by Gun Brooke
“You’re joking, right?”
“No?”
“I’m perfectly fine, lindelei.” EiLeen tugged her closer. “Don’t worry about me. I’m a tough old broad.”
Dana couldn’t help it. The comment was so haughtily expressed and so ridiculous, she burst out laughing. Giggling helplessly, she clung to her lover. “Old broad? Now, that’s funny.”
“You really never struck me as the giggly type.” EiLeen shook her head but smiled indulgently. “Actually, it’s rather refreshing.”
Dana closed her eyes and let the happiness simmer just beneath her skin. She couldn’t believe how safe and how gloriously wonderful it was to be in EiLeen’s arms. Running her hands through the short, silky gray hair, she inhaled the special fragrance that was EiLeen. It was tinged with the scent of their lovemaking, which made it even more alluring.
“Will you stay with me in my quarters for the remainder of this journey?” Dana’s heart painfully beat double-time at the thought of what lay ahead once they reached Revos Prime. Afraid to ask, but with careful optimism, she waited for EiLeen’s answer.
“Yes, lindelei, yes.”
Epilogue
Admiral Jacelon. It’s been too long. How’s Dahlia?” EiLeen stood just inside the door of the main ballroom aboard the Koenigin.
“She’s visiting our daughter and her family on Gantharat. Do call me Ewan, like you used to.” The distinguished admiral bent over EiLeen’s hand and kissed it gallantly. “She hates being separated for more than a couple of months.”
“Of course. I’ve followed your daughter’s success. Being an admiral as well as a protector of the realm is quite the undertaking.”
“Not to mention mothering the young prince.”
“Yes, that too.” EiLeen turned and motioned toward the woman to her right. “May I introduce Captain Dana Rhoridan, Ewan? I believe you know her by reputation.”
“I sure do,” the admiral said, and smiled benevolently at the ramrod-straight woman next to EiLeen. “At ease, Captain.”
“Thank you. It’s an honor to meet you, sir.”
“Likewise, Captain. As we’re in a civilian setting, how about if you allow me to call you Dana? I’m Ewan.”
“Thank you.” Dana glanced over at EiLeen, her eyes softening and her stance changing from a military at-ease to a comfortable pose. “May I bring you something to drink from the bar, EiLeen? Ewan?”
“I think we should have some Imidestrian sparkling wine, darling.” EiLeen smiled inwardly at how the woman she loved winced at the term of endearment. Dana still wasn’t used to them being a couple in public. Four months of bliss in private, officially a couple for two weeks after returning from Revos Prime.
“Certainly. Excuse me.” Dana escaped after a quick, wide-eyed glance at EiLeen.
“Do tell me to shut up if I’m meddling. Did I just hear you call the captain of the Koenigin ‘darling’?” Ewan stroked his becoming white beard.
“You did. I’m a very fortunate woman. She’s quite the catch.”
The look of consternation on the admiral’s face was hilarious, but also something of a concern. “I seem to recall that Captain Rhoridan applied to be reassigned to active overt duty.”
“She did after my cover as ex-royal playgirl fell through. Now that I’m planning to assume a more behind-the-scenes role for SC intelligence, I’ll be able to work from a multitude of locations. We’re hoping she’ll be placed fairly close to Earth, or at least one of SC’s sub-headquarters.”
“I know Captain Rhoridan would balk at any special favors, but after what the two of you went through to reach Revos Prime, I think you deserve a break.” Ewan’s pale-blue eyes glittered. “Also, I’ve learned from my female family members how women can move mountains when teamed up with the one they care about. It’s unfortunately a little too exciting for an old man.”
“Old man? Hardly.” EiLeen tilted her head. “Thank you, Ewan. Let’s not tell Dana about any special favors, though. She’d be very embarrassed.”
“What favors?” Ewan winked before focusing on something behind her. “Ah, here’s Dana now with our drinks. Perfect timing.”
As they sipped their sparkling wine, Ewan excused himself and began to mingle with other SC leaders.
“So, he’s going to help us, is he?” Dana asked casually.
“What?” EiLeen felt the wine enter her nose from her throat. Coughing and sneezing discreetly, she glared at Dana. “Are you trying to drown me, lindelei?”
“No, no.” Dana’s laughter was mirrored in her glittering eyes. “Not even in a glass of sparkling wine. Imidestrian or not. I still think I’m right, and judging from your not-so-controlled reaction, I’d say I hit on the head.”
“Hit what on the head?” Dabbing her nose delicately, EiLeen frowned.
“The nail.”
“A nail? I have no clue what you’re talking about. Then again, you don’t always make sense, but I love you anyway.”
“Ouch.” Dana grinned. “And you’re stalling, my Queen.”
EiLeen breathed out in a huff. “Very well. Yes. Ewan Jacelon is going to help us. Pull some strings, and before you get all I-don’t-need-any-favors on me, Captain, be assured, he’s not only doing it out of the goodness of his heart. They’ll be able to pair us up and use us, one way or the other. Just so you know.”
Dana seemed to ponder this remark for a moment. “Then that’s all I need to know. In fact, it sounds pretty damn good to me.”
“I agree.”
Pulling EiLeen with her in behind a lush Cormanian palm tree, Dana kissed her thoroughly. “I love you. And this way I get to keep an eye on you so you don’t disappear on me.”
EiLeen blinked a few times. “Disappear? Never. Never, never, never.” She rested her head on Dana’s shoulder. Whether aboard the Koenigin or any other ship, a space station, or planetside somewhere, this woman was her home. Dana was where she belonged.
Exodus
The Dawning
Chapter One
“She’s a cold-hearted, manipulative, insane know-it-all!” Meija Solimar stormed into the foreman’s office and threw herself into a chair. “She thinks we’re dealing with bloody cattle and not humans who require a damn life aboard these mastodon ships she’s building. The specs aren’t even fit for livestock, come to think of it. A cow requires certain things to produce milk fit for human consumption. She’ll end up producing hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people gone space mad!”
Gessley Barr, normally a soft-spoken, authoritative man, regarded Meija with obvious caution, as if trying to figure out how to defuse her. This wasn’t the first time she’d exploded while trying to deal with the woman in charge of building the ships that would save the Oconodian people, but now Meija knew if she had to lay eyes on the infuriatingly stubborn Chief Engineer Korrian Heigel, there was likely to be bloodshed.
Gessley eyed her tentatively. “This has to be a record. It’s the third time this week alone that you’ve been in here tearing your hair out over the boss.”
“She’s not my boss.” Meija spat the words but then relented. This wasn’t Gessley’s fault. He carried out Heigel’s orders like everyone else, civilian or military, because it was his job. But Meija was an independent contractor working for the Social and Cultural Department. She didn’t take her orders from Heigel but from the minister of her department alone. Her job was to make sure life was sustainable aboard the massive vessels being constructed in orbit around Oconodos, from a social-anthropological point of view. This task sent her on a perpetual collision course with Heigel.
“Barr, I need more engineers working on—” As if conjured up by Meija’s rage, Korrian Heigel flung the door open, spitting orders before she was even inside Gessley’s office. Spotting Meija, she pressed her lips into a fine line. “Ah, so this is where you come to get your bruised ego patted.”
“Now there’s a sign of an enormous ego if I ever saw one. Why would you assume that I’m bruised? Regar
dless of your lack of manners, I’m tougher than I look.”
“I would hope so if I were you.” Heigel sauntered over to the desk and rested her hip against it, effectively towering over the two of them, who were sitting down. She was as sexy as she was intimidating, not to mention frustrating. “I don’t know how many times I have to explain to a civilian just what’s at stake here. We can’t humor your romantic ideas of ‘generational space cities.’ We have to make sure we have enough bunks for close to two million individuals before this curse, or plague, turns us into something our species won’t survive. We have less than twenty years to do this. You know this, Meija.”
“I know the facts and the figures as well as you do.” Meija had never heard Heigel use her first name before. Normally she called her Solimar or, on even worse days, “you there.” “That doesn’t mean you can ship people like they were less than cattle. If you were to do this, you’ll have stark-raving-mad people after only a few years, maybe just months. Unless the scientists have developed cryo-sleep that won’t actually kill you, racking and stacking the people on the ships won’t work.”
“See what I have to listen to every single day?” Heigel flung her hands into the air. She was a stunning, tall woman with warm-toned, chocolate-colored skin. Black hair in ringlets tumbled out from the cap of her uniform. Adorned with silver trim around the edges, it was the first obvious sign of her rank as a senior officer.
Stark, icy gray eyes looked at Meija with barely concealed annoyance. Her straight, wide nose with delicate nose wings that often gave away the fact she was about to explode was contradicted by the fullness of her curvy lips. Normally, Meija would find such a mouth a hard-to-resist temptation, but when all the words that came across them were disdainful, impatient, and frustrated—hell, Heigel was still damn attractive, no matter her lack of manners or ability to cooperate. It was disheartening to know that no matter what, Heigel would never regard her in any other way than with cold exasperation.
“If you could at least try to spell the word ‘compromise,’ then we could have a slim chance of producing a prototype of a ship that our leaders can agree on. As it is now, Heigel, you’re creating more problems than you’re solving.” Meija crossed her arms.
“Have you listened to yourself? Can’t you hear how condescending and overbearing you sound? And my name is Korrian. You constantly point out that I’m not your boss, so stop referring to me as Heigel. I keep looking for my father when you do that.”
This sudden trace of humor was so unexpected, Meija blinked and merely stared. “All right. Korrian. I’m Meija.”
Nodding curtly, Korrian relaxed marginally and sat down on Gessley’s desk. “How the hell do we work together to keep Ms. Desomas happy?”
“I don’t really care how happy or unhappy Desomas is. I worry what would happen to the population if they’re suddenly imprisoned and confined to less space than the inmates in the current prisons are.”
“The ships will save them, not imprison them!” Korrian slammed her palm onto her thigh.
“What will they do in their spare time, day after day, year after year?”
“Survive.”
Jumping to her feet, Meija glowered at Korrian, trying desperately to reach her and not antagonize her further. “Surviving isn’t enough. It never is. You have to live. Laugh. Love your family, your spouse, your parents. Spend time with them. Play. Especially the children need to play, but the adults too. The youngsters will need places to meet and socialize, and learn the skills they need to navigate through relationships. If they’re confined to your tiny cubes, yes, we will get more people aboard each vessel, but we’ll see morale deteriorate very rapidly, probably within months after the novelty wears off.”
“What do you think of this type of reasoning, Barr?” Korrian whirled to face the man who clearly tried to look inconspicuous behind his desk.
“Both of your standpoints have merits. We need to save as many as possible, so compromising the size of the quarters is prudent.” Gessley cleared his throat and studied the ceiling. “I’m trying to picture myself aboard one of the Exodus ships, and the idea of being kept, fed, and stored is not very appealing.”
“Every basic need will be met,” Korrian said, frowning.
“We have other basic needs than merely surviving.” Meija made sure her tone was even. “People need a purpose, something to strive for, to play with, and to imagine. If we place them in tiny cubes with no options but to eat and sleep, soon you’ll have riots and downright mutinies.”
“Your job isn’t going to be easy, Commander Heigel.” Gessley laced his fingers and rested his chin on his hands. “I know Meija is coming on strong here, but she has a point. Our leaders have initiated Project Exodus, and soon the advance team will leave orbit to explore and reconnoiter a new home for us. I can’t even imagine the burden that lies on your shoulders, but don’t let our leaders’ anxiety attacks steer you off target. The ships will carry our people for decades, maybe even longer, to a new home.”
Korrian opened the top button of her uniform jacket and sat down in the chair next to Meija. “I have lived, breathed, and dreamed these specs and my prototype for five years now. Ever since the so-called plague became public knowledge, this has become my reason for existing. I have daily messages from politicians and different governmental departments demanding I squeeze beds and cots into every possible area of the ships. Don’t either of you have the audacity to claim I don’t give this enough thought.”
Meija hadn’t realized how much pressure Korrian must be under. She’d only seen the woman’s pigheaded, opinionated approach. Her own frustration—she willingly admitted to be something of a hothead as well—had probably done very little to help Korrian see reason.
“I’m not saying that. Ah, well, I guess that’s what I’ve been implying, isn’t it?” Meija grunted. “If we can compromise, you should be able to come up with a prototype that allows for maximized passenger numbers and still make it the home it has to be—what?”
Korrian sat up straight, her eyes narrow slits. She didn’t look angry or annoyed, though, merely focused. “What did you say?” she asked slowly.
Suddenly nervous, Meija cast a glance at Gessley. “A prototype that can maximize—”
“No, not that. You said, make it a home.” Getting up from the chair, Korrian began pacing, a familiar sight by now. “A home. Not merely transportation.” She muttered under her breath as she pulled out a computer sheet and tapped it. She drew new lines, punched in commands, and it was as if she had completely forgotten she wasn’t alone. “Use the light-sensors to propel…add extra output…less need for propulsion energy.” Korrian stopped and looked at Meija and Gessley as if she’d forgotten who they were. “Meija, you’ve been on my case since day one. Now’s your chance to get some of your ideas through. That means you’re going to have to reside in the engineers’ quarters rather than the space station.”
Meija tried to follow Korrian’s thought process but failed, mostly. “You—are you saying suddenly you want my input?” What had happened the last few minutes?
“Won’t it thrill you that some of your outlandish ideas might have merit?” Korrian gave a crooked smile. “I would’ve thought so, as I have no problem recollecting your endless chatter about quality of life and areas to breathe in.”
“Of course I want you and the authorities to listen.”
“We have two days to get the first blueprints and model done. This will take some unconventional problem-solving.”
“Why can’t I stay at the hotel on the space station?” Meija had lived in the hotel for two months now and didn’t mind the short shuttle trip between the station and the space-dock where the prototype vessel was being built.
“I have to have access to you and your input around the clock, and I can’t wait for the shuttle to carry you back and forth. If you’re going to contribute, you’re going to have to forfeit the luxuries and share a room here.”
Meija had just beg
un to consider the idea of living at the local crew quarters but hadn’t counted on that last part. “Share a room? With whom?” She knew, of course, since Korrian looked a tad ill at ease. “Share your quarters?”
“As chief engineer, my quarters are more spacious than the others.” Korrian shrugged. “I can’t come up with a better solution, can you?”
Meija thought fast. On one side, she would finally have a chance to influence the design of the ships that would save the Oconodian people, and on the other, she’d have to stay in such close proximity to the woman who had made her life living hell for so long. Meija looked down at her hands, so tightly clasped her fingertips were white. “All right,” she heard herself say. “I’ll have my things sent over. I trust you’ll give me some closet space?”
“Sure.” Did Korrian sound relieved, or was Meija’s imagination playing tricks on her?
“Excellent,” Gessley said, and rounded his desk. “This will work very well, I can feel it.”
“We’ll see.” Korrian buttoned her jacket and adjusted her cap. “Go sort your things out, Meija. I’ll be at the drawing board in the main studio. Barr, get me four more engineers, at least. I don’t care who you have to schmooze. Just do it.”
Meija merely nodded, still a little shell-shocked at what had been decided so hastily. She watched Korrian stride out the door and cross the main walkway, heading back to do her job. How was it possible that she suddenly was in this position of power and influence? Going from frustrated consultant to working closely with the brilliant woman in charge of constructing the only way for their people to survive boggled her mind.