by Petra Landon
His expression lightened a tad before he continued.
“I’ve never known Zoran to moon over any female the way he looks at you. And like I said, I’ve known him a long time.” There was a thread of amusement in his voice that had Saakshi flushing.
“I don’t know what’s going on between the two of you but I know that he respects and admires you for surviving the enormous challenges you’ve faced. Hadari’Kor tend to live tough lives and we admire anyone who triumphs over adversity.”
“All right, I’m done. Let’s walk you to your dorm to get some well-deserved rest” he finished.
Saakshi reflected on Jolar’s words that night and the next morning. It was the first day of her new shift schedule and she had the morning free. She spent it in the dorm, since Saakshi wasn’t ready for another encounter with the Unta-Golar yet. Jolar surprised her by showing up on time to escort her - she had forgotten to inform him last night about the change in her shift schedule.
“How’d you know?” she asked him.
He glanced at her a little oddly before responding easily.
“One of the other girls at Pik’s told me.”
“Oh” it was Saakshi’s turn to look surprised. She hadn’t been aware of Jolar’s acquaintance with any of the other server girls.
Her first slower shift was uneventful. The busy shift was something else altogether – sheer madness. Unlike the slow shifts, it did not follow the rule of dedicated tables for each individual server. Instead, the four server girls rotated in a complicated dance to jot down orders, serve up and clear tables. All the tips went into a common account that was automatically distributed at the end of the shift when the girls clocked out. It was exhausting, but thankfully short. At the end of the evening, Saakshi noted with awe that she had almost four times the tips that she made during the longer shifts. Thus, it was with a lighter heart that Saakshi strode out to meet Jolar after she was done for the day. He took them to a Sustenance Pavilion on the same ring that housed her dorm. Citing her new tips, an adamant Saakshi refused to allow Jolar to pay for her meal. To Saakshi’s surprise, Jolar proved an engaging and entertaining companion, his ready charm and ease belying his previous taciturn and aloof demeanor. Over dinner, he regaled Saakshi with stories of Zoran and him as youngsters in a rustic village on Hadari, where their high-spirited antics would often get them into trouble with tribal elders and other authority figures. He also essayed a few of the pair’s more light-hearted adventures when they’d first started out as mercenaries.
Overall, Saakshi had an entertaining eve. When Jolar offered to be her escort to explore the station for a few hours the next afternoon, she accepted the invitation with alacrity. They toured an artificial garden on the upper ring of the station - planted with a variety of flora from diverse worlds. Jolar had picked the venue after Saakshi had evinced an interest. Budheyasta, a barren and mostly desert world covered by volcanoes, did not have much in the way of flora. Only the hardiest of life survived to thrive on the red volcanic planet where Saakshi had grown up.
Seven
The Ketaari Unta-Golar stayed away from Pik’s for a second consecutive day, and Saakshi’s two shifts flew by quickly. Jolar strode into Pik’s just as she was clocking out for the day, before heading to the back room for her meal.
“Come on, Saakshi. I have a surprise for you. You can eat later” he wore a broad smile.
Her eyes shot to him, a swirl of hope blossoming within her.
“The starship Juntafeyore and her crew, including her Captain, has just docked at this station” he smiled, answering her silent query.
Saakshi, who knew that the Juntafeyore was Zoran’s ship, couldn’t help the joyous smile that lit up her face at the news.
“Umm ... perhaps I should wait till tomorrow. Zoran might be busy. The ship did just dock after five days in space” she remarked a little uncertainly, her happiness dimming.
“Are you kidding, Saakshi? I’ve been given specific instructions to escort you over pronto, and I, for one, wouldn’t dream of disobeying them” Jolar said with a grin.
She allowed herself to be escorted to the starship. Once on the ship, Jolar led her to an unfamiliar section, culminating in an elevator ride. The elevator ended in a vast circular chamber with a big view screen. She could see the intense activity around the space docks on the view screen as ships docked and sailed off from the Trade Sphere. Males attired in black uniform crowded the chamber, grouped around the consoles scattered around the room or focused on their hand-held tablets. A majority were Hadari’Kor, although she did note a few members of other races. Saakshi gazed around her curiously from behind Jolar who hid her from the rest of the room with his sheer bulk. She spied Zoran walking over to them, his face lit up by a smile as he caught sight of her peeping out from behind Jolar. There was a subtle dimming of noise in the chamber as Zoran strode to them. Saakshi caught a few sidelong glances thrown at her, but no open stares.
Zoran herded them back towards the elevator she’d just traveled up in. He ushered her into the elevator and muttered something about repairs and maintenance to Jolar, before shutting the elevator doors to lock the two of them in. His palm smacked at the controls to bring the elevator to a stop before he crowded her against the doors. Bracing his hands against the door on either side of her, he lowered his face to kiss her urgently. Saakshi wound her arms around his neck to return his kiss with fervor. Silence prevailed in the elevator as the urgent kiss flared into passion, before Zoran broke it off to lean his forehead against her, his breathing a little ragged.
“Was gone longer than I anticipated” he said huskily. And then more softly, “Missed you, tseriya.”
“Missed you too” Saakshi’s response was immediate and instinctive, the absolute truth of her statement hitting her in a blinding flash.
He pressed a quick kiss on her head and disengaged himself reluctantly from her, before hitting the controls to set the elevator in motion again.
“I hear that you have new work hours at Pik’s. How do you like them?” he smiled down at her.
“I love it” she exclaimed. “I’m done a little later than before but I have my mornings free to sleep in, and the tips are fantastic.”
“That’s wonderful, tseriya. Perhaps you’ll also have more time to spend with your male, hmm?” he asked softly, his voice scratchy.
Saakshi flushed at the look in his eyes.
“Yes” she acknowledged softly.
He watched her silently, a smile lurking in the depths of his eyes.
“What is it that you call me?” she asked him.
“Tseriya?” he said casually, turning to lead her out of the elevator. “It is a Hakor word for ‘companion’.”
Saakshi followed him thoughtfully down the corridor that led to his chamber, wondering what the term meant to him. Perhaps it was a term of endearment, or maybe it was standard for a lover. Either way, she was pleased that he’d assigned her an endearment in his language, and loved the scratchy quality in his voice when he used it for her.
He ushered her into his chamber, turning to her with a smile that faded abruptly as he caught a glimpse of the ugly bruise on her arm. It had turned more colorful overnight and now clearly revealed the imprint of fingers. Something savage flashed across his face and he turned his back on her to stride further into the chamber, as if he didn’t quite trust himself in his rage. He swore viciously and fluently.
“Ghesh” he stated in a tightly-controlled voice, still facing away from her. “How? Where was Jolar?” he choked out, the words wrung out of him.
“I’m going to kill that Ketaari murtobak” he concluded savagely.
Saakshi walked slowly towards the bed to perch on its edge. Her new position allowed her to face him and discern his expression. His face was clenched and his dark eyes flush with a mixture of rage, anguish and regret.
“He caught me at Pik’s during the confusion of shift change. Jolar was waiting for me outside Pik’s as usual. He didn’t anti
cipate … I didn’t anticipate that the Unta-Golar would try to get physical inside Pik’s. It’s just a bruise … it will heal soon. No harm done” she assured him quietly.
It was the truth. She’d had a little scare. But in the end, Jolar had stepped in to handle the Ketaari, and all she’d suffered was one bruise. Considering the larger worries and the dangerous threat that the Unta-Golar posed to her, one bruise she could easily take in her stride.
His expression seemed to tighten even more at her words and she felt an instinctive desire to soothe.
“You should’ve seen the Unta-Golar’s face when Jolar warned him what you’d do to him” she teased, attempting to lighten the mood.
His face relaxed just a tad but she could still see the shadows on his face.
“You asked me for one thing – to protect you from the Ketaari. So far, I’ve done a piss poor job of it.” This time he let her see the regret and anguish in him as his hands clenched into fists by his side.
Saakshi strode up to him to place her hand gently on one big tightly-clenched fist.
“Zoran, no one has ever taken care of me the way you have. Sure, the rebels looked out for me like they do with all the new recruits but you …” she paused, lost for words.
For a moment, she stared at him. Then, the words trembling in her heart poured out, a balm to his anguish.
“I thank the Pura every day for guiding me to you that day for help. It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, and probably the riskiest, but I’m glad I took a chance on you” she said softly.
Her words seemed to finally banish the shadows from his eyes.
He covered her smaller hand over his fist with his other palm.
“I’m glad you did too” he acknowledged, some of the rage seeping away finally.
They disengaged slowly and reluctantly from each other. Saakshi made her way back to her old perch on the bed before she spoke again, Jolar’s advice from that night still ringing in her head.
“The Unta-Golar only came looking for me because he thought you’d dumped me” she told him.
“What?” he exclaimed in surprise. “Why would he think that?”
“He heard about your ship undocking from the station, and interpreted it to mean that you were through with me. He wasn’t very successful at hiding his shock when Jolar confronted him and he realized you’d be back.”
“I’m going to teach him a lesson that he won’t forget in a hurry” Zoran stated coldly, his voice implacable. “I warned him to stay away from you. He’s going to find out that I’m a male of my word.”
“I don’t believe he’ll try approaching me on the station anymore” she said softly.
Zoran’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully at her words.
“Where else can he get to …? On Budheyasta” he realized abruptly.
“He won’t find me once I’ve been released from prison.” She was confident. “The resistance will hide me well.”
“Pik holds your contract for the rest of the year before they take you back to prison. Right?” he asked her, waiting for her to acknowledge his statement. She nodded mutely.
“I have a plan for when that time comes” he told her. “I was going to talk to you about it tonight.”
Saakshi perked up noticeably at his words. She hadn’t dared think that far ahead. Instead, she had focused on savoring the small slices of joy that came her way. First things first, though. She had to ensure that the Unta-Golar didn’t succeed in getting her off this station and away from Zoran before her contract with Pik was up.
“The Unta-Golar threatened to revoke my prison contract with Pik prematurely” she confessed in a small voice, her eyes on her lap.
Absolute silence permeated the room as her words died away. The soft falls of his footsteps approached Saakshi where she sat on the bed. Zoran knelt before her to raise her chin with one finger to meet his eyes.
“I will never let that happen, tseriya. Will you trust me?” he asked.
Memories assailed her of his thoughtfulness, his regard for her comfort, his gentleness and care of her as a lover, his generosity with the suppressor device, his foresight in designating Jolar as her protector when he couldn’t play the role, and his regret and apology when he’d come just a little late that first night to save her from the Ketaari commander.
“Absolutely” she stated with conviction.
“No matter what happens, you will not end up in a Ketaari prison or in the clutches of the Unta-Golar” he vowed. “I promise you this, tseriya.”
She stared into dark eyes willing her to believe his pledge and finally let go off the fear that had gripped her since the encounter with the Ketaari two nights before. She was starting to learn that Zoran took his promises very seriously.
“Alright?” he asked.
Saakshi nodded affirmatively and he got off the floor to seat himself beside her on the bed.
“What exactly did Ghesh threaten you with?” Zoran was determined to plug any loopholes the Ketaari commander might exploit to get Saakshi into his power.
“He said that I should remember that you’d have no influence once I was back as a subject of the Empire, and then intimated that the day might come sooner than I expect.”
“So, he didn’t say anything specific about revoking your contract?”
“No, but Pik did.”
“Pik?” Zoran exclaimed in astonishment. He had been unaware of Pik’s knowledge about the Ketaari commander’s interest in Saakshi.
“Um hmm” she affirmed. “Pik asked me how long the Ketaari was planning to be on the station the morning after the Unta-Golar first came to Pik’s, when you distracted him. Pik said that he could keep the Unta-Golar away from me for a few days, but not any longer. He also cautioned me that he would be helpless if the Ketaari Imperial Forces revoked my contract.”
“Pik” mused Zoran, very surprised by this new and unexpected glimpse of Pik, the hard-headed currency-loving businessman.
“Then, he told me that you’d easily take care of the Unta-Golar for me and that he’d not heard anything bad about your treatment of females. He advised me to go to you with … umm … the proposition and assured me that you’d accept” she finished quickly, a wary eye on Zoran. She had finally realized that talk of their bargain seemed to generally sour his normally equable mood.
He gazed back at her with an incredulous expression on his face, underlined by another emotion that she couldn’t quite identify.
“Pik advised you to offer me that proposition? Pik?”
Why, that sly murtobak, Zoran thought to himself. He sure had been playing a long game. This explained why Pik had been so amenable to negotiating Saakshi’s move to a shorter and more lucrative shift. Pik had been expecting Zoran to make the monetary bargain for Saakshi. Then, another thought occurred to him.
“Saakshi, why didn’t you tell me about Pik’s warning about the contract revocation before?”
“I … uh … wasn’t sure that you could help” Saakshi stammered, not brave enough to bring up their bargain again. She’d kind of assumed that helping to prevent her prison contract from being revoked would be outside the purview of their agreement.
He studied her thoughtfully for a moment.
“If anything troubles you, Saakshi, no matter how inconsequential you consider it to be, I’d like it if you came to me. Even if you think that I cannot help. We’ll figure it out together, hmm? You think you could do that, tseriya?” His voice was infinitely soft with a note that squeezed at Saakshi somewhere deep in her heart.
Saakshi nodded her head, not trusting her voice to say the words as her heart swelled with emotion at his words and their implication.
“Are you hungry?” he asked abruptly.
Saakshi blinked at the sudden and drastic change in conversation before answering in the affirmative. She was famished.
“Why don’t you take a shower while I check what Chef has ready? We’ve been docked for a few hours now, and that is usually enough
time for him to replenish supplies and cook up some real food.”
A hot shower later, they sat down to a decent repast that Chef had managed to scrounge up for them.
“I’d love to meet Chef one day. He’s very talented” Saakshi remarked, her tone hesitant. She wasn’t sure how comfortable Zoran felt with inter-mingling his two separate worlds.
“Yes, he is. He’s one of the few non-Hadari’Kor we have aboard the ship” Zoran answered easily.
“How many do you carry on board?”
“Seventy-five mercs, plus ship screw.”
“I saw only males at the Control Center tonight. Are there no females aboard this ship?” she asked curiously.
“We do have a few female crew members. I do not allow families aboard except when we’re docked for recreation. We’re a warship and that comes with potential risks of injury, death or capture. I don’t want my mercs distracted with worries about the safety of their families when engaged in a no-holds-barred fight with the enemy. And frankly, I don’t want to deal with making decisions based on other factors than how to best win a fight quickly with the least loss of life and damage to my ship. The crew can all fight if they need to, and I make sure that they’re fully aware of the risks when they sign up.”
