The Space Spoon novel Chapter 56

Minerals in the planet’s crust made scanning Larva 5 for life signs impossible. Since no one was traveling during the day because of the scorching heat, visual spotting was out of the question as well. They had to land with the shuttle and find communities on their own.

“I’ll keep my droids on standby and carry them,” Hanga had concluded after finding out he would join the ground team. “I can’t say how sand can affect them since I haven’t performed such a test. A backpack can hold several small prototypes. Should I take a suitcase as well?”

"I'm tempted to say yes, but Shayla wants all of the extra weight we can carry allotted to water." Tejeda had looked across at Shayla and realized that a bag of droids would have to suffice.

It was night when the four of them landed on Larva 5: Tejeda, Shayla, Hanga, and C1313. They needed all the non-organic fighting power they could get, considering they might find themselves on the wrong side of a scientist dabbling in organic-eating bacteria.

Hanga activated a droid to light up the way in front of them. They had to travel by night and seek shelter before daybreak. A weird-looking magpie with a golden beak pecked into a rock, making a hole and prising out an insect. One way or another, life bloomed even in this desert world.

Silvery glints emanated from Lak, one of Larva 5's moons. The light rippled over the sand, and the air smelled of heated rock. The temperature dropped during the night and it was chilly. A dry breeze whipped their skin. The droid's lantern flickered in front of them, casting its eerie orange light on the neverending dunes.

Sand crunched beneath their boots. The lack of humidity cracked their lips. A daily cycle on Larva 5 was 54 hours long, giving them approximately 24 hours of nighttime during this season. They began hunting for refuge after more than 10 hours of trekking. They needed one before the sun came up.

Around a dune, an entrance to a small cavity came into view. They went inside, but a strong smell of decaying compounds burned their nostrils. The scent alone could turn the hairs in their noses white. Shayla sputtered and choked, and Hanga used the crook of his elbow to cover his nose.

They continued trudging their feet through the sand for another hour until they found a cavern resembling a sand igloo. This one didn’t smell bad, and they decided to camp inside during the day.

Having eaten a hearty meal, Shayla made her way to the corner of the cave, far from the others. Hanga and C1313 discussed robotic enhancements and possible ways to identify her components' materials.

Tejeda left the two and their boring conversation. He had to hunch his back in order to move inside this shelter made of hardened sand. He exhaled deeply as soon as he sat next to Shayla.

The ends of his horns penetrated the ceiling, causing a few streams of golden sand to fall on his head and shoulders. Tejeda rubbed his head between the horns. "I was saving the Zondarian horra for you, you know." He laughed at her scowl. "When I was Admiral Vologorn on Uthion, I enjoyed the way you looked at me. And how we danced–"

“I’m sorry.” She looked down, thinking of completely different things than him. Other stuff bothered her more.

Tejeda's gaze shifted to Shayla, visibly perplexed. More sand from the ceiling landed on his chestnut mane. "For what?"

"Because I couldn't kill you." She groaned and lowered her gaze to her hands. "I know you have to die in order to shift, but I couldn't kill the puppy. I couldn't..."

Her entire life had been a fight to learn how to kill better, smarter, and quicker. Who would have guessed she would ever apologize to someone for not murdering him? The words she had to say triggered memories. The experience she underwent as a result of the Transcendents made the past appear fresh again. How many times did she apologize to her father for her inability to kill? How many times did she apologize to the dead for murdering them? She had lost count.

Tejeda’s voice brought her back from her inner world. "I can shift without dying."