Blazing Serious

by Viola Grace

  “I thought so, too, and here we are. This is where I fit. These people accept me for whom I am. The rest of the world will be fine. If I can save one more family where I am going, I will consider that I am taking all of you with me on every event.” She grinned, “Well, once I finish my training.”

  “You don’t need training. You have already mastered your talents.” Her mother frowned.

  “I think I have more to find, and he might be able to help me find it.”

  “I don’t like you going to Ypra. You can get lost or you might like it and not come home.”

  “This is my home, and I promise to write or make calls as often as I can. I am just moving on to a new career. Consider me going away to college...again.” She grinned.

  “I didn’t like it the first time, but this time, you won’t be able to come home on the weekends and work with the fire officers.”

  “I am sure that there will be plenty of time for me to work on my fire capability.”

  Her mother finally sighed. “Then, I am going to wish you the best of luck and beg you to stay in touch.”

  “With that out of the way, we should join the party. Since this is my going-away party, I want to have fun and remember my friends filled with joy for me, even if they don’t want to see me leave.”

  The party kicked up into high gear, and it was a hung-over Jimra who arrived at the spaceport the next day.

  The emigration officials went through her bags with detailed attention. She had done her research, and there was nothing that they could find to fine her before her departure.

  The medical exam was on the order of the Ypra government, administered by an Ypra medic.

  Jimra stood in the scanner, and the machine covered her in light before concentrating on her head.

  When the medic finished with her scans, blood and tissue scrapings were taken. The surprise on the face of the woman was slightly amusing.

  “Pardon me, medic, but why are you so surprised?”

  “I did not think...I mean, our people should not be able to breed, and yet, you are definitely half Ypran.”

  “Oh. You thought this was a fake.” Jimra finally understood.

  Ypra was known for its knowledge, its research and devotion to educating members of other races. Orden Artu had gone there to learn the latest in surgical techniques and had met her Guardian after an earthquake. Their interaction had been short but long enough to produce Jimra.

  “I was unsure of how it was possible, but you are living proof. May I be the first to welcome you to Ypra?” The medic smiled.

  “Um, thank you, but we aren’t there yet.”

  “Just go through those doors and onto the shuttle and you will be in Ypra territory.”

  Jimra smiled. “Thanks again. May I ask, why the blood test if I am going to study?”

  “As a blooded Ypran, you are entitled to free education, health care and lodgings. We take care of our own.”

  “I am only half.”

  “Close enough. We take care of our own, and apparently, you are one of ours. Congratulations, a whole world is about to open to you.”

  Jimra looked at the interior of the spaceport as she left the medical exam area. She could see the gathering of friends and her family waving her off. She raised her hand and waved at them before heading to the berth where the shuttle waited.

  She dashed away her tears before checking herself through the final round of security.

  Her bags on her shoulders and her head high, she stepped up the walkway and into the metal vessel.

  A smiling face that was vaguely familiar topped the head of a tall man with a lean build, dark hair and pale lavender eyes.

  “Welcome to Ypra, Jimra Artu. I believe you know who I am.”

  “Guardian Yoris.”

  “Correct. Come this way, and I will show you where to stow your bags.”

  She swallowed at the first meeting with the owner of half her genetics. It was just as awkward as she had imagined.

  It was only a nine-hour flight to Ypra with one jump in the centre of it. The passenger compartment was quiet, and it was only the medic to keep Jimra company. The data pad with information about the benefits of being an Ypra citizen kept Jimra occupied.

  “Did you enjoy meeting him?” Medic Tremma asked the question out of the blue.

  “What?” Jimra looked up from the list of course outlines for classes starting a week from her arrival at Citadel Ypra.

  “Did you enjoy meeting the Guardian? I have friends who would kill to be on this mission, but he only said hello to me and sent me to sit in the back on the way out. The same now.”

  “I enjoyed it as much as I expected to. I was surprised to see him here though. He doesn’t look nearly as old as I imagined.” She sighed and tried to get back to planning her studies.

  “You imagined him? You know about Guardian Yoris way out here?” Medic Tremma blinked in amazement.

  “Yes and no. He is the contributor of that Ypran DNA that you found in my blood sample.”

  The medic’s shock was not faked. “Guardian Yoris is your father?”

  “Graftic is the closest thing to a father that I have had. Yoris is my genetic contributor.”

  The medic stared at her. “He has a daughter?”

  “Apparently. My mother was on a medical course during the Mekwil earthquake. She and her class were helping out with the injured and that is where she met Yoris.”

  “That isn’t possible. You can’t be twenty-three. I am forty-five and I just reached my maturity.”

  “We mature faster than you do. My mother was my age when she went to Ypra. She was a new citizen and ready to learn what she could from your people. She came back with an education and a daughter.” Jimra smiled.

  “If you were pure blooded, you would only just be entering puberty.”

  “I know. I just read that in the files you gave me.”

  “You read that far all ready?”

  “Of course. I have already completed three medical courses as well as several on structural engineering. My mother encouraged my love of improving my mind. If I had stayed home, I would have continued my studies in whatever field took my attention.”

  “Oh. Why have you decided to go to Ypra then?”

  “Well, you have a Citadel and I am interested in increasing my knowledge base as well as control over my talent. I have always had, and probably always will have, a love of learning.”

  The medic nodded and then yelped happily. “We are on final descent. Can you feel it? We are nearly home.”

  Jimra brought up the view screen and watched the approaching world with its golden and lavender tints. Ypra was her new home, and she was going to have to get used to thinking of it as such. Her past was the past, and she needed to make her own future.

  Chapter Three

  Guardian Yoris was at her side when they went through decontamination protocol, and she had to hand her bags over for the same.

  “They will deliver them to the Citadel. I promise that.” His voice was calm, but she could sense a hesitation in his tone.

  “You had no idea until she contacted you two weeks ago. Did you?”

  He sighed. “I did not even think it was possible. Why didn’t she tell me?”

  “There is no stigma on Lekreaht to have a child with only one parent. My mother was a doctor with a good job and a willingness to raise me on her own. She did a good job, I think.”

  He smiled. “Did she eventually marry?”

  “Yes. I introduced her to her husband when I was thirteen. He was a fire officer and she was working in the hospital when I had to be brought in after an incident.”

  His dark brows snapped together. “Did you cause the blaze?”

  She laughed. “No. I ate it.”

  They were walking past security without bothering to stop. None of them seemed inclined to stop their Guardian.

  “You ate it?”

&nb
sp; “Thermal control is my speciality, though I have a problem controlling the exact amount that I draw.”

  She glanced up at him, and his expression was one of slow delight. “You don’t have to look so pleased with yourself.”

  “You are my only child. Your triumphs are my triumphs.”

  Jimra laughed and bumped him with her arm. “I fought long and hard for mine. Get your own.”

  He paused and looked at her for a moment before he grinned. “A sense of humour.”

  “My mother passed it along. She always said that if she hadn’t had a sense of humour, having me would have driven her insane.”

  “Were there a lot of incidents when you were young?”

  “Enough to make her glad her hair was already pale so that it didn’t turn white.”

  He touched her arm as they left the spaceport, which was under extremely heavy guard. “If you look to the left, you can see the Citadel. Would you like to take a skimmer, or I can carry you?”

  She smiled. “Can I fly myself?”

  He scowled. “You mean the skimmer?”

  She reached her hand to the sky and absorbed heat from the sun. It was a trick she rarely used, but she felt like showing off. “No, I can fly.”

  “What do you use as propulsion?” He smiled.

  “Heat.”

  “In that case...” He reached out and took her hand, pouring fire into her.

  Jimra’s eyes went wild, but she processed the heat, storing it and using it to lift her off the ground. Yoris burst into a coursing flame, and he lifted off next to her. Together, they flew over the elaborately designed city, across the shimmering amethyst expanse of a lake and to the Citadel of Ypra.

  After they landed in the courtyard, she reached up and discharged the unused fire.

  “What was that?”

  She wrinkled her nose. “I don’t hold power for long. I absorb it and then discharge what I don’t use. If I keep it in, my clothing burns off.”

  His eyes went wide. “Well, in that case, your first stop is going to be Outfitting. You will get clothing you can’t burn, and from there, we will begin the rest of your orientation.”

  “Shouldn’t I meet with a recruiter or a registrar or something?”

  “You are already registered. You have been since two days after I learned about you. The administration knows you are here because I am the administration. I took over command of this Citadel when it was created.”

  “Oh. Well, pleased to meet you on that front. Outfitting, you said?”

  He grinned. “Welcome officially to Citadel Ypra.”

  “It is a pleasure to be here.” To her surprise, she meant it. Together, they went in to get her dressed to wear fire.

  Two months passed with her spending every day working out, studying and working on her control of fire, with occasional forays to the local worlds to watch other specialists in action. Without fear of burning her suits, she could generate a bit of heat on her own and pull heat from a multitude of sources.

  Today, she was working on shattering rock by heating and cooling it rapidly. When the rock burst, she jerked back and ducked. The shattering stone cut through the skin on her cheek, which was the only part of her body exposed. Her armoured suit took care of the rest.

  She pressed her fingers to her cheek and came away with blood. “Damn it.”

  “You had better get that seen to.” Viika, her trainer, looked at the wound.

  “I am going. Save my spot.”

  Viika snorted and started brushing together the shattered chunks of onyx.

  With her hand clamped to her face, she headed to the healers’ offices, and she collided with a man entering the offices at the same time. She kept her hand on her face and scowled. “Excuse me.”

  He looked at her and shook his head as he brushed past her to the check-in desk. He spoke to the receptionist in low tones, and she nodded.

  She came up behind him and waited her turn with blood running down her glove. The receptionist glanced at her and dismissed her for a moment before she took a second look.

  “Oh, Specialist Artu. I did not see you there. What can I do for you?”

  “I have had a training accident and need to have my face fixed.” She pulled her hand away from her cheek and turned her head.

  The woman flinched and quickly called a healer.

  The man turned, and when he saw the wound, he stepped back. “Apologies, I did not realise you were injured.”

  “Why else would I have been heading into the healers’ offices?” She sighed.

  He frowned. “I don’t know.”

  A healer came out and saw the wound, taking her by her free hand to one of the cubicles.

  As the curtain was drawn, Jimra saw the man head into one of the rear offices with a Minder. He really might not know which way was up if he was in need of a Minder.

  She sat still while the healer trailed fire along her face, and she took what was left to store for later.

  “You are doing very well here, Specialist. I have admired your ability to adapt to our customs.”

  “Thank you. I do try.” She took the slight prickle of pain and stowed it away with the fire.

  Her cellular ability to store heat and use it for her own purposes had finally been determined by intense investigation. Yoris had a similar setup, but his body generated the power by hormonal exchange.

  Her relationship with her DNA donor had gotten to a friendship that she still found surprising. Orden wasn’t surprised; she knew exactly how charming Yoris could be.

  The healer finished and wiped his hands. “Done. You heal remarkably well.”

  “I could have cauterized it, but then, it would scar.”

  He smiled and nodded. “That probably would. I am shocked that you didn’t scream.”

  “Fire and I are old friends. I can tolerate a lot of burn before I scream.”

  The shout from the back of the offices indicated that not everyone had a high tolerance for pain.

  Her healer looked nervous. “Do you mind if I check that out?” he headed out of the room.

  She went to the sink and washed the blood out of the uniform as best she could. “Please. Go ahead. Let me know if I can do anything.”

  The sounds of pain turned into a fight.

  “Specialist Artu, help!”

  She ran to the back, following the noise and found the Ypra man holding the Minder up by the neck while her healer tried to pull him away.

  She reached out, touched his neck and pulled his body heat. She took just enough to knock him out and guided his falling body toward a couch.

  “Thank you. He is a recently released Negotiator who still has an issue with agoraphobia, but when I touched his mind, his frustration overwhelmed him and he exploded into panic.”

  She looked at the man who didn’t look like he could be afraid of anything. He was tall, wide at the shoulder with a sharp jawline. His midnight blue hair was waving back from his forehead, but she couldn’t see his eyes.

  “I have him under control. Can you help wake him up?”

  She wrinkled her nose. “I can, but it isn’t my favourite thing to do.”

  “Please.”

  Jimra walked around the couch to the man’s head, and she pressed her fingers to his temples. With focus and concentration, she warmed his blood up in small increments until his body took over.

  She pulled her hands back and stepped aside as the medic and the Minder moved around him, addressing him as Huros and helping him sit up.

  She had no reason to stay, so she slipped out the door and headed for the practice grounds. The moment she was outside and clear of any interaction with another living being, she burst into flame to burn off her blood.

  “Viika, your day isn’t over yet. I am up for a second round.”

  Her trainer looked up from her book and rose from the bench she had been reading on. “Better?”

  “Better and i
n a fighting mood. Let’s turn this up.” She grinned and started to set up the stones in a circle.

  Viika grinned and waved the rest of the blocks into position. “What do you have in mind?”

  “I am going to break each and every one of those, and I am going to do it in a matter of seconds.”

  “Really?”

  “Stand back. This is going to get a little dangerous.” She didn’t know where this energy was coming from, but she used it.

  She stood in the centre of the ring, and she began to raise the temperature of the rocks, using sunlight and vibrating it until it was enough to make the stone glow. Just as they glowed white hot, she pulled all the heat out of them and dropped to the ground.

  The explosions were tremendous. Her suit caught the chunks of stone, and the arms she had wrapped over her head kept her from any damage. When the last fleck of broken stone stopped tumbling, she lifted her head and grinned. “Well, I think that worked.”

  She stood and shook herself until all the stone was off her suit.

  Viika was behind her telekinetic screens with wide eyes. “How did you...that was...You carved up the wall.”

  Jimra turned and looked at the wall where chunks had come away and pitting was extreme. It was a blast wall and had taken quite the beating.

  “Wow. That was interesting.”

  “What got into you?”

  Jimra shrugged. “I have no idea.”

  * * * *

  “Specialist Huros, how are you feeling?” the Minder was checking his mental stability; he could feel the touch on his mind.

  “Better. Calmer. It is strange. I haven’t felt this relaxed since I first went into the armour.” Huros felt something on his temple, and he touched it. Blood coated his fingers. “Did I hit my head?”

  The Minder looked at the healer, and they shook their heads.

  “No, you were a little enraged, so we called for help. A specialist was nearby, and she helped sedate you.”

  “She? Are you sure it was a she?”

  The Minder scowled. “Of course. Why?”

  He showed them the blood. “It is an old tradition, and the odds are against us finding each other, but the woman who touched me is sympathetic. I can feel her mind against mine, bleeding off my frustration.”