by Maia Starr
“Things are still not good between you and Samara?” he asked.
“No, but I take it in stride. Come, let us walk down to the port together. I will wait with you,” I said.
“You are a good friend, Gavonn,” he said with a hard pat on my back.
“Yes, I am. Don't forget it,” I said.
He laughed. I followed him outside where we shifted into dragon form. Then we both took off into the air. We flew fast and reckless to the port. We landed and waited.
“When is the ship from Earth arriving?” he asked the port master.
“It has just radioed in. It is entering the atmosphere within seconds,” he said.
Ritona looked at me. He grew more nervous. I laughed.
“Don't be nervous. Just introduce yourself. That is all you have to do. Then offer to escort her through the process. Remember, she is going to be nervous as well, and she is on an alien planet. All you have to do is be her good friend right now, look after her. She will be appreciative of having your support and walking her through the process.” I said.
“That is a good idea. Thank you,” he said as he stood at attention as though waiting for military orders. I stood at his side. Soon the ship came into view. It was a massive Drackon cargo ship. One for carrying many passengers.
Moments later, it landed. Ritona shifted nervously. The passengers of humans and Drackon begin to walk out down the ramp.
“There she is. That is her,” he said.
He was looking at a human female with black hair. She was very pretty. Seeing his face light up when he saw her only reminded me of Noelle. I envied this moment. I knew what it was like to meet the human female promised to you for the first time. It was exciting and thrilling, almost better than going into battle.
“Betty, I am Ritona,” he said stepping in front of her. She looked at him up and down. She had a big smile on her face.
“It is nice to meet you, Ritona. Thank you for meeting me as soon as I got off the ship. I am very nervous about being on this new planet,” she said.
“No need to worry. I will be with you every step of the way, that is, if you would like me to?” he said.
“Yes, I would like that very much,” she said.
He looked over at me and smiled. The advice was working for him.
“Allow me to introduce you to my friend, Gavonn,” Ritona said.
Her smile left her face. She looked as though she was in shock.
“Gavonn? Commander Gavonn Viox?” she asked.
“Yes, although I am not a commander anymore. I am now a captain,” I said giving her a bow of introduction.
“I can't believe this,” she said. “You are alive,” she said.
I looked at her confused. I looked at Ritona. He was also confused.
“Betty, what do you mean by that?” Ritona asked.
“I have a message for your friend,” she said.
"A message? From who?” Ritona asked.
“It is a message from my friend, Noelle Evergreen,” she said looking at me.
I stood completely still. I was frozen. Her words stunned me. They couldn't possibly be true. I did not know how to react. I did not know what to say. I could only stand there.
“Gavonn? Are you all right?” Ritona asked putting his hand on my shoulder. It snapped me out of my daze.
“Are you sure it is Noelle Evergreen? It can't be,” I said to her.
“It is the same. I would not lie about such a thing,” she said.
“I have a letter from her that she wanted me to give you if I ever came across your path on this planet. I did not think it would happen so soon. I wasn't sure if I would ever meet you, yet here you are,” she said.
“A letter?” Ritona asked.
“Yes, it is in my bag,” she said as she opened the bag that was hanging diagonally across her body. She dug into it. I could not believe this. She had a letter from my beloved Noelle. Noelle was alive. Not only was she alive, but she was a good friend of this human female, Betty. What were the chances? I was filled with joy to know that Noelle was alive. But I also felt the sadness that we had been separated for so long. She was alive, and I was alive: we could have been together this entire time. A quiet rage was brewing inside of me knowing that. I was eager to see this letter. Finally, she pulled it out.
"Here it is. That is her seal. It is not broken. It is between you and her,” she said. She handed it to me. I grabbed it as though it was the most precious thing in the world.
“Thank you for bringing this to me. It means everything,” I said to her. Sensing my eagerness to be alone with the letter, Ritona grabbed her hand.
“We should get you started on the process. You will have to register here on the planet, and there is much to do. We should leave Gavonn and give him some time,” he said.
“Yes, that is a good idea. It was nice to meet you, Gavonn. I have heard so much about you,” she said.
“It was nice to meet you as well. You have brought me hope,” I said holding up the letter.
She nodded, and they walked off together. I held the letter in my hand, never wanting to let it go. I flew into the air and didn't stop until I landed on a mountain ledge. It had an amazing view. It also gave me some time to be alone without interruption.
I opened the letter.
Dear Gavonn, I miss you, and I still love you. Here in New York, it is snowing. Everything is decorated for the Christmas season. I wanted to celebrate Christmas with you. I know you don't know exactly what that is, but we could create our own traditions. I would’ve decorated our home on Mooreah that we shared together. I would have made a Christmas feast for two on Christmas Eve. At midnight, we would give each other one small gift, something from the heart. The next morning, more gifts and playing outside together. It would be a Christmas miracle to be with you again.
I couldn't believe it. She was alive. I was filled with so much happiness. There was so much that I wanted to say to her. I wanted to hold her and touch her again.
I continued reading until the end of the letter. That was where she said something that nearly stopped my heart.
But now, I am coming to Sala. I have been assigned to go on a short trip to gather materials for my job. These are the days that I will be there, and this is where I will be. If you still love me. If you have been trying to find me the way I have been trying to find you, then please come find me on Sala.
I still love you. Noelle.
“What? That is too good to be true,” I said out loud. She was going to be on Sala, the neighboring planet to my own. She would be so close. I looked at the list of days.
“Tomorrow. She arrives tomorrow and will be there for three days. I cannot believe this. I am going to see my love, my true love,” I said.
I stood up and was so excited. I had planning to do. I would have to get myself to Sala, but that wasn't a problem. We went back and forth easily. I had to do everything that I could to see her. She was alive, and she had traveled across the galaxy to see me. She had sent this letter with her friend, hoping that I would find her. Now, I had to do my part.
I pushed the letter into my tool belt and then flew back to the command center.
“Warrior, I need to put a small ship on hold for tomorrow. For a quick trip to Sala,” I said eagerly.
“Let me see what we have available,” he said as he looked through the system.
“We do not have anything for tomorrow, but there will be one available the following morning,” he said.
“Fine. Put me down for that one. But if one should become available for tomorrow, I want you to hold it and notify me immediately,” I said.
“Yes, sir,” he said.
I ran and jumped off the ledge flying into the air. I flew in a celebratory fashion, letting my wings spread out behind me. I was overjoyed. There was nothing that was going to stop me from seeing her.
Suddenly it hit me. I was married. For some reason, I had blocked that out of my mind. Now it was hitting me hard. I co
uld not be with Noelle. Even going to her would be a criminal offense. The Drackon did not take adultery lightly. It was a criminal act, and one punishable by prison or exile. Considering that my wife was of a very high station, and so was her father, I knew that my punishment could be more severe.
Sadness overcame me. I flew home. What could I do? I was stuck.
Chapter 5
Noelle Evergreen
I could not believe it. I was on a transit merchant Drackon ship in space. It had been two years since I had made the same journey. Yet, it felt like it was yesterday. My stomach was a pile of nerves. I was constantly thinking about Gavonn. Would he get my letter? What were the chances that Betty would come across his path? Maybe he was already on Sala doing some work? Maybe he wasn't alive at all. These thoughts went through my mind over and over again, making me extremely anxious.
I pulled out my work: the orders for the materials that we were to get from Sala. I would be in charge of making sure it all went according to plan. I would make sure that we got a good deal and then I would make sure that the shipment was on board with me on my return to Earth, but part of me hoped that I would not be returning to Earth. Was it too much to ask that I have my own Christmas miracle? All I wanted for Christmas was the love of Gavonn.
“Miss Evergreen, we are approaching Sala,” the human attendant said to me.
“Thank you. What is to happen when I arrive?” I asked.
“You will be escorted through the log process and shown to your living quarters. Then you will be shown to your contact,” he said.
“Thank you. I am anxious to get started on the work,” I said. I was lying. I was mostly anxious to see if Gavonn would be waiting for me.
Half an hour later, the ship was landing in the port on Sala. It was a different one than the one that I had gone to years before. That one had been destroyed by the battle, I was sure of it. This one was very new and different.
I went through the process of logging my information and identity in the official records. Everyone that arrived had to do that. It was part of the process. It was strange to be there on Sala for business, instead of a marriage arrangement like my first time.
Then I was shown to a very small living quarters. It was about the size of a modest hotel room on Earth. But it did have a great view of the red desert-like landscape outside. It would do for now. It had everything that I needed.
I waited for thirty minutes and used the time to change and freshen up. I wanted to look my best. It was possible that it any moment I could see Gavonn. I wanted to look my best when I ran into him, if it happened. I hoped that it would.
A buzzing noise went off. I finally figured out that it was the door. I walked to it and opened it. A very tall Drackon weredragon stood in the doorway. He had long blond hair and piercing blue eyes.
“If you will follow me, I will take you to your contact for business,” the weredragon said to me.
“Thank you,” I said as I followed him. Walking behind him, I looked at his tall physique. His broad shoulders and strong arms reminded me of Gavonn. All of the Drackon had this muscular physique that was sculpted and toned; it was beautiful. Even the weredragon that I followed was downright sexy, but not as sexy as my Gavonn.
“Samara, this is the human female sent from the city of New York,” the weredragon said, stepping into a large warehouse.
“Good, it is about time. I have other business to attend to,” the female Drackon said. Shrewd. She was tall and elegant, just like the other Drackon. But she was obviously arrogant.
“Hello, my name is Noelle evergreen. It is nice to meet you. Thank you for taking the time to meet with me. I am excited to do business,” I said with a smile.
The tall Drackon female looked at me up-and-down. She was judging me. She obviously did not like what she saw. I think it was disgust that was registering across her mouth.
“Yes, Miss Evergreen. Delighted,” she said. But her tone did not seem like she was delighted. She was annoyed.
“If you will follow me,” she said turning and walking further into the warehouse.
“Now, your corporation said you were interested in these types of materials. We have this entire wall on the right. Look through them. Touch them, test them out. See which ones are to your liking. There are employees here to help you with samples. Once you have decided which ones you would like to take back to Earth, fill them out in your report. It will be sent to me, and I will come and meet with you again, and we can discuss the matter further,” she said.
“And what of the price? We were quoted these prices before I came. I want to make sure that these are still going to be held to,” I said handing her a piece of paper.
She grabbed it with hostility and rolled her eyes. She looked it over for a couple of minutes. She was making it seem like I was inconveniencing her by making her work. What could she have that was more important than a meeting that was already scheduled between us? It wasn't like I was intruding on her time in surprise. She knew that this meeting was going to happen and that I would have questions.
“Yes, these are all fine. If you find something that is not on here, whatever this employee quotes you, I will stick to that price,” she said pointing to another Drackon female that nodded her head to me.
“Now if you will follow me, I will show you to a room that you can call your own to work in, an office,” she said.
“Thank you, that will be most helpful,” I said.
I followed her out of the warehouse of material and down a long white hallway. It was so white that you could almost see your reflection on the walls and the floor. Her boots clicked on the hall floor loudly.
“This is it,” she said opening a door. I walked in. It was perfect. There was a large table, perfect for laying out material. There was a comfy sofa and coffee table as well as a drink area. A large window gave me a view of the red landscape outside. New pair
“This will do nicely, thank you,” I said.
“Now, is there anything else you might need from me? Do you have any more questions?” she said crossing her arms over her body.
“No, nothing that I can think of at the moment,” I said to her.
“Miss Evergreen, are you sure? I am only here on Sala until this evening. I will be returning to Mooreah; I won't be back for two days. I want to make sure that you are settled. I would not like to be called back during those two days; I have some business to attend to with my husband,” she said.
“No, I cannot think of anything. If I do, I am sure that your employees can help me,” I said putting my hands on my hips and narrowing my eyes at her. I had enough of being treated like a child by her. I was no longer going to play pleasantries. She was obviously a bitch, and I was going to treat her as one in return.
She was quiet as she caught my sassy tone. Then she gave out a little huff and turned toward the door.
“Very well. Carry-on with your work then. I will see you in two days to discuss business further,” she said and then walked out.
I was thoroughly annoyed. So much for a friendly greeting, I thought. I put my work bag on the table and laid out my work orders and reports. I got to work. But as I sat there, I wondered: if Gavonn did show up, how would he find me here?
I walked to the door and opened it. I left it wide open. Everyone that walked by caught my attention. I saw a few Drackon weredragons passing here and there, and with everyone, I thought it was Gavonn, but it never was.
I went into the warehouse and got to work. The employees were helpful, much more helpful than Samara. They were nice and eager to pull bolts of cloth for me. I was becoming distracted by the work; I was engrossed in it. The materials were fantastic. It was going to create an amazing clothing line. The colors were vibrant: colors that we did not have on Earth. There were all kinds of textures to the materials ranging from silky soft to hard and sturdy. It was phenomenal.
The day turned into evening, and before I knew it, I had worked into the night.
“Has anyone come looking for me?” I asked at the log desk where I had registered upon arrival.
“What is your name?” The weredragon asked.
“I am Noelle Evergreen. Have I had any visitors or messages?” I asked.
“No, nothing,” he said.
“I am expecting a visit from a friend, or a message. If anyone should ask for me, you have permission to give my number of my living quarters and the office where I am working during the day,” I said.
“I understand,” he said as he typed in the information into the database.
I took one last look around, especially toward the port. I looked at every single weredragon walking around; none of them were Gavonn. I took a deep breath and then left. I went to the communal kitchen and ate with a few of the human females that were living on Sala. They were very nice, and it was interesting to hear about their lives, even though it made me jealous. All of them were happily married to weredragons.
