Across Our Stars: Victor

by A. Payne

  The combat squad discovered three dozen victims in a prison block beneath the clinic and with a little unnecessary investigation, they surmised that those dirty and malnourished survivors were next in line to visit the table. Half of them originated from Athena. Five survivors turned out to be the only remaining colonists from the lunar colony of Loki 4.

  Victor’s investigations made him heartsick. The total number of experiments in the system painted a gruesome portrait spanning back well over a year. Campbell kept meticulous notes but he failed to include his employer’s identity.

  They were still out there, and he intended to find them no matter what.

  Chapter 20

  Almost three weeks overdue, the Jemison arrived at her next port on fumes. Engineering didn’t discover an insidious fuel leak until it was almost too late. The department looked forward to receiving help from the technical experts on Elora’s local military space station. Doodson Tide’s synchronized orbit around the planet Elora allowed easy access by shuttlecraft between ships and the surface.

  The Jemison limped into her dock, where she would remain until the necessary repairs were made. Everyone on board eagerly awaited a lengthy stay, desperate to wash away the horrors of Kantarn.

  Elora’s tiny shuttleport occupied a carved mountainside cliff. Since water covered 93% of the planet’s surface, creative engineering utilized land space to the maximum potential without disrupting the natural flora.

  Initially, Victor had intended to call off his visit to the planet, but Ethan strictly forbade it. “Take a break from this ship and refresh your brain. You won’t crack this if you’re dead on your feet, mate. You’re not a machine.”

  So he took the break.

  Victor arrived on the planet first and stepped outside into the balmy air. Pink sand beaches spanned as far as the eye could see, contrasting against the turquoise waters. Jutting spires of rock speared up from the ocean, as familiar to him as his own hand.

  A strange sense of melancholy struck him. It was expected, which was the precise reason he’d wanted to arrive alone without Zoe alongside him. He needed a moment to soak it all in.

  He hadn’t visited Elora in nearly three years, not since Ylona left her birth planet in favor of dwelling in a human settlement on Albion. With him. She’d moved with him into a home in Gloucester, lavishly tailored to her unique aquatic needs. During the funeral, he couldn’t bear to face her parents, too consumed with his own guilt. Deep down, a small part of him still expected to see them waiting to greet him on the beach.

  Time dwindled and people passed him as they headed on their way, but Victor remained where he was, his gaze held to the horizon.

  “Ready for sunshine, frozen drinks, and snorkeling?”

  Victor nearly startled out of his boots. He jumped and swung his gaze around to focus on Zoe. “Huh? Yeah. Yeah, I’m ready.”

  Her dress became the distraction he needed. The rich teal color stood out brightly and suited their paradise setting. The vibrant hue complemented her dark hair and caramel skin.

  They took a romantic beachside stroll and enjoyed the peaceful atmosphere. According to their pre-booked travel arrangements, the hotel didn’t allow check-in until nearly mid-afternoon. Without a rush to reach their lodgings, the couple chose to travel a rambling path through the tropical coastline.

  Zoe tilted her face upward, her delighted expression bathed in sunlight. “I know the lamps in the bio-farm and medical are supposed to mimic this, but nothing beats the real thing. I could sit out here for hours just soaking it up.”

  “It was like this at home in Paradiso. I remember the sun always seemed to be shining, and the summer rain made for the best time of the year. As a child, I’d just stand in it.”

  “That sounds nice, actually. I used to run out and play in the puddles during a rainstorm, but that usually ended with a day or three in bed afterward. Of course, I was six at the time so rain dancing was perfectly acceptable.”

  “You’re more than welcome to dance in the rain now,” he quipped cheerfully. He paused to kiss her beneath a flowering tree. Purple and golden leaves as long as Victor’s arms shaded them briefly from the sun, while heavier ground flora provided concealment from the other tourists. “Are we going to come back to swim after check-in?”

  “Not right away if I can help it. I don’t really want to share you.” She often teased by tossing his words back in his face, which had the desired effect of making him laugh. “The sunbathers are already out in force,” Zoe explained, her eyes twinkling with amusement.

  Their walk cleared his head and allowed him the chance to relax. Ethan had been right to insist. Not only for himself, but for Zoe’s sake as well. She deserved the R&R just as much.

  “C’mon, our room should be ready by now.”

  Pacifica Cove maintained only two surface structures. The remainder of the sprawling city spanned underwater.

  The first settlers had come to the world as a scientific expedition full of oceanographers and their families. The native Elorans, curious and unafraid, had come out to greet them. It marked the very first interspecies friendship in human history, and Pacifica Cove was born. The Elorans helped them build a suitable habitat beneath the waters and since that day the city had grown to support more than the initial research team.

  After checking in on the upper level and leaving their luggage for a human bellboy to deliver, the couple took the scenic stairwell to the ocean floor. Zoe flit from one window to the next along the way, bright-eyed wonder on her face as she pointed out one ocean creature after another. An enormous jellyfish skated by, gelatinous tendrils gliding behind it with luminous bulbs at each tip. It glittered in shades of vermillion and teal, contrasting colors that made Zoe’s mouth fall open.

  “I take it you’ve never visited the Cove before?”

  “No, my friends always wanted to stay in Atlantica, so I never came down this way.” The northern hemisphere settlement provided an abundance of eye-catching activities for visitors who preferred parties over relaxation, a literal den of sin tucked away in the chilly waters.

  “There’s a marauder crab.” A dog-sized, soft-shelled crab worked diligently at hollowing a colorful, rainbow lump of coral. “They wear pieces of coral for shells, but they’re known for evicting other creatures from inhabited structures and prefer that over an empty dwelling.”

  “Seems like more work. Why would they rather fight for one?” Zoe crouched beside the glass for a closer look at the muddy brown crustacean. It froze, completely aware of her attention.

  “No clue,” Victor admitted. “Maybe the theft makes the house more appealing.”

  Without further warning, the crab struck the glass with one claw.

  “Holy crap!” Zoe startled and fell on her rump in the middle of the hallway. Her fingers instinctively went for the non-existent holster at her thigh. Weapons were highly restricted on the planetary surface. The peaceful Elorans disdained them, so only a small number of human security personnel kept arms locked in strategic points for emergency purposes.

  Chuckling, Victor offered both hands to Zoe and pulled her back to her feet and into his arms. “I considered warning you, but that’s the best part.”

  “I was right about you at our very first meeting,” she grumbled as she soothed her dress back into place. “Sadist.”

  “Heh heh heh. They’re one of Elora’s intelligent forms of life and loathe to be seen naked. Come on. Our room is this way.”

  “I will get you back for this,” she promised without any heat. Fingers entwined, Zoe cast a last glance back at the crab then nudged Victor to continue down the hall.

  “I think he liked your dress,” he teased.

  “Ha! Well, if he wants it he’ll have to fight you for the honors.”

  Their playful banter helped Victor to brace himself for the next wave of nostalgia. It struck as he led Zoe down the familiar corridors. He’d met Ylona at Neptune’s Garden, the only high-class restaurant in the city, wher
e she served meals to lonely diners who declined a table to sit at the bar. At the time, Victor was one of those lonely men, too embarrassed to take a table for one, and absolutely bewildered that the lovely Eloran had seen his heartache and wanted to comfort him.

  Ylona had touched him ever so gently, and conveyed all of her concern in a single mental caress of her mind against his thoughts. They chatted for hours after the end of her shift.

  “We’re this way,” he told her. The transparent walls of the public areas darkened to opaque shades in the hotel’s residential area. Guests were assured privacy.

  He let them into a room at the end of the hall. Zoe gasped in surprise at the sight awaiting them.

  Light from above the ocean surface shimmered in fantastical patterns over the exquisite king-sized bed. Multi-colored fish swam in school formation, undulating their slender bodies in the underwater paradise.

  “It’s lovely, isn’t it?” he asked softly. With longing, he gazed at the graceful creatures opposite the glass. Coral formations served as privacy screens for the room’s occupants and homes to bottom-feeding creatures. He dropped his overnight bag and crouched near the glass to watch a scuttling sea-spider pursuing an emerald feather worm. A larger shrimp-like crustacean struck from within the hollow coral and caught the spider with its many segmented pincers. Its double pairs of eyestalks watched them through the glass.

  “The fish, yes. That thing… not so much.” Zoe knelt down beside him to watch. “Is it going to attack the glass, too?”

  “I love nature, but no, he won’t do anything to threaten you. Come on. You have to admit it’s sort of beautiful, even if it is nightmare fuel. They’ll let you hand feed them.”

  “As much as I enjoy our lab sessions, I’d really rather not lose another limb.”

  “You’re not a particularly brave Royal Marine,” Victor teased.

  Zoe shot him a dirty look.

  “I’m only joking! I swear it. We’re much too large to register as prey anyway, so they don’t even try. You’ll see plenty of them once you’re snorkeling off of the coast.” He moved to the in-room bar where a bottle of wine waited in an ice sculpture carved to resemble a crashing wave.

  “I’d really like that. Gosh, this room is gorgeous. You didn’t spend a lot, did you?”

  Victor grinned at her and returned to popping the cork free to pour them each a glass. “Don’t worry about what I spent. It was worth it to have time alone with you.” As he poured, Zoe snuck behind him and wrapped one arm around his waist. Her cheek pressed against his shoulder blade, her breasts a firm presence at his back. Her body heat soaked through his thin t-shirt, a comfort in the cool underwater hotel room. He almost overfilled the first glass.

  Whiffs of honeyed peach and subtle oak enticed him to sneak a sip. Sweet, effervescent bubbles tickled across his taste buds, and then Zoe snuck her other arm around to steal the glass from his hands.

  “Since you’re the guest, our next destination is up to you, my dear. What would you like to do? Dinner? Dancing?” With three nights promised to them, Victor had no desire to waste a moment of their leave from the ship. In his head, he planned dozens of possible activities from water-skiing on the coast to hiking in the verdant jungle terrain.

  “Umm… well.” Their bodies regrettably parted as Zoe eased away and tilted the glass to her lips. She emptied it in a few sips and plucked the bottle from his hands to set both aside. “Do you like to dance, Victor?” Zoe stepped in close. “Or should I be in fear for my toes?”

  “I’ve taken lessons in over a dozen styles of dance dating to the 1800s, hon. I think your feet are safe.” Zoe’s lips parted and her brows raised. “My ex was a bit of a twat when it came to determining the use of our time away from the ship,” Victor explained. Heat surfaced to his cheeks.

  “Maybe we should be worried about your toes then.”

  “Nah, I’m used to it. We stopped taking the lessons when the instructor always pulled me to the front as an example to the rest of the class. Hannah didn’t like that I outperformed her.”

  It was the beginning of the end, and it was the catalyst to Victor realizing no amount of effort brought her happiness. Their split came days later during a two-week leave on Elora, where Hannah insisted he accompany her while she met a famous native instructor for overpriced lessons. They fought and spent the second week in separate hotel rooms. Then he met Ylona.

  “C’mere. Let’s see if you’re completely a lost cause.”

  Apparently, he was as patient a dance instructor as he was a doctor in his office. He led her through the steps and never fussed at her graceless shimmies. But he also never missed an opportunity to gently make fun.

  “You wanna sway your hips smoothly, hon. You’ll hurt someone doing that. It isn’t a fight.”

  “Are you sure? Dancing seems to share some of the kata movements they like to teach us.” Zoe’s impish smile shined up at him.

  “For the love of… I’m not going to body slam you into the carpet. Maybe if I were Daniels…”

  After the first half hour, sweat beaded his brow and dampened her dark bangs. They laughed together when her overstepping footwork landed on his toes, and he fought the urge to kiss her each time their movements brought her in close. He taught her to bend her knees and to flow with the music.

  Zoe had a body made for dancing, with tireless, athletic legs honed by training. He lived for the whisper of her dress against his trouser legs and the way she molded against him just right.

  Thoughts regarding her physique culminated in the expected result, stiffening Victor to a state of unbearable arousal.

  “Victor? Am I tiring you? You have a funny look on your face…” Zoe’s voice trailed off. The firm presence pulling his pants tight told her for him.

  Moments ago, he’d swept her up and down the room, convincing her to relax all the while. It was pure irony that he became a tightly knit ball of nerves in her stead over something so natural as his own masculine reactions. “I’m fine, Zoe. I was thinking.”

  “A quid for your thoughts?” she queried softly. The smooth glide of her fingers ventured up his neck, breaking his skin out in anticipatory goosebumps. Warm color tinged the apples of her cheeks and her eyes gleamed.

  Victor turned his head slightly to avoid meeting her eyes. His tight chest restricted the oxygen in his lungs. “I don’t want to disappoint you. Goddammit, Zoe, I’ve tried. I don’t want to ruin a good night.” But he did want to make her feel like a cherished queen, deserving of every second of lovemaking he could spare. If only his body cooperated with his mind and didn’t shatter their intimacy with a stressful panic attack.

  Her hands framed his face, drawing his anxious gaze back to her face. “Victor, love, breathe,” she soothed. She waited until his attention refocused on her. “You haven’t disappointed me. You’ve never, not once, disappointed me.”

  “You’ve never asked me what happened.”

  Her thumb swept the curve of cheek. “I have some ideas from what you’ve said and from what I’ve seen, but it’s your story to share when you’re ready. I’m not going to force you to tell it. I know what that’s like all too well.”

  “You’re the best thing I could have ever asked for, Zo. The best thing to come into my life. And I want to tell you. But not now. I want to make love to you, and I want to spend the rest of this night with you in this room.”

  Zoe’s breath hitched audibly. “I can’t think of anything I’d rather do than be here with you.”

  He struggled against the desire to have her right then, right there, to unfasten his pants and discover the heat of her body’s natural embrace. Her sweet kisses provided the reassurance he needed, renewing his damaged confidence. Hints of the succulent fruit shared during their stroll still clung to her tongue, flavoring each second their lips melded.

  “As sexy as this get-up is, you need to get it off, Zoe,” he mumbled against the corner of her mouth.

  “Unlace me?”

  “Wi
th pleasure.”

  Victor tugged at the complex knot securing her tightly laced bodice. “How do you women get into these? Did it take all five of your bunkmates to tie this?” he jested. Harmless jokes helped to cover his own apprehension. After a few gentle plucks of the laces over her back, the snug garment loosened from her midsection.

  “One of our most ancient secrets,” she replied mysteriously. “Womanly magic so you men will go googly-eyed over our prettiness.”

  “You’re amazing no matter what you wear. I actually expected boots and pantaloons,” Victor said.

  “You said you never saw me in a dress and… I wanted you to…” The dress slipped down over her shoulders and fell to the floor around her feet. She twirled for him to showcase the entire package and the peach lace accenting her curves.

  “My beautiful little rebel,” he murmured appreciatively, awestruck by the delicately sexy garment.

  “I’m glad you approve.”

  Equally eager, Zoe traced the hard outline beneath his pants, eliciting an approving moan. The solid length jumped beneath her fingers, but a touch through the layers of his clothing wasn’t enough to satiate the yearning Victor experienced.

  “I can’t wait another moment. I need you to touch me.”

  One after another, buttons flicked open beneath Zoe’s agile fingers. Her hand delved through the opening before his pants had a chance to make it over his lean hips.

  “Like this?” Her left palm molded to his rigid flesh and stroked downward.

  “God, yes.” The drive to learn the intimate embrace of her body won out over Victor’s desire to remain calm and reserved. He pumped within the loose grip of Zoe’s hand and moaned her name on a single breath. His trousers continued their descent to the floor.