voice demanded, “I need clothes.”

Maybe she should have taken the puppy's body here instead of letting Tejeda walk about the ship nude. But she was unable to look at him dead. She had also entirely forgotten that his office doubled as Tejeda's sleeping quarters. Apparently, the cushioned couch was plenty for him. She inhaled deeply and flipped the chair around, now facing the wall with her back to the entrance. "Come on in."

Sluggish footsteps approached the nightstand next to the couch. Clothes rustled as they were pulled out from the drawer.

Shayla flinched when she heard a loud thud. “What’s happening there?”

He responded with a growl. “My clothes fell.”

“Why all the noise?”

“I’m wearing them. Having two feet again is hard.”