“You’re vibrating…” Retvik muttered.
“I know…” Psiksi sighed. “Kass keeps on messaging me…”
“Tell him you are busy, then silence your communicator.”
“Why?”
“Retvik thinks it’s unprofessional!” Elksia butted in. “We’re going to meet a… who are we meeting again?”
Retvik rolled his eyes, then tapped on a monitor. “We are meeting the Vahla of a Vohran nest on the very edge of their territory. They have been abandoned by the nearby Vohran systems that normally provide them with resources and they have called us for help.”
Elksia glanced out of the window, then grinned. “So THAT’S why we’re bringing a massive shipment of honey along with us!”
Another eye roll. Psiksi began to wonder if it was always like this.
“As for the communications, yes, I feel we should act in a professional manner. But more importantly, chattering away to loved ones can be considered a sign of weakness by others. Not only do I not want to look weak, but I do not want to put a target on the backs of those we care about. So I would recommend that you silence your communications, you can always talk to Kass later.”
Psiksi did as he was told, then decided to look out the window alongside Elksia.
“Is he…”
“Yep!”
“Oh.”
“He’s just being over-protective! Don’t worry about it!” Elksia paused. She’d heard something. She reached down to her belt. “Huh. Someone’s messaging me. Unlike people to do that…”
“How do you know?” Psiksi asked. “I didn’t hear it vibrate or anything…”
“I can feel it. Even when it’s on silent. Dunno how…” Elksia reached for her belt then paused again, unsure whether to answer it or not. Curiosity quickly got the better of her though, so she had a quick peak. “Oh hey, it’s Gath! Should I answer it?”
Retvik stared at Elksia. “What?”
“It’s Gath.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
“Really?”
Elksia blinked. “Yeah. Why would I lie to you?”
“Why is he calling you?”
Elksia shrugged. “I dunno. Why don’t you ask him?”
The bubbly Vrekan handed her communicator to Retvik, who grumbled away to himself. Gath had sent several messages to Elksia, asking her to put Retvik and Gath in touch with each other.
“Oh…” Psiksi interrupted. “I’ve got a message from Gath too. I wonder if Tenuk got anything?”
Tenuk wasn’t paying attention, he was busy piloting the ship in the other room.
Retvik sighed, then checked the messages. They were all begging him to contact Gath as soon as possible. He pulled out his own communicator, which was also full of messages.
“Wow. Fifty three messages. He must be desperate!” Elksia beamed.
Feeling somewhat worried now, Retvik sent a quick message back, asking what was wrong. He then sat down, huffing and puffing to himself, annoyed that his attempts at professionalism had gone up in a puff of smoke and hubris.
“Does this…”
“Nope!” Elksia didn’t let Psiksi finish. “We should go into the other room. Give him some privacy.”
Psiksi nodded and followed Elksia out. Retvik sighed, then called Gath directly.
“Retvik, I need you back here, like right now.”
“Why?”
“Because I… I think I’m pregnant…”