There was no response.
He turned around and leaned against the ship. It was almost like he could feel her anima through it, as if she’d poured a part of her soul into the composite skin. Where now? The VIP quarters?
He called up the location on his micomm. Half a deck at the core of the ship was reserved for visiting dignitaries and other ‘important’ guests. In truth they were modified senior officer’s quarters, like Blazer and Marda’s, but were slightly better appointed and featured reconfigurable atmospheric systems. An inquiry revealed that six were currently occupied. While that narrowed his search, he couldn’t risk the fallout of inquiring at the wrong hatch, or several. Security Forces wouldn’t take kindly to a lovestruck idiot disturbing the slumber of a visiting ambassador.
A thought struck him. He checked the length of time that each had been occupied. It was a low-level inquiry, one he felt sure wouldn’t get flagged. He was right. The shortest current occupancy was less than three cycles. None of them could be her. He grimaced in thought? Where else would she go? Would she stay with one of her shipboard contacts or friends? Maybe she did go to the Burning Crater? We both know it, and she wouldn’t look out of place there.
Settled on a location, Arion headed back into the main body of the ship. He hurried through the corridors to find the bar empty. Stupid, stupid, stupid, she wouldn’t get drunk. He collapsed into one of the empty chairs, wracking his brain. Where? The Captain, the Admiral? Wait, Sidlee, the Captain’s daughter. Alieha had mentioned that they were close. And, stupid, she shares them with visitors, Alieha especially. Arion queried the ship’s manifest: one nice thing about shipboard personnel was that they were all listed in the directory, as were their quarters assignments.
Sidlee’s quarters were only two decks aft of Chris and Gavit’s, on the same level as Blazer and Marda. That meant he’d been right on top of her the whole time. He tried not to think of that as he ran back to not quite where he’d started. He ground to a halt in front of her hatch to PQ-621 and composed himself. The comm panel beside the door provided minimal reflection, but it was enough to guide him through brushing back what little hair he had and flattening the wrinkles in his clothes before he pressed the chime.
There was no response at first. He went to press the chime again when a sleep-filled voice responded. “Hello?”
The voice was familiar, but definitely not Alieha’s. He’d only spoken to Sidlee two or three times, in passing, before or after her morning swim workouts with Zithe. It might have been her. “Sidlee, it’s Arion. I’m looking for Alieha. Is she…”
The door whooshed open to reveal Sidlee in an ill-fitting dressing gown. Her face revealed her displeasure, whether it be at the time, his mere presence, or something else. “What, do you, want?”
“Have you seen Alieha?”
She twitched, tried to hide it, but the gown ruffled, revealing the motion.
“She’s here. I need to,” he stammered as he started for the door.
“Slow your course flyboy,” she called, raising her hand.
Arion stopped short. She was there, but he wouldn’t bowl over the Captain’s daughter to get to her. One wrong word from her and his career was over. “Did you read it?”
Arion nodded.
“And?”
“I still love her.”
Someone stirred in the darkness beyond. Sidlee looked, then turned back to Arion. “You’re sure?” she asked, flexing her hand to reveal her long, clearly not military regulation nails, nails he knew could conceal Lycan claws. “Are you really sure? I mean. I know how I reacted when she read me in. It took me a tridec to get over it.”
Arion swallowed and leaned in, bringing himself to her eye level. “I did worse just to gain entry to the Special Operations program. And she still loves me.”
Sidlee took a step back, shaken and turned back towards the shadowed figure beyond. “You’re sure you still love him?”
Alieha stepped into the light. Despite her simple bed clothes, she shone in the light. “Yes.”
Sidlee took a step back, and that was all Arion needed. He rushed into the chamber and took Alieha in his arms. His pulse thundered in his ears as he lifted her from the ground and kissed her for all he was worth. Alieha returned the kiss. As they came up for air, they stared deep into each other’s eyes. “I don’t care what you’ve done if you don’t care what I’ve done and will continue to do. If you can accept that, then yes. I do still love and will marry you.”
Alieha smiled back at him, sheepish at first as he set her down. “I do and I will. But you are taking my name.”
The joy of her pronouncement was almost overshadowed by the feeling of childish glee that overcame him as he let out a belly laugh that shook the walls. “As if my father would ever allow me to break that tradition…” A sobering thought then washed over him. “My father – he’s always wanted to officiate my wedding.”
Alieha took his hand, shrugged. “We can wait. We don’t have to get married right now.”
Arion shook his head and smiled. “He can renew our vows next annura.” He turned to Sidlee. “Can you father do the honors?”
Sidlee smiled and locked eyes with Alieha. “Is that what you want?”
Alieha smiled, shook her head. “No. I want your father to hand me off to Arion. He’s the closest thing I have left.” She turned back to Arion. “Mother Felain owes me a favor. She’ll make room on her schedule.”
Arion leaned in to kiss her and asked. “When?”
“As soon as possible,” she replied and waved to Sidlee. “Be a dear and make the call for me.” She turned back to Arion. “Now, go get yourself cleaned up. You still stink of a cockpit and find us some witnesses,” she said pushing him out of the way as she turned to Sidlee. Spreading her arms, she mimicked the shape of a dress. “Do you have anything?”
Sidlee was all but bouncing with joy. “Don’t you know me? Give me a couple of hects with my closet and a fabricator I’ll make you the wedding gown to end all wedding gowns.” Sidlee took Alieha’s arm and dragged her back towards her bedroom. “I’m thinking live plants.”
Arion shook his head and headed towards the door. He stopped short and turned back to Alieha. “I love you.”
“I love you too,” she replied and disappeared as the door slid shut.
Smiling, Arion sent out a general hail to the squadron. The time be damned. He had to let them all know, no matter the consequences. He was about to get married.
Forward Multi-Denominational Chapel
On a ship the size of the Wolfsbane, with dozens of different species aboard, and each having at least one, if not more, major religions, the chapels were, by design, meant to be modular and easily reconfigured. Several hects of quick calls, planning, and convincing ended with Arion, decked out in his Dark Blue Dress Uniform, gazing about the chamber. At the moment it was all but bare, gray composite bulkheads with prayer mats on the deck leading up to a sunken dais and a holy symbol he didn’t recognize. Mother Felain, an O-40 strode into the space and looked around. She grimaced and pulled out her macomm as she approached Arion.
“Officer Scotts, Mother Felain,” she announced, extending her hand. More religious symbols than he could count adorned the half-dozen bracelets she wore around her wrist.
“Yes ma’am… er Mother.”
She bowed respectfully and looked back at the chapel. “Alieha doesn’t care what church we marry you in, she said the choice was yours.” She looked him up and down. “You’re not Tomeris, but close. What, five generations back?”
Arion nodded. “Yes, how did you know?”
Mother Felain shrugged. “Just a skill of mine.” She looked him over again, a slight hint of recognition in her eyes. “Not Messiahist, Driggest, right?”
Arion nodded again and realized why. “You knew my father, didn’t you?”
She smiled wickedly. “We had many a row, he and I, when I was just an enlisted pup coming to Father Scotts’ for guidance.” She tapped seve
ral virtual keys on her macomm and smiled up at Arion. “He’d love this,” and stabbed the final button.
The whole room transformed. The bare gray walls seemed to disappear as the interior of a cathedral appeared beyond them, the holographic projections mimicking the proper depth of field. The prayer mats retracted into the deck before rows of pews took their place, symbols of the Driggest faith flowing across their meta-material tapestries. Then at the front of the chamber the dais rose two steps above the rest and an altar descended from the ceiling with a relief of Drig’s burning stake upon it. Arion could hardly believe his eyes. Mother Felain was right, his father would have been beyond jealous at the change.
“My father told me that he had to hand redress his chapel for every denomination.”
“He’s lucky he was assigned to a mostly Anulian Destroyer. Do you know how hard it is to clean this place up after the Lodrans turn it into a beach?”
With that she walked briskly towards the altar. Arion remained hot on her heels as the tapestries completed their change. “Now, Alieha wants a simple ceremony. That good with you?”
Arion nodded, nearly ran over the woman when she stopped before the altar to pay it proper reverence.
“Do you have any requests?”
“Other than getting my father here, no. But he’ll understand.”
“Good to know that he’s mellowed.”
Before either of them could continue, Chris and Gavit rushed into the room. Arion’s jaw fell as he looked at them. Both wore only loin cloths and twisted vines of ribbon and jewels as they walked barefoot, hand in hand towards them. Chris took the lead and bowed before Mother Felain. “High Mother, we have for you a simple request. Wed us this cycle as well.”
Arion locked eyes with Gavit, he shifted feet, clearly uncomfortable.
Arion ran a hand through his thin hair as the rest of the squadron began to arrive. He looked up at Blazer as he and Marda led Chrisvian in, only for Marda to back out with wide eyes, covering Chrisvian’s. Not that that would do any good. The little telepath would just gaze through hers to see what she deemed inappropriate. Arion turned to Blazer as he ran up. His oldest friend looked Gavit up and down with a half-shocked, half-bemused face. “Has everyone lost their minds?”
Arion threw up his hands. “Why couldn’t we just get married by the Captain?”
As if in answer, the Captain strode in. He walked straight to Arion, making a point of ignoring Gavit. “Officer Scotts, highly irregular, throwing a wedding on short notice and with a dangerous enemy ready to pounce with no notice.”
Arion dared not look away, but almost wanted to. “Yes sir, but…”
“No buts, I’m here to hand off the bride.” He looked at Gavit and then Chris before locking eyes with Mother Felain. “Trouble?”
Mother Felain pursed her lips and met the Captain’s gaze. “None at all. Officer Anit and I have worked out the details plainly enough.” She turned to Gavit. “Morph suits, really?” she asked and tapped her macomm. The vestments on Gavit and Chris both unraveled and reformed into simple, grey, skin tight coveralls enveloped in tiny reflective dots. They shifted again to their dress uniforms, or at least close approximations.
Gavit shrugged. “Holographic morph suits. Been saving them for a special occasion.”
Blazer elbowed Gavit. “Marda’s going to kill you.”
Chris stepped up. “More like get an orb or two to haunt our dreams for a few tridecs,” she said pointing towards Marda as she sat, half a dozen agitated orbs orbiting her and Chrisvian. The little one just cackled.
“I’ll calm her down,” Blazer said and before he could step away motioned towards the altar. “Will I?”
“You have to ask?” Arion replied. “Of course, you’ll be up there beside me.”
Blazer smiled and headed back to Marda as Arion turned to Chris and Gavit. “So, you two are joining us then?”
Chris nodded and took Arion’s hand. “I hope that doesn’t upset you too much.”
Arion thought on it for a moment. It really didn’t. “No. No, it’s fine.” He turned to Gavit. “So, Gavit Anit?”
Gavit returned a mock hurt look. “No. I’m keeping my name. We both are.”
Chris took Gavit’s hand. “It is tradition, that until our first child meets the matriarch that we keep our old names. Only then is the decision of renaming made, Officer Tedare.”
Arion chuckled. He had no problem with giving up his Mother’s name. The Scotts were a proud line. Not noble, but they’d served the line of governments and kings from before the age of the Knights Nocturnal. To continue Alieha’s name however would be an honor. He would have to discover more about her family history though, so that he might pass it down to their children. Once they decided to start having them, that was.
Mother Felain placed a hand to her ornately dressed ear and nodded. “Yes, I see.” She motioned Arion, Chris and Gavit towards the altar then pressed her earring. Her duty uniform disappeared in a shimmer to reveal the same skin tight, glistening jumpsuit as Gavit and Chris were wearing before a flowing set of priestess robes emerged. “The bride is ready. Is everyone present?”
Arion looked around as Blazer took his place beside him. He elbowed his friend, a giant grin on his face. The whole squadron was present, though, in the back, Priest looked upset that it wasn’t him officiating. Arion turned to Mother Felain.
“He’s not ordained in any Anulian religion,” she explained and locked onto the Lodran’s four eyes. “You left a pile of sand big enough to fill my hassock last cycle.”
“Your hassock is a holo-masked bucket you old crone,” he called back, thumbing his prayer rope.
Mother Felain shrugged and turned to Arion. “He’s not wrong,” she replied and tapped her earring again. “Send her in.”
Music sounded from all around them before Captain Sardenon appeared with a vision beside him that stopped Arion’s hearts. Arion could only guess what miracle Sidlee had performed to accomplish it, but Alieha shone with a light that somehow made her even more beautiful. The flowing white gown was unlike anything Arion had ever seen, and seemed to defy gravity as the Captain led her down the aisle. Arion barely even noticed Sidlee behind Alieha as she followed her flowing wake. Her designer gown served as a mere footnote to all but Zithe as he fought to keep his eyes on her and not the bride. It was as if Alieha’s loveliness and the gown had somehow bewitched them all with its flowing lines and dancing light.
In a moment, she was upon him. Arion reached out to take her hand as the Captain held it to him. Arion looked at the Captain.
Arion couldn’t help but smile as he guided Alieha up to Mother Felain.
Alieha smiled.
Mother Felain looked at the two couples. “Gathered here before your comrades we have not one, but two young couples ready to commence the great journey of marriage.”
Before she could go on, yellow lights flared to life behind the stone walls of the holographic cathedral. The Captain, seated beside Tadeh Qudas, placed a hand to his ear. The orbs by Marda chittered and flashed. Every macomm and micomm in the chamber chirped.
The Captain was on his feet. “W
e’ve detected a thermal increase from the trap. All hands to action stations.”
Arion felt his hearts clench in his chest as he turned to Alieha, her face melting with sorrow and unrealized joy. “Alieha, I am so…”
Mother Felain harrumphed. Her priestess robes gone, the whole chamber looked towards her. She turned to Arion. “Do you, Arion Scotts, take this woman before you as your wife? With all the duties and responsibilities that entails?”
Arion could only nod.
“Good,” she turned to Alieha. “And you? Do you take this man before you as husband? With all the duties and responsibilities that entails?”
Alieha let out a weak chuckle. “When I said I wanted a short wedding, I didn’t mean this short.”
Mother Felain held up her hands as if encompassing the whole of creation. “The Universe sometimes answers our calls in strange ways my child. Now, do you want to marry this big hunk or not?”
Alieha laughed. “You know I do.”
“Then I pronounce you wife and husband. Try not to get yourselves killed.”
Arion took Alieha in his arms and kissed her for all he was worth. He was not hers in every way that mattered, yet. If this next battle should be his last, he wanted her to know just how loved she truly was.
The whole universe melted away in that instant and he was only dimly aware as Mother Felain turned to Gavit and Chris. “Now you two. Swear you’ll quit copulating all over the ship and swear you’ve never soiled any of my chapels and you can be married too.”
“Mother always told me never to lie to a holy person,” Chris replied.
“Oh God! Just, you’re married! Go teach those Godless Geffers it’s rude to interrupt a wedding!”
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