Because, I enjoy the kiss of a beautiful woman, and I have not had the opportunity in many, many years.
Fine.
She kept his orb in her hand and closed and locked the box of objects. Getting to her feet, she had to look up at him, and it was not because of his hovering. His feet were even with the decking, but he was at six foot six if he was an inch.
She didn’t remember him being that tall, or maybe it was that an untrained Aura Speaker was always generating him.
You will have to come down to me, Your Majesty.
My pleasure.
He leaned forward, cupped her head in both spectral hands and he brushed his lips against hers.
She could feel his energy brushing against her own, and she marvelled again at how strong he was even after all the time he had spent in the orb.
Arousal curled through her, hooked into her pleasure centres and spiralled until her skin was humming with it. She closed her eyes against the bright glow of his aura and returned the kiss as best she was able.
When he pulled back, she blinked her eyes open, blushing at the satisfied smile on his face.
Will you look at the station now?
Of course. Lead the way.
She noted that he was disturbingly cordial now. Avina headed to the front of the shuttle and took a seat in the pilot’s chair. He sat next to her at the navigator station and stared out the view screen.
It is a Grafthian station, but I am puzzled. They did not create deep-space vessels of any nature. They enjoyed staying close to home. May I come with you?
Avina mulled that over.
I may not be able to stay in full contact. I have to wear a recorder that occasionally interferes with my personal signals.
I will enjoy any new environment. I have not been able to get out and about like I had originally planned.
You had a plan when you died?
Well, I didn’t die precisely. It is a long story that I am sure you have no interest in.
I am interested in hearing it as soon as I complete my survey of that station. The records indicate that there is any number of violent auras on that derelict. I have to either reason with them or destroy them.
He gave her a surprised look.
Do you do this a lot?
Often enough. Some can speak to your kind, some can disrupt your kind, I can do both as well as destroying auras, ripping them into shreds that can never coalesce.
Ouch.
Yeah, I didn’t think you would like knowing that. Most auras think they are invulnerable to anything aside from degradation over time. They don’t like to have that confidence challenged.
He nodded, and there was a thoughtful look on his face.
She coaxed him.
So, what else can you tell me about the Grafthians?
They were peaceful, liked to stay at home and had a serious method of dealing with lawbreakers.
She winced as she realised where this was going.
What did they do to the lawbreakers?
They put them in auto-piloted pods and launched them into deep space never to be seen again, or so the legend goes.
I believe that we found their destination.
I believe you are right.
She drummed her fingers and sent a data burst to Teklan. Every mission held a risk, but this one was going to be a doozy.
Okay, you are going to have to disappear. I need to change, and I don’t want you watching.
I won’t look, I promise.
Pardon my lack of faith, but I will just put you back in your little ball.
Be gentle.
His wink was pure mischief.
She placed the orb on the control panel, and he disappeared.
Avina sighed in relief.
Before he could emerge on his own, she stripped off her flight suit and put on her EVA suit. It had armour, life support and insulation in it. She snapped her recording halo into place and checked the signal. With her breather and face shield tucked under one arm, she grabbed the orb again, and Utolian flared to visibility once again.
Do you always wear bodysuits?
Of course. It is part of my job.
Don’t you take breaks, holidays and such?
Of course, I do, but I don’t take you with me, so you have missed the rest of my wardrobe.
She winked and tucked the orb into her suit. Nestled between her breasts, she would be able to keep him active while she explored the station.
With the anticipation of a looming adventure, she moved her ship into a dock position. When her ship locked into position, she ran an environment check. The station contained breathable air, but she wasn’t confident that the other gasses would be good for her health. No sense in being stupid, she put her mask on and settled it in place, testing the flow.
It was working, so she gestured to Utolian and entered the first airlock. A bio-scan ran over her from head to toe, and then, the doors opened to the second lock. Another scan went across her and she was stepping onto the Grafthian station deck plates.
She could feel the auras in the area. The place was heavy with menace. As she moved further and further into the station, she identified five strong signatures.
Your Majesty, what do the Grafthians look like?
Just above your height, brown-green, they were a nature-bound species. I never met one personally, but they were generally good-natured from all reports.
Can you feel what I feel?
I can, Avina. Be careful.
I will do what I can, but I need to discover the precise nature of the auras here.
Why?
Because a rogue aura can cause madness, suicide or even a rash of murders. If these auras are dangerous, I need to put up a warning beacon and a military ship will come in to blow the whole thing.
Why don’t they just do that directly?
There may be salvageable records or tech here. It is my job to find out if it is safe for retrieval teams to come in.
They went silent as an aura flitted through the hallway ahead. The halls lit as she progressed, so the motion sensors were working.
Where are we going?
She smiled grimly.
The first stop is always the command deck. Most of the records are contained there.
So, there is a plan for this. I did wonder.
She stifled a snort. Avina kept her senses braced for the appearance of an aura, but they steered clear of her. It happened when auras were up to no good or afraid of being confronted, so she was definitely on alert.
She avoided the lifts and used the ladder to approach the command deck. Auras loved to mess with lifts; it was a leap of logic that years of watching horror movies prepared her for. Sticking yourself in a tiny box suspended by a few strands of cable or energy ties was never a good idea.
Avina was tired by the time she stumbled into the command deck. There were a few objects strewn across the deck that gave off the energy signatures of an aura key.
Utolian moved toward them, and she hissed at him.
Don’t trigger them.
What are they?
They are aura landmines. The moment you touch one, an aura will spring to this site and be ready for action. It works on energy connection. Hostile auras count on folks being stupid.
Fair enough. I have never seen that technique before.
It is a version of the object anchor that you use.
Fascinating.
He crouched near the object, and she could almost feel him absorbing the structure.
Avina headed to the mainframe and examined the recording system. It was a data-crystal system, and it appeared that the Grafthians had managed shielding, because there was nothing actually within the system that carried a signature.
Avina reached for the kit attached to her left thigh and pulled out a blank set of crystals. She turned on the data-retrieval system and slipped one of her recording crystals into place.
The display told her that it would take ten minutes to fill the first crystal, so she checked the nearest seat; determined that it was rigged to call an aura, she sat in a chair that wasn’t booby-trapped.
How long must we wait here?
Oh, until I download the navigation and personnel registrations.
May I ask you a question?
Of course.
Why are you an Aura Speaker? Your signature indicates you could be so much more.
Because, I have always had a curiosity about those who have shed their bodies. With my species, it does not happen often. Those who become auras usually watch their loved ones and then fade away. The idea of entire species that walk and communicate with their descendants was very interesting to me.
Interesting. What is your headgear for?
Oh, it records my brainwaves. If I have to record a deposition, it confirms what I thought I was seeing. As you know, with an aura, what I see might not be what is in front of me.
He nodded and continued to explore the area.
When the crystal was full, she removed it carefully and set the second crystal in place.
Three minutes later, the crystal was complete, and she stowed it next to the first in her thigh pack.
Avina flexed her arms and loosened the muscles of her neck. “All right, let’s get to work.”
What do you mean, work?
I mean seek out the auras and get a feel for what is going on here. I need to meet them, and there is only one way to do it.
You are going to confront hostile auras?
Of course. It’s my job.
I will accompany you.
She laughed. “I may lose power for you. Are you all right with that?”
Why are you talking out loud?
I do it when I am nervous. This is not as comfortable for me as I pretend.
He grinned and waved her on.
Avina turned her head away and made a face. With deliberate calm, she barricaded her brain against unwanted intrusion and reached out for one of the little objects strewn across the deck.
A blurring of light sprang forth, forming a column that turned into a bark-skinned being with glowing pink eyes.
Why have you come here?
Even the aura’s spectral voice was a low, rumbling snarl.
I have been sent here after the attacks on several visiting personnel.
They trespassed.
This is an unmanned vessel. They were within salvage rights to investigate.
It is our vessel.
It is a huge, functioning space station drifting into occupied space. Your privacy will not last long.
Enough!
The aura shot his hand forward and into her sternum, or rather, he tried to.
Utolian grabbed him and pinned his spectral arms behind his back.
Avina was stuck watching two disembodied beings wrestle for supremacy. Idly, she kicked another object, and when the aura attacked without speaking, she lunged forward and pulled it apart.
Her actions froze the grappling between the two other beings in the room.
Gentlemen. While I would love to watch you two rolling around together until this station rots around you, I do not have that kind of time.
The Grafthian scowled but remained immobile.
What do you want?
Tell me about the other occupants of this station.
We are criminals and madmen. Well, one less madman thanks to you. What did you do to him?
I dissolved him into energy without consciousness. He is now in whatever afterlife your people have.
He looked distinctly uncomfortable, but there was a ray of hope in his eyes.
Will you destroy me as well?
She looked around at the empty command deck. The sparse environment and the lack of new people would drive an aura mad. They fed on the energy of the living, and in lieu of a food source, they would feed on each other. Aura degrading another aura was a bad thing.
Do you want to be destroyed?
It was a calculated risk. Her conversation partner could attack again.
Don’t you want to know what I did in life to get me here?
No. I just want to know if you want me to ease you into the next phase of your existence.
May I think about it?
She knew in that moment that his answer was no. He was attached to his existence, and he wished it to continue, such as it was.
You may take as long as you like.
Avina dismissed him quickly. He disappeared in a flash, and Utolian blinked at her.
What did you do to him?
Dismissed him. He is back to his anchor point right now. He will be stuck there for a while.
What is your next move?
Back to the shuttle. I need to get some food in me.
He shook his head.
I forget that you need sustenance. I will be your guard while you exit. I am sure that a few of those remaining will not want to pass up their chance for a bit of an energy boost.
Point taken. Watch my back.
He waggled his brows at her, and she sighed and shook her head. With the data crystals in her pack, she had the first procedures done. She had also made contact with the aura inhabitants. It was time for a snack and a change of oxygen supplies.
The way back through the halls was tense. The occupants knew what she was, and they were formulating a plan. That was usually not a good thing.
They could communicate at the speed of thought. She had to walk the halls the old-fashioned way.
There was a thrill of relief in her when she saw the door that would lead to her airlock. That was the moment when they struck.
Two auras jumped Utolian and two more struck and bit at her with ravenous need.
She fought them off as hard as she could, but her joy at seeing the exit had thrown off her normal defenses. Avina ruptured one of the auras, but the other managed to grab hold of her energy and deplete her. She dropped to the ground, and her attacker wrenched her breather off.
“Avina!”
She heard the voice, but she actually heard it through her ears. Avina rolled over and the bright column of Utolian was growing solid. “What the hell?”
He pulled in his two attackers, and the walls of the station pulled in toward him. Metal flew toward his body in strips, and he was soon standing in front of her. Purply-blue, tall, strong and bare-ass nude.
She sucked in the air of the station and coughed. It was stale, dry and had a chemical tang that had probably been used to subdue the inhabitants.