A strong arm wrapped around her shoulder, bracing her. “Have you lost your mind?”
Caris practically shouted while doing some heavy breathing of his own. “How you didn’t end up careening through the back of the building trying to land at that speed I’ll never know!” He pulled her upright into his strong embrace. “Your license should be suspended, no,
revoked
for such reckless behavior.” He hugged her tightly. “When your brothers hear about this…”
“Shut, up, Caris,” she huffed, craning her neck from side-to-side. “These were the only two on board? How badly are they hurt? Shouldn’t we get them to the infirmary?” She struggled to free herself. “Let me go,” Leena pleaded.
He allowed her to take a step away from him, but Caris kept a firm hold on her hand.
“They were able to deploy the escape ramp and exit the ship on their own, which is a very good sign, however they both collapsed and had to be carried the rest of the way out of danger. The medics are assessing their injuries. There were no others on board.”
A medical transport arrived and the injured Earthlings were carefully moved onto stretchers, giving Leena her first look at the men. Their faces were partially obscured by oxygen masks. One of them had a large bandage on his forehead, which was red with blood, and the other’s burned shirt was open, revealing nasty blisters along his ribcage.
Leena began to tremble and her knees felt as if they were about to give out beneath her.
Her emotions were in such turmoil they frightened her. She leaned into Caris and sobbed. “They have to be okay, they
have
to.” She desperately needed assurance that they would survive—
needed to touch and comfort them. “I’m going to the infirmary,” she announced after a loud hiccough and sniffle.
“Okay, honey, I’ll take you,” Caris replied, staring at her with an expression of concern and confusion.
Leena took off at a dead run to his hover car. She clamped her lips tightly together in order to keep from making a derogatory comment about Caris’ lack of speed during the short ride. When they entered the infirmary, they were directed down a hallway to a waiting area.
After sitting for a few moments, Leena got up from the supremely uncomfortable chair and began pacing the small room. Again. Staring at the time display monitor on the wall was giving her a headache, and her fingers ached from being clenched so tightly together. She and Caris were the only ones in the space, and he hadn’t taken his eyes off of her for a second.
Not helping,
not helping at all.
“How long do you think it’s going to be before we hear something?” Leena asked when she stopped to gaze at nothing in particular out the window. Barely a half an hour had passed since their arrival at the infirmary, but she felt as if she might go out of her mind with worry at any moment.
Caris moved to stand at her side. “Allow the physicians some time to do their job. While we’re waiting, perhaps you’d care to explain the severity of your upset?”
She turned to face him but didn’t make direct eye contact. “Two men may be fighting for their very lives as we speak. Aren’t you concerned for their well-being?”
“You know that I am,” Caris replied softly, yet with a hint of censure.
Leena’s cheeks warmed. Her intent had been to deflect his line of questioning, not to insult him. “So what’s wrong with me feeling the same?”
“Nothing, if that’s what was happening. You were light years passed concern when we were on the landing field. Now you appear to be fast approaching melt-down.”
He placed his index finger under her chin and applied gentle, upward pressure. Leena couldn’t help but meet his piercing gaze.
“Did something go on out in space that you haven’t told me? This is far more than concern, and for complete strangers?”
“Were you able to get a good look at their ship before it went up in flames?” she asked.
Caris shook his head.
“The hull had extensive blast damage and denting. These men weren’t experiencing ordinary vessel malfunctions. They were in some sort of battle and my guess is they went through the Zenla meteor field to elude their pursuers.”
“Their ship wasn’t a military craft,” Caris noted with a frown.
“I know. Where do you think they came from? Who was attacking them and why?” Her mind raced with possible scenarios.
“I find it hard to believe that simple curiosity has you in such an emotional state.”
Me, too,
she agreed silently. “My being able to lend aid in a rescue is the most exhilarating event I’ve ever experienced! And we shouldn’t have even been in the vicinity to do so. The load we picked up on Gozen was only partial, so I decided to make a stop on Alda. Our return was on a totally different flight path from our usual course.”
“Then obviously the Gods guided you to them; interesting,” Caris commented, looking her up and down.
Leena more than appreciated Asha’s impeccable timing as he strode brusquely into the room. He was a medical technician and a good friend. “The Earthmen’s injuries are not life-threatening. One of them is not fully conscious yet, and treatment of their burns and other wounds will likely take many hours.”
“Who’s the physician?” Leena asked.
“Han.”
“Please ask him to come and see me when he’s able to. I’m not leaving.”
Asha gave her a quizzical look but made no comment.
Leena reached out and rested her hand on her friend’s arm. “Do you know their names?”
“Adam and Craig; I can’t remember the pronunciation of their surnames.”
All races of the Galactic Federation planets had microscopic translators implanted at birth, but that didn’t negate the occurrence of minor communication difficulties every now and then. Leena turned over their names in her mind, liking them. They sounded strong, masculine, and a tad mysterious to her.
“Which is the one with the burns to his chest?” she asked, picturing his beautiful, muscular upper body.
“Adam. He’s the pilot, and the one who is able to communicate with us.”
“Has he said anything about what happened to them?” Caris interjected.
“No. They both are suffering from smoke inhalation. Adam tries to hide it, but talking is obviously painful for him. When he speaks, he asks about Craig, then about meeting the captain of the ship that led them safely to landing.” Asha leaned forward. “I’ll expect a full report at your earliest convenience,” he whispered in Leena’s ear. He pulled back, winked and walked toward the entryway. “I’m sure Han will be here as soon as he can,” Asha added before leaving the room.
Leena walked the few steps to the nearest chair on wobbly legs. She plopped down in the seat and covered her face with her hands. “Thank you, thank you, thank you,” she chanted.
“What are you offering thanks for, little sister? That you didn’t crash your own ship upon landing? That you didn’t sustain injuries while being so close to an unsecured accident scene?”
Leena lifted her head to look at her eldest brother, Darmack. She really wasn’t surprised that Caris had contacted him, or that he was here. “Did more than use the facilities when we first arrived here, huh Caris? I’m fine, Dar, my ship’s fine, and Caris was about to go home.”
“I was?”
“Yes. There’s no reason for either of you to wait with me, and now I have a hover car to use. You don’t mind leaving yours, do you Dar?”
Darmack appeared puzzled and turned his attention to Caris. “You said she was
hysterical.”
“He exaggerated.” Leena flashed an ‘if looks could kill’ face in Caris’ direction.
“I most certainly did not. I told him that you are in a highly emotional state, and that I don’t understand why.”
“But since I’ve explained that to you, you can fill him in on your way home.” Leena desperately wanted some alone time to examine her intense emotions.
“I’d rather do it now. Your sister says curiosity and excitement over participating in a rescue are causing her unusual behavior.” Caris proceeded to repeat their earlier conversation. “I call xander droppings on her explanation.”
“These Earthmen—”
“Adam and Craig,” Leena interrupted.
Darmack raised an eyebrow. “All right, Adam and Craig; you’ve had no direct contact with them?”
“They’re in treatment.” She glanced over at the clock. “I have no idea for how long. Han is on duty today, he’s supposed to be giving me a status report when he can.”
“That could be accomplished over a communicator.”
“But it won’t be.” Leena jumped up and raked her fingers through her wavy, shoulder-length hair. “They’re hurt, their ship is destroyed and they quite probably know no one on this planet!” Leena placed her balled fists on her hips and stared between Darmack and Caris. “They need help and comfort, and I’m going to be the one to give it! I am
not
leaving!” She hadn’t meant to yell the last comment.
“See what I mean?” Caris asked.
“Leena exuberantly expressing her opinions and being stubborn about what she wants is nothing new, Caris.”
“This is more, different, I don’t know, she’s hiding something.”
Leena was unnerved by Darmack’s probing gaze and his brief hesitation before speaking.
She was extremely close to both of her brothers, but Dar, by his own admission, didn’t always understand her. He also still treated her like a child, which was a huge source of contention between them.
“Is he correct, are you being untruthful? We can’t protect you if we don’t know all the facts. It’s been more than once that your headstrong ways have led you into trouble.”
“But I’ve survived, haven’t I? Oh my Gods, Dar, how many times do I have to remind you I’m a grown woman? Believe it or not, a whole bunch of stuff goes on in my daily life that I don’t report to you. Furthermore, my private thoughts are mine to divulge when and if I decide to do so.”
“Placing yourself in harm’s way is not now, nor will it ever be, acceptable under any circumstances.”
“Okay, sorry, I’ll never do a non-reg landing or stand near a flaming ship again, promise.”
“This isn’t a joking matter, Leena.” Darmack said sternly. “Until we know what the Earthmen were doing and why they were under attack, we need to proceed with caution. Caris and I will speak with them first. If we determine they pose no threat, you may see them afterward.” Darmack took a seat and crossed his arms over his chest.
She opened her mouth to argue then thought better of it. When Darmack’s mind was made up, he was as unmovable as Mount Zefra. Plus, making too much of a stink would surely result in he and Caris pestering her with further inquiries.
“As you wish,” she acquiesced, strolling slowly over to the window.
“That’s it? No snappy retort? No going head-to-head in a battle of wills against your brother?” Caris’ disbelief rang out loud and clear.
“I can’t force you to go, or stop you from talking with Adam and Craig, so there’s no reason for me to waste my breath trying.”
“We should have Han run a quick scan on your sister. Maybe she’s come down with some type of space sickness?”
“If the symptoms are being agreeable and using common sense, I see no reason to cure her of it.”
“You two are so funny,” Leena mumbled, cracking a grin.
Darmack and Caris were so different yet they complimented each other perfectly. She hoped the Gods would see fit to guide them to their soul-bonded woman.
She watched a flock of soarans off in the distance circling low to the ground. Each took a turn diving into the sand to hunt for their dinner. They were amazing creatures. Despite their large size and stocky build, they flew with grace and precision. The late afternoon sun was setting, and soon the two moons of Mesta would rise.
The men began to chat about the progress of the surlat harvest. Leena took it as an opportunity to contemplate what had happened in the last days, and attempt to sort out her thoughts and emotions. She’d been running cargo in the Aaron system for almost seven years.
Never before had the miners on Gozen paid half in credits instead of making a full trade for the supplies she’d brought them. On Alda, the loading process had been delayed nearly half a day by inventory discrepancies. If not for those events, she wouldn’t have been in range to receive the distress signal from the Earth ship.
The Gods are at work
. Her tummy did a little somersault and her pulse pounded in her ears at the thought. She definitely experienced a strange emotional reaction upon first contact with the ship when she had no clue as to who was onboard. Then there was her all-consuming need to aid and comfort the strangers. Leena considered herself to be a kind and empathetic woman, but the intensity of her reaction to Adam and Craig being injured was a completely new experience; one with which she wasn’t sure what to do.
In the countless tales she’d heard regarding Slaterine men and women recognizing their mates at first glance or touch, not one story had ever involved mates connecting over vast distances. Bits and pieces of past conversations with her fathers and mother, friends, even her brothers, about the complexities of the Slaterine soul bond drifted through her mind.
When she was younger, it had sounded so romantic; beings destined to be together, many finding each other through chance encounters, sharing a love bond that lasts a lifetime. It wasn’t until late adolescence when the harsher reality came into clarity. Many never find their destined mates. Only those who do can have children, and male births outnumber female births ten to one.
“It’s all so random,” she whispered.
“What did you say, Leena?” Dar asked.
“Oh nothing, I was just thinking aloud.”
“You could come over here and join the conversation,” Caris offered.
“In a while, maybe,” she replied offhandedly without turning around.
“Are you hungry? Thirsty?”
“Nope, I’m good, thanks.”
Leena was grateful when they returned to their discussion, leaving her to her increasingly chaotic musings. What if she had this whole thing wrong? What if she didn’t? She had a vision of the path she wanted to take in life, and she had purposefully kept having mates out of her plans. It seemed silly and somewhat sad to include soul bonding in any realistic assessment of her future. Leena understood that her opinions differed greatly from the Slaterine norm, but that didn’t make them less valid. She tried to imagine how her life might change if, and it was a big if, these men were a part of it, but instead of getting anything close to a clear picture, more questions and doubts, along with the reappearance of her headache were the results.