by Petra Landon
d
Almost a month later
Sila took in the view from the enormous bay windows on the Promenade. It was night on the Training Facility and the usually populated Promenade lay silent. Her friend Saakshi could spend hours gazing through these windows in the hope of catching a starship dock at the space station’s elongated ports. TF124 was a large ship from a bygone era that had been reconfigured and dragged through space to be placed in the shadow of a large asteroid. The asteroid belt around it provided some camouflage to an Alliance station that was a secret from most of its citizens.
“Sila” greeted a deep voice as a tall male joined her at the windows to observe the silent dock ports and the dark space beyond it.
Darmil Kor-Jerin-Hadari was one of the Hadari’Kor mercenaries who trained the Budheya rebels on the station. He had introduced himself to Sila some weeks earlier as a friend of Belur. For Sila, accustomed to a solitary existence on Terra Agri, life on the station had not been lonely. In the early days, navigating her way through an unfamiliar station populated by strangers, her daily communications with Terra Agri and the new responsibilities had kept her busy. The station personnel, who had worked together on a previous Alliance facility, tended to keep to themselves. Thus, opportunities to make friends had been few and far between. Meeting Saakshi had been a godsend for them both — they were both misfits, in their own ways, on this station. Saakshi was Budheya but not one of the rebels brought on board from Budheyasta. She was an Alliance citizen responsible for the well-being of the rebels brought to the station. No one on the station knew much about the Budheya girl’s background and Sila had not asked any awkward questions after one glance into Saakshi’s haunted eyes. The two had taken to spending their leisure time together and sharing their evening meals when schedules permitted.
But Darmil and his Hadari’Kor friends were new acquaintances Sila had welcomed with pleasure. The knowledge that Belur had asked his friend to look her up on the station had also sent a spike of warmth coursing through Sila.
“There’s a rumor doing the rounds that you plan to start some sort of class” Darmil remarked beside her.
Sila scrunched up her nose in response. This station was a hotbed of gossip. Most Alliance stations probably were but it was all so new to her, from a much more rustic world where the pace was slower and the danger of the Empire an abstract worry that never intruded into everyday life.
“Yes, I’m planning to teach a class on sculpting” she acknowledged. “Saakshi convinced me that it might provide the rebels a respite from the training — by having them focus on art for a few hours a week.”
“She is the Budheya Personnel Co-ordinator?” he inquired.
Sila affirmed his query, aware of the speculation about her Budheya friend.
“The work is rewarding” he said abruptly.
Sensing Sila’s puzzlement, he expanded further. “Instructing the rebels. It is time the Budheya throw off the yoke of their occupiers.”
This station had opened Sila’s eyes to the Budheya’s plight. Whispers of how the Ketaari treated the Budheya on their own world had brought home to Sila the fate the Alliance fought so hard to prevent for its members. No wonder the Alliance Commander desired an agreement with the mighty Ur’quay. A fleet of Ur’quay starships, with their powerful warriors fighting for the Alliance, could tilt the balance of power in this war that had brought untold suffering to so many people.
She shot him a look. “You think the rebels can free Budheyasta?”
He answered readily. “With enough financial backing and the right training and strategy, they could make life very tough for the Imperial Forces on Budheyasta. It will all depend on the timing though. If they’re able to force the Ketaari to fight on two fronts simultaneously, they might stand a chance” he amended soberly.
There was a short pause.
“Have you ever worked for the Ketaari?” she asked curiously. The Hadari’Kor had a reputation for independence and while many worked with the Alliance, they were not citizens and free to work with others.
“Yes” he admitted grimly. “But I will never do so again.”
The trill of her communicator interrupted the conversation. Sila glanced at her COM. Nope, it wasn’t the Alliance communicator. That must mean the Star Captain.
“Excuse me” she murmured, tapping her earpiece to walk away from Darmil.
“Sseela” greeted a familiar growly voice.
“Star Captain” she answered in a low voice.
“You have company.”
He had heard the note of caution in her voice, Sila guessed.
“I have something I’d like to talk to you about. I can be in my chamber in ten minutes. Will you hold or would you like to call me back?” she asked.
“I’ll hold” he said.
Sila walked to the mercenary who waited for her. “Darmil, I’m sorry. I must deal with this.” She pointed to her earpiece.
The mercenary shot her a puzzled look. It was night in all of Alliance territory.
“It’s work” she explained.
“Would you have lunch with me tomorrow, Sila?” he asked, before she could walk away.
Sila, pressed for time, did a quick mental scan through her schedule for the next day.
“I can’t tomorrow. I have to set up for my class. Sometime next week?”
Darmil agreed and Sila moved away after a hurried goodbye. She walked the short distance to her chamber quickly, aided by the empty walkways and elevators this time of the night.
“I’m in my chamber, Star Captain” she confirmed into her communicator.
“What did you want to talk to me about?” he asked evenly.
“At my request, Elder Arturo visited a nearby Trade Exchange last week. Other agrarian planets like ours come to sell their produce at these markets. He made some inquiries. If you’re interested, I think we can negotiate for some more food for your people.”
There was a short silence.
“I hope it was not too presumptuous of me, Star Captain” Sila said haltingly. “I know that your world faces a shortage and Elder Arturo was amenable to talk to some of the people he knows….” she faltered.
“I am grateful” he assured her. “Thank you for your efforts, Sseela Gatherer. The Ur’quay will take all the food that can be spared. I will let Representative Malontan know that we might need more goods to barter with.”
“I was thinking …” she paused. The Star Captain seemed to be in a strange mood tonight. He was brusque, short and to the point. None of the gentle teasing or occasional playfulness she had come to expect from him. Perhaps, he was preoccupied with some matter, Sila concluded.
“Yes?” he prompted after a short pause.
“If the Alliance can spare some communication equipment, I can negotiate with these planets directly on behalf of the Ur’quay. Once Elder Arturo makes the introductions and we set up communicators for them, I could offer them a similar deal as an Alliance representative, much like with Terra Agri.”
“It is a very good idea” the Star Captain agreed with alacrity. “I will talk to Commander Kerovac and get back to you soon. Meanwhile, please thank Elder Arturo for his efforts.”
There was another short pause, this one a tad uncomfortable.
“Is something wrong, Star Captain?” she inquired.
“No” he said brusquely. “How is life on an Alliance station?”
“I’m getting used to it — it is very different from Terra Agri” she admitted. “I plan to offer a class on sculpting. Some Budheya, a few Alliance personnel, and even a few Hadari’Kor have signed up for it.”
“That sounds interesting.”
“I’m looking forward to it. Thank you for the emtek and my tools, Star Captain.”
With the last set of rebels, the Star Captain had sent over the remaining emtek from her stint on his starship. He’d also sent her the broad, dagger-like tool he’d synthesized for her. She had used them to work on some small pieces in h
er spare time. It was this work that had prompted her new friend to suggest that Sila start a class.
The Star Captain had never remarked on the small bust of him she had left behind in his rest-chamber as a thank you for his hospitality. And Sila had remained silent on the topic.
“You are welcome” he acknowledged quietly. “I hope you find it handy as you start a new life.”
“I do, Star Captain. I was working on some new pieces when my friend suggested I teach the art to others. The tech group on the station was able to synthesize something similar to emtek for us to practice on.”
“Friend” he repeated in a strangely tight voice.
“Yes, I’ve made a friend here. We have been spending a lot of time together.”
“I’m happy for you” he responded after a short pause.
Sila asked him the question that had been puzzling her since the night she had mistaken his voice in her mind, while he had been on the communicator. Her confusion had been helped along by his words — they had been in Alliance Standard. She remembered clearly how much they had struggled to communicate on the Henia until he had brought her the translator device. Six months later, on Keeyor 9 in the slaver’s cage, he had communicated with her in broken Alliance Standard. But those had been short, sharp sentences. The night on this station, he had been more confident and fluent with it.
“Your Alliance Standard is much improved” she commented.
“I’ve been working on it.”
“It shows, Star Captain. Your translators work so well. I’m surprised that you’ve made the effort to learn the language.”
“Translators are of no use when thoughts drift” he said slowly.
There was a brief, short, shocked silence on Sila’s end.
“You mean when my thoughts seep through?” she inquired haltingly.
“And when I try and communicate with you.”
“Ur’quay laws … you” she stammered, trying to make sense of what he was telling her.
“Some things are worth breaking laws for” he said shortly.
d
He’d thought Darmil was the friend she’d been talking about — the one who had convinced her to start a class!
The realization popped abruptly into Sila’s mind as she lay sleepless hours later. Sila shot up in the bed. Something about the conversation with the Star Captain had struck her — in a subtle way, the interaction had been off. It had bothered her enough to keep her awake. The communicator had been live while she had taken her leave of the Hadari’Kor mercenary. Darmil had asked her out to lunch. And with the Star Captain on the COM, she had pushed it to next week instead of turning him down. The Star Captain had probably assumed that she was sending him a subtle message — letting him down gently, as it were. Sila groaned in dismay. Drat it! Now how did she go about fixing this?
The lunch invitation from Darmil had thrown her. She’d had an inkling of his interest in being more than a friend. He had subtly let her know without pushing her. Sila liked what little she knew of the mercenary. Like the Hadari’Kor she had met, he could be reserved and aloof. But he could also be entertaining and charming when he wanted to make the effort. It had not escaped her notice that with her, Darmil did make an effort. In other circumstances, she might even have reciprocated his interest. But not anymore, for her thoughts and dreams were dominated by someone else. Sila was glad of these past weeks without his overwhelming presence for it had allowed her to dispassionately reflect on the Star Captain. When had her respect, admiration and fascination with him become so much more, she wondered. When had his alienness ceased to matter to her? She had found no clear answers but Sila knew that she wanted a chance at a future with him very much.
Should she ask the Juntafeyore to patch through a call to him, she wondered. So far, he had been unreachable but the Hadari’Kor ship had always delivered her messages to him. What message could she leave for him? It could not be too personal. Sila doubted the privacy of her communiques was protected on the Juntafeyore. After much deliberation, she let the Juntafeyore know that she had something of importance to discuss with the Star Captain. She hoped that would prompt him to call her back at his earliest convenience.
d
Five days later
The Ur’quay communicator trilled as Sila was walking to her chamber after her evening meal with Saakshi. Since the arm-band the Star Captain had sent for her was too big to wear over her bicep, she carried it always in a small pouch hooked onto her belt. Sila had been provided all the privileges accorded to a trade representative to the Alliance — a well-furnished and spacious chamber, access to all station amenities and even an expense allowance. The allowance had been put to use in ordering a few simple gowns that she wore to conduct business and represent Terran interests. Sila considered it a small contribution to maintain the façade of the role the Star Captain had designated for her.
“Sseela” he greeted her.
“Star Captain” she responded with joy, rushing into her chamber to close the door. She had been waiting anxiously to hear from him for days and had practiced this conversation in her head many times.
“I received your message” he remarked. “What did you want to talk to me about?”
“Star Captain, I uh …” she faltered. What had been easy to say when anticipating this conversation suddenly seemed a lot more difficult in the face of his bland inquiry.
There was a short silence while Sila tried to marshal herself.
“What is it, Sseela?” His voice softened subtly. “Has something upset you?”
“I have you. I won’t let go.”
“You can tell me” he cajoled persuasively.
“I wanted you from the moment I laid eyes on you. Even though I knew that it was not meant to be. Not then.”
“Some things are worth breaking laws for.”
Sila girded herself. “This evening, I shared my evening meal with the new friend I told you about. She is Budheya.” Sila hoped that he would get the hint.
“Budheya” he exclaimed, a strange note in his voice.
“Yes. I don’t know how she came to join the Alliance, but Saakshi is responsible for the welfare of the rebels from Budheyasta on the station” she explained, taken aback by the curious note in his voice.
“Saakshi” Zh’hir repeated in a strangled voice.
This was not working, Sila thought in despair. Perhaps, she might have more success if she used his own words to convince him.
“You asked me once what I would have done if you’d knocked on my door months later, after the Henia” she started impetuously, driven to correct the false impression she had inadvertently given him. “If the slavers had not come to my world …” she faltered.
“Yes?” he prompted, his tone encouraging. That was a conversation he remembered well.
Sila took a deep breath. “I would have been very happy to see you” she admitted softly. “I never forgot you, First Commander.”
There was a brief silence and Sila rushed into flustered speech.
“This is what I wanted to tell you, Star Captain. Why I transmitted the message to the Juntafeyore.”
“I see” he intoned gravely, his voice betraying nothing of his thoughts.
“This friend of yours…” he began.
“Saakshi.”
“Saakshi of Budheyasta. Is she the one who convinced you to start the sculpting class?”
“Yes. We share our evening meals when we can. I like her, and I suspect that she is lonely.”
“And you?” he queried with a tinge of gentleness. “Are you lonely too?”
“No, Star Captain, I am content. I have made friends whose company I like. I find my work with Elder Arturo and Representative Malontan very satisfying and I enjoy teaching sculpture to my new students.”
“I … I also think a lot about what you said on the Juntafeyore and I look forward to hearing from you” she whispered. “Very much.”
“The last time I called, you were with a fri
end.”
“Darmil” Sila acknowledged. “Yes, he’s a friend of Belur from the Juntafeyore.”
“He is Hadari’Kor?”
“He’s one of the Hadari’Kor training the rebels. I think Belur was worried that I knew no one on this station, so he asked his friend to look out for me.”
“That was nice of Belur” he stated, his voice very even. “I’m happy that you do not feel alone on the Alliance station.”
Sila wondered whether she should explain about Darmil — that she did not reciprocate his interest in her. Did she need to make it clearer to the Star Captain? He was so habitually direct and blunt about what he wanted. Did he expect the same from her, she wondered uncertainly.
“I will call more often” he said abruptly. “And it is good to know that you had not forgotten me, little Terran.” He signed off.
Sila slumped onto the bed in sheer relief.
Far away, somewhere in territory unclaimed by Alliance or Empire, Zh’hir strode purposefully into the dining chamber on the Juntafeyore.
“When is your ship planning to dock at the Alliance facility, Zoran?” he asked the Hadari’Kor Captain bluntly.
A startled Zoran glanced into the gold eyes for an instant, before he let his lids shutter his gaze. Commander Jolar, seated beside his friend with a heaping plate of food he was working his way through, choked at the blunt inquiry and had to resort to a few gulps of water to recover.
“The next item of business would be easier from the facility, Zoran” Jolar chimed in candidly, meeting his Captain’s eyes. He had his suspicions that his friend had been procrastinating about docking at TF124. And that it had something to do with the Budheya rebel Zoran had shown a willingness to tangle with the Empire for.
“I have some business with Sseela” Zh’hir interjected, as the Hadari’Kor Captain remained silent.
Zoran took a deep breath. “A few weeks” he declared as if coming to a decision. “We will dock there in one month.”
He met the Ur’quay Captain’s eyes.
“Use your guest chamber on the Juntafeyore for your business with her, Zh’hir. When we dock at the facility, you’ll have to stay out of sight for the first week. There are Hadari’Kor on the station I must meet with.”