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was on Earth. I thought that perhaps the ship’s computer could decipher the symbols and I was scanning them into it when my new shipmate began to stir.
    “Take it easy there, big guy,” I said as reassuringly as possible. “I’m trying to figure out how this thing works, and hopefully I’ll be able to get it off for you. Just curl up there and get some sleep if you like, this may take a
while.” Then it occurred to me that he might be hungry or need to pee or something. “Bathroom is around the corner, and the galley is over there,” I said with a wave of my hand. “I don’t know what you like to eat, but laying in supplies for you wasn’t exactly what I had in mind when we left.” I heard a low growl emanating from his direction. “Hey, I’m not gonna have to use this on you, am I?” I inquired with a wave of the remote.
    Honestly, one more display of ingratitude on his part and I was going to seriously consider spacing him!
    However, the fact that it was impossible to do such a thing on this particular ship without getting sucked out into space myself would have made it an idle threat.
    Still, it might be worth mentioning at some point if he ever got completely out of control…. “And if you’re thinking about killing me, too, then let me remind you that I am piloting this ship, and unless you were once a pilot yourself, you might want to consider keeping me safe until I land you on solid ground somewhere.”
    He growled again. “I was not going to kill you.”
    “Well, I can’t even begin to tell you how pleased I am to hear that!” I said in a voice heavily laced with sarcasm. Of course, I had no idea whether or not sarcasm was a concept he was familiar with, but at the time, I simply didn’t give a damn. “So, if you weren’t plotting my demise, would you mind telling me just what the devil you were doing hiding underneath my ship?” I glanced over at his filthy, naked body and gave him a nasty little smile. “I mean aside from the fact that you aren’t exactly dressed for a tea party and it might be a trifle embarrassing for you to be seen out in public.”
My adorable little slave kitten rolled onto his hands and knees and pushed himself up off the floor. Head down, he advanced in my direction, glaring at me from beneath those flying black brows, his cat-like pupils glowing almost brightly enough to cast a shadow. Even not knowing him well, I would have to assume that he was a bit out of sorts, himself.
    “You released me and gave me credits,” he said as though it were the nastiest thing anyone could have ever done to him. “You have placed me in your debt.” He bit out the words as though they tasted bad, and I think that perhaps in another circumstance he might have followed that statement up with a hiss. I was still holding the remote, however, so perhaps he felt it best to leave that part unsaid, though it seemed to be understood.
    I sighed and shook my head. I had bought him, released him, and had given him enough money to keep himself in cat food for a good, long while, and he had the audacity to be hateful about it!
    “Story of my whole fuckin’ life!” I said irritably.
    “You do something nice for a guy, and he hates you for it! I should have pressed the fuckin’ star button and left you writhing in the street!” I felt an odd little pain in my chest when I said that. Must have been from eating that stew so fast, I decided. Yes, that was it. I was just having a bit of indigestion. I ate too fast, and I was mad. Okay, that explained it. “Go on, Cat,” I said, turning my back on him to stare into the computer screen once more, “go take a bath, or stuff your face, or take a piss—or, better yet, go fuck yourself. I don’t give a shit what you do.
    Just go away.”
Unbelievably, I felt that same twinge in my heart again and my eyes grew damp with tears. I hadn’t shed a tear in so long the sensation was as alien to me as the feel of cool grass between my toes. What