by Selena Kitt
“I’ll... consider it.” She frowned. “Now will you please put me down?”
“Sure.” He set her on her feet. K wobbled for a moment but then stood upright with his dress shirt clutched around her like a cape. “You know,” Boone remarked, still sitting in the rocking chair. “You’ve been through a lot today. You’d probably feel better if you had a shower.”
Her eyes widened and a look of almost fear came into them—the same way she’d looked when he’d suggested a shower that morning. “No, I really don’t want a shower. I... I am still not feeling as strong as I would like.” She seemed to have a hard time getting the words out—no wonder since the Purists didn’t believe in admitting weakness.
“Oh?” Boone said, wondering what that had to do with a shower.
“Yes.” K nodded, her long braid bobbing behind her. “And I... I do not know if I could endure a shower right now.”
“Uh, okay. You do know what I mean when I say a shower, right? Water comes down—”
“I understand,” she snapped. “I ought to—I’ve been through enough of them.”
“Okay then. Since you’re so against the idea, why don’t you just rest a while?” Boone nodded at the low bed.
She frowned. “Lie down in the middle of the work period?”
“If you don’t feel good, sure—why not?”
“Because it’s weak and lazy.” K frowned. “I would much rather work if you have anything that needs to be done.”
“Well the hyperdrive’s transconducer is shot all to hell but—”
“That’s perfect,” K said eagerly. “I have training in ship mechanics as well as in combat. In fact, it’s my second area of expertise.”
For a moment Boone was tempted. If they could get the hyperdrive fixed they could bypass Minotaur—a real armpit of a planet—and go straight to Eros. Then, reluctantly, he pushed the hope aside. “I’m afraid not, K. If Loki caught you poking around in the engine he would completely lose it and then I’d have a real mutiny on my hands.”
She arched an eyebrow at him. “Why should it matter what he thinks? You outrank him, do you not?”
“I’m the one financing the trip because it’s my sister we’re going to get. But other than that, we’re all equal,” Boone corrected her. “Besides, I need Loki’s help to fly this damn tub—I have no idea how to pilot.”
“I am trained in that as well, though I have never tried to fly an Erian vessel.”
Boone shook his head. “Sorry, darlin’, not a chance.”
She stiffened. “You don’t trust me.”
“I do trust you,” Boone said. “To a point. I trust you to wander around the ship unrestrained as long as I’m with you but I don’t trust you enough to let you fiddle with the ship’s engines or fly it where I want it to go.”
“Then your trust in me is incomplete.”
“Can you blame me? You stood right here in this very room and told me, and I quote, ‘You will die by my hand,’ this morning while we were getting dressed.”
“But I gave you my word that I wouldn’t kill you until I got my suit back.” She seemed very serious. “Do you really think I would break it even if given the opportunity to do so?”
Boone stared at her thoughtfully. “You know, I don’t think you would. But Loki wouldn’t see it that way and I don’t think there’s any way I could convince him otherwise.”
K frowned. “It always comes back to him.”
“Because he’s my friend,” Boone said gently. “And I know you don’t like him, K, but he’s got a pretty good reason to hate you, too. Your squad killed his touch-partner.”
“What is that? I don’t understand.”
Boone frowned, wondering how to explain. “Well, it was kind of like his spouse—but more than that.”
“Spouse?”
“Oh, I guess that’s a concept you’ve never heard of either, huh? Let me see... well, when two humans get together and decide they love each other—”
“Love?” K interrupted him.
Boone ran a hand over his face. Great, they were going to have to start at the very beginning. K might speak Standard but she was completely ignorant when it came to emotions.
“Okay,” he said carefully. “When you love someone, you want to be with them all the time, touch them, hug them, kiss them—”
“The way you touch me?”
“Well, not exactly.” Boone got out of the rocker and started pacing. “I touch you because if I don’t, you’ll get sick.”
“So you touch me but you don’t love me.”
“No, absolutely not.” Boone tried to laugh but it came out as a cough instead. He thought of saying, I’m getting sort of fond of you in a weird kind of way. But then he would have to explain the concept of fondness and love was already proving difficult enough. And besides, he shouldn’t allow himself to feel anything at all for K. She was still the enemy and she had sworn to kill him. He would do well to remember that. “No,” he said again firmly. “No, I don’t love you.”
“All right.” She nodded. “So loving is when you want to contaminate—I mean touch someone. Is that correct?”
“It is but only partly. Physical affection—touching—is only one part of love,” Boone explained. “Loving someone means putting their needs ahead of your own. Thinking of them first. Caring about what they want and need, listening to their hopes and dreams. Helping them if they get sick or hurt.”
K looked confused. “But you helped me when my stomach went wrong.”
“Yes, but I was just doing what any decent guy would do—helping someone in need. Wouldn’t you do the same thing?”
“If I saw an enemy that was incapacitated I would exploit his weakness—that is how Paladins are trained,” K said thoughtfully. “However I might react differently if it was you. Since I have sworn not to kill you yet.”
“Gee, that’s so sweet. Thanks, darlin’,” Boone said dryly. “But I think we’re getting off the subject. The point is, you killed someone very dear to Loki. Erians need someone to touch so the bond they have with their partner or spouse or whatever you want to call it, is very strong. He cared a great deal for the man your squad shot down and he’s holding you personally responsible.”
“You and your crew killed all of my squad,” K pointed out.
“Yes, we did.” Boone thought of telling her that the pilot had gotten away and decided not to. No point in giving her false hope of escape.
“Yet I am not angry with you. In a combat situation some casualties are always to be expected.” She shrugged, obviously unconcerned.
Boone felt cold. “You really felt so little for them?”
K gave him a level look. “Why does that bother you? I felt almost nothing at all until you took my suit. Now I can’t seem to stop feeling.”
He shook his head. “That damn suit really did a number on you, darlin’. Just think about it—you flew with your squad for how long?”
“Three solar years. I do miss their companionship.” K sounded thoughtful. “They were a good crew—even Six, though he had too many inappropriate feelings.”
Boone arched an eyebrow at her. “A Paladin with feelings? How so?”
“Even Paladins have emotions but we’re trained to crush them and release them to Purity. When our eyes are completely black then our emotions are completely purged.”
“So this Six guy, he couldn’t, uh, crush his emotions?”
“He seemed to struggle with it. He felt for me, I believe.” K frowned. “He actually tried to touch me before we came aboard your ship.” She looked up at Boone. “I still don’t understand how you managed to overcome us and get away. Your ship should have been completely incapacitated—we made a huge hole in it without pneumodrill.”
“False hull,” Boone explained. “We filled the space between the fake and the real with stun gas capsules. The idea was to put you out and just take one of you. We didn’t count on you getting over the gas so fast.”
“The suit fi
lters and diminishes any and all air born poisons and pathogens,” K explained. “But stun gas... at least that explains why I can’t remember any of what happened.”
“You fought like a tiger,” Boone assured her. “If you hadn’t gotten that nick in your femoral artery and lost consciousness we probably would have had to kill you too.” He smiled. “But I’m glad we didn’t.”
K looked away. “It would have been much better for me if you had.”
“Well we didn’t.” Boone spoke as lightly as he could. “So it looks like you’re stuck here for a while. Which brings us back to the question of what you can do since you don’t want to sleep anymore.”
“What do you do?” K looked at him curiously.
“Research, mainly. I’m a physician but I’ve also got a degree in genetics. Right now I’m working on a project to map all the different genomes of the various species of humans in the Prometheus system. We’ve all been changed, you know—by the planets we chose to colonize. That’s what I was doing, until my little sister got taken.” Grief and guilt overwhelmed him for a moment but he forced himself to push them away. “Anyway, I can’t do much out here—the equipment I was able to bring is all pretty rudimentary. But I try to keep up with my notes and add anything new I can find.”
“Could I help you with that?” K asked gravely.
Boone smiled. “Thanks for the offer but no, it’s a little too technical, I’m afraid. Unless your third area of expertise is xeno-genetics.”
She frowned. “I am afraid not.”
“You could give me a sample though,” Boone said. “Athena is the one planet I haven’t been able to get genetic specimens from. It’s a closed world.”
“We prefer to keep to ourselves to preserve our Purity,” K said stiffly. “What exactly would giving you a sample entail?”
Boone shrugged. “A few drops of blood and a swab of the inside of your cheek. Epithelial cells tell a lot.”
“Well, if that’s all I don’t mind.”
“Great.” Boone went across the room to his makeshift desk and grabbed some equipment. K didn’t flinch when he pricked her finger and she opened her mouth obligingly for the sani-swab. “This is good,” Boone told her as he finished up. “I’ll be able to give you a little more information about your own DNA too. We can find out if you’re all Erian or if the Purists mixed something else into the baby batter too.”
K frowned. “Baby batter? No, never mind,” she said as Boone was opening his mouth to explain. “Why didn’t you simply take your samples when I was incapacitated—before I first woke up?”
“It didn’t occur to me then. I was trying too hard to save your life.” He grinned at her. “You know how long it’s been since I had to do any kind of emergency surgery? It took me back to my resident days.”
K raised an eyebrow. “And now that you’ve saved my life you plan on killing me with boredom?”
“Oh right, what to do with you...” Boone’s eyes traveled around the room looking for inspiration. Suddenly they lit on something and he had an idea. “Here,” he said, going back to his desk and grabbing a small square box that fit easily into his palm.
“What’s that?” K looked doubtfully at the cube in his hands.
“My little sister’s old reader.” Boone pressed a button on one side and a holographic screen sprang to life from inside the cube. “It’s kind of old fashioned,” he said apologetically. “It only holds about five thousand books and most of these are classics from Earth-that-was.” He felt a lump in his throat and swallowed it. “She... it was what Shayla was getting her degree in. Old Earth literature.”
“I can see that you feel for your sister,” K said neutrally. “But do you really expect me to read to pass the time?”
“Sure, why not? You can read what we read and study—that’ll give you an insight into my culture.”
She raised an eyebrow. “And why would I want that?”
“You have to know your enemy to effectively exploit their weaknesses, right? Besides, it’s easier on your stomach and your stitches than lifting more weights.” Boone shook his head. “Still don’t know what I was thinking letting you do that.”
“I was thinking that I needed to stay strong,” K remarked. “I am used to doing a two-hour fitness routine daily. I would not like to lose my physical agility just because I find myself your prisoner.”
Boone sighed. “I’ll make you a deal—you can work out two hours for every book you read. That’ll exercise your mind and your body.”
She nodded at the holo-screen. “How do you know that I’ll actually read the books?”
Boone grinned at her. “Besides the fact that you’re too honorable to lie? You can give me a mini book report on each one. Tell me what it’s about—the plot, the characters and their motivations. That kind of thing.”
K frowned. “It sounds tedious.”
“Reading? No way, darlin’. A good book can really take you out of yourself—make you explore new worlds and ideas. Haven’t you ever read anything that did that for you before?”
“I have never read for pleasure, no. Most of my reading was studying technical manuals and strategy guides.”
Boone made a face. “Okay, now that’s tedious. I think maybe you’ll find you like this kind of reading more if you can just let yourself get into it.” He nodded at the cube still in her hand. “Get to it. I’m going to do a little research, starting with your sample.”
“All right,” K said grudgingly. “Can I sit in the swaying chair while I read?”
He frowned. “The swaying chair?”
“The one you held me in after I, uh, threw up.”
“Oh, you mean the rocking chair.” Boone laughed. “Sure, darlin’, go ahead. If you need any help with the controls on the reader just let me know.”
K frowned at the small device. “They appear to be exceedingly simple. I don’t think I’ll have a problem.”
“Good.” She had turned to go but Boone put his hand on her arm to stop her. “One more thing, K.”
“Yes?” She looked up from the reader and met his eyes.
“If—no—when you need to be touched, come tell me. I tend to get wrapped up in my work and I don’t want you suffering because I’m too absorbed in what I’m doing to notice. Okay?”
For a moment he thought she would refuse him outright but finally, after a long pause, she nodded. “I’ll... consider it.”
Boone sighed. “I guess that’s the best I’m going to get from you, huh?”
K just looked at him.
“Okay, then, it’s your choice.” It didn’t make him happy but he couldn’t make her tell him when she was hurting. He would just have to check on her every hour or so and see how she was getting along. “Just don’t blame me if you’re in pain,” he told her.
K raised her chin. “I would rather endure pain than shame.”
“There’s no shame in getting what you need to keep from hurting, K,” Boone said quietly.
“There is when what I need is something I was taught to avoid my entire life. Something my own people would kill me for if they knew.”
“They don’t have to know,” he reminded her.
“It doesn’t matter. I know.”
Boone didn’t have an answer for that. K held his gaze for a long moment of silence and then went to settle herself in the chair with the reader. He sighed to himself and went back to his desk to study her samples.
For the first time he wondered at the innate cruelty of the geneticist who had mixed her DNA. How could anyone be so pitiless as to engineer a being who craved human touch and then allow them to be raised in a society that completely forbid it?
Chapter Seven
The days fell into a kind of pattern for K. She woke in the morning with Boone’s arms around her, got dressed as she waited for him to shower, and then cleaned her teeth with the sonic wand he’d provided since she had no suit to help her clean them. Then she went with him to the mess hall. There she would help h
im make breakfast if it was his turn for kitchen duty or simply sit and chat with Mom if she was doing the cooking.
She was still trying new foods though she hadn’t wanted to at first. With some help from Boone she had managed to get the simulator to make a thick, bland shake that tasted like the nutrition drinks she was used to but it gave her no energy at all. So, very reluctantly, K allowed herself to be “gastronomically educated,” as Boone called it. He was careful to make foods that wouldn’t upset her stomach but K still found the smell of bacon, pancakes, and eggs nauseating. Especially eggs—which, of course, were all Loki would make when it was his turn to cook.