by Lily Anton
“Sounds like me honestly. The thought of marriage keeps losing its appeal as I get older, and I’ve never wanted children…”
Leila expected that to shock Atens, considering how much children seemed to be priority for their people, but he simply laughed.
“And that is exactly why you are well suited to one another.” Atens patted her on the arm before getting to his feet. “I think we both need some rest. I’ll escort you back.”
“Do I have to get up?” she groaned, forcing herself to stand with the help of his hand.
It wasn’t until they were back in front of the door to Ezon’s quarters that she remembered why she had contacted Nelo in the first place. There was no point in bringing it up now, not when it would mean having to turn back around and head back to Section 10. She’d also left her bag in his room, which meant she would have needed to come back here anyways.
Atens escorted her in. “Do you need anything before I go?”
“Honestly, I probably do but nothing comes to mind. Except maybe another set of clothes.”
“You mean like that?” he pointed to the table where clothes looked to be neatly folded. They definitely hadn’t been there before.
Sure enough, two sets of identical clothing were folded, along with…
Both Atens and Leila stared at the bras she was looking at in her hand. She had no idea where they had gotten any, or even knew her size, and Atens appeared mildly curious.
“Ah, for…” he motioned to his chest, finally understanding.
Leila laughed, although when she took a closer look at the clothes, they looked vaguely familiar. “This is a uniform…”
“Yes. Nelo thought it best that if you are to be the Human Ambassador while on board, then you would need the appropriate attire befitting your station.”
The long navy-blue tailcoat and black equestrian-style pants were the same high quality material as Atens’. The blouses were black, her hands rubbing the firm yet silky material and instantly bringing to mind the shirt Ezon had provided her as sleepwear.
“How did they even get my size?” Leila asked, absolutely stunned.
“Medical scans probably,” he surmised. “And we have a whole team on board that are responsible for uniform production and repairs. If you need further tailoring, that can be done as well. It doesn’t take long.”
She chose not to bring up the fact that it didn’t explain how they made the bras. They even had some sort of underwire!
“Well I won’t turn down free clothing, especially not things so well made,” Leila stated, catching a glimpse of a small black box. Within it sat two pins that she was fairly certain were solid gold. Their rounded shapes and engravings were familiar.
“It’s Earth,” she said, picking one up to examine.
“I may have taken the liberty here of requesting such an insignia.” Atens placed his hands behind his back.
For what was to be a one-time role, Leila eyed them suspiciously as she placed them back on the table. A bag of toiletries was also there.
He glanced over at the kitchen, noting that Ezon’s request that food be delivered to his quarters had been carried out. He drew Leila’s attention to it before bidding her goodbye. “Try and get some sleep. I’m sure I will see you again.”
“Thanks again, Atens. Try and get some sleep as well.” Leila smiled, both of them sharing a tired look as he took his leave.
She dragged herself to the bedroom, Ezon’s shirt still neatly folded on the bed where she’d left it. It didn’t look like he’d been back here since she’d been gone, and frankly, she was a little bit relieved by that.
Brushing her teeth and washing her face properly with soap (courtesy of the toiletry bag), Leila mustered up just enough strength to strip back down and throw on his shirt, climbing into his bed and wanting to sleep for a million years.
CHAPTER TEN
eZON
Hours away from her, a million things calling his attention, and still he could not forget…
I don’t know if I like it…
Despite all her pleading to get him to stay, he had ignored her. What else could she have said? She had been truthful, of that he had been certain. He would always prefer the truth, no matter how painful it was. But the pain he had felt when she had spoken those words had made him realize just how badly he wanted her to want him.
She had probably contacted Nelo at this point seeking assistance in finding other accommodations. It would not surprise him if she now leapt at the chance to be with those of her own kind, and he stubbornly refused to ask his brother to confirm his thoughts.
In the meantime, the projectile that had been the cause of their evacuation from Earth had apparently self-destructed. Too close for comfort, but not close enough to where the Earth’s defence shield had been necessary. Unfortunately, while that was no longer an issue, its point of origin remained a mystery.
Its presence, along with the Baza frigate they were still monitoring, could not have been a coincidence.
Talks with General Yera and the captains of their other ships had yielded no information about the Baza. That had been concerning in and of itself. The Baza were rarely a subtle species, and they were being too quiet across all quadrants.
Attempts to make contact with this particular Baza ship were not acknowledged, even as the much smaller ship was continuing towards them at a slow but steady speed.
There was much debate over whether to simply destroy it, but without provocation, Ezon held off on issuing the command.
“I do not like this,” Captain Raillar said as he stepped up beside him, both of them staring out the glass. The frigate would not be visible for the next several hours, and that was only if it maintained its course towards them.
Ezon did not respond, knowing his agreement with that assessment was already well known. With thousands of humans on board, the problem was only further complicated. Not to mention, he had made the executive decision to cancel the upcoming summit, causing a ridiculous amount of outcry amongst those on Debiraan that had been preparing to make their way to the Tyrrhenian before being shuttled to Earth.
Several of his officers were currently in video conference with very irate Debirs that had been looking forward to the trip. The sounds of overly dramatic and self-entitled outrage at the inconvenience to them was ignored by everyone on board.
Well, all except one.
Chief Steward Krase had not been pleased to find out that all his work to prepare for the Debir dignitaries had all been for nothing. Ezon had been forced to order him to now allow those resources to be allocated towards the humans on board, even though Nelo’s position overseeing the humans had allowed him to make the order himself. Why the Chief Steward thought that Ezon would overrule his brother’s decision on the subject was a mystery.
Krase had literally stomped out of the command deck, but hopefully would remain compliant.
Captain Raillar’s attention was behind them now, both of them turning around and finding Atens approaching.
Officers around them acknowledged him with a nod.
“Chancellor Atens,” Railler said in greeting, moving away to allow the chancellor to take his place beside the commander..
Atens bowed his head. “Captain Railler. I’ve come to take your commander away.”
The captain nodded, leaving Ezon wondering what this was about.
“Did you need something?” he asked, looking over his friend with a critical eye. Atens looked tired, but considering they all probably did, that was not anything worrisome.
“Yes, I did actually,” he replied, looking over Ezon in the exact same manner he had just done. “I’ve been with Nelo, helping oversee the humans on board. It took some time, but thanks to the Human Ambassador, we were able to make some significant headway.”
Ezon may not have known the name of everyone on board the ship, but he certainly knew all their positions. “We do not have a Human Ambassador.”
Atens motioned with his hand
. “We didn’t. Now we do.”
He opened his mouth to argue that his friend could not simply create positions on a whim, especially not on board Ezon’s ship.
“As Chancellor, I am well within my rights of designating diplomatic roles as needed. Considering the circumstances, it was most definitely needed,” he remarked, a small smirk fighting to make itself known on Atens’ lips. “Besides, I’m sure you’ll find the sight of your huerta in uniform appealing.”
Ezon stilled, eyes glaring daggers. “What.”
Anyone close enough to notice the commander’s mood quickly found somewhere else to be.
Atens, on the other hand, cheeringly patted him on the back and motioned for him to follow. “Come. You need to eat something. And you can yell at me while you do so. It’s a win-win.”
Brave of him to assume Ezon was going to let him keep the appendage but he followed Atens, silently fuming the whole way. Why had Leila gotten involved? What was the point? Nelo should have come to him if there had been any major issues, and neither his brother nor Atens should have gone to his huer-- to Leila.
He shook his head, trying to force himself to remain objective; Leila was not his and would not be his.
At least his childhood friend knew well enough to take them to the commissary. Ezon did not like getting preferential treatment, and ate with the others when he could. Thankfully it was not fully packed, allowing both them to procure a meal and take a seat at a vacant table off to the side.
Atens intentionally ignored his anger the entire time, humming in enjoyment every time he took a bite of his food. Ezon almost snapped his fork in half after hearing it for the fifth time. The food was not that good.
He was so close to leaping across the table and throttling him with his bare hands as Atens daintily wiped his mouth with a napkin.
Ezon snapped. “You had no right to force her into-”
“She contacted Nelo,” Aten interrupted calmly. “I believe you left her with a comm unit for that purpose, did you not?”
He had, yes. Why hadn’t Nelo told him?
‘Because he is still upset with you,’ his mind supplied unhelpfully.
“The situation with the humans was not de-escalating as expected. Nelo felt her professional background would possibly be of some use and suggested she have a title to afford her credibility with the humans. I agreed with his assessment despite not knowing her personally at that point. She spent the last several hours acknowledging their concerns and building trust between our species.”
Ezon’s anger had faded as Atens spoke, replaced by a strange mixture of frustration, reluctant understanding, and pride.
“I can see how she is your huerta, my friend.”
He narrowed his eyes at the comment. “I am glad to hear she was able to assist with the humans. She will be returning to Earth with the others as soon as it is safe to do so.”
Atens cocked his head to the side. “You are not happy she is your huerta?”
Ezon grit his teeth, stabbing a piece of meat with his fork. “I am Commander of Debiraan’s Exploration Forces and have no need of anything else.”
“That is not an answer to my question.” Atens eyed his friend’s violent acts against his meal with amusement.
Anger and hurt thinned his patience, Ezon slamming his fork down and drawing the attention of those seated several tables away. It was enough to calm him down, not wanting others to see their commander losing his temper.
He closed his eyes, hating that he couldn’t just forget about her. “She does not want me.”
It was an admission he didn’t wish to make. He had no desire for sympathy or words of consolation. What he received was worse. Atens was laughing at him!
“Forgive me,” his friend said through amused chuckles.
Ezon had had enough and immediately stood up. “We are done here.”
He turned, readying himself to leave before his friend gripped his arm with reflexes befitting a warrior rather than a diplomat. “I’m sorry. My laughter was in poor taste. You are very wrong.”
Refusing to sit back down, he at least stayed put as his friend apologized. “I am not wrong. She made clear-”
“What she made clear was that she did not like The Calling, especially as she has not been able to understand it or find an explanation as to why it occurred.”
Ezon found himself sitting back down, eyes narrowed suspiciously. “She spoke to you about this?”
It seemed highly unlikely that she would bring up such a subject with anyone, especially not a Debir she did not know.
“Yes, she did,” he remarked. “And do you know, that despite her fear and confusion, she understood that you also appeared to have mixed emotions about it and was genuinely concerned that she had hurt your feelings?”
Ezon looked incredulous. “Surely she did not-” he cut himself off at Aten’s serious expression.
“Yes. She did,” his friend countered. “I also happened to tell her about how you had always declared that your huerta would be your career and nothing else.”
“Why would you say that?!” he hissed. Was Atens trying to make things even worse?
“Because it is true,” he replied simply. “And because it gives her more perspective on who you are. You’ll be happy to know she liked that answer.”
“She...what?” Ezon had never felt so lost in a conversation.
Atens grinned. “Leila has had no desire for marriage as the humans call it, nor the desire to have offspring.”
‘That could not be true’, he thought, yet his friend was leaning back in his seat, obviously pleased with himself.
“She appears to be a strong, objective, independent person that is focused on their career. Sound familiar, my friend?”
Ezon frowned. “Similarities aside, she does not wish-”
Annoyingly, he was interrupted once more. “You are someone who judges based on action and not words, Ezon. Tell me, what do you make of someone who tells you that they fear The Calling, yet are still concerned about their huerta’s feelings, enough to knowingly ask said huerta’s good friend about it?”
He grumbled under his breath, not willing to admit the argument was even remotely valid.
“You should also know, she seemed rather curious about Debir anatomy…”
It took him a moment to understand the implication, which was a relatively quick moment considering the knowing smirk directed at him.
“I-” Ezon cleared his throat and tried again. “She spoke to you of such things?”
He knew he shouldn’t be pursuing this line of conversation, but damn Atens for making him want answers.
“Not to me, no,” he began. “There is a young human woman on board who is currently carrying a clutch. I did not hear the whole conversation, but she was quite keen on explaining to Leila that we are good lovers.”
Unbeknownst to him, Ezon’s eyes flickered silver, his bearing proud as he straightened up in his seat.
The sound of her moaning his name floated through his mind. He did not have much experience with females, but he very much wished to please her.
Would he be able to pleasure her sufficiently? Would she be disgusted by his body? Would she even want to be intimate with him? Concern for his feelings did not mean she would give himself to her or allow him to do the same...
He was lost in thought momentarily, before he remembered he was not alone. He expected Atens to look smug, but instead he was met with sadness. His friend hid it well, but the pain at the loss of his own huerta had never lessened.
“Cherish these moments, Ezon,” Atens reflected quietly. “The uncertainty, the fear, the anxiety...you will look back on this time with fondness. Do not prevent yourself from experiencing happiness that follows…”
“Atens…” he uttered, wishing to apologize for his callousness. Atens and Diehne had been the very definition of bondmates. The two could not have been better suited. Her loss had practically destroyed him.
His friend wave
d away whatever else he was going to say, his smile a bit forced but Ezon did not comment on it. “Please. Just speak with her. I would give anything,” his voice cracked softly, “anything at all for just a moment to be with Diehne once more…”
“I wish that was within my power,” he quietly replied.
Atens gently shook his head. “I know. As short as my time with her was, it was worth it. You will understand.”
“I am not you,” Ezon hesitated.
“That’s good. I don’t think Leila would appreciate it if you were.” Atens was back to teasing. “Now, finish your meal, and go join her in your quarters.”