Page 66 of Mazorium Buys a Human

Nadia wasn’t happy with being woken up so abruptly and made her displeasure known. I grabbed her favorite toy and rushed after him. Maz hit the top of the ramp and kept going deep inside the ship, probably to change Nadia’s everclean suit. It had changed color in the sudden deluge.

I paused at the open door, staring out at the sheets of water falling from the sky. I’d never seen anything like it. All the times it rained before, the moisture from the sky had fallen gently. Sometimes it was more like a heavy mist.

I had never imagined clouds could carry so much water! It couldn’t possibly last long, could it?

“Are you well?”

I turned to find Maz carrying Nadia back to me. Seeing her in a new everclean suit and snuggled in a soft blanket made me realize I was wet and cold.

“This is also rain, right?” I asked, pointing out the open door.

“Yes, this is rain,” he agreed.

“But what about before, when it wasn’t this violent?” I asked. “Waterfalls make sense. Water flows down the hill, finding the path of least resistance. But how can so much water gather in the sky?”

“The sun and wind evaporate water molecules," he said.

I shook my head. “Maz, I know how evaporation and sublimation work. I dealt with both all the time on the station.”

He purred. “I’m sorry. I started too simply. If you dealt with space station systems, you might not realize a system as large as a planet can cause massive storm clouds. Much more water than you’d expect can be held in those clouds.”

I nodded, understanding better. I hadn’t been thinking large enough. “It’s so powerful.”

“I noticed the storm system moving in last time I checked the satellite, but I’d hoped it would pass by us.”

A shiver went through me. I needed to change and warm up, but I didn’t want to stop watching it. I was in awe and fascinated.

“You’re cold,” Maz said, nudging me away from the open door with his body. The hatch shut and the sound of the storm was gone.

“A little,” I admitted and let him urge me to our room. I changed as he put Nadia down in the nest. She’d already fallen back to sleep.

Maz was quick to help me dry off and dressed me in the warmest outfit we had. It felt good to be bundled up, even though it wasn’t that cold on the ship.

“We left our tea outside,” I said. “By now they’re cups of rainwater.”

“I can make us some more,” he said. I followed him halfway to the galley then stopped at a long, narrow, oval window. It was one of the only ones on the ship. I was distracted by the storm outside.

I must’ve been there for a while because he came up next to me with two steaming mugs. Wordlessly I accepted one, and we both stood there, staring out.

“It’s raw and beautiful,” I finally said, deciding on how I thought about it. “Do you think it will last long?”

“At least a few rotations,” Maz answered.

I thought he must be wrong. It couldn't possibly do this for a few hours let alone days. I was so wrong.

“Four days!” I exclaimed, sweeping dramatically into the lab with Nadia in my arms. She giggled as I made her fly through the air. “We’ve been trapped inside by the rain for four days. This is intolerable! Her Highness Nadia is distraught!”

Maz was at one of the workstations, processing information from some ground bots on the other side of the planet. This wasn’t the first time I’d done this today, so he didn’t look up from the display, only purred loudly.

“It might last another three or four days,” he reminded me. We’d had this discussion before also. “Please inform HerHighness Nadia that as soon as I finish this task, I’ll see to her entertainment.”

I turned Nadia around so she was facing me. “Nadia, Master Maz has asked me to tell you that he is too busy right now, and if you could please return later, he will be able to rumble and dance for you.”

Putting my ear close to her gurgling mouth, I pretended to listen. I nodded and looked back at Maz.

“Her Highness Nadia would like me to inform Master Mazorium that she finds this acceptable. We will be in the playroom waiting for your esteemed presence.”

Maz sounded a rumble of amusement as I flew Nadia out of the room. For someone who’d spent most of her life on space stations with limited space and tiny apartments, I’d quickly gotten used to being able to enjoy the outdoors. Being stuck inside felt nearly intolerable.