Cali & Drake (The Alliance Book 1)

by Stormy McKnight

  “It would be the only way.” Nellia was biting her lip. “The Reliant is too fast for them to catch us any other way.”

  “Vathral wouldn’t act in that way,” Diandra spoke up. When all eyes swung to her she blushed becomingly. “I mean to say…”

  Not for the first time Cali wished her mother had left well enough alone. Her betrothal to Vathral had to be causing Diandra so much pain.

  “Diandra…”

  Avoiding her eyes and hurriedly standing her friend said, “We should be going.”

  Everyone followed suit and stood to leave. Cali pursed her lips and made a mental note to talk with Diandra.

  “Everyone to their stations then.” Cali stood and walked to the door. “This might get interesting.”

  Chapter Seven

  Cali’s apprehension grew as they approached the designated coordinates of the distress signal.

  “Scan for any additional energy signatures,” she ordered Vareen.

  “No other ships detected,” Vareen answered.

  “Forward scanners on visual,” Cali requested and waited to see what they were coming up on.

  “What is it?” she whispered to herself. Whatever was sending the signal was small. Not a ship but not debris either. It was cylindrical and if she had to guess was only about seven to eight feet in length.

  “It’s some type of pod,” Vareen called out. “The materials are unknown. I’m reading one life sign, however, something is hindering our scanners. I’m unable to tell if the life sign is weak due to injury, or if the signal is weak due to shielding.”

  “Medical, meet me at the docking bay. We have found one escape pod with a weak life sign. Unknown origin.” Cali was moving toward the doors as she gave commands. “Navigation you have command. Science Officer Nas, you’re with me.”

  “Copy that captain. I’m heading for the docking bay now.” Nellia answered over the intercom. Her friend was the ship’s doctor and the unknown condition of the being in the pod made this a potential medical emergency. Nellia might be needed.

  She entered the lift with Vareen, “Level six.” They each remained silent as the lift descended the five levels. Upon exiting, they were facing the docking bay doors with halls running left and right to other areas of the docking deck.

  She walked forward, toward the main docking doors and they opened automatically. There was a force field between her and the incoming pod so she went with Vareen to stand and wait. She barely registered when Nellia took up position by her side, her gaze was so intent on the arriving pod.

  When the gravity was restored and the scrub scanners had cleaned the pod of any contaminants, they would be able to approach whatever it was that had been sending out the distress signal. Standing quietly with Vareen and Nellia they waited. When the all clear was given they entered the docking bay.

  Striding forward, Cali muttered appreciatively at the sleek lines of the pod. “Very nice craftsmanship. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

  To the naked eye, it seemed without joints or closures. There was some kind of panel on the outside, with flashing symbols she didn’t recognize. Looking to Vareen she ordered, “We could probably use an engineer. They might be able to figure out those symbols.” She moved to the pod unit admiring it.

  Nellia was standing opposite her with Vareen at the console with the flashing lights. “It couldn’t hurt to try some of these buttons.” So saying, her friend moved to put her hand on the console, and then pulled it back quickly. “Ow.”

  “What? What happened?” Cali’s eyes fixed on her friend’s hand.

  “There was a slight shock when I tried to touch the pod.” Nellia hesitantly reached for the console again and this time, her fingers met the material of the pod. “Nothing this time.”

  “Perhaps it was the shielding.” Vareen deducted. “It could have been active when you tried the first time, and your hand somehow deactivated it?”

  “Well, since I’m able to touch it. It couldn’t hurt to try some of these buttons.” She started hitting them in random order.

  “I don’t think—” Cali stopped her protest when there was a whirring sound and the pod unit suddenly had a lid, which proceeded to lift off.

  “Ohh.”

  “Wow.”

  She heard Nellia and Vareen gasp at the same time, but she was beyond hearing anything else.

  Inside the pod was a humanoid male. There were tattered scraps of purple clothing in the pod strewn along his shoulders and stomach that Cali surmised at one point had been a shirt. The black pants he was wearing were still snug on his hips and legs. His feet were covered in some type of black, military style boots. Cali wondered what had happened for his shirt to be destroyed, but the rest of his clothing to remain intact. Not only that, how had the pod sustained him?

  After her initial, clinical perusal of the contents of the pod, she started at the top of his head and really looked this time. Then she had to try to regain her composure. He was so incredibly handsome that he stole her very breath. His dark black hair was a sharp contrast to his pale skin and her fingers itched to find out if it was as soft and thick as it looked. He hadn’t opened his eyes when the lid released, so she didn’t know what color they were, but they were an exotic almond shape, accented by arched brows and thick lashes. His nose had a small bump on it as if broken and hastily repaired. His cheekbones were prominent, but that must be because of lack of sustenance. His chin was square and smooth. His lips were full and lush. Altogether his face was very masculine and appealing.

  Moving her eyes down his body she realized there were a few faint marks on his chest, arms, shoulders and stomach. Scars like that came from a finely bladed weapon. Who, what and why was he fighting Cali wondered.

  Overall, his body seemed slightly emaciated, as if he usually carried more weight. His shoulders were broad and tapered to an indented waist. After a quick look, she made herself skip over his groin area and then finished her perusal by noting his thickly muscled legs and calves.

  “The pod was some type of stasis unit.” Nellia was moving a portable scanning unit over his body. “That would account for the slight loss of body mass, but he seems incredibly well preserved. I have no idea how long he’s been in stasis. It could’ve been days or years.” Her friend was making a ticking noise, as was her habit when thinking about something. “I think it’s safe to transfer him to a medical unit. I’m not finding any contaminants or pathogens with my portable unit.”

  Forcing her eyes away from the male, Cali looked to Vareen. Her friend shrugged and waved her hand at Nellia. “I’ll be on the bridge, working on the mystery of the metal used to make this pod. Let me know if you need me.” Vareen moved off toward the elevator, leaving her and Nellia with the unconscious male. Cali watched as Nellia attached a small chip to his skin.

  Nellia tapped her comm badge, “Transporter room, lock onto medical chip one and transport patient to medical bed one. Voice authorization, ships doctor.”

  “Confirmed.” The mystery male shimmered and then disappeared from the pod.

  Tapping her badge again to close the link Nellia turned to her, “I need to get to medical, why don’t you come with me.” Nellia hurried toward the lift doors and she followed.

  “You’re trained in diplomacy, self-defense, and interrogation. If it comes to any of those things, I think you’re the best person for when our mystery male wakes up.” Her friend smiled weakly and waited until they were both settled in the lift. “Computer, level two.” Nellia requested, then turned to her. “I’m sorry, I know you have other duties, but that male radiates something unsettling…”

  “It’s okay Nellia. I don’t mind coming to medical with you.” Cali exclaimed softly. “I’m curious, though. Your patient is out cold and more than likely will be weak from stasis when he does wake up. What could you possibly find unsettling?” Cali had seen only an exceptionally handsome male, with a virile body.

  “Did you see how large he was?” Nellia shuddered. “I
f he has half the strength his body mass suggests, I’ll need guards in the medical room.”

  “He wasn’t that big. Perhaps slightly taller than Vathral, and you never found him disturbing.” Cali laughed, “You’re over exaggerating.”

  “I’m the same height as you Cali and I say he’s huge. Vathral may have been the tallest in our class, but he was also refined…a gentleman.” Nellia shuddered again and Cali took mercy on her.

  “You’re right of course.” She rubbed her hand over her chin in thought. “I’ll stay close just in case you need me.” What she was supposed to do if the male was violent was beyond her. As Nellia said, she was the same size as her friend. Even with advanced self-defense she didn’t feel confident about taking on someone his size. “As protocol demands, I’ll have guards stationed close by.”

  “Thank you, Cali.” Nellia seemed genuinely relieved and Cali thought back on the male again. Why did her friend feel unsettled, when all she saw was good looks? Now she was impatient to get to the medical unit. She was going to look the male over again, only, this time, she would try to see what had her friend so nervous.

  Chapter Eight

  Cali stifled a huge yawn, stretched her arms over her head and went to check on the still immobile mystery man on the bed next to hers. She had volunteered to stay in the medical ward and a grateful Nellia had gone to get some rest. Snuggling into bed number two, Cali had spent the last few hours examining the stranger. No matter how long she looked at him, she couldn’t see anything upsetting about him. If anything, the opposite was true. She found him exceptionally appealing.

  Nellia had left his pants on since the initial scans were clear and there was no need to cut them off. With his footwear removed for comfort, Cali had tucked him into a solar blanket to try to keep his temperature regulated. At first, they had no idea what setting his body required. Nellia had experimented and they had him stable for now. It seemed wherever he was from, he preferred about the same temperature as her people on Cestori. The solar blanket was in a setting similar to their tropical region.

  Biting back a groan at her protesting back muscles, she found herself moving to stand over the male once again. She had unfastened the top of her uniform, and taken down her hair to allow for comfort. The bun was beginning to give her a headache and this male wasn’t awake to see her in this state anyway. His breathing was even, the rise and fall of his chest lifted the blanket in the steady rhythm of sleep.

  Cali was surprised to see his face was beginning to show a bit of hair growth along his cheeks and jawline. It must be a good sign that his body was starting to function again. She wondered if the stasis pod had kept him in the exact state as when he had entered it. If that was the case, then the state of his body might tell her something about him. Tentatively she took his hand into hers, telling herself this was purely for the purpose of gathering information about him. She almost laughed to herself over the lie. She had been dying to touch him since the pod had opened. She was honest enough to realize this was the excuse she was using.

  Sighing, she enjoyed the feel of his hand in hers. The weight was surprising and his skin felt warm and smooth. Turning his hand over, she saw again, a few of the faint lines of scars on his skin. So maybe he used his hands in his profession. Not knowing where he was from, she couldn’t say what level of technology they enjoyed. Perhaps he was a blacksmith. She had read about them in ancient history class. They used a hot forge to mold metals into different items. These hands would fit the image she had of that type of male. Also, his body size would certainly attest to working a physical job.

  Turning her attention back to his fingers she realized they weren’t calloused or rough, but they weren’t baby soft either. The fingernails were trimmed and free of dirt so he must take care of them. Placing her palm against his, she smiled at the difference in size. His fingers were almost a digit larger than hers. It was fascinating to her. The males of Cestori were not into physical displays of affection. Holding hands were strictly for partners and since she was single, she hadn’t held hands like a couple did.

  The fingers she was examining suddenly twitched and she dropped his hand with a small startled gasp. Her eyes flew to his face and her mouth dropped open.

  He was awake and watching her. His eyes were an incredible cerulean blue color. They reminded her of the ocean waters of Cestori, mysterious and shadowed. His brow furrowed and his eyes changed to an electric blue. His hand reached to clasp around her wrist and squeezed. There was strength in his grip which surprised her, and at that moment she thought, Maybe Nellia was right to be worried. Remembering the guard, she turned to see they had rushed forward.

  She immediately waved them back to stand by the doors.

  “Please don’t be alarmed.” She returned her attention to the now awake male and placed her hand over his again. The pressure lessened and he dropped her wrist. His eyes were a normal blue color and Cali figured it must have been the lighting that made them appear to be glowing. “You’re safe on this ship.”

  His mouth moved but no sound came out. He was suddenly struggling to sit upright. The fear and frustration flashed across his face to be replaced by a determined glare in her direction. She hastened to push him back before he overexerted himself. His shoulders were warm against her palms and she couldn’t resist running a finger against the skin.

  “Please stay still.” Her voice was unexpectedly throaty and to her surprise, he froze instantly. “You can understand me?” At his curt nod, she continued. “That’s good.” Their eyes locked and she couldn’t look away. “I’m not doing anything to keep you from speaking.” She insisted, the accusation in his eyes came across as loud as any words. “You were found in some type of stasis pod. We’re not sure how long you were in that state, but it has to have impacted your ability to speak. I imagine you are feeling slightly weakened also.”

  He moved his hand from under hers to rub at his head. Her eyes followed the play of muscles as they flexed. When his fingers went through the black strands she could only watch with envy. His fingers moved to his face and he frowned again. Her eyes immediately locked onto his full mouth. The desire to run her finger over his full lips was strong. Mentally shaking herself she raised her eyes to his. Was it possible for such blue eyes to appear to be burning?

  “Your facial hair has just begun to grow. It’s not that we have been neglecting your care. In fact, you’ve only been on this ship for about twelve hours.” She hurried to say something else. Not sure if he had caught her staring at him.

  He smiled slightly and she caught a flash of white teeth before his eyes moved around the room, taking in the medical equipment, the guards, and then back to her. Looking at her suspiciously, he ran his hands over his body, patting roughly every so often. When she saw the relief in his eyes she knew he thought he was injured. Raising an eyebrow, he looked around again, then pointedly back to her.

  “From what we can tell you weren’t injured. Is that what you were worried about?” she asked and he nodded his head. The action caused a lock of hair to fall across his forehead. She resisted the urge to tuck it back and continued. “I can’t speak to what happened to put you in that stasis pod. I can only tell you our medical scanners have found nothing wrong with you. Either the pod was designed to fix the injury, or you didn’t have any injuries to find.” She had moved her hand to pat his again. His intense gaze fell on her hand over his, then flew to her face. With the hand not covered by hers, he tapped at his throat and made a “tipping glass” gesture.

  “You’re thirsty?” She could have slapped herself. Of course, he must be. “Do you drink water? H2O?”

  He nodded excitedly and Cali hurried to the food dispenser. “Water. Room temperature.” She knew colder water might taste better, but it would be harder on his body to process than warmer water. Room temperature would be easier on his system for now. Taking the water the dispenser provided, she walked back to his side. Using the controls of the bed, she adjusted the angle until he wa
s in a sitting position. “Here you are, please take small sips.”

  Averting his face, he put the cup to his lips and sipped urgently. Wondering at his lack of eye contact Cali asked, “Are you feeling better?” She was watching him intently when his eyelids floated closed and the cup slipped from his still fingers.

  Her fingers flew to her comm badge, “Nellia medical emergency!”

  Chapter Nine

  “Honestly, Cali what were you thinking?” Vareen whispered furiously as she paced in front of the medical bed. Cali hadn’t felt like this since she was a child called on the carpet by her nannies.

  “You scared me half to death!” Nellia took up the argument, albeit in a hushed tone. “Medical emergency indeed. The small act of processing the water was enough to overtask his system and the man just fell asleep.” All eyes turned to the medical bed where their mystery guest was still dead to the world.

  Cali’s embarrassed gaze flew to Nellia, as she and Vareen passed each other. Cali took the time to refasten her uniform and tie her hair up in the required bun.

  “How was I supposed to know—” she began only to be interrupted.

  “As soon as he woke up you should’ve notified security!” Vareen kept up her reprimand as she paced.

  Cali went to defend herself. “The guards were right here. I don’t think—” she only got a few words out when Nellia admonished.

  “That’s right. You didn’t think. You shouldn’t have been so close to him Cali! He could be dangerous.” Nellia passed Vareen once again in her pacing.

  Recalling his appeal Cali muttered under her breath, “You have no idea.”

  “What was that?” both of her friends stopped and faced her.

  “Nothing.” She hurried to defend herself, “The man is in no physical condition to do me harm. He could barely hold the cup.”

  *****

  Chan’ Drake woke to the sound of raised voices. Female voices to be precise. Keeping his eyes closed he tried to remember what had happened? The last thing he could recall was waking up in a strange room, with a woman holding his hand. Not just any woman either. She was the loveliest creature he had ever laid eyes on.