LightofBattle

by Leandros

  They were herded to the public area of the station where a cheer rang out as Sarnulia waved at her people. A young woman rushed forward, and Sarnulia met her halfway. They embraced and the crowd cheered.

  Her mother whispered to Jiska, “I wish they would just formalize their union, but my husband says they must wait until we settle. They will be the first couple wed on our new home.”

  “That is truly a wonderful milestone.” Jiska smiled. She looked over at Deskin, and he was shaking his head regretfully.

  She smiled with relief. “I believe I have to leave, madam.”

  “But, we have planned a celebration.” The woman looked hurt.

  Deskin came up and spoke, “Sarnulia was not the only one to need our help. There are others in need of our particular skills.”

  The mother and father nodded. That was something that they could understand.

  Jiska found another pair of arms around her neck and a kiss on her cheek. Sarnulia’s fiancée was hugging her, and she smiled shyly as Jiska returned the kiss with one of her own. “I am pleased to meet you.”

  Sarnulia made the introductions. “Ms. Irthano, this is Ryana, my intended.”

  “Pleased to meet you, Ryana. Sarnulia was very brave, you are lucky to have her.”

  Ryana smiled, “I am, and I know it. Thank you so much for bringing her back to me.”

  Jiska inclined her head. “Now, be careful not to lose her again. I can’t guarantee I can return her.”

  Ryana put her arm around Sarnulia’s waist. “I will keep a close eye on her. I promise.”

  Deskin gestured, and making their final farewells, they escaped the clutches of the relieved family.

  On the shuttle and back in flight to Udell, Jiska exhaled violently. “Wow. Is it always like that?”

  “Such joy? No. Some assignments do not go as they should. It is a joy to see them all happy in such a way.”

  She sat and chuckled. “I am guessing that there isn’t going to be an invitation for tea at the Enjel colony.”

  Deskin barked a laugh. “I don’t know. Arthinial was very taken with you. He might take your winning the bet as a challenge, and Enjels love a challenge.”

  Jiska slumped back in the seat and winced at the image. “Well, I am glad that I am mobile. Being in one place doesn’t suddenly seem like such a good idea.”

  He laughed and set the Coming Storm for Udell base. “Will you take the helm while I rest?”

  She nodded. “As long as you have faith in my ability to not crash us into an orbital body.”

  He patted her on the shoulder. “I have faith in you. Your actions more than earned it.”

  Jiska snickered and began to bring up screens as Deskin retreated to his quarters. She hoped he got some rest, because she was going to need a sparring partner during off times, and he seemed just her speed.

  * * * *

  In the privacy of his quarters, Deskin used his private com and contacted Morganti Base. Relay’s face filled his screen.

  “So? How did she do?”

  Deskin sighed. “Beyond all estimates. I remember light and then nothing. She carried me back to the shuttle, which—while it damaged my masculine sense of self—was terribly impressive. She needs heavier armour, though. She managed to coax her regular Masuo into duty, but it has a lot of curves to cover.”

  Relay grinned. “As for the other matter, yes, there is still a price on her head. The Neccial are offering quite a bit to see her dead.”

  He sighed. “Damn. I thought I convinced them to give up on that.”

  “Apparently, she has been a source of terror to them for too long. They want her dead, Deskin. Keep that in mind as you go on duty.”

  He nodded. “Understood. What about having Fixer beef up her body armour?”

  “We can do that. Come straight here, and we will take care of her. I believe some off-duty clothing should be a priority. There is nothing like a nice gown when a girl needs to feel pretty.”

  Deskin remembered the fist of lust that had seized his gut and other parts the moment that she had emerged wearing that gown. Air had left his lungs, and it had taken all of his training to keep himself calm while Arthinial gazed possessively at her. Pulling her into his lap had been torture and self-defence. If he had not, he might have attacked the prefect just to get that calculating look off his face.

  “I will mention it to her. We will be there in fourteen hours.”

  “Looking forward to meeting her. She is exceptional, even if she is the Monster of Neccial.” Relay waved farewell and disconnected the call.

  Deskin got to his feet, still wearing his trousers and nothing else. He padded to the command deck and smiled at Jiska’s startled look. “I apologize. We are rerouting to Morganti to get some work done on your Masuo.”

  She was staring at his torso, and he looked down at the scars that crisscrossed his chest. “Ah, I apologize if my appearance offends you.”

  “It doesn’t. It is just so surprising in comparison to the perfection of your face.” Colour filled her cheeks, and he grinned again.

  “It seems another crack has been found. You find me attractive?” He fought the urge to preen and flex. She would see right through that.

  “I have never seen a male as perfect as you are. Even with the scars.” She winked. “And I spent my share of time in the barracks. Those boys were not shy.”

  Deskin took a chance and leaned close to her, his face inches away. “Well, with all those males to compare me to, I am flattered that you consider me pleasing. I find you a striking specimen as well.”

  He keyed in the coordinates with one hand while admiring the creamy complexion so close to his own. Her breathing was marginally faster, and she was staring into his eyes as if hypnotized. She blinked. He saw a flash of light and then darkness.

  Chapter Eight

  “Damn it.” Jiska looked at the pile of male on the floor. So close to leaning forward for a kiss, she had fallen back on reflex and knocked him out.

  With the ship taking them to Morganti, she got out of the navigator station and heaved him to her shoulders once again. She carried him to his quarters and settled him in his bunk, tucking the sheet over him and stroking the thick waves of his hair back from his face. Controlling her nerves, she pressed a kiss to his lips, trying the feeling on for size. There was a fluttering of her pulse and an ache inside her the moment she made contact.

  Sighing, she stroked his cheek and left his quarters, leaving him to sleep off the effects of fatigue and the light she had controlled since childhood.

  She sat at the command console and brought up fashions from around the Alliance, trying to find something that was comfortable and elegant.

  Her Masuo tried to keep up with her whims, but most of the clothing she saw was simply uncomfortable to look at and to wear. She eventually gave up and started to learn the species represented in the Sector Guard. It was a tedious task for a long night and given that they were running through unoccupied space, there was a lot of night to go around.

  She had taken a straw and was blowing bubbles to cool her tea when Deskin woke and took the seat next to her. She waved hello and continued her task.

  He grinned. “What are you doing?”

  “It worked when I was little. I thought it might work now. I needed some caffeine in me.”

  Jiska had spent the hours thinking about her childhood and how brief it had been. “You are right, by the way.”

  He smiled. “I usually am. What about in particular?”

  “I haven’t had enough cutting loose in my life. I am due for a little bit of frolicking. Can that be achieved?”

  Deskin reached out and took her hand. “If you stop knocking me out when I am engaged in my best seductive moves, then yes, frolicking can be achieved.”

  She shook her head. “Not that. I mean enjoying the company of my peers.”

  “That was what I meant.”

  Jiska grimaced. “Shut up and go get some food. It has been a whil
e since you ate, and it seems to be infecting your sense of humour.”

  “You mean it is affecting my sense of humour.” He got to his feet and started to walk to the galley.

  She called after him, “I know exactly what I said.”

  She heard his laugh and returned her attention to the monitors with a smirk on her face. She had done her research on Morganti, Udell, Teklan, Balen and Lowel. Her new home was being built at a phenomenal pace, but it would soon be ready for habitation once the dome was put in place.

  For now, it was limited breathable air in minimal space, so Starborn and Comet had it all to themselves.

  Deskin returned with two trays laden with food. “Here you go. The computer said you had not requested more than tea all night.”

  “I wasn’t hungry. Using my talent kills my appetite.”

  He frowned. “That reminds me. Why did you knock me out?”

  “Reflex. If folks get to close, I knock them out until I know I am safe.”

  “You considered me a threat?” He seemed surprised.

  “I didn’t know what was going to happen next, so I simply took next out of the equation.” Jiska bowed her head in embarrassment.

  “That could really hamper your social life in the future.”

  She groaned. “I know, but I missed all the social niceties of flirting with my peers. I had a job to do, and there was no one else to do it. Well, no one else with my particular skill set. I was already General Irthano by the time I was sixteen. Not a lot of time for experimenting with the opposite sex. I would have been up on charges…and frankly, so would they.”

  He chortled. “I can see the problem. Dating a superior officer is usually difficult, dating one that isn’t even legal is more so.”

  She groaned. “You have no idea. So, when were you going to tell me about the price on my head?”

  He froze with his hands on the controls. “What?”

  “The Neccial bounty for my body. They want me dead.” She smiled brightly.

  “This is not surprising to you?”

  “There are statues of me eating children in the Neccial capitol. They really don’t like me very much.” She shrugged. “Occupational hazard.”

  Deskin sighed. “I am thinking that using your actual name may be a hindrance to our cause. Give some thought to taking on an alter ego.”

  “A what?”

  “A name that will hide Jiska Irthano from others in all dispatches and rumours.”

  She sat back in surprise. “I have waited a long time to no longer be General Irthano. Now, I have to be someone else? When can I just be Jiska?”

  He turned toward her and reached out to take her hands, rubbing his thumbs across the inside of her wrists. “You can be Jiska when you are not on duty. The Guardsmen have it down to a fine art. When you are on Morganti and after your standard medical checks, you will be Jiska. You will only take on your code name when you join me on the way to another world.”

  She grimaced. “Fine. Will you have one as well?”

  “I already do, I just don’t like using it. Truthseer lacks dignity.” He winked. “It also frightens off my clientele.”

  “Truthseer? Yes, I can see how it would erode the trust of those you deal with. Back with the Urgat, I was called Light of Battle. How is that?”

  He snickered, “As we are trying to hide you from the Neccial, I would hesitate to use a name that they whisper about you. Consult with the Guards on Morganti—they will help you to choose something suitable that will disguise your true nature.”

  She frowned. “Fine. I am trying to find myself, and you would have me hide again.”

  “A name is just a name, it is the woman within that needs to seek the light. A name is not something that can hide you if you don’t want it to.”

  He leaned forward and pressed a swift kiss to her lips—the first kiss she could remember receiving. It was so much better than kissing him after she had used her talent to knock him out.

  She felt a tingle in her limbs, and she was reaching out to touch him when he leaned back. “And so, I chip away at that resolve a little more.”

  Chapter Nine

  Mala circled her slowly and stroked her shoulder as if testing the resolve of the Masuo.

  “I have never done an upgrade of this nature, but I believe that I can manage it. Can I interest you in a trip to the town, General?” Mala began to select metals and other objects from a shelf.

  “Call me Jiska. I have no rank in the Alliance.”

  “Jiska, then. Would you like to go shopping?”

  Jiska frowned as Mala applied a metal plate to her suit, and it absorbed into it. “I would like to accompany you, yes, please.”

  As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she sighed in relief. She had done it. She had done something normal that other women her age would take for granted.

  Mala smiled. “Since we are doing the upgrade first, we will have to stop for lunch. I get a little peckish when I work.”

  The next two hours flew by with Jiska standing still as a statue and Mala adding metal and weapons to every inch of the suit.

  “How do the weapons work when the suit shifts to a dress, for example?”

  “Try it out and see.”

  Jiska thought of the gown from the Enjel colony, and she smiled as the Masuo flowed swiftly into the folds and rustling fabric. She groped around at her hip level and found the knife that Mala had concealed.

  “Check your cleavage.”

  Curious, Jiska followed the order and withdrew another blade that kept going until she was holding a foil of steel two and a half feet long. “How did that get in there?”

  Mala snickered. “The Masuo always manage. Now, put it back.”

  It took some manoeuvring, but Jiska got the blade back in place and sheathed the hip weapon without incident.

  She gave in to an urge that she had been unable to indulge when the gown had first manifested, and she twirled in place until she was dizzy.

  Mala laughed. “My daughters do that every time they wear a long gown.”

  Jiska smiled. “You have daughters?”

  “Two girls and a boy. All of them while I was technically on duty.” Mala chuckled.

  “You can juggle a private life and a life on duty?”

  Mala laughed. “This is a conversation to be held over lunch.” Mala linked her arm through Jiska’s and hauled her toward the wide open door.

  “We can just leave without reporting to anyone?”

  “There is a tracker in my suit, along with nine different bio monitors. They know where we are headed. Negotiator Fewnor mentioned that you needed a little bit of recreation.”

  Jiska let herself be hauled along onto a standing skimmer. A few minutes later, they were parked near the town square, and Mala had her by the hand, taking her into a charming restaurant whose staff immediately recognized the Guard at Jiska’s side.

  “Fixer, please come this way.” The greeter waved them in and seated them at a large table.

  Jiska was curious. There were far more suitable tables nearby. This one was large enough for six or more.

  Mala smiled at the server. “Left side please, and plenty of tea and caf. Shade is coming home tonight, and I don’t plan on sleeping.”

  “Yes, Fixer. Will your friend like anything?” The man looked politely curious.

  “She will share with me. Two sets of plates and cups please.” Mala smiled, and the server disappeared.

  Jiska blinked. “Did you just order the entire left side of the menu?”

  Mala chuckled. “It is easier than making him write everything down. I can metabolise just about anything, so we take it easy on each other. I order in chunks off the menu and they start bringing out the food the moment it is ready.”

  “Why so much?”

  “I use my own body mass to provide energy to sculpt matter. That is my talent.”

  A tray of salads came out followed by a mass of bread with a variety of spreads and dips.


  Mala smiled. “I ordered the appetizer menu. I will explain the details and identity of any food that you like.”

  “Thank you. I am still getting used to the variety that folk in the Guard and Citadel that everyone seems to take for granted.” Jiska took a plate with a smile to the server who handed it to her, and she cautiously selected vegetables that looked appealing.

  “I was raised on a fairly barren colony world, Jiska. I understand the burst of choice that suddenly appears before you. Sample everything you can and find out what you like, not what others recommend for you.” Mala began to eat with a methodical purpose. She took only from platters that Jiska had already nibbled on, but she ate with ravenous intensity.

  “Why do I get the feeling that you are not simply talking about food?”

  Mala sipped at a cup of something dark with an intoxicating scent. “Our partners are very carefully chosen for us by the best matchmaker the Alliance can offer, but it is up to the individual to make that choice for themselves. Don’t get me wrong, I love Isabi with all my heart, but I don’t doubt for a minute that I was the only woman possible for him.”

  “What about him being the only man for you?” Jiska tried some of the bread with one of the spreads and ate slowly while Mala’s destruction of all things edible continued.

  “He is the only man for me. I wanted him the moment that I saw him. I am just saying that Negotiator Fewnor is a bit of an ass at times. If you are not willing to take the bad with the good, go shopping elsewhere.”

  Jiska paused. “He isn’t that annoying, and I can always knock him out if he really vexes me.”

  Mala chortled and reached for the next platter. The staff was clearing the empty plates and more food kept coming.

  Jiska nibbled at a small piece of meat that seemed to be fowl.

  “Is that your talent?”

  “It is. That reminds me, I need to get a mask or hood or something. Apparently, something in my past wishes me dead.”

  Mala nodded sagely. “Imagine yourself wearing a mask or hood with your uniform. The Masuo can extend up your neck to create the correct concealment.”