by KD Jones
She was meeting Lily, Maggie, and Rachel at Maggie’s place for lunch. She hoped they had some news. When she opened the door she was relieved to see Tagar standing there.
He smiled down at her. “Where to, Lihali?”
She smiled back. “I need to go to Maggie’s for lunch.” She closed the door and waited for the security to activate. Then she turned and walked down the corridor. It was convenient that they were all on the same level. She paused at seeing six warriors standing outside the door to Maggie and Liam’s quarters.
“What’s going on here?”
“All the Earth females have their own security.”
“Oh. Why are there six?”
“One for the elderly female, Mrs. Gordon, one for little Thomas, and one for the baby, Missy.”
That made sense. Thomas was Lily’s son from her husband who died when the nukes hit, and Mrs. Gordon was someone from Lily and Maggie’s tribe who lived with Lily and Jared.
One of the guards knocked on the door and Maggie opened it up.
“Hi, Squirrel.” Maggie moved to the side to let her walk through the door.
Tagar remained outside with the other guards. With seven guards at the door they were the safest people in the galaxy.
Maggie shut the door behind them, rolling her eyes. “They are so serious. They will stand out there and stare at one another for hours.”
Lily giggled. “They do a lot of staring.”
“Hello, dear. How are you holding up?” Mrs. Gordon was sitting on the couch. Squirrel went over and sat down next to her.
“I’m doing okay. Where’s Thomas?”
“He went down for a nap. I’ll wake him up in a few minutes for lunch,” Mrs. Gordon told her.
Maggie came out of the bedroom with the baby in her arms. “I am starving. I had no idea that breast-feeding a baby would make me so hungry all the time.”
Lily smiled at her as she scooped food onto plates that Rachel brought out of the kitchen. “Ah, the joys of motherhood. Take note, Rachel, you’ll be dealing with all that very soon.”
Rachel patted her rounded belly and smiled. “I can’t wait.”
“Could you hold her for me? She spit up on my clothes and I want to change.” Maggie handed the baby to Squirrel.
She took the child cautiously, trying to remember the correct way to hold a baby. She knew she had to be very careful with the head. She laid her against her chest and gently cupped the back of her head.
“She’s simply precious,” Mrs. Gordon said, patting the baby on her back.
“I’ve never held a baby before coming on board the command ship, that I can remember.”
“That’s right. Lily and Jared told me about your memory loss. You don’t even remember your real name or life before the disaster happened.”
She shrugged. “Turns out, I’m not missing that much. I was in an orphanage from the time I was born. That’s what Jared found out for me.”
“My dear, I am so sorry. Did he discover your real name?”
“Yeah, but it doesn’t feel like mine. I think I’ve gone by names others have given me my whole life but none of them feel like me.”
“Then you’ll have to pick your own name.”
She smiled at the kind old lady. “That’s what Quinn wants me to do, pick my own name. I kind of like what he calls me, though.”
“What does he call you?”
“Lihali. It means little one.”
“It’s pretty. Why, why not go by that?”
She rolled her eyes. “It’s used as an endearment and Quinn is a bit jealous when others call me that, especially Tagar.”
“Oh, your guard, Tagar? He, he is a huge hunk of a man, isn’t he?”
She giggled thinking that Mrs. Gordon was a riot. “He is but I think of him like a big brother and he treats me like his sister.”
“Well, maybe you can find something else that you both can be happy with, but in the end it is your choice what you would like to be called. Let me go check on Thomas to see if he’s ready to get up.”
She watched as Mrs. Gordon got up and moved down the hallway. Lily came over and sat down. “She’s amazing, isn’t she?”
“She is. Does she have any family?”
Lily smiled. “She has us, we’re her family. Now you are, too. You’re part of our family, Squirrel or Lihali or whatever name you want to go by. We will always be there for you.”
Maggie and Rachel sat down across from her. “That’s right,” Maggie said. “We’re, we’re one big happy Estro family here. We might get loud, might get too involved with each other’s business, but we will never abandon you and we will always fight for you.”
Squirrel was filled with emotions. A few tears fell down her cheeks and she used one hand to wipe them. “Thank you. No, no one has ever made me feel so welcome before. I feel very blessed to know all of you.”
“We feel the same about you,” Lily told her.
Maggie snorted back tears. “Damn hormones! I thought I would be able to get these things under control after the baby was born.”
Lily smiled at Maggie fondly. “Get used to it. I get teary-eyed watching Thomas sleep or when he learns something new and shows how grown-up he’s getting.”
The baby opened her eyes and stared up at Squirrel, and she felt her heart fill with instant love. She was the perfect mix of her parents. Mrs. Gordon was right—; she was absolutely precious.
“I don’t understand how anyone who met Melissa wouldn’t love her. If these traitors had their way, Melissa would never have existed.” Rachel shook her head in disgust.
“The rebels from Earth are just as bad. They would rather sentence everyone on the planet to a slow death than accept help from aliens,” Maggie added.
“I’m grateful every day that the Drastans came here to help us. Their treatments have been instrumental in saving many of those from the tribes who may have only had a few months or a few years left to live. Mrs. Gordon is one of them,” Lily said passionately.
Maggie leaned over and took the sleeping baby in her arms. “I am, too. I wouldn’t have my Liam or my Milly if the Drastans had not come here, and I wouldn’t trade them for anything.”
Squirrel felt the same way. She had never had a family before and for the first time people who cared about her surrounded her. Quinn did more than just save her life from the pit of hell; he saved her soul and her heart by giving her someone to love.
“Do you know how Quinn is doing?”
Maggie shook her head. “They’re being really tight-lipped about it. I guess it’s hard to talk when you don’t know who might be listening.”
“That’s true. But I really miss him and I’m worried about him” Squirrel admitted.
“Devlon loves Quinn like his own son. He, he will do everything in his power to keep him safe,” Lily reassured her.
“I feel so helpless, like I should do something.”
“The best thing you could do is stay strong for Quinn and keep up the charade. Keeping up the appearance that you two are no longer together will help keep him safe,” Rachel reminded her.
“Right, but I’ve never been good at acting or telling lies.”
“We’re here for you. You’re, you’re not alone,” Lily reminded her.
“Thank you.”
She felt the truth of their words and it helped a little. Quinn needed her to be strong and keep up the charade, so and she would do her part to help protect him. She would not lose him.
Chapter 16
It had been two days since Quinn had the midnight visit with the traitors and he wasn’t sure whether they were going to use him or not. He went back to his normal duties after his uncle ordered him to.
There were definitely rumors spreading throughout the ship that there was unrest among the Estros. Most on board looked at him like he was the traitor for how he treated his uncle and their commander. A few looked at him with suspicion and expectation, like they were waiting for him to do something.
He wasn’t sure how they could handle the traitors if the movement spread through the fleet. What if they returned to Drasta and the traitors spread their hate toward the Earthlings to the rest of their planet? It would make it uncomfortable to live there, not to mention potentially dangerous. They would either have to return to Earth or find a new planet to live on. Something was going to have to be done to address this issue before it got that far.
He tried to keep busy but was consumed with worry for his Lihali. He was ready to have his cousin Liam make arrangements so that he could see her and be alone with her. It felt like it had been forever since he’d last made love to her.
Quinn finally understood what his cousins and uncle were trying to tell him about rethinking the types of assignments he accepted. He would not be able to leave her for long periods of time because his mind would be distracted with worry for her. Distractions could cost people their lives.
He sat at the table eating food he’d heated up. Eating at the table by himself reminded him of all the years he had done that very thing. The future held promise that he would have his Lihali there to share meals with. He looked forward to that. The moment his assignment was over he would move her into his quarters. His was a little bigger than hers but when they were ready to start a family, they would have to move to one that had an extra bedroom.
The thought of a child—their child—filled his heart with longing and hope. He wanted to be there for his child and his Lihali, which meant reducing the dangerous was missions, was a necessity.
A knock at his door had him jumping up and rushing over to open it. Quinn caught sight of someone running around the corner of the corridor and gave chase. The lights flashed dark and he realized that someone was watching him. He turned back around and went back to his quarters. Another package had been left and he opened it to find another communicator.
He entered his quarters and shut the door before putting the communicator in his ear. He pressed the connect button.
“Good evening, Lieutenant. You have been keeping a low profile which serves us well, but now it is time for you to prove yourself.”
“How do I do that?”
“By taking out our biggest obstacle.”
Quinn felt like something bad was about to happen. “What do you mean?”
“We want you to kill the commander.”
What are these people thinking? An attack on the commander of a fleet is clear treason and the penalty is death. “I’m not looking to commit treason.”
“I’m afraid you don’t have that luxury. The communicator you put in your ear has a detonator built in. If we see you try to remove it, we will set it off. You must set your attack in motion tomorrow.”
“Wait, that’s not enough time—”
“Tomorrow, Lieutenant. If you fail to do as you are ordered, we will set off the detonator.”
“Is this how you get people to do your bidding? You threaten their lives until they fall in line?”
“Careful, Lieutenant. You don’t want to make us angry.”
This guy kept saying us, which made him believe there were others making the decisions and this male was the one giving out the order on their behalf.
“Will doing this earn me a meeting with the head of the movement?”
“Yes it will, if you survive.”
The connection ended. Quinn had to fight his impulse to reach up and yank the communicator out of his ear. He had to think quickly about how to get word to his cousins. He didn’t want to use his other communicator because in case the traitors were listening.
He went to remove his clothes, and grabbed the handheld computer on his nightstand before he walked into the bathroom. He turned on the water and kept the computer covered partially as he sat it on the counter. Quinn logged in with his secure password and in the settings changed the language translator to an Earth language called Latin. It was not used to speak often so not many of the Drastans had learned the language. He typed the message, which was translated into Latin, and sent it knowing it would have to be translated and might take some time. He cleared his computer in case someone came in and checked his history.
After a quick shower he pulled on a pair of sleep pants. He hoped the message went through and that the traitors did not pick up on it. He also told his cousin to tell his Lihali that he loved her and asked for them to look after her, just in case things went terribly wrong.
Quinn lay on the bed without turning down the sheets. He wouldn’t sleep much tonight, too stressed over what tomorrow would bring. If things went wrong, someone in his family could end up dead—or he himself would.
*****
“Did Lt. Estro agree to the terms?”
“I didn’t give him the choice. He either completes his orders or he dies.”
“I don’t like this. One, one Estro down will bring the others to rally around them.”
“It will be too late; we’ll have command of the fleet.”
“If you fail, you will have to answer to the rest of us.”
“I understand.”
Chapter 17
Squirrel walked through the tunnel. She kept to the shadows as she followed the rebels. They were up to something; it was bad whatever it was. She could hear them talking.
“We have the explosives set up on a timer. As soon as one of those Drastan bastards enters the area, the detonators will go off. There’s a covered hole that will open up and they won’t be able to get out.”
Oh God, they were planning to kill the aliens. She had been watching the Drastans as they helped with food and medicine. They had done nothing but give assistance and did not deserve to be killed for their efforts. It was times like that she hated to be called a human.
Squirrel had to do something to prevent the disaster from happening. She couldn’t remember the nukes hitting but she and many others were helpless to do anything about it. This time, she could do something; at least warn the aliens they were in danger.
She turned to head back to the area the rebels came from. The bomb was on a timer so if she could get there in time, she could stop the Drastans from crossing the area.
As she neared to location, she noticed a group of Drastan warriors heading toward her. She came out of the shadows and waved at them, yelling for them to get back. They kept coming.
Just as she crossed over the covered hole she heard a loud explosion and then lost her footing. She fell and fell. She caught on a ledge and kept herself from falling into the inferno below her.
Squirrel couldn’t breathe. She wanted to scream but she couldn’t. She knew she would die this day. Then hands reached for hers and started pulling her up. She got to the ledge and stood before the most beautiful man she had ever seen—Quinn.
She wanted to wrap her arms around him but as she was reaching for him, he started falling backward into the pit of hell. “Quinn!”
*****
Squirrel woke up in a sweat. Her heart was pounding so hard she thought it would break free from her body. She put her hand over her heart to keep it inside. “God, what time is it?”
The timer on the wall panel showed it. It was three in the morning. Standing up, she was shaking all over. The nightmare wasn’t new but the way it ended was different. Usually she was the one to fall into the pit, but this time it was Quinn. She wished she could have him there to hold her and reassure her that he was safe. The image of him falling to his death would stick with her for a while.
“Please God, watch over him and bring him back to me safely.”
*****
Later that morning
Squirrel woke up early, still feeling that uneasiness from the nightmare. The unease wouldn’t go away. She knew something bad was going to happen and somehow she had to warn Quinn.
She got dressed quickly and opened the door. She frowned at seeing the other guard there, Lt. Sage. Tagar must not be there yet to switch shifts. She couldn’t wait on him.
“You are up early. Where are you going?” Sa
ge asked.
For some reason, she didn’t want to tell him. Squirrel always had trust issues but this man made her uncomfortable and he seemed to take pleasure in that.
“I need to see Captain Estro.”
“Why?”
Warning bells were going off inside her. “I need to discuss with him my returning to Earth.”
She didn’t wait on him but started walking down the corridor toward Maggie and Liam’s quarters.
“Captain Estro is on the command deck,” Sage told her then pointed in the opposite direction.
She turned around and headed back in the other direction. The guy was definitely being an asshole but that wasn’t a crime. They got on the lift and went up several levels. The command deck was at the end of the corridor and wrapped around part of the ship.
She entered the command center and looked for Liam. One of the warriors stopped in front of her.
“You need an escort to be on the command deck.”
She looked back and noticed that Lt. Sage hadn’t come inside with her. “I’m sorry. I’m looking for Captain Estro.”
“He’s on the other side.” The warrior walked away, leaving her on her own. She made her way over and felt awkward. There were several doors leading back out into the corridor so she went out of the command center and walked down the passageway.
Lt. Sage was speaking with another man she had never met before. It was suspicious the way they were off to the side and speaking to one another so others would not hear. It made those uncomfortable feelings come back. She felt that they were up to something.
She moved stealthily closer. This, this was what she was an expert at, moving so no one would see her. As she got closer she found a small cubby area on the corridor wall. She was small enough to fit in it, and strained to hear what the men were saying. She could identify Sage’s voice but the other man was new to her.
“Is Estro still connected?” Sage asked.
“Yes. I warned him that if we saw him reach for the communicator to remove it we would detonate it.”