CALLEY (RIBUS 7 Book 3)

by Shae Mills

  Chelan nodded and continued to stare at him. Whelan repeated his motions with the other arm. Then his fingers moved to her abdomen. He pressed gently under her ribs and then moved slowly downward. He smiled. “You have to relax, my Lady. You are in superb condition. My knowing touch cannot tell me anything if I cannot get past the fortress your muscles present.”

  Chelan finally smiled at his lighthearted request and she relaxed for the first time since setting foot in his domain.

  Whelan nodded to her and then continued with his exam. Feeling all was well, he removed his hands from her body. He looked up into her now peaceful face, her eyes shut, and he hesitated. He spoke softly. “My Lady?”

  Her eyes opened to him. “You must excuse me for but a moment,” he said. “You may sit up.”

  Chelan almost jumped for glee, and she accepted his hand as he aided her up. “May I get dressed?” she asked hopefully.

  “Uh, I would prefer that you wait a moment. I require some test results first.”

  Chelan’s face registered mild disappointment, but she nodded her understanding.

  Whelan smiled and then exited the examining room, entering his own private suite. He slumped into his chair and ran both hands through his thick hair. “Hell,” he mumbled to the air. Her alien shyness combined with her exotic beauty made a normally routine exam a trial beyond his imagination. And to make matters worse, he dreaded looking at the results of the scanner.

  But he had no choice. His eyes narrowed as he watched the data on his own console. “Damn,” he muttered. He hit a switch and straightened himself.

  “Bridge.”

  “It is Whelan. I need to talk to Commander Fremma.”

  “One moment, sir. I will locate him.”

  “Fremma,” came the reply almost instantly.

  “My Lord, it is Whelan.” He hesitated. “How thorough should our Lady’s exam be?”

  There was a lull before Fremma’s response. “Why, is there something wrong?”

  Whelan let his head fall into his hands. “Not exactly, my Lord,” he mumbled. “I just didn’t expect her exam to be quite so complicated.”

  Fremma couldn’t help chuckling. “Just a moment. I will be right there.”

  Whelan hit the switch off and swiveled back and forth in his chair. He glanced back at the scanner results and contemplated looking in on his charge, but quickly dismissed the thought.

  Within moments, the Warlord stepped in through his doors. Fremma hesitated. “So, what is the problem?”

  Whelan stood. “Nothing, my Lord.” He faltered. “And everything.”

  Fremma remained silent, his piercing eyes urging the doctor on.

  “It is just that the scanners are calibrated for our people. Stose was never allowed to enter anything pertaining to her into the mainframe.”

  Fremma nodded but remained mute, the Warlord’s silence further unnerving the young man. “Her reproductive status, according to the computer, is… well… unclear. I should, I mean… but…”

  Fremma smiled inwardly. “But what?”

  Whelan cleared his throat. “Uh, the status of her uterus and her hormones indicate that she is receptive but… the data also indicates that her menses was over but a week ago. Therefore, to assess this anomaly, I must examine her…” He cleared his throat again, trying to read his Commander. “Uh, examine her… manually,” he added as his voice cracked. “Uh, ideally I should do a biopsy of her uterine lining, but even as it is, I am not so sure she will appreciate my intrusion, even the more benign sort.”

  Fremma had never seen the young doctor so flustered, yet he had seen that response before. It seemed to be contagious among all men in the lady’s presence. “Do you worry about examining other women?”

  Whelan flinched. “No, my Lord, but I do not have to tell you that she is not other women.”

  “No, she is not, but she knows that the exam is to be thorough.” He could barely suppress his amusement as he witnessed the normally unshakable doctor’s composure erode just that much more.

  Whelan nodded. “Uh… yes… Well, then, I have your permission to proceed? I need to find out why she is in…”

  Fremma finally allowed his smile. “I understand your dilemma, Whelan. For your information, she did bleed last week, and yes, she is in estrous right now, and for her that is normal. She ovulates every twenty-one Iceanean days or so, not once a year.”

  Whelan’s breath caught. “That is how Ticees planned to—” His words broke off when he saw a shadow of darkness descend upon the Warlord’s features. “I am sorry, my Lord.”

  Fremma nodded to him. “It is okay. It is over.”

  Whelan looked at the ceiling momentarily and then he studied his Commander. “She is not an easy subject. Her responses are unpredictable and she renders me uncomfortable. The volatility of the interplay is compounded by her strong aversions.” Whelan paused, trying to ground himself. “I must admit to you, my Lord, that my manipulations of her, because of the feelings evoked, become ones of violation rather than examination. I confess to you, Sire, that I am not familiar with these alien feelings.”

  Fremma looked at him sharply. “Would you act on these feelings?”

  Whelan was taken aback. “Oh no, my Lord! Never!”

  Fremma nodded and gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder. Then he sat down. “Oh, my good man. You too are not immune to her spell.” Fremma paused as the doctor sat. Then the Warlord became serious. “The exam must be done because of her alien physiology. I do not know what issues may be present that we do not expect. Diseases and conditions long lost to our people may still plague her. However, I know her cycles are normal, so you can exclude the biopsy unless you require it for other reasons. But I cannot assess anything else. Therefore, you need to cover everything. Calley technology is primitive. I do not want her in the hands of Calley doctors if we can help it.”

  Fremma watched as Whelan finally managed to compose himself. Then he continued. “But all that is not an order. I will leave it up to your professional judgment. And, of course, the final decision is up to my Lady. Just remember that the more you do for her in the long run, the more she will trust you. And believe me, if you win my Lady over, her presence and company will do more for you than you could ever have thought possible. She is truly one of a kind.”

  Whelan finally smiled back at the Warlord. “Thank you, my Lord. It is nice to know I am not going crazy.”

  Fremma chuckled. “Far from it, my good man. You merely confirm your normalcy. Nothing is straightforward where the Lady Chelan is concerned. Everything about her innocently entices.”

  Whelan looked down momentarily. “I am surprised that Korba did not take her with him.”

  Fremma stood and raised his brows. “No more surprised than me. But I am not going to question my good fortune.” Fremma moved to the doors and glanced slyly back at the doctor. “Good luck, my man. Take good care of her for me, and send her back in one piece.”

  Whelan bid Fremma good-bye, and then rehearsed in his mind what he needed to do. He took a deep breath. “Here we go,” he whispered to himself. Then he strode into the examining room and halted at the door, surprised to see the table empty.

  “Hi,” came Chelan’s warm voice from the right. “You were gone a long time, so I decided to nose around.”

  Whelan looked at her shroud-draped body. Chelan smiled up at him. “Sorry, I got cold.” And he watched as she floated over to the table and hiked herself up onto it, shedding the shroud at the same time.

  “I am the one who is sorry, my Lady, as I have one more exam to perform.”

  Chelan smirked and then lay down peacefully. “Let me guess,” she commented to the ceiling.

  “I really am sorry,” he repeated softly.

  Chelan finally threw him a disarming smile. Korba’s lecture on just what she unintentionally did to the men of the Empire came back to her, and suddenly she realized this was going to be almost as hard on the young doctor as it was on her. The le
ast she could do for him was to render him at ease by being as calm as humanly possible, and she drew her legs up and closed her eyes, allowing him to work unwatched.

  Chapter 10

  Chelan awoke early and stretched her long, slender body. She needed more sleep, but she also needed to get some work done. Pushing her protesting muscles, she rose and headed to the Command Center entrance. Fremma was to be on the Bridge all day, but she peeked out just to make sure he was gone and no one was in his place. Then, ignoring her nakedness, she tiptoed into the workout area and over to the shower.

  Instantly the warm water began to revive her weary bones. Chelan blinked into reality. Tomorrow was the day. Tomorrow she would be delivered, during the twilight hours, into the arms of her mother planet. Chelan closed her eyes. Fremma was right. There were so many unknowns, and now that she was on the cusp of her Earthly reentry, she felt uneasy.

  She stepped out of the shower and tried to put a cap on her anxieties. Maybe once she was immersed in her work she would feel better, and she waited rather impatiently for the beads of water to fall from her porcelain skin. Then she headed back toward the Command Center. Stepping out into the lights, she froze momentarily, and then instantly sprang back into the shadows of the workout area.

  Tarn whirled around and caught a fleeting glimpse of white. He cocked his head and held his breath. “My Lady?” he called.

  Chelan tried to still her thudding heart. “Tarn,” she acknowledged.

  Tarn smiled with amusement and then ascended the stairs. Once near the workout area, he swung his shroud off his shoulders and tossed it into the darkness of the room.

  Chelan remained by the wall. She smiled. “Turn around. I know your eyes cut through the dark as well as the day.”

  Tarn chuckled and then obeyed. Chelan grabbed the shroud and donned it quickly. Completely concealed, she stepped out into the Command Center.

  Tarn turned and faced her. “You forget, my Lady, about our brief encounter so many years ago. I remember every feminine inch of that curvaceous body that was revealed to me as if it were yesterday, if only fleetingly.”

  Chelan tried to hide her blush. “I too remember, Tarn. But as you can see, time has not erased all my prudish ways.”

  Tarn smiled slyly. “Hmm, yes. Too bad, I might add.” And he turned and descended back into the central area.

  Chelan followed him as far as the top of the stairs. “So what brings you here, Commander?”

  Tarn glanced over his shoulder at her. “Just some loose ends Fremma wanted me to wrap up. He is on the Bridge if you want him.”

  “No,” she whispered. She watched him as he studied numerous coded messages. “You and I have never really talked, even after all these years.”

  Tarn hesitated and then faced her. “I know. At first it was not permitted, and then Korba and I were sent away. Then you were gone. Many years have passed, and with them our chances to converse.”

  Chelan studied his handsome face. He was much older than Korba or Fremma, but no less fit or distinguished. His face was slightly more rugged, the lines of time and war having shaped him so. Chelan sat down on the top step. “I feel I must first thank you, and then apologize to you.”

  Tarn sat down in the command chair. “For what, my Lady?”

  Chelan hugged her knees. “Well, I had started to thank you for saving my life so long ago. And now I reiterate that with all my heart. As to the later incident, I do apologize for deceiving you. And I am sorry about the whole unseemly encounter. I almost caused Dar to kill you.”

  Tarn looked down at his hands, his mind catapulted back in time. “Offering yourself to me for any reason was hardly a distasteful act, my Lady.” He stared up into her dark eyes and his voice became soft and low. “My only disappointment was that our encounter was terminated so rudely.”

  Chelan rocked gently as she gazed down at the seasoned Commander. “But I offered out of pain, not out of love.”

  Tarn took a deep breath. “It was what you sought to do under the circumstances. I knew that all was not well simply by your presence in my quarters. But I chose to take you up on your offer, an act that would have pleased me immensely. I would not have hurt or forced you, and hopefully you would have also enjoyed our moments together.” Tarn hesitated. “But it was not meant to be, and now all has worked out for the best.”

  Chelan continued to rock contentedly, his resonant voice lulling her into serenity. “I am still sorry,” she whispered.

  Tarn shook his head. “You did not hurt or compromise me, my Lady.”

  Chelan continued to stare at the massive man, her heart suddenly warming to him as if she’d known him a lifetime. “You were willing to take on Dar for me, even though you did not know me.”

  Tarn felt a long-suppressed telltale thud in his chest. He looked at the exotic beauty, her long silk hair cascading over his black shroud like delicately hung tinsel. Suddenly his smile waned. “I risked all to bring you on board, my Lady. I risked my life and my career, though as it turned out, I could not have you. But you exceeded all my dreams and expectations. And look at you now, the Emperor’s mate.”

  Chelan blinked. He was right. She had thought of him only as a man who saved her life on Earth. But he could have done that without taking her to the RIBUS. He would not have known her bleak outlook, and he took her with him with the expectation of keeping her. Korba himself had severed that relationship, and as a consequence, she had hardly even talked to the man, let alone delved into his inner thoughts. Suddenly, though she had always admired him, she saw him in a totally different light. She stopped her rocking and straightened slightly. “You have no regrets?”

  Tarn shook his head slowly. “No, my Lady. I am glad I saved you, and I am glad I brought you on board. Now you have risen to the top, and I could ask for no more.”

  Chelan regarded him, contemplating his words, which could be construed only as affection or admiration. But she was startled from her thoughts by Tarn’s abrupt move.

  He stood and returned to the console, his back to her. “I am sorry, my Lady. I must work.”

  Chelan rose to leave but she found she could not. She watched the Commander, but he did not move. Padding on silent feet, she clutched his shroud to her and ascended the stairs. Once at the bottom, she spoke in a warm whisper. “I asked if you had any regrets.”

  Tarn hung his head. “Only that I lost you, Chelan.”

  His use of her common name shook her to her very soul. She moved to him and placed her hand on his ebony back. “Someday, I want to thank you properly in some manner, Tarn.”

  Tarn hesitated, and then turned to her. “I do not need to be thanked for a decision well made.”

  “But I would still like to spend some time with you.”

  Tarn shook his head. “It is okay, my Lady. You owe me nothing.”

  “It is not payment. It is my desire, if you permit.”

  Tarn was quiet for a moment, all the possible scenarios for such an encounter racing through his mind. “But…”

  Chelan pressed a finger to his lips. “For now, all I promise is an evening engaged together in private reflection.”

  Tarn felt his breathing hitch. “That would be pleasing indeed, my Lady. But I am not sure it would be wise of me to participate thusly.”

  “And why is that?”

  Tarn glanced down, his composure slipping a bit. Then he looked at her closely, his voice quiet. “Because I am still all too aware of what I lost… twice.”

  Chelan paused, surprised by his candid admission, and even more surprised that he still harbored so many feelings for her. “I… I just thought we could reminisce. There is much I do not remember of that day so long ago. And there is much I would like to know about the man who risked so much for me.”

  Tarn shook his head. “Our ways are so different, my Lady. I do not think I could spend that private time with you and not desire more.”

  Chelan felt herself flush. Suddenly her thoughts travelled back in time to
when she went to him for so much more than simple talk. She bit her lip and peered up at him. “I understand.” She hesitated again, drawn in by the intensity of his gaze. “Obviously, I cannot commit to any sort of intimacy. To do so would be to mislead you. But I also cannot predict the future, or just what our time together would entail. And for the record, I would not be dishonored by such an act if it were to occur. That I do know. It is your people’s way, and I would not be committing an injustice to anyone.”

  Tarn’s eyes narrowed. “But to yourself, my Lady.”

  Chelan went to speak, but no words would form.

  Tarn finally smiled, his penetrating gaze softening. “You are well versed in our ways, but I am also well aware of your cultural mores, your allegiances, and just where your heart lies. You speak in theory, my Lady, not in practice.”

  Chelan sighed. “Of course you are right. I am offering only my presence and conversation at this time. But I am also aware that everything we experience or wish to experience can change in an instant. I give you no promises for more than what I offer now, but I really want to spend some time with you. And I don’t mean a meeting that I can order. I mean quality time, an unhurried casual meeting arranged spontaneously.” She stared up at him, trying to decipher his emotions, but he was unreadable. She cleared her throat. “Consider it a date for the future, a time spent together in quiet reflection. What may transpire between us on a deeper level, only the future will show.”

  For the first time in his life, Tarn had no idea what to say or do. Though by all her Earthly ways she should feel intimidated or even threatened by his admission, she was not. She was adhering to her desire to engage him privately, willing to deal with his advance if it came to fruition. And in the silence that ensued, he admired her even more. For a moment he could only stare at her, imagining his ideal future—admittedly, an unlikely one, but one that held him rapt nonetheless.

  Chelan began to back away from him. “Tomorrow I leave for Earth. After that, RIBUS 7 attacks the Balatesian system, engaging in what may well be the battle of her life. Fremma has prepared me for all the perils RIBUS 7 is about to encounter, and all the intrinsic ramifications thereof… including the unthinkable.”