by Ava York
My thoughts made it clear I wasn’t going to drift off anytime soon, so I sat up and made my way over to the door to my room.
I had to tell Lila she was required to be with me just a little longer, no matter how badly I wanted to put off the conversation and subsequent argument.
Just as I reached for the doorknob, it jiggled.
Apparently she wanted to talk to me, too.
I placed my hand on the bioreader and the door unlocked, just as before. I waited to see what she would do once she realized she was no longer locked in, but she made no attempt to open the door, so I turned the knob myself.
She was sitting on the bed. I’d never seen someone look so small. She looked completely dejected, disheveled, and distraught.
“Any chance you’re willing to speak to me rationally now?” I asked her.
“If I have to,” she answered.
“May I sit next to you?”
I didn’t want to have this conversation standing over her. In my experience, when two people were having a discussion, they should be on the same level.
I didn’t want it to come across as having any type of authority over her. Even if we weren’t going to stay together, I wanted her to see me as an ally, not an adversary.
She nodded after a moment’s hesitation. I approached the bed with trepidation and sat down beside her, close but with enough space between us to allow her some comfort.
Mates or not, she didn’t know me and the last thing I wanted was to make her feel threatened in any way.
“I went to speak to Command again about our arrangement, in the hopes they’d cancel the contract,” I told her.
I noticed she was holding her breath. She let out a long exhale before answering me again.
“And?” she asked.
“They denied my request to terminate.”
“I just don’t understand how nothing can be done. Neither you nor I want this, so how can we be forced to remain together? There must be something you can do.”
I watched her face as I weighed my next words, truly struck by how pretty she was. Despite myself, and knowing it would be foolish, I wanted to comfort her.
“I understand that you’re not happy with the result of my efforts. I wish I’d come to you with good news. Since there’s nothing we can do right now, I hope we could consider each other allies, if not friends. I’ll not treat you poorly and I’ll ensure you are well cared for,” I told her.
Perhaps despite herself, she softened at my words.
“I miss my family so much. All I want is to go home,” she said.
“I assure you, if it’s within my power to do so, I’ll get you home to them.”
She sucked in a breath as if to say something but stopped herself before sharing her thoughts.
“We could try being friends. I feel so lonely out here and it would be nice to feel like I have someone on my side,” she said.
As I knew it was customary on Earth to shake hands when two people come to an agreement, I extended one to her. She placed her tiny hand within mine and I shook it firmly, reveling in the softness of her skin.
“Tomorrow’s mission shouldn’t take long and I don’t believe you’ll be in any danger, but I ask that you listen to my commands should I give you any. I only intend to keep you safe. Once it’s finished, I’ll continue appealing to Command to see if they’ll allow us to terminate the contract,” I told her.
“Can’t you just leave me here at the base? Why do I have to go with you?”
“As my mate, it’s expected you’ll accompany me wherever I go until I can return you to my home planet to establish our home together,” I told her.
“But that’s not going to happen, so just leave me here.”
I sighed, trying to rein in my annoyance, especially as we’d seemed to be getting somewhere.
“If it were an option, I would. It’s not,” I told her.
She rolled those beautiful eyes once more but finally agreed.
“Thank you for at least trying. And for looking out for me,” she said, voice quiet.
“I will do so always. It’s my duty.”
Her resulting smile was enough to kick my heart into a furious staccato.
If she remained with me any longer, I knew right then that I’d lose it to her completely.
Lila
The morning came sooner than I wanted it to.
Under the darkness of night, I must have picked locks, jumped fences, and slipped up deserted corridors a dozen times.
Every dream found me breaking free from captivity, but just running aimlessly across the barren landscape, the compound getting further behind, but nothing getting nearer.
I may have had plenty of sleep, but no rest. It was like I spent so much time running, I woke up winded.
Unable to get back to sleep after the last harrowing journey, I was already dressed when Rekker knocked on the door.
To judge from the lag in his step, Rekker had gotten about as much rest as I had.
While the whole situation still rankled me, I had to admit gratitude for an even slightly familiar face.
We walked through the echoing corridors of the hub until he paused by a giant viewport and pointed out into the black.
“Well, there she is—the Calliope.”
My jaw dropped.
A spaceship.
A real, actual spaceship.
I had seen these ships flying overhead for half my life.
Once the danger from the Suhlik was over, I used to run, trying to stay underneath them as long as I could.
Trying to see how fast they were going, or how far.
They all seemed unattainable, so mythic in size that I never dreamed I might actually set foot on one. A fizzle of excitement rushed under my skin in spite of myself.
Getting bundled into an intergalactic mission was a far cry from my life on the farm.
That first look was overwhelming.
It wasn’t the largest ship I’d ever seen, but it was here.
Real.
And I was going to live on her.
“Are you coming?” Rekker stood halfway up the gangway, looking at me in that half-solicitous way he had cultivated.
My cheeks burned, but I was nearly wild to see the inside of the vessel. To his credit, once I began making my way up the ramp, my proposed mate didn’t linger.
Considering the immediate bustle that unfolded in front of me, it’s clear that he had already been far too lax in getting to the ship. Hub workers were still loading and shifting cargo and supplies in a neatly orchestrated frenzy.
A small throng of crew members swallowed him up, their uniforms making it clear they were part of Rekker’s crew, and he snapped into action, his frame seeming to swell into the role.
I’d never say it out loud, but he was very impressive.
As Rekker shook off whatever malaise he may have carried, a laser focus overtook his expression and words. His commands were spare, but not curt.
Rekker carried himself like a born leader.
“So, you’re her? The one they sent over?” A bulky Mahdfel came swaggering over to me with a friendly, if curious, smirk.
His skin was deep purple, in contrast to Rekker’s burgundy, but his facial structure and general build made me guess they were both from Vaznik mothers. Actually, everyone clustered near Rekker seemed to be from the same world, despite the wild variations in skin color.
The horns were a giveaway, too.
“I am. I’m Lila.”
“Derrix.” He offered his hand to me. “I’ve met a couple of humans. This is how you guys do it, right?” He seemed so unironically proud of knowing such a simple custom, that I couldn’t help but smile at the bravado of it.
“Yes, well done,” I said, taking his hand and giving it a shake. Despite claiming knowledge of the custom, he still seemed disarmed when I pumped his arm. “What do you do here?”
“Weapons. If you can shoot it or swing it, I’m your guy. What about you .
. . um . . . .”
“Lila,” I repeated. “I grew up on a farm.”
“Farm work? You look pretty slender for that kind of thing.”
“I worked with animals.” My tone hardened, and I struggled not to feel offended. “Veterinary work, setting bones, basic medical work.”
“Oh, good,” he chuckled. “You’re used to working with bones. That’ll be useful now that you’re mated.”
My temper flared at the delight this brawny bastard took in his own joke. Before I could snap out a reply, another figure broke away from the group encircling Rekker.
“Wait, what’s that about medical work?”
The interloper was a slim, spectacled alien, with golden tattoos across his cheeks to accent his curious eyes and indigo skin. He fell in next to the laughing Derrix, and the difference between the two couldn’t have been starker.
“I’m sorry—forgive me for interrupting, but did you say you had medical experience?”
“Veterinary,” I said, cooling down a bit. “I grew up on a farm.”
“Really?” His curiosity seemed genuine and he extended his hand with none of the self-congratulatory flair of his compatriot. “I’m Javik, chief researcher and medical practitioner on board.”
“Lila. Lila Kanes.”
“Miss Kanes. It’s a pleasure to have you on board.”
“Well, not all of our pleasure.” Derrix leaned into the word ‘pleasure’ with obvious relish and shook all over with laughter.
“Will you stop it?” Javik’s irritation was more playful than anything. “Don’t mind him. He’s harmless.”
“Don’t tell her that, Brains! Lady, I’m far from harmless.”
The innuendo was so blatant, I couldn’t help but laugh, breaking whatever tension had been thrumming inside me. Derrix laughed with me, and I could begin to see where the rapport between us was going to lie.
High school buddies. Nice and easy.
I could do this, even if they were aliens.
In the midst of my laugh, I looked around to find Rekker watching me, an enigmatic expression on his face. It caught my gaze for a second, but the moment broke when a question over his shoulder pulled his focus back to the business at hand. I found myself having to mentally regroup after the curious gaze.
“Look, Miss Kanes, why don’t you come back to the med bay with me?” Javik asked.
“Careful Rek doesn’t catch you making off with his girl!”
“Don’t you have anywhere to be, Derrix?”
“Nope!” The two bickered for a moment, and I stole another look over, to find Rekker at the center of his little storm. A tiny pang of disappointment stung me when I found that he wasn’t looking my way. Somehow, I’d thought he would be.
“Miss Kanes?”
I snapped around as if I’d been caught, only to find Javik gesturing for me to walk with him. Our weapons expert opted to see to his own post, and I was relieved to walk without the constant reminder of my situation. The analytical alien fellow beside me was as inquisitive about my life as he was courteous in asking.
“When you say veterinary work, what is that, exactly? In your experience?”
“Oh, it’s difficult to say, really. I’ve administered vaccines, drawn blood, set bones, sutured lacerations. Pretty much everything that needs to happen on a working farm.”
“That’s very comprehensive.”
“Well . . . ” My immediate impulse was to be modest, but Javik put me at ease enough to own my accomplishments. “It is, I guess. I’ve even patched up a couple of people when the occasion needed it.”
“That’s very useful to know.”
After the initial chaos of the loading dock, the cool sterility of the med bay felt like a welcome haven, and Javik was a clear master of his domain.
In spite of the welcome sequestration, I couldn’t help flitting my gaze over to the door to see if Rekker would make an appearance. I was tempted to wonder why he hadn’t come looking for me.
“Javik, Captain Rekker is looking . . . oh. Hello.”
Peering through the doorway was one of the faces which had occupied the bulk of my prospective mate’s attention in the huddle.
The newcomer had a bit of a swing in his step but was nowhere in the same league as Derrix when it came to arrogance. More rakish than leering, he still helped himself to an appraising look as he spoke.
“Lila, right? You’re here with Rekker?”
“That’s right.”
“Why don’t you come along, too? He’s been anxious since you got out of sight.”
“Is that so?” Part of me itched to be flattered by the concern, but it could just as well have been fear that I had up and made a run for it.
Which wasn’t entirely unreasonable on his part.
Whatever was the root of Rekker’s concern, it was clear that the invitation was more than a mere request.
After the reprieve of feeling quietly useful, the duty of my situation settled its weight back on my shoulders.
“Cedroc. I fly this beast,” the newcomer said, introducing himself briskly with a wave of his hunter green hand as we passed through the corridors to the bridge. “She’s not the biggest out there, but large enough for what we need.” He grinned, suddenly very likeable. “And we might have made just a few modifications along the way.”
Rekker’s eyes lit up immediately when we strode onto the bridge. A look near relief crossed his face, lingering for a moment before a guarded cloud settled behind his eyes. Maybe I was reading into it because of my similar feeling.
“Settling in, Lila?”
All the air went still as every eye turned to await my response.
Even Javik looked with an attentiveness that had not appeared in him until that moment. Mouth dry, the best I could manage was a short nod.
My lack of a significant answer hung in the room until Javik leaped to my defense.
“You wanted to see me, Captain?”
“Hmm? Yes. The higher-ups had some questions regarding the specimens we collected on the last mission.”
The two swept into conversation and the bridge resumed its bustle, leaving me feeling completely stranded in this surprising new landscape.
The hive of activity hummed past without touching or demanding anything from me.
No gazes intentionally sought mine, but there was no question I was the focus of nearly everyone’s attention.
It was a small crew. A family.
And I was clearly the outsider.
I’d have to do something to fix that.
Rekker
Cedroc eased us out from the Walkandro, and as we turned away from the local star into the void of space, I noticed Lila staring wistfully at a display showing our view to the rear.
She was watching her sun fade away.
It was odd. Mahdfel warriors were in space for so much of our lives that I could barely remember what it felt like the first time I had left home. And even then, it had been with a cohort of Vaznik brethren.
Lila looked like I guessed she felt.
Very small, very human, and very alone.
Cedroc noticed my glances in her direction.
“You know I’ve got this, Captain,” he muttered. “Go on.”
“Are you certain?” I scrutinized the wound near the side of his eye carefully. “You know Javik’s going to say something about you straining or causing some sort of irreparable damage if I don’t spell you soon enough.”
Cedroc leaned back at the helm and grinned. “I get too tired, I’ll switch out with Derrix, I promise.”
“Void save us,” I said with a shudder.
I moved over to where Lila stood, peering at Javik’s scientific sensor array.
“So,” I started, a bit awkwardly, “I know you weren’t much interested in food last night. Want to see what we can find in the dining hall?”
She bit her lower lip and for a moment all I could think about was licking that soft curve.
Get a grip, Rekker.
“Yeah, breakfast sounds good.” She grinned. “Even if it’s probably lunch. Whatever, I’ll get used to the time change soon enough.”
“Right this way, my lady.” I guided her off the bridge into the elevator that dropped us the two levels to the general recreation floor.
While the Calliope wasn’t a huge ship, we were designed to stay on patrol for months at a time.
Which meant we needed more space than you might imagine.
Five big guys with short tempers required a lot of room.
Hand hovering over the small of her back, I brought her to the replicator panel.
“Here you punch in whatever it is you feel like eating.” I pulled up the menu and she blinked, shaking her head.
“I don’t think the translator implant covers written words,” she said sadly.
Oh. I kicked myself. “Of course not. I’ll get Kyre to put in subtitles for you first thing. And maybe find a language tutorial.”
“Doesn’t have to be first thing,” she protested. “Isn’t he the one fixing the ship? He should do that first. I like the idea of an entirely functional spaceship.”
She grinned and I laughed at her spark. She might be small and alone, but she wasn’t going to let it get her down.
“Trust me to order something for you?”
“Are you sure it’s safe?” She nibbled at that lip again, and I looked away to focus on the screen.
“Positive. Last night I made sure to have all human incompatibles reprogrammed into the replicator.” I punched up a request for a large serving of Eddonian prawns. “So anything that’s toxic for you will show this.”
An orange line crossed the green diagonally, flashing.
“Should be enough to get anyone’s attention and remind them not to serve you something that will make you sick.”
“You didn’t have to do that.” She blushed. “It doesn’t seem fair that everyone on your ship is going to have to work around my needs.”
“Oh, they can still order them if they want, they’ll just get the notice not to give them to you. Besides,” I shrugged, then dialed up my favorite dish. “Eddonian prawns are disgusting.”
Every time she laughed, sparks went off in my chest.