by Viola Grace
Drahali has lived her life as a freak, a woman who was far more than one of the guys. Her strength was limitless, but it doomed her to a life alone until the day the Sector Guard recruiter arrived and offered her a chance to be his partner and possibly more.
Remar suffered the same fate on his home world with his body able to split into multiple incarnations of the original. Meeting a woman who was petite, adorable and could snap him in two would have frightened a lesser man, but he could be more than she could handle any time he wished.
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Multiple Organisms
Copyright © 2011 Viola Grace
ISBN: 978-1-55487-835-2
Cover art by Martine Jardin
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.
Published by Devine Destinies
An imprint of eXtasy Books
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Multiple Organisms
Sector Guard Book 18
By
Viola Grace
Chapter One
Drahali shifted and dug her heels in. "I don't care how much weight you think I can manage, help me pull!"
The mill wheel was moving up the side of the cliff with glacial slowness, but the workers that would normally be hauling the two tons of stone were sitting to one side, placing bets as to her ability to pull the rock up by herself.
Dra grunted and pulled until the very edge of the rock was tipping and then stopped. "Get over here. Now."
The men snickered. Hestin smirked and sauntered close. "Why do you need our help? You seem to have it well in hand."
"Because if you want it in one piece, you will hold it while I sneeze."
That got their attention and they took places on the ropes and braced the wheel.
Dra thanked the nine deities and let go as she sneezed. The men groaned as the weight came fully onto their arms. Dra's head spun as she caught her breath. "That was one good sneeze."
Hestin was digging in his heels and he glared at her. "Anytime, Dra."
She stretched leisurely and then resumed her place on the rope. With a few sharp tugs, the millstone tipped over the edge of the cliff and she hauled it toward the new structure next to the village.
"You know, if I wasn't a freak, this would be a lot of work for you."
Hestin chuckled. "If Mother and Father didn't have five children already and wanted a sixth, you wouldn't be here. There are a lot of ifs in the world."
She glared at him but was unable to stare down the eyes that were reflections of hers. Green and gold in equal measure surrounded by dark lashes. Women fell at Hestin's feet with a simple bat of those dark lashes.
"Don't you flick those eyes at me. This job belongs to the men of the town and not a single woman." Her grumpy tone was one he was well familiar with.
"You know you are the best woman for the job." He kept pace with her as she made it all the way to the mill house.
"Story of my life." She finished hauling the stone into place and then squatted to lift it to its edge for manoeuvring up the ramp and into the mill.
Men stood by to steer, but it was all Dra pushing that got it across the creaking floorboards to its final resting place. When it slid home, she was sweating but cheerful. A few hours of work that saved others the possibility of injury.
The men clapped her on the shoulders as she left the mill and they got to the work of putting in the upper grinding stone that would contact the huge wheel she had put in place. Just one of the guys. She was always just one of the guys.
Her bare feet blew up puffs of dust as she walked the half mile to her family's home. The sprawling ranch was inviting, but she knew better than to try to enter without a shower. After she stripped her clothing off, she walked up the raised tile steps leading to the shower space and as the solar-heated water washed off the dust of her exertions, she scowled at the image in her mind of a life of endless menial tasks for the town. She would live with her parents and die a virgin. None of the local men would come near a woman who could break every bone in his body with a casual move.
When the water ran clear, she took a towel from the cupboard and wrapped herself in it. She pattered to the back door and sauntered toward her room.
"Drahali, can you come in here for a moment?" Her mother's voice was raised and the pitch indicated she was not alone.
"I need to get a change of clothing, Mama."
"That can wait, dear. Come in here."
That tone Drahali was familiar with. She turned on her heel and walked into the formal room, wearing nothing but a towel covering her from breast to mid-thigh.
There was a man in a strange uniform sitting on the guest couch and Dra's mother was refilling his tea. "Yes, Mama?"
"You remember that call that your Papa answered? The one about exceptional talents?"
Dra felt her gold skin bronze slightly as the man on the couch looked at her. She carefully kept facing her parent. "Yes, Mama."
"This man is here from the Sector Guard base on Teklan. He wishes to assess you as a possible recruit." Nrahali Delnin smiled and it lit up her face. The glow came from under her flesh, her phosphorescence giving a soft light to the room.
"Excellent. I will just change clothing and be right with you, sir."
He got to his feet and came toward her. He took her hand in his own and bowed over it. "Pleased to meet you, Drahali."
The deep tenor of his voice made her smile and his towering height almost made her laugh. "Nice to meet you too, Guardsman. I will return in a moment."
He seemed reluctant to let go of her, but he released her hand and she walked quickly to her bedroom, putting on another trouser and tunic set. She left off the shoes. She rarely needed them here on the farm.
A quick glance in a mirror showed her tawny skin, brown hair and the same eyes that half of her family wore. Her wet hair was in a thick braid down her back and brushed the edge of her tunic. This was as good as it was going to get.
Dra didn't know why a man not of her species was getting under her skin, but she wanted to make a good impression on him. Anything was bound to be better than the towel.
Her feet pattered on the tile as she returned to the formal room. The guard was back on the couch, dwarfing it with his size. He shot back to his feet the moment that she entered the room.
"Sir, you wanted a demonstration? What did you have in mind?" She used the manners that her mother insisted on.
"I have a shuttle parked over the ridge, in the authorized zone. Nice blend of technology you have here." He was stumbling over his own words.
Her mother puffed up with pride. "We left the city for the joys of the land. When the city opened up spreads for ecologically friendly family farming, we jumped at the chance. Now that we are situated out here, I think it would be good for Dra to see some sights among the stars."
Drahali blinked
at the swift turn of her mother's comment. It wasn't like Nrahali to be that direct. Like most of the Eorghani, she was the soul of etiquette and decorum.
"That may be a possibility. Shall we?" He gestured to the front of the house and she preceded him.
The spot he mentioned was fifteen minutes away. He drew even with her as they marched to his shuttle. "You don't wear footwear?"
"Not much call for it here. My soles are tough enough to take most punishment and my talent seems to protect me from most damage."
"How long have you had this talent? Does it strictly have to do with strength?"
"No. I can also do this." She hopped up on a rock and stomped one bare foot. The rock shattered beneath her sole.
"Is your talent constant, or do you trigger it?" He seemed genuinely admiring.
"Constant. Is yours triggered, or is that too personal a question?" She blushed when she realized that she might have passed on a taboo.
"Considering that I am about to ask you every involved question I can think of, you have the right to reciprocate." He smiled at her and her stomach flipped. "My talent is activated. I operate under code name, Multi."
"That brings several images to mind, but I suppose I will learn." She skipped along and when his shuttle came into view, she whistled. "That is gorgeous." She gushed. It was all sleek lines and glossy metal.
"It is also extra dense with the defensive panels. I would like to see how easily you lift it." His challenge was down.
Rubbing her hands together, she shifted until she could get a grip on the edge of the shuttle. It lifted off the ground and she grunted as she heaved it into the air, using her back and finally her arms to raise it in the air above her head.
"Where would you like it?"
The man looked down at her diminutive form and laughed. "Back where you found it, please."
She shifted and returned it to its place. When she was out from under the hull, she smiled brightly at him. "What next?"
"You passed. You are everything that your father described. When can you leave?"
Blinking in pleased surprise, she told him. "As soon as you meet my family."
Chapter Two
The Delnins lined up outside their family home and they looked at the newcomer with calm gazes. Dra introduced him to her father and her brothers.
Her mother asked her, "Did you pass?"
"I did. I am guessing that I leave right after father finishes interrogating him." Drahali watched the males of her family circle around the stranger, asking questions. None of her brothers was taller than the stranger's shoulders, but they bristled with protective instincts.
Multi answered each of their questions in turn, stopping the circle more than once with his responses.
"Honey, you know you have no future here as anything but a packhorse for them. You will never have a family of your own out here. This is your chance to do something with your life, to be part of something greater than an ecofriendly village on the edge of civilization." Nrahali's voice was intense.
Dra looked into her mother's eyes and saw the truth. Her mother wanted her to leave.
"If I am going with him, I think I should pack a few things." She fought her tears as she ran inside the house.
"Drahali!"
She ignored the call and sprinted for her room.
Dra closed the door behind her and tried to get her composure back. A series of deep breaths and she was able to collect her travel bag and place it on the bed. Now, what to take with her?
Extra shirts and trousers went in without thought. She really hoped there would be a way to make money while she was in the Guard, because she went through clothing with alarming rapidity due to her activities.
Remembering his comments on shoes, she packed three pairs and then assessed the space she had left. A knock at her door got her attention. "Yes?"
She wasn't expecting to see Multi, but he was standing in front of her with a concerned look on his face. "Are you all right, Drahali? Your mother seemed upset by your departure."
Dra snorted. "I doubt that. She just told me that I have no future here and I should go with you."
He nodded and sat on her bed. "It is true and you know it. It is the same reason your father offered your name for consideration to the Guard and then pressed it with weekly updates of your exploits. Your parents are proud of you, Drahali, but they know that you can do greater things if you leave your home and family."
"Every week?" She quickly retrieved her library and tossed it into the bag.
"Every week. Considering the Eorghani bias toward protecting their daughters, it came to our attention rather quickly. If they were willing to have you leave, you had to be exceptional."
She snorted. "Your words are kind, but freak is more apt. I can turn any of the men of my social circle into dust with just one swing of my arm. No one wants to chance a bride like that."
She picked up her figurines and put them gently down. Taking them with her was out of the question.
She sighed and looked around her room. The only things she could take were the hair combs she had gotten for her twentieth birthday. Nothing else would survive a trip into space.
"Perhaps an Eorghani male is not suitable for you. One of the Guardsmen is the best matchmaker in the Alliance. I guarantee you that he will find you a match who is suitable for you in every way. You may not see it at first, but it will be the right match for you."
She cocked her head. "I could really meet this matchmaker of yours?"
"Of course. As a Guardsman, you have access to all of the resources that the Sector Guard has to offer."
She wiped the tears that kept welling up. "I suppose that it would have its bonuses. It just…I didn't know about any of this until today."
"Ah. That would explain it. Do you have anything else to bring along?"
"No. I am done."
He smiled and closed her bag. "Excellent. Then, I think you should speak with your family and then we can go. This is a chance for you to start a new life. You can communicate with your family as much as you would like and have a full wardrobe as well as a hefty income. The contracts will be in three-year increments."
"That seems reasonable." Drahali still felt weepy, but it did cheer her to know she could keep in touch with her family.
She slipped on a pair of shoes and led the way back outside. She stopped when she was on the deck surrounding her family home. Multi was still talking to her parents, but he was also behind her. She whirled around to confirm it and he raised an eyebrow.
"Yes, Drahali?"
"How can you be in two places at once?"
"It is my talent. I am able to break into multiple organisms to complete tasks or talk to many witnesses of an event at once. It is a good ability and is a lot of fun at parties." He smiled and nodded to her brothers as he passed her to walk up behind himself and the entire clan watched him merge into himself with only a light crackling of the air between them.
"Have I satisfied your curiosity?" he asked it of her family at large. Her parents hesitated to agree, but her brothers nodded.
"Multi says that I can contact you as much as I want, so when I settle on Teklan, I will send you a message." Dra smiled at her parents and was lost in a group hug as her family rushed her.
Her mother's tears were what finally got Drahali moving. She swiped at her own eyes and freed herself from those who loved her. "It is now or never and now, I have a ride."
Her family laughed and they let her go. She nodded to Multi and he led the way back to his shuttle. When he opened the door and she stood on the steps, he let her have her minute to pause and look around.
She took in the vistas of her home, the new village and the city with all of its tech bustling far beyond. Drahali committed the scene to memory and then moved inside the shuttle. She kept out of Multi's way as he locked the hatch with an ominous click.
"You can take the navigator station, the one on the right. I will just stow your bag." He opened a sma
ll hatch and her pack was unceremoniously stuffed inside.
She let a small smile creep over her lips as she sighed in relief for not bringing anything breakable.
The navigator station was a well-cushioned chair, with a harness attached, facing a series of screens. "I don't know how to do anything here."
"It isn't necessary. It is simply more convenient to have you here while we take off. If you haven't travelled by shuttle before, it can be a little unnerving. Can you put your harness on?"
She sat carefully and shifted until she was comfortable. Dra pulled the harness on with attention to not crossing the straps. Multi was watching her until he saw her click the clasp and settle with her hands on the arms of her chair.
"Are you ready?" His tone was polite.
"Yes. Quick, before I change my mind."
It seemed to be all he needed to hear. A few deft flicks of toggles and the ship powered up and began to hover as he took them from her home and off to a new world where she would have many new adventures.
Her hands dented the edges of the chair as they soared higher and higher. She forced her breathing to stay normal as they cut through the layers of atmosphere. The moment that they reached orbital height, her distress faded away and she stared in fascination at the view of the stars without clouds or gas layers to get in the way.
"I never knew that the stars were so bright."
"Some of them live and some of those have avatars. A few of those avatars are Guardsmen."
He managed to program and fly while he spoke, so she began to ask questions. By the time they hit the jump point, she hadn't even gotten through to his assignment on Teklan.
When the jump engine whirred to life, she froze mid-chatter.
Chapter Three
Being in two places at the same time was the strangest feeling. Drahali had heard of jumps but had never been in one before. She swallowed heavily. "How many more of those do we have to do?"