Thea smiled shyly. “It’s very nice to meet you, Sya’tia, please call me Thea. If you’re an example of Ta’e’sha women I’m going to feel very plain.” She slipped back onto the bed and snuggled against Kyrin.
Sya’tia blinked in confusion. Plain?
Kyrin cleared his throat. “What did you want to speak with me about Sya’tia?”
She turned her attention back to her captain. “Oh, ah, well. I was thinking about the women that have been put in stasis ...” Her voice trailed off as she looked at Thea again.
Sya’tia jerked her gaze back to Kyrin and kept it there. She cleared her throat nervously. “I remembered seeing at least two of the women being approached by an unmated male in the recreation room. He didn’t do anything that caught my attention, but the woman who was recently put into stasis was one of the two. Then a few days ago I was watching a group of human woman talk and he approached the whole group. It made me remember the other time it had happened. He seemed to focus most of his attention on a woman with red hair. When I returned to my quarters I accessed the files of the women and looked for any other patterns. All of the women were without telepathic abilities.”
Thea stiffened against Kyrin at the mention of telepathic abilities. Kyrin absently rubbed her arm.
“I also noted that each of the women were said to have strong personalities, but reacted favorably to mating with our men. You asked us to report any patterns we may have noticed, so I came to speak with you about it.”
Kyrin pondered her words for a few minutes. “This is actually very interesting information, did you identify the man and the women at the table?”
She nodded, taking a small holoreader out of her pocket and giving it to him. “I haven’t been able to determine if he knew the other women yet. The woman he was speaking to the other night is very similar in personality to the others. According to her files her mate actually spent several months wooing her before she was brought aboard. He offered her the choice of staying on Earth or coming with him”
He nodded as he accessed the information. After studying it for a minute he looked up. “Are you absolutely certain this is the right man?”
She nodded.
Kyrin ordered the computer to contact CM Corvin and request that he com back in a private area. Afterward he requested a screen along the far wall.
A few moments later Corvin’s image appeared before them. “Yes, Captain?”
“Doctor Corvin, are you in a private area and alone right now?”
Corvin frowned. “Yes. I’m in my office and no one is with me at the moment.”
“Have you located a human psychologist yet?”
The doctor nodded. “Yes, we located one and another woman who worked in a crisis center. We were going to bring one of the women out of stasis today. I have two female doctors and a female aide who will be present. We’ll see if Thea is right, hopefully not having men present will give us the chance to help these women.”
Kyrin nodded. “Good, let me know as soon as possible what the outcome is.” He rubbed a hand across his face. “Your aide, Barik, has been identified as being in the company of two of the women before their episodes started. Can you think of any reason he would have for approaching them? He has declined selecting a mate from among the humans.”
Corvin stilled. “No, offhand, I can’t think of a reason. But, then, I have no control over what happens outside his working hours. He seems fascinated by humans, but he also avoids them when they came to medical.” He tapped a finger on his desk. “Just what are you implying, Captain?”
“He was also seen in the company of another woman a few days ago. She fits the same pattern as the others. Strong, non-telepathic, petite, and happy with her husband. Right now, I’m withholding any judgment or actions until the women in stasis can be interviewed. But this is also something I cannot ignore. I’m putting a guard on the woman until we find out if Thea’s theory is correct.”
The doctor nodded. “Yes, I understand. If you’ll excuse me, I think I’ll find something for him to do out of the office for the next few days while we conduct the interviews.” He looked deeply troubled.
Stopping just before he blanked the screen, he spoke, not looking up, “Kyrin ... If you are right ...” He looked up and took a deep breath. “It’s going to be a mess. Barik is a son of one of the royal clans. And the repercussions of a medic doing something like this ... It’s going to shake everyone’s faith in doctors. I’d like to keep it as quiet as possible, but I don’t know how we can.”
Kyrin nodded. “I know. I’m working on that, Corvin.”
Corvin nodded tiredly.
Sya’tia cleared her throat, both men looked at her. “Captain, whoever is responsible for this, perhaps they should be taken before the High asana, then, regardless of identity, the trial will be indisputable. I believe that, in any case, this should be made public. We must show that the human women will be treated the same as the women of our race. To hush it up and downplay it demeans the victims.”
Thea shook her head. “I don’t disagree with the trial, Sya’tia, but I think the women should be asked about the publicity. Rape is ... More than merely an invasion and having others witness a very public trial may make them feel even more violated.”
Daeshen sighed. “It’s a moot point right now. We need the interviews first. We’ll worry about details after that.”
Kyrin nodded in agreement. “Sya’tia, please have some guards look after the woman you identified. Ask them to be as unobtrusive as possible. I’ll speak to her and her mate after the interviews are completed if it’s needed.”
Sya’tia nodded crisply as she stood. “Of course, sir. I’ll handle it.” She smoothed her hands down her uniform and bowed, preparing to leave.
Thea scrambled off the bed and took the other woman’s hand. “It was so nice to meet you. Would you like to join us for dinner this evening? We could watch a movie afterwards?” She waited anxiously for the response.
Sya’tia cleared her throat nervously. She looked at Kyrin, who smiled and nodded encouragingly.
Daeshen also nodded. “That would be fun, Sya’tia. Thea was telling me about creatures called vampires and we are going to watch a movie about them tonight. There is one in particular called ‘Dracula’ that features prominently in their mythology and the movie is about him. And she says the man playing that part is a ‘smokin hottie’.” He grinned engagingly. “We are having shoomoe ...” he enticed. It was well known that it was one of her favorite dishes. She always had a plateful when the galley made the mix of crisp fried vegetables and paper-thin fish fillets.
Sya’tia swayed between yes and no. She wanted to come, but was startled by the invitation. “Shoomoe?” She bit her lip. The movie sounded intriguing, too. She had watched one human movie and not understood half of what was going on. Maybe it would be more enjoyable with Thea there to explain things.
Thea nodded eagerly. “And popcorn with the movie!”
She smiled hesitantly. “All right. It sounds like fun. And I love shoomoe.”
Thea laughed happily. “This is so cool! I’ll see you tonight! Don’t forget.” She beamed up at the taller woman. Noticing that she was petting her hand she blushed and dropped it. “Sorry. I pet things. Let me know if I annoy you.”
Sya’tia smiled down at the charming creature her captain had chosen. “I don’t mind. I like it.” She blushed when she caught Daeshen and Kyrin smiling at her like they knew something she did not. She left as quickly and gracefully as she could.
Thea looked at the now closed door wistfully. She turned and looked at her husbands. “She’s really nice, isn’t she?” Her brow creased in sudden concern. “I didn’t make her uncomfortable, did I?”
Daeshen smiled as he lounged against Kyrin’s side. “No, sweetheart, I don’t think it was that.” He patted the space beside them. “Come sit with us.”
She climbed back onto the bed.
Kyrin cleared his throat. “You seemed to be,
hmmm, attracted to her.”
She blushed.
Daeshen grinned.
“Um, yeah, I guess so,” she murmured softly. Suddenly the weave of the fabric the sheets were made of was fascinating to her. She picked at it with a fingernail, not looking at either of them.
“Do you want us to consider her for marriage?”
Her head shot up and she stared at Kyrin with wide eyes. “Wh-what?”
The men smiled.
Daeshen pulled her closer to them. “Would you like to consider her for a wife? We have no objections. Sya’tia is a wonderful person.”
Thea blinked. “Uhh, well, umm, you want to marry her? How many wives can you guys have?” She felt very confused. They wanted another wife? Did they regret choosing her?
Kyrin rubbed her back. “We can have up to five spouses, love, a family group of six is accepted. We hadn’t planned on having anyone else added to ours, but it’s hard to ignore an attraction as strong as there was between the two of you. I thought that Sya’tia was going to start singing to catch your attention at any moment.”
“But I’m not gay,” she mumbled softly.
He leaned closer to hear her. “What was that?”
She glared at him. “I said I’m not gay.”
“What does how happy you are have to do with it?” He looked perplexed.
“Not gay! Gay!” If anything they looked even more bewildered.
“Uhh ...” Daeshen ventured uncertainly.
“One who prefers lovers of their own sex,” she gritted out. She could almost see a light bulb go on over their heads.
“Ohhh ...”they chorused.
Kyrin smirked. “We are well aware that you like men, love.” Daeshen snickered. “But, that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the attentions of a woman, as well. We enjoy men and women. There’s nothing wrong with that.” He cast her a sly smile. “And I don’t think you mind watching two men together, either.”
She blushed again, and then sighed. It seemed that her face was destined to be red around the two of them. “No, I don’t mind,” she muttered.
Kyrin pulled her into his lap. “So, then we come back to the original point of this conversation: would you like us to consider Sya’tia?” He nibbled on her ear, smiling when she shivered.
She nodded hesitantly. “Yes, I guess so. Do you both want to consider her, too?”
He nodded against her throat, where his mouth had wandered. “Yes, we wouldn’t mind at all. We’ve both known her for years and like her. And, you’re right, she is very beautiful. Just not in the way we are used to seeing. It took you coming into our life and meeting her to open our eyes.”
She pulled away and looked from one to the other. “What do you mean ‘not the way you’re used to’? And how did I make you look at her differently?”
Daeshen pondered her question for a minute before he answered her. “Sya’tia ... does not have features that are common among our people any longer. In fact, many people have said that she looks like a primitive throwback.”
Thea frowned, thinking of the lovely woman she had just met.
“Also, her eyes are full black. All of our eyes can turn black but it only happens if we sense a threat or are hunting at the time. We have a second pair of black lids inside our eyes that change our sight so that we can also track heat signatures. It’s very unusual for her to have her eyes always in hunter mode. It makes people shy away from her because when we see someone’s eyes bleed black we start looking for something dangerous near us.”
“Oh,” she said softly. Looking up, she caught them exchanging a look. “What else?” She sighed.
“Umm ... Well, she’s also a Chosen of the Warriors Temple. That makes her very dangerous. She has hinged fangs inside her mouth that contain paralytic venom that affects voluntary muscles. There are spines in her wrists that contain a deadly neurotoxin. She is also stronger and better trained martially than the rest of the populace, excepting the other Chosen of the Warriors.”
Thea gulped. “Oh.”
Daeshen smiled and picked up her hand, gently kissing her fingers. “On the other hand ... She’s very sweet and shy. She spends most of her time alone and is very good at her job.”
She smiled and nodded.
Kyrin hugged her tightly. “We’ll see how things go this evening, there’s no use in getting ahead of ourselves.” He kissed them each again. “And I have to go now. I have to meet the asana. Stay out of trouble.”
Daeshen traced the marks on her cheeks lightly with a thumb. “Poor love. It’s been one thing after another, hasn’t it?”
She smiled and tugged him closer. “Yeah, well, I can think of something that might make up for some of it.” She nipped the tip of his nose.
He grinned and tumbled her back into the pillows. “Oh, really? Well, far be it from me to deny you ...”
* * * * *
Elsewhere ...
“It is too late to worry if we are doing the right thing, Shaysha. We have already acted and must continue to do so.” Byasuen darted across the star filled void with a flick of her tail and laid her hand against her sister-Goddess’s cheek. “It was also necessary to show our full support of these women and set an example for our children --”
“And it’s just too bad you didn’t speak to her parents first, darling sister,” said a low, husky voice irritably from behind the ten deities. “I do not appreciate my daughters being stolen from my arms and I care even less for them becoming the mouths of other deities.”
They turned to greet the two cloaked and hooded figures who had joined them.
Both figures pushed their hoods down and glared at the Ta’e Lithen. The man and woman seemed to age and become young again as the time passed, their hair was a dark gold that deepened to the rich brown of fertile earth before fading to a snowy white and beginning the cycle again; only their eyes stayed the same, the rich black-brown of fertile earth.
Kashka smiled dryly. “Nice entrance, sister, brother. Although I suppose knocking is hard since we don’t have a door. And what names are you two going by this millennium?”
“Thea refers to us as Gaia and Skye, so that will work. Our children don’t generally call us by name. Most simply use Lord and Lady.” Gaia seated herself in midair and crossed her legs.
Skye shook his head and leaned against her. “Are you two ever going to get along? I swear The Great One was going to send you to your rooms at the last mixer when you two got into it and knocked over the punch bowl.”
Kashka rolled her eyes. “That was, what? Two thousand years ago? When one of our brothers sent his kid down to earth on a field trip? Besides, she said my ass was so fat she could see spaces between my scales.”
Mo’aton coughed to hide a snicker. “I remember him. ‘I don’t need a name, my followers call me the Almighty.’ He was arrogant, even for a God. Is he still around or did the Great One eat him with sauce?”
Gaia grunted. “Oh, he’s still around. And he hates the rest of us; I don’t know how many of our other sibling’s children his followers have killed in his name. I have a feeling he’ll go the Greek Way
on us, if the Great One doesn’t Atlantis him instead.”
All twelve shuddered, remembering the Great One’s anger at those sets of Gods and Goddesses.
Skye flopped down on the easy chair that manifested beside him and popped open the beer that appeared in his hand. “Okay, subject change. Back to our sibling rivalries. Yer kids snatched our girls. At least nine of my baby girls are on this ship alone. And two of ‘em have been having the twitches trying to figure out how to call a circle and elements when east ain’t east.”
Gaia sighed. “At least you haven’t heard the freaked thoughts of ‘what’s artificial gravity gonna do to my period?’ and ‘I’M HAVING AN ALIEN BABY!’ One of them is starting to review the Weekly World News in her head and wonder how much of it is true.”
Iliria winced. “We had no intention of any of this happening.”
“Well, that didn’t stop you from using Thea, did it?” Skye slurped down a slug of beer. He set the can down with a thump and glared at them again. “Do you have any idea how fragile she is right now? Do you realize that it won’t take much more to break her?” His face hardened. “Our daughters being among your children gives us a doorway that was closed when the Great One took you and your children away from Earth. And we will use it to protect them. And you may want to consider what other doors have been opened.”
Gaia nodded in agreement. “Thea may be your voice, because you’re right, it’s needed. Your children will not fully accept them otherwise. We will let her know that we approve, and are proud of her faith in us. Meeting you didn’t shake her belief in us one little bit. But ...” She smiled evilly. “Your children need a little lesson in respect. Don’t worry, though, we’ll handle it.”
Skye smirked.
Both figures faded out with a little wave.
Byasuen thunked her head against her mate’s chest. “Lovely ... Just lovely ... Those two can be as cruel as their winter aspects;, what do you think they are going to do?”
Chapter Nine
Thea and Sya’tia gasped as the handsome, dark haired man snarled, showing his gruesome fangs and dove for the bared throat of the fair damsel who stared rapturously upwards. A trickle of blood oozed from the corner of his mouth and down the alabaster column of her throat.
Thea reached for another handful of popcorn from the bowl cradled between them. She munched on the crunchy treat, not paying any attention to the kernels that dropped into her lap as she stared at the screen, completely enthralled.
The fair damsel collapsed gracefully to the ground and the vampire threw his head back and laughed darkly.
Sya’tia snagged her own handful of popcorn and nibbled at it daintily. “When does the hunter show up?” she asked, licking her fingers. “These vampires would be interesting prey, so quick and strong. A true challenge.” She wiggled deeper into the gel seat and stretched out her legs before grabbing another handful of popcorn.
The Ta'e'sha Chronicles: Daughters of Terra Page 11