"I have some good news: I'm leaving in a week," I said, trying to sound nonchalant.

 

Lena frowned and looked at me without much enthusiasm.

 

"Really? It will be good news for you, darling. I'll stay here, alone. How long will you be gone?"

 

I was sad to see her so downcast. She's always cheering me up, but in the end she's the one running the house for both of us. We'd been together for almost four happy years.

 

"Between six and eight months. It depends on what we find."

 

"Last time you told me five months and stayed a whole year. Besides, you almost got killed."

 

"I promise to be on time for your birthday and to watch out for alien beasts."

 

"All I ask is that you come back in one piece. And that you bring me a nice present."

 

We kissed sweetly and went on with our daily lives.

 

* * *

 

I've been on Proteus, the most biodiverse planet in the galaxy, for five months. I couldn't believe it when I was told that my next mission would be here. It's every exozoologist's dream come true.

 

So far, I have catalogued more than fifty new species: fourteen venomous articulated predators with ten or more legs from a green jungle, two blind amphibians from the bottom of a lava cave, five bioluminescent floaters from a cold ocean, eight high-metabolism active flyers, five scaly gliders, four toothless and three toothed macropredators, ten gregarious phytophages of moderate intelligence, and one omnivore with an armored exoskeleton that kept trying to attack us until the end.

 

Of the smaller species, I captured some individuals and have them preserved in pressurized containers; of the others, I was content to take tissue samples, holographic footage and written notes.

 

We could spend years researching here, but we will soon run out of storage capacity and supplies, so we will have to organize a new expedition for later. This planet is truly a real gold mine.

 

* * *

 

At exactly seven months, I returned home. The truth was that I missed Lena very much and I had gathered enough study material to keep me busy for a long time.

 

"Hi, Len. I'm back without a scratch, just like I promised you. More importantly, I brought you a nice souvenir. I guess it counts as a birthday present."

 

"You are my present, darling. Your exotic souvenir can wait..."

 

Lena unfolded her six arms and enveloped me with them in a tide of brilliant electric flashes that swept over us. Her three lips sought mine and we brought our mouths together in a tangy kiss, the kind I like best. It was an offer of love from my partner, addicted to sweet and cloying kisses.

 

We melted into an eternal embrace, as if I had never left on my journey of exploration. Lena was the best companion in the whole universe. Next to her, I could forget all my research and scientific discoveries. We completely lost track of time, happy to be together.

 

It was good to be home again.

 

My souvenir from faraway lands stayed in my luggage. It was the cephalic exoskeleton of the armored omnivore, which I had to kill to get it off. It was a nice trophy. What I liked most was that it had a very nice inscription on the front that read,

Greetings from Proteus: "Private James Donahue, US ARMY"