Ninth Orb

by Kaitlyn O'Connor

  He lifted his head slightly when she stopped, running his tongue over his lips, tasting her, she knew, as she tasted him on her tongue. He stared down at her lips for several moments as if of more than half a mind to demand more.

  She wanted more. She wanted to press her mouth fully to his and explore the inner surfaces of his mouth thoroughly, invite him to explore her.

  She wanted to explore and taste every inch of him, so much that it was many moments before her conflicted emotions sifted the tingling, faint stinging crawling over her skin and identified it.

  They’d locked the particle transporter on her, she realized, her throat going dry as a cold, hard reality washed over her and tamped the fires.

  They could not possibly have interpreted his behavior as aggressive or hostile.

  She stepped away from him abruptly.

  Confusion filled his eyes. For several moments she thought she had broken the barrier that held him in check, that he would ignore everything except the siren call of desire rushing through him. Finally, he straightened, dragged in a deep, shuddering breath and expelled it slowly.

  His gaze flickered over her face searchingly, as if he was trying to assess her thoughts. “They are watching,” he said finally, his voice, still husky with desire, sounding harsh, grating.

  Startled at the accuracy of his observation, Eden’s eyes widened. A faint wash of color flushed her cheeks. She cleared her throat. “I’ll escort you to the gateway,” she said instead of responding to his comment.

  He nodded a little stiffly and bowed his head formally.

  Straightening her spine, Eden turned and led him from her quarters. As before, he trailed her at a respectful distance, but if possible she was even more acutely aware of him than she had been before. The desire that had enveloped her at their chaste exploration waned, but slowly, leaving behind uncomfortable, pulsing sparks of unfulfilled need.

  It was as well that they’d interfered, Eden thought wryly as she watched Baen cross the plain toward the distant walls of the alien compound. She wasn’t certain she could have retained enough sense to stop herself.

  Lt. Carter met her as she emerged from the corridor once more. “Did it go well?”

  Eden shrugged, lifting her head to fix Carter with an assessing look. “Who was in the control room?”

  “I was, Ma’am. His behavior was unthreatening, and in any case, I didn’t need help in watching over you.”

  Eden nodded. “Summon the council to chambers.” She hesitated, but came to a decision as Lt. Carter turned to leave. “And, lieutenant?”

  “Yes, ma’am?”

  “Bring the prisoners to the council room, as well.”

  Eden had been pacing her office for nearly fifteen minutes before she was informed that all of the council members had arrived and were waiting in the council chamber. It was time well spent, however. She’d had time to compose her thoughts.

  They greeted her entrance with various expressions of anxiety.

  “Ladies,” she addressed them as soon as she’d reached her position at the head of the council table, “I’ve called you here today to discuss our options regarding the incident at the thanksgiving celebration.”

  She knew that, by now, they would all have heard that Baen had come to speak to her and she saw from their expressions that they were impatient to hear the results of the conversation none of them had been privy to. They contained their impatience, however, waiting.

  “We were not mistaken in considering this a very serious situation. The Xtanians certainly consider it serious.”

  “They’re not considering war?” Deb demanded, unable to contain herself any longer.

  Eden studied her for a moment. “I got the distinct impression that they expected us to launch a war.”

  The women at the table exchanged confused glances. “Impression?” Liz asked. “He didn’t say it?”

  Eden shook her head. “What he said was that they believed they, or at least the poor man that was assaulted, had transgressed, and that they would take action against him.”

  “To keep the peace?” Liz asked.

  Again Eden shook her head. “No, because it is their custom, evidently, to deal with transgressions of this sort by ostracizing the perpetrator.”

  “But … that’s good news, right?” Stacy Sessions put in.

  “Not to those who are to be punished for something they didn’t do. The broods are closely tied. As I told you before, the customs dictate that a woman who chooses one chooses the brood. Even I didn’t realize, though, that they were as closely tied as it seems now that they are. Apparently, they are seen as one. Latheen shares his disgrace with his brood brothers. They are all to be punished. The brood is to be banished from the kzatha in disgrace. And their only recourse for such a shame is ritual suicide.”

  She studied their faces as that sank in.

  “But … that’s barbaric!” Stacy exclaimed. “My god! I thought they were an advanced race! How could they practice such barbaric customs if they’re enlightened?”

  “It’s not barbaric to them!” Liz snapped. “It’s the way they keep order in their society.”

  “It’s completely unjust!” Deb burst out. “I want to keep the peace as much as anyone here, but we can’t let them be punished for something they didn’t do.”

  Relief flooded through Eden as she glanced around the table and saw that most of the council members were in agreement with Deborah. “I agree. That’s why I called this meeting. We were fortunate that they misinterpreted the situation, but this isn’t just a matter of doing the right thing--the just thing. Eventually, unless we break off all contact with them, they’re bound to come to realize exactly what happened, and the action we take now could be critical to future relations. Setting aside the fact that it’s unconscionable to allow the innocent to pay for the crimes of the guilty, only because it’s them and not us, we’d be setting an example of irresponsible behavior for our own people, and undermining the trust we now have from the Xtanians.

  “The disgrace, as far as I could determine, arose from the belief that Latheen and his brood had been chosen and then failed to meet their ‘queen’s’ approval and been rejected. The only option I see open to us, if we want to keep the peace, and we want to be known for doing the right thing, is to assure the Xtanian’s that they were not rejected. Marion Lynden has chosen a brood. Whether she intended to or not doesn’t matter at this point. She must take responsibility for her actions. Are we in agreement here?”

  She settled back to wait as the council members discussed the situation among themselves. After only a few minutes, however, they took a vote to support her decision.

  Nodding, she summoned the prisoners into the council chambers. When they’d assembled, she looked each of the women over, catching and holding their gaze for a moment before she moved to the next. Finally, she settled on Marion Lynden. “As the instigator in the unfortunate incident, Marion Lynden, you are most culpable. Don’t try to explain to me, again, what you did or didn’t intend by your actions. By your irresponsible actions, you risked the health and well being of the entire colony. You risked their lives, risked war. All of you are accountable, but you, Marion Lynden, most of all.

  “You have two options, and for your sake I hope you chose the one most likely to bring this to a peaceful conclusion. You can accept responsibility for your actions and accept the brood you chose, or you can spend the next fifty years in prison contemplating the seriousness of your actions.”

  Marion turned as white as a sheet. Her jaw sagged. Eden could see the wheels turning in her mind while she struggled to cope with the options. “But …we hardly know anything at all about them! You’re saying I would be banished to live among them?”

  “You will be expected to perform the duties that were assigned to you when you were chosen for this mission, but you will live with your brood, on neutral ground outside of either colony,” Eden said, not without sympathy, though she kept her voice even.
<
br />   “Which means they could do anything to me!” Marion spat angrily.

  Eden tilted her head assessingly. “You’re asking for leniency when you risked all of our lives for your pleasure?”

  Marion stared at her blankly for a moment, swallowed a little sickly and glanced around at the faces of the other council members. “I wasn’t the only one,” she stammered a little weakly.

  “You weren’t,” Eden retorted. “And the others have the same options that you have. They can offer to make peace on behalf of the colony by choosing their own broods and working toward building a better understanding between us and the Xtanians, or they can serve time--and we will draw lots for volunteers among the other colonists.

  “Either way, you’ve narrowed everyone’s options. We can no longer afford to take the time to feel our way carefully, to learn their customs and see how well they adapt to ours.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Mel was the first of the prisoners to capitulate. Looking petrified, she stepped forward after deliberating the verdict of the council less than a minute. “How are we supposed to go about choosing, Madam President?”

  “Are you crazy?” Marion hissed in a furious under voice. “They can’t make us do this.”

  Mel didn’t glance at her. “I accept responsibility for my actions. I’d prefer to take my chances with the Xtanians to being imprisoned for fifty fucking years,” she snarled back in a harsh whisper that was perfectly audible to everyone.

  “With the stipulation that you will be gracious and accepting of their efforts to please and do your utmost to maintain peace?” Eden demanded sharply.

  Mel nodded. “Absolutely. At least I’ll never be alone,” she added with a weak chuckle.

  It took less that another minute for the others to agree, Marion included.

  “As part of your pardon, your behavior will be monitored closely until we are satisfied that you intend to uphold your part to the spirit of the agreement and not merely the letter of the law,” Eden cautioned them.

  Marion sent her a resentful glance, but the others merely nodded.

  Relieved, Eden settled in her seat. “You are released on your own cognizance … for now. When I’ve investigated the protocol for the choosing, I will summon you.”

  When the women had left, Eden charged the other council members with the task of making the announcement and dealing with the questions bound to arise. She was glad when the last of them had filed out and left her to her thoughts. Shaky with relief that she hadn’t had to force the issue, with the council members at least, when she’d already promised Baen that everything was in order, she rose finally and went to her office.

  She ignored the work awaiting her, however, and moved to the window to stare out toward the Xtanian citadel. Naturally enough, there was no sign of Baen, but she didn’t need to see him to resurrect the confusion of feelings that had filled her when she had kissed him. She was playing with fire. She had no right to sit in judgment on the others when she had willfully ignored the taboos because of her own needs.

  It had been bad enough the first time. Even though she hadn’t completely understood their social structure then--she didn’t now--she had been well aware that she was taking risks she shouldn’t. This last time, when she’d yielded to the temptation to kiss him, she couldn’t even claim ignorance. It was some small consolation that she hadn’t allowed it to go any further, but that certainly hadn’t been due to her own clear headed decision.

  Carter had watched her back.

  Bless the woman!

  And damn her, too!

  As a politician and leader of her people, she could not but be grateful. As a woman and an individual, she resented the interference in her private life.

  It was stupid, of course. The two were intertwined and could not be separated, but she hadn’t been ‘saved’. She’d only been spared indiscretion of the moment. The only way she could avoid the temptation to yield to her instincts was to stay completely away from Baen, and her position wouldn’t allow it.

  Movement near the citadel caught her attention, distracting her from her contemplation of her personal dilemma. They appeared as little more than dark specks when she first saw them, and not much more than that when they reached the stream and crossed it. By her count, however, there seemed to be considerably more Xtanians crossing the neutral zone that she’d had any reason to expect.

  In truth, she hadn’t expected to see any at all, but she supposed that it might be Letheen’s brood, and perhaps some others who had come to help them?

  They were eager, if that was so.

  She sincerely hoped Marion was properly appreciative, or at least could behave as if she was.

  “Ma’am?”

  Frowning at the distraction, Eden moved to her desk and depressed the communications button. “Yes, Lt. Carter?”

  “There’s a … herd of Xtanians heading this way. I thought you might want to be informed.”

  “I noticed them. Is Latheen among them?”

  “Yes, ma’am.” There was a brief pause. “And Baen’s brood.”

  A flash of heat went through her. It was followed by a flash of cold.

  “Ma’am?”

  “I’ll be there in a minute.”

  If they’d been on Earth, and/or talking about Earthmen, she wouldn’t have thought much of it. Neighbors helped neighbors. But she’d gotten a fairly accurate, she thought, picture of how things worked with the Xtanians. That was the main reason for the family units they formed. Labor. Each ‘family’ unit formed a little self-sufficient community. And if every brood was a working unit, then would they still behave like their Earth brothers?

  She didn’t think so.

  It was possible, of course, that Baen had merely decided to come back for another discussion about some other point--or thought of an excuse to meet with her again.

  But she had a very bad feeling that Baen and his brood brothers had either mistakenly, or deliberately, decided to interpret something she’d done as a commitment to them.

  She didn’t know why that thought occurred to her, unless it was because she’d just been right in the middle of manipulating a few dozen people into committing to a really bizarre relationship for the sake of peace, but it did occur to her.

  She frowned at that thought as she punched her destination into the lift panel.

  She’d seen nothing at all in Baen’s behavior to suggest he was inclined toward subterfuge or manipulation. He was certainly intelligent enough, but he seemed very honest and straightforward.

  Of course she couldn’t say for certain that she knew him well enough to determine that about him.

  And she didn’t know his brothers at all.

  An image of Trar abruptly popped into her mind and it occurred to her that Trar might well be capable of deception. He’d been groomed, after all, to be one of the ‘seducers’.

  But nothing had happened at the celebration and she hadn’t seen him before or since.

  It couldn’t be the kissing thing. In the first place, the Xtanians didn’t kiss so they couldn’t have any rules, or taboos, to apply to it. In the second, Baen was a warrior and even though he hadn’t specifically said so he had suggested that, as a warrior, his ‘duties’ did not include contributing to the gene pool. She was almost positive that she’d gleaned that much information and that he wasn’t restraining himself because they hadn’t bonded, but rather because he wasn’t supposed to at all.

  Other than that, which she thought she could discount, the only thing she’d done was to choose the men who would attend the party, and if that was being interpreted as mate choosing, then she was really in trouble, and so was Liz and Ivy--because they’d all picked men from different broods. Having five to eight men to have to deal with was mind boggling enough. Having to deal with more than one brood just wasn’t acceptable. She didn’t care what their customs dictated. They were going to have to comprise on that little detail.

  By the time she finally reached the
observation tower and joined Lt. Carter, she was expecting the worst. She wasn’t disappointed.

  The Xtanians had arrived, and the groups had split. Baen and his brood were very obviously examining the terrain to determine a location for their ‘nest’.

  “Oh fuck!” Eden exclaimed before she thought better of it.

  “I suspect that’s what they’ve got on their minds,” someone muttered in a perfectly audible under voice.

  Janine snickered.

  Eden lowered her glasses long enough to send a narrow eyed glance at the women crowding the observation deck around her. It was a wasted effort. Everyone’s attention was focused on the two groups of men below them. She was trying to decide whether to suggest that Sarah give them something to do or just ignore them when Janine sucked in a surprised breath. “Is it just me, or does it look like there’s about to be a fight?”

  Dismissing her irritation with the gawkers, Eden snatched her glasses up again. It took her several moments to train the glasses on what was transpiring below, primarily because everyone on the deck had gone tense with excitement and began to jostle each other for a better view.

  Apparently both hunting parties had settled on the same building site. Cal, Trar, Pizan,Vladiv, and another Xtanian Eden had not met before had settled themselves in the shade of a very large tree with the air of spectators. Baen and two other warriors, whom she knew must be his brood brothers, stood in a spearhead formation with their backs to the group. Facing them were the five warriors of the other group.

  She couldn’t hear anything, naturally enough, from such a distance, but she didn’t need to to see that Janine was right. Everything about their tensed-to-spring stances screamed animosity. Moreover, the Xtanian who was obviously the dominant male warrior of the other group was speaking and gesturing angrily.

  She couldn’t see Baen’s face from where she stood and after a moment, she lowered the glasses and moved to a different position. Frustration filled her when she tried again, because this time she found that the foliage of the tree was blocking her view.