Lucy Says Hello (Flash Fiction)

“So you gonna ride or what?” I leaned back against the corral gate, taking in the horizon of the setting suns. The sky was cloudless and the air dry, which meant a cold night. A cold night that would set in fast if I didn’t get this cadet on her beast.

“It’s just so big,” said the cadet, her big eyes cast wide as she took in Lucy.

I smiled, following the cadet’s eyes to the Class IV Insectoid, #23A75. I hated the terminology; I’d reared #23A75 since she hatched. I named her Lucy after she pus...