Asteroid Mate (Cosmic Alien Sci-Fi Romance Series Book 1)

by S. J. Talbot

  Tausson started to speak, but was surprised to hear Tierney's voice instead.

  "That was an accident," she said, stepping forward. "Self-defense."

  Even though Tausson was still bitter about her reaction last night, he couldn't help being struck by how beautiful she was in her shimmering blouse, and a skirt that hugged her curves. Her long hair was up again, as it always was for others, and he remembered how sweet it had smelled in her apartment last night, after her shower.

  "That's no excuse!" shouted Minister Zhou. "He's supposed to be helping us, not killing us!"

  "I agree," said Secretary Quandry. "I'm not comfortable with a murderer for a tour guide."

  "He's not killing us now, is he?" Vice President Grant chimed in, wearing his faint smile, as always. "Look, if he wanted to hurt us, he could have -- many, many times. I'm sure his superiors are looking into the issue, as are the local Chicago authorities. If wrongdoing is found, there will be consequences."

  A blurry spot appeared nearby, and Tausson said, "That should be President Freeland arriving." Addressing the group, and hoping for one final out, he said, "I am willing to step aside and let someone else conduct your tour, if the majority of you wish it. Once President Freeland materializes, you may vote, and let me know the outcome. I will follow your decision."

  He noticed Mr. Spade whispering something to Tierney, and pushed down a spark of jealousy at his nearness to her. Whatever Mr. Spade said, she didn't appreciate it and frowned at him, moving away to stand closer to the President's slowly defining shape. Mr. Spade continued to leer at her, before noticing Tausson watching him. He smiled and went back to the Vice President's side.

  As soon as the President completed her conveyance, Tierney explained the situation, and the group of humans voted privately. President Freeland walked over to him and told him their decision.

  "It was a three-to-five split, but we've voted to allow you to continue in your capacity as guide. However," she continued, preventing his reply, "I also am very disturbed by the tragedy in Chicago. Miss Dawson has made it clear to me that in her judgment you were acting in good faith, but we have enough boiling in our pot here to throw a Relican-caused death in the mix. After this inspection, I am putting in a formal request that you be removed from any direct interaction with humanity."

  Tausson tried to hide his relief, saying simply, "I understand."

  The President appeared relieved also. She stepped back and said, "Shall we begin?"

  He walked them through the dwellings they had customized to meet human requirements. Every four humans would be assigned to one structure measuring exactly 40-square-feet, complete with beds and nutrient storage.

  "The vessel has been calibrated to resemble Earth as much as possible," he explained, motioning to the green grass at their feet, and the blue sky that even had drifting white clouds. "The atmosphere is a precise match to your own, and there will even be minor weather patterns -- though nothing harmful, just rain, wind, clouds, and similar mild fluctuations."

  As they walked around, they discussed the preparations of Lota. Predetermined groups of both humans and Relicans would be selected to convey directly to the replacement planet and construct the infrastructure needed to support the incoming population. Soon, however, conversation inevitably returned to the matter at hand.

  "What do we do for light, once we move away from the sun?" asked Secretary Quandry.

  "There is an artificial light source that will mimic the sun," answered Tausson.

  "How will we know we're safe?" asked the Secretary's companion, Director General Sherwood, who had continued to glower at him throughout the inspection.

  "While the Relican Squad can provide some resources upon request, we prefer to leave matters of security up to you."

  "Not from us," she sneered, "from you. How do we know you won't come for us in our sleep? Or at any moment, for that matter? How do we know the food you give us isn't poisoned?"

  Tausson was glad to see he wasn't the only one who seemed surprised by her hostility. All of the Americans, and even Secretary Quandry appeared taken aback.

  "Director General Sherwood, the Relican Squad is here to assist, not conquest," Tausson replied. "We have no interest in causing your people any harm -- quite the opposite."

  "Tell that to the man you murdered," she snapped.

  "How about we take a few minutes to explore by ourselves," suggested President Freeland. "If we have any questions, we can let the commander know?"

  He nodded, grateful for the reprieve. With a final scowl, the Director General went into one of the buildings, and the rest of the group split apart, leaving him alone in the long grassy row between dwellings.

  Although he tried not to, he found himself watching Tierney. She was speaking with the President, walking around the community and gesturing to the surroundings with an impressed expression, and was pleased by her reaction. From the moment they had detected the asteroid and projected its collision with Earth, his team had begun working with the cart engineers to replicate the planet's environment to the nearest detail. From the artificial soil to the breeze blowing through the counterfeit trees, he and his team had sought to produce the most realistic replica of the human experience that they could. There could be no reason for the humans to balk at living here for the six-month journey to Lota, no reason to stall and put themselves in danger. Tausson was determined to avoid the mistakes of his past, to prove that the mission of the Relican Squad was not an impossible one. Everything had to be perfect if they were going to save humanity.

  Judging from the bright smile that flashed across Tierney's face, he had succeeded.

  "Don't get any ideas."

  Mr. Spade had come up beside him without his noticing, and was now following Tausson's gaze to watch Tierney as well. Tausson quickly turned his back on her.

  "Regarding what, Mr. Spade?" he asked.

  "Call me Jonas," he said, then nodded back in Tierney's direction. Tausson felt a stab of jealousy at the possessiveness in the man's face. "Regarding her."

  "The President?" asked Tausson, hoping he was misunderstanding.

  "No," he said with a short laugh. "Tierney. Miss Dawson. I saw you staring. I get it, though, it's hard not to."

  Jonas was making no attempt to hide his stare, and Tausson's jealousy began to morph into a possessiveness of his own. He was about to walk away, when Jonas continued.

  "It's no use, though," he said. "They're only interested in each other."

  Tausson glanced back at the two women. Tierney had her back to them, gesticulating as if she were speaking, and the President was hidden on the other side of her. President Freeland's hands appeared on Tierney's arms, rubbing up and down.

  "Can't keep their hands off each other," said Jonas. "They'll disappear into one of these houses and have a quickie any time now. Oh -- couldn't have timed it better myself."

  President Freeland and Tierney were indeed going into the nearest dwelling. The President's arm was around Tierney's shoulders, and as Tierney preceded her through the door, the President's hand slid down and rested on the small of her back. As the door closed behind them, Tausson had never felt so deceived.

  "They are both gay?" he asked, looking to Jonas for confirmation.

  Still watching the door, he replied, "Big time. Yeah, Tierney fooled me for a while. We were together for some time before I realized she was just using me as some kind of curiosity while she and Nelle screwed behind my back."

  The image of the two gay women he'd seen on the sightscreen appeared in his mind, but this time it was President Freeland and Tierney, rubbing and fondling each other. Could it be true? Could that be why Tierney had rejected his offer to be his Asteroid Mate?

  Tausson had suspected Jonas of being duplicitous with the Asteroid Mate questionnaire, but perhaps he had been blinded by his desire for Tierney. She had been behaving as if she wanted Tausson as a mate, as if she felt the same pull to him as he did to her, but had it all been an act? Wa
s she just trying to keep him distracted for some reason? If Jonas were to be believed, then she had a history of deception.

  Tausson needed to find out. He needed to know what was happening behind that door. Without a second glance at Jonas, he marched down the lane.

  He was still a few feet from the door when a loud explosion made him spin around. One of the dwellings had burst into flame, and black smoke rose into the sky. Director General Sherwood's flaming body was flung through the door and onto the ground. She screamed as she flailed about, trying to put out the fire.

  "Engineering, transmit!" he shouted into his sleeve, racing over to the burning building.

  "Squad, Commander Corwin," came the reply. "We detected an incendiary event near your location. Can you confirm?"

  "Confirmed. Dwelling number 41. We have a human victim who is suffering burns. Send medics immediately."

  Commander Corwin ran up beside the wailing Director General. Most of the flames had already been snuffed out by her movements, and he aimed his stunner at those few spots still smoldering, planning on freezing them.

  "No!" the woman shrieked, seeing him standing over her. "Get away! You did this!"

  "I? How could I have done this?"

  A buzzing sound told Tausson that a vacuum cone was being established around the dwelling. Soon the flames would be extinguished due to lack of oxygen.

  Minister Zhou moved to stand between him and the woman. "You wanted to silence her!" she cried. "She didn't trust you, and you sought to silence her dissent!"

  "No!" he shouted.

  Tierney and President Freeland came running over at the same time that the medics materialized.

  "What happened?" asked the President.

  Tausson wanted to ask the same question. Tierney's face was flushed, and he doubted it was because of her sprint.

  The Director General was screaming at the Relican medics to stay away, but Secretary Quandry convinced her to let them tend to her injuries. Soon she was completely repaired, although still accusing the Relicans of trying to murder her.

  Another form began to appear in the air, and as the particles began to focus around a red center, Tausson knew who it was.

  "Chief Raleth," Tausson greeted as soon as he had completed conveying.

  The Chief took a quick survey of the situation and said, "Commander, you are relieved of duty."

  Although it wasn't entirely unexpected, the immediacy of the verdict caught Tausson off guard.

  "Sir?" he asked, his spinning mind unable to provide more.

  "You heard me," Chief Raleth snapped. "Return to the Irral and inform First Arrat that she is in command of this mission pending further notice."

  He could do nothing but accept the decision. If he wanted to contest it, now -- in front of the humans -- was not the time to do so.

  "Squad, Chief," he said, giving a slight bow. He entered the coordinates of the Irral into his mechasuit, grateful to escape the angry eyes around him.

  As his body began to break apart, he realized he would probably never see Tierney again. He tried to shift his gaze to look at her, but it was too late.

  17

  "What will happen to Commander Corwin?" asked Tierney, hoping First Arrat -- now Commander -- wouldn't see through her carefully constructed facade of professional curiosity.

  "Tausson is no longer a commander," said Commander Arrat, sitting across from Tierney at her desk. It wasn't a dig at him -- just a statement of fact. "He is currently confined to the Irral, without conveyance or communication privileges. If Control accepts his defense of accidental killing of the human, then he may be reinstated, although that is unlikely."

  "But it was an accident," said Tierney, forgetting to keep her emotions hidden. "I was there. He was devastated when he killed that man. There were three others, and he could have used his weapon on them too, but he didn't. He hardly touched them -- just got their weapons away from them so they'd leave us alone."

  Commander Arrat gave her a sympathetic smile. "I can take your testimony and deliver it to Control, but that incident is not why he will not be commander again."

  "You mean the bomb?" Tierney scoffed. "Come on. There's no way that was him. Even MI5 concluded it was planted by the Director General herself. Her social media posts and personal correspondence were packed with anti-Relican propaganda. She just wanted to frame you guys in hopes of keeping humans from going along with the plan."

  "Correct, and I am pleased that her actions appear to have backfired. We have already conveyed twenty million of your people to their communities on the cart, and the process is going smoothly. Surprisingly, Minister Zhou has become one of our strongest advocates. But still, that is not what I am referring to."

  The Relican's unflappable patience was wearing on Tierney's nerves. It had been a week since the incident on the cart, and Tierney had held her tongue that whole time, hoping that Commander Arrat would volunteer news about the commander's -- Tausson's -- status. Now that she'd finally broken down and asked, she wanted an answer.

  "What then?"

  Commander Arrat pressed her lips together. Having worked with the Relican woman for several days, Tierney had come to see other differences between the males and females of her kind. Not only was Commander Arrat's skin black as charcoal and her voice slightly higher, she was broader. Tausson's chest was wide and muscular, but it tapered as a human man's would, into a thinner, flat stomach. Commander Arrat's middle was the same width as her chest -- which, though as muscular and defined as Tausson's, did have discernible, if small, breasts.

  If Relican women were built so similarly to men, why was Tausson interested in her as a mate? If he could choose his Asteroid Mate, why wouldn't he go with a female body builder, or someone more like the women of his own species? Usually, when work wasn't so crazy, Tierney exercised in the White House gym in the evenings, but she was nowhere near as muscular as the woman sitting before her.

  "Tausson has not mentioned Yarkinda to you?"

  Commander Arrat's question brought Tierney back to their conversation. She searched her memory of her time with Tausson, and couldn't come up with anything.

  "No, never."

  The commander's eyes, though the only patches of white against her black skin, darkened. "Yarkinda was Tausson's most recent first contact. The Yarkin were afraid of the Relicans, as your people are. Tausson tried to give them time, to allow them to ease into the realization that they were endangered, and that we were there to help."

  Commander Arrat's dour expression made it clear that this story didn't have a happy ending. Even though Tierney didn't want to hear any more bad news, she let the commander continue, knowing she was getting a critical glimpse into Tausson's past.

  "By the time the Yarkin confirmed the existence and trajectory of the asteroid, it was too late. Thousands more than could fit flooded the conveyance zones, and the Squad was forced to hold them back so that some might be saved. Many Relicans were attacked, and some even died."

  The commander turned stern eyes on Tierney. "Because of their own doubt and fear, only one-third of the Yarkin people were conveyed. Millions died, needlessly."

  The fact that humanity could meet this same fate made the already burdensome yolk on Tierney's shoulders feel even heavier.

  "So that's why Tausson was so blunt and harsh when he first arrived?" she asked.

  Commander Arrat nodded.

  "How long ago was this?" asked Tierney.

  "Almost one year. Tausson was granted a leave of absence, but when the asteroid heading to Earth was discovered, he requested command, and Control was eager to approve."

  Although Tierney sensed there was more of a story here, she left it alone. As much as she wanted to understand Tausson, she wanted to save her people more. She clicked on the website that the White House IT had created for all of the conveyance zone monitors to track the progress, and saw that everything was on schedule.

  "Well, the evacuation of our country is making solid headway,"
she said. "The Vice President is already on board, as well as local leaders, and the President and I are scheduled to join the final batch the morning before collision. When's the latest you can stay until?"

  "The cart must be approximately half a million miles from Earth when the asteroid enters this sector of your galaxy. Although it's unlikely, there is a small possibility that the cart could attract the asteroid because of its size."

  "Then all of this would have been for nothing." Tierney closed her eyes and rubbed her aching temples.

  "Correct. The cart must be towed at a speed of no more than 100,000 miles per hour, so the latest we can begin the journey to Lota is five hours before collision."

  Tierney clicked on the site to double-check the time of their conveyance. "And we're scheduled to leave eight hours before collision. That doesn't leave much room for error."

  "Indeed."

  Tausson paced the halls of the Irral, feeling like an andat prowling its cage.

  He couldn't stop thinking about Tierney. Had Jonas been telling the truth? Had Tierney been hiding her true self from him the whole time?Because he'd had nothing better to do for the past two weeks since he'd become a prisoner on his own ship, Tausson had done more research into human relationships and found that many didn't end amicably. Perhaps Jonas was simply behaving as -- what had they called it? -- a spurned lover. Yet, he had been frighteningly accurate in his prediction that the two women would seek solitude.

  For the hundredth time, Tausson wished he could have made it to that dwelling, to see for himself if the accusation was correct.

  He passed the free room and paused, placing his hand on the hatch, remembering when Tierney had been there. She'd been so frightened by the weightlessness. He'd wanted to hold her, comfort her. In all the hours he'd spent with her since then, why hadn't he ever asked her why she was so scared? He slammed his fist against the hatch, welcoming the pain it brought -- at least that made sense, at least the pain in his hand could hide the pain in his soul, for a few moments, anyway.