Hunting Cari (First Wave)

by Mikayla Lane

  The chime at her quarters let her know she had a visitor. “Enter," she stated glumly knowing who it was, and that it was time to meet the council.

  Uncle Randor entered with a bright smile, followed by Scaden, who wore his usual blank expression. If it wasn’t for the sparkle that entered his eyes or the noticeable deep breathe he took through his nose, she’d think he was stuck in that expression only. She wished he would smile for her, just once. She had seen him laugh with Gracus the first day on the ship, and it transformed him into something so beautiful she thought her knees would give out.

  “Sweetheart, it’s time to speak to the council. Are you ready? Don’t be nervous, honey. They are your family and will love you as I do.” Uncle Randor folded her gently into a warm hug as he spoke.

  “I’m scared to death, Uncle.” She whispered quietly as she snuggled into his embrace. She could have sworn she heard a growl. Peering behind her Uncle, she saw Scaden. He stood there with no change in his expression, but his eyes had deepened to a dark and stormy shade of blue.

  “There is nothing to be afraid of little one. Your Clan Mother will adore you, just as your father did. And the council is nothing to be afraid of either. They just want to see for themselves how beautiful our children are. You are so very special to us. You and Jess and the others like you. We could never have hoped to have children, but ones with gifts such as yours are truly amazing. They just want to see you. Scaden and I will be with you the whole time, so you won’t be alone. Then we’ll go have some dinner together. Ok honey?”

  “I understand. I’m kind of excited to meet them as well… sort of.”

  Randor laughed at the grimace she had on her face when she said that. It was clear to both men that she was very nervous and afraid, and didn’t want to admit it to either of them.

  Scaden wanted nothing more than to hold her and comfort her as Randor had. His arms ached with the need to hold her and feel her body close to his again. Pushing away those thoughts, he preceded them out of the cabin door and waited in the hallway as Randor followed with Cari’s arm looped through his own. He quietly seethed at the physical contact between the two of them.

  The rational side of him knew that they were just like a father and daughter, but it annoyed him to see the other man touch Cari when he couldn’t. The few times when he’d been able to touch her silken skin had been amazing, and he wanted nothing more than to pick her up into his arms and lock them both in his cabin until he tired of looking at her and touching her. Although he didn’t think that he’d never get tired of either of those things.

  He watched her hips sway gently as she walked down the corridor. By the One, whoever keeps making those dresses for her is going to get beaten; he thought!

  He could barely keep his eyes of the creamy skin of her breasts as they strained at the tight material of the upper portion of the dress. The halter style of the top caused a lot of her skin to be on display. And as she walked towards him when he was standing at her door, he could see that the long slits in both sides of the floor-length skirt showed off her beautiful legs all the way to the middle of her thighs. The gold color of the dress made the light golden color of her skin seem to glow.

  He was hard as a rock. All he wanted to do was throw her down on the bed and taste every inch of her. And he knew by the reactions of some of his crews, that they had some of the same thoughts when they looked at her. And he wanted to kill them for thinking it.

  Following behind Randor and Cari in the hallway was another hell for him. He could not help but stare at the luscious curve of her bottom, as it swayed seductively in her dress. The fabric clinging to her curves in such a way as to display them to perfection.

  As she and Randor passed Bakur from MedLab in the hallway, the man just stopped and watched every single step she took and admired the way her body moved with such grace. Scaden couldn’t control the anger at such a blatant display of disrespect, snatching Bakur by the throat; he shoved him into the wall. “Do not ever look at her that way again! Do I make myself clear? She is not yours to look at in such a way!” Scaden growled into the man’s terrified face.

  “Yes Sir! I’m sorry Sir!” Bakur whimpered with fear as he dangled from Scaden’s fist.

  Hearing Cari’s startled gasp, he immediately let go of Bakur and turned to her. He saw no trace of fear in her features, just anger at his actions, and he could have sworn she’d said “asshole” under her breath. She really shouldn’t be too shocked anymore; he’d done the same to most of the crew since she’d been on the ship. He couldn’t blame them. She was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen in his life or ever would. But she was his and no one else had a right to look at her that way but him.

  As if realizing the drama was over, she, and Randor turned back around and headed to the main comm room, stopping in front of the door. She looked at Uncle Randor and held his hands in hers. “I won’t embarrass you Uncle Randor. I’ll make you proud.” She whispered quietly to him, reaching up to kiss his cheek.

  “Oh honey! There has never been a time when I haven’t been proud of you. Just be yourself, because I am proud of who you are. You’ll do fine honey.” Randor scooped her up into his arms for a quick hug. Hearing the growls behind him, Randor gently set her down on her feet and tapped her nose. Turning to Scaden, he sent him a scowl, “You and I need to talk later, Commander."

  “Then later it is.” Scaden growled as he walked into the comm room, where they would meet with the Council, and waited for Cari and Randor to join him.

  Cari was so nervous. Here she was going to stand in front of the One only knew who… going to have to plead the case of finding Jess and staying on Earth. She was in a large, wide room with black screens all around her. Scaden left her in the center of the room with Uncle Randor. She honestly wanted to ask him to stand beside her, just so she could touch him. However, she refused to do that. And then the screens seemed to dissolve around her.

  There were eleven figures standing around her. She felt closed in; the room didn’t seem quite as large now. There were nine men and two women, and she was so close to walking out the door. Her pride was the only thing holding her in place. She clasped Uncle Randor’s hand. The room was so quiet; no one was speaking. The eleven pairs of eyes just staring at her and Uncle Randor was unnerving.

  “Son…” The choked voice of the man on the far right drew her attention. An older version of her Uncle, it was obvious that this was his father.

  “Father, it is good to see you.” The effort it was taking her Uncle to hold in his emotions was very evident in his voice. He squeezed her hand slightly, and she squeezed it back in support. Cari couldn’t imagine what it was like for either one of them to see each other after so long. After spending so many years thinking they would never see each other again, this moment must be taking a huge emotional toll on both, one that she could feel.

  “Son, I have no words to express to you, the joy your mother, and I felt at hearing that Commander Torenson had found you.” Cari could see a lone tear sliding quietly down the man’s face, as he spoke. He clasped his shaking hands in front of him tightly as if he knew he couldn’t touch his son, but had to stop himself from trying nonetheless.

  “I too was happy to learn that you and mother were still well, Father. And I look forward to seeing you both again. It’s been too long.”

  “She looks so much like Mikel. And she’s very beautiful.” Cari turned her head to look at the woman who had spoken her father’s name. Cari’s breathe caught in her throat when she realized this woman must be her grandmother. Slightly taller than Cari, the woman had the same eyes and hair as she had, and looked a lot like her. Their facial features were a different, but other than that they resembled each other enough to leave no doubt that they were related.

  “Councilor Lakatis, I apologize for my lack of manners. I should have introduced you to your clan daughter immediately. Councilor Lakatis, this is Cari Lakatis, Mikel and Ann Lakatis’ daughter. Cari, this is your cla
n mother, Caretia Lakatis.” Uncle Randor bowed slightly to the woman.

  “Randor, from what little we have learned from Commander Torenson of the fate of my son and clan daughter and the lengths you went through in order to protect her; there is no reason to stand on formality. As her adoptive father and sole protector, you are very much a part of our clan now as you are your own. I’m sure I can speak for Councilor Macner when I say that my clan daughter is also a part of your clan now as well as my own.”

  “Although this situation is almost unheard of except during a mating between clan members, the counsel has agreed that under the unique circumstances we are now facing with the survivors of the outpost and the children created, it warrants this approach. There may be many more parents of our clan children that have been lost to us. And many others like yourself, who put the pain of their loss behind them in order to protect and raise the children of others.”

  “We cannot expect these children to turn their backs on their adoptive parents, nor the protectors to do so either. For these situations, all the Council members have agreed to grant dual clan ship to both protectors and children. And I am honored to have you in my clan Randor. If not for you, my clan daughter, the only thing left of my son, would not be standing there with you now.”

  Cari thought the woman had done a fantastic job at containing her emotions throughout her speech, until she mentioned her own son. Her last sentence ended in a series of broken sobs, and she covered her face with shaking hands. Cari felt overwhelming sympathy for her clan mother. It had to be devastating to learn that her son had been alive for so many years after they’d ended up on Earth, and if they’d only tried harder to find them, he could have been with her.

  “Caretia, I thank you for the honor of becoming part of your clan. And thank the council for their foresight in understanding the bonds that have been forged between not only Cari and I, but the others like us, who have ‘adopted’ each other through the years.” Randor said to them all gratefully. He was glad that they weren’t going to try to separate him and Cari. Normally unmated males and females from other clans could not be alone together. Nor could they visit each other without prior clan approval from both clans. As Cari’s 'Father', he would not tolerate interference with his duties to his daughter.

  “As Councilor Lakatis stated, we are honored to accept Cari into our clan as well. And we mourn the loss of your mate and child my son. And we are very proud of your actions in accepting responsibility for Cari when she was in need.” Randor’s father was obviously still trying to contain his emotions. Cari could feel the sorrow mixed with joy coming off of the man in waves. His emotions and those of her clan mother were beating at her head and heart as they were the strongest in the room. The other Councilor’s were experiencing a confusing mixture of hope, joy and sorrow as well. She was beginning to have a hard time trying to dampen the intense emotions swirling through her.

  Cari was brought out of her thoughts abruptly as Uncle Randor squeezed her hand a little tighter and looked at her expectantly. She realized that he wanted her to say something, and quickly recounted the conversations to figure out how to choose her words wisely.

  “I know I’m supposed to say something. To be perfectly honest with you all, I’m overwhelmed. Uncle Randor has told me about my father’s people my whole life, but I truly didn't expect this day to come. I never expected to meet my clan mother, or to even be in a ship circling another planet.” She paused trying to fight through the emotions in the room to gather her thoughts.

  “I am truly in awe and honored that you would accept me into your clans and as part of your people…” Uncle Randor squeezed her hand in encouragement, and she knew he could feel the impact of her confusing emotions.

  “I am also very grateful that you have all accepted our relationship and have considered the feelings of others, like me, that we may find in similar circumstances. As overwhelming as all of this is, if faced with the loss of my second father, it would be much more difficult for me to deal with. Losing my real father was hard enough. I look forward to learning more about him from you Councilor Lakatis. And hope to share my memories of him and my mother with you as well.” Cari decided she’d said enough right now. The emotions in the room were fairly choking her and making it difficult for her to center her thoughts.

  “Please child, call me Mother Caretia, as is custom on our world. It would please me greatly for my son’s child to call me that.” The woman’s pain and sorrow were nearly crippling. Coupled with the heavy emotions of the others in the room, Cari could barely think. Clutching her stomach and doubling over, Cari tried desperately to filter through and dampen their emotions, but knew that she was starting to ‘bleed’ them out to Scaden and her uncle.

  “Cari! What is it?” As if in a tunnel, Cari could hear Scaden. It felt as if she were battling through their emotions to even speak. She felt strong arms around her, heard someone talking to her gently, but couldn’t make out the words. As she concentrated on the warmth of the person holding her, she was able to clear her head enough to understand.

  “What’s wrong Cari? I’ve called Amun, just hang on Amalaya.” She recognized Scaden’s voice and realized it was he that was holding her tightly in his arms and whispering quietly to her.

  “Their emotions… there’s so much pain, and sorrow… it’s so strong I can’t filter it all.” Cari whispered weakly to him. The pain of their emotions beat at her strongly and now fear was added to the already overwhelming mix. She couldn’t filter it well enough to know if it was fear of her or for her.

  “She can feel our emotions? We aren’t even physically there!” Cari heard a new voice utter in astonishment.

  “We have no idea of the strength of the gifts the children have. And have never had the time or ability to test them in any way. Not only were we limited by the resources of the planet, but we also weren’t even sure how to begin testing them. Obviously, she can feel your emotions, and it’s too strong for her to shield herself.” Randor told them, the concern evident in his voice, although he tried to control it so as not to add to what she was already feeling.

  “We need to get her out of here and back to her quarters until she can handle this. Amun, see her there, and make sure she is comfortable. Monitor her brain scans and see if you can determine a way to help her control her gift or find a way to help dampen it in some way. She cannot be put through this.” Cari heard Scaden say in his commanding voice as he transferred her into Amun’s arms. Amun settled her gently, and walked quickly from the comm room, shouting orders to someone about gathering equipment.

  “How is this possible? I don’t understand. Will she be alright? Randor, I’m so sorry. I never thought that she could feel what I was feeling. I would never cause her any pain!” Caretia exclaimed in anguish.

  “I know that Caretia. And to be honest, I never knew her gift was this strong. Again, we had no way to test it. She has the ability to dampen the emotions of the Earth people. This she has done many times over the years when we had to mingle with them to get supplies. And I’ve always tried to control my emotions around her, so as not to affect her. I had no idea she would be able to feel yours in your holo-forms or I would have warned you to try to control yourselves.”

  “It may be that the emotions of our people are able to break through much more strongly than those of the Earth people. We won’t know until Amun can do some testing on her and determine the extent of her gifts.” Randor told them honestly. He was just as clueless as they were as to her reactions to them. And he was anxious to make sure she was alright.

  “Is this the kind of thing we need to try to expect with the other clan children that may be found?” Councilor Satiya asked Randor.

  “Unfortunately, we won’t know until we find them. We had so little time to be around each other that we know almost nothing about their gifts. What we do know is that their mother’s all had some form of special ability, and it was passed down to the children, but somehow enhanced because o
f the addition of our DNA and unique cell structure. In Cari’s case, her mother was a powerful empath, but she didn’t have the ability to project her emotions the way Cari does.”

  “I think it best that when the ships arrive at your location that we immediately bring Cari here, where she belongs.” Caretia said.

  “NO!! She’s not going anywhere! She belongs on this ship!” Scaden growled angrily at the woman. There was no way they were going to take her away from him! He would not let that happen; he thought clenching his fists at his sides. She belonged to him! Randor looked at Scaden with shock.

  “Scaden! What is the meaning of this?” Councilor Torenson demanded. What had come over his son, to be so offensive to a council member?

  “If I may, sir, Scaden is right; she can’t leave the ship. You saw the reaction she had to your emotions, and you aren’t even here. Can you imagine how bad it would be for her on a planet with so many others like us? And it wouldn’t matter how many times you warned people to try to shield themselves around her; their hopes, fears and sorrows would bombard her anyway. The only other option would be to lock her away from everyone but a select few. This would make her little more than a prisoner.”

  “At least on this ship, not only is everyone so well trained that it is easy for them to guard their emotions, but she has become used to them, and she’s not become overwhelmed once while on this ship, the way she has in your presence. Besides the ramifications due to her gifts, did you think to ask what she wants? We have never been able to force our will on other sentient races from other planets. It is against everything we believe, so we can’t force her to go if she doesn’t want to. And I know she will not leave until Jess is found.” Randor tried explaining to the council, looking at each member in turn to judge their reactions.