by C. Gockel
“It was not my intention to insult you.” Gaedon sighed. “We are both soldiers and are called on to make sacrifices for the greater good of our people. We do our duty. I merely wished to point out that there would also be benefits to you if you were to make this sacrifice for your people and ours.”
Damn, no time to pack for that guilt trip. So she wouldn’t go.
“It is not in the nature of our people,” Halliwell seemed to understand that Sara was choking on all she wanted to say, “to require this type of sacrifice from our people. Our alliances are based on trade and economics, not bondings between men and women. It is not even part of our history as a country. Personal freedom is at the root of our law and it is what we are proud to defend with our lives.”
Sara looked at the Old Man and smiled. That was Bravo Zulu. She turned to Gaedon.
“Surely you can see that I’m more likely to cause a war than end one.”
He nodded slowly. “May I ask a favor from one soldier to another?”
“Maybe.” Sara wasn’t agreeing to anything without knowing what it was.
“Will you meet with our leader? He would understand better if—”
“That’s not my call to make, sir.”
Gaedon looked at the colonel.
After a pause he sort of shrugged, then nodded.
“As long as he knows I’ve already said no.” She grinned. “I’m sure he’ll leave thankful I turned him down.”
Gaedon looked at her thoughtfully. “Actually, I think you would have been a very charming breath of fresh air.”
“That’s a very sweet thing to say, sir.”
“But you don’t believe me?”
“No.” She shrugged. “My various foster parents and teachers called me many things over the years, but charming never made the list. Ever.” Even as she smiled at him, she could feel her lids getting really insistent about closing. “I really need to check for light leaks, sir. I’m so wasted.”
“Dismissed, Captain.”
Sara jumped to her feet.
“Are you going to tell her about the Dusan?” Gaedon said, as he rose to his feet.
Halliwell looked annoyed. Sara felt a cold chill do its thing down her back.
“What about the Dusan?” She looked at the Old Man, not at Gaedon, even when he answered the question.
“Our sources tell us it will be the largest attack ever mounted against us. Your arrival in this galaxy is a stone thrown in a pool. Adin Xever clearly fears you will ally with us.”
But he didn’t fear that. He thought she was dead. What—
He was afraid she’d given the key to her people. She probably shouldn’t have unlocked that outpost. Another reminder losing her temper was a bad thing. The attack would be directed against them, not the Gadi.
“How many ships?”
“Reports vary. Nothing solid yet, but the news is troubling.”
Sara’s throat dried to the texture of felt. She still looked at Halliwell. “That’s not good.”
Gaedon stepped into her line of sight.
“My people will need all the courage and hope I can find for them.”
They were going to need more than that.
Sara looked at him, her brows lifted. “Sir, are you really trying to put the whole responsibility for this war on my shoulders? Because that doesn’t seem like your style.”
He jerked back. And then he sighed. “No, of course not.” He bowed gravely. “I should return to my ship and make my report.”
Sara snapped to attention and saluted. She still didn’t know how to curtsey. “I am sorry I couldn’t be more help.”
Though she really wasn’t.
The Old Man nodded his head, like she should leave. He didn’t have to nod twice. Outside in the corridor, Fyn grabbed her hand. Before he could speak, she asked, “Did we get permission?”
Fyn grinned, but quickly sobered. “He wants us to do it in the morning if—”
Sara flung herself onto his chest, her arms around his neck. Her legs might have been involved, too. Her lips a millimeter from his, she asked, “If what?”
His arms closed around her and he closed the gap between their mouths. Sara took it to mean he’d forgotten the question—or got his answer.
Chapter Fourteen
Sara wasn’t too surprised when Fyn steered her, not to her quarters, but to the Old Man’s wardroom. She was so whacked, she actually fell asleep while they were walking. She woke up with a jerk when the Old Man joined them.
“Park it, both of you,” Halliwell said.
Sara tried to get the fog out of her brain. It didn’t want to go.
“So, did you tell him about the Dusan?”
Sara shook her head. Fyn looked at Sara, then at Halliwell.
“What about the Dusan?”
Sara let Halliwell explain. Talking had become an effort. She was almost totally tapped out. Fyn came to the same conclusion Sara had.
“They’re coming here.” His arm closed protectively around Sara.
It felt so good to relax against him, to just be a girl for a moment and let him be in charge. She could hear the steady thump of his heart and felt the rise and fall of his chest as he breathed. It was incredibly comforting. She burrowed in, trying to memorize how it felt to be in his arms, memorize him and how it felt to feel safe, to finally feel at home. They were going to war. This might be all the time they had. She wasn’t asleep, but she was drifting between waking and sleeping. She could feel Fyn’s chest rumble with sound when he spoke and heard the distant murmur of the Old Man, but she wasn’t picking out the words until she heard her name.
Sara straightened with a jerk, blinking a few times. She shook her head, trying to clear it. “Sorry, sir.”
“I’m hoping the Gadi will withdraw, so you and Fyn can get to the city after the wedding. Sorry I can’t give you any leave, but I think its time to extend our view.” He flicked a glance at Fyn. “Once you’re down there, you can brief Fyn.”
“Thank you, sir.” She was quiet for a moment.
At this rate, a briefing was all the honeymoon he’d be getting.
Honeymoon. Her stomach fluttered a bit. Was she ready for the walls of Jericho to come down? She’d spent a good bit of time building them up. She peeked up at Fyn. He looked ready to climb them if they didn’t. She could almost hear Evie telling her, hello, girls and guys have been working this one out since the Garden of Eden. Get a grip. As if he sensed her sudden nervousness, Fyn’s arm came around her again and a slight smile flickered at the edges of his mouth. How come it was so easy for guys? They wanted it, so they did it.
Punks.
She stiffened.
“Permission to raise the shields, sir.” She looked at the Old Man with wide eyes. He nodded sharply. “I’m doing it for the Patton, too.”
The Gadi ships were still too far away for the ship’s internal censors to pick them up.
“What is it?” Fyn asked, worry sharpening his voice.
“Gadi. Five, no six ships. They’re coming in weapons hot.”
The bridge officer contacted Halliwell. “Sir, the island outpost is reporting six ships incoming. And our shields are already up.”
“I’ll be right—”
Sara was as surprised as they looked when a HUD suddenly appeared in the air before them. It showed the six ships, and then sort of folded in on itself, expanding to show one ship, with a technical display beside it, the words in Garradian. As Sara concentrated, she was vaguely aware Halliwell was talking to the bridge, giving them instructions. He also spoke with Emerson on the Patton. She felt a sharp stab of pain for a moment, then the display reformed in a format the Old Man could read.
“I’m not even going to ask how you did that.” He studied the display. “How long until they are in weapons range?”
“We’re in range of some of their weapons already,” Sara said. “That’s why I raised the shields. They’ll be in range of our weapons in about twenty minutes.”
> “They haven’t fired on us.” Halliwell looked grim. “I guess our meeting didn’t end as friendly as it seemed.”
“Or Helfron overruled him.”
“Helfron?” Fyn looked at her.
Sara shrugged and tried to roll her eyes. They were so tired, they didn’t roll that well.
“He kind of wants to marry me, too,” she admitted, feeling her cheeks flush. “I told Gaedon no.”
“That’s probably why they haven’t fired then.” Fyn sounded as grim as Halliwell looked. He sighed when he looked at her, though.
“What? I never even met the guy.” Maybe she should consider plastic surgery. Get a face that was hers alone.
“They don’t know what weapons you’ve got, sir,” Fyn said. “They know you beat the Dusan and beat off the Gadi ship the Dusan were using. They’ll try to talk some more. The ships are to intimidate for now.”
“Hope you’re right. I’d just as soon not get into a fight with them.” Halliwell rubbed his face.
Sara rubbed her face, too. This was not a good time for the Gadi to kick up the anthill. She was wasted and not thinking clearly. “Sir, I can’t meet this gomer tonight. I’m really hammered.”
“Get her to her quarters, Fyn.” He still looked worried. “They couldn’t board us, could they? Without us knowing?”
“I’ve never heard of them having that capability,” Fyn said, “but I’ll watch out for her.”
Sara thought about being annoyed, but then decided she didn’t have the energy.
“Even tired I could still take ‘em,” she muttered, as Fyn steered her toward the door. She felt Fyn chuckle and then things got fuzzy until she came to in her quarters. She was lying on the bed and Fyn was sitting on her tiny desk stool. It took her a minute to connect all the dots. “You can’t sit there all night.”
“I’ll be fine.”
Sara crossed her arms behind her head. “Fine, then I’ll stay awake, too.”
“What do you suggest?”
“Well, I’m fully dressed. You’re fully dressed. We’re both adults. I’m really tired. I think we could safely share this bed for a few hours without anything untoward happening.”
“Untoward?” His brows arched really high. His chin went down, making his dreads fall forward, partly hiding his mouth.
“Premature?”
He looked at her for a long moment. For the first time, she wasn’t sure what he was thinking. She shifted uneasily.
“What?” She looked around. “I know it’s not a lot of space, but I promise to stay on my half.”
He got up and slid in beside her. It required some adjustments before they could both get their long legs comfortable. Sara wasn’t sorry it meant she had to be in his arms, with his heart beating steadily against her cheek.
“My quarters have a bigger bed.”
Sara murmured something semi-coherent. Or not.
“You’re going to have to tell me sometime.”
“Tell you what?” There were no light leaks in her lids, just blessed darkness.
“About Adin Xever. About why you still have nightmares about him.”
Maybe tonight she wouldn’t dream about Adin…
Fyn didn’t mean to fall asleep. Now he was wide-awake and wondering why. Against his side, Sara muttered, her body twitching. No words, but the sounds she made sounded distressed.
“Sara?”
For just a moment she strained against him, against sleep, and then her hand touched his face. She stopped moving.
“Fyn?”
“Yeah.”
“Fyn.”
This time his name was a sigh of relief. Her body relaxed, too.
He looked at the clock. It was almost time to get up. He could tell by her breathing she was awake, but her eyes were closed. He shifted so he could see her. Her hair was tumbled and her mouth curved slightly, the full lower lip a temptation he couldn’t resist. He rubbed it gently with his thumb and felt the curve get wider. Would they still be able to get married today? Halliwell hadn’t said what time, just that he wanted her off the market. But all that was before the Gadi showed up.
“How long does a wedding take?” he asked.
A slight frown formed between her brows. She didn’t speak for so long, he wondered if she would. Finally she stirred a bit.
“Not…long.”
She didn’t ask why or seem at all interested. Maybe she didn’t remember today was supposed to be the day. He felt—the hot breath of the Ojemba on his neck. He should leave, leave this ship, leave her, but he couldn’t do it. He’d served so long alone. Was it wrong to grab happiness and hang on while they faced an uncertain future together? They’d be in battle soon. Odds were against their surviving.
“It’s morning,” he murmured, his arms tightening, as if she were already leaving him.
Another round of stirring and frowning. This time all he got was a soft mutter.
“Are you all right?”
The hand across his middle sort of formed into a thumbs up.
“You don’t seem to be.”
Her hand crept up his chest until she could rub her face, though it was a half-hearted rub.
“Not…morning…person…”
He thought about this for a bit, trying not to think about the feel of her body along the length of his. One of her legs was hooked over his. The fact that they were both fully dressed wasn’t helping him a whole lot.
“I need to get up.”
More stirring and shifting. Also didn’t help.
“Okay…” she finally muttered.
But she didn’t move. In fact, she snuggled closer. She sighed. It was a big sigh. Seemed to affect her whole body. He looked at the ceiling and tried counting. It didn’t help either.
“Thanks…” Her voice was a soft murmur.
“For what?”
“Slept…good.”
“Glad I could help.” He let himself touch her hair, running his fingers through the tangled strands. “Are you awake?”
Her head moved in a nod.
“You don’t seem awake.”
Her lips curved in a smile. “Getting…there…wake up slow.” One eyelid opened part way. “Are you a morning person?”
“Maybe.” Was that a bad thing?
“Are you cheerful?” Now the other lid opened partway.
“How could I not be, waking up like this?” He hugged her.
Both eyes opened all the way, then they narrowed.
“That was…clever.” She sounded suspicious.
He grinned. He thought so, too.
“Do you suppose we’re still getting married today?” Changing the subject seemed wise.
“I wonder why he wants it today.”
“He said it would be good to get you off the market.”
She stiffened—then sighed. “I guess I can’t blame him.”
She was quiet a moment.
“I’m afraid I need to get up.” She blinked up at him with sleepy innocence. “I need to visit the head. But you stay put. I’ll just climb over—”
“No.” The word came out more forcefully than he’d intended. She clearly had no clue what she was doing to him. “I’ll just get up.”
Her face flooded with color as she pulled away from him so he could get out of the bed.
“Sorry.”
He gave her a rueful grin. “I can live until tonight.”
Her eyes widened.
“Right.” She licked her lips. “Me, too.”
Actually, she looked like she could wait longer than that.
She pointed at the door. “Excuse me.”
She slid past him, taking extra care not to brush against him on her way out. The door closed behind her.
He hoped she came back.
Sara had to go back in there. He was in her quarters. Where her clothes were. Okay, going in, because it was Fyn in there. She loved him. He looked up when the door slid open. He might have looked a bit relieved, as he watched her through the dreads w
ith one brow lifted in an unspoken question. Her insides melted. Suddenly tonight seemed an eternity away. She wanted to melt into his arms and never leave them again. As if he sensed the change in her he got up and pulled her close.
“Will we be able to mate if we can’t get to the planet?”
Her face flooded with color and she wanted to run again. She rubbed her face, but it didn’t help. She could feel the heat of the blush against her palms.
“Could you not say that?”
“Say what?”
“Mate. It just sounds…I don’t know…” Terrifying? Clinical? Icky?
“What do you want me to call it?”
“Having sex. Making love, there are other names, but making love doesn’t scare me.” As much.
He eased her hands down and started kissing her face, just feather light kisses on her forehead, her cheeks, her eyes and finally her mouth.
“Am I scary?”
She smiled now. “You’re terrifying, cave man.”
He cupped her cheeks, studying her face for a moment before sliding his hands down her neck—
Sara flinched and jerked away from him, her heart pounding.
Fyn grabbed her hand. “What just happened?”
“I’m sorry.” Her lips trembled. “Just give me a minute and I’ll be fine.”
“Tell me.”
Sara’s eyes widened. “That sounded like an order.” She was stalling and she knew it. Possibly attempting a diversion.
Fyn just looked at her, but there was something in his eyes and the set of his mouth that sent a shiver down her spine. She felt her jaw drop. Apparently he wasn’t buying the stall or the diversion. Seems she’d discovered his cut-the-crap zone.
She still didn’t want to talk about it, but she heard herself say, “Adin did that. He touched my neck. No big deal. Just for a minute it freaked me out, but…”
She stopped, her chin lifted. “I’m fine.”
“Are you?” He slid his hands around her neck again.
She flinched, but this time she didn’t pull away. He waited a moment, and then gently stroked her skin. It erased Adin’s touch, replacing it with his. She could feel herself relax.
“Tell me what else he did.” Fyn’s touch was gentle, but his eyes were grim.
