The crewman took my arm, but I tried to stay put. “What’s wrong?” Panic was bubbling in my stomach. “Is he hurt? I want to see him!”
I was tugged toward the door, leaving me no option but to walk or be dragged, but my fear only grew. They were clearly hiding something from me, but unless I suddenly became much stronger, I wasn’t going to find out yet. And I feared if I fought any harder, I’d be restrained, something I wanted to avoid at all costs.
The hatch closed behind me, and I slid down the wall to huddle and pray to whatever gods governed Arythians that Dylos was alive.
Chapter Fourteen
Dylos
It took three tries for me to position my hand on the sensor pad properly. It kept slipping down the wall as my legs threatened to collapse. When the door finally opened, Trreena charged at me, nearly knocking me over.
“Master! Are you all right? I’ve been so worried!”
“F…fine. Juss tired,” I slurred.
“You’re turning a weird color. Sort of grayish-green,” she said.
I stared at my hand, twisting it back and forth in front of my face as though I’d never seen it before. She was right. It was the color of a nekker’s slime trail. The fact that alarm bells didn’t go off in my head should have told me how far out of it I was.
I stumbled toward the bed and would have fallen if she hadn’t draped my arm over her shoulder. I heard her grunt as she bore the weight of my body, but, by then, even my fierce pride wasn’t enough to keep me upright without help.
Trreena lowered me onto the bed and stripped off my uniform.
“The color. It’s spreading over your whole body.”
“S’okay,” I replied. “Juss need…a shower.” My teeth were chattering so hard I could barely form the words.
“Later. Right now, we need to get you warmed up.” She eased me onto my back and began piling every covering she could get her hands on over me.
I rolled onto my side, clutching a corner of her purple garment in my fist like a baby with his favorite blanket. “So pretty,” I mumbled. “Juss like…the sea. I like the sea. Do you like the sea?” I struggled to sit up, holding out the garment to her, giggling all the while. “See! Sea.”
Gently, she pushed me back down. “Yes, it’s lovely. Why don’t you rest while I make you a cup of that special tea? Maybe it will warm you up.”
I remember leaning against her soft body when she held the cup to my lips. I remember her urging me to drink it all. After that, I drifted off. I didn’t even realize she’d left our quarters until she came back with Moju, our medical officer.
“Leave me ’lone,” I grumbled when he started poking and prodding me. “Wanna sleep.” I glared at him. “An’ take off the biohazard suit. I’m not authorizing you to go ’sploring on that damned planet. Iss’ my job.”
“Yes, sir. It is. I’ll let you go back to sleep now.” He turned away, addressing Trreena. “It could be any one of a thousand virulent strains,” he said in a low voice. “I need to get him to sick bay. Keep him isolated…and hope it hasn’t already spread to the rest of the crew.”
“No. Leave him here. You tell me what to do, and I’ll take care of him. Whatever he’s got, I’ve already been exposed to it.”
After that, everything was a blur. Every now and then, I’d wake up enough to sip some tea or one of the nasty concoctions Moju left outside our door. Trreena never left my side. She tossed pillows on the floor and slept beside the bed. I was out of my head with fever and hallucinations. At times, I thought she was my mother, bathing my forehead with a cool cloth, like she did when I was deathly ill as a child. Other times, I remember her singing to me. Odd melodies I didn’t recognize, yet strangely soothing.
A sharp pang of hunger jolted me wide awake, and I opened my eyes. The room was dimly lit, and, for a moment, I thought I was alone. Then I heard soft breathing and peered over the edge of the bed.
Trreena was asleep on the floor, arms wrapped around her body as though she was cold. I tried to sit up so I could cover her but couldn’t. At first, I thought it was because I was so weak. Then I realized she’d nestled me in a cocoon. Blankets, towels, full dress uniforms, gauzy feminine garments—she’d gathered every scrap of fabric she could find and layered them around me so tightly I could barely move.
She looked pale. Thinner than I remembered. I worked one arm free and reached down to touch her cheek. Her eyes popped open instantly. She jumped up and sat on the side of the bed.
“Dylolo? What is it? Would you like some more tea?” She leaned over me, stroked my forehead, and smiled. “Your fever has broken. You’re not burning up any more.”
“I feel better. And you can forget about tea. I’m starving! I feel like I haven’t eaten in days.” I wrinkled my brow. “Just now. You called me…Dylolo.”
I didn’t think it was possible, but her face grew even paler. “I’m sorry, Master. It just slipped out.”
“Where did you hear that name?”
“From you. You were pretty…um…out of it for a while. You kept calling me Ama and referring to yourself as Dylolo.”
“I did? What else did I say?”
Her cheeks turned the fetching shade of pink I loved to see. “Um…nothing really.”
“Trreena. Do not lie to me.”
“You talked a lot about your childhood. Nice memories. And you wanted me to sing to you, but I didn’t know the song. So I sang you ones I remembered from when I was a kid.” She smiled again. “Row, row, row your boat was your favorite. You made me sing it over and over.”
“Ama is what Arythians call their mothers. I was deathly ill as a child. My own ama sat by my bedside for weeks. When I tossed and turned, unable to sleep, she’d sing to me. She called me her little Dylos. Dylolo.” I closed my eyes, overcome with a fresh wave of grief. In a way, my illness had been a blessing. For a while, I’d forgotten everyone I’d ever loved was gone.
Trreena nodded. “Moju thinks the reason you’re alive right now is because of that illness you had as a child. Your body managed to create an antivirus to fight it off, and it’s still in your blood. Whatever crud you picked up on the ice planet was close enough to that old viral strain for it to be able to mutate and destroy this one.”
I struggled to a sitting position. “I’m weak as a babe. How long have I been down?”
She avoided my eyes. “Not long.”
“Trreena.”
Fortunately, my voice still had enough strength to intimidate her.
“Twelve of your sol units. Maybe more. It’s hard to keep track without seeing a sunrise or sunset.”
“Twelve!” I thrashed around, trying to extricate myself from the shroud of fabric she’d wound around me, and cursed. “I need to get to the bridge.”
She pushed me back down. “It’s all right. Rahal is taking care of everything. He came by daily to get an update on your condition and fill me in on the battle plans. I couldn’t let him in, of course, since you’ve been in isolation, so he came by hol. He’s put us in a holding position outside Gamma Librae’s orbit for now, knowing you’d want to be at the helm when we attack the enemy forces.”
“He ‘filled you in’ on the battle plans?” I shook my head, not certain I was hearing her correctly.
She nodded. “I asked lots of questions, so I could give you a report as soon as you regained full consciousness. I’ve been able to help out a little, too, even though I couldn’t leave the room. Learning how to keep track of supplies and such. We’ve been shorthanded, you know, what with Felice being gone and you getting sick. Rahal and the other crew members are doing the best they can, but I had plenty of free time while you were asleep. So I…offered to pitch in.”
We. She said we. I was stunned. My alien captive had not only nursed me back to health, during my illness she’d bonded with members of my crew. She must have impressed Rahal, or she’d never have earned his trust. Perhaps I’d done her a disservice looking at her as nothing more than a breeder.
&nb
sp; He came by, in holographic form, as soon as he heard I was awake and alert.
“Thank the gods you’re all right. We’ve all been so worried. But your little human has been taking good care of you. She wouldn’t let anyone else in, for fear the virus would infect the entire crew, and she insisted you weren’t to be disturbed until you recovered. She can be a real terror! I think even Moju is a little afraid of invoking her wrath.”
He winked at Trreena, and she grinned. I stared at them both, wondering if I’d awakened in an alternate universe.
It took ten more sol units before Moju pronounced me ready to resume my duties. As I slowly regained my strength, I studied my alien female. Watched her interact with Rahal as she took over more and more of the duties our quartermaster had performed. She had great organizational skills, and it was clear she could hold her own with the men heading up my crew. Felice had been a groundbreaker—the first female officer on an Arythian starship. With her lush feminine body and the sharp mind of a warrior, I’d always thought she was unique.
But the more time I spent with Trreena, the more respect I gained for her. In the past, I had sex with her and then I left. Now, bedridden, I had to idle away long hours in her company. On a whim, I taught her to play knesse, a game of strategy, and discovered she had a keen mind. We talked for hours, exchanging stories of our childhoods, finding more common ground than differences in the way we were raised. I told her all the things I’d loved about my world and learned a great deal about hers. Though she had none of her own, she loved children and animals, and she’d always longed to have a garden where she could get in touch with nature and create beauty.
To my surprise, Terrans were not the primitive creatures I’d thought them to be. They valued art and literature, revered their gods, and had a civilization with moral codes and laws as strict as those of my race. Their world wasn’t perfect, but in all my travels across the Universe, I had yet to find one that was. I was still horrified their leaders had chosen to give away their most precious resources, their females, to save their own sorry asses from a possible invasion by our forces, but perhaps I’d been wrong to judge an entire species by the actions of a few.
From the beginning, I’d responded to Trreena sexually, lusted after her body. But now—I found myself falling in love with her beautiful soul.
Chapter Fifteen
Trina
Dylos recovered slowly, but steadily. It was like caring for a caged tiger sometimes, he was so frustrated with his weakness and determined to get back to work, but whenever he got too hard to handle, I got Moju to help me. I suspected he was adding a little something extra to the meds because, afterward, my tiger was more of a pussycat and generally took a nap. But I didn’t ask the medic because what I didn’t know I couldn’t be forced to reveal.
In many ways, his time of healing was like a honeymoon, albeit one of the mind rather than bodies. We talked and played quiet games. He wasn’t up for more strenuous activities—and even if he had tried, we’d been cautioned by Moju not to for the time being. Something about his blood pressure rising and the chance of it reactivating the virus despite the antivirus present in his system.
Once he deemed Dylos past the worst of the danger, Moju took me aside and explained just how close I’d come to losing him. He hadn’t wanted to frighten me while Dylos burned with fever, but I’d known anyway. Only someone incredibly strong could have walked through that tunnel of fire and emerged as he had. My pride in being the chosen female of such a male surged with the medic’s words.
Sometime during his illness, I’d gone past merely accepting my fate and made the choice to be his partner. No man I’d known on Earth displayed the courage, strength and leadership of Admiral Dylos. The worm who’d sent me here would never know the favor he’d done me.
As he grew stronger and sat up propped on pillows, his arm over my shoulders, I admitted the truth. I loved him. But did he love me in return? He’d sought a breeder to bear and raise children, someone to help repopulate their world. Could I live with being nothing more?
Although Moju didn’t know the specific virus that had attacked Dylos, since it wasn’t one their civilization had encountered before, the medic believed the one the admiral suffered from as a child must have been close enough in structure for the immunity gained then to protect him a bit at least. The medic had taken a sample of his blood and was tinkering with it—my word, not his—hoping to create a vaccine to help the others withstand diseases we might run across in our travels.
Finally, Dylos was released to limited duty. “You will sit in the command chair and give orders for no more than half a duty shift per sol unit,” he ordered, “or I will have you confined to sick bay for another dozen sol units.”
As Dylos spluttered, prepared to argue, the medic went on in a softer tone, “My friend, we have served the Arythian people together for more than half our lives. While we need you on the bridge now, it serves nothing if you die. I don’t think you realize how much this illness has weakened you. I don’t think we’ll survive without your strength, so please take the time to fully regain it. I beg you, Admiral.”
I stood in the corner through their conversation, wringing my hands and biting my lip, praying to my God and any they might worship that he would listen to the medic. My stomach roiled as well. I had come so far to find him and had thrown my lot in with his people. It might not have been so at first, coerced—shanghaied—as I had been, but I had grown to respect them. As I took on responsibilities, began to feel useful rather than just a body to be filled with children, my self-respect returned. Moju had shared many stories of my lover with me while he lay ill. Dylos held the future of the Arythians in his hands. If only he realized…
Such words from an old friend cut through Dylos’ protests, and he gave a nod. “So be it.” I let out the breath I hadn’t realized I was holding as he continued. “Thank you for making me consider the whole picture, Moju. My ama always said my primary flaw was impatience. I thought I’d overcome it, but I see I have not.” He smiled, the expression brightening his still wan complexion. “Half shift it is.” Sitting up in bed, he held out a hand, one I hurried to take. “Assist me in dressing, Trreena? I must return to my post.”
My spirits soared at the sparkle in his eyes. “Yes, Dylos.” I kissed his fingers then moved to get a uniform for him, only the faint upset stomach remaining of my nerves. He would be fine, now, I felt sure. Moju had asked that I stay close by and let him know if Dylos seemed tired or was overdoing in any way. I found that no hardship.
We walked together to the bridge, something I had protested since he’d only moved around his quarters a bit so far. Moju had suggested the admiral use one of the scooter-like transports available, but Dylos feared such would be seen as weakness and would not add to the worries his crew, and those of the other ships, had no doubt suffered during his illness. He laid an arm over my shoulder, and, as we paced the corridors, I found myself supporting at least a little of his weight but didn’t say a word about it. If I could not lend my assistance, what good was I?
Once in the command center, he released me to stride to his chair, to all outward appearances in full strength. His color was still a bit off, but that was something Arythians had no control over, so far as I could tell, and nobody commented beyond welcoming him back before turning to their stations to continue their tasks.
And me? I moved to the quartermaster’s station and settled there, no longer a mere observer. Through his illness, I’d taken on the responsibilities if not the title. I’d not hidden it from Dylos, but we had not discussed it. Since it was the single position aboard ship that had been previously held by a woman, the long-lost Felice, I hoped it would be easier for him, and the others, to accept. Until now, I’d been working from the admiral’s quarters, so most of the crew probably weren’t even aware of my activities.
Facing the screen, I settled in to work on the plans for the next planting in the garden section of the ship. Most of the botanicals we
re unfamiliar to me, but I’d been delighted to find a small stash of seeds from Earth. Apparently, they had been obtained at the same time as the women, an Arythian attempt to help us feel less homesick, and a recently harvested bed of ngast tubers given over to tomatoes, chilis, onions, and cilantro. My mouth watered at the thought. The ngasts, a starchy vegetable served roasted or mashed, could probably be thinly sliced and fried. I couldn’t wait to try the “ngast chips” dunked in fresh salsa. I hadn’t even been a big fan of salsa, but, suddenly, it was all I could think about. Would Dylos like it?
“Trreena?” Moju’s face popped up at the corner of my screen, his voice coming over my headset. “Is the admiral doing well?” We had agreed he would not hover but remain in his office unless needed. His presence might indicate weakness to the crew. Life aboard a modern-day ark was certainly complicated.
How could I have gotten so caught up in my food fantasies, I’d neglected my real duty? Guilt assailed me, and I cast a glance over my shoulder. Dylos was speaking with Rahul, the first mate bending down so the admiral could remain seated. They looked serious, but to my immense relief, the admiral looked better than upon our arrival rather than worse.
“He seems fine. Aren’t you watching the feed from here?” The medic had clearance to watch the images from anywhere but private chambers, and, in case of illness, those as well.
“Yes, but I didn’t think you were paying attention.”
My stomach roiled again. Damn. “You’re right. I was focused on the quartermaster work.”
“Trreena…”
“I know,” I said, low. “The admiral is more important than salsa.” So much more important. What was I doing?
“What is salsa?” he asked.
“Earth food…it doesn’t matter.”
“If you have to choose between your duties, Quartermaster Trreena, I think you know where your priorities lie.”
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