Protector of the Realm

by Gun Brooke

  Kellen leaned back against the bulkhead. The vast number of details and potential traps to keep track of was making her dizzy. Something similar to regret permeated her, and she held out her right hand, palm up. "I'm sorry I've caused you so much grief."

  Rae's expression softened. "Our paths are shifting, taking us to unexpected territory," she mused. "I admit, a few days ago I didn't expect to suddenly gain a beautiful wife and a son. All things considered, I know several people who would envy me." She gave a wry smile. "The very same people would also offer you their condolences."

  Not sure what she was referring to, Kellen only nodded. "I want you to know, I am grateful."

  Rae placed a hand on her shoulder. "People know we just met. They won't expect us to be too romantic right away. We have time to ease into that kind of display."

  "Armeo will be observant enough to notice that we don't treat each other romantically," Kellen said. "That curiosity of his is going to make him want to know how and why we married so suddenly."

  "Then we'll have to come up with something."

  "And quickly," Kellen agreed.

  As she looked down at her new wife, Kellen saw strength combined with something else that intrigued her—an aura, an indescribable essence. The woman she had just married carried herself with authority and a rare presence. In some ways, she reminded Kellen of her father. Rae met her eyes the way he did, head-on, never wavering. The way Rae expressed her viewpoints, in almost the same manner as her father, comforted Kellen. Her father's frankness and Rae's blunt, yet kind, approach seemed woven from the same unbreakable paeshna-silk filament.

  "We'll tell him we fell in love at first sight." Speaking on impulse, Kellen felt her cheeks get warm. "He'll understand we had to marry quickly because of his and my situation, but he'll think we did if for ourselves if we tell him it was...love."

  To her surprise, Rae tossed her head back and guffawed. Feeling discouraged by her mirth, Kellen opened her mouth to take back what she had said.

  "Brilliant," Rae said. "Now, anyone looking at you wouldn't have any reservations. But they would certainly wonder how you could instantly fall in love with me. It's the best explanation we have, though, so we'll go along with it. Love at first sight it is." She checked the chronometer and motioned toward the door. "We better go."

  Feeling light-headed, Kellen followed the commodore onto the bridge where Commander Todd was getting ready to leave. As she leaned against the bulkhead by the elevator, she tried to find her bearings while the two senior officers spoke briefly to each other. She had never been anything but honest with Armeo. How was she supposed to pull off such a blatant lie?

  Rae would rather have faced any armada of space vessels in combat than stand in front of Armeo with Kellen.

  "Did the mission go well, Commodore?" he asked, sounding interested. "The kids in school talked about it."

  "It did. In fact, it went very well."

  "I heard a lot of people were wounded. Did anybody die?" He looked concerned.

  Rae gestured for all of them to sit down in the living room. Armeo sat on the couch beneath the porthole, and Kellen started to join him, but caught herself and took a seat next to Rae on the other couch.

  "Some of the Onotharians were killed," Rae said. "They lost one of their ships."

  "The Onotharians." Armeo seemed lost in thought, then said, "I don't want anybody to die, but I wish they would leave everybody alone. They shouldn't be on Gantharat, for instance. And I bet they'd take over more worlds if they had a chance."

  Impressed with the boy's compassion and insight, Rae responded, "You seem to dislike the Onotharians a lot, but you're half Onotharian yourself."

  "My grandfather was a colonel in the Onotharian occupation, and my father was a starship pilot in the Onotharian fleet, but I don't feel Onotharian. And at times I've almost wished I weren't. The kids in my old school used to tease me for being a hybrid."

  Rae felt Kellen flinch next to her. "What did you do about that?" she asked.

  Armeo seemed to consider his answer, tilting his head. "I told them we don't choose our parents, but if I could have, I wouldn't change a thing."

  Rae smiled at the young man, delighted with his keen mind. Clearing her throat, she glanced at Kellen. "We, your guardian and I, have some news for you. You may find it a bit sudden and startling, even..."

  "Are we going back to Gantharat?" Armeo did indeed look startled. "Oh, please, Commodore Jacelon, don't make us leave the station."

  "You don't want to go home?"

  "If things could be just like before, but they can't, can they? Those men will always be after us, and they want to throw Kellen in prison and kill her." His lips trembled, and Rae had to remind herself he was actually younger than he looked.

  "Well, you don't have to worry, Armeo, because you're not going back to Gantharat. You and Kellen are going to stay here with me."

  The boy seemed baffled. "You mean here?" He looked around the spacious quarters.

  "Yes. When Kellen joined me on the mission last night, we had a judge perform a ceremony." Rae dug deep for much-needed courage. "Kellen is my partner now. We're married."

  Armeo's jaw sagged. "Married?" His eyes grew wide, and he turned sharply to Kellen. "Is this true?"

  "Yes, it is. Rae and I were married on the Ajax. Apart from the witnesses, you're the first to know." Kellen squeezed Rae's hand between them on the couch as she told the white lie.

  "But why? Why would you marry someone you hardly know?"

  "I fell in love with Rae the moment I saw her," Kellen said in such an effortless manner Rae felt as if her heart took a detour to her mouth before it raced back to her chest. "Marrying her also helps protect you and me, so we decided not to wait."

  "What about what I wanted?" Armeo jumped up from the couch and stormed over to the porthole. "Why didn't you tell me before you left? Don't we tell each other everything?"

  Rae wanted to reassure him but knew this was up to Kellen.

  "I didn't know of the possibility then, Armeo," Kellen said, her voice infinitely soft. "I would have told you if I could. When I heard about this unexpected solution, I seized the opportunity, and so did Rae. Sometimes you don't need to know someone very long to realize she's right for you. Still, Rae and I understand we have to familiarize ourselves with each other. We'll stay with her here on the station, you'll go to school with your new friends, and I'll make myself useful somehow."

  Locking a steadfast gaze onto Rae, Armeo asked, "And why did you marry Kellen, Commodore?"

  Rae found it impossible to lie to the boy, so she took a different approach. "I found something in your guardian that I haven't found in any oth6r person. Courage, loyalty, beauty, intelligence, all wrapped up in one very special person. I wanted her, and you, to be safe. With all this in mind, I offered Kellen marriage. She agreed, and since everything happened so quickly, we'll have to slowly learn more about each other. You're an important part of this new family, Armeo."

  Several expressions chased each other over the boy's features. His normally smooth forehead wrinkled, and his perfectly chiseled lower lip disappeared under his top teeth. Rae studied him closely, hoping he'd concluded this was worth pursuing. Since she didn't know him very well, she could not read his true feelings from his expression.

  With hesitant steps, he moved closer to the two women on the couch, stopping next to Rae. "You want me too, then? Not just Kellen?"

  "As I said, you're important too. Without you, Kellen would be miserable, and the more I get to know you, the more I realize how special you are. I'd like to become your friend."

  This reassurance seemed to untie whatever knot had formed inside Armeo. He smiled carefully as he sat down on the couch next to Rae. "So nobody can make us leave here?"

  "No, not now." Rae leveled with him. "The ambassador still wants you, so there'll be a custody hearing soon. We'll put some really good legal people to work and come up with proof of your mother's wish. I'll do everything I can
to keep you with Kellen... with us."

  "Armeo," Kellen said huskily, her voice betraying her.

  Rae glanced at her, afraid she would crumble and tell Armeo the exact circumstances. Determined to stifle any such inclinations, she put an arm around her new wife's shoulders. "I think you're tired, Kellen," she interrupted. "Why don't we send Armeo off to have breakfast in the mess hall while you rest? Gemma can come by later and check your leg, and when Armeo's back from school we can all go out to dinner."

  Kellen looked as if she were going to object, then nodded. "Very well."

  Rae swallowed a sigh of relief. "Your escort is now also your bodyguard, Armeo," she said. "I want you to be aware of the situation. Several Onotharians are present on the station, and we don't know who we can trust. I'll inform your escort and make sure he stays at a proper distance. I'll have maintenance move the rest of your things from the guest quarters too. You'll have your own room. It's not big, but I think you'll like it. I'll give you a personal tour later, when you come home. All right?"

  Armeo looked pleased; apparently she had found a way to communicate with him that worked for now. As he left for the mess hall with the guard, Rae turned to Kellen. "Would you like a tour of the place now? Goodness knows when I'll have time again. I have a lot of work waiting."

  Kellen rose, looking unsteady on her feet. Rae stepped closer and placed her right hand under her arm. "Whoa, easy there. Maybe we'll take the grand tour later. Let me just help you into bed." As she guided Kellen toward the bedroom, Rae hoped she'd made the bed before she left. Seeing ruffled sheets, she groaned inwardly. No such luck. "Sorry for the mess, Kellen. I'll straighten up later."

  "Don't worry. I can help." Kellen yawned. "Later."

  "Much later, by the looks of it," Rae teased, desperate to keep their conversation light.

  Kellen lay down and jerked at the covers. "I'm so tired all of a sudden."

  "Stop, stop, let me take your boots off." Rae unfastened the buckles on the black combat boots. "There you go." She tucked the covers in around her wife, not thinking how her thoughtfulness might seem to Kellen. "You take a nice nap. I'll page Gemma and have her come over this afternoon when things settle down in the infirmary."

  "Thank you." Kellen's voice was dreamy but her grasp tight as she caught Rae's left hand in hers. "I mean it. Thank you."

  An unfamiliar feeling constricted Rae's throat. At a loss for words, she held Kellen's hand until her delicate eyelids covered the blue brilliance of her eyes. Tucking her hand in under the covers as well, Rae straightened her aching back. As she looked down at her wife, a sudden paresis in her throat made it impossible to swallow. "You're welcome."

  She left the bedroom and headed for the small kitchen area. Reaching up for the big jar of Cormanian coffee, she tapped the dispensing sensor twice, wanting her beverage strong. Water boiled instantly in the safer-glass jug in its niche in the wall, and she poured it over the condensed coffee.

  Rae drew a trembling breath, her hands unsteady as she raised the rounded titanium Keep-Hot cylinder-mug to her face and blew on the steaming beverage. The look on Armeo's face almost did me in. Rae shuddered at how close she'd come to botching it with the boy. Still, he seems okay for now. Kellen s done a good job raising him. Armeo seemed secure in his approach to things, not afraid to show emotions. What if I end up keeping him at the same distance my parents kept me? What if I'm just not cut out for parenthood? Five years is a long time in a child's life. And Kellen...

  The look on Kellen's face when Rae suggested marriage might very well haunt her for a long time. Rae knew she'd given Kellen very little time—hardly any—to think things over. But what choice did she have? M'Ekar would've been able to demand her extradition on the spot, more or less.

  Stirring her habitual coffee even though she didn't take synth-o-sweet in it anymore, Rae wandered into the living room and stood looking out the view port. The incredible vastness of space ought to have made her feel small and insignificant, but it didn't. Instead it filled her with a sense of adventure, a desire to explore and encounter new worlds, species, and... She shook her head. I do love the element of danger. That's another thing that makes me unsuitable for being part of a family unit.

  She was completely without experience in this matter. Emotionally distant from her parents for as long as she could remember, and later married to her work, Rae considered herself a poor candidate for this assignment. I'm not exactly a catch, Kellen. I'm too old for you. I'm too busy.

  Suddenly Maeve's face appeared before her inner eye—their maternal, nurturing cook who'd taken her parents' place in being there for her. When she was sick, or upset, or merely wanted to share something exciting, it was Maeve who listened, comforted, and rejoiced with her. I can draw from that. I can try to be a Maeve to Armeo. Damn it, I'll just have to find a way to do it. He deserves nothing less, now that he s lost his home.

  As for Kellen, she was at a loss how to compensate the beautiful woman. I can make sure she wants for nothing. I have enough credits to buy her anything. Appalled, Rae stopped her train of thought, putting the mug down on the small ledge beneath the view port with a loud thud. Damn it, I'm not going to buy her affection. Her parents used to come home with expensive gifts after their travels, and they had collected dust on Rae's shelves. She had never liked the presents but was too well brought up to say so.

  If Kellen ever grew to like her, if they stood any chance for friendship, affection would have to develop naturally. I just have to bite my sarcastic tongue and not hurt or confuse her. She s strong and can fend for herself, but in many ways, she's at my mercy. I must never forget that.

  Taking a large gulp of the bitter drink, Rae swallowed, feeling it warm her belly and energize her system almost instantly. I don't fear many things. Right now, I fear I'm simply not good enough.

  Rae walked out into the kitchen, ran the mug through the dish-cleanser, then placed it on its shelf. Duty called, and in this case it was a blessing. She would have to think about her private situation later.

  The mission room was boiling with activity. Rae found Jeremiah standing with a communication device pressed to his ear, evidently trying to hear over the buzz. She raised her hand to greet him, only to see him frown and shake his head, pointing at the communicator and then back at her.

  With a sharp twitch just beneath her sternum, Rae walked up to him just in time to hear him say, "She'll be with you in a minute, sir." He pressed a sensor and let the communicator rest on the desk while he looked at Rae. "I have a subspace call for you, ma'am. It's the admiral."

  Several admirals served in different capacities throughout Supreme Constellations space, but everyone referred to only one person as "the admiral," without any other designation.

  "Oh, God." Rae reached for the communicator, suppressing an exasperated grunt before she pressed the sensor. This was turning out to be her life's most challenging day on a personal level. "Jacelon here, Admiral."

  "What the hell's going on out there?" Admiral Ewan Jacelon barked. "I've had several dispatches arrive, not to mention inquiries by foreign nations and media. Are you trying to start a damn war with the Onotharians?"

  "No, but they seemed to have their hearts set on one."

  "What are you talking about? My information says you blew them out of the water."

  "I did, but only when they fired up their weapons after they broke at least three different SC laws."

  "The ambassador enjoys diplomatic immunity."

  "It expired the minute he used weapons toward military targets within SC borders. I know what the law says, Admiral."

  He muttered something inaudible. "Then I heard some other surprising news, girl. What on earth possessed you to get married all of a sudden, at your age?"

  "Is this official business or a private call, Admiral? If it's private, I really don't have time right now. If it's official, refer to me by my title."

  "I think it's both! You've always gotten yourself into trouble. I don't know who
this person you lured into marrying you is, but I hope he's strong enough."

  Rae knew it wouldn't do much good to respond to the admiral's tirade, but she still tried. "She. And yes, she's very strong. In fact, I think you'd like her."

  "We'll see soon enough. The Council is sending me to settle some business at Gamma V, and now they also want me to calm down the situation you've created."

  Her stomach lurched, and Rae felt like screaming. "What a surprise, Father. Not that I've created any sort of situation, but you're always welcome to visit. Is Mother coming too?"

  "No, she's on vacation in the Reposa System. I don't expect her home for another three weeks."

  "I hope she enjoys herself. Now, I don't have time to talk anymore..."

  "See you in a few days, then. Jacelon out."

  Staring at the communicator, Rae steeled herself and glanced to Jeremiah, who stood at his console next to her. "You heard him. He's on his way here."

  "Why?"

  She had to laugh at Jeremiah's startled expression. "He's going to 'calm down' the situation I created. Honestly, all things considered, I'm not sure if things are looking up or down."

  How she hated when her father always assumed she was at fault. When she was growing up, no matter the circumstance, the admiral— back then a captain—seemed unable to give her the benefit of the doubt. If someone from school complained, Ewan Jacelon, who never found the time to socialize with his only child, would suddenly make time to scold her without listening to her side of it.

  Rae had quickly understood her father's greatest disappointment— she wasn't the boy he had dreamed of. Even though she chose typically masculine extracurricular activities and early on decided to follow in his footsteps, he declared the next best thing would've been if she formed a family unit and provided him a grandson.

  Her mother, illustrious diplomat Dahlia Jacelon, with a far-reaching reputation for her skills, also had little time for her daughter. Absentmindedly, she 'd pat Rae's hair, comment in passing on her perfect grades, and then fly off on another planet-saving mission. Knowing full well that her own minor problems or worries couldn't compete with the lives of millions, Rae went to Maeve. The cook, having worked for the Jacelons since before Rae was born, was always there.