by Petra Landon
Jinto 3 was a neighboring planet that hosted the Trade Exchange the Terrans used to barter their crops. Sila smiled at him, warmed by his thought and care in finding a new home for her. It helped lighten the weight on her heart for it meant that the Elder had not given up hope of her return.
“Sseela has a job with the Alliance.” The Star Captain’s voice slashed through her thoughts.
“If she wishes” Zh’hir amended, visited by an attack of his conscience. He reminded himself fiercely that only a few hours ago, he had determined to allow Sila to make her own choices.
“Alliance?” the Elder exclaimed, before Sila could respond. “They’ve never shown any interest in our people or Terra Agri 5 before” he said artlessly, clearly confused by the circumstances.
“The Alliance will take an interest from now, Elder Arturo” the Star Captain said firmly. Whatever the quirk of fate, he had taken on the responsibility of Terra Agri 5 on behalf of the Ur’quay. The Terrans might have exiled Sila but he would honor the agreement.
“The ships guarding your world will remain here for as long as you need them. If Sseela chooses to accept the position, please communicate any issues you want to bring to the Alliance’s attention to her. I will make sure that your concerns reach the right ears.”
Elder Arturo’s jaw slackened with astonishment. But it was Sila who responded first, considerably taken aback. At the briefing today, her position as a trade representative had been taken for granted, their discussions mainly focusing on the logistics of residing on an Alliance station.
“I’m honored to accept the position, Sta … Representative Mu’raat.”
He adjusted the hood over his face, and the exotic gold eyes met hers. A question burned in their depths. Sila frowned.
“This is wonderful news” Elder Arturo, blissfully ignorant of any undercurrents, interrupted them. “I could not choose anyone better than Sila. I’m sure the Council will agree with me. Sila has demonstrated the lengths she is willing to go for us.”
The Star Captain wrenched his gaze away from Sila to address the pleased Elder.
“Sseela will reside on an Alliance station and represent Terran interests. We will ensure that the Council has communicator access to her.”
The news seemed to banish the last of the shadows from the Elder’s face. “An ambassador to represent our interests!” he exclaimed.
He turned to Sila with a happy smile. “This is a joyous day for all Terrans, child. And I will have an excuse to talk to you over the new communicator the Alliance plans to provide.”
Sila smiled affectionately at him, pleased and gratified by his words.
“There is another matter I wish to discuss with you, Elder Arturo” the Star Captain remarked, watching the byplay between the two Terrans.
“Of course” the Elder responded immediately.
“We would like to trade for the crops you grow.”
“Our crops?” The Elder looked puzzled. “The Alliance is interested in the food we grow?”
“We will offer top currency.” The Star Captain did not beat about the bush. “Will you trade with us?”
Elder Arturo’s eyes took in the massive alien with the exotic looks. “The Alliance would provide a stable market for what we produce, Representative Mu’raat. Auctions on the Trade Exchange are always a gamble. But I know the Council will be leery for the Alliance has proven to be an indifferent protector of Terran interests.”
The unblinking gold eyes met the Terran’s gaze. “Will my word suffice, Elder? There will be no more indifference when it comes to the Terrans.”
“He keeps his word, Elder Arturo.” Sila rushed to add her support. “I’d trust him with my life.”
The Elder smiled at her earnestness. “His word will suffice, child. He did return you to us. That bodes well for the future.”
“I will talk to the Council, Representative Mu’raat” he assured the Star Captain. “I’m confident that they will agree to open negotiations.”
“Thank you, Elder Arturo. I look forward to a long and fruitful alliance with the Terrans.” Zh’hir hid his joy at the prospect of a new new source of food for the Ur’quay.
t
“This is for you.”
He held out his hand to her, the familiarity of the gesture reviving a host of memories for Sila. Nestled in the broad palm lay a small device. It was a communication abettor, like the one he had given her before. Accompanying the device had been a promise that he had kept at all costs.
Sila glanced into the exotic eyes. “You’re leaving, Star Captain?”
Again.
“I won’t be far, little Terran. But you will soon be amongst strangers.” He echoed her own words.
Just returned from her final trip to her world, Sila found her heart inexplicably lighter at his words. Accompanied by three Hadari’Kor escorts, Sila had spent a few hours on Terra Agri 5 packing up her meagre belongings and bidding her neighbors goodbye. The Council had not broadcast her secret once Elder Arturo had assured them that she would not reside on their world anymore. It meant that no one on Terra Agri knew about her role in saving them from the Keeyori. She had received a warm welcome from her neighbors and faced some curiosity at her plans to reside off world.
Sila reached for the gift he held out to her. In a strange way, it was something familiar to hold on to, when everything around her was changing rapidly. She had worn the previous abettor on a chain around her neck for six months on Terra Agri, a constant reminder of a strange interlude and an alien she had inexplicably missed more than she should.
“If you are ever in trouble, use it” he reminded her solemnly as she remained silent, her eyes on the abettor in her hand.
Her gaze rose to meet his. “I have a communicator now” she reminded him.
A brand new Alliance-issue communicator had been set up for Sila. Commander Jolar had even walked her through a tutorial on its sophisticated features. Similar equipment had been installed on Terra Agri 5 to enable the Council of Elders to reach her.
“I want you to have the abettor” he reiterated. “It is programmed to my private communicator channel, like before.”
Sila tucked the tiny device away, without further ado. The abettor had saved her life once, as well as the fate of the Terrans.
He studied her, the gold eyes impassive. “I have something to show you.”
Sila acquiesced, to follow him down the corridor. She could sense his eyes on her but he was silent. He escorted her to a large and unfamiliar chamber, with a huge display screen that covered an entire wall. Sila glanced around her curiously. Her tour of the Juntafeyore had not included this room. Devoid of any furnishings, the chamber had a tall, oddly-shaped and over-sized pedestal attached to the floor like a stand.
He made for the pedestal to operate the controls, adjusting the height and angle to make it accessible for her. The stand shortened noiselessly and the flat part of the pedestal sloped towards Sila until it was eye level. To her surprise, what she had assumed to be a pedestal was actually a large console mounted on a stand. The Star Captain powered on the console, and the touch screen blinked on, to offer an array of unfamiliar controls. She watched him navigate it with an ease born of confidence.
“You can read Alliance Standard, Star Captain?”
Sila was surprised. The occasional Alliance Standard he used with the Hadari’Kor was much improved from her time aboard his starship. With her though, he was always careful to use the translator.
But learning to speak a language was a different proposition from deciphering its script.
“No, Zoran walked me through the basic controls on this.”
Sila watched him work the console. He was the only Ur’quay she had spent time with. It left her unable to judge which of the qualities she observed in him constituted his unique personality and how much was inherently Ur’quay. It hadn’t escaped Sila’s notice that though he was reserved by nature and sparing with his words, he was never reticent or remotely r
etiring. Rather, he was straightforward and blunt when he wanted to communicate. While comfortable but habitually taciturn around the Hadari’Kor mercenaries, his interactions with their Captain had an ease about it that spoke volumes to her.
“You like Captain Hadari-Begur-Kor” she remarked. He had claimed the mercenary as his friend on Keeyor 9, she remembered.
The Star Captain cocked his head at an angle to contemplate her thoughtfully. It was a familiar gesture that she knew indicated either surprise or rumination.
“Yes” he drawled out slowly, as if surprised by the revelation. “I like him very much.”
“Your first friend in Sector Araloka” she said lightly.
“My first friend” he stated, after a short pause.
Sila stared at him, taken aback by the statement.
“You had no friend before the Captain!” She was incredulous. Even she, with her secret, had not been completely alone.
“My former Captain was someone I would call a friend. He mentored me, advised me on my career at Space Force and has always had my best interests at heart.”
Sila guessed that the Ur’quay Captain he talked of was much older and someone who had played a paternal role in his life.
“I joined the Ur’quay Space Force fifteen rotations ago” he explained. “I was too busy with training and later, with my duties to make any friends. There are Space Force officers who I enjoy spending my limited recreation time with, but I would not call them friends.”
Sila understood the sentiment. She supposed that it was hard to be friends with officers that reported to you when you were the Captain.
“What about before you joined the Space Force?” she asked curiously.
“I have memories from when I was a youngling, of playmates in our provincial town. After my parents were gone, I was sent to a home for orphans run by the local authorities. I lived there until I was old enough to try out for Space Force.”
“We are alike then” Sila said softly. “I, too, leave behind no friends on my world, though I plan to make at least one in the new life you have gifted me, Star Captain.”
The gold eyes met her gaze directly. “Are you sure that you leave no friends behind?”
“Absolutely” she said firmly with confidence. “Elder Arturo and his wife will check up on me periodically. Everyone else will forget me soon. And I consider that a good thing for I want to start this new life with no regrets and nothing drawing me back to the past.”
He contemplated her, an unfathomable expression on his face.
“In that case, I’m fortunate to have the honor to gift you a new life, as you put it” he said quietly, his eyes intent on her expressive face.
“I have faith you will succeed, little Terran” he reiterated.
A tad flustered, Sila changed the subject.
“What is this console for, Star Captain?” she inquired briskly, directing her attention to the controls.
The Star Captain pressed a series of controls in rapid succession and the huge display screen before them filled with a larger than life image of a familiar rustic landscape dotted by a few scattered homes. Sila stared at the familiar vista in growing wonder. Though the image was presented from an unusual perspective, she recognized it.
“Is that the home I grew up in?” she inquired in a hushed voice.
He answered in the affirmative. “This ship is equipped with sensors that can function like an old-fashioned telescopic instrument. The Hadari’Kor who accompanied you to Terra Agri provided me with the co-ordinates to your house and I plugged them into the sensor.”
“This is …” she paused, her eyes on the screen. “I have no words to describe this.”
“I can focus on your dwelling” he offered, using the controls to zoom in on the target.
For a moment, Sila said nothing, her eyes drinking in the view on the display screen.
“Thank you, Star Captain.” She turned to him, her eyes shining. “I shall always remember my home like this.”
An answering smile lit the depths of his eyes. “I thought you might like it, Sseela.”
“I’ve configured it to record the images” he explained. “They will be forwarded to your new communicator ID. That way, you’ll always have access to the pictures.”
As her avid eyes devoured the images, he showed her how to play with the sensor parameters for different views and perspectives of the planet.
For the next ten minutes, Sila immersed herself in the sensor images of Terra Agri 5. As her eyes drank in the sights, her heart let go of the last of any lingering sorrow. The Star Captain remained by her side, content to watch her expressive face as awe, pleasure, excitement and joy seemed to flit across it in rapid succession.
Without warning, the ship lurched abruptly and the display screen went dark, as the Juntafeyore’s sensors reverted back to their default parameters. Sila lost her footing to stumble back, her arms flailing frantically. A muscled arm whipped around her to steady her, bringing her flush against a hard, strong body.
“I’ve got you” he assured her, widening his stance to brace himself against the console with his free hand while the other held her to him.
Sila allowed herself to lean into him. The ship had just broken orbit over Terra Agri 5. She would never return, even for a visit. But Sila found herself remarkably content — the images of her home from space would last her a lifetime. All thanks to the Star Captain. On the Henia, she had been disappointed at not catching a glimpse of the stars since the Ur’quay starship had been travelling at sub-light speed. The Star Captain had rectified that long-ago disappointment today by granting her a glimpse of not just any star but her home world. Filled with a renewed surge of gratitude, Sila looked up to thank him again. For everything — this unexpected treat, for remembering how eager she’d been on the Henia to sightsee in space for the very first time and for the opportunity to build a life away from Terra Agri.
The difference in their heights meant Sila had to lean back against the arm holding her to meet his gaze. The gold eyes glittered fiercely, his expression blank. A curious tension held him rigid, but it was the question in the depths of the exotic eyes that stilled Sila, even as her heart beat faster. Her hand came up to instinctively brace herself against the smoldering fire she sensed in him. It skittered along his chest to come to a tentative rest on one powerful upper arm. At her touch, the muscles flexed under her palm. His arm around her tightened, to hold her imperceptibly closer.
The blazing gold eyes held her pinned in place. He made no move to let go of her but neither did he hide what he wanted. Flustered as she was, Sila sensed that he was waiting for a cue. Unlike Keeyor 9, he would not tamp down the blaze — he was leaving it up to her. Heat radiated from the hard body and the corded muscles under her palm seemed to sear her. Sila let out the breath she had been holding. Flush against him, she could feel the tension in the muscled body.
“Star Captain” she whispered, her green eyes awash in a jumble of confusion, desire and consternation.
The hand he’d braced against the pedestal reached for her slowly, giving her the time to stop him. A calloused finger stroked the soft skin by her lips, his eyes intent on the delicate movements. Sila’s mouth quivered, the lips parting infinitesimally.
“I want to hear my name on these lips.” The guttural voice was low.
Sila shivered at the raspy tones, slumping against the arm that held her up.
The display screen had gone dark, but pin-pricks of light from the active controls on the pedestal created a colorful canopy above it. Sila tried to focus on the blinking lights, hoping to clear her head of the jumble of confusion and thrall.
The finger slid down her chin and a large hand cupped her nape.
“No” he growled. “Look at me.”
Sila’s eyes cast a fleeting glance up at him. The darker pupils of his exotic eyes appeared larger, dilated against the backdrop of blazing gold.
“Tell me what you want, Sseela” he asked, the
guttural tones uneven.
The green eyes held his for a long moment.
I want you.
Sila’s eyes widened with shock. For a wild moment, she thought it had been her mind articulating its need.
His lips quirked, the gold eyes flaring. “Very much” reiterated the raspy voice in Alliance Standard.
Through the confusing haze, the voice of caution reared its head in Sila. He was breaking Ur’quay law! But before she could warn him, a torrent of desire and need swamped her to leave her quivering in its wake. It was like nothing she had ever experienced. Need, longing and passion made for a combustible concoction, one that seemed to reach inside her to touch every cell in her. It took Sila a few seconds to comprehend that it was his unvoiced desires and ardor that poured through their unique connection. Every pore of her tingled with an answering need and anticipation Sila could no longer deny. But even as she shuddered under the onslaught of his feelings, Sila sensed that he was holding back.
She arched into the hand that cupped her cheek, and he reacted, the fingers caressing her face. The palm, large and roughened, was topped with long fingers blunt at their tips, but it was the fine webbing between the fingers that made Sila gasp at the feel of it on her.
The tip of his thumb rubbed against her parted lips, the coarse pad grazing the soft inside of her mouth. Her lips closed on the pad of the thumb. She was rewarded with a pleased purr.
“Yesss.”
Sila struggled to cut through the haze, girding herself to remind him of the danger he courted by forging a connection of their minds. Before she could say anything, he swung her expertly into his arms to deposit her on the over-sized console. With little time to react, Sila watched dazedly as he hit the right sequence of controls to turn the brightly blinking console dark under her. Perched precariously on the console, her feet dangled off the sloping edge of it. Grasping the edges of the console, he leaned in, encouraging her to lie back on the angled surface. The powerful arms surged protectively around her to hold her on the console.