The evening before their arrival at Tsalietta, Tansa commented on the fact that Tek was no longer attempting to cook during dinner. Tek’s spot flushed and he looked guilty for some reason. His mother saw the reaction and kept after him until he confessed. It was discovered that Blanca had taught him to crochet and that the light-weight delicate sweater Tansa was wearing had actually been done by Tek himself. Not Blanca.
Dezek told the younger male he no reason to be embarrassed. The garment was a beautiful item and well done. Dezek then threatened anyone who harassed Tek would be forced to consume Tek’s cooking. Every smirk disappeared instantly.
***
Docking procedures and passing the customs check at Tsalietta was always a hassle Dezek thought to himself as the crew dealt with petty details which the Tsalietta government insisted upon. The rules were time consuming and sometimes contradicted basic common sense. Finally having cleared the last hurdle they were allowed to dock planet side. He left Fazon in charge and went to let his father know he could disembark and explain to the women the rules that went with this stop.
Stepping into Hydro he mentally searched for Sienna and then located the ladies at the tables on the minawl patch having a cool drink. His aunt was rubbing a very pregnant Samantha’s back.
“Is everything alright,” Dezek voiced his concern at the discomfort showing in Samantha’s face. Secretly he was as glad to have Ladat Tansa here as Vax was.
“Yes, she’s having false labor pains,” Tansa told him. Tansa’s face and demeanor told him she wasn’t overly concerned. “She’s nearing the final stretch for a human pregnancy. The pains are to be expected especially as she’s having twins,” Tansa explained as she continued the gentle massage and Samantha’s face began to relax.
“Tota, I came down to let you know we docked and finally gained customs clearance to disembark,” Dezek told his father.
“Thank you son, I’ll go see if Kern can contact the embassy for me and determine if the rest of the party has arrived.” His father kissed his mother and aunt and said goodbye to the women before departing.
“I know that my mother and aunt are planning a shopping trip into the city today and any of you are welcome to go. Please keep in mind that the white sun will require you to wear eye protection and you’ll need sun deterrent as well. Lada, Rev and Fazon will be accompanying you.”
“Is that really necessary, Dezek?” his mother asked.
“A precaution, Lada. Tsalietta is having some serious economic problems right now so I would feel better if you took security with you.” To Dezek’s immense relief his mother acquiesced and the human females decided that they would stay aboard. The week passed quickly and they concluded the business on the planet without incidence. His mother and aunt made only the one shopping trip into the markets and returned slightly miffed at the ‘beasts’ roaming the markets. Dezek was extremely glad he’d followed his intuition regarding the reports he’d received.
They departed the planet with Gval’s parents on aboard much to his third’s chagrin. His father had been involved in the negotiation and his mother had accompanied him since Tsalietta was her original home world.
***
Dezek found Gval in the Hall having a meal. The ladies kept foods in the cooling units that could be heated easily for those who were on the alternate schedules. Gval was enjoying roasted Samat that would be for the night’s dinner. From the smell of it and the look on Gval’s face Sienna and Rose had nailed the recipe his NaLada had given them.
“You know I can rearrange a few shifts to let you spend time with your parents if you’d like,” Dezek told him taking a seat next to him.
“Please do not do me any favors,” Gval told him rolling his eyes. “We have two weeks to Brynxyxo and then three weeks home. I’ll have plenty of time when my days off come up to visit.”
“If you need an ear, I’m here,” he told the younger man. Gval snorted.
“It’s the same argument every time. She wants me to let her choose me a mate since I can’t camouflage to leave the ship. The last thing I need is for my mother to hand pick me a mate. I’d rather live alone and celibate for my entire life. My mother and I rarely see anything in the same light. While she is not as bad as Fazon’s mother, I still wouldn’t be able to stomach a woman she chose,” Gval told him quietly. While Dezek was contemplating his reply, Jasmine came out of the kitchen with Blanca and placed a plate in front Tek and the other on the table for the pregnant teen while Tek helped her sit. While Blanca wasn’t quite as far along as Holly and Samantha she was almost as big since she was almost as petite as Rose. Jasmine headed back to the Kitchen with Gval’s eyes never leaving her. Dezek smiled to himself when he realized Gval had forgotten he was there while he watched the pretty female.
“Maybe your mother doesn’t have as much to worry about as she thinks,” Dezek told him with a smile. Gval started making Dezek’s smile widen.
“She’d never look at me,” he said as he looked down at his empty plate.
“Why not?” The question brought a look of disbelief to Gval’s face.
“I’m damaged goods. Why would she settle for that when she’ll be able to have her choice. She’s beautiful, smart, funny and exceptionally talented in the kitchen,” he said pointing to the plate in front of him. “Why would she settle for me and be stuck forever with someone who can’t give her half of what she deserves?” The question was asked in voice filled with pain and grief. “It will never happen.” Gval pushed away from the table and walked out of the hall. Dezek could feel the weight riding on the younger man even from where he still sat. He sighed and went into the kitchen to find out if his mate and the cooking brigade needed any help.
***
The morning they docked at Brynxyxo proved to be eventful. Brynxyxo was a planet with an extremely high sulfur content in the air that made it unbreathable for most beings. The Brynx were bright vivid yellow beings with black eyes and short squat forms because of the sulfur they breathed regularly. The planet was a rich source of mineral deposits. The Brynx loved fresh plants from other planets as their own were often dry and bitter. Many races traded for the minerals with agricultural products. The Brynx loved to eat.
Nyman had just finished docking at the space station above the planet when Dezek felt excitement and fear bolt through him from Sienna. Reaching for her mind he smiled. Samatha’s water had broken while they were working in Hydro. Nyman who had been volunteering as Samantha’s birth coach was out of his seat and headed for the lift.
“Babies arriving!” he yelled in parting as the door closed. Dezek just shook his head and wondered how long it would be before the pilot and Samantha were mated. Samantha he knew from conversations with Sienna was still torn over the loss of her human mate. Sienna told him Samantha was having trouble letting go of the promises she made during the mating ceremony that humans called a wedding. He knew Sienna, his mother, Sela, and his aunt, Tansa, were trying to help her come to a place where she could let go her old life and her previous mate. Sienna told him she understood where Samantha was coming from. When she’d been taken by the suPonicks the second time, she’d been devastated at the thought of losing Dezek. They were both hoping Nyman had the patience to wait it out. The pair had become good friends already but Dezek knew Nyman wanted more.
Seven long hours later Sienna and his mother both sent him messages. There were now two beautiful little girls on board and one very exhausted new mom. Samantha named the babies, Grace and Giselle. Sienna cried when she found out Samantha was naming one of the babies after Sienna’s grandmother. Samantha shared that Grace had been there for her when Samantha’s mother died when she eighteen. Giselle had been her mother’s name.
The following day they left Brynxyxo and finally started for home. Dezek couldn’t wait to get home. There were so many things he wanted to share with his mate. It was only three weeks to home but Dezek was filled with anticipation. He was also hoping to reach home before Holly gave birth. It was i
ncredible how much noise the little pink bundles could make for something so small. Being the eldest in his own family, Dezek had no idea how much work two small babies produced. The pair of them seemed to keep quite a few adults moving.
Four days from Lar-kevel, Axon woke Dezek in the middle of the night with a mental call. It seemed Holly’s babes had decided a polite day time start was not meant for them. Holly had apparently been in labor all through dinner but had discounted the pain as her water had not broken. It chose to break at 100 hour instead. By 700 hour they had yet another pair of tiny precious little girls, Axon was as over the moons as his mate. He wore a serene smile as he rocked first one baby and then the other while his mate slept. He placed the tiny cuffs on his daughters’ ankles as they were too large for the babies’ wrists. Dezek had been alarmed when he first arrived and found all of the women except Ashaa including his mother and aunt in tears. Ashaa had explained that they were emotionally overwhelmed by Axon’s beautiful gifts to his daughters. Holly had even let Axon choose the names for the babies. He chose Sariah and Sadie as both names meant princess in a human language called Hebrew. Looking at Axon’s face Dezek knew the little girls couldn’t be more loved by anyone except their mother.
After the arrival of the four tiny pink people on board, the arrival home was almost anticlimactic. But Dezek was glad to be home just the same. He couldn’t wait to show Sienna his family’s lands and spend time alone with just her. While they had spent time alone together, it was different knowing the ship was full of people. Getting the cargo off loaded and the ship locked down seemed to take forever. Dezek wasn’t the only one who thought so. Fazon and Rev were just as anxious to be finished. Just as they finished the ship’s needs about to head to their own quarters to pack and retrieve their mates, the males were hit with urgent summons from all their mates. Rose’s ‘talk’ crossed to all of the males. Her summon was urgent and filled with fear.
***
Dezek and the others arrived at Rev’s quarters to find his mate and the other women standing between Ashaa and five males he recognized as Fathers.
“What is happening here?” he questioned.
“They’re trying to take Ashaa,” Sienna glaring at the five Fathers.
“NO!” Rev’s response to the news was angry and fierce. He moved to stand next to Ashaa who wore a cuff in copper color with black stones that matched Rev’s. “You have no right to take her. She is my mate.”
“You had not right to take her as a mate not knowing what she could mean to our people,” one of the Fathers chastised with frown.
“She is a person. She chose Rev also. You cannot take her rights away. She is not a criminal nor is she some lab experiment for you to pick up where the humans left off,” Dezek told the males.
“She may be the answer we’ve been looking for.” One of the Fathers told him harshly. “We may be able to determine why she is female when no other is.”
“And you may also learn nothing! You still cannot take her against her will and that of her mate. What are you going to do, start the same DNA experiments again that drove our people here in the first place?” Dezek countered. “She’s been through enough. The humans tortured her for years. Are you going to show her we aren’t any better than they are?”
“You will stand down and she will be coming with us. That is an order by Fathers.” The lead male informed them.
“Then you leave me no choice but to call for a convening,” Rev told them fiercely. The lead male of the group was furious. The call of Convening was a right of any citizen that meant all fifty one Fathers had to present to hear the complaint which could sometimes take weeks or even months if they were off planet in negotiations.
“This is not over,” he spat at them. “I will have her.”
“Not while there is breath in my body,” Rev growled at him.
“Not while we can stand,” Sienna and Rose said as one. The other women agreed.
“If you came looking for a fight, I think you found it,” Dezek told them in a flat cold voice. The men turned and walked out but Dezek knew this was only the beginning.
***
Legoch couldn’t believe he was being dragged in from leave. He had been looking forward to spending his time with a few females. What in the hell could command possibly want? He’d only been home fourteen planet revolutions. He still had another twenty eight due him.
He entered the office after his knock was acknowledged and froze. Togith and another officer were in the office. Togith was charcoal grey in the face showing his agitation. Legoch’s uncle, Menaoch, was the other officer. Legoch saluted both men as they outranked him.
“Stand at ease nephew,” his uncle told him. “How well did you know Nogith and his habits?” Legoch cast a side look at Togith.
“Well enough I suppose but we were not friends. He was my captain,” Legoch answered cautiously.
“He has escaped.” Legoch’s eyes flew to Togith at his uncle’s pronouncement. For a suPonick to run and attempt to escape punishment was the ultimate betrayal of one’s house. It simply wasn’t done. It could cost your family everything. Better one should give up one’s life than tarnish the house of your bearing.
“What is it you need from me, Uncle?” he asked already knowing the answer.
“You’re going after him.” His uncle answered.
“Don’t bring him back alive,” Togith spat and strode out the door. Legoch looked at his uncle who nodded.
“Your ship and crew are waiting,” his uncle said and dismissed him.
TAKEN: Journey to a New Home Page 25