Transcend

by Sandra R Neeley

  “I’ll be there shortly, Missy,” Kol responded.

  Kol looked down at Ada Jane. “I shall have to take my leave, my Ehlealah.”

  “It’s fine, Kol. I’ve kept you too long as it is,” Ada Jane answered.

  “Time spent with you is never too long,” Kol said, tucking a loose length of hair back into her hair tie.

  “We’ll be fine here, Kol,” Pastor Douglas said.

  Kol nodded. “I shall return soon, if I may have your permission,” Kol said, looking down at Ada Jane.

  “Of course. Any time you wish to visit me, I’ll be right here.”

  “I’ll go now, Kol. Thank you for bringing Ada Jane back home. Thank you for all your consideration and your kindness. And thanks to you and your people for keeping our planet safe once more,” Pastor Douglas said.

  “You are most welcome, Pastor Douglas,” Kol said, walking toward him and extending his hand for a hand shake.

  Pastor Douglas shook his hand. “You are welcome any time, Kol,” he said before smiling at him. “Bless you, sir,” the pastor said, then walked off toward the church and the cottages in the distance.

  “I will not be far away, Ada Jane. But I have much to oversee and address while I’m here.”

  “I understand,” she said. “I know you have important things to see to.”

  Kol took her hand in his pulling her close to him gently. “There is nothing more important than you. You are the only reason I am on this planet. But since I’ve arrived, I’ve found that some things need to be addressed. I can make things better for many of the people in the sector I’m assigned to. But you are always first. Do not ever hesitate to call for me. And do not ever forget that I am always waiting for you to be at my side. Wherever I am, I have arranged to provide a home for you with me whenever you decide you are ready.”

  Ada looked up at Kol. “I know that, Kol. But I need to be here at the moment. My parents are here. My past is here.”

  Kol nodded. “Call to me. Let me know you are well. And if it is acceptable to you, I will be here as often as I can.”

  “I will.”

  Kol slowly, so that she could pull away if she wanted to, lowered his head to hers. He pressed his lips very softly against her lips and rested them there for a few seconds before rubbing his nose against hers, pressing his lips to hers once more, then stepping away from her.

  “I meant what I said, Ada Jane. I am proud to be your male.”

  Ada Jane blushed and nodded.

  “Put that weapon in your pocket after you press your pattern once more. It will not fire unless you have prepped it by reentering your pattern, so it is perfectly safe to carry on your person at all times. Do not ever leave it anywhere. Have it with you at all times,” Kol instructed.

  “I promise. I will have it with me at all times. Even when I bathe,” Ada answered.

  Kol groaned. The idea of his Ada Jane naked and wet was not what he needed in his mind as he did his best to force himself to leave and get back to the base.

  “I shall return soon, my Ada Jane.”

  “Alright,” Ada Jane answered. Then she called out to him. “Kol! Remember to tell Bart that I found a place to live!”

  “I will have Missy contact him!” he called back.

  Ada stood back and watched as Kol hurried to his battle cruiser turned transport and jumped from the ground to the upper deck, then disappeared inside. She knew he was powerful, but that effortless jump just drove the point home. She’d break a leg if she’d tried to jump down from that height, and he made the jump up to that level from a standing position. Unbelievable. She stood there and waited while the cruiser lifted into the sky, then in the blink of an eye was so far out of sight she couldn’t even be sure she could see it.

  She noticed the pastor standing at the front gate of the cemetery and began walking toward him.

  “I noticed you and Kol must have decorated your parents’ grave sites,” he said.

  “We did. I hope it’s okay. I didn’t think about it being a historic cemetery until after we were already finished,” Ada answered.

  “It’s fine. I think you’re entitled to just about anything you choose to do around here,” Pastor Douglas answered.

  “Thank you,” Ada Jane answered.

  “Now, I know you’ve got your things all put away in your cottage, but the one thing you don’t have yet is groceries. I’ve got a few things, and the delivery boy should be bringing more out tomorrow. Why don’t we go add to that list for you, while we cook a bite to eat?” Pastor Douglas asked.

  “That’d be great,” Ada Jane answered.

  Chapter 15

  Kol stalked down the corridors of Base 28. He was under no illusions that he’d be able to avoid Diskastes or his security. But, he would try not to break them too badly. He took a left into the corridor that housed his quarters and though he continued to move forward, he slowed his pace.

  Buchanan was sitting outside the door to his quarters shouting at the tablet in his hand.

  “Buchanan,” Kol said as he approached.

  “Kol! Welcome back,” he said, before raising his tablet in the air and miming the action of flying a transport or cruiser. “Damnit!” Buchanan shouted. “This sonofabitch cheats!” he said disgustedly.

  “What cheats?” Kol asked.

  “Damned video game! I’m supposed to be able to fly over opposing forces and drop bombs on them, but does it let me fly all the way over? No, it does not! So there are always some that survive. Cheating bastards,” Buchanan mumbled, getting to his feet.

  “Bombs are no longer dropped. It would be archaic to do so. We simply decimate them with fission technology,” Kol explained.

  “Yes, I’m sure you do. But, in World War I and in II as well, we dropped bombs. And that’s when this game is set.”

  Kol nodded. “I see. Very well, then. Perhaps you should purchase a more current simulator.”

  “It’s not a simulator, it’s a game,” Buchanan explained.

  “If you say so,” Kol agreed, remembering his promise to Bart to try to be less conflicting. “How may I be of service?” Kol asked.

  “Couple of things. Mind if I come in with you?” Buchanan asked.

  “Not at all,” Kol answered. He unlocked his door and marveled again at the antiquated way of keeping one’s quarters safe. Anyone could get in with a key, or by force. Electronic scanner and hydraulic, steel doors were much more effective for security and safety. “Enter,” Kol said, leading the way and standing aside for Buchanan to follow him inside.

  “Kol!” Elisher said, standing up from the table.

  “Good evening, Elisher, I trust you had no problems today,” Kol said, glancing around the room and noticing the two additional males who’d jumped to attention when he entered.

  “There was a bit of a flareup, but Viceroy Buchanan and Patroon Zhuxi handled it well. I’ve been here all day working, and with no interruptions since they assigned their own security to our quarters,” Elisher answered.

  “What was the issue?” Kol asked, focusing on Buchanan.

  “Diskastes received word of all the documentation Elisher was able to seize on your behalf. He’s figured out something’s amiss, and tried to remove the documentation from your quarters. He threatened Elisher with physical removal from the base if he didn’t allow them entrance and didn’t hand over all documents that were property of Base 28. But, no problem, Zhuxi and I arrived. I stationed myself outside the door with two of our people inside with Elisher. Zhuxi is making the rounds and gathering up all additional documentation he can, and generally making a nuisance of himself to keep Diskastes focused on him and his people rather than on what you and Elisher already have,” Buchanan explained.

  “Thank you,” Kol said, performing a stiff little military bow. Then he turned to the two males who’d obviously been lounging on the sofas and snacking before he and Buchanan entered. “And thank you for your services.”

  Both nodded at him and continued
to stand erect and rigid as they should have been the entire time.

  “If your security could stay for several more days, it will be most appreciated. It is difficult to protect Elisher, these quarters, investigate the things I should, hold off Diskastes and his people, and watch over my female,” Kol said.

  “It’s no problem. We’ll be here as long as you need us,” Buchanan answered.

  “I will have support personnel arriving shortly. They are two or three days out. Once they arrive, if your security is required in other areas, I’m sure we’ll do fine here on our own,” Kol said.

  “Not at all. There is a small group of personnel assigned to this base that is loyal to Diskastes. The rest are from either my district or came with Zhuxi. We can assign to you and your people for the length of your stay.”

  “Thank you,” Kol answered. “I am somewhat sure that the personnel Ambassador Bartholomew is sending are his own administrative liaisons to assist, or perhaps direct Elisher. And while I have no problem effectively controlling this base alone, I’ve been told it is not the correct procedure at this time,” Kol ended on a slight snarl.

  Buchanan grinned. “Told you to reel it in, huh?”

  “What?” Kol asked.

  “Bartholomew… he told you to control yourself for now.”

  “Yes, he did,” Kol answered irritatedly.

  “Welcome to diplomacy, Ambassador Kol,” Buchanan said, chuckling. “It’s a bitch.”

  <<<<<<<>>>>>>>

  Later that evening after Kol and Elisher shared a meal, and Elisher had gone to bed, Kol sat in his living room surrounded by boxes of papers. He looked around himself and tried to figure out how he ended up in a position he was not at all meant for.

  For as long as he had been fascinated with Earth, this was not how he wished to visit the planet. He had no interest in diplomacy. He was more the claim his female and return to the stars with her after a tour of the planet type.

  Kol smiled thinking of Ada Jane. He missed her though he’d just been with her earlier in the day. He looked at his communicator and considered calling her. He decided against it. Bart had instructed him to give her her space and if he didn’t, he could risk her pulling away, so frustratedly he stalked toward the bathroom, dropping his clothes a piece at a time behind himself as he went. Completely naked he stood in the shower and slapped his hands against the tile like he would in a cleansing unit on Command Warship 1. Nothing happened, so he turned his attention to the shiny, silver fixtures. He pulled what looked like a lever up until it clicked into place, but still, nothing happened. He grasped what looked to him like a spigot for fluid to pass through and tried to turn it. Other than a creaking sound, nothing happened.

  Becoming more and more irritated, he reached out to the circular fixture on the left and turned it as far as it would allow. Immediately scalding hot water sprayed out of the silver fixture above his head. Kol screeched and jumped from the shower, pulling down the shower curtain and the shower curtain rod at the same time. Kol soundly cursed the scalding water, the shower curtain rod that had smacked him in the face, and the shower curtain itself as he tried to untangle it from around his legs. He was still cursing in both his own language and English when there was a knock at the door.

  “Sir? Kol? Is everything alright?” Elisher called out.

  Kol went to the door and whipped it open at the same time he managed to free himself from the plastic sheet called a shower curtain and kept it balled up loosely in front of himself. “No! Everything is not alright! Someone has set the cleansing chamber to boil!” he snapped.

  “The cleans…” Elisher said before seeing the steam gathering in the bathroom and realizing Kol had most likely turned on the hot water only. “I’ll check on it, if you don’t mind,” Elisher said.

  “Stay back, Elisher. It will cook you alive!” Kol instructed, tossing the shower curtain aside and striding back to the shower to prove his point to Elisher.

  Elisher stood in the doorway, his eyes wide as he watched a totally nude Ambassador Kol walk through the bathroom as though his nudity was completely natural. He watched the muscles in Kol’s rounded ass as he walked, the muscles clenching and unclenching and his thighs bulging with each step Kol took. Elisher found it difficult to look away from Kol’s body — he’d never seen such male beauty.

  Kol in the meantime had come to a stop beside the shower stall and was waiting for Elisher to come witness what he’d decided to call the death chamber instead of the cleansing chamber. “Are you coming to see this death chamber?” Kol asked.

  Elisher had been staring at Kol’s penis, and he’d just been caught. He forced himself to look away from Kol’s nether regions and focus on the shower. “Uh, yes. I’m coming,” Elisher stammered. He walked over to the shower stall and turned the hot water off, then pushed the shower knob into the down position so the water wouldn’t come out of the shower head until they were ready. Then he reached for the right fixture and turned it on first, then he turned the left fixture on again, only just a small turn of the fixture. He waited a moment for them both to run together before reaching out to allow the water to run over his fingers.

  “No! It will blister your fingers!” Kol said, yanking Elisher’s hand away from the water.

  “It’s okay. You turned on only the left fixture,” Elisher said.

  “Yes, I did. It was the only one that worked,” Kol answered.

  “The right fixture is for cold water, the left fixture is for hot water. The one in the middle is to turn on the shower. You should always set the temperature of the water before you turn on the shower head. If you have the shower head turned on, the water will fall on you before you have checked the temperature. The hot water here is heated more than it would normally be because our water supplies have been polluted over the years. The heat is to completely kill any bacteria that may be in it. We’re so used to it, we don’t even think about it anymore. You turn on the cold completely, like this,” Elisher said, showing Kol. “Then you turn on the hot, only a little at a time, testing the temperature yourself until it’s comfortable. Then you turn on the shower,” Elisher explained by lifting the little knob that changed the water from the spigot at knee level to come out of the shower head.

  Kol watched as Elisher reached out and pushed his fingers into the stream of water.

  “See? Perfect,” Elisher said.

  Kol reached out his fingers and allowed the warm water to flow over them. He smiled at the sensation, then he straightened and scowled again. “Someone should put instructions in this cleansing chamber! We do not have showers with water on Command Warship 1, there are cleansing chambers with a very few limited tubs for those with human Ehlealahs,” Kol explained.

  “I’ll get right on that, sir. I’ll make sure clear instructions are printed for each shower on base,” Elisher said, fighting to keep his gaze above Kol’s shoulders. “Would you like to try it before I leave you to your shower?” Elisher asked.

  “No. I understand how to do it now,” Kol answered.

  “I’ll just go back to my room then,” Elisher said.

  “I will cleanse,” Kol said, eyeing the fixtures that Elisher had just turned on for him. He heard the door close as Elisher left, and he reached out tentatively and increased the hot water slightly, waiting to see the effect it would have on the temperature of the water falling from the shower. Deciding he liked it cooler, he turned the hot back to where Elisher had it, held his fingers beneath it and smiled when it got the temperature he’d preferred. Then he stepped under the water and moaned at the feeling of water running in rivulets down his body. He didn’t particularly care for baths, but this shower… he could get used to this. Kol dipped his head to allow the water to run over his face and ran a wet hand up his horns, then reached out for the soap. He knew what soap was, he’d given some to Quin when he’d been trying to cleanse Vivi.

  Kol worked up a lather and smoothed it over his chest and abdomen. The slippery soap against his skin was a lux
ury he wasn’t used to. He reached for the soap again and set about working up more lather to bathe the rest of his body.

  <<<<<<<>>>>>>>

  Elisher stepped outside Kol’s bathroom and stopped there with the back of his head resting against the closed door. He heard Kol adjusting the temperature, then he heard him moan when he stepped under the shower.

  Elisher’s eyes widened and he slapped a hand over his mouth before hurrying away and locking himself in his own room on the opposite side of the living room. He hurried into his own bathroom and stripped down leaving his robe and pajamas on the floor of the bathroom.

  The water was cranked up to freezing cold before Elisher stepped beneath it. The cold water ran down over the body he made every effort to keep hidden every single day. Elisher looked down and watched the response of the nipples on small breasts as they puckered against the cold water — or the thought of a naked Ambassador Kol — which had had this effect on the now perky nipples Elisher wasn’t sure. Elisher ran wet hands down the curve of the slender waist that blossomed out to curved hips, and watched the tips of tiny, delicate toes and feet as they curled against the cold water.

  Elisher spent a lot of years cultivating her image as a young man, and there was nothing worth risking the strides she’d made. Not even a male that looked like Kol. She thought of his body again and the sight of him walking before her naked as the day he was born and shook her head. “Nobody should be that beautiful or that well endowed,” she whispered as she reached for the shampoo and ducked her head beneath the cold water.

  Ten minutes later Elisher stepped out of the shower and dried her body. She towel dried her short, cropped hair then pulled on the tight stretchy bando she wore around her breasts to keep them flattened at all times. She pulled on the loose pajama top, then the pajama bottoms she sported each and every night, because you never knew who’d interrupt your sleep in the middle of the night. Then she pulled on the socks that covered her small, feminine feet before finally opening the bathroom door and returning to her own bed.