The Pursuit

by Diana Palmer

  He scowled. “Déjà what?”

  “Sorry. Idioms again. It means something that happens to you feels like it’s happened before. But I guess what I really meant was that it’s ironic, because that woman is just like me, when I first met you. I told you I hated the military.” She sighed. “I didn’t know anything about it, at the time. Now that I do, I feel even more guilty about all the stupid things I said.”

  He kissed her soft lips. “We cannot repeat the past. We must go forward and leave it behind, where it should be.” He smiled against her mouth. “We have a bright, beautiful future in store for us. Starting with putting you in a Holconcom uniform,” he added drily.

  “Rusmok will have a stroke,” she predicted, chuckling. She put her fingers over his lips when he started to speak. “He’s my friend. So you have to tolerate him. I owe my life to him a couple of times.”

  He sighed. “Well, at least this bonding will keep me from killing him, as I might should there have been no possibility of intimacy between us. The savage behavior haunts us. It, like the first mating, are the result of tampering with natural things. The emperor saw, too late, the effects of the work his scientists did in transforming the Cehn-Tahr race so long ago. But the combination of galot and canolithe genes happened even before the emperor became the emperor. There was a civilization that predated this one, millennia ago. It was destroyed by the explosion of a miles-wide comet in the upper atmosphere. Only a handful of Cehn-Tahr survived, their genes corrupted even more by the resulting radiation.”

  “The Rojoks did genetic manipulation, as well,” she pointed out.

  “Yes, but their DNA tampering is far more recent,” he replied. “We have had thousands of years to study and understand the results of our manipulation of natural processes. We have paid, and still pay, a high price for it.”

  She smoothed her hand over his strong jaw. “The most manipulation was used in the Royal Clan, Alamantimichar, wasn’t it?”

  “Yes.” He smiled down at her. “And now you, as well, are Alamantimichar.”

  She sighed. “That’s nice. Being part of a Clan, I mean. But I’ll also enjoy being part of the Holconcom.” She laughed. “Madeline’s sons are very promilitary. So is Rhemun’s son, Kipling.”

  “And his daughter, Larisse,” he added on a chuckle. “She wants already to follow her brother into the military academy. That would have been an impossible dream only a decade ago. However, now that Madeline has a division of female troops in the Cehn-Tahr military, courtesy of the emperor, who made her a brigadier general, Larisse may one day even serve in the Holconcom.”

  “Exciting times,” she said.

  “Exciting.”

  She stretched lazily, watching his eyes darken slightly as they ran over her exquisite body.

  “I love cats,” she said.

  He eased over her, chuckling. “Prove it.”

  She curled her arms around his neck. “I’d be delighted to,” she whispered.

  * * *

  THE HOLCONCOM UNIFORM was similar to her old Rojok one, except that the new one was bloodred and there were no mesag marks on the sleeve.

  “We don’t have rank insignia, do we?” she asked Mekashe.

  He chuckled. He touched a button on his communicator ring and pointed it at her sleeve. There were the rank marks of a Cehn-Tahr lieutenant commander equivalent.

  “Goodness,” she exclaimed, studying the marks.

  “We never show them in public. Nor do we allow any vids or personal information about our soldiers to be publicized. The face of the commander is never shown to outworlders. In fact, my name is not known.”

  “Rojoks do exactly the opposite.” She laughed.

  “There will be some minor differences in protocol,” he added. “Despite our relationship, you must salute me.”

  She pursed her lips. “All the time?”

  “All the time that the holon is not in use,” he whispered, wary of being overheard.

  She laughed delightedly. “Okay.” She stood at attention and gave him her best Rojok salute.

  He groaned.

  “Just kidding.” She turned her fist the other way and struck her chest once, the Holconcom salute.

  “Much better,” he said drily. “Report to sick bay, Dr. Dupont,” he added. “We lift soon.”

  She grinned. “I can’t wait!”

  She saluted again, was dismissed and jogged down the corridor to sick bay.

  Holt Stern jogged alongside her. “Welcome to the Holconcom, Doctor,” he said with flashing black eyes and a grin.

  “Thanks, Captain,” she returned.

  “Good thing you’re the Cularian specialist,” he mused. “If I make you mad and break a leg, I could find it attached to my shoulder.”

  “Dead right, so don’t do it,” she shot back, chuckling. “I could raise your hair with stories about my exploits in the Rojok military.”

  “Save them for Madeline Ruszel’s sons,” he teased. “I understand that they, and Kipling, and Larisse, are harassing Madeline to have a party so you can be invited and they can corner you to get stories.”

  “I’d love to.” She laughed “I love their sons. Komak and Clint are unique.”

  “They are. Clint is named for his grandfather, Madeline’s father. You weren’t told, but he’s a colonel in the Paraguard.”

  “Wow! A military man. Is he like her?”

  “Not so much. Her sense of humor is totally wild,” he added with a grin. “She used to get in brawls with the First Fleet, over their insults about Dtimun. She threw one of them over a table and told him not to worry if she broke a bone—she was a doctor and she knew how to fix it.”

  “Good grief.” She laughed out loud.

  “And Edris can tell you some tales, too. Rhemun turned a pot of vegetable soup over her head when Madeline was pregnant with Komak.”

  Her gasp was audible.

  “See what sort of Clan you married into?” he teased. “And that’s just the tip of the iceberg, so to speak.”

  “What a great bunch of people,” she exclaimed, and meant every word. “I can’t wait to hear more of the stories.”

  “I’ll make a point of telling them that,” he said. “See you, ladybones,” he added, and put on a burst of speed.

  Stern, a clone of the original, had vast physical enhancements, a result of the Rojok tech that had produced him. She’d heard that he could fight any of the powerful Cehn-Tahr to a standstill. Besides that, he was nice.

  Careful. She heard an amused voice in her mind. Stern is off-limits. You belong to me now.

  I’m bonded to you now, she teased back mentally. I’m not a possession.

  You are, he argued. You possess me body and soul.

  That works both ways, Commander, she retorted.

  Nice to know. Get busy, he said.

  On my way to work, sir. She put on a burst of speed of her own.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  SERVING ABOARD THE MORCAI was a little easier on the nerves than service on a Rojok vessel. There, officers were rigid about protocol and there was little frivolity. It was a different story with the Holconcom.

  The humans aboard loved to gossip. They told Jasmine about an infamous incident with Rhemun, the last commander of the Holconcom. He and his men had rescued his future mate, Edris, from a potential tragedy on Benaski Port. There had been two little Parsifan girls that he also rescued and brought aboard, to take them to their last living relatives at a farming colony.

  The children had a tragic past. They were afraid of Rhemun at first, but they discovered that he could tell stories. So every night he gathered the two children and told them traditional Cehn-Tahr fairy tales. One night, he heard noises outside the compartment. When he left the girls, he found half the command staff hiding in the shadows, listening, including Edris and Stern.
When he burst out laughing, they confided that they were all products of Terravegan military nurseries and had never been told stories in their lives. They enjoyed story time as much as the children did.

  Jasmine chuckled as they related the incident. There were others, like when the first commander, Dtimun, had a wound that he wouldn’t let Madeline treat. She’d followed him out of the airlock when they docked and actually threw something after him, infuriated that he was bleeding and wouldn’t let her repair the wound.

  “This is really nothing like the Rojok military,” she confided to Dr. Hahnson.

  “Nothing is like the Rojok military,” he chided. “But they’re noble, honorable adversaries. I was with Dtimun when we fought them in the Great Galaxy War. Those conflicts were especially hard on Dtimun and Chacon, because they were best friends at the military academy on Dacerius when they were young.”

  “I owe Chacon a lot,” she told him. “Not to mention the emperor. He’s nothing like I pictured.”

  “He surprises people,” he agreed.

  “I love having my father back,” she said, smiling. “It’s so nice to contact him on the holon and talk. Mekashe plays chess with him on it. Daddy never wins, but he never seems to mind, either.”

  “Amazing tech they’ve developed at Kolmankash,” he agreed. He pursed his lips and his eyes twinkled. “When we make port, we’re all supposed to go to the Fortress for an announcement. It’s going to be earthshaking.”

  She looked at him curiously. “Truly?”

  “Truly. Wait and see.”

  “Tell me,” she said. “Come on. Spill it.”

  “Not possible. The emperor would read my mind and I’ll be mopping heads on the rim.”

  She laughed out loud. “That will never happen.”

  “Not so long as I keep my mouth shut, at least,” he retorted.

  * * *

  SHE WONDERED ABOUT the announcement and hoped it might be the breakthrough that had been hinted about.

  She didn’t have long to wait. They ported at Memcache and a skimmer was assigned to take them directly to the Fortress. She and Mekashe were chauffeured there by themselves.

  “Do you think it’s what we’ve hoped for?” she asked.

  “I don’t know,” he said softly. “But it would be the stuff of dreams, yes?”

  “Yes.” She searched his eyes hungrily. “I want a child so badly.”

  “So do I,” he whispered.

  She clung to his hand. “If only,” she said softly. “Oh, if only!”

  * * *

  THE EMPRESS AND Madeline met them at the front door. They were both smiling.

  “We did it,” Madeline announced with a broad smile. “Virtual trials are over and we have a successful serum.” She pursed her lips and looked at Jasmine. “Now all we need is a willing volunteer to be genetically enhanced...”

  “Me!” Jasmine raised her hand.

  Madeline grinned. “I was really hoping you’d say that.”

  “It is safe?” Mekashe worried, glancing at Jasmine.

  “It is very safe,” Lady Caneese assured him. “We would never risk her life if we weren’t sure.”

  “Exactly,” Madeline said. She didn’t add that it was a serum that Komak had given them the basic formula for many years ago, when he revealed that he could travel in time. He brought back the original sample for Madeline, so that she could bond with Dtimun. But it couldn’t be replicated until the Nagaashe signed a second treaty that allowed their biological samples to be used in production of the substance required. And it was extremely limited. Only in certain cases could it be used, Jasmine’s being one of them.

  Jasmine and Mekashe looked at each other with desperate hope. The two women facing them only smiled.

  * * *

  THERE WAS AN audience after the injection had been given, a laserdot into Jasmine’s artery at the base of her neck.

  “I don’t really feel anything,” she began. And then a warm flush worked its way over her body. She felt the change. Felt different. Felt other.

  “Here.” Madeline handed her a drasteel sphere. “See what you can do with it.”

  Jasmine was hesitant. But after a few seconds, she crushed the ball with her fingers into a misshapen mass. She just stared at it, stunned.

  “And now the holon will no longer be required,” Madeline whispered as she drew Jasmine to one side. “But a little dravelzium wouldn’t hurt, just in case. I found that out the hard way myself.” She grinned.

  Jasmine hugged her, tears rolling down her cheeks. “I never dared to hope...” She drew back. “Can I have a child?” she asked quickly. “Is it possible?”

  Madeline nodded. “The serum includes a small fix for the differences in genetic makeup and racial differences. I know that it works because I have two sons,” she added, tongue in cheek.

  “I’m just...speechless,” Jasmine managed.

  Mekashe joined them, the waiting impossible any longer when he saw tears on his mate’s face.

  “Is everything all right?” he asked worriedly.

  Jasmine laughed. “Everything is fine!” she exclaimed. “We can have children!”

  “Children.” He caught his breath. “But we are different species.”

  “Not to worry,” Madeline assured him. “Different species, but ultimately compatible.” She indicated her two sons in the distance, both fighting Kipling in an impromptu Kahn-Bo match.

  “I see your point.” Mekashe sighed. “I am forever in your debt, Dr. Ruszel.”

  “So am I,” Jasmine added. “And to the empress.”

  “I’ll tell her,” Madeline said. She cocked her head. “Don’t you two want to test the serum? If I were you, I’d go home. You can come for dinner tomorrow. We’ll have your dad and my father over, so they can get acquainted.”

  “That would be very nice,” Jasmine said, but her eyes were locked into Mekashe’s.

  “Go home,” Madeline repeated, waving them away. “I’ll go entertain the troops by practicing the Holy Tongue to tell them luncheon is served. See you both tomorrow.”

  They called their thanks after her, waved to the others in the distance and made transportation history with their rush to Mekashe’s villa.

  * * *

  “I DIDN’T BELIEVE it would ever be possible,” Jasmine gasped after a passionate union that surpassed anything they’d shared in the holon. She was still shaking with delight in the turbulent aftermath. She ran her hands over Mekashe’s muscular chest, fascinated with what had just happened.

  “Nor did I,” he confessed. He was still trying to get his breath and slow his wild heartbeat. He stretched and his powerful body shivered with remembered pleasure.

  She heard an odd, deep sound and put her hand in the center of his chest. The sound grew louder. It sounded like purring!

  He rolled over, propping on one elbow as he bent to draw his face against hers. “Yes, the Cehn-Tahr purr when they mate,” he whispered amusedly. “Another closely guarded secret. Are you shocked?”

  “I love it,” she whispered back. She cuddled close and sighed. “I’m so happy.”

  “So am I.” He scowled. “Jasmine, you might want to use your wrist scanner.”

  “Use my scanner...why?” she asked.

  He put his big hand over her flat stomach and caught his breath. “I heard Dtimun speak of this. I confess that I never truly believed him. Until now. I can...feel the child!”

  She gasped audibly. She fumbled her wrist scanner open, produced a sensor and laid it on her stomach. The results had her gasping as well, crying, almost hysterical as she pulled Mekashe close and kissed him until her mouth felt bruised.

  “I’m pregnant!” she exclaimed. “I’m pregnant!”

  He folded her close. Never in his long life had he felt such tenderness for anyone. “Pregnant. W
e made a baby,” he whispered, awed.

  Her arms contracted around him. She’d never known such happiness in her whole life. Caught in the tender moment, frozen in time and space, she wished that the clock hands would never move, that this could last forever, this almost-liquid, tangible joy.

  * * *

  OF COURSE, IT didn’t last, and they were wild to announce their good news. They called ahead, sharing the revelation with an excited Madeline Ruszel over the holon.

  “Come for dinner tomorrow.” Madeline repeated her earlier offer. “I’ll tell you all about the future. Childbirth is the most fascinating, wonderful process ever known!”

  “I’ll look forward to it, Dr. Ruszel,” Jasmine said, laughing.

  “I’m just Maddie when I’m home,” came the reply. “Tomorrow. Dinner. And congratulations from all of us. See you!”

  Jasmine cuddled into Mekashe’s strong arms and sighed. “I guess now we become good friends until I deliver,” she said wistfully. “I read about it.”

  He pursed his lips. “The holon can be used for two avatars at the same time,” he related with a wicked grin.

  “Well, how innovative!” she exclaimed, and chuckled.

  “Necessity drives invention,” he replied. He touched her cheek with his fingers and then his forehead to hers. “I don’t remember saying the words, although I’ve felt them for, oh, so long. But I love you.”

  “I know. I always knew. I love you, too.”

  His arms contracted. “Together, in the right way, and a child on the way. Can life confer a greater blessing?”

  “An equal one,” she corrected mischievously. “A family. A big family, made up of two compatible species.”

  “Absolutely true.”

  * * *

  THE EMPEROR AND empress were ecstatic. So were the rest of the family. Sfilla came to the banquet with her son, Rhemun, and his mate, Edris, and their children. Dtimun and Madeline and their children joined the celebration.

  Paraguard colonel Clinton Ruszel arrived after a long journey and was introduced to the couple, as well as to Jasmine’s father. The two discovered many things in common, not the least of which was that Clinton Ruszel was a history nut. So was Clint, Madeline’s younger son, who sequestered himself with the two adult men and drank in stories about the past of Terravega.