Vari's Choices

by Laura Jo Phillips

  “Lak knari, Dr. Jula.”

  “Lak knari,” the doctor replied, returning the farewell with another smile.

  Declan led the way out of the infirmary with Vari at his side, Jay and Kai behind them. He noticed there was about three feet between them so he moved closer. She responded by immediately moving as close to the wall as she could get. He wondered why, but didn’t ask. He just moved back and gave her the space she apparently needed.

  “What was that you said to Dr. Jula?” Kai asked curiously when they stopped in front of the elevators.

  “Which time?” Vari asked, watching him press the call button. She eyed the elevator doors warily, wishing she felt strong enough to suggest using the stairs.

  “All, if you don’t mind.”

  Vari’s expression revealed her surprise though she hid it as quickly as she could. “Kar kmashi, roughly translated, means I see you. It’s used the way we would say greetings or hello or nice to meet you. Hari kna is thank you, and tokna li is your welcome. Lak knari is basically the same as goodbye or farewell.”

  “When you touched your forehead, and she repeated the gesture, what did that mean?”

  “I touched my forehead to apologize for being abrupt with her. She touched hers to accept my apology.” She paused, wondering if she should speak further on the subject. He seemed genuinely interested, and she didn’t want him to unknowingly offend Dr. Jula, so she decided to elaborate and hope he didn’t get offended. “Flaridians use many gestures similar to that, usually to exchange brief, private words such as apologies or sentiments without having to speak them out loud. In their culture it’s polite to look away or pretend not to notice, and it’s the height of bad manners to ask about them.”

  “I’ll remember that, Vari,” Kai said as he filed the terms away in his memory, along with a mental note to research Flaridian customs. Vari’s surprise at his question made him uncomfortable. They really should know more about the woman who’d served as their ship’s physician for nearly five years.

  The elevator doors slid open and the men waited for her to enter. “You’re not going to get on that thing, are you?” Pandora asked silently.

  “I don’t see that I have much choice,” Vari replied, swallowing hard before she stepped inside and went straight to the left back corner. Declan, Jay, and Kai followed, filling the elevator enough that she doubted there’d be room for anyone else.

  “Do you know Flaridian because Dr. Jula’s niece is your friend?” Jay asked.

  “No, I learned Flaridian when I was…nine, I think. Maybe ten. I get mixed up on the order sometimes. I do have a deeper appreciation for many of the gestures and customs now, thanks to Shanti.”

  Declan frowned as he repeated her words in his mind, wondering if she meant what it sounded like. “How many languages do you know?”

  Vari paled as she realized her mistake. The last thing she wanted to do was rouse their curiosity, and the answer to that question would probably do exactly that. But she couldn’t lie.

  Being in the elevator made her too nervous to come up with an innocuous response that was also true, so she settled for a shrug of her shoulders while looking at the floor. She hoped that would be enough to convince Declan to let the subject drop. Luckily the elevator doors opened at that moment, providing a much needed interruption.

  She waited for Declan to leave first since he was closest to the door. Jay and Kai clearly intended her to go next, but there was so little space between them that it made her nervous. She couldn’t stand there all day, so she sucked it up and ventured out of her corner. Her heart sped up at being so close to them for that one, brief moment, though she didn’t know if it was from fear or excitement. Then she was out of the elevator and trying not to show how relieved she was.

  “Commander Declan, will you be contacting my fathers, or shall I?” she asked once they were walking up the corridor.

  “Whichever suits you.”

  “I’d prefer that they don’t see me in my current state. There’s no need to cause further worry.”

  Declan dipped his head. “We’ll let them know you’re safe and sound aboard the Bihotza and resting comfortably. Shall we tell them you’ll contact them tomorrow?”

  “Yes, please, Commander. I’d appreciate that very much.”

  “Of course,” he agreed, stopping before the door to her stateroom which was directly across the corridor from his, and between Jay’s and Kai’s. They’d chosen a room close to theirs because they thought she was a child. He couldn’t quite make up his mind whether he regretted the choice, or was grateful for it. “We have more staterooms if you’d like one of your own, Pandora.”

  Both Vari and Pandora looked surprised. “No, thank you, Commander Declan. Pandora and I prefer to stay together.”

  Declan nodded. He hadn’t thought so, but since he had no idea what manner of being Pandora was, he felt it safest to ask. “Since we are to call you Vari, we ask that you call us by our names as well.”

  Vari looked up at him for a long moment, and he found himself wishing very much that he could ask what she was thinking. “Of course, Declan,” she said finally.

  ***

  Vari waited until the door was closed and locked before releasing a long, slow breath of relief. She had another headache, this one caused by tension rather than telepathy. The brief time she’d spent with the Dracon-Bats had left her feeling emotionally and physically drained.

  “That was surprising,” Pandora said, flying off of Vari’s shoulder to explore the room.

  Vari lifted her duffle and set it on the foot of the bed. “Surprising?”

  “They were nicer than I expected.”

  “I suppose,” Vari said neutrally as she began unpacking. The last thing she wanted to do was discuss the Dracon-Bats with Pandora. “I’m amazed at how strong my shield is now.”

  “Oh yes?” Pandora asked, her voice oddly muffled. Vari turned around, then smiled when she saw dim light spilling out from beneath the closet door. Pandora was extremely inquisitive, but for some reason she got very testy if anyone mentioned it.

  Pandora suddenly appeared outside the closet. “You were saying? About the shield?”

  “Yes, sorry, got side tracked,” Vari said, turning back to her unpacking. “It’s so easy to manipulate, and when it’s all the way up it blocks everything. It works even better than the jammers and I didn’t think that was possible.”

  “I had no idea sharing power was possible,” Pandora said, flying to a corner of the room where a vid terminal sat on a small desk.

  “Neither did I, but I’m grateful to them for the help.”

  “I wonder why no one loaned you power before.”

  Vari thought about that for a few moments as she put her underwear in a drawer. “I don’t know,” she said finally. “Magical strengths and weaknesses vary from male-set to male-set, so that probably has something to do with it. I’m certain that if my fathers, or the Uncles Dracon, or anyone else close to me had been able to loan me power to strengthen my shield, they would have done so.”

  “Yes, I’m sure you’re right,” Pandora said, now hovering in front of the entertainment system. “How’s your headache?”

  “Very slight,” Vari replied. “I’m mostly just tired now.”

  “That bed looks far more comfortable than the one you had on the Leaper.”

  “It certainly does,” Vari agreed. “I’m going to try it out just as soon as I’m done unpacking.”

  “That’s an excellent idea.”

  When Vari was finished putting her things away she set the duffle on the closet shelf, then started to reach for her toiletries case before remembering her promise to Shanti. She removed her hand-terminal from her pocket and made the call, unsurprised when Shanti answered immediately. She set the hand terminal on the table and projected her friend’s image on the wall.

  “Hi Vari,” Shanti said, studying Vari’s image carefully. “You look a bit worse for wear. I wish I could see your aura o
n this blasted vid but since I can’t, please tell me how you really are.”

  “Quite well, actually,” Vari replied. “I’m aboard the Bihotza and the Commanders have helped me to strengthen my shield. I was just telling Pandora that it’s even better than the jammers.”

  “That’s very good news,” Shanti said with a relieved smile. “The Bihotza,” she said thoughtfully. “Why is that familiar?”

  “Probably because your aunt is ship’s physician. I met her a little while ago.”

  “That’s right,” Shanti said, smiling. “Aunt Niri has been on the Bihotza for four or five years now, which is about how long it’s been since I’ve seen her. How is she?”

  “She looks good. Curious to know how you are, of course. We agreed to get together sometime in the next few days so I can spill all your dark and dirty secrets.”

  “I wish I had some dark and dirty secrets for you to spill,” Shanti said longingly, which made Vari laugh.

  “Keep working on Geoff. Maybe your wish will come true.”

  “I certainly hope so,” Shanti said, grinning. Her grin faded a bit. “I would like very much to see Aunt Niri, though. Please tell her I miss her and that I love her. Oh, give her my vid code.”

  “I will, I promise. I’ve no idea how long the Bihotza will remain on Jasan, but if they’re still there when the Leaper arrives, you can see her for yourself.”

  “I’d like that very much,” Shanti said. “By the way, I left a message for Ria to contact me when she wakes up.”

  “I appreciate that, Shanti.”

  “No problem. I’m off to meet Geoff now. Keep in touch, my friend. Akara du ne akara li.”

  “You take care of you for me, too, Shanti.”

  After closing the connection, Vari grabbed her toiletries case and headed into the bathroom. Two steps in she stopped to stare at the big, glass enclosed shower, the long marble countertop and, best of all, the enormous jetted bathtub.

  She’d traveled on the Ugaztun a couple of times, and the Kontuan once, so seeing such an enormous bathroom onboard a ship wasn’t a complete surprise. After two and a half weeks on the Leaper though, the wide expanses of gleaming glass and tile seemed decadent and luxurious.

  “Oh my,” Pandora said, flying past her. “This is somewhat nicer than what you had aboard the Leaper.”

  “Somewhat,” Vari agreed. “The shower alone is bigger than my stateroom’s entire bathroom. And this tub is too much temptation to resist.”

  “I thought you wanted to sleep.”

  “I do, and I will,” Vari said. “Right after I’m done taking a long hot bath.” She set the case down on the countertop, bent to turn the taps on in the tub, then went to get her bathrobe from the foot of the bed where she’d left it.

  “I think I’ll go see if the Bihotza has anything interesting in their vid library,” Pandora said, leaving the bathroom. Vari hid another smile. Thanks to her mother and Aunt Lari, Pandora was a dedicated cinephile who’d never come across a vid system she couldn’t figure out how to operate despite her general aversion to electronics.

  “Have fun,” Vari said before closing the door behind her. She opened her toiletries case and removed her custom scented bath oil, body wash, shampoo and conditioner, lining them up on the edge of the tub. Then she opened the bottle of bubbling bath oil and poured some into the filling tub. She paused to breathe in the lemon geranium scented steam which rose from the water, soothing her nerves almost instantly.

  A few moments later she was lying in the tub surrounded by fluffy white mounds of bubbles. As she felt her muscles begin to relax her mind turned to her first real meeting with the Dracon-Bats in the infirmary.

  Thinking ahead and preparing herself for every possible eventuality imaginable wasn’t something she’d learned. It was a part of her nature. That’s why she’d carried pheromone suppressant spray since the day it’d become available four years earlier, and the pills since they’d become available two years after that.

  Of all the things she’d expected, and even planned for, in the unlikely event that this day ever came, she hadn’t expected her physical reaction to them. She certainly hadn’t been prepared for it.

  An involuntary and unwelcome shiver raced through her just from thinking about them. She distracted herself by thinking of all the mistakes she’d made in the infirmary. Introducing them to Pandora without so much as a glance at their identity beads was the first one. Attempting to lie about her telepathy when she knew full well she was a lousy liar was the second. Her reaction to seeing her classified med file displayed on the vid screen was the third.

  Dr. Jula probably didn’t have a high enough security clearance to view her entire file, but she had no doubt whatsoever that the Dracon-Bats did. They were, after all, the third highest ranked Clan Jasani male-set, with only the Princes and her fathers above them. They were also the second highest ranked Dracons.

  The question was, would they be curious enough about her to bother pulling her file? She ran her hands through the mounds of bubbles floating on the surface of the water as she considered that.

  They were serious, dedicated, two hundred and eighty nine year old Clan Jasani males who probably hadn’t smiled in so long they’d forgotten how. It was no secret that they immersed themselves in their jobs to the exclusion of all else, including their close cousins, the royal Princes and their children who were all that was left of their family line. They hadn’t even stepped foot on Jasan in years, preferring to attend the enclave meetings required by their rank via vid terminal.

  No, she decided. It would take a lot more than a few mistakes on her part to rouse their curiosity. In fact, from what she knew about them, she doubted they’d even noticed. She needed to be a lot more careful, though. The Dracon-Bats were many things but stupid was not among them.

  It would be best to avoid them as much as possible while she was on their ship, which shouldn’t be too difficult. Now that they’d fulfilled her fathers’ request, they’d probably forget all about her anyway. When they reached Jasan she’d thank them politely and leave the Bihotza. Then they’d speed off to the far edges of the galaxy for another decade or two without ever knowing the truth, leaving her to get on with her life alone.

  Vari leaned back in the tub and slid down until the water covered her to her chin. Then she closed her eyes, no longer able to hold back the hot tears that rolled down her cheeks.

  ***

  With a sense of relief that he was careful not to display, Declan led his brothers to the secure conference room as soon as Vari was safely ensconced in her room. He locked the door before turning to face Jay and Kai.

  “That was--unexpected,” Jay said in his typical, understated manner.

  “To say the least,” Kai agreed. He tilted his head. “I wonder if her skin feels as soft as it looks.”

  “Her hair is certainly soft,” Jay said. “Finer than silk.” He blinked several times as though pulling himself from a dream. “What possessed you to share power with her, Declan?”

  “It was an impulse, though I don’t know where it came from, or what form of temporary insanity induced me to follow it. I felt--feel--something. Since the two of you are going on about her skin and hair, I suspect you don’t feel the same which is very disturbing.”

  “I definitely felt something,” Kai said. “I still do. I just don’t know what it is or, more importantly, why I feel it.”

  “Is what you feel physical?” Declan asked.

  “Physical?” Kai asked blankly.

  “Did either of you feel a…stirring?”

  “Stirring?” Jay repeated.

  “A physical reaction.” They continued to stare at him. “Zerua gainetik,” he exclaimed in frustration. “I got hard as a rock. Did either of you?” The surprise on their faces was all the answer he needed. “It occurred the moment we shared power with her, and it vanished the moment her stateroom door closed and I could no longer see her.”

  “No,” Kai said, shaking his head sl
owly. “I definitely did not have that reaction. All I got was a much clearer sense of her emotions. Jay?”

  “I felt her emotions more strongly too, but that’s all. Did your mating fangs descend, Declan?”

  “No, they did not,” Declan replied as he began to pace. “But my dracon wants her. That’s never happened before. Not even when we were young.”

  “Your reaction vanished the moment you could no longer see her?” Jay asked.

  “Yes. All that remains is her scent, which is hauntingly familiar.”

  “Her scent?” Kai asked. “I don’t recall any scent.”

  “Neither do I,” Jay said, frowning. “I don’t understand this.”

  “Nor do I,” Declan said. “This shouldn’t be possible.”

  “No, it shouldn’t,” Jay agreed. “Vari shouldn’t be able to accept power from us, either. Nor should it be possible for you to react sexually without us reacting the same way, and my dracon didn’t even notice her.”

  Declan stopped his pacing. “Until we find answers, I think we should keep our shields up whenever we’re close to her.”

  “Agreed,” Jay said.

  Kai nodded, then frowned. “How did we fail to realize that she’s no longer a child? It’s been more than fifteen years since we’ve seen her. We should have thought of that.”

  “Closer to seventeen or eighteen years, which is barely any time at all to us,” Jay pointed out.

  “That’s true, but it still troubles me.”

  “We have eight days before we reach Jasan,” Declan said. “Perhaps we can find answers to our questions by then. In the meantime, we must inform the Prime Guardians that their daughter has been safely transported to the Bihotza, examined by our ship’s physician, and is currently resting.”

  “I’ll do that,” Kai offered.

  “Don’t mention that we’ve helped her to strengthen her shield,” Declan said. “That would begin a provocative line of questioning that we are not prepared to deal with at the moment.”

  “I’m curious about Pandora,” Jay said. “I can’t quite figure out what she is.”

  Declan shook his head. “Nor can I.”