by Lisa Lace
"How can she do that?"
"We share our locations on our phones."
Jenn: SOS. Send help!
Nayla: For real?
Jenn: Someone's following us.
Nayla: On it.
The exit curved sharply to the left and descended from the raised highway to street level. The white car cut to the left and accelerated. As it moved next to the taxi, it shifted to the right and deliberately smashed into Jenn's car.
The crash flung Jenn into Kai's arms. He clutched her tightly as the vehicle skidded into the guardrail and spun around, stopping with a jolt.
"Get down!" yelled Kai as he pushed her to the floor. There wasn't any room in the tiny car, and Jenn found herself on her hands and knees, crouching against the crumpled door. She glanced up to see Kai with a weapon in his hand and an angry look on his face.
The side window exploded. Jenn quickly covered her head with her arms, closing her eyes. She heard an unfamiliar noise and realized it was Kai firing his alien weapon.
Police sirens pierced the air, and the gunfire stopped. Kai kicked out the door on his side of the vehicle and picked Jenn up like she weighed nothing, pulling her into the evening twilight. Lights flashed around them. A group of Anquesh appeared out of nowhere, along with Earth soldiers. The aliens quickly surrounded Kai and Jenn. He held her tightly wit one arm while barking out commands to the squad. The Anquesh leader looked unhappy but nodded his head. As a group, the Anquesh squeezed past the Earth Alliance military to the protests of Earth's commanding officer.
Kai shepherded Jenn into an Anquesh transport. Grim-faced Anquesh soldiers filed inside. When the aliens had filled every seat, Kai spoke to the driver and the vehicle sped off into the night. Kai remained standing, using his arm to steady himself. Jenn noticed a bluish-brown liquid dripping from his arm. With a shock, she realized Kai was injured. He wasn't looking at Jenn, and his expression was one of utter fury.
"Where are we going?" Kai ignored Jenn's question and she stopped asking. The oversized transport rattled down the highway, slowing down, bouncing and jolting as if it were traveling on uneven ground. The jarring ride unsettled Jenn's stomach. The Anquesh warriors, including Kai, stared straight ahead, not showing any reaction.
She had never felt more alone than among this group of aliens.
When the transport stopped, the door immediately opened. The soldiers stood and filed out the door, holding their weapons at the ready.
Before Jenn knew what was happening, Kai appeared in front of her and lifted her out of the seat.
"There's not enough time to explain. You'll have to trust me." To punctuate his words, he gently pushed her through the door.
Jenn stepped out of the transport to find herself surrounded by the Anquesh warriors once again. Kai stood behind her and shouted something in an alien language. The soldiers advanced, and stepped double-time through a field. A looming dark shape rose in the distance. She couldn't see the details, but she could tell that the object was huge, whatever it was. As they approached, a sliver of light appeared in the darkness. The soldiers parted slightly to form an aisle in their midst. Kai took Jenn's hand, pulling her up a walkway and into a huge room that looked like the interior of a warehouse.
One of Kai's diplomats was waiting for them. He stepped forward and put his fist to his chest. By his demeanor, it seemed that this alien was no mere ambassador. There had been so many soldiers present during the TerraMates training that Jenn was able to recognize a military man.
How much have the Anquesh deceived us? Jenn thought.
Kai and his diplomat had a quick exchange in Anquesh. The group of soldiers dispersed and two minutes later, Kai and Jenn were alone.
"There's time now to explain what's happening, I assume."
"Not yet." Kai's eyes narrowed. Without warning, he grabbed her and swung her onto his broad shoulders. As she started to kick and yell, Kai started walking purposefully through different corridors.
Jenn felt sick when she realized they weren't in a building. They were in a spaceship.
"Let me go!" she screamed.
Kai ignored Jenn's demands as he took her down an elevator. He stopped in front of a depression in the wall. The seam of a door appeared and opened, revealing a room barely larger than a cubicle. It contained a single platform for sleeping and an inset workstation in the wall with a chair.
Kai deposited her on the bed unceremoniously.
"The toilet is on the left. I'll need your hand for a moment." Jenn silently rose from the bed. Kai took her palm and pressed it firmly against a wall panel. The warrior muttered some words, and a mechanical voice answered him.
"You are now keyed to use the services in this room."
"How does that help me? I don't speak Anquesh."
"Good point," he said gruffly. "Computer, use Earth language protocols in this room. Change the security level to basic."
"Yes, Commander Imwaden," a mechanical voice responded.
"Commander? Not Emissary?" said Jenn.
"Now we're on my ship, the Ruvien," Kai said firmly. "I'm the commander of the vessel. We are on our way to Anquera."
"Hold on a second. I didn't ask to get thrown onto an alien ship and go on a ride through interstellar space."
"No, Jenn Carden, you did not." Kai turned and left Jenn to think by herself.
Chapter Eleven
By the time he made it to the medical bay, Kai could barely walk. Some called it battle rage. The Anquesh called it nuxmunit. It began with the attack on the car, but it was fading now, and he was starting to feel weak.
By the gods, he thought. Who attacked us?
He ran through the possibilities in his mind. Was it someone from Earth, such as the military or a terrorist organization? A faction from Anquera looking to destabilize the government? Or was it a third race, biding its time and waiting for the most opportune moment to strike?
"Commander!" The medical tech was surprised to see Kai. "I need help. The commander is wounded."
Others rushed to Kai's side. In his depleted state, the faces blurred together, and he couldn't recognize anyone. He started swaying on his feet. Someone led him to a bed, lifting him up and helping him sink into the comfortable pad.
The doctor examined Kai's body, taking note of his multiple wounds. He had bruises on his shoulder, upper arm, and right chest.
"Did someone beat you up? What weapons cause injuries like these?"
Kai laughed. "They were using bullets. Earth weapons."
The doctor made a derisive noise. "How primitive."
"It doesn't matter how the target dies, as long as they stay dead." Kai held back a groan that lingered in his throat as the doctor began to prod his body.
"We need to take them out."
"You don't need my permission to do your job." Kai's patience was at an end. Not only had his security failed to provide information about a possible attack, he was also forced to bring Jenn onto the Ruvien for her protection. Without knowing the identity of the attackers, it wasn't safe to leave Jenn in the hands of Earth's military forces.
Kai had been shocked at how easy it was to slip away from the people who were assigned to protect them. Neither the Earth Alliance troops nor his handlers should have let the situation deteriorate to the point where a flight was necessary. Aden never made it back to the Ruvien once Kai sounded the evacuation order.
The only explanation that made sense was that Kai had a spy among his men. His lack of vigilance and over-reliance on his people had put both him and Jenn at risk. Now he wasn't sure who to trust. It was a bitter pill to swallow, and he wasn't going to make the same mistake twice.
The doctor administered local painkillers, but it still hurt when instruments poked around in private places. Kai kept his eyes fixed on the ceiling, doing his best not to show weakness. The doctor seemed enthusiastic about digging his instruments into Kai's body. The crude Earth bullets made a clinking sound as the medic dropped them into a metal pan.
&
nbsp; "Save those," said Kai. "I want to analyze them later."
"Yes, commander."
The medic gently wiped away the blood from Kai's body and squeezed gel into each of the bullet holes. Kai was familiar with the treatment. The gel gave a short-term anesthetic effect while helping to heal tissue. When the doctor finished applying the gel, he laid strips of artificial skin on the wounds.
"Sorry to tell you this, but you can't exercise or shower for a week."
Kai raised his eyebrows. "That seems like an excessively long time."
"If your temperature rises or these wounds start bleeding again, come back here immediately. If you don't, I'll make sure your record shows you disobeyed your doctor's orders."
"Got it." Kai tried to sit up but shook his head. The room was spinning around him.
"No way." The doctor pushed him back down on the bed. "You have to rest here while we monitor your vital signs. We won't release you until we're sure you are well enough to walk."
Before Kai could reply, two figures walked to his bed. It was Tellen and his second-in-command, Lieutenant Sevit.
"Commander," said Tellen. "We have no new intelligence about the attack. The United Earth Alliance denies any involvement. They are also agitated that you took the woman. They demand her release."
"They can demand all they want. I'm not returning her."
"Sir, is that the most diplomatic solution?"
"Just a minute, Tellen." Kai held up his hand. "Sevit, take these bullets to security. Ask them if they can learn any new information."
"Sir, they would likely need assistance from Earth. The same people you plan to blow off about Jennifer Carden."
"Just tell the United Earth Alliance we expect their full cooperation to find the criminals who attacked me and my sindare."
At Kai's last words, Sevit raised an eyebrow.
"Are you waiting for something, Lieutenant? I gave you an order."
"Yes, sir," said Sevit crisply. He picked up the pan that held the bullets and left.
"What are you going to do with the Earth woman?"
"That is my business, and mine alone."
"The Emperor will disagree."
"I couldn't leave her there by herself. For all we know, her government's been compromised. I had to decide which one was the greater evil: leaving her with her own people or bringing her to ours. If she's with me, I can oversee her protection. It's my duty as her sindare."
"Sindare." Tellen shook his head. "How can you know? You need to test your assumption in combat."
"Have you found yours?"
"I am an old warrior. It's unlikely to meet my sindare at this stage in my life. I am quite satisfied with my wife."
Kai knew that if Tellen found his sindare, he wouldn't talk lightly about them. An ordinary woman would never invoke the depth of feeling that the Earth woman had aroused in Kai.
"Regardless," said Tellen. "The problem still stands. You cannot present Jennifer as your sindare to the emperor."
"I know. But allow me the dignity of making sure she is safe."
"And how do you propose to do that with the current political climate?"
Kai didn't know.
Jenn paced around the little room, her ire gathering into a ball of anger.
"How dare he!" she muttered. "He thinks he can kidnap me, imprison me in a room and leave me alone, damn it!"
"Is there a problem?" A voice with a slightly mechanical tone echoed through speakers hidden somewhere in the walls.
She felt silly talking without seeing anyone, but she wouldn't let her discomfort stop her. "Where is the Emissary?"
"Sorry. I do not understand your question."
"Oh, great," groused Jenn. The last thing she needed was a computer that didn't understand her. "Let me try a different query. Where is Kai?"
"Do you mean Commander Imwaden?"
"Yes. Are there a lot of Anquesh named Kai around here?"
"Commander Imwaden is unavailable. Do you want me to leave him a message saying you want to see him?"
"No!"
"Very well."
Jenn didn't think that was what she wanted. She needed some answers. Was the Anquesh Emissary the only one who could give them to her? How long would it take?
"Wait, I changed my mind. Yes, I do want to see him."
"I will relay the message. One moment. It appears that Commander Imwaden is not on the active duty roster."
"What does that mean?" Jenn clenched her teeth.
"Not only is Commander Imwaden unavailable, but he also is not currently receiving messages."
"Let's try something else. I want to speak to someone that is available."
"I will relay the message," the mechanical voice said. "I have notified Lieutenant Sevit that you wish to speak to him. He will be here in approximately thirty minutes."
"Thirty minutes!"
"I detect a high level of stress in your voice. Do you have physical needs that warrant attention?"
The phrase 'physical needs' made Jenn flash back to the car where Kai did delicious things to her body. She had to shut her thoughts down. She was on an enemy alien ship, and she didn't want to think about sex, especially when a machine triggered the memory.
"No, I do not."
"Are you certain? Do you require food?"
The rumbling in Jenn's stomach told her yes. A single slice of pizza hours ago was hardly enough to keep her going. When she didn't answer right away, the computer didn't wait for her. "I will put in an order to the kitchen for you."
A buzzer sounded. "Per your request, Lieutenant Sevit is here to see you. Shall I open the door?"
"Yes." Jenn paused a moment. "Thank you."
An Anquesh warrior walked in with a wary expression in his eyes. He began speaking in Anquesh. "Lieutenant Sevit does not speak English or Standard," said the computer. "He ordered me to translate. The Lieutenant asks what you want."
Jenn glared at the man who towered over her.
"Where is Kai?" she demanded.
"The commander is unavailable."
"The computer told me that. I'm looking for more information. If he's not available, where is he precisely? I assume he's not lost in space." Jenn's words came out more fiercely than she had intended.
Sevit spat out a few words. "Commander Imwaden is in the medical bay. The staff is treating the wounds he received on your planet." The computer's mechanical voice did not have the same coldness that came from the Anquesh warrior's mouth.
"Oh. Is he going to be okay?"
"He will live. The Commander's health is not your concern. You've done quite enough already. Is there anything else you require at this moment?"
The Lieutenant's tone implied Jenn was the cause of his commander's injuries. She supposed she was, from a certain point of view. If she hadn't encouraged Kai to run away from the restaurant, the ugly mess would never have happened.
She shook her head no.
"Sleep pleasantly." The door closed as Sevit left the room.
Chapter Twelve
Jenn had fallen asleep. When she jolted awake, the lights in the room were off. The room was dark except for some light streaming in from the hallway. A hulking figure stood at the entrance.
"Turn on the damn lights!" Jenn shouted. The tiny room lit up, and she could finally see who was waiting for her outside the door.
It was Kai.
She gulped. He had one hand against the doorframe and his pose highlighted his sculptured body. Kai had changed his clothes. Currently, he wore a uniform with a metal breastplate which left his muscular arms uncovered. Unconsciously, Jenn stared at him, trying to get the memories of his hands out of her mind.
He didn't move, and Jenn quickly became impatient again. "Are you going to come in?"
"I was just checking on you."
"Why would you do that? Do you think I'm going to wander off unsupervised? You're holding me against my will. I'm sure your computer is keeping excellent tabs on me. You must want something e
lse."
Kai looked away. He was trying to figure out the correct response.
"Well?" demanded Jenn. "Do you have anything to say for yourself?"
"No. A warrior does not need to explain himself."
"You jerk!" She flew at him, her frustration at her situation pushing her to recklessness. Jenn hammered his breastplate with her fists. "How dare you take me from my planet! How dare you imprison me!"
Kai's face looked pained as he easily pulled her fists away from his chest. With a sigh, Kai pushed her back into the cabin, this time moving inside and closing the door. He started talking, enumerating several points with his fingers.
"First of all, I'm the commander of this ship. It reflects poorly on us if you make angry displays where the crew can hear you. Second, I'd appreciate it if you didn't hit me. My wounds are still healing, and the medical officer will give me a bad report if they start bleeding again. Finally, I brought you onto my ship because I wasn't sure who was trying to kill us. It's possible that you have become entangled in Anquera politics. If someone tried to kill you because you were with me, it's a problem. I understand that you want nothing to do with me, and I respect your decision."
"Where did you get the idea that I want nothing to do with you?"
"You were angry with me in the taxi when I touched you. You were right. It was unworthy of you and dishonorable of me."
Jenn stared at Kai. She could hardly believe a word she was hearing.
So he does think the worst of me, she thought. I'm stuck on a spaceship with a space hulk who thinks I'm a slut.
"I won't bother you again."
Kai couldn't forget the angry look on Jenn's face as the door slid into place, separating them again. He hung his head. His sindare hated him, and for good reasons.
It was foolish for him to come back to her cabin. He had lied to himself. He didn't need to check on her at all, but he wanted to see her. He needed to touch her, even if she didn't want him.
For the first time in his life, he had no idea how to get what he wanted.
Kai thought he could stash Jenn on a backwater planet somewhere and keep her away from danger, but he realized now it was foolish. She would be just as unhappy there as she was on Anquera. She wanted to go home. If their situations reversed, he would want to back too, regardless of the danger.