03 Solar Flare - Spark Series (22 page)

He continued to stare. “You invited me.”

Rather irritable, possibly a side effect of
the fast she’d endured in cold sleep, she pushed up from the pad.
“I want to get up.”

He sat up on the edge of the pod and swung
his legs over the slight lip. “The pod wouldn’t have closed by
itself. Someone had to activate it.”

She kept her eyes away from his face. “Maybe
we accidentally pushed a button. You know, the controls are inside,
too.”

“No. I was paying attention.”

That made her self-conscious. She certainly
hadn’t noticed anything else going on. She didn’t know whether to
be offended or attribute his attentiveness to experience. He was
far too confident for her to have been his first woman.

The knowledge made her feel ashamed. It
really hadn’t been anything special. She didn’t have what it took
to captivate a man.

He caught her arm as she tried to slide out.
He tilted his head as he studied her. “You’re embarrassed.”

She didn’t want to talk about it. “It’s no
big deal, right? Let me out.”

His hand loosened, and he caressed her arm.
“Is it so horrible to let your future husband seduce you?”

She drew a harsh breath. “We haven’t made
that agreement yet.”

“Haven’t we? You’re on my ship, alone…except
for a Guok that I may have to take apart. I need to find him.” He
hopped out of the pod.

This time she grabbed his arm. “We don’t have
an agreement, Azor. I haven’t promised you anything.” She didn’t
think she could hold him, especially now. How could it have been
good for him? When he'd touched her, it might have felt as if he’d
become her world, but it hadn’t been as strong for him. If they’d
really been a good match, he should have been just as dazed.

He turned and slowly reached out to stroke
her hair. He took the time to study her expression before he spoke.
“I’m inferring an unspoken agreement based on both our expectations
of how this should work. What else would you like me to call this
but an engagement?”

She felt sluggish and rather cold, and she
didn’t want to discuss this. She rubbed her arms. “An experiment?
You need to think more about this, you know. I’d say you weren’t
getting much out of it earlier.”

He stilled. “You think I don’t like making
love to you?”

His blunt question made her cheeks hot.
“That’s what I think.”

He crossed his arms and stared at her,
bemused. At last he said, “I think you need something hot to eat.
Soup, maybe, and tea. Lots of tea. You’re probably dehydrated.” He
nodded to himself as if he’d found the answer to a puzzle. He
helped her out of the pod and steadied her wobble. “When you feel
better, we can talk about our side trip tomorrow.”

He was changing the subject, and she was glad
to let it go. She needed time to think about where they stood
now.

Contrary to her expectations, giving Azor the
green light hadn’t simplified anything. She hadn’t expected to
remain confused.

How aggravating that he didn’t seem
concerned. If anything, he seemed surer of her than before. He
treated her with courtesy and quiet possession as he seated her in
the galley and heated tea and frozen soup. If she had wanted to
cement his confidence, it seemed she couldn’t have chosen a better
way than to make out with him.

She glanced aside, uneasy. She couldn’t help
her guilt over that. It was how she was raised.

He glanced at her as he poured their tea.
“It’s growing up on Polaris. Of course, if you weren’t so stubborn,
we’d be married and you wouldn’t be feeling this guilt.”

She glanced at him sharply. “You’re not a
mind reader.”

“No, but you’re easy enough to read. Give
over. Share the Jade Ceremony with me. It’s the answer to your
offended conscience.”

She accepted the tea from him and toyed with
the cup. She didn’t want to marry him out of guilt. To change the
subject, she asked, “You’re going to talk to the Guok, then?”

He nodded grimly. “I need to. That was
uncalled for.” It was hard to tell whether he meant interrupting
their interlude or putting them to sleep.

She was happy to let him worry about it. It
was time to put serious thought into his offer…and the reason it
filled her with dread. She wouldn’t find any peace until she
did.

Her feet gave a twinge and she winced. An
ache had been steadily building in them since she’d awoken. She
assumed it was due to the long rest. They had a tendency to act up
if she didn’t stay on them. She’d have to take more care.

Azor was busy dishing soup and missed her
discomfort. She decided it wasn’t important enough to mention.

She did think uneasily of her doctor’s
recommendation to amputate, though. She looked at her hands and
slowly flexed. They were still slightly clumsy, even after all this
time, but not enough to show. Though the graft of artificial bone
had been successful, there had been some nerve damage. The
procedure had been experimental, but she’d volunteered against her
doctor’s advice, hoping to preserve a part of herself. Now she had
ninety percent mobility in her hands. At least the pain was
gone.

The doctor had tried to talk her into
prosthesis on her legs, claiming that a total replacement would
offer complete mobility and feel natural as well, but she’d balked,
undecided which option to chose. She’d thought she’d had more
time….

She glanced at Azor. If the pain got worse,
she’d have to tell him. They could not afford a medical emergency
this far out in space.

She sighed. Maybe she’d get lucky and it
wouldn’t come to that. Maybe the Scorpio would have a better option
for her. A girl could hope.

“Ready?”

Brandy nodded, trying not to tug at her
skirt. She wasn’t accustomed to wearing them and felt acutely
uncomfortable, especially since this one rode a hand above her
knees. She wasn’t used to feeling so much air on her legs.

Xera hadn’t been satisfied with Brandy’s
reasons for the detour, though the delay itself hadn’t bothered
her. Only the promise to talk about it more in person had convinced
her to let the subject drop. Xera understood that some things were
best discussed face to face.

Azor looked over her blue hair and the garish
mask of makeup that tattooed her face and neck. He hadn’t needed
cosmetics to create the black tracks that spiraled over his cheeks
and chin. His hair was much longer now, black, and pulled back in a
French braid. He looked menacing and perfectly willing to kill
whoever crossed him.

“Don’t gawk at the sights,” he instructed her
as they walked toward the hatch. “Keep your eyes open for
trouble.”

They’d already landed and the Gouk was in
charge of the ship. After Azor had grilled him, the Gouk had
excused his error by saying that the pods had not closed on
schedule. He’d grown concerned and closed the pod himself. “Must
stay on schedule,” he’d said woodenly, though he’d finally agreed
to leave the pods alone unless it was an emergency. They’d had to
review protocol again to ensure they agreed on what an emergency
was.

He’d had a fit about Brandy’s deviation from
the schedule. It had taken a real effort and a promise from Azor to
remain constant in the future before he’d calmed down.

Brandy was starting to dislike the little
nuisance.

She kept her attention on their surroundings
as they walked down the ramp and into the busy shuttle bay. As
instructed, she ignored the interested glances sent her way,
knowing that few would dare to say anything to her with Azor at her
side.

Well, technically he was a pace in front of
her. He’d told her it was how the women here showed respect,
ignoring her disgusted look. Since he was the expert, she hadn’t
argued the point, though. They’d be in and out of this place soon
enough.

Many of the heavy metal shutters were up,
blocking the view of the stars. Graffiti covered most of them, a
collision of alien script she was happy enough not to read. Women
with brazen eyes watched Azor, their eyes trailing contemptuously
over her. Neon signs flickered desultory, their owners too lazy or
cheap to replace them. Across the sidewalk, a brawl spilled out
onto the dirty sidewalk, drunken, angry patrons intent on smashing
their opinion into each other’s faces. She sent them a wary glance,
but was otherwise undisturbed. She’d seen her share of brawls.

The police station was three blocks down, on
a street just as run down and dirty as the rest of the place. Azor
lead the way in and asked the clerk at the counter for Officer
Traid. Her name tag said she was “Ooam”, no prefix.

She looked up at them and blinked her glossy,
pure black eyes. The blue tendrils on the back of her head stirred
lazily. She nodded toward the back of the room and went back to her
job, bored. They walked past.

Brandy frowned at the sticky floor, noting
more than one bug skittering across the cracked tiles. Ugh! What a
hole.

Officer Traid was a thin, tired black man
with little curiosity. He checked her papers, did a DNA scan to
confirm identity and led them to a room. He accepted Azor’s bribe
without comment. “It’s a secure com. You’ve got about half an
hour.” He wiped his hand across his crumpled uniform, avoiding
their eyes. “You can let yourself out.”

Brandy waited until he’d left, then sent Azor
a scoffing, quizzical look.

“Not here,” he cautioned. “Just make your
call.”

The connection didn’t take long. In less than
a minute, the digital image of the former ensign looked at Brandy
doubtfully from the view screen. “You don’t look much like the
lieutenant.”

CHAPTER 14

Brandy sighed with annoyance. “It’s the
makeup I had to wear to be able to travel in this backwater pit.
Your officer checked us out—what more do you want?”

Azor glanced at her blandly, and she
interpreted it to mean that she ought to settle down. It would be
easier to do if her feet and calves didn’t ache so much. It felt as
if she were walking on splintered shards of bone. She regretted not
using a pain patch.

Trevor nodded thoughtfully. “So he did. Okay,
what do you want to know?”

Finally! She settled back in her chair. “Tell
me what you remember of my sister. I want to know what happened
after your ship crashed on the planet, too.”

He considered her. “I was there when she
escaped from the GE that last time, too.”

She straightened. “Really? You’ve got a lot
to say, then. Start from the beginning, if you don’t mind.”

Chats such as theirs were expensive, and
though Brandy was footing the bill, Trevor was thoughtful enough to
keep his report concise. “Well, the lieutenant and our captain were
always butting heads…” He went on describe the adventure, adding
many details she’d never heard before. “…and their commander shot
Genson right in front of us, just for daring to speak first.
Harris-D marched up to the aliens and negotiated over the body
without blinking an eye. Captain Khan looked like he was sucking
sour patches when she dragged Genson’s body back. It was like
spitting in his face. Well, she should have been sent in first—she
was the translator.”

He grew pensive as he described the death
march to the rock fortress and subsequent events. “Anyone could see
the Scorpio Commander had taken a shine to the lieutenant, and
Captain Khan didn’t like it. He accused her of treachery, even
though he’d told her to spy on the enemy. He struck her and she
fought back. Then the Scorpio Commander stepped in and his men
disarmed us all. You’ve never seen anyone move as fast as they
can,” he said with a frown. They couldn’t have been pleasant
memories.

“Anyway, I didn’t see her again until she
showed back up at that accursed planet. We’d been traded back to
the GE by then, and they’d snuck back to take more samples. There’s
some valuable stuff on that planet, did you know? Raw starship
fuel, lots of natural resources, though you couldn’t pay me to live
there. Too many monsters.” He grimaced. “That’s supposed to be
classified, by the way, but hey, they fired me, so what do I care?”
He shrugged.

Grinning, he said wryly, “It was your sister
that got me fired, by the way. I helped her to get off that rock
and got tangled up in a mess when they found Captain Khan’s body.
They didn’t have proof that I’d done it—I didn’t, by the way—but
they fired me anyway. Best thing they could have done. I’m happier
this way.”

Brandy frowned. “Xera fought to go back,
then? Did she say why?”

Trevor cocked his head. “You don’t know?”

She shook her head.

Slowly, he said, “She was expecting his
child.”

She drew a slow breath. “Well, that would do
it. She wouldn’t do anything else, under the circumstances.” It
troubled her, though. Xera had been married to Ryven at the time,
so perhaps a baby was to be expected. She wondered if the situation
had been uncomfortable for Xera. If Ryven were brutal enough to
slaughter a man just for speaking out of turn, how would he treat
an unwilling wife? Surely Xera wouldn’t have returned to an abusive
husband, not even for a baby.

She addressed another rumor she’d heard. “I
have a hard time believing it of her, but some of your former
crewmates said she made up to Ryven, flirted with him.” Xera had
never been much for flirting, and not under those kind of
conditions. It had never rang true.

Trevor snorted. “That’s just jealous talk.
Look, she was a good-looking woman on ship full of guys. She’d
turned down half of them at one time or another, including me. Of
course it’d make the guys sore, the enemy getting the girl. What do
you think they’d say?”

His words were comforting. She didn’t want to
believe bad things about her sister. “Thank you for telling your
side of the story. I feel a little better than I did before.” In
some ways, at least. Ryven was going to have to work to prove
himself to her, after this.