“Have you tried talking to the man in question?” said Dasos, his face still against the table.
“Sort of. I asked him to interview me like he did with the ship’s crew. He was so professional about it that I thought it was helping. Then came the end of it, and—“
Dasos lifted his head with a jolt. “Wait, you’re having these feelings for the commander?”
“Not so loud! Fine, yes, he’s the first man to make me feel so damn flustered. I’m trying not to be. It doesn’t seem right, you know? Maybe I should ask a laeknar if this is a side effect of the injection they gave me, or if anything else is wrong.”
“What injection?”
Zoey turned bashful, her face now able to heat up the room. “Birth control.”
“Talk to Mom.” This was officially one of the strangest conversations he ever had in his life.
* * *
Zoey breathed heavily. She changed positions and shifted her pace, again and again. At least the daily exercises that her mom assigned her were helping to keep some things off of the top of her mind. Her mom was doing the exercises as well while they stood a few paces apart on the mat. Bon’sinne wasn’t breaking a sweat at all, unlike Zoey.
“You’re focusing too hard, dear,” Bon’sinne said.
True, Zoey had begun to dream about both Tong-Chang and the commander in separate instances. She was trying to think about her exercises instead of those cursed dreams. It was morning. She’d had a piece of fruit, and nothing else, after getting out of bed to come to this lesson, so the dreams were still quite fresh and not fading like so many others had done in the past.
“Sorry. I’m trying to push away last night’s dreams, or eject them into space to never be seen again,” Zoey said.
“Journals are better for that,” Bon’sinne said. “What kind of dreams are you having?”
“They’re the kind of dreams I’m not really comfortable talking about.”
“Ladies!” called a manly voice, “Do you mind if I join you?”
Zoi’ne knew that voice without turning around, and she locked up in the middle of a change in pose. Her cheeks began to turn red as well. Zoey was quite sure that her mom saw this in a short glance before she turned to Commander Consilius.
Bon’sinne said, “We were about to finish up the exercises for the day and do a round each against the dummy. Would you be willing to emulate level zero for my daughter, Benedict?”
He said, “Sure, I’d be happy to help.”
As they got into their places, Zoey saw her mom playing with some controls on the backside of the dummy. The commander stretched his limbs and neck, which exposed a few of his muscles for Zoey to see.
In Earth movies or books, male elves were often depicted as effeminate in their looks. One major difference with the Aelfs was so clear in how chiseled and handsome the commander looked in his own gi.
“Get ready,” Bon’sinne said. She gave a knowing smile with no indication to what was about to happen.
I hate Mom. I hate Mom. I hate Mom.
“Begin,” her mom said.
Commander Consilius took his first step forward. He moved slow, but his arms and hands moved through basic positions with every new step he took.
Zoi’ne ran forward with the first form she had. Knowing which hand the man wrote with, she bowed low and caught his right arm with her own. Then she punched his right side with a closed fist, used her right to perform another hit to his chin, and then turned with an attempted form shift to deliver an elbow to the commander’s chest.
He caught her elbow with a wince. Before Zoey could finish her form shift, she fell back upon the mat with some force. In a flash she was pinned by the arms, and the commander was on top of her.
“Someone has some frustration to work out,” he said.
“Enough,” Bon’sinne said. “Thank you for that, Benedict, but please get off my daughter before you start wishing you were one.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He got up with a smile and extended a hand toward Zoey.
Frustrated was right, as she found that some part of her wanted more. Zoey lifted herself up, averting her gaze from the commander. She was so done with today, wanting to crawl under a blanket and let the remainder of it all go away.
Her mom tapped her shoulder and whispered gently. She said, “That was a good try, dear. Why don’t you go take a shower and join Aerak and me for breakfast in a bit? He’s making omelets and bacon.”
“Sure, that sounds good,” Zoey said.
Her mom then faced off against the dummy. It was at a much higher level, but then again so was Bon’sinne. Had Zoey been in a better mood right now, she would have stayed to watch.
* * *
It was after breakfast when Zoey went for a walk around the main corridors of the ship. She actually felt refreshed for once, like she could tackle a whole day of new challenges. She had some more reading to do, for sure, but right now was definitely her daily exercise time.
She had barely reached the edge of the residential area when she saw the commander stepping out of his quarters in uniform. He had a few bruises on him, with at least one of them not being her doing.
They made eye contact, and her heart stumbled.
“Hello, Commander,” Zoey said.
“Good morning, Zoi’ne. I see you’re talking to me again. This is always a pleasure.”
“I owe you an apology. I took something out on you that, well, it kind of is your fault but you can’t help it.”
“Well, I do have a few hours before I need to resume my interviews for the day, in case you wish to sit down and talk.”
“Just talk?”
“It’s sort of a specialty of mine. If there’s something I can do to make your time here easier on you then I’ll be glad to listen. A beautiful young woman like you shouldn’t have a care in the galaxy.”
“Oh, stop!” She raised her hand at him ready to slap the man, but she came to a stop short of his grand figure. Halted and confused, she rested her forehead and hand on his chest, wondering what she was even doing. “You’re so difficult.”
“I’ve been told this before. Then again, it’s not every day that I try to resist pursuing someone because her parents might actually kill me and court martial my remains. Your mom already proved that today.”
“Did she?”
He rubbed the bruise on his face that Zoey had nothing to do with. Zoey rested a hand upon it as softly as she could manage. She wanted to make that up to him. She wanted to make up a lot more to herself. Then the two of them pressed their lips together.
Oh, Earth to Zoi’ne. What am I doing?
The commander wrapped one arm around her waist and hit some buttons on the side panel of his door, at which point the two of them staggered inside.
[ 20]
Soror Valide took over navigation for her stiern-boat while the other one outside continued to tow it by one side rather than the front. By now the other craft’s fuel was running half empty, which was still more than the Kroke Team had to work with. What Soror Valide had could get her a short distance for five to ten minutes, but that was all.
There was an icy planet before her. It had an atmosphere with all the right gases for breathing, but it was simply too cold in most places around the globe due in part to its distance from the sun. From this close it appeared desolate and bleak.
After a month it was good to see this frozen rock again.
Dereskoo often had its share of spacecraft or satellites patrolling it, so the pair of stiern-boats flew in close with their stealth cloaking so that any alliance ships in the area couldn’t detect them. Anyone with a good eye could still see them from a few thousand kilometers away, but most forms of detection would see no better than another rock aimed for the surface of this planet.
Soror Valide pulled a lever. Her craft, and the other as well, extended a series of mechanical limbs and shielding to block out the flames as their combined form made the descent.
Her brothers a
nd sisters were secure already. Some echo in her mind wanted her to rush forward with the companion craft poised to fall in the rear of the stiern-boat and eat the flaming draft from re-entry. The same echo wanted her to open the hatch on her passengers. When did she ever get so violent towards her own brothers and sisters, or towards anyone for that matter? She couldn’t remember.
Everything around her shook and heated up. She could feel forces push and pull against her body. Still, the systems and craft’s integrity held together. Any moment it would be time to pull up and find the designated cave entrance. She guided the descent and waited. The stiern-boats slowed their descent. She moved the lever again and activated the engine. This craft still had the fuel necessary to enter the nearest port. She had to move fast, though.
Then the other craft dropped hers. The thrusters kicked in before the stiern-boat touched the ice below. It sank, however, breaking the thin ice and submersing into the freezing water. Yes, the craft had plenty of power and fuel. It could jet out and crash into the other vessel that had given Soror Valide her ride home, but she chose not to do that.
Off to the side, she saw an opening in the wall of rock and ice. With the sound of metal plating creaking, she grinned at the opening and navigated the tunnel. Soror Valide emerged from the water inside a subterranean cave. There was a landing spot set aside for the incoming stiern-boats, which was adjacent to a garage for repairs.
Once the craft was landed, Soror Valide said, “We’re home, boys and girls. We will disembark in five minutes.”
Soror Valide shut down everything but the ventilation system designed to aid in air pressure within their craft. The others moved their cargo into position while they waited and acclimated to the planet’s gravity. When the moment came to get off of the craft, one of them used the manual release for the door.
The chamber they were in was located beneath a mountain. A pair of doors awaited the Hulda’fi as they progressed to the next location on foot. The other side of either door was made to blend in with the surrounding walls so as to prevent detection so that their headquarters were less likely to be found by passing visitors who were allowed entry to this hallowed place.
Beyond the second door they were outside again. Rather than a field of ice and snow, there was a garden lined with walkways of gray stone and rows of clover, as well as stepping stones amidst the short greenery. Instead of stormy weather, there was synthetic sunlight radiating from three solar lanterns near the edges of the dome’s floor, and a fourth one in the ceiling of the protective dome. All of the walkways out here led to a manor.
The manor was impressive in size and design. After a long month of being away, it was the best thing Soror Valide had ever seen. She directed the others ahead of her with the cryogenic case, and then stood for a blissful moment to take it in. It was a moment to soothe her soul, or something like it, but the weight remained as seven of her kin walked ahead of her. Did she have a right to be angry at this place as she now felt? If this place standing before her couldn’t unburden her, then what could?
Soror Valide clenched a fist and went inside. She followed the case past clusters of brothers and sisters, mostly sisters, until they came to a lounge standing two stories tall. It was one of two rooms built like this in the house, but this one had a fireplace in one corner.
“Where is she?” Soror Valide asked. “Where is the Lady Tunderek?” Her voice raised and echoed into the manor.
Then she saw her upstairs where the fake sunlight met with the shadow. Lady Tunderek sat in her chair, smoking from a pipe. The woman stood in her glimmering gown that dragged across the floor, and crossed the upper floor toward the stairs where she gazed upon her children.
“I am here,” the Lady said.
“We’ve brought back your case.”
“Ho-ho, you have proven yourself again. So much trouble over a few simple packs.” She proceeded down the steps, retaining every ounce of air about her that everyone in this manor cherished; no, they worshipped.
“You could say that. One of our own betrayed us. We picked a fight with those Hoshi-Lacartan hounds aboard the Marslou and took more than double of them than they took away from us. Our loss was heavy, yet we also failed to retrieve someone I wasn’t told about until we were drifting and waiting for our pick-up.”
“Ah, you are still seething. Such was a terrible price, I agree.”
Lady Tunderek examined the contours of the black cryogenic case after she had motioned for it to be set down upon a counter. She opened it and closed it again upon seeing the contents, her eyes wider than a moment prior.
“I, for one, am willing to say two out of three isn’t bad,” the Lady said.
“I saw someone,” Soror Valide said, pulling back her hood and revealing her hair and ears. “She had my eyes, my hair, my everything.”
“You did? Yes, I have seen this girl as well.”
“Who was she?”
“Does it matter? What is in a face? Look upon mine and ask yourself if you see the three centuries or more behind it. Look at your own, and ask yourself what your revolutions have mattered to you. Who that girl was that you saw doesn’t matter.”
The Lady came in close to Soror Valide, her hand undoing the utility harness around Soror Valide’s torso in a fluid motion.
“That girl and my family . . .” Soror Valide said. Family? She stopped her own thought with force. She had this family. This family was all she needed.
However, she was silenced before Soror Valide could get another word out. The Lady pressed her lips into her own. She had some idea as to what was coming next.
When Lady Tunderek pushed her back, and Soror Valide fell across the coffee table and into the sofa, her brothers and sisters all laughed. Lady Tunderek waved her hands with a jolt for everyone else to stay back before she dropped the top layer of her see-through robe and climbed onto the sofa with Soror Valide.
She was right about what was coming. She was powerless to stop it. What she didn’t know was if she wanted to try. Images from that attack plagued her mind. Seeing people she once knew attacking her, and seeing people she now knew falling to her feet. She wanted it to stop.
“You seem to have forgotten just how special you are,” the Lady said. “I think it’s time to remind you and prove it.” Her free hand slipped down Soror Valide’s side. Another used an edge atop one ring to cut open the Hulda’fi combat suit.
This was so familiar by now. She accepted it.
* * *
When she collapsed, she let out the strangest utterance of exhalation and sound to pass her lips in recent memory. Two hours of her life were blown to oblivion with such passion and ferocity that the universe could have it. Zoey turned her head toward the commander, who was catching his breath and recovering faster than she was. The man had lots of practice, she was sure of it.
I did this. I actually did this with a man, and it felt so damn good. At first Zoey asked herself why she had never done this before in her life. Then she remembered exactly why, and let it go.
“Now what?” Zoey asked.
Commander Consilius said, “Normally I’d offer you a drink and some music, and then go from there, but I need to get ready for work again.” He got up and grabbed his clothes.
“I’m sure you say that to all of the girls. At least you were kind enough use protection, even after I told you I was on an injection for that sort of thing.”
“If I didn’t, then I wouldn’t want to think about what’s out there waiting for me. Before you ask, no, I never really thought about settling down and having a family. Men and women in my position have a hard time being in one place for very long. I’d hate to think what would happen to some poor kid if I had one.”
“My mother on Earth was constantly on the run from the law. My father was never around either. Being alone sucks. So I can understand that.”
“Now you have a mom and dad who defy the odds for their children. I honestly have no idea how they do it.”
“
Maybe you can ask them one day.”
“Perhaps. Anyways, lock up when you’re done in here. You know how to do that, I’m sure.”
“Main, one, one, hold main; one of the officers told me once, like a week ago. Maybe I really should start doing that.”
There was one last “Wait, what?” glance from the commander before he put his second shoe on and went to the door.
“I’ll see you around,” he said.
* * *
Zoey walked into the upper level of the Recreation Hall with a book in hand. It was a new one to her, as well as at a higher level than the last couple that she had been tasked to read. It also had an interesting summary, unlike the last couple of books that Keft’aerak had given her to borrow.
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