03 Solar Flare - Spark Series (20 page)

He raised a brow. “We’re on a schedule.”

“I don’t plan to play tourist on just any
rock,” she assured him. “I know it takes a burst of fuel every time
we have to jump to hyperdrive. There might be one or two things of
interest, though. Hopefully they’ll be near places we have to
refuel, anyway.”

He looked thoughtful. Kiuyians liked to
explore, too. “Are you looking for anything in particular?”

She shrugged and began to wipe the counter.
“I’ll let you know if I find it.”

She scanned her email, looking for anything
of interest. Live communication was impossible in hyperspace, but
they could still receive pinbeam. She wondered how Azor would react
to her investigation. She wasn’t sure how he’d take the news, but
she rather thought he’d be reserved in his judgment. He was good
like that. Whether he’d agree to help her if she asked was another
question. She thought he might be stuffy about anything that
smacked of danger. He’d probably want to keep her holed up on the
ship while he did anything that might be hazardous. Not that it
would stop her.

She smiled to herself. Guys like him were so
predictable.

She’d been investigating the events
surrounding Xera’s initial introduction to the Scorpio. She’d
wanted to hear the tale told by someone who was an eyewitness,
someone from the GE’s side. It seemed like a logical way to
investigate Ryven’s character, to perhaps gain a perspective on her
visions.

She’d gotten a copy of the ship’s roster for
Xera’s old GE ship and exchanged emails with a few of the crew.
Posing as a reporter, she’d told them she wanted information on the
Scorpio, that she was doing a piece on what the aliens were really
like. The reports had been eye opening, and disturbing. Not that
she believed everything they said, but there was enough overlapping
testimony to paint them as brutal, heartless warriors.

She had to wonder what Xera’s life with them
was really like. Was it darker than she’d painted it?

The descriptions she’d had of Xera’s
character bothered her, and she discounted some of it. She’d heard
a little of Xera’s side of the story, though she doubted she’d had
the whole. There were things she probably couldn’t say at the time,
and things she wouldn’t. Xera wouldn’t have wanted to worry
them.

Brandy could understand that, but she wanted
to know if Xera was truly happy now. What would she be willing to
reveal in person? If she were unhappy, what could Brandy really do
about it?

The questions bothered her, though she knew
that Xera trusted in her own safety if she were willing to invite
her family to come visit. Perhaps safety was a relative term,
though. After all, Xera was traveling to meet her in a warship.
That said something about the state of the times.

She sighed. She didn’t believe in going into
a situation—business or personal—without doing her research, but
she hadn’t learned anything reassuring from her messages, so she
turned to studying the language program and videos Xera had sent.
They had quite a bit of information on the Scorpio culture and
social structure. She particularly thought the custom of letting a
superior speak first was an annoying one. She didn’t consider
anyone to be her superior. She was tempted to try ignoring Xera’s
husband completely when they first met. It would certainly force
him to speak first. It might also be seen as rude, but she wasn’t
very happy with him for forcing her sister to remain with him. No
doubt he deserved a cold shoulder.

The idea cheered her. He was in the doghouse
with her, and he should have to work to win acceptance from Xera’s
family. She shouldn’t be the only one who’d have to work to fit in,
and she knew Xera had done quite a bit of adapting to fit into
Ryven’s world.

She said as much to Azor when she met him in
the weight room for their workout.

He studied her warily. “You’re not planning
on causing trouble, are you? Xera won’t appreciate it if you cause
a rift between her and her husband.” He looked tempted to turn
around on the spot.

“I just think he should qualify before I give
him my approval,” Brandy said as she sat at a weight machine.
“After all, we don’t know the man; not really.”

“He’s Xera’s husband,” he said, as if that
said everything.

She frowned, unhappy to discover this rather
barbaric attitude. “He kept her as a warprize, Bn’Ji. Am I supposed
to be thankful he married her, too? She wasn’t given a choice in
what happened after the Scorpio ship rescued them from that
accursed planet.”

Xera’s ship had gone down, along with the
Scorpio ship they’d been battling. They’d had a truce for a short
time, but once they’d reached shelter there’d been a scuffle, which
the Scorpio had won. It had been a Scorpio warship that reached the
planet first, and the human crew was taken prisoner. Xera had
happened to catch the Scorpio commander’s eye and had received more
leniency than her comrades. He’d married her shortly
afterwards.

Azor adjusted the settings on the weight
machine. “It’s a common practice among many cultures to procure
captive brides. In Xera’s case, it seems to have turned out well.
She’s an ambassador, isn’t she? He built an expensive
communications array just so she could talk to her family. That
says something about his esteem for her.”

“It was just sex,” she muttered, undeterred.
“Apparently he liked it enough to throw her a bone.”

He sent her a quelling look. “No man does all
that just for sex. Not even a very wealthy one.”

She knew she looked mulish—she certainly felt
that way. “I’m not going to assume everything is okay. Not until
I’ve talked to her, and done a little research. I want both sides
of the story. There’s a reason the GE went to war with them.” She’d
thought rather kindly of the GE for that. They didn’t win back her
sister in the skirmish, but it had been a nice thought that they’d
extracted a little revenge for it.

She’d been very angry at the time, convinced
that Ryven was evil personified. She might not always agree with
Xera, but she was her sister, and no one had the right to detain
her against her will. She’d tried not to dwell on the horrible
things that might be happening to her, but she knew that Gem had
also lost sleep over it. The subsequent war between the GE and the
Scorpio hadn’t helped. The Galactic Explorers had actually lost
their license over the episode, and Xera had been one of the
witnesses against them.

That didn’t mean she was actually against
them, though. It wasn’t something they could discuss over
pinbeam.

She did know that she was tired of hearing
the GE’s spin on the story. She wanted to hear Xera’s truth from
her own mouth, without nosey people listening in. It gave her a
mission, and made leaving Polaris bearable.

“There’s probably a law against interfering
in a marriage,” he said thoughtfully. “If there’s not, they should
have the foresight of adopting one in your honor. Keep in mind that
I’m not interested in battling an entire ship full of Scorpio
without a very compelling reason.” More gently, he added, “I don’t
think Xera is in the position to run away from whatever problems
she may have.”

“This from a man who offered his ship so I
could leave Polaris,” she said tightly.

“Fish and fowl, Red. Don’t borrow
trouble.”

She wasn’t inclined to talk to him after
that. Maybe he really didn’t think Xera was in any difficulty, but
at least he could have been supportive. She was smart enough to
acknowledge his point—it would be nearly impossible to get Xera
away if she didn’t like things as they were. It didn’t mean they
couldn’t try.

Since she didn’t care for his attitude, she
didn’t tell Azor when she got a message from an Ensign Trevor. He
wasn’t inclined to speak to reporters, thank you, since they had a
tendency to skew the facts. It made her very curious to see what he
had to say. Most of the others had been only too happy to spill
their stories.

She toyed with the keyboard, then typed
another message. “Would you be willing to speak to Xera’s family?
She has a sister traveling near your area soon. She is very eager
to know the truth about what happened to her sister.” She sent it
off. Whatever he sent back, it promised to be interesting.

She checked the star charts and winced. The
retired ensign was currently living inconveniently far from their
current destination. If he insisted on meeting her face to face, it
would set them back about a week. That was a lot when they had a
starship traveling to meet them. That was a lot of people to
inconvenience. She’d have to hope he wasn’t the stubborn sort.

Azor gave her a break the first few days,
treating her with courtesy and giving her space. If she’d
thought—or hoped—he might leap on her the moment they left orbit,
she was disappointed. She found his self-discipline annoying and a
little disconcerting. Did he still want her?

Not that she could ask him directly without
seeming forward, she told herself. Unfortunately, that argument
didn’t hold water. She’d grown used to his aggressive pursuit on
Ictharus II, and she wasn’t the kind of woman who restrained her
curiosity for long. She finally gave up wondering and decided to
ask him point blank what he was up to.

On a ship that size, it wasn’t hard to find
him. He was in the galley/rec room, absorbed in some kind of
calculus strategy game. She made a face at the equations dancing
across the screen. “Ugh! Math games for fun? What are you, some
kind of masochist? Surely that falls under the heading of
inflicting self-harm.”

Azor looked up from his seat in front of the
entertainment screen, his eyes rather glazed. He had to blink a few
times before he actually focused on her. “What’s that?” he asked
politely.

She sighed, noting the perfect condition of
the galley, too, though she could smell recent cooking. Not only
did he enjoy math—a black mark in itself—Azor was too neat. If he
weren’t so good looking, he’d be a nerd. Maybe that explained
something about how he conducted his romance. She frowned at him.
“I have some complaints about your alleged pursuit of me.”

He set down the controller, all ears.

She crossed her arms. “It’s not very
methodical.”

He raised a brow, incredulous. “Methodical?”
he echoed.

“Consistent, at least,” she allowed. “I was
expecting to have to work harder at resisting your charms.” She
said it dryly, so he’d have no doubt that she was being ironic.

“Ah. I get no points for allowing you to
settle in?” he asked with a faint smile. “I was going to work up to
the rest.”

She frowned. “I’m a woman who enjoys routine,
though I do see your point. You were becoming uncomfortably
intense. I suppose a break was in order.”

He threw back his head and laughed, then got
to his feet. “And now it’s over. Good to know,” he said as he
stalked her.

She raised a hand. “Don’t get too crazy! I’m
not convinced you can live with the consequences of having me.”

He quirked a brow and grinned.

“For a wife. For life,” she stressed. “It’s a
very long time.”

“You think too much,” he said, and kissed
her.

She could hardly complain, since she’d
practically handed him an invitation. She had missed this, though.
Smart man that he was, maybe he’d known she would.

It didn’t take long before she gave up
thinking and just enjoyed. It was pleasant, and she realized with
surprise that he was being careful with her. This kiss was
definitely not the blinding kind, more a slow, banked heat.

She realized with dismay that she missed the
other kind.

Even so, she was wobbly when he finally let
her breathe. She rested her head on his chest, dizzy. “So you
haven’t changed your mind,” she said, reassured. When had she
required his touch to be sure?

He nuzzled her hair. “No change. Ready to bed
me yet?”

She pulled back. “No!” but her voice shook
with laughter. His playfulness was so new, it often snuck up on
her.

He toyed with her hair, keeping her secure
with his other arm around her waist. “Just a thought. And just so
you know, I’m ready to share the Jade Ceremony with you whenever
you ask.”

This time she drew completely away, surprised
by the gravity of his statement. “That’s the Kiuyian wedding
ceremony!”

“I know.”

She drew a deep breath and looked away. She’d
never shared that with M’acht. At the time she’d thought it was
easier to see a judge, and he’d never objected. It had certainly
made it easier for him to divorce her later. If they’d shared a
Jade Ceremony, that would not have been possible. Had he thought of
that at the time? He’d been so desperate to decry his
heritage….

“Take your time. It’s no rush,” Azor said,
further distancing himself from her memories of her first, hasty
marriage. “We have all the time in the world.”

He made it hard to breathe. There was
permanence, and honor, in what he offered. Part of her wanted to
leap on his offer right then, but fear still had control over her.
It wouldn’t hurt to wait, would it? To be sure?

He took her hand and placed a kiss in her
palm. “No answers allowed today. Why don’t you come and play a game
with me? I promise there’ll be no mathematics involved.”

Rather dazed, she let him lead her around the
couch and accepted a controller. He proceeded to beat her for the
next five games. Neither of them cared.

When she got back to her room, she turned on
her email and stared at the blinking message in front of her.
Ensign Trevor had responded. He was willing to allow her to dock at
a spaceport that was less out of her way than his world. He had a
friend there, an official who could confirm her identify and vouch
for her during a pinbeam conversation. It was his best offer.