“Karriana is our word for ‘paradise’,” Lobo explained as he came up behind her, fitting his body to her back and leaning his chin on top of her head. “Nobody who lives here and never leaves has ever seen a redhead. You should be quite the novelty.”
“Great, Lobo, thanks for making me more nervous than I am already.”
“Don’t worry, sweetheart, you’ll see,” said Lobo. “Once all the furor of bringing you here to begin with dies down, they’ll all find you fascinating.”
“That’s just what I’m afraid of,” she complained. “When I’m not out driving my truck, I’m a total homebody. The last thing I want to be is fascinating.”
“Not even fascinating to me?”
“Well, maybe you,” she conceded. “But nobody else, though.”
“Now that, I can’t help you with,” he shrugged. “Life is a package deal, no matter what world you choose to live it on. You have to take all of it and do with it what you will.”
“You two may want to strap in,” said Linnid. “I’m beginning the landing cycle.”
As she laid on the couch next to Lobo’s, Maggie missed the reassuring feel of his arms. The ship tossed and turned and finally came to a stop, and Lobo unstrapped her again.
“First things first, we need to buy Maggie some clothes,” he told Linnid. “And I’m sure you’ll want to come along, right sis?”
“You know it,” she enthusiastically replied. “But if we don’t want to draw attention to ourselves, maybe first we should put her into something of mine?”
“But we’re not the same size,” Maggie pointed out. “I’d literally have to stuff myself in, wouldn’t I?”
Linnid giggled. “Don’t worry, the outfit I’m thinking of is a favorite of mine because it can conform to your body, no matter the size. Come along, you’ll soon see what I mean.”
Maggie followed Linnid into her quarters, and the slim, quirky brunette went right over to her closet and pulled out a dress. At best, Maggie would call it shapeless and non-descript. It looked like it would fall to her knees, and the collar was U-shaped, and its color was a bottle-green.
“That might go on okay,” she conceded.
“Well, come on, let’s see.”
Maggie dutifully shed her blue jumpsuit and pulled the dress over her head. As first, it seemed like it was going to be much too tight to fit over her breasts, but then she felt the fabric moving and stretching. Finally she managed to pull it down and into place.
“That’s some pretty awesome fabric right there,” she said appreciatively. “I gotta get me one of these.”
“It cost me a thousand credits, unfortunately,” said Linnid, frowning. “You might have to start with something a little bit less user-friendly. Now, just for today, we should probably hide that gorgeous red mane as well.”
“What? You want to hide my hair?”
“Just this time, so we can get you something decent to wear for presenting you to the counsel, and to our father,” Linnid insisted. “If you go around the shopping mall before people are made aware that an Earthling is present on our world, there could be mass hysteria. The military might even get called in or something.”
“Where did you hear those words?” asked Maggie, surprised.
“Sorry, sis,” she chuckled. “I accidently left on the log recorder. My brother can be so dramatic sometimes, can’t he?”
“Well, he wasn’t wrong, though, right?”
“No, I suppose not,” she conceded. “But I agree with you completely, though. I really wish they’d just tell Earth that we exist and get it over with. All this sneaking around is completely ridiculous.”
“Well, there’s nothing that we can do about any of that right now,” Maggie pointed out. “What are we doing about my hair?”
She pulled out a bottle and handed it to Maggie. “Normally I use this to touch up my grays, but you could use the lot of it to tone that hair down for a day or two. Lobo isn’t going to like it, but hey, I’d kind of like to keep today’s shopping trip from going insane. Don’t worry, we can use another solution that will take it all back out again. Now take that dress off and go do it in my solar shower. We haven’t got all day.”
With a shrug of resignation, Maggie shucked off all her clothes and headed into Linnid’s bathroom. She slathered the liquid all over her head, then figured out how to work the shower. The blue beams didn’t rinse off the excess gunk, but rather somehow evaporated it away.
“Damn,” she grumbled as she stepped out again. “I sure hope they still have bathtubs on this water world.”
SEVENTEEN
Lobo frowned when he saw Maggie’s head, but then his eyes became more appreciative as they traced down the length of the form-fitting green dress, zeroing in on her breasts. Heat swirled in her belly when she saw the look in his amber eyes, and she blushed.
“The hair has got to go, just as soon as we get home,” he commented as he slipped an arm around her waist. “And don’t worry, Linnid, we’ll take good care of the dress.”
“Oh, no way, Lobo, she is changing at the store,” Linnid protested. “There’s absolutely no way I’m going to let you take her home and ravish her while she’s wearing my most expensive clothes.”
Lobo laughed, obviously expecting the reaction he’d gotten from his twin. She glared at him, fully aware that she’d been suckered in.
“Does Harbid know that we’ve arrived?”
“My husband is waiting just outside,” Linnid replied. “We can test out Maggie’s disguise on him.”
“You didn’t tell him about her?” Lobo snickered. “But you tell him everything, sis. You must be slipping.”
“Shut up, Lobo,” she grumbled. “He’ll know about it soon enough. I just thought his first opinion of your woman should not need to be a biased one.”
“Don’t people around here like Earthlings?” Maggie asked worriedly.
“It’s not that,” Lobo said. “They are just not members of the alliance, that’s all. We’re going to have to obtain permission for you to be here, and get a special dispensation so I can make you my wife.”
“I didn’t even know if you guys had marriages,” Maggie admitted ruefully. “Glad to hear that you do.”
“It’s not called that in our own language, and the rules are somewhat different from what you are used to,” he explained. “But don’t worry, sweetheart, it all amounts to the same thing. I am yours, and you are mine. That’s the important bit right there.”
Curling against his side and kissing his cheek, Maggie replied, “It sure is.”
Harbid was not quite as tall as Lobo, and his hair was a lighter shade of brown. Also, in Maggie’s opinion he wasn’t nearly as handsome, although Linnid certainly didn’t seem to mind. Then again, she’d been gone for a year, and Maggie doubted the man had gotten himself frozen to wait all that time.
“Who’s your friend, Lobo?” he asked curiously. “I can’t quite place her tribe on sight.”
“This is Maggie,” Lobo explained. “We are newly bonded.”
“Yes, I did notice the glow,” he smirked. “And did you also create offspring as well? Her light seems especially strong, bro.”
“The gestation process has begun,” Lobo confirmed.
“They are having twins,” Linnid added, grinning happily.
“Identical?”
“Yes,” Maggie nodded, blushing slightly.
“So I’m going to be an uncle?” he asked, grinning as well. “Are they boys or girls?”
They all hesitated, looking at each other uncertainly.
“Actually, we don’t know,” she admitted, blushing some more. “I thought it might be kind of fun to be surprised.”
He snorted. “What did you do, Lobo, bring her to Earth with you? That sounds like one of the silly sort of things a woman from there might do.”
“Hey, be nice now,” Lobo grumbled. “Earthers are people too. As a matter of fact, Maggie happens to come from there. But we must keep that under
our hats until I get a chance to bring her over to the counsel.”
“I knew it,” he chuckled. “I knew she wasn’t from a Karriana tribe. I mean, just look at those green eyes. I’ve never seen a color like that among our people.”
“Damn, I knew it,” Linnid chuckled. “Harbid knows everything.”
“I know that after this run, when your father give you a ship, I’d like you to deliver locally from now on,” he said, one brow raised. “Clearly you’re not ready to take on outbound missions, if you allow illegal aliens to tag along for the return trip, my dear.”
“It’s Lobo’s ship,” she pointed out. “And Lobo’s life, too. The blood-bond may have been accidental, but their feelings for each other are quite solid, I can assure you. And if this world, and our father, can’t accept that, I’m sure he could easily just fly away with her again.”
Harbid said something to her in their native language, holding up his hands as if in surrender. The two of them continued to squabble for half a minute, then he turned to apologize.
“Don’t worry, Maggie, I didn’t mean what I was saying in a racist way,” he said. “I’m concerned for you, not concerned by you, understand? As far as I’m concerned, you are welcome to our family either way.”
“Well good, glad you feel that way,” said Lobo impatiently. “But standing around at the space port instead of moving along is probably not my idea for spending the rest of the day. Could we get going now? I assume your conveyance is nearby, correct?”
“Yes,” he nodded. “Right this way.”
As they moved along the walkway, a panorama of a vast ocean just beyond the building came into view. The waves sparkled in the orange-blue light coming from the sky above, and a salty breeze wafted by.
“Wow, we’re right on the water here,” Maggie said, smiling. “It’s great.”
“We’re right on the water everywhere,” Harbid pointed out, waving his hand all along the skyline. “No matter where you go on this planet, you are probably by a sea. The first time I left this place and discovered a country could be land-locked, I thought that my tutor was crazy.”
Maggie laughed. “Yeah, I’ll bet. Harbid, I’m not mad at you, okay? You seem like a pretty good egg.”
*****
Even though Lobo had explained that people used air cars to travel, her first trip in one still had felt strange, though she’d grown accustomed. Then, when they entered the city proper, and she’d learned there were no elevators inside the tall, enormous buildings that littered the island that had rattled her just a bit as well. Instead, they boarded platforms, open to the elements, which quickly lifted them to the desired floor.
But maybe the weirdest thing of all was the shopping center itself, which was located in what amounted to a four story penthouse on top of a fifty story building. They had simply parked up there and got out, walking across the smooth, tiled floor and walking right through an electronically generated force-field instead of using doors.
The shopping mall itself was much less surprising when one looked passed the technology. It contained clothing shops, grocery stores, book stores, music stores, novelty shops and the like, just the same as one might find on Earth. Lobo led the way to what Maggie perceived to be a higher end clothing store and whipped out a small disc that she assumed to contain a form of local tender.
“All right, Mags, I’ve been saving up for a rainy day, but I believe a sunny one should be just as important,” he told her. “We’re going to dress my lady in style.”
By the time they emerged from the mall hours later, Maggie felt like she’d just been through a whirlwind and came out on the other end holding a winning lottery ticket. Lobo had bought her so many items that he’d even put in a call to have most of it delivered to their home for her, and the car was waiting just outside.
“Aren’t we going to get in and go home, too?” she asked tiredly.
“No way, sweetheart,” said Lobo. “First, we’ve got to take you over and make this whole thing legal. I hope you two have time for one more stop?”
“Sure,” said Harbid, grinning. “You’re going to need the witnesses anyway.”
“You mean—we’re going to do all of that right now?” Maggie gasped.
“Sure we are,” said Lobo, and the other two agreed. “You can’t get a proper dispensation without two other parties willing to nominate.”
“Oh, okay,” she chuckled. “When you said witnesses, I thought you were talking about a wedding.”
Lobo grinned. “No, Mags, it’s just paperwork. Although I suppose we could take pictures of the occasion if you wanted to.”
She giggled as she punched his arm. “You know what, Buzz Lightyear? Maybe I do.”
When he brought her into the huge, official looking chamber and they had clomped all the way across a long aisle to the front, Lobo just stopped and stood there, waiting until one of the members beckoned them forward. Maggie had read about this process, and so she too had just stood there accordingly.
“Preliminary scans indicate that you have just come in with an Earthling,” said the man behind the desk sternly. “Please explain.”
“Sir, we accidentally formed a blood-bond, and thanks to a series of events on her world, we were unable to remain. I have come to petition for her residency on this world.”
“The circumstances of which you speak must be made plain,” he replied, whereupon Lobo held forth an object, and Maggie realized with surprise that it was one of the perimeter orbs. Every event that had happened, including the military involvement as they were leaving, was replayed.
“Dispensation granted,” said the man stoically, and his eyes gave Maggie the once over. “She’s pretty, too, grandson. Congratulations,” he said, smiling at Lobo at last. To Maggie, he added, “Welcome to the family.”
“Here, Mags, you need to sign your name,” said Lobo, indicating some line on the contract someone had suddenly slipped in front of them on top of a wheeling table. “You guys too. Sign the witness lines, and the nomination lines too.”
“So this is my wedding?” asked Maggie. “Just your grandfather passing us right through, and doing paperwork without any discussions or anything? I thought you said there’d be some difficulty.”
“Smile for the camera, sweetie,” said Lobo. “The difficulty isn’t with him—it’s going to be with my father. But I think I’d rather deal with him tomorrow. We’ve had a busy day, and I just want to carry you over the threshold.”
EIGHTEEN
Harbid and Linnid waved good-bye to the two of them after leaving them just outside a large, but not towering home just outside of the city. Two creatures that looked very much like a pair of dogs came running up to Lobo, their tails wagging. One of them turned warily to sniff at Maggie as well, and then grinned even more than ever as it made a mewling sort of sound.
Seeing Lobo was petting the other animal, she bent to her new friend to do the same. Birdlike chatter filled the strange-looking trees, and something that could have passed for a monkey-squirrel scampered through the leaves.
“This is really great,” said Maggie contentedly. “I really love this place.”
“So will our kids, one day,” he agreed.
“About that, Lobo, maybe we should just find out what we are having,” said Maggie uncertainly. “It wasn’t really that important to have it be a surprise anyway. And anyway, if we find out, it would still be a surprise, we’d just get to have the surprise sooner.”
“Mags, I just want you to be happy,” said Lobo. “You don’t have to do this for me.”
“Don’t be dumb,” she grumbled. “I’m also doing it for me. I don’t want to go through the embarrassment of continuously explaining what we don’t know that gender of our babies. I mean, did you see the way Harbid looked at me?”
“Yeah, I did,” he agreed, kissing the top of her head. “But still, the only people you need to please are standing right here, right now. You get me?”
Maggie nodded, smiling. The n
ext thing she knew, Lobo caught her up and carried her, bridal style, into the front door. They were both giggling, and he was just setting her onto her feet and leaning in, ready to give her a kiss to seal the deal, when they both heard the distinctive sound of a throat clearing.
Startled, they turned and looked into the living area, which Maggie noticed was similar to the one she’d had back home, though that wasn’t the foremost thing on her mind. Seated on the couch and tapping his foot impatiently, an older version of Lobo sternly met her eyes.
“Do you two mind telling me what in the name of Gatru is going on?” the man demanded. “My father said you’d brought home an Earther bride, but I thought he was finally going senile, so I just had to come and see it for myself.”
“Sorry, sir, it wasn’t something I was planning to do, you know?” Lobo said contritely, practically hanging his head in front of him.
Maggie stepped between them, leveling a gaze at Lobo’s father that left him quite surprised. “If you’re going to blame anybody, you really ought to be blaming me. I’m the one who didn’t get the proper sleep before getting behind the wheel. I’m the one who crashed right into the man while he was driving by. And I’m the one who was so stupid I didn’t cover my own wound before taking care of his.”
“And I’m the one who wouldn’t change any of it if you paid me,” Lobo added, drawing Maggie into his arms again. “This sort of thing doesn’t just happen, Father, and you know it. The only way so many things could come together in this way had to be fate.”
“Yes, I see,” he said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. “I think maybe you can come by my home later to explain everything more fully, Lobo, but right now, I think it’s pretty obvious this is not the place I should be. Carry on. And Maggie? Welcome to the family.”
He gave her hand a little squeeze, and headed out the door.
“Seriously?” asked Maggie, her jaw literally dropping. “You call that a lot of trouble?”
“Oh yeah, I do,” Lobo said, wiping at his brow. “Couldn’t you tell? He started out pretty angry. And you did wrap him right around your pinky, just as you said. Well done, Maggie.”
A New Reason To Fight: An Intergalactic Romance Page 28