To Love the Stars

Noah withdrew his hand and brought the glass up to his lips, but hesitated.

"To all of the time we've spent on Earth," he nodded.

And to all the time that we'll share on Veruna.

Tilting their glasses in unison, the couple sipped the wine and began to eat. They ate in comfortable quiet, content to simply be in each other's presence and watch the rain through the window. Shuttles occasionally flew by, some heading down, others heading high into the sky. This was going to be the last time they could share this view over dinner, and they wanted to make the most of it.

"This is really good," Noah nodded, swallowing down another bite of burger. The sauce was especially good, combining with the flavor of the meat in a savory nova of taste. "Excellent job, Miska."

Miska swallowed a bite of her own food. Flourishing her wrist, she converted her left hand into a napkin, and gently dabbed at her mouth.

Thank you, master. I am glad that you find it satisfactory.

"Why use a napkin if you were going to use telepathy?" Noah smiled.

Miska blinked at him, unaware that she had even done it.

"It's simply the proper thing to do," she said aloud. The timbre of her spoken voice was slightly different compared to her mental voice, but sent delightful sensations into his brain all the same.

"Say," Noah started. "I was thinking...our new place is pretty big. It's practically a mansion, really."

"Indeed," Miska smiled. "I'm quite looking forward to all of the extra work and chores."

Coming from anyone else, that would have been sarcasm. But Miska was a shoggoth - a race of monster known as an Abyssal. To a shoggoth, service was at the core of their very identity. Thousands of years ago, they had been designed as a race of servants for an enigmatic group of ancient Abyssals known only as the 'Old Masters'. Even after Lilith's ascension, which granted the Abyssal servants true sapience, they still desired to serve. It was their purpose. But now, shoggoths had intelligence and emotion - and the freedom to choose their masters.

It had taken Noah a long time to get used having a 'servant'. It just didn't feel right, having someone call him 'master' and taking care of all his menial tasks. It felt selfish, and demeaning of her. But in the five years that he had been together with Miska, he gradually came to understand the truth of her being. For a shoggoth, there was no greater joy than serving the people they cared about. Not simply because it gave them pleasure, but because it was an expression of their love. Indeed, asking a shoggoth not to serve would be asking her to deny her own existence.

"So, I was thinking," Noah continued. "How would you feel about getting a pet?"

"A pet? Like what?" Miska tilted her head curiously.

"I'm not sure yet," Noah admitted. "Maybe something local? I don't know a great deal about Veruna's fauna, yet. But I just thought it would help the house feel less...empty. We certainly don't have enough stuff to fill all of the rooms."

"That is true," Miska said, turning to the window and looking out thoughtfully. "I have done some preliminary research into that matter. There was one species I found rather adorable...it's called a niyuki, apparently. It somewhat resembles a cross between a terrier puppy and an owl, and has apparently been very easy to domesticate. I agree, I think it would be a good idea to have someone else in our new home."

"You'll have to show me that later," Noah said. "That sounds like a good idea. Have you decided what room you want to be your art room?"

"I won't know for certain until we arrive," Miska said, shaking her head. "The balcony room seemed like a promising candidate at first, but if I remember correctly, it is in the face of the wind."

"It is pretty windy there," Noah agreed.

"But whichever room it ends up being," Miska continued, "I will cherish it deeply."

"You've been wanting your own space for painting for a while now."

"This apartment is very comfortable," Miska smiled. "But there is something deeply appealing about the prospect of having our own estate. I very much look forward to having a personal space for creative expression, yes."

"And I can't wait to finally have a dedicated workshop at home," Noah grinned.

The apartment was very comfortable; Miska was certainly not wrong. But it was just that - an apartment. There was only so much they could do with its limited space, especially seeing as they didn't own the place. Truthfully, on Noah's sizable salary, they could have bought their own house on Earth...but they never felt like it was the right place, or the right time. The hypergate project devoured Noah's time like a black hole devoured light, and thoughts of moving were pushed to the wayside. But now that Noah had been promoted, essentially becoming the right-hand man of the right-hand man, all of that changed.

Not only was Arclight handling all of their moving costs, but they had even negotiated a sizable discount for the new property. Not that it was needed - construction on Veruna was almost entirely automated, and was exceptionally affordable. It was all just too perfect of an opportunity to pass up.

"My rule about not bringing work home will remain," Miska frowned. "No matter which section of the galaxy we live in, I'll not allow my master to work himself unconscious."

"That only happened once," Noah winced.

"I'm sorry, master," Miska said sweetly, tilting her head and feigning innocence. "Did you say something? It almost sounded like you were protesting."

"No, my sweet," Noah sighed. "Believe me, you drove that lesson home a long time ago."

A beeping noise from Noah's pocket drew his attention. Fishing his phone out of his pocket, he glanced at the screen and saw that Damien was calling him.

"Odd," Noah hummed. "I didn't think that we had anything left to talk about."

"Perhaps it's about the moving ship?" Miska suggested.

"Dunno," Noah shrugged, tapping the button that read 'Accept as Holocall' before placing the phone flat on the ground. A node on the phone opened up and emitted a blurry hologram, which swiftly stabilized into a miniature version of Damien, who was grinning at them excitedly.

"Hey, Noah, Miska!" he blurted. "I've got big news! Real big!"

Then Damien blinked, as his miniature hologram moved around and took in his surroundings.

"Oh," he deflated. "Were you guys eatin'? Sorry, I can call back later if you want."

"It's fine," Noah assured. "What's this big news of yours? Something about Veruna?"

"Huh?" Damien's hologram blinked. "Oh, no, not that. It's about me and Jiayi!"

His hologram turned to the side, beckoning some invisible person forward. The hologram stuttered for a moment, then adjusted itself, projecting a second person into the air.

"Goodness," the figure muttered, glancing around the room. "This is quite a strange feeling."

Damien's wife, Jiayi, was another species of monster called a Ren Xiongmao. She looked far more human than Miska did, and would have resembled an ordinary human woman if not for the black fur that coated her arms and legs. Her hands and feet had paw pads and claws, lending credence to the species' similarity with panda bears.

Hello, Jia, Miska greeted, nodding at the hologram.

Chuckling, Noah turned to look at his wife and tapped his index finger against his head.

"Outside voice, dear," he reminded.

Miska's external composure didn't so much as flinch, but Noah felt a trickle of her embarrassment slip into his mind, despite her best efforts.

"Hello, Jia," Miska repeated aloud.

"Hello, Miska dear," Jiayi replied. "So nice to see you two again. Although, I didn't think I would be making this announcement while I was six inches tall..."

"Announcement?" Noah blinked. "What's this about?"

Damien guffawed and wrapped his arm around his wife, pulling her closer to him. The panda woman was far stronger than she appeared, and wasn't uncomfortable at all.

"I suppose I'll tell them," Jiayi sighed. "Well, you see...we're pregnant."

Noah and Miska blinked at the holograms. Then, they turned and looked at each other, and blinked again.

Miska let her composure go first, squealing excitedly for her best friend.

"Really?" she beamed. "That's wonderful! When did you find out?"

"Just now!" Damien laughed.

"Congratulations," Noah smiled. "Boy or girl?"

"A boy!" Damien boasted, grinning proudly. "Hah, I can barely believe that I'm going to have a son!"

"It might have been unbelievable a few centuries ago," Jiayi sighed happily. "But it really is happening."

The four chatted excitedly for a while, promising to meet up in person to celebrate once they were all on Veruna. Eventually, Damien and Jiayi ended the call, walking off to make their own dinner.

"What wonderful news," Miska sighed. "Jiayi told me that she always wanted to have a son."

"They were both ecstatic," Noah nodded. "But I can foresee having to help him with some last minute jitters, a few months from now."

"Perhaps," Miska admitted. "But I think he'll be a very good father. I do wonder if their son will be as energetic as him."

"I hope not," Noah groaned. "Oh, Maou...I can see my fate now. Hey, Noah, look at this picture of my son! Gwahaha, ain't he the best? Oh, and this one, too!"

"There are worse fates, master," Miska giggled.

"True enough," Noah sighed. "Well, anyway. Let's finish dinner and go for that walk, shall we?"

Miska nodded and the two set about finishing their meal, the atmosphere filled with a comfortable warmth. Afterwards, the two took the stairs down to the lobby. Reaching the lobby door, Miska stopped and produced a purple raincoat from her sleeve, which Noah donned gratefully. Her toothless smile grew wider as Noah slipped his arms through the sleeves, and the coat adjusted itself around him, as if the raincoat was wearing him. Sharing a quick smooch, the two departed into the pouring rain and began to wander about the city. They had no destination, and simply let the sounds and sights of their surroundings flow into them.

They passed by a large public park, which had a playground, a duck pond, and a large statue of some angelic figure, her arms outstretched in a welcoming pose. It seemed that a like-minded couple - a man and an angel - had come out to the playground with their raincoat-clad daughter, watching her gleefully jump around in the puddles. Later, they passed by a streetside ramen bar, the bowls of noodles letting out hot steam. There were several patrons seated at the bar, chatting with each other in between slurps of ramen. There was a television behind the bar counter and its robot bartender, featuring a mixed martial arts tournament that showcased the wildly different strengths of different species of monster.

Moving on from the bar, they passed a shopfront that was advertising a new line of smart clothing for women. The fabric was imbued with a smattering of nanobots, which automatically stitched together any rips and removed stains from the clothing.

Miska couldn't help but scowl at the display.

"Ooh, how wonderful," she grumbled. "Oh, clothes that fix themselves. What a wonderful technology."

"Miska," Noah said, raising an eyebrow. "Are you feeling attacked?"

"Well of course, master," Miska huffed. "This may put many service-oriented monsters such as myself out of business. Don't these people know that creating and fixing clothing is a deep tradition for several species?"

"No line of clothing will ever replace yours, my dear," Noah sighed.

"Of course not," Miska said, nodding pridefully. "But even so...perhaps it would not be a bad idea to purchase one..."

Miska trailed off, eyes turning back to the clothing display. Oh, she had to admit that it was rather cute...

Following her gaze, Noah shook his head and chuckled.

"J-just to disassemble it!" Miska protested. "To see if I can replicate it!"

"Miska, come on," Noah laughed. "It's okay to like the clothes. Besides, we both know that you can't replicate nanomachines. Maybe if you snuck in a few centuries of practice, I would buy that excuse."

"I managed to create a functional transistor just the other day!" she winced. "Electronics are difficult to replicate, master..."

Smiling sympathetically, Noah stepped forward and wrapped his arms around his wife, pulling her in and rubbing his hands along her back.

"Miska, my sweet," he sighed. "The fact that you can turn yourself into even basic electronics is already an incredible feat. Don't be so hard on yourself, alright?"

Nuzzling herself into Noah's chest, Miska pressed her head against his shoulder. He was right, of course. There was no reason to feel inadequate or jealous, especially considering there wasn't a shoggoth alive that could manage such a tremendously complicated feat as replicating a nanomachine. Not yet, at least.

"I know," she sighed. "Thank you, my star."

"Of course, love," Noah smiled. "Shall we head back? I think we should retire early, tonight. We'll need our energy."

"Very well," Miska nodded. "Let's."

********************

Noah crossed his arms, frowning as he waited for his wife. Leaning against the wall of the living room, he sighed and glanced at the two robot workers, lifting the last of their moving boxes up and out of the apartment. They trudged out of the door, utterly unconcerned by the heavy boxes, and waddled upstairs to the waiting cargo shuttle.

"Miska!" Noah cried. "The bots are almost done, are you ready yet?"

"I'm just making sure I didn't miss anything!" Miska's voice replied, coming from the bedroom.

Sighing, Noah pushed himself off the wall and headed into the bedroom, determined to find the cause of the delay.

Miska turned to look at him as he entered their bedroom, with worry painted on her face.

Miska was human, today. She had adopted a light skin tone, one that matched his own. She retained her ponytail, but her hair was now a shade of purple, like the skin of a plum. She still had yellow eyes, but they no longer glowed. Her clothing still looked much the same, but now resembled actual fabric, instead of her slimy substance. She would have been indistinguishable from a human woman, were it not for one of her anxious tics betraying her. The strands of Miska's ponytail wriggled around with a life of their own, twisting upon each other like Medusa's snakes.

The bedroom was devoid of furniture, except for the bed, which was staying. Miska always preferred to turn herself into their bed and blankets, anyway. But here she was, frowning and pacing around the empty room.

"What are you doing?" Noah asked.

"I am making sure that I didn't miss anything," Miska repeated. "It would not do to leave something behind..."

Noah sighed and came up behind Miska, wrapping his arms around her and nuzzling against her.

"Miska," he said firmly. "We completed our final check yesterday. You aren't missing anything.

"I-" Miska started to say something, but sighed, the tension in her shoulders falling. "I'm sorry, master. I'm being neurotic."

"You're just being you," he corrected. "Now, come on. We need to get to the spaceport. Even if we did forget something, it isn't going to be a huge deal. Okay?"

Pulling away from his embrace, Miska took a deep breath, then nodded.

"Of course, my star," she said, curtsying and regaining her knowing smile. "Let us depart, then."

********************

The spaceport was busy, as it always was. Ships of all sizes came and left as the cargo shuttle deposited Miska and Noah, and the pair watched for a moment. This civilian spaceport saw mostly smaller ships, but there was an interesting cruiser-class at one of the nearby landing platforms. The ship was a long, bulky rectangle, and had an unusually high amount of defense weapons, bristling with coilguns and autoturrets.

"Armored cargo transport?" Noah guessed.

"They must have some incredibly delicate cargo," Miska nodded.

The ship was interesting, but it wasn't what they were there for. Miska and Noah continued on to their own landing platform, followed by a train of cargo robots that carried their belongings. After a short walk, they arrived at Bay D-15, where their moving ship would be waiting. All they had to do was load their belongings and board - Arclight had already covered all expenses in advance. The exterior of the ship wasn't anything special. It was a fairly standard I-shaped design, with the cockpit at the front and the mass of engines at the back. It was, however, impressively sleek and shiny.

After checking in with port security, the pair were allowed to advance. Leading the cargo bots up the landing ramp, Noah whistled as he saw the inside of the ship. It was far more interesting than the exterior, and richly furnished. There were luxurious rugs, comfortable couches, a miniature bar, a huge television, and even a small set of workout equipment. This entire ship - clearly designed to cater to the wealthy - was just for them? Noah certainly had a significant sum in his bank account, but he felt out of place. The world of the wealthy - fancy parties, ball gowns and champagne - had always seemed like it was for someone else.

Which was fine with him - Noah liked things just as they were. Of course, now that he was the head of the research department, he was going to have to expand his repertoire, mingling much more frequently with investors, and going on business trips to inspect the progress of the expansion of the hypernet. He definitely wasn't looking forward to being away from Miska for days, potentially even weeks at a time, but hey, everything had tradeoffs.

The cargo bots began depositing their items in the ship's cargo bay. Miska was looking around curiously, humming with interest and touching everything she saw. It was her way of exploring new environments and materials - her sense of touch was far more intricate than most other species, and dissolving things gave her the information she needed if she wished to replicate the item again, using her substance.

"Pretty impressive ship, isn't it?" Noah asked, giving his wife a smile.

Miska hummed in vague affirmation, picking up a potted plant and examining it closely. The pot's inhabitant flora was clearly not native to Earth, holding some kind of tentacle-shaped vine, blooming into a red flower at the tip.

"Interesting," Miska said, placing the plant back down. "Very interesting. Yes, I like this ship. The interior designer had a piquant taste."

A beeping from his pocket drew Noah's attention. He fished it out and was greeted by the voice of his personal assistant.

"Notification," Viri said. "Final transit authorization has been cleared. The Telrus is now clear for liftoff."

"Thank you, Viri," Noah nodded, slipping the device back into his pocket. In the background, the cargo bots were returning from the cargo bay, having made short work of their task.

"All cargo loaded," one of them said in a deep, yet heavily computerized voice. "Thank you for your service, and we hope you have a pleasant move."

Noah nodded satisfactorily at the bot, which joined its brethren in retreating outside. Strolling over to the top of the ramp, Miska pressed a button, causing the ramp to raise and withdraw. With a metallic clang and a hydraulic hiss, the ship was sealed.

"Well?" Noah prompted. "Feel like piloting for a while, Miska? Or shall we just let the autopilot take over?"

"As much as I am loathe to admit it," Miska sighed. "The robots have their uses. Let the ship fly itself. I would rather spend time with you, my star."

"Let's go fire her up, then," Noah grinned. "I was thinking about flying manually once we get out of warp, but maybe not. I'm more comfortable with shuttles than ships, anyway."