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have been wise. The king and I have reached an
understanding about my visit here, but he was none too happy with my conditions
and I would hate for you to get caught in the crosshairs of our argument.”
    “Crosshairs? That word does not translate, but I gather your
meaning all the same. Does King Korian know you are visiting with me? I ask
only so that I may be prepared should he be displeased at our time together,”
Zandar replied, his voice cautious.
    Jessica waved his concern away and her answer was flip. “I
didn’t ask for his permission and it’s none of his business who I spend my time
with anyway. Enough about the king. I want to see everything!”
    Zandar’s laugh was deep and he gently guided his guest
toward the open-air market in the center of the capital. P’Hartha was not the
largest city on T’Kala, but it was still bustling with activity and was the
political and economic center for his world. Jessica felt like a bobble-head as
she craned her neck to see all the sights the alien world had to offer, and she
was amazed all over again at how clean everything was and how friendly the
citizens were. Her research via the computerized system in Korian’s home
explained that T’Kala operated on a type of progressive socialism where each
citizen was provided with the basic necessities as long as they contributed in
some way to their society. If they did not have jobs or careers, then each
citizen was expected to perform so many hours of community service a week in
order to provide for their families. It seemed to work well for the planet, but
it was also over 100 times smaller than Earth in population.
    As Jessica strolled arm-in-arm with her companion, she
peppered him with questions about the solar energy the planet had perfected,
architecture, and different alien species they encountered on their way to the
market. The one thing she stubbornly refused to ask about was King Korian. No
matter that she kept replaying, over and over in her mind, the feeling of his
strong arms holding her off the ground or the growled possessiveness of his
voice. Zandar was a perfect gentleman, patiently answering her queries, and
even stopping to introduce her to those who hailed him by name. There was
little chance of her being recognized, since so few of the nobles shopped in
the market. Zandar had explained that many of them either shopped off-world, or
they placed orders for delivery through the computerized systems.
    When they approached a storefront that housed unusual
animals, she tugged on his arm and pointed. “Zandar, what is this place?”
    His icy brown eyes followed the path of her finger and he
exclaimed, “Ah! That would be the companion retailer. Would you like to see
them?”
    Jessica barely waited for his offer before she was pulling
him toward the door. “When you say ‘companion,’ do you mean that these animals
are kept by T’Kalans in their homes?” When he nodded his agreement of her
assessment, she clapped in glee. “On Earth, we call them ‘pets.’ Most people
keep dogs or cats, but some of them also keep birds, fish, and reptiles,” she
explained.
    She was overwhelmed by the myriad types of animals
available. One case held long, wriggling animals that resembled nothing more
than furry scarves. At Zandar’s encouragement, she picked up a white and gray
spotted one and shrieked in surprise when it immediately began to climb up her
arm by twining itself in spirals. It finally came to rest around her neck where
one of its ends caressed her face and vibrated with a rumbling purr.
    Jessica laughed nervously. “You better take this thing off
of me, Zandar. Somehow, I just can’t trust anything without a face that I can
see.”
    The warrior laughed and retrieved the skinkt and
placed it back in its cage. Another display caught her eye, and she dragged her
escort over to it in order to coo in delight. The animal resembled a cross
between a panda bear and a raccoon, but they were only the size of