Alien Attachments (30 page)

“Wow,” she said.

“Eloquent as always.”

She punched him in the shoulder. “There are no words to describe that.” She traced the line of his jaw with her finger, loving the way the sensation trickled up her arm. She got to his lips and slid her finger across.

An image of the party. Her standing with Balastar, his fingers at her lips flashed in her mind.

She looked into his eyes with a question, but he smiled at her and winked.

“Mine,”
echoed in her head.

She returned his smile and answered back. “
Mine.”

* * * *

Later that night Dani and Ria were having far too much fun with Armond. The two women, Ian, Balastar, and Armond sat in the ship’s kitchen-lounge area. Due to Balastar’s forethought everyone had spare clothes except Armond, who wasn’t supposed to be there. Because of that, laundry day had high entertainment value. Ian was the closest in size to Armond, but the shirt hugged his body and the pants only came to the ankles. It wasn’t very flattering. After what they’d been through, they needed a good laugh, and his superior attitude dressed like that was the funniest thing Dani had seen in a long time.

“Hold on, just one more vid for Jared. He’d kill me if I didn’t document your fashion statement.”

“I’m glad you find me so amusing.” Armond flipped the black box over and over. Apparently, portals required stationary end points so he was stuck with the rest of them until they reached Earth. Still, he never let the device out of his sight.

“Can I see that?” Dani asked Armond.

He shrugged and handed it to her.

“What do you call it?”

“It doesn’t have a name,” Armond said. “Perhaps we should find a term for it.”

“Well, in the mean time, I’m going to call it…Bob.”

“Bob?” Armond asked.

The others laughed.

“Unless someone has a better name, it’s Bob.” Turning it over she studied the small silver-buttoned keypad. “You say the Torogs still have one of these? Another Bob?”

“At least one,” Ian said. “All we know is they had the two on Earth when they attacked. Question is, where did they get them?”

“Yeah. And how did they block the portal?” Ria asked.

“I have not been able to answer that.” Armond leaned in, taking interest. “I can create portals with the assistance of Portal Masters using this, but they cannot. We believe it is because of the subtle difference in my psi.”

“Not so subtle when you use
Bob
,” Ria said, emphasizing the name.

“Indeed.” Armond tugged at the ill fitting shirt.

Dani tilted her head. “And there were rags with Ian’s blood when you guys found it.”

“Given that he was the only one who’d been injured, that is my assumption,” Armond said. “However, we were never able to test it as the villa was destroyed.”

“And you can’t use it?” Dani looked to Ian.

“Of course not,” Ian said. “I’m not a Portal Master.”

“Neither is he, technically.” She motioned to Armond who saw where she was going.

“You should try it.” She handed the device to Ian. “Give old Bob here a go. Can you show him how?” she asked Armond.

She’d never seen the albino so animated. He explained how Portal Masters learned to create portals. Next, he walked them through the process he’d devised using the black box. It wouldn’t do anything in space, but they’d be able to tell if Bob responded at all.

“Portal Masters guard their secrets closely,” Armond said. “I wasn’t fully initiated so I can’t say for sure, but my theory now is that they use something similar to this when they create portals.”

“They use technology?” Ian asked.

“Possibly.” Armond held his gaze.

“Why is that important?” Dani asked.

“Because it might mean the guild is built on a lie. They’ve always said it was an innate ability that only they could wield.”

“It does require someone with substantial psi. We gathered around a pedestal when we trained. It could have contained something similar to this.”

“Wow.” Ian reached for the box. “Let’s try it.”

Armond walked them through what to do, and within a minute the buttons on the device were back lit.

“Mother Goddess,” Ria said, “let me see Bob.” She took the box from Ian.

Neither she nor Balastar could use it. Dani was the last to try. She focused as instructed and the force within instantly hummed inside her. The buttons lit.

“Fascinating.” Armond was downright animated. “I would wager that your mother can use it as well, Ian. I must do further testing when we reach Earth. It could be the Torogs were able to use enough of your residual psi energy from your blood to create a block in the portal. Once established, it would require virtually nothing to maintain.” Armond tapped the table rapidly. “Yes, normal psi cannot be used in this manner. It never occurred to me. I’ll need your blood.”

Dani nudged Ian, grinning. “He’s gonna need your blood.”

Ria made a face like a vampire and leaned closer to Ian.

“Very funny.” Ian pushed Ria back with psi and kissed Dani’s head. “I wonder if this is how we moved the portal. It never made sense that we pulled that off.”

“Sounds logical,” Armond said.

“So what does all this mean?” Dani asked.

“It means,” Armond said, “that me, you, Ian, and possibly Ian’s mother, share a common trait. One different than that of the vast majority of Sandarians. How that is possible, I have no idea.”

* * * *

A late summer breeze toyed with Dani’s freshly-styled hair. Classical music drifted across Ria’s outdoor patio, providing background for the dinner party. They were all there, her new “family.” Rucon sat at the head of the table with Mara at his side. Ian was at the other end next to her. The others filled the space between. Mordo and Durgan were deep in conversation as usual.

Dani whispered into Ian’s ear. “Is it me, or is there something going on between your Uncle and Durgan?”

Ian took a moment to observe Mordo and shrugged. “He’s always kept his private life private. You could be right.”

Balastar and Marco sat on either side of Ria, who was enjoying the attention. Jared and Balastar continued to hit it off and Armond, as usual, seemed lost in his own world.

Gina and Battista came out with the last of the food dishes and joined the group. Rucon waited for them to get settled before calling for everyone’s attention. The conversations tapered off and all eyes were on the head of the Cavacent clan.

“I want to start by thanking Gina for cooking another amazing meal.”

Murmurs of agreement sprang from around the table. Jared raised his glass and the rest followed suit.

Mara put her hand over Rucon’s and spoke next. “I want to thank my future daughter-in-law for suggesting we replace one of our meetings every month with a casual meal.” Mara had taken a more active role with the EPs since their move to Earth. She was also heavily involved with the planning and development of the new compound going up in the hills above the lake.

Dani bowed her head. “My pleasure.” She and Mara were getting to know each other better and it was wonderful having a mother figure in her life.

Mara started off the informal meeting with a status of the construction of the compound and a brief report of how the other Sandarian families were faring.

Rucon went next with the numbers for the carnium mines and finishing with the latest status on the Torogs. “The last jump within our perimeters was over two weeks ago. The pattern suggests they were determining the extent of our protection. If that’s the case, they now know they can’t enter undetected. At this point, it’s a wait and see proposition. I’ve talked with Supreme Commander Macon and he’s willing to assign resources if necessary to protect the mines. Our ships can handle anything less than a full blown assault, which I don’t think they’ll do.”

Everyone paid attention while passing bowls and plates of food around the table.

“Any further information on why they’re doing this?” Ian asked.

Mordo answered. “We still think they want Bob back.” Dani loved the fact that everyone had accepted her nickname for the alien device.

“It’s the best theory we have.” Rucon passed a plate of roasted potatoes to Jared.

“Speaking of Bob,” Mordo said. “Durgan and I have an interesting development on that front.”

Armond nodded, apparently already in the know.

“Earlier today we were evaluating Armond during the creation of a portal to see if we could detect any anomalies. We used our combined psi to effectively blanket him and discovered there was, in fact, a clear foreign signature.”

Durgan leaned in, excitement on his face. “Yes, and even more astonishingly, we can detect that anomaly even when he’s not projecting. It’s always present.”

Rucon put his drink down. “Have you tried it with the others?”

“Not yet,” Mordo said. “We thought we would do so this evening, with your permission, of course.”

“By all means.”

The two men got up and stood behind Mara. After a moment Dani saw a fine green mist envelop her. It looked almost the same as when Rucon projected. Mordo and Durgan nodded simultaneously. It was there. They next moved to Ian and finally her. They all had the signature. For good measure, they tested Ria and Balastar to confirm they lacked the telltale sign. They did.

They returned to their seat and Mordo reached for some salad. “We thought perhaps we would make regular forays on Earth to see if we could detect any others.”

“It is somewhat draining,” Durgan said, “but we should be able to work for an hour at a time.”

Dani passed on the Brussels sprouts. She couldn’t stand the little green balls. “What will you do if you find someone?”

“Nothing for now. We’re simply curious to see how prevalent the alternative psi might be.”

There was a lull while everyone finished filling their plates and dug in. It was a perfect evening and they ate in companionable silence for awhile.

Ian’s psi brushed over her.
“Eat up, luv. You’re going to need your strength when I get you home.”

Dani looked at him while she took a large bite of potatoes.
“Promises, promises.”
It was more, and they both knew it.

Balastar broke the silence. “I wanted everyone to know, I’ve discussed with Rucon, and I’ll be heading out next week. I intend to learn the transport business inside and out. I’ll be living on my ship for the next year at least.”

Dani sighed. It was the right thing for him to do, but she would miss him. They’d talked after getting back to Earth. It was hard for him to see her and Ian together, and he needed to move on.

Mordo and Durgan were in a hushed discussion before Mordo spoke up. “Balastar, would you be agreeable to taking Durgan and I with you for a few months?”

“What are you thinking?” Rucon asked.

“That it might be a good idea to search other planets for the alternate psi form. We very much want to know where it comes from.”

“Yes,” Durgan said. “It’s such a fascinating mystery.”

“Perhaps I should go as well,” Armond said.

“No.” Rucon put his fork down. “I want you and Bob to stay put. You don’t leave this planet without at least two security personnel.” He leaned back and crossed his arms. “It does present a problem however. The Portal Masters are not happy with you, Durgan. Their alliance with Prayda concerns me greatly. I don’t know how far they will go to punish you for deserting with so many of the guild’s members. You may go, if Balastar is willing, but you need protection.”

Balastar had no problem with taking them. While they discussed possible guards, Marco spoke up and surprised them all.

“I’ll go.”

“Why?” Ian asked. “Are you not happy here?”

“Oh no, boss. I’m fine. It’s just that I’ve been here on Earth for five years now. A little break and some travel to other planets will be good.”

Dani got excited thinking about the idea. She whispered to Ian. “Could we do that someday?”

“Don’t see why not. After the Torogs are dealt with and the galaxy stabilizes.” He smiled at her. “In the meantime, maybe we can do some planet-hopping on our honeymoon.”

She loved her life and this man. Suddenly anxious to get home, she caressed him with her psi.
“Eat up big boy.”

* * * *

The following day the sound of hammering and drills echoed down the hallway. The villa on Cat Island was completed from a structural standpoint, but workers still labored at the finishing touches on crown molding, cabinets, and paint.

“I can’t stand this noise any longer,” Dani said, getting up from the couch in their bedroom. “Let’s go see Ria and your folks.”

Ian stood as well. “We just saw them. I have a better idea. Get your swimsuit on.”

Thirty minutes later, they were in water up to Ian’s chest. She had her hands on his shoulders with her legs wrapped around his waist. “I feel like an exhibitionist.”

“No one can see what’s happening with our psi.” Ian kissed her, then gently bit her lower lip playfully.

The water was warm and the yellow sun beat down from above. No more purples.

“You have a pool of your own, you know,” Dani said.

“We have a pool,” Ian said, nibbling on her neck.

Dani ran a hand through his wet hair. “We have a pool.”

“Yes,” Ian said. “We have a pool with lots of carpenters and painters surrounding it.”

“Good point.”

“I wanted to come here today. Back where it all started.”

A couple walked up the path from Jared’s place but they were too engrossed with each other to pay much attention.

“You could argue that it started at the warehouse. You, watching me fight.”

“I could, but that didn’t seem very romantic. And besides, they don’t serve mixed drinks there.”

“Ah. Priorities. Well played.” Dani sipped her drink. “What do you think it means? Mara and I with psi. No other humans we’ve tried can use Bob.”

“We’ve only tried three humans, but the implication is that we have different origins than most Sandarians. Think about it. You and my mother’s families could be descendant from aliens who came here hundreds of years ago.”

Dani thought of the irony. Either her father had alien origins, or he married a woman who did.