CaressoftheStars

by Viola Grace

  "As my servant, you will be able to travel with me but be largely unsupervised. It will allow you to engage in whatever seeker activity you require." He was handling the controls to the shuttle very well, keeping them on track while he spoke.

  "Fine, so what do I call you?"

  "Master Yaedo. Or Master if you prefer."

  "What will you call me?"

  "Huana or servant. No one but me is to know that you are a seeker once we leave the collective."

  She groaned. "Wonderful." She grimaced and tried it on for size. "Master Yaedo. Oh, that is going to take some getting used to."

  "I won't have a problem with you calling me that. I will probably even answer to it."

  Huana shuddered at the change. "The travellers are known for occasionally sharing women of other races."

  "Dekkar made sure that anyone other than me believes you are diseased or cursed. No one will touch you."

  At the same time, the statement was both comforting and depressing. Again, she would be amongst people who thought her repulsive and beneath them. It was going to be a very long assignment.

  "I am grateful that the star took such measures." Going into heat in the stars was going to be rough, but if she managed to find Dekkar's world, she would be home and able to shop for a husband in the traditional manner, luring him in with her scent.

  "Our star wants you to remain happy and healthy while you are away from your home." His shoulders shifted as he moved the controls slightly.

  They overshot the space station and he approached a large ship with calm deliberation.

  "Where exactly are we going?"

  "The Gilenden Archive is our first stop. You will be given three days to collect as much research as you can. After that, we are joining the traveller collective."

  Huana tried to hide her excitement. "The Archive, you say?"

  "I realize that this is the culmination of all of your seeker fantasies, but try to contain your enthusiasm. You are supposed to be diseased after all." He sent her a wry grin and she had to blink at the proof that he had a sense of humour.

  "Fine. I will keep on track, but it will take me a while to figure out which direction to focus my research."

  "Take all the time you need, but do it in three days."

  She crossed her arms and drummed her fingers against her biceps. "Very funny for a priest."

  "We all have extensive senses of humour, but since you are not a frequent visitor to the temple, you wouldn't know that."

  She gritted her teeth. "You are correct. I have never been invited to the temple before today. I know nothing about you or others of your kind."

  He frowned. "My kind?"

  "Priests who have their pick of the females in town. I am well aware that I don't meet the physical description for introduction criteria."

  He stared at her as they neared the large, hulking ship that would carry them at faster speeds than they could manage.

  "Keep your eyes on the road…Master." Her lips twisted as she practiced his title.

  "We will discuss this later, but for now, know that your physical appearance has nothing to do with your lack of invitation to the temple. Women who are not in heat are rarely invited for introduction."

  Embarrassed, she kept her gaze forward as they approached the hulking ship. She had been off world before, but this was the first time she had not been alone. Once in the bulk transport, the small shuttle would be locked into place and from there, they would be on the way to the Archive. If she was very lucky, she would forget the look of pity and confusion in Yaedo's face when she muttered her complaint.

  Sadly, she knew her luck was never that good.

  Chapter Three

  Huana was in her element, rifling through the old documents and letting her instincts take control. She was absorbing information as quickly as she could.

  "Huana, are you done? We need to leave."

  Her master was waiting in the doorway, as if afraid to enter her domain.

  She straightened her work kiosk and handed the books back to the librarian in the creationist sector. "Thank you, Jovil. You were most helpful."

  The librarian blushed, his pale peach skin turning a violent red under the warmth of her smile. "Any time, Huana. It was nice to see a friendly face in here for a change."

  She winked and patted the back of his hand before leaving. Yaedo was scowling as if she had just gutted a toddler in front of him. "What?"

  Yaedo leaned down to murmur in her ear. "You touched him and he didn't recoil."

  "He isn't Hashka. I am guessing that Dekkar forgot to make me repulsive to all species." She shrugged. It was nice. She had made a friend who actually seemed to think that her bland features were attractive.

  The corner of his mouth twitched and she kept staring at it, fascinated by the rhythmic motion. "That isn't possible."

  She started down the endless halls to their docked shuttle. "Maybe he just likes my personality. I don't think Dekkar can repress that, not if he wants me to work effectively."

  He followed her and asked quietly, "Did you find it?"

  "I believe I did. I will confirm the coordinates after we finish joining the collective. Are you ready?"

  He seemed surprised. "Of course. I have been waiting for you to complete your research into the location."

  She turned her head to hide her grin. She had finished looking for H'skar on the first day. The last two had just been to have her seeker curiosity be satisfied as much as it could be.

  As they made their way to the shuttle, she ran through the facts she had gleaned. They would keep her warm and entertained on the long nights in her tiny room in the shuttle.

  "We are meeting with the collective mother ship in less than six hours." Yaedo was all business when she went silent.

  "Good. It has been a while since I met with travellers. Are we going in as nesters?" She entered the access code to their shuttle and stepped into the dim interior, sighing as the lights went on in response to her presence.

  "You know about nesters?"

  He should have known not to be surprised, but Huana merely nodded as she moved to the control panel.

  Nesters were a little-known method of travel. If you had connections and a willingness to work for your keep, a person could park their shuttle on a collective mother ship and become a transient part of their community.

  "What will our duties be?"

  He sat in the pilot's chair while she worked on the navigation systems, inputting some of the data she had gleaned. It was enough to confirm their general destination but not enough to give away their final target.

  Yaedo was looking at her with a peculiar expression when she finally looked up. "You actually found the lost world, didn't you?"

  "Not yet, but I found the likely coordinates. I just inputted them." She spun the chair away and rubbed the back of her neck. "Ready when you are."

  "How can you be so calm about this? You have just located a lost world!" His hands were clenching as if he wanted to grab her and shake her.

  "It will remain lost until the day that we land on it. It isn't going anywhere." Her grin couldn't be stopped. "So, what are we doing in the collective?"

  He gave her a look that indicated he wasn't going to let the subject go but answered her direct query. "I will be teaching the young men of the collective hand-to-hand combat tactics and you will be working with the security forces to find lost things."

  "So, you get to have fun and I get to do my normal job. Nice." She crossed her arms over her chest and blinked in surprise as his gaze dropped to her breasts. She quickly raised her arms to cover her peaked nipples.

  She inwardly kicked her shins as her body reacted with alacrity to his slightest gaze. After three days in close quarters with him, her system was humming constantly in a semi-aroused state. She knew that he didn't feel the same, but it was fun to torture herself with his proximity.

  "I will be doing my normal job as well. Don't think that you are the only one w
ho has to endure the beauty of space from the bonds of duty."

  He began the clearance requests while she did the pre-flight checks. With all systems green and a full fuel system, she gave him a thumbs-up and strapped into her harness.

  Their shuttle lifted the moment that the docking locks were released. Yaedo was no slouch at the controls and as soon as Huana realized that she was staring at his hands, she jerked her gaze away and looked out at the stars.

  A huge hulk of a ship filled her vision where blackness should have been. The matte grey exterior belied the vibrancy of the people within but served the purpose of allowing them to dock at any of the stations without irritating the locals. They kept their families within the collective and extended their services for those starved of entertainment when they travelled to far off stations. They were the ideal means for folks such as themselves to visit areas where a smaller shuttle would lack support.

  As the huge hulk of the ship rotated to expose their docking area, Huana grinned. Even from the angle of approach, she could see the gilt interior and wild colours that were the collective's trademark.

  Yaedo parked the shuttle in a gaudy shuttle bay and looked at her. "How long will we be on this ship?"

  She unbuckled and looked at him in surprise. "That depends on the collective. If they take my suggestions for navigation, we can be there in two weeks. If not, it can be months."

  He nodded and helped her from her seat at the nav station. "Shall we meet our new travelling companions?"

  She followed him, bemused by the contact of his skin on hers. They exited their shuttle and faced the elders of the collective.

  Three men and three women of the N'staffin race faced them and bowed.

  Manners were key in the collective and though the folk were a pale brown and not her vibrant blue, Huana always sensed a kinship with these folk.

  One of the female elders inclined her head. "Welcome, travellers."

  Yaedo bowed low and it was at that point that Huana realized that they were still holding hands. She released his fingers casually and made her own bow.

  "Thank you for your hospitality, Elders." Yaedo's voice imparted his genuine thanks.

  "You will earn it, Priest. Who is your companion?" The eldest male raised one dark eyebrow and nodded to their hands.

  They were no longer in contact, but the connection between them was undeniable and apparently visible.

  Huana folded her hands in front of her and inclined her head. "I am Seeker Marsh. My skills are at the collective's disposal."

  Seekers on duty tended to hide their identities. By admitting that she was a seeker, she was letting them know that she was not working. She had no allegiances beyond the collective.

  Smiles broke out on the elders' faces. "Welcome again. You will be assigned to the women's quarters, Seeker Marsh. Priest, come with me."

  He jerked in surprise. "The seeker needs to speak with your navigator."

  They looked at him with what approached pity. Huana quickly stepped toward him and whispered, "We are strangers until we have given one day of service to the collective. After one day, they will introduce me to their navigator and after one week, they will travel the course that I give."

  His jaw flexed but he nodded. "When will I see you? I thought we would remain separate during the day but reside in the shuttle."

  "They do not allow unmated couples to mingle. We will see each other at communal meals. I will provide updates then."

  The elders waited patiently for their conversation to cease. They nodded in approval as she spoke.

  "How do you know this?" He turned to face her, ignoring their audience.

  "Do you remember the slavers that ran through seven years ago and the return of the missing women?"

  "Yes. It was said that the temple handled it."

  "It wasn't the temple of Dekkar but of another star that sent their Elite to assist. We found the slavers and got the girls home with the help of a passing collective. We were able to get right up next to them before they knew we were there." She smiled and patted his cheek.

  Seeing his chiselled features expressing his shock made her heart jump a little. "Don't worry about it. We will see each other at…Elder, what time is it now?"

  "We have just had the noon meal, so you will be able to speak with each other at dinner in six hours." The speaker of the female elders grinned and took Huana's hand. "Come along, Seeker. We have work for you."

  Huana turned and let the women lead her out of the nester bay and into the interior of the collective. She looked back once and saw Yaedo speaking earnestly with one of the elders. He was in good hands.

  She was going to have to deal with the matters that the women brought to her.

  Chapter Four

  "Seeker, we are asking you to find the truth of this matter. We have lost an entire shipment of goods and are at our wits end." Elder Nehatho smiled, her weathered face showing her worry.

  Huana sat and sipped tea while the manifests were brought before her. "I will do whatever I can."

  Nehatho's daughter, Niera, grimaced as she placed the documents in front of Huana. "The trade goods are our life's blood. To have an entire shipment missing within the collective has caused my mother no end of stress."

  "I will endeavour to ease that burden."

  She finished her tea and nodded to the assembled women. They acquired the goods and the men sold them. To have a break in the supply chain was a disaster to the whole collective.

  She sat up straight and nodded to the dozen women who were seated in front of her. She knew what they needed to hear. "As a Seeker of Dekkar, I hereby swear to find what is lost."

  With that done, she reached forward and opened the folders. She heard the gasp and ignored it as her eyes glowed with the power she channelled. The words on the page blurred and swirled into a confusion of black and white.

  Data jumped at her, coordinates and keys, locks and codes all flooded into Huana's mind. She sat and looked for the answer to the question she had been asked, pushing aside all teasing data that tried to lead her astray.

  It could have been days for all she knew, but when she surfaced, the women looked at her with hope in their eyes. She was standing in front of one of the data terminal with a complete manifest on the display screen.

  "I have sought and I have found the trail of your shipment. If you will come with me, we can confirm my findings." Huana swayed and leaned against the terminal.

  "You are drained, Seeker. You have been doing that for hours." Nehatho reached out and touched her shoulder, jerking her hand back with a wince.

  "I apologize. The star rides me hard when I investigate away from my world. It seems if he can reach me, he enjoys running through my mind." The variety of images that were seared into her thoughts and most of them centred around Yaedo in a state of undress.

  "If you wish to continue, we can. Please, lead the way." Elder Nehatho gestured to the doorway and the women in the crowd made a channel.

  Huana took a deep breath and straightened. She kept her passive talent operating while she moved out of the women's hall and into the huge storage bays of the ship. Huge stacks of crates lined the walls, each tagged with the shipment and content details.

  "We have already looked here." Niera looked confused.

  "Keep walking. The trail leads this way."

  The women were murmuring excitedly now.

  Huana climbed onto a lifter and after a little trial and error, she managed to start shifting one of the stacks, box by box. The women stood back and watched as she uncovered the core of the tower.

  Twenty unmarked boxes were stowed in the centre of the pile. Huana lifted them to one side and then turned the lifter off.

  The elder was grinning like a fool. "How did you find this? We have looked over every inch of this hold time and again. We didn't see a thing."

  Huana stood aside and let Jenu, the property mistress, take an inventory of the crates. "It was visible once I knew what to look
for. It was not deliberate on your parts, but Borali died while at her duties, didn't she?" Huana knew the answer, but she waited for it.

  Niera nodded. "Yes, she did. She was over one hundred and fifty years old, so it was not unexpected."

  "Your collective has extreme respect for the dead. No one would undo her work for at least four months. Her last assignment was to offload the shipment and record it. Jenu arrived early for work and quickly straightened the area so that Borali's last day on the job was completed."

  Jenu paused and looked surprised. "How did you know that?"

  "You are always early for work, but on that day, you did not relieve Borali until after her body was discovered. As the first person on the scene, you should have seen her at your normal time. Only the call of honour could have kept you from your normal duties."

  Elder Nehatho shook her head. "I have seen seekers in action before, but what other clues did we miss?"

  Huana rubbed the back of her neck. "Borali did not have time to store and record the shipment before the time recorded for her parting from these worlds. All of the towers are made of two hundred recorded tags, but this one only had eighty. The shipment was scanned as received, but not entered into inventory. Borali's normal practice was to mark the boxes after they were in place on the towers, the time records prove it."

  The women blinked in surprise and then started laughing.

  Nehatho smiled, "We thought the men had done it. There is a competition between our acquiring supplies and goods and the prices that they demand. The more we save, the more status we gain."

  "I am glad that it was nothing so sinister. What time is it, by the way?"

  Niela looked concerned. "We have one hour to meal time. Are you hungry?"

  "No. I am merely a little tired. Is there time for me to see my bunk?"

  Nehatho nodded. "We have arranged private quarters for you. In light of your skills, you have more than earned them."

  Relief flooded Huana. "Thank you, Elder. It is always easier for me to plan a path with a moment of reduced noise."