A Pet For The Commander: The Complete Series

by Hollie Hutchins

  I looked up at his face again. Behind all the alien features and stoic masculinity, I saw the familiar fear in his eyes. He was afraid I would not wake up. He was afraid that, despite living, we would still be parted. Guilt made my mouth run dry, because, despite knowing everything I knew, I still wished that I’d never woken up.

  Chapter Three

  “Everybody is accounted for, except for two.” Puva came in to give her report. As always, she was plugged into everything going on in the mountain.

  “Who?”

  “Two recruits. They were barely out of training,” said Puva.

  I slurped up the iridescent goop that P’tah kept feeding me. She said it was a new formula. Something to do with the nanites. I wasn’t yet sure what it all meant. What I knew was that they were busy remaking me, and P’tah was treating me with the kind of reverence that made me very uncomfortable. On the upside, this bowl of goop tasted like Thin Mints.

  “So, how do we get to them?” I asked.

  Everybody in the room turned to look at me.

  “What? I’m mending—not a mute,” I said.

  “So far there’s no word on them. We don’t know if they are being held or if they’re just good at hiding,” said Puva. I could tell by her voice she wasn’t too sure about the latter.

  “Let's assume the worst,” I said. “What are our options?”

  “If the Crown has them, then at least we know that they’re still alive. The Crown never does anything unless it benefits their image. They’ll either trot them out as patriots or try them publicly as rebels.”

  “And if the Council has them?”

  “Then by rights, they are already dead. The Council doesn’t care about appearances. They care about power.”

  I rolled my eyes.

  “Great.”

  Rakesh smirked at my flippant attitude. I glanced up from my bowl of yummy goop long enough to catch him looking at me with a sparkle in his eyes. His breathing was deep and slow, causing the shirt to pull tight across his heavily muscled chest with every inhale. His gaze wandered over my body possessively and made me feel hot under my skin.

  “Are you alright, Sava. Are you in pain?” Puva pressed her hand to my shoulder, her eyes wide with alarm.

  “I’m fine. Why?”

  “You are pink, and your pupils are dilated.”

  I shrugged her hand away.

  “I’m fine; I think I just need some time to rest.” I ducked my head, ashamed that I’d let my hormones get the best of me.

  “Perhaps we should alert P’tah. She said you should be back to full health very soon. If you are experiencing any discomfort, it could be a sign that your recovery is not going well.”

  “No!” It was hard enough facing P’tah every cycle, knowing that the ship’s computers recorded and stored all my hormonal fluctuations to her. I didn’t want to clue her into every time I had a dirty thought.

  “How do we discover where our people are?” Meck interrupted.

  “Better yet, how do we get them back, assuming that they’re still alive. Can we rely on these rebels to help us?” Puva sat heavily in a corner chair.

  “I don’t know, but I doubt they’d risk launching an all-out attack for two people,” I mused.

  “This isn’t a mission that they should be involved with. Our people, the crew of the Chronos, need a victory. They have been shaken and need to know that they can still rely on each other,” Rakesh said.

  “And you,” I added.

  “Yes. We need to come up with a plan that will help us get our people out, but won’t cost the rebels anything,” said Puva.

  Meck nodded solemnly. “Puva’s right. This way they won’t resent us. Once they see how we take care of our own, they will be more inclined to trust us.”

  “Is that what we want? Trust?” I looked around the room. “Because one of these rebels just tried to kill me, and he can’t be alone in perceiving us as a threat rather than an asset.”

  Meck grinned. “Most of them believe that you’re some kind of goddess incarnate. And to be honest, after seeing what happened to you, I’m not so sure that they’re wrong,” he added.

  “Everything that happened that day can be explained with science. Science saved me, not some old-timey magic,” I spat. I was getting tired of the reverent looks I got from the rebels, and the rumors that were beginning to spread about my healing powers. “This whole thing started because people can’t separate science from myth. Rholo wasn’t a demon. He was a Trill, who was as good at using his abilities as you are at using yours. It’s not mind magic—it’s neurochemical manipulation.” Yep—I’d found out that little fact not so long after reviving, courtesy of P’tah.

  “Just because it’s science doesn’t make it any less astonishing,” Rakesh said.

  I looked at him in disbelief.

  “I know that it was science that saved you, but I also believe in fate. There is a reason why you have those nanites. There is a reason why we are here, and why you and I have both become more than what we were supposed to be. Maybe it’s not magic, but it’s not insignificant either, Little Flame.”

  “You’ve lost your mind,” I said, dropping my spoon into my half-eaten bowl of shiny goop.

  “Everybody, clear the room. I will have a private word with my mate. In the meantime, Puva and Meck, work on finding out the whereabouts of our missing shipmates, and let our people know that we are formulating a plan to get them back.”

  Both warriors stood and saluted before leaving.

  “What the hell, Rakesh!”

  I was furious. How could he feed into the insanity? How could he even entertain the idea that we were some divine couple from a thousand-year-old legend? He stood up and came over to me in three large strides, his face twisted as if he were in pain.

  “You will listen to me, Diem!” He brought his face dangerously close to mine as he spoke. “You did not see what I saw. You did not watch the life drain from your body, only to be renewed. I am not a fool, and neither were the hundreds of people who came and prayed for your recovery. They are not fools, Eliza Kearney.”

  He spat my name out like a curse and then turned away from me.

  “I should not expect more from you. You have no idea what these people fight for, or what they have endured. When they look at you, they see hope. When I look at you, I see hope. But you think us all fools. Perhaps we are. Perhaps we have all foolishly put our hopes in the wrong person.”

  He left the room without looking back, without saying another word. His disdain was obvious, and unexpectedly painful. I wanted to tell him that I didn’t think him a fool—just misguided and willing to believe outlandish things. I wanted to tell the people who prayed for my recovery that their efforts were unnecessary. I was happy being dead, and it was only the suffering of Rakesh that brought me back. But nobody was listening to me anymore.

  What I needed now was an ally. My thoughts immediately flew to P’tah, whose analytical mind was the perfect defense against all this mythical nonsense. The problem was that we had to move fast to kill this rumor. Since I was still technically recovering, I didn’t have anything to do while I waited for P’tah to make her daily visit. It drove me crazy. Despite being completely free, I was imprisoned by my legend. Every time I stepped out of the quarters Rakesh and I lived in, I was met with the expectant stares of the people. Some pressed small gifts into the palm of my hand. Some, mostly small children, asked to see me glow again.

  The problem was, I didn’t know how to glow, and I wasn’t sure it would ever happen again. How could I explain that to these people? After less than an hour, P’tah came rushing into my room, looking disheveled.

  “You must have pissed my brother off; he’s in the lab making threats and throwing his temper. I’m afraid he’s going to shift and injure somebody,” P’tah said.

  “Oh, no,” I jumped up, a little too quickly, and flinched as pain lanced my side.

  “Easy now, Sava. You must let your body heal,” she sa
id.

  “Sava? Not you, too! Don’t tell me Rakesh has you believing the stories are true!”

  “Which stories?”

  “The ones where I’m this goddess incarnate!”

  “I don’t know much about that. What I do know is that you’re not the human female that we picked up from the earth all of those weeks ago. Even your DNA is different, now.”

  Panic infected me. “My DNA? How?”

  “I don’t know, but I know who to blame.”

  “The nanites.” I slumped into the chair.

  “Those rogues have decided to colonize you. They are making you more hospitable to them.”

  “It sounds like they’re eating me.”

  “No; it’s more like they have recognized a symbiotic relationship and have made the necessary changes to keep you alive and healthy.”

  “So, they’re sentient?”

  “Very much so, and so far, they are very fond of you. Though, I suppose since you are their host they have probably imprinted on you.”

  “Like baby ducks?”

  “I don’t understand the reference.” She gave me a blank stare. I almost laughed. Of course, she had no idea what a duck was! She’d never stepped foot on earth. It was also looking like I might never get another chance to, either.

  “What do I do? How do I convince people that what happened that cycle was science, not magic?”

  “You can’t. They know there’s a scientific reason for it, Diem. They aren’t fools. They also know that there is something about you that allowed you to survive what none of us could have survived. They can accept that much. But why you? Why that day?”

  “Not you, too…”

  “Diem, I have observed you since the moment you were dragged onto the Chronos and locked in an observation chamber. I have measured and quantified everything about your body. I have observed your brain waves. You are changing on a cellular level, and that is not magic. My nanites have done what they were never meant to do, and that is not magic. I have walked with you every step of the way, all the way to this point, but I still can’t help but feel like all of this is by design. And now we are here—and the only explanation that I can come up with, is that we were meant to be here. You were meant to be here. Even though I don’t believe what those people out there believe, I believe that this isn’t random.”

  “Yeah, alright, but I’m not some reincarnated deity!” I felt like I was going crazy. Even saying those words felt crazy.

  “Maybe you’re not, but whatever you are, you aren’t normal, Sava. And until you accept that, you aren’t going to be much help to us, and if you haven’t noticed, these people need your help,” she said, eyes ablaze with the kind of passion I’d only ever seen her display when staring at a computer console.

  I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. I simply couldn’t deal with this now. I had to find Rakesh and help him calm down. I had to help my crew plan a prison break, and I had to figure out how in the hell I was ever going to get back to earth.

  “By the way, your nanites may have found a way to get in touch with you.”

  My head snapped to attention.

  “They have?”

  “It looks like it’s one-way communication so far, though I guess, since they can read your bio-signs, they are pretty aware of what you need, but…”

  “But?”

  “If you have flashes of light behind your eyes, that’s them. As far as I can tell, they are becoming photoluminescent, so that they can send signals.”

  “They glow?”

  “They glow, and they make you glow, so be careful.”

  “Is that the light that everybody was talking about?”

  She nodded with a smile.

  “It was pretty amazing to watch, to be honest. Even while you sleep, you glow. I assume it’s your nanites doing repair work on your cells. They’re pretty industrious.”

  “Is that why you’ve been sending me new kinds of food?”

  She nodded again.

  “I’m just trying to keep up with your body’s changing needs. But don’t worry. You should settle down into a stable state very soon.”

  “Until my little buddies decide that mama needs another upgrade,” I said.

  “Yeah, until then.” P’tah stood to leave. “I am going to try and get some work done. The medical care here could use a lot of work. With all of these mixed-species fledglings, medical care is mostly trial and error. I’m hoping that some of what I learned from you will be able to help them.”

  “Thanks, Doc. And, if you see your brother raging through the halls, send him my way. I think I owe him an apology.”

  “Go find him yourself. He isn’t the only one who deserves your time and attention, Diem Sava!”

  As soon as she left the room, I felt a surge of energy in my body, and warmth in my toes. I gingerly removed my shoes to see my feet glowing softly. The normally pinkish skin glowed a soft golden color.

  “I guess you guys want to go out as well,” I said. “Well, who am I to disagree? I owe you guys my life.”

  I put my shoes back on and found a long cloak in a vibrant blue to wear. As I stood before the door, I felt my heart pound in my chest. Was I ready for this? Could I handle all the expectant stares? I wasn’t sure. I wasn’t sure that I had anything to offer them, but I had to show my face sometime.

  I reached for the door handle just as there was a knock. I jumped back and stared at the door suspiciously. There was another knock before the door was thrown open.

  “Nedan!”

  His orange hair and brown eyes were a welcome sight.

  “I’m sorry I have been absent from your side, Sava,” he said, kneeling in front of me. He looked as if he’d just come from a bath.

  “Don’t do that! Get up. I was just about to go out for a walk. Would you like to join me?”

  He rose to his feet and straightened his tunic.

  “It would be my pleasure,” he said.

  I stepped out into the corridor with Nedan flanking me. There were so many things that I wanted to ask him, but now was not the moment. Now I had to find Rakesh, and spend some time learning more about the people who were looking at me with so much hope. People like Nedan.

  Chapter Four

  People pressed small gifts into my hands and pockets as I passed. I didn’t know what half of these items were, but I tried my best not accept the ones that looked precious. Some of the people would cast confused glances at Nedan, who would smile calmly and make a loud proclamation about the things that I liked or needed.

  “Diem Sava doesn’t wear much jewelry,” he would say. Or “Diem Sava likes fruit.” When he passed an old female whose milky violet eyes were full of tears, he took her hand and said louder still, “Diem Sava cherishes knowledge, books, and stories of the ancestors.” Her face lit up with joy, and I began to appreciate Nedan in a whole new dimension. Two other crew members made their way through the small group of citizens that were gathering around us, trying to clear a path so that I could leave.

  “Please set one of our crew members in charge of collecting gifts and distributing them to the orphans and elderly,” I said to the taller male. He nodded and smiled at me.

  “Has anybody seen the Commander?”

  “He’s in the training area, Sava,” said the smaller of the two.

  “Show me.”

  He smiled broadly as well, excited to be useful in this situation. I was surprised as he led me down, deeper into the base of the mountain, where even the brilliant sunlight from the crystal dome could barely reach. The air was thicker as we descended, and the smell of dank earth and neglect clung to the walls.

  “Who would he be training down here?”

  The young warrior hesitated, casting a glance over my shoulder at Nedan, whose face remained unreadable.

  “He is not himself, Sava.”

  “Oh.” I must have truly upset him.

  As we neared the training grounds, I could hear claws on the stone walls, and sme
ll the charred clubs and rocks that his sparring partners had used to keep him off balance. A young warrior came tumbling out from a stone chamber, his clothes singed but his skin intact.

  I waved him over and passed my hands over his skin to check for injuries.

  “You aren’t hurt, are you?” I asked. He looked shocked by my concern but shook his head.

  “Head on back. I need to have a word with my mate,” I said.

  The warrior glanced at Nedan, who once again remained perfectly still and unreadable, before taking his leave with a formal salute.

  “You two go back as well. I’ll return with the Commander,” I said to Nedan and my guide. They looked at each other for confirmation but didn’t argue.

  I took a deep breath and stepped into the steamy stone chamber. Rakesh, expecting a second attack from his sparring partner, breathed a stream of white-hot fire in my direction. I dove and rolled out of the way, but not before it struck me. There was a moment of pain, and then a cool tingling sensation spread over my body. I looked down and saw my hands were glowing soft golden light. Rakesh, still in his dragon form, watched curiously as I approached him. My clothes were ruined, but I was otherwise unscathed.

  “We need to talk,” I said, ignoring the glowing and keeping my eyes on the dragon in front of me. He looked at me with suspicion but didn’t advance. That was a good sign. Perhaps he hadn’t completely lost his sense of reason.

  “Can you get two-legged for a little while? I want to talk.”

  He roared mournfully, as if the sight of me was painful to him.

  “Rakesh,” I huffed. “Please, let’s not fight anymore. I hate it when you’re angry at me. I spoke with P’tah, and I think I get it now. I didn’t really understand before.”

  His body shuddered as he struggled to regain his humanoid form.

  I picked up his discarded clothing and went to him but was nearly thrown across the room as he shrugged away from me. He blinked quickly, as if there was too much light in the room, despite it being quite dim.

  “Are you okay?” I crouched low. He was very volatile, and I had no idea if I could help.