It's a great arena mech.It's a great arena mech. Think about it. I mean, nothing in the 20 to 35 ton weight class can survive more than one or two AC20 rounds, and the head is so hard to hit I never had to worry about ammo explosions. It cleans up in the arena." Nickolai nodded and climbed into his simulator. It was a long day. "Furry?" he asked. She looked up from the gargantuan antipasto she had ordered. "Hmm? "Were you making a pass at me last night?" Jofuran's ears lay back along her head and her nose grew a little darker; a blush. "Uh-huh," she acknowledged. He thought back to the article that claimed Pendorians were "indiscriminate." "How come?" She shrugged. "I like you. Do I need another reason?" "Well, why?" he asked. "What do you mean, 'Why'?" "I don't understand." She shrugged and said, "Cruises are supposed to be romantic. I used to read romance novels a lot when I was on Earth; I really like the ones that were set on far-off worlds and things like that. And the historical ones are great, too. But I guess when I got on board I was looking for someone to spend some time with, and an excuse to get away from my parents. When I was in Israel I didn't have much fun; Homo Sapiens still views furries, even their own, with a little suspicion." She paused. "I really like the digs, y'know? The archeological sites where I get to see things that are actually older than Shardik Castle, or D'Tangent Arcology. Travelling over to Cairo or seeing the pyramids, thinking about the thousands of people it took to build all that stuff by hand. But I didn't have many friends." "So, why me?" he asked. "It's almost annoying that you're as famous as you are, Kolya, 'cause I like you just the way you are. You handle a mean mech. And you're the first human to act like I'm not weird." Nickolai smiled, but inside he was both thrilled and frightened by what she was saying. "Well, maybe that's because I'm weird," he said. "Having a mother doesn't make you weird, Kolya," she said. "I guess it's because you don't know me." "Why would that change anything?" "Oh, I don't know. I guess..." she let it trail off. "Look, let's just be friends, okay? Let's mechslaughter those bastards tonight and then we'll see. |