Unexpected Company

Posted on Sat 24th Sep, 2016 @ 8:50pm by

825 words; about a 4 minute read

Mission: Prologue
Location: Deck 1554, Tivoli Gardens
Timeline: 2100 hours

One thing about Vanguard Starbase that Jade Lantz liked was it's size. It had hundreds of decks, 2500 actually. Getting away from work on deck 600 to her quarters in the River View Condos at Tivoli Gardens, on deck 1554, was similar to crossing a large city. Everything changed. Having been instrumental in the design and development of the Gardens, Jade had been given her pick of quarters there. The condo she'd chosen was at the top of a hill, on the edge of the group of buildings. From her living room, she could see the River Walk, and her bedroom and balcony looked out on a forested area.

Tonight, she hopped the turbolift and requested Deck 1554. In about a minute, the door snicked open on the correct deck. It was lovely when things worked properly. She turned left and walked a short distance to her quarters, standing for a moment outside the door and gazing down at the River Walk.

Then, turning toward her door, she rubbed the back of her neck and stretched for a moment. She reached to press her thumb on the lock when she heard a very odd sound. If she hadn't known it was impossible, she would have imagined she heard a very deep meow. In fact, she had to be imagining it because Earth cats were rare, even on Earth, since the great upheavals.

Pressing her thumb into the lock caused the door to open, but as she stepped across the threshold, she heard the sound again. Automatically looking down, where she might expect to see one of the rare earth cats who made the sound she heard, Jade was surprised to see a small, but fully grown, black cat staring up at her with blue eyes. He sat on his haunches with tail wrapped around his front feet. Somehow, she knew it was a male cat.

"Well, hello," Jade said in surprise. "Where did you come from?"

As if in answer to her question, the small creature's mouth opened, revealing a pink tongue and sharp white teeth. "Meow, Meee-ooowwww," he answered. He politely waited just outside the door, as if hoping for an invitation.

"Come on in, then," the El Aurian invited. The cat rose and stretched his back in a classic arch, then took dainty steps into her condo. The door slid shut behind him. He came straight toward her, rubbed against her left leg and then continued on, as if he knew the layout of her space. Hopping up on the sofa, he walked to the center cushion, turned around once and then sat, this time down on his stomach, again wrapping his tail around his feet. He blinked his blue eyes at her.

"Make yourself at home," Jade laughed. As she spoke, she moved into the bedroom to change from her silky lavender dress, with it's trademark orchid, into soft black jeans and a red peasant blouse. She would have looked at home on any street on earth any time in the last 400 years. Continuing to talk to the cat as though it were a person, she walked back into her living room, barefoot and curling her toes into the soft carpeting. "Nice of you to stop by. I don't suppose you'd care to tell me your name?"

The animal opened its mouth wide in a yawn, then went back to staring at her.

"I thought not," she said, going over to sit nearby. "Is it acceptable to pet you? I've never actually touched a cat before, but I think I know how it's done."

The cat began a buzzing noise which Jade took as permission, reaching out her hand and smoothing it from the top of the animal's head, down its back, to its tail. "Oh, you're so soft!" she exclaimed. "I had no idea!"

She repeated the motion several times, and the cat's eyes closed, the buzzing increasing in volume. "That must be your signal of approval," the woman commented, feeling slightly enchanted by the beautiful creature who seemed to have chosen her for something. Although she still wondered where it had originated, and how long it would be before someone missed it, Jade decided to enjoy its company while it stayed. "I don't expect you're hungry."

The cat opened its eyes halfway, still buzzing. She wasn't sure exactly what that meant, but cats were carnivores, so far as she knew, so she just smiled at it and got up to move toward the kitchen. By the time she opened the cooler, she felt the cat rubbing against her jeans. "I think that means you are hungry after all," she commented, taking out a small steak. "I think I can share a little of my dinner. Cooked or uncooked?"

The blue eyes blinked at her once. "Right. Cooked it is then." As she began her preparations, Jade thought that if she were going to have unexpected company, having it be silent was a big advantage.

 

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