“The cruiser is ours. We developed the cloaking ability. Have our engineers work the damned cloaking ability backwards. The cruiser has to be in contact with us in some way. Find it! Bring him back here before he causes us all to go war with wherever he ends up!” Quin bellowed.
“We’re on it, Sire,” Ba Re’ answered, using Quin’s official title so that Quin would be aware he and his men were taking this seriously.
“And who was shadowing him today? Why the hell was he allowed out of their sight?” Quin shouted.
“One of Kol’s team. I’ll find out.”
“I wish to speak to him. Now!” Quin demanded.
“Of course, Sire.” Ba Re’ struck his fist over his heart in a show of loyalty and left the Command Deck. This was as angry as Ba Re’ had seen Quin in a very long time. Since Vivi had arrived, security had been tighter in general, but Quin had been more relaxed. Until now, with Rokai running around risking havoc to all he encountered. He hurried off of Command Deck, and as soon as he entered the corridor began instructing Missy. “Missy, please run a complete reversal of the cloaking on Cruiser 3. We must find its whereabouts as soon as possible.”
“Do you wish to have the cloaking deactivated?” Missy asked.
Ba Re’ thought about it. If Rokai ahl were in questionable circumstances and the cloaking ability was all that was keeping him alive, he would be killed if Ba Re’ ordered it disabled. “No, just run a trace on it through our software and locate the ship. Do not disable the cloaking mechanism.”
“Yes, sir. I will advise when it’s completed.”
“Thank you, Missy. Also, please locate Elite Commander Kol Ra’ Don Tol. I need to speak with him.”
A few moments later, Missy finally answered. “Elite Commander Kol Ra’ Don Tol is with Sirena Vivian in the bathing chamber of her quarters.”
“In the bathing chamber?!” Ba Re’ asked, shocked.
“Yes, in the bathing chamber,” Missy responded.
Ba Re’ shook his head. And on top of all the confusion of Rokai ahl slipping away, Kol had obviously adopted a death wish. Ba Re’ rushed there as quickly as he could to remove him from Vivi’s bathing chamber before either Vivi or Quin decided to kill him themselves. “I miss the days of a smoothly running warship. This is beyond my patience capabilities! My head is going to explode!” Ba Re’ shouted as the lift doors closed and the lift started moving.
“Would you like an aspirin?” Missy asked.
“A what?” Ba Re’ asked.
“An aspirin. Sirena Vivi asks for one when her head is causing pain after she has endured much stress.”
“I fear just one wouldn’t be enough,” Ba Re’ answered as the doors opened, and he hurried out at a fast run, getting to Quin and Vivi’s living quarters his only focus at the time.
Vivian was sitting on a stool inside her bathroom, her back to the tub, explaining how she came to be here. She was listening to the splash and tinkle of the water behind her as Ada Jane bathed herself, three separate times, then let the water out and refilled it again at Vivi's urging to just relax in a hot bath for a little while.
“Sirena Vivi,” Missy interrupted.
“Yes, Missy,” Vivian answered.
“Lieutenant Ba Re’ Non Tol is rushing to your quarters. He seems somewhat upset, his heart rate is raised and his blood pressure is increasing. He has declined my offer of aspirin.”
“Thank you, Missy. Please allow him entry when he gets here,” Vivian answered, chuckling to herself at the thought that Missy had learned her habits so well that she now offered aspirin whenever anyone else had a headache.
“Yes, Sirena,” Missy answered.
Ba Re’ hurried to the quarters Quin and Vivi shared — Rel, Kail and Zahn stepped into the hallway to intercept him before they realized who he was. They stood back and allowed him to pass. Ba Re’ nodded at them and slowed his approach, prepared to request entrance, but as soon as his presence was picked up by the sensors on the door, it swooshed open granting him access. He thanked his good luck and hurried through.
He came to a stop when he found Kol standing with his back to the cleansing chamber, his arms crossed across his chest. He was most certainly not inside the bathing chamber. He looked more like he was on duty.
“Thank the gods!” he rushed out, placing his hands on his hips and walking in a small circle while he allowed his adrenalin levels to drop and his blood pressure to, hopefully, return to normal.
“For what?” Kol asked.
“For not having to drag you away from Vivi and hide you away from both her and Quin.”
Kol’s face scrunched up in confusion. “What do you speak of? You make no sense.”
“I asked where you were. Missy told me you were in the cleansing chamber with Sirena Vivian,” Ba Re’ answered.
“You thought…” Kol started.
“Yes, I did.”
“Are you out of your mind? I would never, under any circumstances, take advantage of either Vivi or Quin!” Kol said defensively.
“I know that. But I also know that you have been under a great deal of stress. Perhaps your need for a human female overrode your good sense.”
“I do not have a need for a human female!” Kol shouted. “I have a need for MY human female. And MY human female is inside this cleansing chamber with Vivi. I stepped inside the chamber just long enough to place a stool there for Vivi when she asked for one. And I averted my eyes from MY female as she bathed! How dare you question my character?!” Kol demanded angrily.
“I am not questioning your character. Please forgive my assumptions. You know I think highly of you and hold you in the most esteemed regard. I have no excuse other than I am under a great deal of strain myself, and I am at my wits end!” Ba Re’ said by means of defending himself.
“What strain? What has happened?” Kol asked, immediately going on alert.
“A cruiser is missing. So are Rokai ahl and Gaishon.”
“No!” Kol answered, his mind immediately going over the duty roster he memorized daily to figure out who was to watch Rokai today. “Kron. Kron was to keep watch over Rokai all day today. The last time I saw him, he and Rokai were facing off in hand-to-hand agility drills in the training room.”
“I will question him. Do you wish to be there?” Ba Re’ asked.
Kol looked behind himself at the door that kept him from seeing his Ehlealah.
“No one would fault you for staying here, Kol. It is not often that one finds their Ehlealah under the circumstances you found yours. She will need much time and patience in order to trust and be able to acclimate to our world.”
“My unit is still my responsibility, an equal priority.” Kol thought about it for a moment longer. “I will wait here until they are finished inside. My Ehlealah is safe here with Vivi’s guard outside. Once I bid my Ada Jane farewell for the afternoon, I will join you. Where do you plan to question him?”
“Conference room, I suppose.”
“I will join you there shortly,” Kol answered.
<<<<<<<>>>>>>>
Ada Jane sat in the warm water, listening to the two males snarling to one another outside the bathroom door. She paid particular attention to the computer’s translation that played softly in the bathroom she was in.
Vivian’s voice interrupted her thoughts as she listened. “Any time I’m within earshot of any language that is not English, Missy automatically plays a translation for me. That’s why you can hear what’s going on out there repeated in here in our language.”
Ada Jane pulled her legs up to her chin and hugged her arms around them. “I see.”
After an awkward silence, Vivian spoke again. “It’s really not a bad thing, you know.”
“What’s not a bad thing,” Ada Jane asked.
“To be Kol’s Ehlealah.”
“He said I’m his, like I’m a possession or something,” Ada Jane said softly.
“No, he said you’re his like a romance novel. MINE!” Vivian said a
nimatedly. But she didn’t know for sure that Ada understood her attempt at humor. She was facing the door, not Ada Jane.
Ada Jane didn’t say anything, so Vivian asked, her frustration not quite hidden. “Can I face you, or do you want me to still face away? It’s hard to talk to you this way — I can’t see your face.”
“You can face me,” Ada Jane answered.
“Thank you!” Vivian wasted no time spinning around on the stool she sat on. Her eyes fell on Ada Jane, who was seated in the tub, bubbles almost all the way up to her shoulders.
“As I was saying. It’s not a bad thing. Kol is a good guy.”
“Kol is the one you call Blue-Dude, the blue male that carried me here?” Ada Jane asked.
“He is. He’s very kind and very funny. He’s honest and trustworthy. And he’s waited all his life for you. The moment he saw you, he knew. And he refused to leave your side until you were freed, and he could actually hold you in his arms. He took you from the stretcher you were on and held you all the way back to our ship, only letting you go once you were in medical and the healers had to examine you and try to stabilize you.”
Ada couldn’t lie to herself, that was one of the most romantic things she’d ever heard. There was just one little problem — he wasn’t human. “He’s an alien, though,” Ada Jane said.
“Actually, if you think about it, we’re the aliens here. This is their world. We’re the oddities,” Vivian explained with a smile on her face.
“How do you know we’re safe here? How do you ever know you’re safe again? How can you ever even begin to rebuild your life. Even after we go home, how can we be sure they won’t come after us again?” Ada Jane asked, her voice quaking with her fear.
“Time. It took time. And the love of an amazing male to finally prove to me that I was safe. That I was adored. That I would never be alone or frightened or hurt again. It took time, but it does happen. You can feel safe again,” Vivian answered.
Ada thought about Vivian’s words. And a few minutes later finally managed to put to words the question rolling around in her mind. “I just want to go home. Why did you decide to stay here and not go home?”
Vivian smiled sadly. “There’s nothing left of my home. No family for me, at least not any that I can’t see here. And I love Quin. He is my world. Wherever he is is my home now.” Vivian looked around the cleansing chamber. “And, this is it for now. We live on Command Warship 1. This is where he’s stationed, and I’ll be here as long he is.”
“Warship? We’re on a warship?” Ada Jane asked.
“We are.”
“Are we in a war?” Ada asked, looking around nervously.
“No. Not at the moment. And we are safe. I give you my word. If we weren’t safe, I can promise you that we’d be so crowded by huge males that we’d be throwing things at them to make them leave us alone and give us some space.”
“Crowded by huge males?”
“Yep.”
“Which huge males? Why?” Ada Jane asked, fear clearly heard in her voice.
“Because I’m mated, married if you will, to the biggest one of them all. He’s Sire to his people, the big red guy, remember him?” Vivian asked, pausing and waiting for an answer.
Ada Jane nodded.
“And I have my own security team. Three of them escorted us here. They’d be all up in my business if we were at war or in any kind of conflict that made them fear for my safety. And now for yours as well. These males, all the males of my husband’s planet, value females. They are horrified at the traumas we’ve both endured. The traumas that all the rescued females endured. And they’ll be damned if any more harm comes to a single one of us.”
Ada Jane just watched Vivian as she spoke. She didn’t comment.
“Do you understand, Ada Jane? You’re safe, honey. No one is going to hurt you ever again. Kol will see to that, and all the rest of us are back up. You’re safe,” Vivian promised.
A few minutes later a loud yowl could be heard outside the cleansing chamber door, along with a few soft pats. Apparently Kitty’s paws were slapping against the door. He was not happy at being locked outside.
Ada Jane’s eyes flew to the door.
“It’s okay, it’s Kitty. He usually comes in and sleeps by the door, or growls at himself in the mirror while I bathe. I left him out this time since you're not used to him yet.”
“Thank you,” Ada said softly.
“I think I’ll go get a drink and give you some privacy. Do you want anything?” Vivian asked.
Ada Jane shook her head.
“I know you have a lot of questions. I know nothing makes sense right now, and you have so many emotions going on. Anger, fear, anxiety, sadness, relief, and apprehension, just to name a few. If I may give you some advice… just take your time. Everything will be as it should in time. But in the meantime, I’m here. Kol’s here, and you can infinitely trust us both.”
Ada nodded. She watched as Vivian waited for the doors to open, so she could leave. “I just want to go home,” she said quietly as Vivian left the room.
Vivian left the bathroom and paused outside the door to place a hand on Kol’s arm. He looked so pained. His female was right there. He could hear her, see her, touch her if he chose to, yet she’d not recognized him as hers. “We are not like the Cruestaci, Kol. We don’t have that innate certainty that the person we’re looking at is ours. I didn’t know Quin was mine. For us it takes time. Just be patient. She’ll figure it out. She’s still so traumatized. It’ll be a while, but it’ll be worth it.”
Kol nodded and leaned over when Vivi went up on her tip-toes to kiss his cheek. “I have waited all my life, a little while longer will not hurt that much. I will protect her and wait for her to see me as hers.”
Vivi nodded, patted his shoulder again, then went to get herself a drink from the kitchen.
When she returned, Ada Jane was standing beside the tub, wrapped in one of the huge towels that Quin bought for Vivian.
“Feeling better?” Vivian asked.
“A little,” Ada acknowledged.
“Excellent. Now what can I get for you?”
Ada Jane looked down at herself wrapped in a towel the size of a bed sheet. “Clothes?” she asked.
“Oh! Yes, clothes would be good. Hold on,” Vivian said, turning back to the door and raising her voice. “Kol! Ada Jane needs clothes. Unless you want her to walk around naked.”
“No! Of course not. I will return straight away,” Kol called back.
Vivian, giggling, turned back to Ada Jane. “That’ll hurry him up.”
“Where am I going to stay, Vivian? I don’t even have a place to stay. Is there a hotel or something like that, or even better, a women’s shelter. I have no income or any way to make any money,” Ada Jane said, starting to get upset again.
Vivian went directly to her, taking one of Ada’s hands in hers. “It’s fine. You don’t need money here. We call it credits, but regardless, you don’t need any. You’ve been victimized by a people that should never have even known of your existence. The Unified Consortium Defense has funds set up for people who find themselves in circumstances like this. You’ll be given a sum that will help you care for yourself until you decide what’s to become of the rest of your life.”
Ada Jane’s face crinkled up as she thought about Vivian’s words. “The rest of my life… I’m going home. I just want to go home.”
“I know. I’ve been there. I know.”
“When can I go home?” Ada Jane asked bluntly.
“I am back! I have clothing for Ada Jane!” Kol said loudly outside the door.
“Oh! Kol! He’s back,” Vivian said to Ada. “Let me grab the clothes, and then we’ll take you to your rooms. You’ll be staying there for the time being until we can get all the details worked out. It’s just a few doors down from here. I thought I’d make sure you were close in case you need anything.”
Ada watched Vivian suspiciously. Something was up. Every time she brought u
p home, Vivian changed the subject or gave her an evasive answer.
Vivian took the clothing from Kol, and as soon as the door closed, turned back around to face Ada Jane. “Here you go!”
“Is Earth even still there?” Ada Jane asked, beginning to panic.
“What?! Oh my gosh! Yes, Earth is there - I promise!” Vivian said passionately.
“Then that’s my future, that is where I want to go as soon as I can.”
“I know. We’re working on it. It just takes some time,” Vivian answered. She didn’t know exactly how long it had been since Ada Jane had been taken from Earth, but her hairstyle and some of the expressions she used made Vivian think it was in the 80’s. It had been a long, long time. Even longer than Vivian had been gone. Vivian didn’t want to be the one to tell Ada, so she just avoided it altogether.
“Come on, let’s get you dressed so that you can see your temporary place,” Vivian said excitedly.
Chapter 19
Rosie stepped back inside her room and glared at the door as it slid shut behind her. She wanted a door to slam. A glass to throw, a certain pale-green alien to punch — anything to get rid of the frustration she was shouldering. She’d waited almost two hours for Rokai to wander into the dance club, but he’d never shown up. Then she’d wandered the ship, even asking one or two of the males she’d passed if they knew where he was. But no one seemed to know. This ship was the size of a small town, so it was extremely likely he was somewhere on the ship doing whatever males of his kind did, and not in the arms of another female — or three. But she highly doubted it. He’d proudly thrown in her face, the fact that he’d been with three females after leaving her, and it ate at her gut to know he was likely with them again.
Rosie sat down on the corner of her bed, huffed out a sigh so forceful it blew the hair from her eyes and forehead, and pouted. This was most certainly not how the manipulation of this particular male was supposed to go. “Asshole,” she mumbled again as she pulled off her clothes, didn’t even bother to apply the cream that wasn’t working anyway to her back, and climbed into her bed. Rosie couldn’t help it; her thoughts returned to Rokai. She’d expected to manipulate him, have him fawning over her, and walk away. That’s what players did. It was a power trip, and she most certainly needed that. There was, of course, always the chance that a game of this nature wouldn’t play out like one expected, and she was okay with that usually. But not this time. And she definitely didn’t expect it to hurt.
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