SNIP

After taking his own seat, the CIO asked in a conversational tome, “So, physiologically speaking, how similar are our species. I’d hate to have you try a dish or drink pnly to find out that it might be deadly for you. That might put a bit of a dampener on our meal.”

“Well,” she looked at Colter as if pondering his words. “You know that is a valid question and one I don’t have an immediate answer to. I am going to say I should be fine based on Boja eating and drinking here during her concealment from Sussianna Prime. I am also going to say that it is a risk I am willing to take. I am not sure how long it will take Boja to decide what she wants her future to look like. After about six hours though I get a bit hangry. You wouldn’t like me hangry so,” she patted the table once as if making a decree like a judge with a gavel, “let’s see if you can make me pleasant with a little koli.” It was then she let out a long laugh.

He had a million questions he’d like answered in an attempt to ascertain whether Kavia and her people were a threat. She said she was here to help Satreya, be he was well aware of how many times in the past lives were lost, civilizations destoyed by someone that offered to help. Havia’s appearance in the conference room had seemed just a wee bit too coincidental. . .

Colter (CIO)

“I’m betting though that you don’t know what koli is,” she crossed her arms over her chest. “This dinner thing might be more interesting than I thought,” Kavia smiled at him.

Kavia

DaVinci smiled back. “The only koli I am familiar with is an ethnic group of peoples from India, on Earth. I’m hoping you aren’t referring to them as a meal. You don’t appear to be the cannibalistic type. And Satreya has never shown any signs of that type of dietary habit.”

Kavia looked at him as if he were crazy and then broke out laughing. “I see the power of words could actually be more deadly than a bullet in this case,” she smiled at the handsome man across from her. “No Koli is a bird. A flightless bird with pink and purple feathers but is pretty much a domestic meat staple. It has wings but really cant fly like a regular bird. It sorta just uses it to take off in case a predator comes or to get to higher places. Oh, and it makes a clucking like sound.” Kavia tucked her hands up under her armpits and made a sound imitating the animal. “Bahk bahk bahk,” she said a few times and then put her hands down. “So since I can pretty much guarantee you don’t have Koli now maybe you could order for me,” she asked.

As their conversation continued, he found it increasingly difficult to main his focus on gathering information. Kavia was a charming conversationalist. The fact that she was also pleasing to the eye didn’t help matters any, either.

After about ten minutes with this Colter, Kavia hoped Boja took a long time deciding what she wanted to do about her future. Since Kavia got paid by the hours she spent on the 36 hours a day away for missions like this, it was more than just a bonus she was having a good time. Secretly Kavia would have done it for free it she knew she would be having this much fun. Thier conversations looped and turned so fast even she had a hard time figuring out how they got from Koli as the main foodstuff to winter activities. “Oh, and we have these bubbles you get in during winter. They have a gyroscopic center so you don’t get sick but they launch you off the top of a mountain. You lean to the left and the right to move but if you hit something the force field around the bubble protects the person inside. It is so much fun. The trick is getting to the bottom of the hill with the fastest time.”

He tried to refocus with some success. “The technology used to send yourself and Satreya here, you said at first you were unable to transport non-living matter, things like clothing and such?”

“Yeah, it was a mess. Ever travel with a crotchety four hundred-plus–year-old diplomat pulled out of retirement?” Kavia shuddered. “There was a reason the Ministry issued black sunglasses there for a while and it wasn’t because we were always traveling during the day. Can I get some more of this…,” she circled her plate with her finger. “Whatever it is it is amazing,” she commented forking up the last of it. “Unless you have something better? Your food here is pretty extraordinary.”

“It’s a shame that part got figured out.”

Colter (CIO)

“Depends on the company,” she winked back. “There have been times that algorithm is not placed in the formula,” she giggled. “Sometimes it is a graduation hazing. Other times it is a malfunction,” she drew out the last word as if it were a joke. “Besides there is more than one way to get someone naked without using technology. You can just ask,” she said and then she spun in her seat following a waiter. “Oh god what was that. I can get one of those things,” she looked back at Colter almost pleadingly. She had already eaten the equivalent of two main courses but the dessert passing them looked too yummy to pass up or wait until the end of the meal.

Kavia