by Petra Landon
“I will be careful” the Star Captain assured him. Of course, Zoran would have business with the Hadari’Kor he had persuaded to join the effort to help the rebels.
“I’ll try and wrap up the meetings quickly” Zoran promised him. “Once we enable the Juntafeyore’s sensors to restrict entry, you’ll have free rein, Zh’hir.”
“I’ll co-ordinate the logistics, Star Captain” Jolar assured the Ur’quay male, polishing up the last bite on his plate.
The Star Captain waited patiently for Commander Jolar to move away with his empty plate.
Zoran arched his eyebrow. “What?”
“You once reminded me of what is important, when I was uncertain” the Star Captain said cryptically.
But the mercenary understood him just fine. Zoran’s arrested eyes narrowed on the Ur’quay male.
“Allow me to return the favor.” The Star Captain’s voice was quiet, the gold eyes intent. “Let it go, Zoran. Forgive yourself for the past. Or it will affect the future.”
d
A month later
“Sseela” greeted the Star Captain in her ear.
Sila, engaged with a new student in the class she ran in one of the establishments off the Promenade, made haste to walk to a corner of the noisy chamber. All around her, an assortment of people chipped away at pieces of black rock with varying degrees of expertise and success.
“My apologies, Star Captain. I’m at the class I teach. It is a little noisy” she said apologetically into her earpiece.
“I will call back later. Wanted to give you some news. The Juntafeyore has docked at your station.”
Sila’s heart leapt at the news. She would make sure to drop in and catch up with Belur and the rest of her Hadari’Kor friends on the ship.
“Do you remember the guest chamber I used on the Juntafeyore?” he inquired.
“I was showing off for you that day”.
“Want to taste you, Sseela”.
“Yes” Sila acknowledged briefly.
Bless the Goddess, how could I ever forget the chamber.
“There is something for you in the chamber. Stop by when you can” he directed before signing off.
Something for her, Sila mused curiously. Possibly, some new piece of equipment for her sculpting class. True to his word, he had called her more frequently since the night she’d attempted to tell him that she reciprocated his feelings. During the calls, they got the official stuff out of the way first, by unspoken consent. Elder Arturo had successfully lined up a few prospects for Sila to pitch to. Representative Malontan was working on arranging for them to come onboard one of the Alliance ships guarding Terra Agri 5 to talk to Sila, with a focus on narrowing down the list of prospects likely to meet Ur’quay needs. Elder Arturo had been invaluable in guiding Sila during the early negotiations. He was also busy compiling references and making inquiries about the traders they had approached. Sila was happy since the Elder seemed to truly enjoy his new responsibilities and used it as an excuse for frequent travel to the neighboring planets with his wife.
With professional matters out of the way, they relaxed. The Star Captain would ask questions about her life on the station. They talked casually of mundane everyday things with a new ease between them. He discussed the Ur’quay’s experience with a mixed crew from the Juntafeyore — an experiment both the Hadari’Kor and Ur’quay ships were attempting. The Star Captain was slowly opening up to her. On occasion, he even talked a little about his childhood on the Ur’quay home world.
TEN
Hours later, Sila made her way to the Juntafeyore. Some of the Hadari’Kor were already on the station, happy to be out after a few months in space. She had waved at a few acquaintances from afar. On the ship, she made her way unerringly to the guest chamber. Though she had spent only a few days on it, the ship was familiar. In a way, her time aboard the Juntafeyore had been a sort of rebirth.
The door to the guest chamber slid open noiselessly as she approached it. Sila came to a stop inside the dimly lit chamber. The massive bed she remembered dominated the chamber as before. On the bright coverlet, something shimmered, a silvery bundle that seemed to gleam in the dark. Sila approached the bed to feel it. The material was light and soft, akin to fine silk that slid through her fingers like shimmering rainwater.
“It is for you” declared a growly voice behind her.
Startled, Sila whirled around with a cry, only to slip and fall backwards onto the folds of the silvery gift. She heard him mutter the command to increase illumination, even as she attempted to rise. But the slippery material made it tough, not allowing her purchase on the bed. Sila gave up the attempt to watch the large, black-clad figure stalk closer. He moved like a large feline, his every movement marked by fluid grace. The gold eyes studied her prone figure, in the unblinking way he had. Sila noted that amusement and something more complicated lurked in the depths of the unusual eyes.
“This station agrees with you” he remarked. “You look happy, Sseela.”
Inexplicably shy, Sila’s eyes fell away from his stare. “I am happy, Star Captain” she whispered.
For a moment, he said nothing. Sila waited, her eyes not meeting his. Then, he reached for her to pluck her out of the bed. Sila’s startled eyes swung to him. The gold gaze held her as he let her slide down the hard body to be set carefully on her feet. Under the Hadari’Kor uniform he wore, she could feel the play of powerful muscles as he controlled her descent. Her heart thumped madly and under her, she could feel his beat steadily. She had a whiff of freshness and sunshine — a fragrance she associated with Terra Agri after a sudden downpour of rain.
Sila clutched a muscled forearm to steady herself. It felt warm to her touch. As her hair swung around her, his eyes shot to the burnished curls. Sila had worn it tied back for her class, though she tended to wear her hair up now, thinking it added a sense of gravitas to her. A large palm splayed against her curls, his fingers delicately feeling the strands. Under her palm, the powerful forearm flexed. Sila was mute, struck by the change in him. Before, barring the last time in this chamber, he had always been scrupulous to keep his distance.
The gold eyes staring at her hair swung to meet her gaze. “It is not every day I discover that the little Terran was waiting for me.”
The statement had a tongue-tied Sila stirring.
“I didn’t say I was waiting …” Sila protested, only to let out a little squeak when she found herself airborne again, swung high into his arms.
Sila clutched his shoulders as the glittering gold eyes raked her with a proprietary air. Before she could say anything, he wrenched his gaze away to search the room. With her in his arms, he strode to the dinner table to place Sila on it, kicking a chair out of his way. The clasp around her waist steadied her, while he attempted to part her legs as she perched on the edge of the table. It was clear his intention was to move closer. But this was easier said than done for Sila was attired in one of the new ankle-length, flowing dresses she now donned on the station. The Star Captain cocked his head in a familiar manner to gaze down in confusion at the gown that prevented her thighs from accommodating him, and Sila felt a bubble of laughter well up in her. His eyes snapped up to meet hers as she valiantly attempted to stifle her giggles.
“I see that you’re not going to make this easy for me, little Terran.” The gold eyes held an answering gleam at the ridiculous tinge to his predicament.
Before Sila could respond, he leaned down to grasp a large handful of her gown, lifting it to her knees while his powerful thigh nudged her legs apart.
“Oh” Sila stammered, flustered by the move.
He stepped between her parted thighs, to draw her closer.
“When it comes to you, I will always find a way” he said softly.
Green eyes met intent gold ones whose searching gaze she returned with shy candor. They stared at each other, content to drink in the sight after months apart, neither breaking the silence though the air around them simmered with unspok
en questions and responses.
The trill of a COM broke the moment. Sila knew this particular call — she had heard it many times in the months on the station. It was an Ur’quay communicator. Her hand moved instinctively to the pouch that held her Ur’quay arm-band, but the Star Captain was already moving away, withdrawing a few paces to answer his communicator.
“What?” he growled a little impatiently into his upswept arm, where a band encircled a brawny bicep.
Sila allowed her heart to calm its wild beat, before shoving down her dress to jump nimbly from her perch on the table.
“Ten minutes.” She heard him say into his communicator, even while she sensed his gaze snap back to her.
He signed off but remained in place, his eyes on her. Sila pretended to be busy smoothing down the folds of her dress. After a moment, he picked up the chair he had kicked out of the way during his earlier impatience, to place it neatly back in its spot.
“Sseela” he said softly.
Sila glanced up into the gold eyes.
“Can you stay a few hours?” he asked.
Sila nodded mutely.
“Zoran has asked me to not wander the corridors. He is entertaining friends from the station who do not know about the Ur’quay” he explained.
“The Henia is in Autoporter range. I would like to take you aboard it. But only if you feel your mental shields are up to it. I can tell you’ve been practicing — I’ve picked up nothing from you since you came in here.”
“Most of your time will be spent in my rest-chamber which I have shielded for you” he reassured her, as she hesitated.
Sila pondered furiously, unable to mask her anxiety from him. Despite her earlier bravado with him, she was unsure. She had mastered the exercises he had calibrated for her on the Examiner. But passing the device’s mind-scans was very different from running the gamut of a ship full of mind-readers.
“I can protect you like before” he offered, sensing her equivocation. “Or I can step in and help you if I detect any holes.”
At the back of her mind lurked the awareness that the act of extending shields was an intimate experience. She wanted intimacy on her own terms, not one dictated by her abilities. Plus, she was never going to get a better chance to test her mental shields than with the Star Captain waiting to catch her if she faltered.
“I’m ready” she declared firmly. “Just keep an eye on me, Star Captain. I would rather not break any Ur’quay laws on your ship.”
“I will make sure you break none, Sseela.”
“Do you have your tech band with you?” he asked, gesturing at his own arm-band.
Sila pointed at the decorative pouch that hung off a low-slung belt on her dress.
“It’s too big for me” she explained as he looked puzzled.
“Aah” he said sagely. “It has an embedded locator that can be used by the Henia’s Autoporter to latch on to us. Which shall it be first — my rest-chamber or the Command Chamber?” he asked, leaving the decision up to her.
Sila took a deep breath. It was now or never before her courage failed her.
“The Command Chamber, Star Captain” she said steadily.
The gold eyes held a gleam of approval at her decision. The Star Captain strode to the bed to pick up the shimmering bundle from the colorful bedspread. As he shook out the silver-gray folds, Sila realized that it was a cloak.
“It will keep you warm on the Henia” he said.
Sila stood still, suffused by surprise and pleasure, as he carefully draped the cloak around her. As she fingered the silky soft folds of the shimmering material, he remarked softly. “I want my ship to get used to your presence. They’re going to see a lot of you in the future.”
Sila’s eyes shot to him. Holding her gaze, he reached for his communicator.
“To the Command Chamber, Henia. I have the Ambassador with me.”
Ambassador!
Sila’s eyes widened, just as he put an arm protectively around her. She let out an audible gasp as a feeling of intense dizziness assailed her and the chamber on the Hadari’Kor ship blinked out of existence. His arm tightened around her to clasp her closer. And the next moment, she was in a bustling rectangular-shaped chamber. It was his hold of her that prevented a disoriented Sila from stumbling on the Autoporter Pad. Around her, Ur’quay warriors in the distinctive skin-tight rust-colored armor she remembered bustled about the chamber. Her surprised gaze also noted a few Hadari’Kor from the Juntafeyore, attired in thick black coats over their distinctive uniform. It was the cold that struck her first. The Henia was much colder than the Juntafeyore and the station. With the memory of shivering in the holding cell on this starship still vivid in her, Sila snuggled into the light-weight cloak, thankful for its warmth.
Once she had her balance, the Star Captain released her to step off the Autoporter Pad and wait courteously for her. An Ur’quay warrior strode up to the Pad. Sila couldn’t be sure but she sensed a hint of curiosity in the glance the warrior flashed at the Star Captain.
“Sseela, this is First Commander D’raar. First Commander, this is Ambassador Sseela Gatherer. She represents Terra Agri 5. Her planet is growing food for the Ur’quay home world.”
“It is an honor, Ambassador Gatherer” First Commander D’raar greeted her courteously.
Reeling from being designated as an Ambassador, Sila attempted to return the Ur’quay warrior’s greeting with composure.
What a difference ten months had made, she mused. Her first time aboard the Henia had not been as an esteemed guest and had lacked any ceremonious Ur’quay welcome. She cast a curious glance around her. She had seen little of the Ur’quay starship before.
“Would you like a tour of the Command Chamber, Ambassador?” the First Commander offered as he noted Sila’s interest.
“I would. Thank you, First Commander” Sila accepted his offer graciously, with a sidelong glance at his impassive Captain.
Zh’hir watched the First Commander escort Sila around the Command Chamber, introducing her to the Ur’quay and the Hadari’Kor, some who claimed a prior acquaintance with her. He kept his mental shields lowered a tad, just in case, but Sila seemed to need no assistance. The little Terran had indeed been practicing very diligently. Satisfied, he turned his attention to other matters. At his request, a warrior helped adjust Sila’s Ur’quay tech band to fit her arm so she could wear it on her person, instead of being forced to carry it around in a pouch like she did currently.
That first day on the Henia, they walked companionably together while Sila gazed curiously around her and asked him questions she’d been unable to during her first time on the ship. The Henia sat perched on a large asteroid near the Alliance facility, to hide from the station’s sensors, its cloak activated to conceal it from passing ships. Though there was little traffic to the Alliance station, the Ur’quay starship could not risk sitting in plain view. On the starship, the view from the large windows was spectacular. Sila found herself gasping at the beauty of the asteroid belt. What a strange homecoming, she mused again. Last time, she had been unable to sightsee because the Henia had been traveling at sub-light speed. Now, it was parked at the center of an asteroid belt with bits of debris swirling around it in a colorful kaleidoscope.
“It’s beautiful” she whispered, her eyes on the asteroids.
Sila sensed the big warrior’s gaze on her. “Yes” he agreed.
A subtle undertone in his voice had her flushing.
“Come” he said softly. “I want to show you my rest-chamber.”
Flustered, Sila tried to tease him. “You haven’t forgotten that I spent twenty days in there, Star Captain. Have you?”
“That rest-chamber now belongs to First Commander D’raar” he explained briefly, as he guided her to a different one.
The new rest-chamber was huge, easily double the size of the one Sila had cohabited with the then First Commander. It was Spartan like the previous chamber, but she did note some surprising additions — two seats a
round the desk, a bright coverlet on the bed, a few extra chests attached to the wall and a Food Synthesizer.
“A Food Synthesizer” she exclaimed, astonished by the addition. “But …” she paused, trying to gather her thoughts together.
“I don’t eat like you. I take sustenance capsules to allow for slow release of nutrition” he stated precisely.
Sila nodded.
“I got it for you. It is from Zoran’s ship” he said matter-of-factly.
Sila stared at him, a jumble of emotions spearing her. The gold eyes remained steady on her.
He will move mountains for what he wants and let nothing, and no one, stand in his way.
“You are correct, little Terran” he concurred, reading her thoughts with ease. “I will allow nothing to stand in my way.”
Sila’s jaw slackened in astonishment. When had she relaxed her mental shields, she wondered.
“Once you entered this chamber which you knew to be shielded, your subconscious let you relax your protections. That is good — it is how it should be” he reassured her.
She attempted to clamp down on her thoughts immediately.
The Star Captain’s gaze narrowed on her and Sila’s heart thumped in response. Then, the gold eyes reverted back to their usual opaqueness. He took Sila’s plush silver cloak off her, to place it neatly on a seat.
She let her eyes wander the room. The bust of him she had left behind the first time sat on his otherwise pristine desk. Unlike the one on the Juntafeyore, the bed, though large enough to fit the massive Ur’quay warrior, was clearly meant to sleep only one. The room was bare of any personal touches like his previous rest-chamber, except the sculpture she had gifted him and the bright coverlet on the bed.
“Do you carry the communication abettor I gave you?” he inquired.
“Yes” she replied, a little puzzled by his inquiry.