Experimental Voyage
By R.J. Blain
From Pets in Space 8
When a crash causes xeno-botanist Camellia to lose her hearing—and the space exploration career she dreamed of—she jumps at the experimental program that will restore her hearing. The good news is that she’ll finally get the chance to explore space. The bad news is that she’ll be both a crew member and a test subject to the benevolent alien scientists who saved her.
Once the expedition is underway, she is amused by the alien crew and adores the Andean mountain cat whose DNA gave Camellia her life back. She doesn’t know what to think about the sometimes rude, sometimes kind expedition pilot Waldren, who is also cat’s handler.
When the expedition’s mission gets a radical reboot owing a malfunctioning stellar gateway, Waldren is determined to get her and the expedition to safety. Can Camellia solve the mystery of the uncharted world they landed on? And can the crew figure out how to get back home again?
Most important of all, can Camellia trust her heart to the sweet cat and grumpy pilot who have come to mean everything to her?
Originally published in the Pets in Space 8 Anthology.
