"Please, don't cry. I hate it when you cry." Eric's face showed his distress which made me start laughing. "What's so funny?" he asked.
"You are. You make all of the women swoon with your smile, and you know how to command a ship, but I cry a little, and you panic."
He smirked and said, "I'm glad I amuse you." I threw my arms around Eric's neck. He hugged me back.
Eric managed to get me back down the land port to Tora, to open the ship, and to drive into the bay. He replaced my remote entry device in my transport. Just as Eric opened my door for me, Yukihyo stepped out of the lift. As Eric helped me and my bear to get out, Thunderdrop bounced out and over to Yukihyo, whose shoulder he climbed and in whose ear he began to chirp in an animated fashion. "Eric, I wondered when I would see your face!" Yukihyo greeted my cousin and his friend with a large smile and a manly arm clasp.
Eric said, "It seemed I was the only member of the family who had spent no time with Teagan." I walked over to Yukihyo with my big bear under my left arm and put my right arm behind and around his waist.
"I missed you today, lady wife," he said as he kissed the top of my head.
"My little cousin informed me of her plan to spend a day with you while docked on Scipio. Might I have the pleasure of her company on the other day?"
"I still have business to complete for tomorrow. If everything goes as planned, I will have concluded my business by dinner."
"In that case may I pick you up here in the morning, Teagan?" Eric asked.
"I would like that, and if you can promise to try not to do anything too sweet or compassionate, I could try not to cry." Yukihyo shook his head.
"When Teagan decides to do something, she succeeds with one exception. No matter how hard she tries to prevent it, if she is deeply moved, she will cry," Yukihyo explained to Eric. I shrugged. Yukihyo and Eric clasped arms again in a manly goodbye, and Eric returned to the Hadrian. Yukihyo closed the ramp.
"Thunderdrop is hungry. Let's get him to his bowls," I suggested.
"Chirp." Yukihyo eyed my ice bear.
"Did Eric take you hunting?"
"No, like you he gave me this ice bear already prepared."
"Did you enjoy your day?" I placed my bear on the counter and filled Thunderdrop's bowls. I smiled, teared up, and nodded. "What did he do?" I told him about Mary and Paul, my tour of the Hadrian, and Eric's blaster lessons.
"Guess what else."
"What?" he asked.
"One of Mary's friends on the Hadrian let me hold her new baby. I had never held one or seen one that close. No wonder you want one. He had such tiny little fingers. Have you held one before?" Yukihyo's expression was closed.
"Yes, many times."
We entered the kitchen and heated up dinner. Afterwards, we got Thunderdrop and my ice bear and went to my quarters to call Gram. Gram and Sydney were overjoyed that Eric and I were getting to know each other. I remembered to compliment Sydney on how nicely she had decorated Eric's quarters. I convinced Gram to go aboard the Hadrian just once and enjoy a nice lunch with Eric, if and when it docked on Arachne. Sydney was completely shocked to hear her agree. Yukihyo and I said goodnight to them and went to sleep.
The next morning Yukihyo woke me up with kisses and later washed my hair for me in the shower. "I will see you at dinner, my lovely wife," he said, and then he was gone.
"I don't want any princess jokes today, Thunderdrop." I selected loose soft chocolate brown pants and a cream colored shirt. I wore my new brown boots, and brushed my hair up into a high ponytail. I wore my opal necklace. "How's this? I think it is in between casual and dressed up, so it will work with whatever he wants to do today."
"Chirp." Yukihyo had made the bed and placed Captain Ice Bear against the pillows. Thunderdrop and I had breakfast and cleaned up the kitchen. I had begun thinking about calling Eric to ask when he planned to pick me up when the vid-screen beeped in the kitchen. I tapped it to see Eric in his transport.
"Are you ready?"
"Yes, we'll be right down." As I lowered the ramp, Eric walked up and retrieved my remote entry device from my transport. Then, Eric placed my hand on his arm and helped me into his transport. Thunderdrop explored the back.
Taking his seat Eric said, "Yesterday, I believe you asked me if I knew how to fly. I'm one of the best. I thought I would prove it to you today, if you're up for it."
I tried to figure out his exact meaning, but said, "I'll give you a chance to prove yourself. What do you have in mind?" Eric's answer was a wicked grin. Eric parked his transport in the same place he had used yesterday. A uniformed woman opened my door for me. I blushed when she offered her hand to me, smiled, and declined. I followed Eric over to storage units and benches that were against a wall. He opened a drawer and pulled out a black jumper.
"This should fit over your clothes. Put it on." I sat on the bench, slipped my boots carefully through the leg openings, and pushed the loose legs of my pants back down inside of the jumper's legs. I slipped my arms in and allowed the front seam to magnetically seal itself closed. Eric did the same. Then, he handed me gloves to put on. Eric said, "Thunderdrop, are you coming with us? It will be a little cold."
"Chirp chirp." Eric handed me a thermal blanket.
My brain finally caught up, and I said, "You're taking us for a ride in a fighter?" Eric gave me a cocky smile for an answer.
A pilot in a flight suit entered a fighter near the one Eric climbed into. Eric pressed something, and a shelf extended from under the top step to provide access to the seat behind his in the cockpit. Eric sat and bent over extending his hand down to me. I clutched the blanket under my arm, reached for his hand, and began climbing up. Eric kept a firm grip on my hand. "Place your right foot on the platform I just lowered and get in the seat behind me." I did. Eric turned in his seat to look at me. He showed me how to secure the flight harness. "Thunderdrop, secure yourself with silk to Teagan." Thunderdrop blinked. Then, he got comfortable and cocooned himself to my harness with one of his own making. "Open the blanket and cover Thunderdrop's abdomen so he stays warm. Tuck it under your thighs to hold it in place." He watched while I complied. Thunderdrop's sticky silk also helped to hold the blanket. "Look down by your right knee. There is a helmet. Put it on." I did that, too.
"Eric, I have to go to the restroom." Eric turned to me with a look of utter shock. I threw my head back and laughed at him. "Just joking! You should have seen your face." Eric grinned at me. Then, he was all business. I wasn't tall enough to see what all he did. He spoke into his helmet, but with mine on it was too muffled to understand. Suddenly, I heard Eric inside of my helmet.
"Teagan, I am magnetizing your seat. It will react with the flight suit and helmet, securing you more firmly to your seat. Your arms will not adhere." All along my legs, back, and head I felt pulled against the seat. I tried to lift my legs and couldn't.
"Weird."
Eric drove the fighter out of the Hadrian and down a ramp. Three other fighters followed us. "Eric, are they coming, too?"
"Yes, I have to be sure to keep you safe." Soldiers in uniform kept the path clear for the fighters as they rolled to an open docking area. With the exception of the fighter's frame, the area from just behind my seat, over our heads, and to the front provided a clear view. I watched as two fighters shot straight up into the sky in a blur of speed. "Teagan, are you ready?"
"Yes!" I shouted in my excitement. Seconds later and we were surrounded by stars. "Oh, Eric! Can we do that again?"
"You want to do that again? I have something else in mind first." I heard laughter from the other pilots.
"She is definitely related to you, Captain!"
"Eric, can they hear me?"
"No, they can't hear you. Scream all you want." Distant laughter erupted through the helmet.
"That's the first time I've ever heard you say that to a woman while vertical, Captain." More filtered laughter ensued.
"Eric, do they know that I can hear them?"
"Yes,
but since they are off duty, I'm going to try to forgive them."
"Eric, you aren't really mean to women are you?"
"No, Teagan, I'm not mean to women."
"Why did he say you make them scream? That sounds mean."
Eric said, "Gary, do you want to explain your comment to my sweet little cousin?"
"No, sir. Sorry, sir."
"Teagan...." I interrupted him.
"Eric, they can't hear me, right?"
"Right."
"Eric, I am married. I recognize Gary's voice. He had quite the laugh yesterday at the shooting range. I'm just having a little fun of my own, giving him a little pay back. He should be careful what he says in front of a princess. Are you going to play along or not?"
"What do you have in mind?"
"Not much. I'll just act shocked and confused at every innuendo one of them makes. They must not realize Phillip is my big brother, and he could make them blush." Laughing, Eric heartily agreed.
"Teagan, I think you share Gram's sense of humor."
Thinking back, I said, "Yes, she played a joke on me one morning at Gina and Sherman's house."
"Chirp." The view was breathtaking.
"Eric, this is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. What do you think, Thunderdrop? Look how close we are to the stars."
"Chirp." I made sure the blanket was still wrapped around him. My nose did feel kind of like it did when I stood too long looking inside of the opened cold storage unit. Eric flew us around one of Scipio's moons. I tried to memorize its surface. I couldn't believe what we were doing. Eric increased speed and took us away from the moon.
Stars became a little blurred. Then, Eric took us into a spin while speeding through the vast darkness. I yelled, screamed, and laughed. Then, Eric took us into a series of loops. I could feel myself lift from the seat. The flight suit adhered to the seat, but I could feel my thighs and chest pushing against its fabric during the fighter's spins. A meteoroid appeared in front of us. Eric fired a shot, and it became dust that swirled as the fighter passed through it. I clapped my gloved hands together. "Ooh! That was pretty." Eric and the other pilots began going through other maneuvers that had me gasping in awe and screaming with excited joy. "I've never laughed so hard or had so much fun before in my entire life!" I told Eric as we seemed to drop straight back down to Scipio's surface. I screeched as the blackness of space abruptly changed to the blue afternoon sky of Polybius. I felt a rush of adrenaline as the fighter plummeted toward the ground and then relief when it slowed and hovered. Then, Eric was rolling the fighter toward the Hadrian and back up to its position.
I started laughing, and Thunderdrop chirped along with me. Eric pressed several different lights and then removed his helmet and harness. When he looked back at me, he had a huge grin on his face and sparkling eyes. He showed me how to put my helmet back correctly. I pulled the blanket away and tried to fold it while Thunderdrop used his claws to sever his threads. He rolled them all into a ball and pressed it to my chest. "Thanks." I got out of the harness as Eric began climbing down. He reached up to take the blanket. Thunderdrop moved to my head as I climbed down. The pilots, who had flown the other fighters, waited while Eric helped me reach the deck. The older soldier, Gary, with a little bit of grey at the temples of his brown hair, looked a bit chagrined when I looked at him with what I hoped was a sweet innocent expression with a touch of a question in my eyes. Gary looked like if he weren't so big and brave he might like to escape about right now. I followed Eric to the bench and removed the flight jumper. I looked at the fabric, but didn't see any magnets.
One of the pilots said, "The fabric is woven with magnetic threads."
"Oh, it was pretty weird, but better than hitting the fighter's big window." He chuckled at my terminology and took my jumper and gloves over to a cleaning unit, and then put them back into their drawer. As Eric was putting his things away, I inched closer to Gary, who turned a bit pale. "Gary, is that your name?"
"Yes, Lady Alaric." I looked up at him with big concerned eyes.
"Gary, sir. What did you mean about my cousin? Does he hurt the ladies?"
"No, miss. Not at all. They seem to like him very much."
"Well, what did you mean?"
"Nothing, miss. I meant it in a good way." Eric saved Gary from my next question.
Eric said, "Let's all go get some lunch." Once we were all in the lounge area, I excused Thunderdrop and myself for a trip to the restroom. They had waited for us to return. Eric's eyes caught mine, shifted to Gary who looked flabbergasted, and returned to me. I shrugged. In the dining room, Eric held out a chair for me at a large table. He had Gary sit to my left. I awarded Eric with a stunning smile. The waiter from yesterday brought us chilled water and bowls of fruit and cheese. From the corner of my eye, I saw Gary looking at my wedding ring. I turned to the right and shared a silent laugh with Eric. The pilot next to him put it together, but didn't tell on us. I ate a piece of cheese.
While I chewed, Gary said, "That's an interesting ring, Lady Alaric. Is that made from an asteroid?"
"Yes, sir. It is."
"I've never seen anything like it before. Do you mind telling me were you purchased it?" I clasped my left hand to my chest with my right and smiled at Gary.
"It was a gift from Yukihyo on our wedding day. He had it made just for me."
"Wedding day? You're married?" Eric started laughing at his friend, and the man next to him joined in.
Eric said, "You should have seen your face. Wait, I'm sure we can pull up a security video with the right angle. Teagan really had you going."
I met Gary's eyes and said, "You started it." Gary laughed just as hard as he had at the weapons range. Then, he raised his hands and formally surrendered and promised he would behave better in the future. "Yes, you will need to be on your best behavior in front of Gram," I said.
Eric said, "When would Gary ever meet Gram?" I turned to Eric.
"Last night when I showed her Captain Ice Bear and told her how much fun I had here with you, she agreed to have lunch with us on the Hadrian the next time you're on Arachne. If you don't believe me, ask your mom. She was right there, and your expression right now and hers look very much the same at the news."
Gary said, "Captain Ice Bear?"
"Eric gave him to me."
Gary said, "But you're a married lady."
"So? He's adorable, and I've always wanted my own stuffed animal, so I'm keeping him. Yukihyo put him against the pillows for me this morning."
Gary said, "What did you play with then, transports?" I didn't spend much time playing, but I didn't tell him that.
"I played a lot of hide and seek," I told him. It was sort of true. I didn't want to think about it.
The waiter brought us large bowls of meat filled pasta in a creamy sauce, so I gave it all of my attention. Eric had changed the subject. If he knew about Mary, he might know about other things. I hoped he didn't. I needed to be more careful with my big mouth. I ate all of my pasta and agreed to dessert to avoid using my mouth for anything but chewing. I was glad I wore loose pants with a stretchy waist. I fed Thunderdrop a few small pieces of meat the chef had prepared for him. When I felt sad, Thunderdrop felt it, too. I tried to cheer up for his sake. "You have been such a good boy today. Are you going to tell Cass and ZeeZee all about flying in the fighter with Eric?"
"Chirp chirp chirp!" Thunderdrop tapped each of his claws against the table's surface in his excitement and made us all laugh.
"Gentlemen, if you will excuse us, I have other plans for my cousin." They stood and gave me little bows.
"It was nice to see you all again. Thank you very much for today." Thunderdrop hopped to Eric's shoulder, and we walked to his quarters.
Eric called Simon for us once we got there and spoke to him for a moment. Then, he invited us to speak together for a moment while he attended to an important matter. Simon and I watched as Cass and Thunderdrop had another animated conversation. "Are you having a nice time the
re?" Simon asked.
"Yes, today has been amazing! I had no idea anyone could fly like that!"
"What do you mean?" Simon asked.
"Eric took Thunderdrop and me up in a fighter ship. Simon, it was even better than traveling in Tora. It was so beautiful up there." Simon had an annoyed expression.
"Maybe you shouldn't tell mother, Sydney, Gram, or anyone here about that," Simon suggested.
"It was safe. Eric would never let anything happen to us. Right, Thunderdrop?"
"Chirp." Eric returned and we said our goodbyes.
Eric sat on the other couch catty-cornered to me. Eric took my hands in his and his expression turned serious. I became still, and a wariness overcame me. Eric said, "I have many responsibilities. One of the most important of my duties is to protect the Galaxic Expanse and its inhabitants. No matter how diligently the other captains and I patrol and prevent incursions into Galaxic territories, occasionally well trained enemy spies and assassins sneak in. You experienced that on Arachne, and your grandmother, Ettie Montgomery, experienced it seventy-one years ago. Part of my job is to find out how it happened and prevent it from happening again. With this case it is very personal. I am investigating with the full support of the Galaxic Government. The trail went cold for those captains all of those years ago who searched for your grandmother, my aunt. In you I have a new lead. To discover new information, I am working backwards from you. Will you help me?" As I listened to Captain Alaric, I returned to my former self, the one with a protective barrier around her feelings and her thoughts, the one who had begun to fade away on Tora and Arachne.
"Yes, I'll help you." Eric released my hands, but held onto my eyes with his own pale blue ones.
"I need to know everything I can about your mother." I pushed the feelings that word, mother, summoned into a black box in my head and then shoved the box far away into the blackness in my mind, making it one with the darkness and impossible to find.
The Space Merchants Page 37