her alone with five flat tablets in the quiet room.
Cierra put in her headphones and picked up the first data pad, scrolling through the document, looking for anomalies. The first four documents were completely clear, but the fifth jumped out at her. She didn’t look into it but recorded the name and moved on to the next file.
Each pad contained twenty contracts, and she had located fifteen anomalies out of the one hundred that she looked at. Twelve had had the contract contents altered subtly by the signer, and the person’s name who was on the contract had not signed three.
The smell of pizza preceded the arrival by a moment, just as she finished verifying her findings.
The man who brought the pizza in also had a tray of tea for her.
“Um, I don’t drink tea.”
He grinned and set the box and the tray down on the table next to her. “I would recommend that you learn how to rather quickly. Most cultures have some kind of steeped beverage in their daily consumption. Your adaptation will be easier if you have already gotten used to it.”
Without waiting for her agreement, he poured for her and set the small cup of tea down in front of her.
It appeared that she wasn’t going to be left with her pizza until she drank it.
She sipped and fought the face she wanted to make at the bitter taste. Steeling herself, she drank again and again until the small cup was empty. She set it down and sighed. He refilled the cup and slid the pizza box toward her with napkins.
“This is one thing that we have developed a taste for. Of course, we put every spicy pepper we can find on it.” He grinned, collected the pads she had been working on and he swept out of the room.
She flipped open the box and inhaled the scent of pepperoni. With her first bite, she groaned in delight. It really was excellent pizza.
Chapter Two
Nine months later, Cierra walked through the marketplace of Xerat and smiled as the scent of cured meat brought the memory of that pizza back again.
It could have something to do with the Xerat being the same sort of species as the Tival who brought her the pizza was. Lean, elegant and possessed of a wicked sense of humor, the Xerat rose head and shoulders above the Tival in a personality sense.
The trade centre of Jraka City was where Cierra spent her days as a contract proofer. This was a free day, and the paperwork was left behind as she sought out her friend Tyan for lunch and an afternoon’s entertainment.
The market area was quaint and akin to shopping at a renaissance faire as far as the Xerat were concerned, but it was an excellent place for Tyan to go trolling for men.
After eight months on Xerat, she knew where to find her friend. Meat pies were popular snacks and a guilty pleasure for most of the males in the city. This time at the market was their moment to grab a treat, and Tyan would be waiting for them so she could grab hers.
The shop was bustling, but Tyan was easy to spot. Suitors surrounded her, and her tightly wrapped tunic outlined her assets in a fascinating manner. Cierra was only guessing at the fascination, but the men did seem transfixed.
Cierra raised her hand, and Tyan noticed and smiled.
“Excuse me, gentlemen, my friend is here.”
The men turned, and two visibly jerked when they saw her pale skin and obviously alien features.
Cierra wrinkled her nose but kept her mouth shut. The Xerat had features that didn’t move much, so even moving her face was enough to unsettle them.
Tyan walked up to her and slipped her pale blue arm through Cierra’s, tugging her out of the shop.
“You do enjoy taunting them.”
Tyan bared her teeth in a smile that didn’t move her thick skin. “It is my favourite thing to do on my days off, you know that. I loved their faces when they saw you. That was highly amusing.”
“Which is why you wanted to meet there, you wanted to freak them out.”
Chuckling, Tyan said, “Well, you know how much I judge a man by his reaction to
Cierra put in her headphones and picked up the first data pad, scrolling through the document, looking for anomalies. The first four documents were completely clear, but the fifth jumped out at her. She didn’t look into it but recorded the name and moved on to the next file.
Each pad contained twenty contracts, and she had located fifteen anomalies out of the one hundred that she looked at. Twelve had had the contract contents altered subtly by the signer, and the person’s name who was on the contract had not signed three.
The smell of pizza preceded the arrival by a moment, just as she finished verifying her findings.
The man who brought the pizza in also had a tray of tea for her.
“Um, I don’t drink tea.”
He grinned and set the box and the tray down on the table next to her. “I would recommend that you learn how to rather quickly. Most cultures have some kind of steeped beverage in their daily consumption. Your adaptation will be easier if you have already gotten used to it.”
Without waiting for her agreement, he poured for her and set the small cup of tea down in front of her.
It appeared that she wasn’t going to be left with her pizza until she drank it.
She sipped and fought the face she wanted to make at the bitter taste. Steeling herself, she drank again and again until the small cup was empty. She set it down and sighed. He refilled the cup and slid the pizza box toward her with napkins.
“This is one thing that we have developed a taste for. Of course, we put every spicy pepper we can find on it.” He grinned, collected the pads she had been working on and he swept out of the room.
She flipped open the box and inhaled the scent of pepperoni. With her first bite, she groaned in delight. It really was excellent pizza.
Chapter Two
Nine months later, Cierra walked through the marketplace of Xerat and smiled as the scent of cured meat brought the memory of that pizza back again.
It could have something to do with the Xerat being the same sort of species as the Tival who brought her the pizza was. Lean, elegant and possessed of a wicked sense of humor, the Xerat rose head and shoulders above the Tival in a personality sense.
The trade centre of Jraka City was where Cierra spent her days as a contract proofer. This was a free day, and the paperwork was left behind as she sought out her friend Tyan for lunch and an afternoon’s entertainment.
The market area was quaint and akin to shopping at a renaissance faire as far as the Xerat were concerned, but it was an excellent place for Tyan to go trolling for men.
After eight months on Xerat, she knew where to find her friend. Meat pies were popular snacks and a guilty pleasure for most of the males in the city. This time at the market was their moment to grab a treat, and Tyan would be waiting for them so she could grab hers.
The shop was bustling, but Tyan was easy to spot. Suitors surrounded her, and her tightly wrapped tunic outlined her assets in a fascinating manner. Cierra was only guessing at the fascination, but the men did seem transfixed.
Cierra raised her hand, and Tyan noticed and smiled.
“Excuse me, gentlemen, my friend is here.”
The men turned, and two visibly jerked when they saw her pale skin and obviously alien features.
Cierra wrinkled her nose but kept her mouth shut. The Xerat had features that didn’t move much, so even moving her face was enough to unsettle them.
Tyan walked up to her and slipped her pale blue arm through Cierra’s, tugging her out of the shop.
“You do enjoy taunting them.”
Tyan bared her teeth in a smile that didn’t move her thick skin. “It is my favourite thing to do on my days off, you know that. I loved their faces when they saw you. That was highly amusing.”
“Which is why you wanted to meet there, you wanted to freak them out.”
Chuckling, Tyan said, “Well, you know how much I judge a man by his reaction to
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