“All right. I don’t like you, and you don’t like me. You are going down.” Toby stared at herself in the mirror and started working on her hair.
She used part of her water ration to dissolve the adhesion that held her hair up in the two huge cones. There wasn’t anything she could do about the purple, so she simply combed, poked and untwisted her locks until they hung in a curtain around her.
They would be arriving at their destination today, so she stripped out of her standard suit and took a shower. The scars were almost invisible to her touch, and she smiled at how much they had faded since the early days of the implants. Her body had gained weight in muscle, and she had come so very far from the feeble sticks and skin that had been carefully packed into a stasis pod and shipped into the stars.
She scrubbed at her hair until she felt it would behave and finally exited her tiny recycled shower. With two males on the ship, it was probably the last shower she would take for a while. No matter how many times they purified the water, it still didn’t feel right if other folks were on board.
Sighing, she waited for the blast of air to dry her, and when she was squeaky clean and bone dry, the unit let her out. No stray humidity was wasted, it kept it all.
Toby looked at her formal suit with its stiff iconography, and she smiled. She didn’t get to dress up often, but it looked like that was going to change. She was pilot to Prince Naroz. That had to increase her community standing beyond that of courier.
She tucked herself into the suit that protected her skin and the implants from light or notice. She braided the colourful mass of her hair into one long, thick column and grimaced at the shoots of colour that still tried to make themselves known.
Toby stretched and went to her private food server. She had a quick meal and drank a bag of water before she checked her inner monitors and identified that both men were in their quarters.
Four hours of sleep was enough to recharge her, the ship would do the rest. She slipped through her private walkway and into the command centre. Her throne awaited.
Six hours later, the men joined her, and she turned her head slowly. “We are approaching the perimeter of Yaviilianika. How would you like to be announced, Naroz?”
“Emissary Prince Naroz Garrz of the Nyal Imperium.”
Toby nodded and spoke to the perimeter guards. She waited for their reply.
“Acknowledged. Who is your third party?”
“The bodyguard of Prince Naroz. The Guardian, Shatter.”
“Confirmed. You may pass. Welcome to Yaviilianika space, pilot.”
Toby thanked the perimeter monitors, and she slid the ship through the opening they made for her. To the naked eye, there was nothing, but to her enhanced gaze, there were bands of power in a complicated web all throughout the Yaviilianika territory.
“I didn’t hear anything.” Naroz frowned.
“It all took place in impulses within my mind and the ship’s systems. You didn’t need to hear anything. They did.”
The path through the bands had been given to her with the welcome. The
Dark Fairy
twisted its way along and Toby’s part was done. The ship released her, and she got to her feet.
“Well, gentlemen. We will be at the planet in an hour. Did you have any preparations of your own to make before we arrive?” It was second nature to check all the panels around the command centre and make sure that everything was in order.
Shatter was at her side. “I am offering my assistance for any maintenance you need help with. I used to work on bio-electrical ships’ systems.”
She paused. “I didn’t know that.”
“Of course not. Little of our previous lives are known. It is how we keep our families safe from those who bear a grudge.”
Naroz chuckled. “Well, I will get into something a little more formal.”
“The controls for the water systems will be out when you enter your lav. Feel free to shower. I will announce our arrival.”
“Thank you, Queen of the
Dark Fairy
.” He winked and left her with Shatter.
Toby sighed and chuckled. “He’s a very funny young man.”
Shatter cocked his head. “Why do you call him young?”
“I have met his family. Compared to their world-weary ways, he is very young, but it is coupled with fierce intelligence that most folk rarely see.”
She turned her head to face him, and his lips were an inch from hers. The ship shuddered slightly, and she stumbled away from him. He caught her around the waist.
She scowled. “What the hell was that?”
She ran an internal diagnostic, but the ship was playing innocent. Whatever had thrown her off balance was completely denied by her companion.
Flattened against his body, she realized that what had appeared to be armour plates was actually slabs of living muscle. “Oh.”
His golden eyes warmed as he stared at her face. Unable to resist, she leaned up and closed the distance between them. His mouth was warm and parted slightly in surprise. He still held her at an angle, so she cupped the back of his neck and held herself to him.
He tasted like starlight and sparklers. She didn’t know how else to describe it. Contact with his skin sent tingles through her, starting at her lips and moving in cascades down her body. The lights in the cabin flicked on and off, so she reluctantly pulled away from him.
“Wow.”
His pupils were dilated, his lips were fuller and there was a distinct tightness to the skin over his cheekbones. Her attraction was not alone.
She shivered slightly and pulled away from him. “I need to look into that.”
“The kiss? It is a basic interchange of contact for arousal. What do you need to look into?”
Toby laughed. “No. The lights and the shudder.”
Shatter snickered. “Oh, that. I believe that your ship was telling us to cease our activities. It did the same to me last night when I helped you to your room.”
“She’s talking to you?”
“Apparently. I informed her that I intended to stay, and when I woke today, there were indications that something had been rifling through my data files. She found the image of us together that Frisk told you about.”
Toby blushed. “I still haven’t seen it.”
“Well, that makes you the only one on the ship.” His expression was definitely a smirk.
She sighed. “Fine. Help me check the panels for any damage or anomaly. We should be done by the time Naroz is all pretty.”
“Put me to work, my queen.” He bowed low.
Toby snorted and opened the first panel, starting at the top and working her way down. Everything checked out.
She had to open the panels for Shatter to check. They wouldn’t open for anyone but her.
Her vision was far better than his, but it gave him something to do while he was on the command deck, and it was less disturbing than him masturbating next to her chair, or—lord forbid—in it.
Every now and then, she flicked her gaze over him, taking in the hot spots on his body, and his arousal showed no signs of diminishing.
“Stop staring at me, Tobitha.”
“What?”
“I can feel your gaze on me, and it is exceptionally distracting.” He was squatting, and the tight muscles of his thighs and butt were clearly defined through his suit.
“Well…you are distracting. I am used to being alone in here, and you are messing up my eye line with your muscles.” She sealed the panel she had just finished and crossed her arms.
He stood up and glared down at her. “Tough.”
“What?”
“You say that a lot. Do you have hearing issues? You should get a mechanic in.”
She gasped in shock, and before she could stop herself, she swung at him, smacking his cheek hard enough to turn his head.
He paused and rubbed his jaw as he flexed it. “You have quite the swing. I apologise for my crack. It was rude.”
She inclined her head. “I apologise for my strike. Violence is never the answer to a comment.”
He gave her a considering look. “I will accept your apology if you kiss it better.”
Toby shrugged. The area she had struck was flared with heat. She went up on her toes and pressed a soft kiss to the centre of the impact.
She pulled away, and he blinked at her in surprise. “Keep going, Tobitha. You need to cover an area the size of your hand.”
She was shocked. “The whole thing?”
“If you don’t want to kiss it better, don’t do it next time.” His smile was beatific.
Sighing, she returned to his face, feathering soft kisses over his cheek in a zigzag pattern that slowly worked its way down his jawline. She checked for any residual heat signature and placed a quick peck on the spot she had missed.
“There. Better?”
He made a noise similar to a growl as he nodded sharply, and she backed away.
The proximity signal rang in her mind. “Well, I have to get back to work. Surprisingly, the
Dark Fairy
doesn’t like to land herself.”
“You are kidding.”
“I am not.” She settled onto her throne and the cuffs came down.
“Why do you have to use the command seat for control?”
Toby grinned. “Because my body has to be suspended so that my mind can run the ship. We don’t exactly have a standard cockpit here. It was designed so that no one can take it over.”
She settled in and let the ship’s systems merge with hers. Yaviilianika was waiting.
“I am obtaining landing clearance as well as an escort for both of you. Since the inhabitants don’t get around that much, it is important to get you someone who can show you to the emirate.”
She spoke to the com officer on the capital world, and she got a bit of a surprise. “You are requested to come with them, Pilot. The emirate is eager to meet you.”
“Me? Why?”
“He does not explain himself to us, we just bring him the people he requests.”
“I still don’t understand his insistence. I am nothing special.”
“Pilot, we don’t ask. We will simply come and get you. Please, pilot. Don’t make things difficult.”
She grunted and disconnected the com. She opened her eyes and smiled at the man staring at her. “It looks like you will have company on your walk. I have been commanded to appear before the emirate.”
“Why?” He frowned and crossed his arms.
She snorted. “That is my question precisely.”
Nudging and transplanting some of the older inhabitants of Yaviilianika had grudgingly crafted the spaceport. The plant people were mobile during their youth and anchored in place when they felt the call of the soil. It was very poetic.
Gadget had fully charged her weaponry before leaving the ship. With Shatter and Prince Naroz with her, she felt petite and ignored. Everyone was interested in the dignitary and many green- and yellow-skinned folks stopped to stare and whisper as they passed. All the colours of the trees were represented in the population.
When they entered what could only be considered the court, the trees bent and rustled, but there was no breeze. A column was left uninvolved in the growth and led directly to a very large tree with an enormous trunk.
Their guide didn’t speak much, but as they reached the proximity of the huge tree, he bowed low. “Emirate, this is the Nyal Imperium representative, Prince Naroz, his bodyguard, the Guardian Shatter, and the pilot you requested.”
The huge tree rustled, and a face emerged from the bark. “Pilot, come closer.”
Shatter grabbed her arm and whispered, “Be careful.”
Toby flipped her braid over her shoulder and stepped forward. She bowed low. “Greetings, Emirate. I am honoured to be in the presence of one so well respected.”
His leaves rustled and his branches creaked. “Come to me, child. I wish to see you clearly.”
“Emirate, I believe you can see me just fine from my current position.”
Leaves rustled and branches cracked as the planted court showed that they were scandalized.
“I can see you, but I can’t feel the blood in your veins or the energy running through your thoughts. I wish to feel the touch from one who lives in the stars.”
Toby twisted her lips and stepped forward, watching for any movement on the part of the mobile guards who stood to either side. They remained stationary, so she continued to step forward.
The emirate had huge branches that stuck out like antlers above his face. “Place your hand on my branch, Pilot. I will be able to read you through your touch.”
She did as he asked. His face was even with her torso, so she had to reach up to touch the branch.
She swore he inhaled as her breasts came perilously close to his face. “Perhaps without your glove, pilot?”
Toby frowned. “It is part of my uniform.”
The emirate whispered, “But the stars are so far away now. I can feel them, but there is a distance. I want them closer.”
“This one thing, and then, I will return to my ship.”
“Of course. It is all I will ask of you. Please, Pilot.”
There was a wave of murmurs from the court, but she pried her left glove off, pressing that hand to his bark. Instantly, she felt the impression of great age and an aching soul. The next moment, that tremendous mind was touching hers and running through her experiences. She jerked her hand away, pulling her glove back on with short movements.
“Touch me again, pilot. I command it.” The emirate whined.
“You are assaulting me, and I don’t sit still for that. You saw into my mind, you know what I can do if I choose.”
He paused and pressed his lips together. “I demand that you return your hand to my branch.”
The guards shifted.
Toby calmly sealed the glove in place. “No. You could have asked me to share, but you took. I am returning to my ship now, and anyone trying to stop me will feel my efforts at self-defence.”
She turned and inclined her head to Prince Naroz. “Enjoy your negotiations.”
He looked into her face and a set expression took over his features. “I don’t think that I will be doing any trade with the emirate. He is not the sort of creature that I wish to deal with. We will accompany you back to the ship.”
Toby waited while Prince Naroz took his leave, and he and Shatter immediately returned to her side, with Shatter offering his arm. She took it gratefully. Her legs were wobbling with an effort to contain her rage.
The men placed her between them and protected her from the stares of the populace. She felt like crying. The memories she had treasured had been forced to the surface. Even the pain of her transformation had been fondled by the emirate. She felt dirty.
They didn’t say anything until they reached the ship, and the moment that the hatch closed behind them, locking them in and the plant folk out, she let the first tear trickle down her face.
Shatter saw it and lifted her into his arms. The stairs came out without her asking for them, and in a few minutes, they were all sitting in the galley, and Prince Naroz was making her a cup of caf with sugar and whitener.
“I am so sorry that he subjected you to that, Tobitha. I will cut off all trade arrangements with the emirate.”
She raised her head from where it was resting on Shatter’s chest. “Don’t do that. I just won’t leave the ship again. He wants to see more of space, but I have nothing more to give him.”
Shatter tilted her chin up. “What happened?”
“I felt him, the loneliness and the emptiness along with the tremendous age, and then, he surged his consciousness along my nerves and did more than see through my eyes, he felt what I felt at every point in my life, all in a matter of seconds. He is still in me, there is a trace that he left behind, like fingerprints on my memories.”
He pressed a kiss to her forehead, but she could feel his rage. Every muscle of his body was taut.
She stroked his face. “Calm down. I don’t want you doing anything you will regret.”
“He assaulted you. That is not something I will stand for.”
She heard the ping on the ship’s systems, but the
Fairy
wasn’t speaking through her. It was talking directly to the caller.
Prince Naroz looked up. “What is that?”
Toby winced. “I think it is the
Dark Fairy
telling the com officer to fuck off. Sadly, she learned that one from me.”
“She talks?”
“The same way I do with the com. Voices are a digital signal. You send the signal, and it carries the words.”
“Why is the ship talking?” Naroz set the caf down in front of her.
“She is very upset at what happened. Those memories are hers as well, and she is not pleased that he intruded on a private moment.” She smiled slightly, feeling better that the ship wanted to come to her defense.
“She can get in line. Blasting that tree to segments is my privilege.” Shatter cuddled her gently, but his tone was cold.
“Calm down. Just because the emirate is an ass, it doesn’t mean that there is no benefit to dealing with him. As I said, I will simply remove myself from the event and get some needed rest.”
Prince Naroz nodded. “I will speak with the com officer if I may. We will make a new series of arrangements.”
“That is a good idea. Set the terms, and see if they meet them.”
“That is my plan. I will head to the com unit, you stay here with Shatter until I am sure that everything is set. He will take care of you, I am certain of it.” Naroz smiled.
She rested her cheek against Shatter’s chest. “Thank you for the comfort. It was an unexpected stressor that I should have been prepared for. It caught me off guard.”
“There is no reason you should have been prepared. Have you ever come under psychic attack before?”
“No, but he ran his mind through my wiring, not my thoughts. I can’t defend against my own nervous system.”
He pressed a kiss to her head again. “I will hold you as long as I am able. You are not alone, but if duty calls, I will have to leave you for a time.”
She smiled. “I understand. Duty first and mate second.”
“No, making sure that my mate is safe comes first. Duty comes second, but you are safe here. The ship will assure that no harm comes to you. You are as safe as you can be.”
She snickered. “Safer than you think. I charged my weapons before we went out. With one punch, I could have had them looking for a new emirate, but I held back, and now, Naroz has a chance at his treaty.”
The prince in question returned to the galley and sighed. “The emirate is issuing a formal apology to you for his behaviour and while he understands your refusal to participate in any further meetings, he will treasure the memories he shared with you.”
Toby smiled and got to her feet. “Even a tree can make an apology sound skeevy. Well, gentlemen, you had best be going. I am going to get myself into a deep nap. Enjoy yourselves.”
Shatter got to his feet, and he wrapped his arms around her. “I will be back soon. Don’t have any fun thoughts without me.”
She enjoyed the hug and felt surprisingly cold when Naroz and Shatter left her alone. Just a few days earlier and it would have been the norm to be in the silence of the ship, now it rang empty.
It was amazing how quickly things could change.