by Viola Grace
She tilted her head as the light column formed into a simulation of a bipedal being. “Thank you for allowing me to stay. It is good to have somewhere to belong.”
While we doubted the description of the Destroyer guarding us, once we met you, it was clear that you would keep us safe. Speak to us when you have the need. We will be listening.
The light being dissolved into a thousand points of brightness that zipped off in different directions, leaving Rathi and a moulting Targo to continue their walk.
Fourteen days passed before Hidden’s code came through the com system. Targo was busy with his six little fluff balls, so it was up to Rathi to meet the ship as it entered the atmosphere.
Three ships were streaking through the sky and none of them were the new shuttle. Rathi activated her com.
“Incoming vessels, exit the atmosphere or you will be destroyed.” She hovered with the new gown that the Resko-Devi had crafted for her blowing in the breeze.
A voice came to her. “Destroyer, surrender to us or your lover will be the first thing to fall out of the sky. He is in our sights and—”
She ripped the shuttles apart, personnel and all. “You would think that they would learn.”
A swarm of light circled something in her field of view, and as she turned, Hidden’s shuttle circled for a landing or, at least, the outline of it did.
The shuttle flickered into sight, and she landed next to it, waiting for Jarrod to appear.
The door opened, and Hidden staggered out, blood covering him and his eyes glazed with shock.
Rathi caught him to her and held him as he smiled weakly at her.
“I made it home, Rathi.”
She let out a shrill whistle, and Targo screamed, flying toward them and landing on Jarrod’s arm. The Resko-Devi surrounded them, and Rathi gave them all the power they needed to heal him.
When the lights flew off and Targo returned to his children, Rathi was left holding Jarrod’s hand as he reclined on the landing area. “Thank you. I did not think I would make it.”
“What happened?”
“I was caught re-entering this system. I had not thought that there would be more Raiders here. I didn’t get myself cloaked in time.”
She stroked his forehead where a long gash was now healed and sealed. “When did they catch you?”
“Two days ago. They tortured me a bit, trying to get me to give them the entry code. The injuries I sustained were in the escape. They have a station set up now. They are watching for us to leave.” He inhaled slowly as if testing his lungs.
She didn’t blame him, one had collapsed.
“Targo doesn’t ride wherever you are anymore?”
“He is busy with his children. There are six of them, by the way. You are an uncle or grandpa, I haven’t figured out the relative designation yet.”
Jarrod laughed and sat up slowly. “You look better. More stable.”
“I feel better.” She whispered to the Resko-Devi, and they flew into the shuttle to clean up the blood and wipe the drives.
They would reset the systems before Jarrod left again, but in the meantime, they cleared any digital signal coming from the ship on the off chance there was a tracking or listening device. Jarrod’s clothing would suffer the same treatment when he slept.
“Come on, let’s get you inside.” She helped him to his feet, and they managed to get his legs working enough to haul him into bed.
She sat him down on the edge and removed his clothing, a piece at a time. “Don’t worry, the Resko-Devi will repair your clothing and probably design you something festive. They have quite the sense of humour when it comes to clothing.”
“This is not how I imagined my homecoming.” He helped her ease him into bed.
“Well, I imagined getting you naked but that is where the similarity ends. If you don’t mind, I will tell Relay that you are home. She was getting worried.”
With Jarrod resting, Rathi walked past Targo’s nesting box and let the little ones bump into her hand as they tumbled over each other for a scratch on the head.
They were perfect pastel miniatures of what their parent used to look like, and she wanted to cuddle them all, but they were still too small for a hug.
After her fuzz therapy, she hooked into the connection with Relay. “Hello, he is back.”
Relay paused. “How much time does he think passed?”
“Two days.”
Relay was silent, and then, she said, “So, he is now a security risk. Keep him with you. We will keep him out of assignments until we can have a Minder sent to you.”
“You know to have them call me first with the code words?”
“I do. Keep him safe, Wacorathi Quen, and congratulate Targo for me.”
“I will. The little ones are so darned cute. Over and out.” Rathi disconnected the headset and went outside to speak to the Resko-Devi.
The glowing figure stood next to her. “What do you wish to say, Destroyer?”
“Watch my mate. The Raiders have subverted him. We do not know what he will do, and he may act against you when I am not present.”
The figure nodded before it shattered into thousands of bits of light.
Rathi looked back at her home before she entered it and crawled into bed with Jarrod. A Minder would be on its way soon.
Three days later, Rathi was swamped with relief and Jarrod was vomiting wildly, a side effect of Recall’s talent when she had to break deep blocks.
Recall was sitting at the kitchen table and gulping down water while Jarrod hurled another round of rations. “I wish I could say I was sorry, but he had some nasty shit in there.”
Rathi snorted and got some clear broth started for Jarrod. “I know. The Resko-Devi had to keep him from killing me in my sleep. Twice.”
The light was currently swarming all over Recall’s shuttle and making aesthetic changes to it.
Jarrod washed his face, brushed his teeth and returned to sit at the table with them. “I am so sorry about that. I had no idea that they did that to me.”
Rathi shrugged. “I won’t say it is fine, but it is understandable. Don’t worry, I don’t love you any less.”
He turned to her, “You love me?”
“I think so. I miss you when you are gone and feel a hole in my life when I can’t talk to you. I love Targo too so that is what I used for a criteria.” She blinked and jerked as the cool mint of his kiss swamped her senses.
Recall cleared her throat. “I think I need to check the inventory in my shuttle for a few hours. I will be back at dinner for a final check up on Jarrod, and then, I can leave.”
Rathi smiled up into Jarrod’s eyes. “I did miss you.”
He laughed. “I do love you.”
She sighed and stroked his cheek. “Even if I turned the satellites on everything within blast radius to clear a path for Recall?”
“Even more for you making sure that those around you are safe. You could have killed me, but you waited for Recall to break the conditioning.”
She got to her feet, and when he followed, she backed him toward the bed. Rathi peeled his clothing off inch by inch. “How could I not wait to heal you when killing you would have taken part of me with you? It was pure self-preservation. I want to live a long and luxurious life, and to do that, I need you alive, well and naked.”
He laughed as the light lifted her up so that she was eye to eye with him. She used her skills to remove all impediments to their union and jumped him, tackling him back to the bedding and enjoying the proper reunion that had waited for three days too long.
“So you are now clear on the protocol for approaching Resko-Devi, right?”
Relay answered, “Yes. You need warning before they enter your system. The code word is Targonaut, the mental image is a raptor with a helmet.”
Rathi nodded. “Correct.”
“How is Jarrod?”
“He is good. He is helping Recall shoo all the Resko-Devi out of her shuttle. They are rather cur
ious about space, but they should not go out alone. They can far too easily use up all their energy if they are alone.”
Relay chuckled. “Remind me to tell you about Tinkerbell one day. It’s a fun story.”
Rathi grinned, “It is a good name for one of the Yaluthu. There is a little gold and mint one that would suit that name, of course it has to choose it.”
“I will upload the story to your terminal. Enjoy it.”
* * * *
“…and so, it came to pass that the world of Resko-Devi came to play host to an invisible man, a destroyer, the grand patriarch Targo and the following new lives. Tinkerbell, Captain Hook, Peter Pan, Wendy, Nanny and Mr. Smee.” The Yaluthu gathered around her feet chortled happily, and Rathi closed the book.
They all enjoyed their names and loved tumbling over and over with their grandmother and playing hide and seek with Grandpa Jarrod.
It had been six weeks since the last Raider incursion and life had a delightful rhythm now. Relay was working on the trail left by the Ichadra goddesses, and she was getting closer with every passing day.
As enthralling as the idea of women like her being somewhere in the universe, Wacorathi Quen was content for this moment. She had her family, a lover and a community that depended on her. When she added Targo and his family into the mix, her heart overflowed.
Author’s note
So, the Yaluthu (or Fixits if you prefer) have returned in another book. Rathi needed help with controlling her power output, and the Yaluthu needed help absorbing the energy.
I haven’t really experimented with energy beings before, but the Resko-Devi are a good start. They are literally a being that can be used to death, shaping and reshaping the world around them.
We are building toward the big moment that will collide the Sector Guard, the Citadel and the Terran Times. I hope I can pull this off.
Ah well. More clones to find.
Thanks for reading,
Viola Grace
http://www.violagrace.com
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[email protected]
About the Author
Viola Grace was born in Manitoba, Canada where she still resides today. She really likes it there. She has no pets and can barely keep sea monkeys alive for a reasonable amount of time. Her line of day job tends to be analytical which leaves her mind hopping to weave stories. No co-worker is safe from her character analysis. In keeping with busy hands are happy hands, her hobbies have included cross-stitch, needlepoint, quilting, costuming, cake decorating, baking, cooking, metal work, beading, sculpting, painting, doll making, henna tattoos, chain mail, and a few others that have been forgotten. It is quite often that these hobbies make their way into her tales.
Viola’s fetishes include boots and corsetry, and her greatest weakness is her uncontrollable blush. Her writing actively pursues the Happily Ever After that so rarely occurs in nature. It is an admirable thing and something that we should all strive for. To find one that we truly like, as well as love.
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