Need

Wednesday has come around again and I’m happy to present this week’s flash fiction.

“Gneron K75?” Sienna stopped kneading the dough and stared at me like I’d gone mad. She huffed a breath trying to blow a stray lock from her face. A week ago, I would have agreed with her. But that was last week.

I shoved my hands in my pockets and shrugged. “It’s not as bad as it sounds.”

“It sounds dreadful.” Sienna looked away from me, but the scowl was apparent. “Isn’t the planet nothing more than dunes melted in place?”

Yes, she wasn’t going to be an easy sale. “That used to be true, but that was before they started terraforming.”

Sienna snorted.

“The first of the globes is set to burst in a year.” She rolled her eyes at that. “That would be before we’d get there. Transports take two years.”

Sienna stopped. Wiping her hands on the towel draped over her shoulder, she waddled around the counter. Her cleaned hand went to her belly, fingers splaying to encompass as much as she could, which wasn’t much anymore. “You expect me to be okay with giving birth in route?”

“Well,” I stepped forward to place my hand over hers. “Yes?” The word morphed into a question before I could finish it.

She whipped the towel and snapped it at me. Yelping I jumped back as she retreated behind the counter, pointing to the kitchen’s exit. “Out!” she bellowed.

I pulled my hand and raised a finger ready to argue. Stopping I turned and walked away. She’d come around.

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