“Is colony world, in Inner Colonies,” Aria explained. She leaned forward, tapping a few buttons on the pilot interface and calling up some files. He hadn't been able to decipher the computer's information system, or else he would have done it himself ages ago. Jack was treated to some pictures of tall trees, snow-peaked mountains, and grassy, shrub-covered fields. “Is nice world. Been there before. Many trees, many animals. Is developed, but kept very green.” Another series of pictures showed cities with tall buildings interspersed among the trees, and he was surprised to see how huge the trees were compared to the structures. Some of the buildings were definitely skyscrapers, fifty stories at least, and a few of the trees were taller. A number of the skyscrapers he saw looked like they were built
into
the trees. “Planet little cold, though. Twenty-five degrees Celsius most days. Cold.”
About seventy-five degrees Fahrenheit,
Jack thought to himself, suppressing a smirk. Though a lot cooler than the average of a hundred and ten degrees in the deserts of Lirna, seventy-five degrees sounded like a pleasant late spring day. What was pleasant for a human, however, was a little bit chilly for a species which evolved in an arid climate. He remembered that Aria had found the planet they'd crashed on very cold, even though Jack had only been mildly uncomfortable on the coldest nights there. “Well, bundle up,” he said aloud. “I'm sure Arbaros won't be all bad. If it wasn't livable, your people wouldn't have colonized the world, after all.”
“Is true, I guess.” Aria smiled as Jack yawned again, wider this time. “You tired. I maybe fly for while?”
Jack shook his head, stifling another yawn and sitting up straighter. “No, no, you sat in the chair for eight hours already before me. I can handle at least three more hours, until the next waypoint.” He leaned forward, tapping a few keys on the control panel. “Make that two hours and forty-five minutes...I think. I'm still confused by your number symbols.”
The alien tigress next to him chuckled. “Or...could see if Sami would like turn. She fly sometimes. I teach her.” Aria traced a finger up and down his leg slowly. “We go to bed, then...”
He was sorely tempted, but Jack reluctantly shook his head. “I want to, but there's no sense waking her. She's had a rough day already. Everyone has. Better to let her sleep, and I really can't take my eyes off the controls. Best just to stay here until the jump is done.”
“Hmm...,” Aria said, a little hint of a growl to her voice. She leaned over, purring a little, and pressed her slightly furry lips to his neck. Jack felt a shiver go up his spine as she kissed at him, the short whiskers on the sides of her muzzle tickling his skin. Then Aria leaned back, flicking her tongue at her lips. “Then slide you chair back.”
Jack arched an eyebrow, but he did as she asked.. “Why, what did you have in mind?”
“Males. So many questions.” With a chuckling purr, she slid off of the copilot's chair and climbed onto his lap, careful as always to keep from putting her full weight on him. She leaned in close, her breasts pressing into his face as she put her arms around the back of his head.
“Heh. I can't see the controls.” Jack placed his hands on her thighs, glad to feel her comforting presence. “And it's pretty obvious you didn't come up here just to see how the flight was going. Eager kitty.”
“Kitty?” Aria looked down at him, questioning. She hadn't ever heard that word before.
Jack bit his lip as he realized what he had said. “It's...ah...short for...” He paused. He'd momentarily forgotten that “cat” had come to be a fairly offensive slur used against Ailians, and probably “kitten” wouldn't be much better. “Never mind. Just a little nonsense word.” The human reached up and rubbed the top of her head, scratching behind her ears with two fingers. Aria's purring deepened.
“Humans...so silly...” Aria leaned in and kissed him, and he felt her hands travel down his front, eventually coming to the fastenings of his pants and teasing them open.
“What if something happens with the ship?” Jack asked her pointedly, though his heart wasn't really in it at the moment. He was far too interested in what she was doing with her fingers to be worried about piloting.
“Worry too much. Be fine.”
******
A day and a half later, the ship emerged from hyperspace and entered orbit around Arbaros. Sami was in the pilot's seat, handling the ship a lot more confidently than Jack would have expected as he sat in the copilot's chair. Aria was standing behind them, looking over their shoulder at the planet below them. The planet was gorgeous, Jack had to admit. Arbaros looked smaller than Lirna, and the surface was a nearly unbroken canvas of mottled greens, covered here and there by swirls of wispy white clouds. He couldn't see any oceans, but light from the planetary system's sun was sparkling off of numerous points on the ground, so it looked like the planet contained a system of lakes and rivers. The “airspace” above the planet was just as impressive. Jack could see several space stations in orbit, and a large number of ships, both military and civilian, were present. The military ships were mostly staying in orbit, and the civilian ships were traveling in and out of the atmosphere. All in all, it didn't look anything like the second most-populated colony world in the Ascendancy, but from what Jack had heard from Aria and Sami during the journey, he knew Arbaros was the home port of all Ailian fleets and the largest shipbuilding facility in Ailian space.
The ship's radio crackled as Sami began maneuvering for a landing area.
“Samesh te'la rean ke zalete a' mar'e re kash.”
Sami looked to Aria. Aria leaned forward, between her and Jack's chairs, and she responded.
“Cha. Me'lia kan ra'ale reshta kere.”
She let a note of command creep into her voice.
“A'kre mera kule'are, shoka.”
“Krisa za'na aril de na.”
The radio went silent.
Aria nodded to Sami, who continued with her maneuvers and angled the ship towards the planet's surface. The ship rumbled and shook momentarily as it hit the outer limits of the atmosphere, then the ride smoothed out as they penetrated deeper. Before long they were skimming the tops of the trees, approaching a city that Jack could see in the distance.
“What's that?” he asked, pointing towards the buildings rising up among the trees.
“Ar'bre. Government center for Arbaros. Is civilian spaceport there, where we go.” Aria ruffled Jack's hair. “Someone meet us there, my orders say.”
“Fair enough,” Jack said. He looked over at Sami. “Well, welcome to home for the next...however long. At least it has a nice view.”
Sami managed a smile, keeping her eyes forward and steering the ship. “Yes. Beautiful. Like home garden.” She glanced over at Jack and Aria. “Father still not like. Angry. Want to stay home.” She flipped the tip of her tail, smiling just a little.
“Set in his ways,” Jack mused. “Can't really blame him, can you? He grew up on Lirna and lived his whole life there, and now he's being forced to move away for who knows how long. It would be enough to make anyone upset.”
“Yes,” Aria agreed. Looking back at her, Jack could tell that she was upset as well. He knew that she didn't like uprooting her family like this, but he also knew that it was for the best. Aria's mother had already demonstrated a willingness to use violence against the family, so keeping them all together was the best way to keep them protected. “Will work out.”
They continued flying, getting closer to the city, until Jack could see an area where the trees had been thinned out. He was surprised to see that the spaceport looked like it was suspended in the air, with large landing platforms seeming to hover free all by themselves. But as they got closer, he saw that they were actually held up by struts which attached to the trunks of massive trees, and the spaceport facilities looked like they were built into the trees themselves, not unlike some of the pictures Aria had shown Jack before. Deftly, and with Jack's assistance, Sami directed the ship towards one of the unoccupied landing pads and set it down. Once the ship was powered down, everyone gathered at the exit ramp and walked down to the landing platform.
When they got to the bottom of the ramp, Jack took a deep breath of the air. The planet smelled glorious. The air tasted thick and rich, full of oxygen even at the high altitude of the trees. He could smell the fresh scent of the trees, very similar to a pine forest although the trees looked like they were all broad-leafed. He thought he could catch a hint of flowers as well. Looking around, he saw little birds flying here and there, most of them looking no larger than hummingbirds. The temperature was pleasantly cool to Jack, but looking at the Ailians standing around him he could see all of Aria's siblings and her father shivering in the breeze, their fur bristling out from the, for them, cold climate. Even Aria looked a bit uncomfortable, though she was dressed in her uniform and more prepared for the temperature.
Movement caught his eyes, and Jack looked across the landing platform to see a group of Ailians walking towards them. Four of them were dressed in paramilitary uniforms, appearing to be soldiers or local police of some kind. They were arranged in a square formation around two other Ailians, one male and one female. The female was middle-aged, around the same age as Aria's father, and dressed in shimmering green-and-gold robes. The male was younger, wearing normal clothes, although they were the same color as the female's. Both of them had dark blue fur with gold striping. The group kept approaching until they were close to them, and then they stopped. The female in the center stepped forward, looking very regal and respectable.
“Captain Aria Me'lia? Welcome to Arbaros, and to the city of Ar'bre,” she said, speaking English, to the surprise of Jack. What was more, she spoke it with almost no accent, quite perfectly. By now his association with Aria was widespread knowledge in the Ascendancy, so she was probably speaking the language solely for his benefit. “Her Majesty Empress Solan sent word that you would be arriving. I am Miri Amani, Royal Governess of Arbaros.”
The name immediately rang a bell in Jack's head, but Sami got to it first. “Amani?” she said, her eyes lighting up. “Lady Li'ren Amani?”
“I am her mother, yes,” Miri said, fairly beaming with a look of pride on her face. She inclined her head towards them in a minor bow. “I am very pleased to make your acquaintance. My daughter has told me about your family. She admires you very much, Captain Me'lia, and she speaks highly of the strength of your family.” She nodded to Sami and the rest of Aria's sisters and brothers.
“Thank you,” Aria said, bowing to the governess. She turned to her family, sweeping a hand back. “My father, Arn Me'lia.” Aria's father bowed to Miri. “Sami, my sister. Also, my sisters and brothers, Ana, Sana, Jin, Mari, Lem'a, and Raya.” They all bowed in turn, and then Aria moved behind Jack, placing her hands on his shoulders. “And this is Jack Squier, my mate.” She curled her tail around his waist, leaning down to nuzzle at the top of his head. Jack couldn't help turning a little red.
The other Ailians with the governess looked slightly awkward, but if Miri Amani felt anything at the display of affection she covered it with diplomatic skill. “A pleasure to meet all of you. Li'ren has spoken particularly of you, Mr. Squier, and of you as well, Sami. She admires the way you were able to keep your family together during your sister's hardship.”
Sami looked surprised, and the orange fur on her cheeks fuzzed slightly. “Me? Ah...Thank you.” The younger Ailian looked at the ground, seeming embarrassed, but smiling all the same. “Not do anything, really.”
“Don't sell yourself short, my dear. It takes a lot to keep a large family together. I should know.” Miri looked to Aria. “Captain, you've had a long trip. I imagine your family would like to rest. At Her Majesty's instruction, living quarters have been prepared for you. We have plenty of room at my official residence, so I do hope you will accept the offer to stay with me. Considering your assignment, I believe that will work out for the best in any case, yes?”
“Is very generous,” Aria agreed, looking astonished at the offer. She bowed deeply again. “Thank you, m'lady.”
“Of course.” The governess gestured to her entourage. “If you and your family will come with me, Captain, you'll be shown to your new home. Someone will bring your things later. Once you've all settled in, there are some matters I wish to discuss with you in private.”
******
Jack and all of the Me'lia family were escorted from the main landing pad to a smaller one, where the family boarded a shuttle which whisked them all away. After a short ride through the towering forests in Ar'bre, the shuttle settled down at the apex of one of the treetop highrises. They were all led from the shuttle to a staircase, which took them down into the building to the governess' residence. Jack found it every bit as impressive as he would have expected. Though not as richly decorated as the interior of the palace on Lirna, there was still a certain air of royalty to the home. The walls were finished in a beautiful, polished white stone, and the floors were carpeted with regal blue which matched Governess Amani's fur nearly perfectly. Paintings and wall art decorated the corridors, many of them clearly very old. There to greet them, once they arrived in a spacious room which seemed to be some sort of greeting hall, was a very familiar face.
“Ah, Aria, Jack!” Li'ren Amani said, rising from a plush armchair with a broad smile on her feline face. “My mother said you would be arriving today. It is very nice to see you again.” She walked over to Jack and Aria, clasping hands with both of them briefly. Jack noticed that she wasn't wearing the same white diplomatic robes that she had when she was living on Lirna. Instead, she was wearing the same sorts of clothes that a normal Ailian might wear, a wrapped top and skirt that exposed her belly, though they were made of a thicker cloth to match the cooler climate of Arbaros. Now that she was home with her family, away from her official duties, she didn't have to worry about appearances.