by Keri Kruspe
Ahhh, love was definitely in the air....
D’zia got up and motioned for Ki to follow him. “Come on, I’ll show you her schematics.” The two walked over to a bulkhead and brought up computer screens and virtual windows to point at while they murmured in low tones.
Sherri walked over to the couch and took a seat beside Lora. “So, what’s new?”
“Oh, nothin’ much. You?” Lora winked and played along.
They both laughed at their lame attempt at humor and settled in to catch up and reconnect.
* * *
CHANCELLOR U’UNK
Deep within the bowels of the space station known as the Chancellor’s Palace was a set of prison cells rarely used. The hallway leading to various chambers gave the impression of being underground, with its rock walls made of dirt and thick mortar. The corridor was old and worn, the smell of ripe mold embedded in its layers. The dank atmosphere was Chancellor U’unk’s way of imprinting hopelessness in his captives.
However, Chancellor U’unk ensured the individual boxy room holding his special “guest” had the latest in security measures. The small suite was clean, and the air circulated with medicinal vapors for anyone he wished to keep healthy within the stark walls.
Especially the individual he was on his way to see.
That day, U’unk was eager to visit the lone prisoner, the one time had forgotten decades past. With uncharacteristic eagerness, he needed to brag to the prisoner about the final culmination of the plans he’d put in place so long ago—plans he’d started when he first brought the male there.
Instead of using a forcefield to hold his captive in place, he had a thick metal door to compound the feeling of isolation. He waved at the sensor on the right side of the wall to open the door. Once he stepped through the entryway, it remained open.
His prisoner sat at a small desk facing the door. Behind him, a vid of an open field of purple grass outlined his figure in a silhouette before U’unk’s eyes adjusted. There the male sat as he read and worked with an old-fashioned pen and paper to write Goddess knew what. U’unk had imprisoned the male over fifty years past and kept him in isolation ever since. What did he have to write about?
The male wore an ocular device U’unk had made for him years ago to aid in his reading. While surgical measures were available, he’d never allow the prisoner to get the treatment. Why waste the resources, especially since he’d have to kill any physician he brought in to do the job? Only he and the male were aware of his existence, and U’unk was determined to keep it that way.
The male gave a blank stare when U’unk entered. He stood and took the ocular device off. “Shon.” The other male’s voice had the same timbre and regional accent he did.
That wasn’t surprising since they were almost identical twins. U’unk often reminisced on how different his life might have been if he’d been born like his brother instead of having slight differences. Their faces were the same in features and form. Even so, the small variances were enough to make U’unk’s life a living hell. As a male in the most powerful position in the Federation Consortium, he might not hear the cruel comments about his abnormal solid-black eyes or lack of hair but that didn’t mean there weren’t any. A Zerin’s tresses were a source of pride and joy, kept groomed with meticulous detail. It was sacrilege to keep them short unless a deep tragedy had occurred, or worse, if one was automatically considered a family embarrassment. This misconception U’unk had to endure his entire life.
“Lok.” U’unk returned the cool greeting. It was always hard to gaze at his twin and not be angry. His brother’s life should have been his. No one could confuse his brother, T’terlok Shon U’unk, with being anything but a full-blooded Zerin. His long, neat, smoky-black braid reached his ankles. The only visible change in his tresses was the liberal scattering of butterscotch strands, denoting his advancing age. The solid yellow hair at his temples gave him a distinguished appearance.
Lok’s irises were a normal dual green. The inner circle boasted a deep, emerald with a light apple green in the outer ring. Those usually expressive eyes bore into his with a detached air. Under normal circumstances, if a prisoner treated him with such disrespect, U’unk wouldn’t hesitate to have him eliminated. It annoyed him he continued to let his brother live. Somehow, it was never the right time to get rid of him.
“What do you want?” Lok was a practical fellow. Stupidly fearless, too.
“Now, brother,” U’unk twisted his face in a familiar smirk, “is that any way to greet me?”
“Get on with it and leave.” His brother sat, then picked up his ocular lenses and wiped them with a small slip of fabric that sat next to his writing blotter.
U’unk ignored his brother’s rude comment and sat on the only lounger in the room. “I’m here to tell you the plans have finally started.”
The other male gave a blank stare before he leaned back. “Good for you.”
U’unk frowned. Lok hadn’t been this nonchalant when brought here all those years ago. He pushed down the familiar pull of panic as he watched his brother. Growing up with the constant comparisons between him and his twin clarified he couldn’t afford Lok’s presence to interfere with his plans. Everyone, from their parents to the tutorial staff, held him up to the impossible standards Lok set throughout their lifetime. From an early age, their parents praised and groomed Lok to become the heir to their vast empire. It was even rumored he’d one day become Chancellor of the Federation Consortium. Ignored by family and colleagues, U’unk undermined behind the scenes everything Lok accomplished. As he manipulated the system to promote himself, U’unk’s name became synonymous with the future of the galaxy. Soon everyone forgot Lok existed, especially after the death of their parents. It was a shame how they’d both died in the fiery crash of their personal transport due to an unexplained malfunction. U’unk’s only regret was Lok hadn’t been with them.
“You don’t care?” U’unk rubbed the satin goatee at his chin. Watching Lok rant and rave for years was a perverse pleasure he enjoyed. This unemotional response disconcerted him.
“Not particularly, no,” came the calm reply.
U’unk frowned. Was his brother playing some kind of game?
“Why the sudden change of heart?”
Lok put the ocular device down on the desktop. “Shon, we both know once you slide in as emperor you will have no use for me.” With a twist of his lips, he gave U’unk a blank stare. “And to be honest, I’m just tired. My life has been wasted in your sick attempt to hide who you are.” He put his head back against the chair. “It’s my fervent wish you’ll just kill me and get it over with. If you have any mercy left in your soul, end this for me now.” The anguish was clear in the glitter of watery green eyes.
U’unk stared hard at his sibling, trying to decide what to do. As always, when no clear course presented itself, he retreated to regroup. “I can see having a conversation with you is fruitless.” He got up and headed for the open door. “We’ll carry on this discussion later.”
Before it clanged shut, his brother’s soft reply came. “I’d rather be dead.”
Chapter Twelve
LORA
It was easy for Lora to fall into a comfortable companionship with Sherri all over again. That is, after they’d worked through the awkwardness of her changing species and Sherri hosting an alien in her brain. The times when Sherri “zoned” out during their conversation, Lora would hold her hand while her friend gained control. After the first time it happened, Sherri told her how the stupid pirate got his name. They both had a good laugh and agreed it was a small galaxy. As Sherri shared her struggles, it helped Lora work through her own problems.
The two talked about the ways Sherri might fight the other person in her head. When Lora asked her friend if there was any way to “exorcise” the pirate, Sherri admitted that as soon as they saved Earth, the first thing she’d do was get rid of him. No sooner had the words left her mouth than Maynwaring freaked out. Lora ran to get
Ki to help bring Sherri back.
After several grueling minutes, Sherri regained control. With bleary eyes, her friend declared she was tired and had to lie down.
Lora left her in the sleeping chamber under Ki’s watchful eyes and went to join D’zia. “So, what have you and Ki come up with?” She interrupted whatever he was reading on his OCVU and burrowed onto the seat next to him in the main cockpit. Ki probably wouldn’t come back until Sherri fell asleep.
“You and I are going back to Zerin, and Ki will take Sherri to Earth to intercept the Chancellor’s invasion force.” He put his arm around her shoulders and gave her a gentle squeeze.
“What can they do once they get there?” One ship against an armada? It sounded like a suicide mission to her.
“Well,” D’zia rubbed his scruffy jaw with a forefinger and thumb. “Right now, the whole thing is a work in progress, but he plans to infiltrate the main battlecruiser while Elemi hacks into their systems. With any luck, she’ll be able to gain control of it.”
An echoing snort sounded in the small chamber. “I could take over the whole armada without even trying.” Elemi’s prideful tone wasn’t without merit. “But I’ll concede to your desires and start with the main ship first.”
“Isn’t she something?” JR10 sighed from his normal perch on D’zia’s shoulder.
JR11’s tiny body shook on Lora’s shoulder. “JR10 not love JR11 anymore?” Her soft, sorrowful voice broke Lora’s heart.
“Damn it, JR10!” Lora scolded D’zia’s AI as she scooped up JR11 in her palm. “You’ve hurt her feelings, you mean brute.”
“No, no!” JR10’s frantic response made Lora smile when the little bot jumped from D’zia’s shoulder to hers and scrambled to sit on her connected palms next to JR11.
“My little love dove,” crooned the male spybot as he entwined his forelegs with hers. “You are everything to me. Elemi is magnificent all on her own, but she does not compare to you.”
D’zia twisted his body to face Lora, crossed his arms, and rolled his eyes with a disgusted grunt. “Honestly, this is disturbing on so many levels. Can you two hop somewhere else so Lora and I can finish our conversation?”
JR10 nodded his bulbous head as his multifaceted eyes reflected a colorful rainbow in the low light of the ship. “You got it, bro. Call when we’re going to leave.”
With that, they vanished.
Lora gasped in surprise. “Hey! Where’d they go?”
“Please…all the gods and goddesses save me from her primitive mind,” Elemi’s condescending voice interrupted. “I sent them to a private section of the ship, of course.”
Lora gritted her teeth at Elemi’s tone and glared at D’zia.
He put his hands up in surrender before he chuckled and gathered her in a brief hug. “Never mind her, we’ve got…” He stopped when Ki entered the room.
Lora checked behind him.
He was alone.
“Sherri okay?” With the way things were with her friend, Lora wasn’t sure if leaving her alone was a good thing or not.
He nodded. “She’s fine for now. Just tired.” He ran a weary palm over his face. “We have to get going, though.” The prodigious male focused on D’zia. “If we leave within the next several clicks, we’ll make it to Earth within seven solar days.”
Wow, it took thirty days to go from Earth to Zerin, and FiPan was a couple months farther out than that. Okay, she’d ignore the snooty ship’s fascination for her TrueBond, especially if Elemi got Ki and Sherri to Earth faster. Speaking of which, Lora wanted to know further details of D’zia and Ki’s plan. “So Ki, what are you going to do once you get into the main battleship?”
“Reconnaissance.”
When he said nothing else, she lifted her eyebrows. Some people you had to prod and poke to communicate. “Okay, do you have any idea what you’ll do after that?”
He elevated his chin as his navy and green eyes blinked.
She wasn’t sure if she surprised or confused him with her question.
“Well, it all depends on what we find on board and in the systems of the ship.” He frowned and stared at her. “If all goes well, Elemi will gain control of the ship and/or the fleet as we shut them down and wait for the Imperial Forces to arrive.”
Lora matched his frown. “Okay…sounds…simple enough.” She glanced at her TrueBond as he leaned back against the soft cushions with a loose arm around her shoulders. “And in the meantime, you and I will go back to Zerin with Dr. Dumb Nuts and turn him over to the authorities?”
D’zia nodded. “Yeah, pretty much.” He gave her a comforting pat. “Afterward, you and I will officially register as TrueBond mates and I’ll take you to meet my family.”
Family? Oh, crap. She’d never considered D’zia having a family. Trepidation pooled in her belly at meeting them. Her foster parents were wonderful people; they’d been aging hippies and raised her in a commune. The lines of family blurred between the members so she’d never been comfortable in the “traditional’ concept of a family unit. Maybe that was why her marriage to Neil sucked so much.
But again, maybe Zerin families were different. It’s not as if she had any training on their culture while aboard the StarChance since humans weren’t allowed to learn anything about them. Lora frowned. Damn, would they consider her a freak? She was a human turned into a Zerin…a creature created like Frankenstein’s monster. On top of that, D’zia was a member of the royal family. Her stomach roiled at the possibility of their rejection. Okay, forget that. Time to pay attention to the here and now. She’d rather save Earth than worry about her new family.
“Okay, so I get you and I are going to Zerin.” She stopped to consider what to say before she asked the next question. “But won’t it take us longer to get there than for Ki and Sherri to get to Earth? How’s that going to be helpful?”
“All he has to do is delay the Chancellor’s armada from reaching Earth until the Federation Consortium forces arrive.” D’zia pulled her onto his lap.
She squirmed at first, a little uncomfortable with D’zia’s blatant show of affection in front of his friend. When their braided hair twined together, she relaxed at the sensation of the little strokes by their strands. It was weird to experience touching with her hair, but the sensual stimulation helped her relax on his rock-hard thighs. She slumped against him and inhaled his musky scent.
“We’re going to need the full consensus of the nine systems to put a stop to U’unk’s bid for power.” D’zia picked up her fingers and twined them between his much larger ones. “While you and I are en route to Zerin, I will be in constant contact not only with the Imperial Forces but with my cousin and uncle as well.” He regarded Ki. “Hopefully, by the time Ki and Sherri get to Earth, our forces will be well on their way, and we can stop the Chancellor before there are any casualties.”
Ki snorted as he sat back and crossed his ankle over his opposite knee. “You always were a wide-eyed optimist.”
“Yeah, and you eat scorn for breakfast,” came D’zia’s cryptic retort. “Lighten up for once, Ki. This time we’re a couple steps ahead of our opponent, who I might remind you, has no idea we know what he’s doing.”
“I never take anything for granted,” Ki replied in a slow drawl. He fixated his navy/hunter green stare at D’zia. “We don’t know what he knows, so I’ll operate under no such assumption.”
D’zia’s chest tightened under her before he relaxed. “You’re right, fair enough.” He settled back into his seat and pulled Lora with him. “Okay, let’s get this convoluted plan of ours wrapped up and get going.”
Hours later, Lora sat next to D’zia in the cockpit of Ki’s sleek little star jumper, dubbed the Doomed Heart. It was a small vessel, less than nine hundred feet long, but with enough depth for a tidy command center separated from spacious living quarters. The cockpit was round, with a transparent dome that made Lora feel like she was flying into space at unimaginable speeds. The last time she experienced such freedom was
when her foster father took her out on his large motorcycle. With no steel barriers around her and an unobstructed view of the sky, she’d always imagined she flew as they roared down the highway. On this ship the brilliant pinpoints of light were close enough to make her feel like a shooting star.
Below, a thin pale-indigo bulkhead separated the living quarters from the other sections. One of the areas was the living room. It had a comfortable large recliner facing a soft couch with a weightless vid screen between them. A few steps away, the small food prep unit had a narrow counter with two chairs big enough to hold D’zia. All retracted to provide more room if needed. Another step took her to the enclosed refresher chamber, complete with shower and toilet facilities.
In the lower sections of the ship sat the engine room, a perfect place for JR10 and JR11 to recharge. At the opposite end of the vessel was the sleeping chamber, with its massive cushioned sleeping pad. D’zia showed her the hidden drawers and closets, complete with clothing they’d had Elemi produce for them.
Deep in the bowels of the ship, their prisoner was locked in a small soundproofed room, complete with its own food replicator, basic toilet accommodations, and a narrow sleeping pad. It was JR10 and JR11’s responsibility to monitor the room and track the inhabitant.
It gave Lora peace of mind that the devious Erkek scientist was contained.
The Doomed Heart was both functional and comfortable. Best of all, it had no serious crush on her TrueBond. Unfortunately for Sherri, Elemi was her problem now. Once command transferred from D’zia to Ki, the large Zerin had to stop Elemi from chucking Sherri out of the nearest airlock.
The damn ship was a menace to every female in the known galaxy.
Lora sat in the padded co-pilot seat, mesmerized by the stars and systems shooting above her in a rainbow of colors. Without a word, D’zia inputted something in the console before he stopped and turned to her. Seeing his movement, she tore her gaze from the peaceful canopy to give him her attention.