by Viola Grace
She inclined her head. “Wacorathi Quen, Destroyer, Protector of Ichadra and scourge of her enemies. You may call me, Rathi.”
Her smile grew as a small creature waddled into the dining hall and one of the servers put a plate full of greens down on the floor for it. “Is that a Yaluthu?”
Jarrod turned and nodded. “It is. I didn’t realize that it had a meal appointment here.”
Olaris laughed. “Stay away for a few weeks and the world spins along.”
Rathi went cold. “And sleep for a thousand and all you know is gone.”
Their gathering went silent as she felt her grief washing over her in hard waves.
Olaris took her hand. “Not always. Balen slept and our daughter grew up to be a formidable woman on his surface. Zenina did us both proud, though I wish her mother had lived to see her.”
“Her mother died in childbirth?” Rathi had seen it hundreds of times in her lifetime. It never ceased to be tragic.
“Just before. Zenina was placed into an incubator that allowed her to slowly finish growing to term. When she was ready and Balen’s grief for her mother had begun to ease, she was placed on the surface with the tools she needed to come into her full awareness.”
Jarrod asked, “Pardon my question, but how did you learn Alliance Common?”
She half-smiled. “I took it from your mind. How do you think I learned it?”
The two men stared at her in shock, so she reached for another dessert. “I would like to see my quarters now, please.”
With a bemused expression, Olaris offered her his arm and led her into the base with Jarrod following behind.
Chapter Three
Rathi frowned at the bed. The completely horizontal plane was fine for someone naked, but her armour hadn’t been removed in years.
With a small grunt of surrender, she flicked her armour off and went on a tour of exploration. A bit of fumbling showed her how the shower worked and common sense decoded the lav for her.
She stared at her image in the reflective surface and tilted her head. She had not aged a day since she was last called to duty. Her skin was still golden and her hereditary marks still blazoned her family name.
Rathi stared into her eyes and tried to remember her life before she became the Destroyer. There was nothing. She knew she was Wacorathi Quen but that was where her knowledge stopped. No parents, no siblings, nothing appeared in her mind when she thought of home. The only images in her memory were those of the invaders who had died at her hands.
She sighed and let her hair unravel. Rathi couldn’t even recall the first time she used her talent and that was not something that was normal from what she could determine. She had caught whispers over the years, thoughts in the minds of talents she had destroyed. They all thought of the first moment that they realized they had a power beyond their species’ norms. It was their final thought if they were on the attacking side.
Her hair hung past her collarbone. She picked up a brush and smoothed it into rippled waves. She could have done it by thought, but it was nice to use her hands for once.
She splashed water on her face, smiling at the feeling. It was strange that something so small could spill pleasure through her with a light flick.
Rathi dried her face, walking back into the room she had been assigned. Aside from the flat bed, there was a com unit, a dressing table, wardrobe and an entertainment unit. It was a very comfortable room, something that she may have rented if she had been a student on Ichadra.
The light coming through the window was moonlight. She wanted to try the bed, but she had had enough of sleeping for a while. Rathi looked in the wardrobe and found a light robe. Clothed and settled, she queued up a number of vids and settled in for an informative evening.
A knock on her door halfway through the documentary on the first Citadel brought her out of her fixated stupor. She got to her feet and walked to open the door. A smile was on her lips. She enjoyed doing things manually.
“Hello, Jarrod. How can I help you?”
He held up two cups of tea. “I couldn’t sleep, and I thought you had had more than enough. I came to answer your questions. I am fairly sure you have some.”
Rathi paused and then stepped back to allow him in.
He came in and paused as he saw her armour in the same standing pose she had been in when she walked out of it. “Does the armour do that?”
“No, I do. Please, have a seat. I was watching a few vids, and they have been fairly informative.”
He took a seat, and when she was settled, he handed her the mug of tea. She took it with one hand and resumed watching those incarcerated in the first Citadel make their treatise for release. They helped their population and were granted open rights to learn and travel. Most chose to leave and find other worlds to live on, spurring other Citadels to crop up in the most peculiar places.
“What are you watching next?” Jarrod smiled, and his gaze skimmed over her before returning politely to make eye contact.
“The origins of the Sector Guard. If I am on a world where they are the only inhabitants, it behoves me to learn what I can.”
Jarrod nodded and watched with her, and she felt a fondness for him watching what he had obviously seen time and again. Rathi sipped at the tea he brought her and made a note to ask him what it was called. It had a refreshing coolness with a hint of citrus that was just what she needed after that tremendous meal.
They watched the early exploits of the Sector Guard as voiced over by a member of the Alliance Archive.
Rathi asked, “How long ago was this?”
“Just a little over a decade. It was a good idea that spread quickly. This base is proof of it, though they take pains to never overextend. Slow and steady growth will see a maintainable level of support to the worlds who make use of the Guard.”
“Where would I fit in?” She looked at him and tried to be direct.
He shrugged. “I am sure that a woman of your power could be offered dozens of positions. I think a position as a live-in guardian would be a good option, but with full communication and socialization privileges. Perhaps at one of the resort worlds.”
She grinned, “Me, at a resort?”
“You will have to go through an exam and a test of the limits of your talent, and after that, you will be eligible for assignment.”
“Will I be able to meet with a Minder? I have a mental block, and I wish it removed.”
He frowned. “Is it painful?”
“No. I just do not have any memories before I began my life as Destroyer. Nothing. Not one.”
He placed his hand, palm up, on the couch between them.
She cocked her head and gripped his hand with hers. They watched another vid, and to her surprise, that small contact let part of her relax.
It was different than the casual contact she had engaged in with Olaris. The small bit of intimacy that she felt helped hold the horrors of her past at bay. As the light of Saru crept across her room, she smiled and turned to look at Jarrod. “What happens now?”
He smiled and lifted her hand, pressing a kiss to the back of it. “Now, you take a trip to medical and get an assessment, then we go on an excursion to one of the more distant locations of Balen.”
“When can I see a Minder?”
He got to his feet. “As soon as the physician arranges it. Do you need privacy to change?”
She shrugged and walked over to her armour, letting the robe fall away from her as she backed into the metal that was her daily wear.
Jarrod raised his eyebrows and shook his head as if trying to clear his vision. “Is that how you always get dressed?”
Rathi frowned. “It is how the suit is designed. Only I can get in and out without destroying it. It is keyed to me.”
“Would you care for breakfast?”
“After the trip to medical, please. I would like to see what your medical professionals have to say about my physiology.”
He nodded, and they walked the halls in
the early morning, passing few staff members and two people in reinforced uniforms. Based on their similarity to Jarrod’s clothing, they were in the same job as he was.
Rathi felt a touch on her mind, and she looked at the woman who was smiling in a friendly manner. Rathi inclined her head, and the woman blinked in surprise. “Good morning to you as well.”
“I am Icon, welcome to Balen Base.” The woman extended her hand.
“I am the Destroyer. Pleased to meet you.” Rathi shook the woman’s hand, and she smiled politely.
The other female had an amused grin on her face. “I am Recall or Tonya.” She gripped Rathi’s hand next.
“Rathi. I am new here.” She smiled, and the other woman’s open expression showed no hostility or subterfuge.
“Welcome. No matter where you end up in the grand scheme of things, Jarrod is a good person to have at your side.” Recall inclined her head with a wink.
Jarrod cleared his throat. “Thank you, Recall. Now, I need to get Rathi to the medical bay for her entrance exam.”
Recall smiled and bowed slightly. “Then, do not let us keep you. Dr. Yarmek is a good physician. He will be businesslike and thorough.”
Rathi sighed in relief. It was exactly what she needed to hear.
Chapter Four
In her memories, when she wasn’t fighting, she was being scanned, poked and prodded. Rathi didn’t have good thoughts when she remembered doctors.
Dr. Yarmek was an older male of the Azon species, and he gently asked her to remove her armour and step into the scanner.
Jarrod turned his back when she emerged naked. It drew a smile from her that he respected her personal modesty.
Dr. Yarmek helped her get into the correct position with light touches on her arm and elbow. She was settled, and the machine whirred to life in a few moments.
The physician was muttering in amazement as the scans worked over her. She felt herself tilted to her back, and the scans continued with a field of energy supporting her body.
Her stomach rumbled hungrily as the scans went on and on. Finally, she was finished with waiting. “I would like to end this now.”
Dr. Yarmek said, “What? Just a few more, please.”
Rathi forced the scanner to right itself and summoned her armour. “I am hungry now, as your scans must be showing. We can continue later.”
He was staring at her as she stepped into her armour. “You just managed that without any change in brain function.”
She gave him as sarcastic a look as she could manage. “Of course not. That is simply what I am.”
He frowned and then smiled hopefully. “Will you return?”
Rathi gave him a gentle smile. “Of course. I just need something to eat first. You have plenty of data to play with. Enjoy.”
Jarrod raised his brows as they walked to the dining hall. “Is everything all right?”
She frowned. “Why would you think otherwise?”
“You were in the scanner for two hours.”
“Oh. Well, that explains why I am hungry.”
He laughed.
“What?”
“I find it funny that you can sleep for a thousand years and then get hungry the moment you wake.”
“It is a matter of…well…matter. When I burn energy, I need energy. I can remain passive indefinitely, but when I need to use my talent, a snack is in order.” She gripped a tray and made some selections, nodding to a few people, as she walked to a table, that she had seen the night before when she ate with Olaris.
Jarrod sat across from her, and they both tucked into their selections. Halfway through her food, she asked him. “What species are you?”
“You can’t tell? You have run through every bit of data on the Sector Guard that you have been able to find.”
She tilted her head and stared. His skin had a silvery tint reminiscent of Nhavil, but there was an undertone that she had only seen once in a Vorwing. “You are a mix of species. At least four that I can identify, all very old though.”
They were also very powerful species, so it was no shock that he was able to bend light and block electronics.
He smiled. “Have you met all the species in person?”
She shrugged. “Ichadra was attacked by the Vorwings twice. The Nhavil were authorized visitors, but they did not stay long. The Rhenkahil is a bit of a surprise. They tend to be on the darker side of legal in most sectors, but the Wyoran is the most normal of your component species.”
Rathi chuckled. “Close your mouth or finish chewing.”
His jaw snapped shut. “You actually met a Vorwing?”
“He tried to purchase me from Ichadra soon after I became the Destroyer. When he refused to take no for an answer, I was forced to use my skills on him.”
She remembered his solid black eyes, the bright wings and the purple skin. His scream when she tore him molecule from molecule was something she wished she could forget. He had certainly looked surprised.
“You have seen them in person?”
She blinked. “Of course. Every time a new species asked to land on Ichadra, I was brought to greet the visitors, just in case.”
He absorbed the connotations of her comment and swallowed then shrugged. “Right. Of course.”
“Does that disturb you?” She watched as he thought about it.
He finally came to a decision. “Not as much as I initially thought.”
Rathi exhaled in relief. He was the one person that she felt a connection to, and if he had been appalled by the subtext of her comment, she would be completely alone once again. Suddenly, alone didn’t seem like such a comfortable thing.
A small prod at her calf made her look down. A butter-yellow Yaluthu with wide blue eyes was blinking up at her. It flapped its little wings and chirped earnestly.
Rathi looked at Jarrod. “What does it want?”
Jarrod peered under the table at the frantic little creature. “I think it wants up.”
Unsure, Rathi reached for the creature, and it stilled as she gripped it under its wings and lifted it. It made a small happy noise as she held it and a settled warmth moved from the point of contact with it, up her arms and across her chest.
“I feel strange.” She tried to put the creature on the table, but it ran toward her chest and cuddled against her.
“The Yaluthu go where they believe healing is needed. Apparently, you need a little attention.” Jarrod sat back. His amusement was palpable.
Rathi looked down at the little creature and held it tight, rubbing her fingers through the fluff that was a peculiar mix of fur and feathers. “Hello, Targo. How are you?”
Jarrod looked at her, “Targo?”
“It is in my mind, so it must have something to do with this critter.” She stroked the fur back and tweaked the ears gently. The beast chortled and burrowed deeper in her embrace.
“So, I don’t think I remembered to get Dr. Yarmek to make an appointment with a Minder. Can we take care of that now?” She smiled and it surprised her. She rarely smiled.
Targo chirped and rubbed his head under her chin. Rathi looked at Jarrod.
“Of course. We will head there right after we finish eating. Are you going to put Targo down?”
She tried, but her new friend did not want to go down. It wanted to be cuddled against her and squawked when she tried to leave him on the chair next to her. He hopped back onto her lap and made a peculiar thrumming noise.
Rathi surrendered and kept one arm around it while she worked on her meal.
She felt pressure on both legs and looked down as she finished her dessert. Rathi heard laughter in the dining hall and the cluster of Yaluthu around her legs was definitely the cause for amusement.
“Why are they here?” Whispering seemed appropriate.
“They think you need help, Rathi, and they are going to make sure you get it.” Jarrod was trying to keep a straight face, but his grin kept flashing out.
The Yaluthu wandered around in slow figure ei
ghts, taking turns making direct contact with her and then stumbling away and shaking their heads as if dizzy. When they regained their balance, they came back for more.
Rathi was getting worried. “I think I need to go to medical. If this many of the little ones are getting drunk off me, there must be something wrong.”
His grin faded. “You are correct. Let’s go.”
She got to her feet with Targo cuddled in her arms, and she waded through the crowd of the little creatures, but they waddled after her as she made her way down the hall.
When they entered medical, an assistant was sitting at a desk. She stood up in alarm when she saw Rathi. “Dr. Yarmek would like to meet with you in Olaris’s offices.”
Jarrod took her arm and steered her out of medical and down the hall. His face showed his worry.
Targo chirped, and the dozen fluff balls that were waddling after her answered his voice. The Yaluthu had her back no matter what happened, and it was giving her far more comfort than she would have imagined.
Chapter Five
Dr. Yarmek was speaking earnestly with Olaris, and he jumped as Jarrod, Rathi and her entourage entered the room.
Olaris’s features were grim. “I understand, Doctor, but she is now under our protection. We must deal with it as it comes.”
Rathi perked up, and as Dr. Yarmek backed off to hide behind Olaris, she asked, “Can you please make an appointment for me to see a Minder? I want to see what goes beyond my life as the Destroyer.”
He nodded nervously.
Olaris sighed. “Dr. Yarmek, you may return to medical but make that appointment, please.”
The doctor nearly ran from the office.
Rathi took the seat that Olaris gestured to, but Jarrod stood at her shoulder, his hand pressed against her arm.
Olaris sighed and tented his fingers. “Dr. Yarmek has become aware of the fact that you are a very dangerous woman.”
Rathi cuddled Targo and remained silent.
“He has found that you have an unstable molecular assembly that could dissipate in a violent manner and blow this entire continent to hell in a matter of seconds.” Olaris remained serious.