“It’s a bio-dome.” I was sure to make it a statement rather than a question. Questioning him would be dangerous.
“It is a synthetic biological resource processing center. Every living organism in here exists because it contributes to the health and safety of the crew. Like the crew, everything here is dedicated to the benefit of the empire. In fact, the only thing on this ship that is not wholly committed to the advancement of the empire is you,” he said.
I nodded.
“Rakesh was foolish to launch an invasion. He should have completed his mission and then left. That was his first mistake, but not an unforgivable one.”
My stomach dropped. I could see that this conversation was not going to end well, and I immediately began to think about ways to get out of there without offending the embattled Grand Marshall.
“I have no doubt that the Commander will redeem himself,” I said, trying to keep the exit in view. I followed the Grand Marshal as he walked through the dense underbrush. His pace never slowed and his strides remained long. I, on the other hand, was beginning to feel the air tax my lungs, and my limbs were feeling heavier than before.
“He will, but not unless he has something to show for all of his efforts.”
He turned to look at me, a merciless stare in his eyes.
“And now he has you, only you are useless to us.”
His words tested my patience and aggravated my temper. My temper flared at the insinuation but I said nothing. From his perspective I was useless. I didn’t have any special skills unless you called moaning like a cheap whore a skill. At best I was the subject of a great science experiment, a lab rat. I could hardly be considered essential personnel.
I stumbled over a bush that lit up like the panels in P’tah’s lab and caught the glint of something metallic as it passed in front of my shins. My heart began to race as the feeling of dread sank into my bones. I was alone in the most unattended corner of the ship with a male who obviously saw my presence as a threat to his mission, his Commander, and his sense of social order. I was in danger and I’d walked myself into my tomb on my own two legs. Stupid!
“He made a mistake, but I am working hard to find my place here,” I said, slowing my pace.
“You have no place here,” he growled.
“I am finding my place, Grand Marshall,” I said. I looked around for something I could use as a weapon or shield. The stars were so bright that, despite the absence of the sun, I had nearly perfect visibility. Unfortunately, so would he. There would be nowhere to hide. Even the long shadows the strange trees cast would only give me a moment of reprieve if I decided to make a run for the door.
“And now a warrior, a good and strong male from a strong line, is lost to us. He is lost to our race because of you,” he said. I could see that he took the loss of the guard personally. I wondered if he might have been his sire. I wished that I’d paid more attention to the guard’s markings.
“He was disrespectful and challenged the Commander’s judgment,” I said.
“Ha!” The Grand Marshall stopped walking but didn’t bother to turn and face me. “Rakesh’s judgment should be challenged, but Olnek was not the one to do it.”
I felt my blood boiling and I couldn’t hold my tongue any longer.
“And you are?” It was a clear and audacious challenge.
“In fact, I am, little girl. I am the only one on this vessel who can question his judgment. What do you think it means to be Grand Marshall?”
“It means you are second in command,” I said defiantly.
“Is that what you think?”
I stood still, without answering him. He still hadn’t turned to face me, but I could see the muscles in his back tense. I could hear the change in his breathing. I didn’t have a weapon but I was still fast and being small meant that I was a harder target. I let my feet slide across the ground and made my knees soft. It was a fighting stance. I took another deep breath that left my windpipe on fire and my limbs tingling. I was suffocating. I suspected that the nanites were the only things keeping me on my feet.
“Being Grand Marshall means that it is my job to correct the course when the Commander has lost his way. By taking you into his house and making you part of this crew, he has left himself exposed. By killing that male, he has provided the justification for rebellion. And only by killing you can we hope to regain control,” he said.
For a moment it almost seemed as though he regretted what he would have to do. Unfortunately, there was no way for me to exploit that feeling. I was already upon the precipice. My only choices were to attack or run. I was leaning towards running.
“You are truly a worthy human. You neither attacked, while my back was turned nor ran away, despite knowing that I intend to kill you,” he said softly. There it was again. Regret.
“I couldn’t win in a fight against you and I won’t dishonor my Commander by running away,” I said.
“Spoken like a true Troitek.”
“Is there another way?”
His jaw clenched as he decided whether or not to answer. I kept my eyes on the dangerous tip of his tail as it floated back and forth in the air.
“I won’t kill you. The air in here is unhealthy even for my kind but it is poisonous for you. If you stay here long enough you will expire on your own. I will wait outside until the deed is done.”
Without ever turning back to face me, he turned left and disappeared into the brush. I sat down heavily on the ground. I was sweating. Not a good sign. Also, my extremities were numb. I couldn’t feel my fingers or my toes. I laid back in the dirt, trying to remember my elementary school lesson on how to survive a fire. Stay low, oxygen is close to the ground. I couldn’t be sure that the same would be true for this environment, but it was worth a try. I wasn’t sure I could regain my feet anyway.
Even though I knew I was dying, I kept thinking of ways to survive. I knew my death would make things easier for Rakesh. I knew that the chance that I could save Earth was slim. I knew that this was the most merciful death I could hope for. Still, I kept thinking of ways to live. The stars seemed to swirl around in the night sky, and I closed my eyes as the movement made my stomach flip. I was losing consciousness. I knew I would most likely never wake up again, and for some crazy reason, the last thought I had was whether or not Rakesh would miss me when I was gone.
TWELVE
My eyes were closed but I could still tell that the lights above me were bright and white. My body didn’t hurt but my lungs felt raw. Under my fingers was a warm, furry, creature. I knew I was conscious and I knew I wasn’t in the ship’s forest any longer. But I was reluctant to open my eyes and face my reality.
“Diem.”
Rakesh. I could hear his voice but it seemed too far away. He was calling me but my body felt too heavy to lift, and he sounded too far away. Tears slid from between my closed lids. I wanted to go to him, to help him, to protect him, but I couldn’t. I was only human. I was too small and too weak, and completely useless.
“She is leaking! Why is she leaking!”
“Because you keep screaming like a stabbed ronaar,” said another voice.
P’tah?
“Get out and let me do my job,” she said.
The soft animal beneath my fingers shifted and the warmth that had enveloped my body cooled instantly. The light came closer to my face, making my eyelids burn.
“I know you’re awake. Time to open your eyes. If you don’t, Rakesh is going to do something foolish again, and it will be your fault,” she said softly.
I realized that my implant wasn’t translating most of the words. I was understanding without the boom of the mechanical voice in my head.
“My implant doesn’t work,” I said, though my voice was barely a whisper.
“It’s functioning fine. You have learned a lot,” P’tah said. “Now get up.”
I turned my head and sat up slowly.
“The light is too bright,” I complained, keeping my eyes closed.
>
“Sorry,” she said. I heard her walk away and the lights dimmed. I slowly opened my eyes and looked around. I was back in the observation cell. There were several carts loaded with machinery sitting in the corner. I didn’t want to imagine what the scary looking devices were used for.
“I decided, since you were unconscious, to run an experiment. Your human brain is capable of learning many things while you are unaware. In fact, it takes less time since your conscious mind isn’t in the way,” she said excitedly.
“My lungs?”
“The nanites did their job. But it was very unstable for a while. We are lucky that Rakesh found you when he did. There was almost no life left to save,” she said.
I looked at her with disbelief. Why would he be there? Not for me!
“I contacted him as soon as you left the lab,” P’tah said. “I can’t say that I agree with what you two are doing. But, it’s obvious that you are important to him. And, you’re important to my research.”
I nodded slowly. Of course, she did.
“I think the Commander would like to have a word with you. He’s been waiting for you to regain your senses for two sleep cycles already.”
“Two? Two days? I’ve been out for two days?”
She cocked her head to the side quizzically and then nodded with a smile.
“Yes, two days,” she said in heavily accented English. She turned on her heel and left the room, letting Rakesh slip in behind her.
He walked over to where I was sitting, his brow furrowed and his nostrils flaring. His tail slashed through the air behind him. As soon as I was within reach he swung me up into the air, examining me from every angle as if I were a rag doll.
“You are unharmed?”
“Nothing hurts,” I said softly.
“Did you intend to wait for a soft and easy death?” he looked angry.
“I intended to protect my Commander from his enemies by laying down my life,” I said, too exhausted to filter my thoughts.
“My enemies will come for me using one means or another.”
“I don’t want to be a means,” I said, looking him in the eyes.
He pulled me into his embrace, and I rested my head against his chest, listening to the pounding of his heart.
“You are a worthy companion, Diem. Don’t worry. I won’t allow anybody to disturb the members of my house,” he said, growling the words and chewing them up one by one.
“I’m useless,” I moaned, crying despite my best efforts to make it stop.
“You are far from useless, Diem. You have no idea how much you have helped me and P’tah. The work she’s been able to do while you were asleep along, is revolutionary. Just by existing, you are helping us all.”
“And my planet?”
“There has been a temporary hold on the plans for Earth,” he said.
I turned in his arms to face him.
“Are you sure?”
“For now. We have new orders. We are heading back to the Entarry system and my homeworld.”
I threw my arms around him and held on tight. His body went rigid in my arms and then slowly began to loosen up under my fingertips. Hugging was a human thing, and Rakesh wasn’t human. I had to keep reminding myself of that fact, especially now that I was pretty sure I was falling deeply in love with the furry lummox.
On a whim, I stroked his head, running my fingers through the unruly, fire engine red tresses, and scratching his head lightly. I felt the soft rumbling in his chest begin after a few moments and all of the stress in his body began to drain away. I rested my head on his shoulder and closed my eyes. Despite being asleep for two days I still felt like I could take a nap right there.
“We are leaving your planet behind. Aren’t you upset?”
I heard his voice speaking to me without the translation in my head. His deep, gravely baritone voice gave every word greater meaning. It was seductive in its own right and resonated throughout my being, making me relax into his body.
“I can’t go back anyway,” I said.
“Do you want to return?”
I couldn’t answer that question. I couldn’t deny that I longed for everything familiar. I wanted to be safe, in my bed, knowing that nobody was busy plotting my death. I wanted to go back to the days when my biggest concern was waking up in time for class and catching the eye of a handsome guy in an ROTC uniform. I wanted to be frivolous and vain again. I wanted my old life back. But that life was gone. Even returning me to Earth wouldn’t bring it back. I’d seen too much and knew too much.
And more than that was the feeling that my place, the place where I could do the most good, was right here beside Rakesh. Whether he admitted it or not, he needed an ally. There were two forces aligning against him and he would need somebody to watch his back. Being brave, honorable, and smart would only keep him safe for so long. The history books were full of the names of honorable and brave dead men whose full potential was never realized.
I wanted to hate Rakesh. I wanted to reject the Troitek, whose brutality and rigid hierarchy seemed more and more normal to me. I wanted to tell him to return me to Earth. But, I couldn’t do that either. I couldn’t leave him without breaking my own heart and never really knowing whether or not Earth would be safe.
“Diem? Do you want me to set you free?” He kept his voice even but I could feel the hidden fear in him. Perhaps we were both afraid that we were going to lose something important if we parted ways. I knew enough to know that he couldn’t say those words out loud. Not here.
As I began to open my mouth the lights in the lab went out.
“Say what you need to say, nobody is listening,” said P’tah before manually exiting the room. I couldn’t see anything but I knew Rakesh’s vision would still allow him to navigate in this darkness so I clung to him a little tighter.
“I am afraid to leave you. I don’t know what will happen to you if I am gone,” I said softly.
“I am unsure as well. I have come to depend on you. I am only now realizing how much. P’tah says that humans become deeply attached to their pets. They treat them as family members. I think I am experiencing something similar. I am deeply attached to you. When I thought you would die, I was deeply distressed. I don’t know how to explain it,” he said.
In the darkness, his obnoxious commanding demeanor fell away and exposed the male beneath. He was feeling things his culture had not prepared him for and he was confused about the depth of his feelings. I felt sympathy for him and a deepening need to protect him.
“So we should stay together until we accomplish our mission. Save Earth and destroy your enemies,” I said.
“You may never see your planet again. You may even be killed in the attempt,” he said.
“I know. I can’t outrun death, but living without a purpose isn’t really living, is it?”
“If you are killed I will avenge you. I will slay every male in the bloodline of the warrior who takes your life,” he swore. I knew that was what passed for romance around here.
“What about the Grand Marshall?”
Rakesh stiffened.
“We will settle this issue privately. He is a great warrior and deserves a warrior’s death,” he said.
“What about if we didn’t?”
“What?” Rakesh stood up suddenly, dumping me onto the floor with a thud. The lights came back up at that moment and Rakesh stood over me, his jaw jumping with the tension as he ground his teeth together and his eyes flashing wildly.
“What if we found a way to settle this that would satisfy honor and avoid bloodshed?”
He looked at me like I’d just grown another head.
“He tried to kill you,” he said.
“But he didn’t. I am alive. And if he wanted me dead he could have ripped me apart with his bare hands. He didn’t. He isn’t like the others. He isn’t disgusted by me and he has no reason to hate me. He is only trying to look out for you. I can respect that. I would slay anyone who threatened you,” I argued.
>
He didn’t look convinced but he wasn’t objecting either.
“We have to give him a reason to want to keep her around and a way to say it without losing face,” P’tah added.
“How?”
“Offer her to him,” P’tah suggested. “He can’t turn down such a rare gift, and it would be an even greater offense to kill her once she is a part of his house. He will have to keep her alive and Diem is very resourceful. She would be able to charm him in –”
Rakesh slammed his hand down on the table and silenced the room.
“Unacceptable,” he said tersely.
“That would just make me a hostage,” I agreed. “Besides, he’s already proven that he is willing to accept the consequences of offending Rakesh. He could just use this as an opportunity to dispose of me and Rakesh would have no real claim.”
“Well, how did you get Rakesh to keep you alive?”
I looked over at the make and shook my head.
“I don’t know,” I said.
“She was brave and strong, and she performed a bonding ritual with me.”
“Could you do the same with him?” P’tah looked hopeful.
“I will not permit it!” Rakesh’s voice boomed and the hair along his arms and neck stood up.
I cringed at the thought. I was no prude but I wasn’t going to sleep with every disgruntled crew member even to save my own hide. Besides, Rakesh looked murderous at the thought.
“The bonding is – ah, a very intimate and private thing for humans. I wouldn’t be able to simply replicate it with another male,” I winged.
“Oh?”
Both sets of eyes were upon me now.
“I mean you can perform it with several partners in a lifetime but moving from one to another like that is ineffective,” I explained. I could feel the heat creeping into my cheeks as their eyes lingered on me.
“There must be a way to end this honorably.”
“What if I challenged him?” I couldn’t believe that I was thinking about going through with this.
Both siblings went back to staring at me with concerned expressions.
“Not to a fight to the death, but he kept saying that I had nothing to offer the empire. I was weak. A weakness. What if I prove to him that I was stronger than he thinks I am? Instead of a fight to the death, how about a survival round?”
A Pet For The Commander: The Complete Series Page 8