by S. E. Smith
He was playing Red River Valley. It was the first song he learned to play. There was something about the haunting melody that pulled at him on days when he was feeling melancholy. Over the years, he taught himself other songs that he vaguely remembered from Earth or made up new ones. It was one of the things that helped keep him sane.
He continued to finish out the chorus, drawing out the last few notes before turning his attention to his unexpected visitor. Behr was very careful about who came to the lower sections of the ship. He and the rest of the crew on the lower levels were very suspicious of any crew member who came down without being screened first. Since Ben had never seen this female before, he suspected she found her way down without their knowledge. Behr was very meticulous about introducing him and Aaron to anyone new – or warning them who they should avoid.
His gaze swept over the woman. He was surprised by his reaction to her. He had met a few other women on board over the last couple of years, but he had never had an instant attraction to any of them the way he did with this woman. Curious, he ran his gaze over her again as he tried to understand what was different about her.
“Can I help you?” Ben asked, rising to his feet and looking down at the slender woman.
“I... who are you? What are you?” She asked again in a confused, hesitant voice.
His lips curved up in an unexpected hint of a smile. He couldn’t remember the last time he felt like smiling. The woman looked like she wasn’t used to seeing a smile of humor either if the way she took a hesitant step back and stared at him with a wary expression was any indication.
He quietly studied her as she studied him. She was very attractive for being an alien. He never thought he would be drawn to someone with purple skin, but there was something about the female that made him want to reach out and touch her.
She had the most amazing eyes that he had ever seen. They were dark, almost black and were shimmering with a shy curiosity. She had long, black hair that looked thick and glossy and it hung down her back in a long braid. He couldn’t help but wonder what it would look like hanging loose. For a brief moment, the image of her lying on his bed, her hair spread out across his pillow, flashed through his mind and he could feel his body’s reaction to it. That image and his response made him even more curious about her.
When she bit her bottom lip, he fought the urge to soothe it with a kiss. He could feel his cock harden even more at the idea. A dark frown of confusion crossed his face as he tried to understand why he was reacting the way he was. Sure, it had been years since he enjoyed the body of a woman, but he was used to dealing with his desires either on his own or through hard work to take his mind off his sexual needs.
“Well,” the woman suddenly demanded, flushing when she realized he recognized that she was staring at him in curiosity. “Are you going to answer me?”
Ben chuckled at her irritated tone. “Actually, I was thinking how much I’d like to kiss you,” he admitted in a slightly teasing tone. “My name is Ben Cooper, by the way. I’m a human. And you are?”
She looked startled before a reluctant smile tugged at her mouth. “I’m Evetta Marquette, Engineer Technician First Class.”
“Would you like to have a seat?” Ben asked, stepping aside so she could sit in one of the two chairs. “I’m afraid I don’t have any refreshments to offer.”
“You…,” Evetta glanced nervously at the chair before she looked back up at Ben. “You say you were thinking of kissing me, but you aren’t trying to force yourself on me. Why?”
Ben grimaced, but didn’t look away. “I don’t believe in forcing my attentions on a woman. A woman has the right to make the choice. I prefer her willing and wanting. I find it much more rewarding if she is enjoying herself.”
Evetta took a cautious step closer to him. “I want you to kiss me,” she said suddenly. “But nothing more,” she added hastily.
Ben’s eyes widened in surprise before they darkened with desire. His gaze swept down to her lips. While her top lip was thin, her bottom one looked full and lush. He fought back a groan when her tongue darted out to moisten it. He shook his head and clenched his fists.
“I don’t think that would be a good idea, Evetta,” Ben replied softly, turning away to look out the small port window at the darkness of space.
“Why? You don’t want to kiss me now? You do not find me… attractive?” She asked in a puzzled voice. “Is it because I am different from your kind?”
Ben stiffened and looked down. How did he explain that he was afraid to touch her? What if he couldn’t stop at just a kiss? It had been over four years since he was last with a woman. Then, it was with a whore that the captain brought back for him and Aaron before they left the last Spaceport. Evetta was no whore to enjoy, that was obvious. Neither was she an emotionless sex droid that each crew member used for the long trips between dockings. Something told him that he wouldn’t be able to just cast her aside once the edge was taken care of.
Ben cleared his throat before he turned back around. “It’s been a long time since I’ve been with a woman,” he explained gruffly. “You are a very attractive woman, Evetta. I think it would be best if I keep my distance.”
He watched her eyes widen in surprise before she frowned in concentration. He could tell she was arguing with herself. Her lips moved ever so slightly and she impatiently tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. His eyes narrowed as he caught a glimpse of dried blood on her hand.
He reached out and grabbed her hand, ignoring the way she stiffened defensively. He held her slender hand in his, turning it until her knuckles were facing upward so he could see them better. They looked slightly bruised but he didn’t see any cuts.
“You’re bleeding,” he murmured. “What happened?”
Evetta tried to jerk her hand back, but he refused to let her go. Now that he was touching her, he never wanted to let her go. The feel of her skin was surprisingly soft. He gently ran his thumb over her bruised knuckles.
“It is not my blood,” she finally admitted in a soft voice.
Ben glanced up at her sharply. “Whose is it?” He asked.
Evetta glanced nervously down at the hand he was holding. She wasn’t sure if she should tell him about what happened. What if he told her commanding officers? They more than likely wouldn’t care, but they may demand something for their silence – like the use of her body in exchange.
She had heard about it and had also seen it happen too many times over the last six years. A female that was in her department on her last assignment was attacked by one of the engineers. That female had killed him in self-defense, just like she had. Only that fight was witnessed by one of the upper level commanding officers. He demanded the female pay restitution for the loss of the male or face death. Three months later, the female returned a hollow shell of who she once was. The officers had used her. She was transferred to another warship not long after that when she killed the commanding officer.
“I killed a male,” she whispered. “Three levels up. He disabled a sensor and I was sent to repair it. He came up behind me and attacked me. I knew if I did not kill him, he would kill me after he….” Her voice faded at the memory and what it could mean to her life if she wasn’t careful.
Ben felt the tremble in Evetta’s hand when she admitted to him that she had just killed a man. He knew enough of the laws of the Marastin Dow that any repercussions would have nothing to do with justice. That was one of the things Behr and the others were working on – they wanted to create a constitution to protect the people from the injustices of those in power.
He shared with Behr a little of what he remembered about the United States and several other countries. He wasn’t the best of students when he had lived on Earth, but he loved history and he remembered a book report he wrote comparing several different countries’ political structures. Behr, along with several officers and enlisted personnel, was working on developing a similar Constitution for their people.
Over the
last four years, both he and Aaron learned to read, write and speak the language of the Marastin Dow thanks to Behr. In return, he and Aaron were helping them start the fires of a revolution. Behr asked them both repeatedly to look over the draft and comment on it. For the first time in over ten years, he and Aaron felt like maybe there was a greater purpose in their kidnapping.
Ben blinked and returned to the present when he felt Evetta’s hand tremble again. He hated the slight hint of fear in her voice. He could tell she was scared even as she tried to hide it. Unsure of how to express his feelings of sympathy, he gently pulled the slender figure into his arms and held her close.
Ben closed his eyes as he rested his chin on the top of her silky hair. He wanted to rub his cheek against the soft strands, but didn’t want to frighten her. She had been through enough without him pushing his desire for her onto her. It would be a fruitless endeavor anyway. He had nothing to offer her. He had no future, no hope of anything but uncertainty and life among the lower levels of an alien warship. Hell, he didn’t even have his own room to offer her privacy.
No, he thought in despair as his arms tightened around her. I have nothing to offer her but a moment of compassion and comfort.
Chapter 3
Hanine Marquette frowned and glanced around her work area. Except for the one item that was not there just minutes before, it was exactly as she had left it. Her office, if she could call it that, was in a small room with nothing more than the computer monitoring system and a chair. She worked as a programmer and was damn good at what she did. In fact, she was much better than what her commanding officers were aware of which was just what she wanted.
She might be assigned as a lowly Engineering Programmer Third Class but she was much more skilled than her peers. She learned early in her career that when others underestimated who you were and what you could do, they became sloppy. They talked too much and they ignored her when she was around. They also left her alone in her little room where she was supposed to monitor the ship’s systems.
They had no idea that she wrote a program that would allow her to take over the entire warship if she wanted. They also had no idea that she developed other programming scripts that could shut down systems and shield her and her sister’s movements. She was currently working on a device that would allow her to teleport short distances undetected.
No, what was bothering her right now was the small item on her desk. It, and the dozens of others she found, appeared only when she was on duty. She normally took small breaks only to relieve herself or to do the hourly checks that were required in the other room. It didn’t matter how often she tried to vary the times, the small items ‘magically’ appeared. She even found a few on her bunk in her personal quarters.
She was frustrated because she had set up surveillance equipment to monitor who came and went out of the room. So far, she was unable to capture anyone who was not assigned to the area.
Even the system she set up for their private quarters showed that no one enter the room but her and Evetta. She had specifically programmed the door so that no one else could enter except for them and she changed the password every few days.
“Where are these coming from?” She murmured under her breath.
Hanine carefully turned the delicate shape in her hand. This one was in the shape of a soft pink flying creature. The intricately folded creature was made of the same material as the rest of them. It was made of cloth fibers that were mixed, rolled flat and then dried. She did an analysis of one when they first started appearing several months before.
She carefully unfolded the creature. She hated destroying it, but she was curious when she saw the hint of a printed letter on the tip of one wing. Making sure she didn’t tear the material, she sank down into her chair and worked at unraveling the form. Soon she was able to read the message written on the creased square.
Can I keep you? Forever?
Hanine’s breath caught at the simple words. Her fingers trembled as she carefully traced them. She bit her lip to keep the smile from showing. Whoever was doing this was driving her crazy with curiosity.
“Who are you?” She whispered with a shake of her head. “How are you able to sneak past my sensors?”
*.*.*
Aaron Cooper lay back in the vent above the desk of the woman he had been dreaming about ever since he saw her while he was working in one of the maintenance shafts four months ago. He fell in love with her the moment she rolled her beautiful dark eyes at the two women calling her names.
His lips curled into a grin as he remembered her face when the two women turned away. She stuck her tongue out and made a face before returning to her work. It was obvious she couldn’t care less what anyone thought of her. It made him curious about her, so he began watching her.
He discovered shortly after Behr assigned him to one of the maintenance workers that it was easier to move around the ship using the maze of maintenance access tunnels. When his mentor was reassigned to another warship, Behr had suggested Aaron take over the task of maintaining the sensors and wiring. Aaron readily agreed as it allowed him access beyond the lower decks.
He bit back a chuckle when he heard her whispered words of frustration. He always loved origami. Ben gave him a book on it when he was five in the hopes of helping him learn to read. In the past four months, he created every type of animal or shape he could remember and gave them to Hanine.
Hanine. Her name is just as beautiful as she is, he thought as he remembered hearing it for the first time several months ago.
He closed his eyes and pictured her face in his mind. He wished he could touch her in real life. She had short black hair that danced around her face as she talked. She was always so animated when she was with her sister or when she didn’t think anyone was watching her. He loved observing her in those unguarded moments.
She was a lighter purple than her sister. Her skin was more of a soft violet and he would bet the few credits he had that her skin was just as soft. She had a long narrow nose and soft, full lips that begged to be kissed. It was her eyes, though, that held him captive every time he saw her. They were almond-shaped and framed by the darkest lashes he had ever seen. He felt like he could drown in their dark depths.
With a sigh of regret, he heard the next crew member come in to relieve her. She would go up to the dining hall on the upper levels, get meals for her and her sister and return to their living quarters. They never ate with the other crew members. He would have just enough time to leave her another origami. This time he made a giraffe for her.
Pushing up, he silently rose to his feet and hurried away. One day he would meet her, even if it was only to watch her turn away from him in disgust. He knew he was nothing like any of the males of her species. While Behr and the others did their best to treat them as equals, Aaron knew that he and Ben would always be considered different.
Until that day, he thought, until the day she sees me, I’ll be the ghost who loves her from afar.
Chapter 4
Ben sighed when he felt the warm body in his arms finally relax against him. He gently rubbed his chin against Evetta’s silky hair. A soft moan escaped him when he felt her slender arms slide up his chest. He started to release her, thinking that she was pushing him away before his eyes snapped open in surprise as they stopped on his broad shoulders.
“I do not understand why, but I want you to… kiss me,” Evetta whispered. “I have never felt this urge before. What power does your species have that makes me want to touch you, taste you… hold you?”
Ben pulled back just far enough to look down into her puzzled eyes. With another groan, he lowered his head and captured her lips. The moment she opened for him, he took advantage and deepened the kiss. She tasted as sweet as he knew she would the first moment he saw her in the doorway.
He broke the kiss when she buried her hands in his hair. The sound of her soft whimper of frustration pulled at him. He pressed soothing kisses across her temple and down along her face
to her jaw. He wanted to taste every part of her.
“Ben!” A sharp, deep voice called out, startling them.
Ben shielded Evetta with his body as he turned toward the male standing in the doorway frowning at him. Even though he knew it was Behr, he didn’t relax his protective stance. He had no idea what the huge Marastin Dow male would do to their unexpected visitor. He relaxed when he saw it was surprise, and not anger, that darkened Behr’s voice.
“This is Evetta,” Ben said in a calm voice.
“I know who she is,” Behr replied with a deep frown. “What I don’t understand is why she is down here,” he paused for a moment before his eyes narrowed on her. “Unless you are the cause of a dead maintenance worker my men found three levels up.”
*.*.*
Evetta trembled and would have pulled away if not for the tightening of Ben’s arms around her. She tilted her head in challenge, refusing to back down. She would fight before she allowed the officer standing in front of her to abuse her for protecting herself.
“He attacked me. I defended myself,” Evetta responded stiffly. “If I had not killed him, he would have either attacked or killed me at another time.”
Evetta watched as the Chief Science Officer regarded her. His eyes did not hold the cold, calculating look she had seen in others. Instead, she felt like he was peeling away the layers of protection she surrounded herself with to see deep into her soul. She finally had to look away. She was afraid he would see the fear deep inside her and use it against her.
“Evetta,” Behr murmured, waiting for her to look at him again. “It is important that you do not mention that you were down here or that you saw Ben. Many of the other officers have forgotten he is here. It would be dangerous for him and his brother if others knew about them.”