Rouhr

by Elin Wyn

  “It sounds so bleak when you say it like that,” I replied.

  “‘Last hurrah’ isn’t the right term,” Leena amended. “I’m sure there will be many more hurrahs to come.”

  “So, you’re trying to produce makeup to wear to the party.” I filled in the rest, decided it was better not to wait for her to come up with a better phrase. “Wouldn’t it be easier to ask Fen to open a rift to Glymna and go to a store?”

  Evie snorted. “We tried. Even sent a comm over. Everyone is too busy for such ‘frivolous’ endeavors.”

  “It is a little frivolous,” I admitted.

  “Maybe, but after everything else we’ve whipped up out of nothing in this lab, lipstick shouldn’t be that challenging!”

  I didn’t actually have a good answer for that.

  “None of us have party clothes. Won’t we look strange walking around all made up, but still in our work clothes?”

  “I doubt the aliens will realize we don’t have proper party attire,” Leena snorted.

  “Fair point,” I allowed. “When’s the party?”

  “It’s later tonight,” Leena answered, frowning at another concoction. “It starts as soon as Snipes finishes making all the food. The Urai even have music!”

  I’ll admit, I was curious to know what Urai music sounded like.

  “Let me see what you’ve come up with so far.” I stepped closer to the messy lab table and looked at the shallow dishes filled with colorful powders, gels, and creams.

  “I can’t remember the last time I wore makeup,” Evie sighed wistfully.

  “I used to have a whole closet dedicated to party clothes,” I admitted. As Mayor, I often went to upscale events with other city leaders to schmooze and make under-the-table deals.

  “I miss my shoe collection,” Leena sighed.

  Between the fighting, the Xathi, and all of the destruction, it was easy to forget that all of us were women who still enjoyed feminine things.

  It would be nice to go back to that for a few hours. And as much as I didn’t want to think about it, Leena had a point. This could be our last hurrah. The final confrontation with the Xathi was coming.

  I didn’t know what Rouhr had planned, but I knew it wouldn’t be without risk.

  We played around in the lab for a few hours, making more of a mess than anything else, until we had a small collection of functional products.

  I managed to make an exact replica of my favorite shade of lipstick. I was applying it when Mariella’s voice came through the intercom.

  “You guys, come to the mess hall!” she squealed with excitement. “Snipes is finished cooking. The party’s starting!”

  “Let’s go,” Evie urged.

  “You guys, go ahead,” I said. “I doubt Rouhr knows about the party. I’ll go get him.”

  The pair nodded before bouncing away, giggles echoing down the corridor.

  Rouhr’s office was across the common space from the mess hall, but, just as I had suspected, he was holed up, completely oblivious to everything.

  I knocked on the door before entering.

  “Hey, stranger,” I said from the doorway.

  Rouhr frowned. “What’s on your mouth? It’s bright red,” he exclaimed. “Are you sick?”

  “It’s called makeup. It’s like ceremonial paint for special occasions,” I laughed. “Do you like it?”

  “It’s… intriguing,” he grinned slowly. “Makes it hard to look away from your lips.”

  “I could cover you in kisses and the color would blend right in with your skin,” I teased.

  “Is that the special occasion?” he asked. “Did you paint yourself just to kiss me?”

  “There’s actually a party going on, not that you noticed,” I teased.

  “Is there?” Rouhr seemed genuinely surprised.

  “In the mess hall. It was Mariella’s idea. How about we go over together, and have a little fun?”

  “I’ve got so much work to do,” he sighed. “The repairs are complete. I’m waiting for the Urai to perform their inspection, so they can tell me what the Aurora is capable of. I still have to plan the final assault on the Xathi, too.”

  “How long have you been working on that?” I asked, looking over the stack of datapads.

  “All day,” he admitted.

  “Then you need a break anyway.” I grabbed Rouhr’s hand and pulled on him until he rose from his desk. “You probably couldn’t see the perfect plan if it stood up on your desk and bit you at this point.”

  “I’ll go for a few minutes, but then I really need to get back to work,” he insisted.

  “You’re starting to sound like me,” I laughed.

  The mess hall was packed with crew members and refugees. Snipes had whipped up a feast consisting of human food and food from all four alien species.

  A few of the humans had tried to figure out how to make wine and beer in the refugee wing and were handing out those drinks, as well as alien spirits.

  Tables had been pushed aside to make room for dancing, the Urai’s music was blasting through the intercom speakers. It was livelier than I’d imagined it would be, but still, like nothing I’d ever heard before. I liked it immediately.

  “Impressive.” Rouhr took in the sight before him.

  “Mariella works fast,” I laughed. I spied her in the middle of the open space, dancing with an uncomfortable-looking Tu’ver.

  “You got him out of the office!” Leena approached me from the left. By the way she spoke, I could tell she’d had a few drinks already.

  “How’s the wine?” I asked.

  “Terrible. Stick to the alien stuff,” she slurred. Axtin appeared at her side with an amused expression. He gingerly lifted the drink from her unsteady hand, and gave it to me.

  “Drink it. You need it more than she does.” He shook his head and wrapped his arm around her.

  The cup was one-third-filled with bright green liquid that smelled like flowers. With a shrug, I took a long sip. It tasted better than it looked. I quickly finished the rest. When I looked around, everything in the room looked soft and glowing.

  “That stuff is amazing,” I gasped. “Rouhr, you’ve got to have some.”

  “I’ve had enough Marloch Extract to last me a lifetime,” he laughed.

  “You used to have fun, General?” Axtin teased.

  “Let’s just say not even Sakev would’ve been able to keep up with me in my wild days,” Rouhr chuckled.

  Axtin clapped him on the back before hurrying after Leena, who’d wandered back to the bar area.

  “Those two have the right idea.” Rouhr nodded at Jeneva and Vrehx who were sitting at a small table in the corner, eating food and people watching.

  “You’re no fun.” I stuck my tongue out at Rouhr, who snorted in response.

  “You know exactly how much fun I am,” he whispered in my ear. Goosebumps appeared on my arms and a shiver ran down my back.

  “I think you need to refresh my memory.”

  “I will,” he assured me, “after we spend some more time at this party you so desperately wanted me to attend.”

  “Fair enough,” I nodded once before becoming distracted. “Look at all that food! Let’s go get some.” Rouhr tipped his head back and laughed. It was one of the best sounds in the world.

  “Okay,” he agreed, and let me lead him to the long table bending beneath the weight of so many dishes. Snipes stood behind the table, surveying his work.

  “Snipes, you’ve outdone yourself!” I exclaimed.

  “It’s been a while since I’ve cooked a right proper feast,” he declared proudly. “Help yourself to everything. Let me know if I got your traditional feast foods right.”

  I filled my plate with more than I could possibly eat, and then filled a second one. I wanted to try everything I’d never tried before, but I also couldn’t resist the human classics like mac and cheese, and French fries.

  “You’re fun at parties,” Rouhr laughed as we sat down to devour our
spoils. I’d never tasted such amazing food in all my life.

  “I’m fun all the time,” I corrected between mouthfuls. At some point, I’d secured myself another cup of Marloch Extract, and convinced Rouhr to have a cup, too.

  One moment we were eating and laughing, the next, we were swaying on the dance floor, surrounded by all the friends we’d made. Evie looked like she was on the verge of falling asleep in Sakev’s arms. Amira and Dax were surprisingly elegant dancers.

  Rouhr brought me another cup of what I assumed was Marloch Extract. I gulped it down greedily, realizing too late that it was actually water.

  “Trust me,” Rouhr said. “Marloch is a monster to deal with in the morning. You’re going to thank me.”

  Time seemed to fly by, yet simultaneously stand still. The party slowed down well after dark. Nearly all of the food had been eaten. Everyone was struggling to stay upright due to either exhaustion or drunkenness.

  I had vague memories of Rouhr carrying me out of the mess hall and laying me down on his bed in his cabin. We kissed for hours. Or maybe it was only for a few moments. It was difficult to say for certain.

  He was right. Marloch Extract was not to be trusted.

  I clearly remembered him helping me out of my work clothes, and the cool, refreshing feeling of his sheets sliding against my bare skin.

  Before I fell asleep, the last memory was of the warmth of his body and the security of his arms around me when he climbed into bed beside me.

  Strong.

  Safe.

  Mine.

  For now.

  25

  Rouhr

  It was almost impossible to drag myself out of my bed and away from Vidia’s warmth.

  But unfortunately, it was necessary.

  I had asked the Urai to run their own reports on the Aurora now that she was fully repaired.

  The plan was to compare their reports to Thribb’s, and get their opinions on using the Aurora for space travel.

  All of the Urai engineers gathered in my office to give me the final report on the Aurora’s condition. At my request, Fen joined them as the Urai who’d spent the most time with my crew and the humans. I’d hoped in case of a language miscommunication, she’d be able to clarify things.

  I should have known the miscommunication wouldn’t have been on the Urai’s side.

  “That’s completely ridiculous!” Thribb shouted at Fen.

  “Do you disagree with their findings, Thribb?” I sighed.

  “Absolutely!” Thribb exclaimed. “They are willfully ignoring the maximum thresholds their systems can be pushed to.”

  “I don’t think the Urai would push their systems past what those can tolerate,” I replied.

  “No, they wouldn’t!” Thribb cried. I hadn’t anticipated that.

  “Then…I’m not sure what the problem is,” I said carefully. “I’m no engineer, but I’m fairly certain that’s a good thing.”

  “You misunderstand me,” Thribb pressed his long, narrow fingers against his temples. “It isn’t that they’re going over the ship’s maximums, it’s that they aren’t even coming close.”

  “Is that so?” I looked at Fen.

  “The Aurora potentially could handle the vacuum of space,” Fen nodded, slowly. “However, once a certain amount of strain is put on our systems, specifically the life support system and the environmental regulatory system, the overall stability of the ship rapidly declines and the chance of total system failure increases.”

  “I see,” I pressed my hands together. “What does that mean for us?”

  “It means that, within the atmosphere of this planet, the Aurora will be able to function well for at least a few hours,” Fen explained. “However, if the Aurora were to go into space for longer than a few minutes, the results could be disastrous.”

  “That’s ‘could be.’ Not ‘will be,’” Thribb argued. “This is the final leg of our mission on this planet. That deserves some level of risk!” Thribb slammed his hand down on my desk.

  “Some risk, yes,” Fen agreed. “Using the Aurora to go after the Xathi at all qualifies as a level of some risk. Using the Aurora for long-term space travel is too big of a risk.”

  “Preposterous,” Thribb scoffed.

  “Thribb,” I warned. “The Aurora has been our home for some time now, but we have to remember that she doesn’t belong to us. The Aurora belongs to the Urai, and if they say that prolonged exposure to the space vacuum isn’t possible, then we have to respect that.”

  “What are you going to tell the crew?” Thribb asked, voice wavering. “How are you going to break it to them that they won’t be going home on the Aurora?”

  “I’ve been very upfront with my crew. They’ve known from the beginning that they shouldn’t pin all their hopes on the Aurora,” I answered.

  “Yes, you did.” Thribb had a shifty look in his eyes that I didn’t like.

  “What are you not telling me?” I demanded.

  “My calculations predicted a much more positive outcome,” Thribb started. “The crew often pestered me with questions. I saw no reason to lie to them.”

  Well. This certainly made sense.

  The edge of insubordination running through my trusted soldiers, the unreasonable expectations that we’d be able to leave at any time, now I understood.

  Thribb had been feeding a mutiny, and the bastard probably hadn’t even realized it.

  “You were out of line to disclose such information,” I growled. “You’ve led the entire crew to believe the Aurora will be safe for space travel. I’m going to call a meeting, and you are going to be the one to tell them that it’s not.”

  Thribb went pale, but he didn’t argue.

  And once the men knew, I’d need to find Vidia. One part of our uncertainty was over. My stomach clenched. But what would that mean for our future?

  Within twenty minutes, every member of the strike teams, as well as the representatives from the ground teams, had gathered in the largest room the Aurora contained. I’d never seen Thribb look so nervous.

  “Thank you all for attending this meeting on such short notice,” I began. “Thribb has news he thinks all of you should hear.”

  All eyes turned to Thribb.

  “Ah, well,” he cleared his throat. “You see, the repairs have been completed. Tests have been run. Numerous tests. The Urai and I have both run numerous tests.” He was starting to ramble, a sheen of sweat on his forehead.

  “Just say it.” Rokul’s voice was hard and cold.

  “The Aurora is not fit for space travel.”

  The room was eerily silent, the faces of the crew turned to masks of sadness and rage.

  I stepped in front of Thribb.

  He might be a bastard, and I might sympathize with their urge to string him up, but we still needed him.

  “Listen to me,” I said calmly. “The Aurora will not be the ship to take you back to your homeworlds, but that doesn’t mean we should lose all hope.”

  “Our homes are probably long gone anyway,” Sk’lar sighed. “I hate to say it out loud, but it’s the truth. We saw the devastation the Xathi brought before we fell through the rift. We’ve been fighting them for months on this planet, and it’s only been a single ship. Imagine what an entire fleet of the bugs is capable of.”

  “Don’t give up yet,” I replied. “We have a fleet of our own out there, too. We can’t do much in that fight, but there is something we can do. We can wipe out the Xathi on Ankau. We can stop them from spreading through this corner of the universe,” I continued. “I know I am asking a great deal, but we need to come up with a plan of attack to rid this planet of those vile beings for good.”

  “The Aurora is still mobile, right?”

  I didn’t expect Karzin to be the first to speak up. His gaze was empty as he stared at nothing. I knew the news was hard on him, but I also knew him to be an exceptional soldier even in the face of hardship.

  “Yes,” I nodded.

  “The Xath
i have sent out smaller transport units, but they have no idea the Aurora is functioning again,” he continued. “Let’s use that to our advantage.”

  “Excellent start,” I offered him a respectful nod.

  His chin dipped only slightly, expression still blank.

  “But the Aurora doesn’t have any weapons,” Axtin chimed in. “We could give the Xathi a surprise, but not much of a fight.”

  “We could lure them into another trap,” Tu’ver suggested.

  “What trap is big enough to take down all of the Xathi and their ship?” Sakev asked.

  One terrible option came to mind.

  “Fen,” I turned to her. “What would happen if a rift closed while someone was walking through it?”

  “A rift is a doorway. When it closes, one part will be on one side, the other, on the other side,” she explained.

  “I think we just found our trap,” my thoughts raced, walking through the steps. “We can use the Aurora to lure the Xathi into the air. Once they’re following us, and I’m sure they will if they think we’re trying to run, we can open a rift big enough for the Xathi ship to go through. Once they’re right in the middle, we snap it closed.”

  Nods slowly rippled through the room as the men followed.

  “Then, we open another rift, and return to the planet before the Aurora faces any complications,” Tu’ver concluded.

  “It’s possible,” Fen admitted, though I detected some uneasiness in her expression.

  “I think it’s our best shot,” I replied.

  “I agree,” Vrehx added.

  My crew echoed his sentiments unanimously.

  I nodded with approval. “What can we do to make this easier on the Aurora?”

  “If we can power down non-vital sections of the ship, that will make a great deal of difference,” Fen replied. “And if we minimize the weight carried.”

  “Right,” I nodded. “All civilians will be evacuated to Glymna for the duration of this mission,” I announced. “That will be our first priority.”