“Calm down, man. It all worked out.” Letting me go, Kazan patted the frantic guide on the shoulder. “You can relax. We don’t have anything bad to say about you...or the resort, for that matter. These last few weeks were as romantic as they could possibly be.”
“Still, this is my responsibility now.” Standing tall, he straightened his back and clasped his hands behind him. “The board of directors has gathered for an emergency meeting, and they have voted me in as emergency CEO. I’ll be overlooking the resort’s operations in the coming month.”
“You gotta celebrate, then.”
“No time for such a thing,” Yilap continued, his posture now more formal than before. Clearly, he was already settling into his role as the resort’s Chief Executive Officer. “My first actions were to fire any employees connected with this hideous crime, but I also took some actions concerning your situation, and the board signed off on it. So did the officials in charge of the Earth-Jorkan Protocols.”
“What exactly are you talking about?” I asked him, not entirely sure if I liked where the conversation was going. It seemed like our days at the resort were about to come to an end, even though we still had almost two weeks left. “What did you do, Yilap?”
“I’m aware that both of you were dragged here against your will, and that your careers have been suspended because of the mating protocol.” Patting the front of his tunic, he smoothed down a couple of wrinkles, and only then did he continue. “We know this process was very distressing for both of you, and I’m certain that it didn’t help when you found yourselves entangled in a criminal conspiracy.”
“Well, we really don’t care about—”
“You’re being liberated from your contractual obligations as of now,” he continued, cutting me short. “You won’t have to finish the mandatory thirty-day period, and you’re free to resume your lives. The government officials weren’t that happy about calling it a day, but I got them to agree to it. After all, you helped save this entire planet from a coup. We’re indebted to you.”
I said nothing.
I stood there, my feet buried in the sand as I stared at Yilap. The waves crashed harshly against the shoreline, and the breeze whipped up my hair. Putting my arms around my chest, I shifted my weight from one foot to the other.
“We’re...free to go?” I asked, a whirlwind of emotions inside me. After all that we’d gone through, would this be the end of it? I didn’t want to think of an end, especially when we still had two weeks left at the resort, but now I was forced to face the reality. “That’s it? It’s over?”
“Correct, Miss Ashby.” Stepping forward, Yilap took my hands and bowed his head. “I’ve heard you were about to be promoted in the organization you work for back on Earth, and I hope you can still get it.”
“I, uh...thank you.”
“As for you, Colonel, I’ve already sent word to the military,” Yilap continued. “Your team is already expecting your early return.”
Much like me, Kazan didn’t say a word. He stood there, arms limp by his sides, his face expressionless. I glanced at him, but it was impossible to read him. Whatever he was thinking, he was keeping it all to himself.
“We’ve prepared a shuttle to take you to the orbital spaceport, and it should be ready in half an hour.” Nodding solemnly, Yilap then waved at the cabin. “It should be more than enough time for you to collect your belongings and prepare for the trip ahead. I must tell you, I was looking forward to making a couple out of you, but I understand that both of you are career-driven individuals. I respect that.”
Shit.
Half an hour?
This was happening way too fast.
“I really hope you get that promotion, Elle.” Turning to me, Kazan smiled, and he offered me his hand. I looked down at it, stunned, and realized he was expecting a handshake. Dazed, that’s what I did. “These past few weeks...they were fun. They really were.”
“Yeah,” I whispered. “They were.”
“I guess this is the end, huh?”
“Seems like it,” I said, doing my best to keep some of my dignity. Tears stung my eyes as my heart tightened into a painful fist. Still, I couldn’t break. I had been the one insisting on that stupid rule of “all fun, no feelings”, and I couldn’t blame Kazan for following it. “I hope your team hasn’t grown lazy in your absence, either.”
“I’ll shape them up.”
“I know,” I said, and had to turn my back to him. I stared at the ocean, doing my best not to drown in a wave of sadness, then took a deep breath. Digging my fingernails into the palms of my hands, I reminded myself of who I really was—Elle Ashby, a kickass lawyer who was about to reach the pinnacle of her career.
Just as long as I focused on that, it’d all be alright.
Turning back to him, now it was my turn to smile.
“It’s been a pleasure, Colonel Kazan.”
“Likewise, Elle Ashby.”
Kazan
It was wrong.
Everything about this was wrong.
Leaning back in my seat, I looked out the viewport as the shuttle approached the orbital spaceport, a behemoth of metal and synthetic polymer on which intergalactic ships could dock. Even from a distance, I could already see the military ship waiting for me, ready to take me back to the High Command Headquarters
Elle sat right in front of me, an infopad perched on her knees. She had asked Yilap for one, just so she could prepare herself for her return. It was incredible. We were still light years away from Earth, and she was already back at work. I had never known someone with such drive.
I respected that but, at the same time, it saddened me. I had gotten so used to having her around that I could no longer feel excited about the future. Sure, I was about to return to my team, and I’d be able to get into ass-kicking mode once more...but that paled in comparison with what I had experienced with Elle.
“And here we are,” Yilap said, suddenly appearing in the aisle beside us. As he spoke, we heard the engines powering down, and there was a metallic clang as the docking hooks clamped the ship to the spaceport.
“What are you doing here?” Elle asked, arching one eyebrow as she peered over the infopad. “I thought you had stayed back at the resort.”
“I had to accompany you here,” Yilap replied in that hyped-up tone of his. “After what happened, it’s my responsibility to accompany you on this last leg of your journey. It’s the least I can do.”
“Appreciate it,” Elle said with a gentle smile, and I felt a knot in my throat. Was this the last time I was going to see her smile?
Clearing my throat, I removed my seatbelt and left my seat. Yilap led us out of the shuttle and into the spaceport, and the sound of a thousand travelers immediately surrounded us, the main floor filled with tourists from many different species and races. Projected at regular intervals were massive holographic screens, all of them indicating the next flights coming and going out of the spaceport.
“That is yours, Colonel,” Yilap said, pointing at the screen containing all private intergalactic flights. There were only two of them there: one was a military transport, and the other was a small cruiser with its destination marked as Earth. “And that is yours, Miss Ashby. I contacted the staff before we docked and I’ve been told that both ships are ready for departure.”
“This is it, then,” I said, doing my best to keep my voice steady and firm. It was harder than I had anticipated. I just wanted to wrap my arms around Elle and drag her away from this place, but I couldn’t do that. No matter how tough this was going to be, I knew where her priorities lay. She lived for her career, and I wasn’t going to be the one pulling her away from it.
Besides, we had made a pact—fun, not feelings—and I wasn’t the kind of man to renege on an agreement. No, even if this sucked, I was going to do what I had promised her. We had had our fun, and now it was time for us to go back to our regular lives.
“I wish you the best, Elle,” I told her, and offered her my ha
nd once more. She looked at it for a moment, then simply closed the distance between us and hugged me, her delicate arms wrapped around my chest. I held her tight for a moment, breathing in her scent. When we finally pulled back, I had to make a very conscious effort to let go.
“I wish the same for you, too,” she said, her lips slightly pursed. Our gazes lingered on each other for a moment, then she finally breathed out, placing one hand on her suitcase. “Well, time to go, right?”
“Time to go.” I put a smile on my face, but I really didn’t feel like smiling. Still, I gave Elle one small nod and grabbed my own suitcase. Using whatever remained of my willpower, I nodded at Yilap and turned on my heels, following the holographic arrows to the gate where my ship would be docked.
With each step I took, I felt the urge to look back and see Elle one final time, but I resisted it. I just kept on marching ahead, making my way through the sea of tourists, and five minutes later I was standing in front of my gate.
“Well, time to go back to reality,” I muttered under my breath, and showed the attendant my military badge. She waved me forward with a polite curtsy, and I strolled into the docking sleeve, the loud sounds from the spaceport becoming muffled and distant. When I finally made my way through the airlock and into the ship itself, I was greeted with whistling, raucous laughter, and a round of applause.
“And here he is, our fearless leader,” Tarnik said, jumping from his seat and slapping me on the back. “We were starting to think we’d never see your face again, man. When we heard you were on a ship to Tarkun IV, we were pretty sure you had decided to spend the rest of your life making babies and baking cakes.”
“You really think so?” I laughed, even though I really didn’t feel like it. It felt good to see my men again, but my mind had a thorn buried deep inside it. It’d take a long time before I forgot about Elle. “You guys would be lost without me. I wouldn’t be able to relax knowing that you had someone like Tarnug training you.”
“Well, you didn’t have to worry,” he said. “He has been doing an excellent job, and most of the team has improved. It actually kinda sucks he’ll have to leave the team now. We worked pretty well under his command.”
“You’ve gotta be shitting me.”
“Of course I am,” he said. “I’m just fucking with you. That asshole Tarnug doesn’t even know the difference between a stunner and a hunting rifle. It’s good to have you back, Kazan.”
“And it’s good to be back,” I said, clasping his forearm in a warrior’s salute.
I put my suitcase in one of the overhead storage compartments, and walked down the aisle, greeting the rest of my guys. I took my seat at the front, where I could see the cockpit and the pilots, and raked one hand over my face before putting on the seatbelt.
“Ready for departure?” one of the pilots asked me, his hand already hovering over the controls.
I opened my mouth to give the green light, but couldn’t find the necessary words. I stared at him like a damn idiot, my mouth hanging open.
“Sir? We’re ready for—”
“I heard you,” I cut him short. My mind was spinning, my heart felt like it had been hit with a hand grenade. It was impossible to think straight. Was I really about to leave Elle behind? Was I really about to let her go without a fight? No...fuck that.
“Can I start undocking procedures then?”
“No, you can’t,” I said, unfastening my seatbelt. “There’s something I need to do.” Jumping from my seat, I strode down the aisle toward the airlock. Tarnik called after me, but I ignored him, turning back only when he grabbed my forearm.
“What’s happening?” he asked. “Is everything alright?”
“No,” I replied. “The woman I love is about to leave forever.”
“The woman you love?” he repeated, his jaw slackening. Then a smile spread across his lips, and he shook his head in disbelief. “Holy shit, this is really happening. You really fell for the human.”
“I did.”
“Then what the fuck are you doing here?” Punching the panel beside the airlock, he ordered the door to open. “Go get her.”
I didn’t need to be told twice.
I rushed out of the airlock as fast as I could, ignoring the attendant posted outside as she called out after me. The only thing I could really hear was the heavy thud of my boots as I ran, and I didn’t let anyone stand in my way. In a race against time, I wove my way through the crowd, pushing people out of the way, only stopping when I reached the place where Elle and I had been standing.
With a knot in my throat, I froze, looking at the holographic panels so that I could figure out her departure gate. Her flight was marked as ‘departure imminent’ and that just gave me a shot of adrenaline, especially because her gate was on the far side of the spaceport.
“Fuck,” I muttered, and started running again.
I pushed myself to exhaustion, going up and down flights of stairs, and I skidded to a halt only when I saw her gate in the distance. There was still an attendant beside the airlock, which was a good sign, but I didn’t see anyone around. Could Elle have already boarded her ship?
“Whoa, Colonel?” I felt a hand landing on my arm, and I turned around to see Yilap standing beside me, a curious expression on his face. “What are you doing here? Your ship was supposed to have left the spaceport five minutes ago. Is there a problem? Did you forget something back at the resort? If that’s the case, we can just ship it to you, free of charge. It won’t be a—”
“I’m looking for Elle,” I said, my voice brimming with tension. “Where is she?”
“Miss Ashby?” He arched both eyebrows and shook his head. Grabbing an infopad from his tunic, he scrolled through the screens and frowned. “According to what’s in here, her ship left just a few seconds ago. I’m afraid that you’ve missed her, Colonel.”
“No, that can’t be right.” It felt as if someone had placed an enormous weight on my chest. I was finding it hard to breath, and each time my heart beat, it felt as if someone had wrapped it in barbed wire. Could I have lost Elle? Was she gone forever? “Is there any way we can contact her ship? I need to speak to her.”
“I’m afraid that’s not possible,” Yilap replied. “As per the protocols, no contact is allowed between Jorkan and humans if an agreement hasn’t been reached. You see, the humans aren’t supposed to have any contact with outside—”
“I know that,” I cut him short. “But there has to be a way.”
“I’m sorry, Colonel.”
No, this couldn’t be happening.
Stunned, I ambled to the side of the spaceport, where tall glass panels offered an expansive view of the emptiness surrounding it. I immediately honed in on the private cruiser leaving its docking station, its thrusters glowing brightly as the engines kicked in. Speechless, I watched as it carried Elle away from me, and the emptiness outside seemed to take over me as well.
I felt empty.
I felt alone.
How could I have been such an idiot? How could have I allowed that stupid pact to stop me? I couldn’t let go of my pride, and now I had lost the only woman I had ever loved. I had lost her, and now I would have to move through life without her.
Suddenly, I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around slowly, gritting my teeth to push away all pain and desperation off my face. I didn’t want Yilap to see just how broken I was.
Except it wasn’t Yilap.
“Elle? What are you doing there? I thought that you had already left.”
“But I didn’t,” she said. “I’m right here.”
Elle
“I couldn’t leave without telling you how I really feel.”
Before I could continue, Kazan cupped my face with both hands and leaned in, crushing his mouth against mine. I hadn’t really known what his reaction was going to be, but I couldn’t be happier about this. When he finally pulled back from me, I felt tears stinging my eyes.
“I was afraid you had already left,” I whisper
ed softly, taking in each and every detail of his face. I was so damn terrified by the fact I might never see him again, but here he was now—as handsome as the day we had met.
“That makes two of us.” Still looking into my eyes, he pulled me in for a tight embrace, his strong arms wrapped around my torso. “I’m sorry I didn’t say it earlier, but...I don’t want you to go, Elle. I have no idea how we can make this work, and I don’t want to ruin your dreams, but I can’t stand the thought of being without you.”
“Kazan…”
“I love you, Elle,” he breathed out, and I felt as if my entire body was melting. Only then did I realize just how much I was aching to hear these three little words. I could almost feel the energy coming from them spinning inside my head, a surge of electric happiness thrilling through me.
“And I love you,” I said, enjoying the warmth of his body against mine. “And, yes, I don't know how we’ll make this work...but I’m pretty sure we can manage it if we really want to.”
Suddenly, Kazan pulled back, placing his hands on my shoulders. He looked straight into my eyes with a serious expression, then gave himself an encouraging nod.
“I don’t know much about human traditions, but I’ve heard that it’s customary for a man to go down on his knees.” Before I could respond, he knelt right in front of me, taking my right hand into his. “I have never met someone quite like you, Elle Ashby. You are my mate, and the one person I want to spend the rest of my life with. Would you grant me the privilege of being that man, the one who’s lucky enough to stand beside you?”
“A thousand times yes,” I replied, and jumped into his arms, so suddenly that he stumbled back, and we collapsed on the floor, our lips glued together as we kissed. I heard the crowd of tourists around us murmur, but I didn’t pay it any heed. Right then, I was as happy as I could be.
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