I apologized and disconnected before I realized this was the first time anyone had addressed me as Quartermaster. Did that make it official? I did like the sound of it. Way better than kidnapped female handed off as a sex slave. Not that Dylos treated me as such.
I turned back to the screen and made some entries, but every few minutes, I glanced over at the admiral and then at the time. I shifted in my seat, the abdominal discomfort distracting as well. Did Moju have an antacid or Pepto or anything?
To the moment, when Dylos’ half shift was up, I was on my way to his chair. “Admiral, are you ready?”
He looked up from the screen he’d been studying, his expression darkening for a moment before he arched a brow and his frown relaxed. “My keeper,” he told the two crewmembers who stood on his other side. “I have other…duties to attend to.” His tone left no doubt that he referred to activities of the lascivious variety, and the men grinned at him—but did not ogle me, something I attributed to the fact I was the admiral’s property. That didn’t bother me as it might have once.
In my secret heart, he was mine as well.
He stood and left the bridge with his usual long stride, standing tall and nodding to those he passed, giving a few orders as he went, but once we were in the corridor, the wall reformed behind us, he sagged. “Thank you for that. I am more tired than I would like to show. Odd how sitting in a comfortable chair can exhaust one.”
“It’s just the first day,” I soothed, wrapping an arm around his waist. “There’s no one to see. Lean on me, Admiral.” When his arm was over my shoulder again, I moved off down the hallway toward his quarters, thankfully not too far away because that stomach annoyance was back in full force, accompanied by a slight lightheadedness as well.
We entered our quarters, and I assisted him to sit on the edge of our bunk, a faint sheen of sweat coating my skin from the effort. “Thank you, Trreena. I believe I will take a rest before… Trreena?”
Why was I lying on the floor looking up? His voice came from far away, echoing.
“Moju, I think I have sickened my mate. Treeennna…she’s got the virus. Hurry!
Chapter Sixteen
Dylos
Fear stabbed my heart.
I fell to my knees. Trreena lay crumpled on the floor in front of me, droplets of moisture forming on her pale face.
I lifted her in my arms and laid her on the bed. She’d always been tiny by Arythian standards, but now she weighed no more than a flaget. Guilt warred with the fear. She’d taken care of me for sols. Hardly sleeping, being constantly at my beck and call, ignoring her own health. As for me, I’d been a yozer. Too wrapped up in my selfish needs to see her wasting away before my eyes. Now, the virus had taken hold of her, and she didn’t have the strength to fight it.
She struggled to sit up. “I’m fine, really I am. I just felt a little lighthea—”
She doubled over, retching.
“Moju!” I bellowed. “Get in here. Now!”
She fell back on the bed, eyes closed. I raged for what seemed like half a sol, alternating between kneeling by her bedside to stroke her brow and pacing the perimeter of the room like a caged horu. Finally, his hol appeared beside me.
“You might consider unlocking your door if you want my physical body in here,” he said mildly. “I’ve been in the hall, knocking and calling your name, but apparently you’re cursing so loud you couldn’t hear me.”
“Sorry,” I muttered. “I forgot I enabled the sound barrier.” I’d installed the feature after my first night with Treena. I loved making her come until she screamed, but I thought it would be inappropriate for my crew to hear her wild cries echo through the halls of the ship. I had a mate to share my bed and bring me comfort, but they had only their grief-laden memories.
I collapsed into the chair by my desk, hands over my face. “Moju, I don’t deserve to be in command. I’ve been so focused on my goal of saving our race from extinction that I ignored the needs of the beings around me. I told myself it was my duty to mate with Trreena and impregnate her as quickly as possible without asking myself if another male on the ship might have been a better choice as a mate for her. I never considered the morale of my crew—or the feelings of the human. And then I allowed…no, demanded…that she care for me sol unit after sol unit, without seeing she was falling ill herself.”
He patted me on the shoulder, a well-meant gesture, though it lacked any substance coming from a hologram. “Old friend, don’t judge yourself so harshly. You nearly died. You can’t expect to be evaluating the wants and needs of those around you while you’re battling for your life. Half the time, you were out of your head with a raging fever.”
He waved a hand at Trreena. “Besides, there was nothing you could have done to dissuade her. I’ve never seen a more devoted mate—or a more selfless soul. Your little human was determined to care for you herself. She knew the danger she was facing, but she refused to allow any of us to risk getting the virus. The good news is I’ve been creating a serum in the lab from the antibodies in your blood. It’s never been tested…” He glanced at her, lying inert on the bed, and lowered his voice. “But frankly, we might as well try injecting her with it. She’s much smaller and already in a far weaker state than you were when you were infected. From what I saw of the course of this strain, we have very little time before—”
“Before it kills her.”
He nodded gravely. “Yes.”
“Then do it.”
Moju disappeared, leaving me alone with my human. Treena stirred, whimpering, and I went to her. Stroked her hair, held her hand. Whispered apologies and promises I didn’t know if I could keep.
She was already burning up, and I realized Moju was right. When this illness took hold, it progressed with shocking speed. Half a sol unit ago, she’d been helping me to my cabin. Now she lay motionless, barely conscious, her body racked with fever.
“Trreena, forgive me,” I murmured. “I’ve been treating you as a breeder, a possession without feelings. Never letting myself get too close to you. I didn’t realize how much you meant to me. These sols we’ve spent together, talking, laughing, becoming friends as well as lovers—they’ve given me something I thought I’d never have again in my life. Hope. Not only hope for the survival of my race, but hope that, one day, I could find happiness again. Promise me you’ll fight, my love. Fight for your own life as hard as they tell me you fought for mine.”
I buried my head beside her on the bed, tears streaming down my face. When Moju knocked on the door, I pulled myself together and let him in. He was dressed in a full biohaz suit, carrying a vial and what looked to me like an enormous syringe.
“Dear gods! That thing looks like it’s meant for a yaruba. You can’t use it on her!”
He shrugged. “It’s standard size for an Arythian. It just looks bigger next to her. Besides, it’s all I have. The ship wasn’t outfitted with child-sized medical supplies.”
It was all I could do not to throttle him when she cried out in pain as he slid the needle deep into her arm.
“Help me,” he muttered. “Hold her steady. The serum is thick, and I need to inject it slowly.”
I put my hands on her shoulders, keeping her pinned in place. Her head whipped from side to side. “Please, you’re hurting me! I’m sorry, Master. I promise I won’t disobey you again. Please, don’t punish me.”
She babbled on, delirious, and I felt like a total yozer. “Shhh, it’s all right. I’m not punishing you, Trreena. I swear I’m not. You’re sick, and we’re trying to make you better. It will be over soon, my tassi.”
Moju gave me a sharp glance when he heard me call her a private name, but he didn’t say a word. In the past, I’d have made some excuse to save face, but I was beyond that. It didn’t matter anymore if she was an alien. A lower species sent to us to become breeders. I loved her, and it was time those around me learned to accept the fact.
He withdrew the needle and wrapped a bandage around her arm. I barely noticed when he le
ft. Carefully, I slid into bed beside her and gathered her into my arms.
She opened her eyes. “Dylos. Your fever is gone! You feel so cool.”
She shivered, and I tucked the blanket around her. “Yes, tassi. I’m just fine. You took such good care of me. Now, it’s my turn to take care of you.”
Another shiver racked her body, and she whimpered. Her eyes drifted shut. Frightened, powerless, I sent a prayer to the gods and then did the only thing I could think of to comfort her.
“Row, row, row your boat…”
* * *
Sol units passed. Slowly. I put Rahal in command of the ship, with Joran as his second. It was time to let go, give up some of my control, and show my crew I had faith in them.
The enemy forces were gathering outside Gamma Librae’s orbit, and we’d decided to hold off until our remaining ships could join us, then launch a full-blown attack. Mantsk was on his way as well, moving in with the massive solport, so we’d have a base of operations.
Rahal reported to me on a regular basis, and I joined everyone for daily briefings in the command center by hol, along with Mantsk and the other ship captains en route to our location.
“We’ve received a strange transmission from the Terrans,” Mantsk informed me at our first meeting. “It seems one of their unmanned roving ships detected evidence of a pod that looks to be Arythian, crashed on an uninhabited planet in Vector Seven. It’s possible a member of our race was able to get away just before our world was destroyed. They’re sending the crew of their nearest cruiser to search the area for any sign of life.”
Rahal jumped in, more animated than he’d been in a long time. “Let me know as soon as you have any news. The last time I heard from Felice, she said she planned to take a pod back to the solport after her father’s burial service, so she could join us on our next rotation. If the gods be merciful, she escaped the attack.”
“I know Felice was like a sister to you, Rahal, but the odds of it being her—and the odds of anyone surviving a crash landing on an uninhabited world—are slim,” I said as gently as I could. “However, we will join you in calling upon the gods.”
I bowed my head for a moment, and the others followed. Though I didn’t often entreat the deities, I’d beg them daily on bended knee if it would save Trreena. So I offered up another fervent plea that they spare the life of my little human along with that of our crew member, Felice. I’d lost all that was dear to me once before. I couldn’t bear to go on if I lost my tassi, too.
I was grateful for the delay in our battle plan since it gave me time to regain my strength while I cared for Trreena. Serving as a nursemaid was new to me, but I did it willingly. Bathing her forehead with a cool cloth, feeding her clear broth sip by sip, then holding her while she retched it back up again. Even after her fever broke, she couldn’t seem to hold down any nourishment.
Although Moju hadn’t prescribed it, in desperation, I finally tried a cup of the tea she seemed to enjoy so much.
“Thank you, Master,” she whispered as I held the cup to her lips.
After a few sips, she was more talkative. “I’m hungry,” she declared. “Could I have ngast chips and salsa?”
“I will have the cook prepare you some mashed ngast, my tassi, but I cannot give you salsa. I do not know this food. Is it Terran?”
“Yup.” She giggled. “Sometimes, I forget you and I grew up on different worlds. It seems like we’ve been together forever. Tell you what…I’ll make you some as soon as I get out of bed. You’ll love it!”
She started to rise then fell back against my shoulder. “Maybe I’d better wait a little while. I’m still kind of tired. But I’ll feel better soon. Little Dylolo said so. He said he’s helping to make me well again.”
“Little Dylolo?”
She lifted her head and gave me a dreamy smile. “It was so cute! He called me Ama…just like you did!”
My blood ran cold. Dylolo was going to make her well? She’d acted intoxicated the first time I gave her the tea. Now, she sounded out of her mind. Had the fever damaged her brain, or was the tea simply affecting her even more strongly because of her illness?
I kept my voice calm. “Did he? How nice.”
“Can I have more tea?”
“In a little while. Why don’t you close your eyes and rest for a bit first? I need to get some work done.”
“Okey dokey. Will you sing ‘Row, row, row your boat’ when I wake up? Dylolo wants to hear it.” She giggled again.
“Of course.” I laid her gently on the bed. As soon as her eyes closed, I retreated to the com station at my desk.
“Moju? I need you to come quickly.”
His hol appeared in front of me. “What is it? Has she taken a turn for the worse?”
“Dear gods, I hope not,” I murmured. “Even though she doesn’t have a fever anymore, she’s disoriented. Confused. I made her a cup of Arythian tea. She drank a few sips then started talking about little Dylolo and how he spoke to her while she was sick. He called her Ama and said he’d make her well. A few days ago, before she fell ill, she told me I referred to myself as Dylolo while I was delirious and called her Ama. Now she’s making it sound like she spoke to someone else by that name. I’m hoping it’s just the effects from the tea and the high fever she suffered didn’t affect her mind.”
“I’ll be right there.”
He was true to his word, knocking at my door in the flesh when his hol had barely faded away.
“Please step out into the hall, Admiral. I need to examine her.”
Though the words were polite, I’d been in the military long enough to recognize a command when I heard one. It was obvious he didn’t want me getting in the way.
I paced back and forth, trying not to panic. Time slowed to a standstill. When the door finally opened, Moju beckoned me inside. I headed for Trreena’s bedside, but he stopped me.
“She’s sleeping. Best not to disturb her.”
“How…how is she?”
“I think we’re out of danger,” he replied. “She’s better, though still very weak. Luckily, your mate is as much of a fighter as you are. She doesn’t give up easily.”
“And her…” I couldn’t bring myself to ask the question.
“Her mental state is fine.”
“So it was just the tea making her say those crazy things.” I breathed a sigh of relief. “I should never have given it to her without your permission, but she seemed to like it last time. Thank the gods your serum worked,” I added.
Moju shook his head. “It wasn’t the tea…and it wasn’t my potion that cured her. I’ve been running tests in my lab. In every one, the serum broke down.”
“Then Terrans must have antibodies for the virus in their blood, too.”
“She didn’t when she first fell ill. But she does now. And I know why she’s still throwing up.” The last words were delivered with a smile.
I frowned at him. “Yes. It’s because she’s sick. I hardly think it’s appropriate for my chief medical officer to find that humorous.”
“There’s a difference between finding something humorous and being happy. This is my happy smile. Your mate is not out of her right mind. Little Dylolo is making her better.”
“Now, you’re the one who sounds mad.”
“Not at all. Females have a powerful connection with their offspring we males cannot begin to understand, from the time they’re in the womb. If she believes Dylolo communicated with her, who am I to doubt it? Though, from a medical standpoint, all I can tell you is it seems this fetus is carrying his papa’s antibodies for the virus, and, somehow, they’ve been shared with your mate. Your unborn child saved his ama’s life, Dylos.”
He clapped me on the shoulder, beaming. “Congratulations, Admiral! You’re about to become a father.”
Chapter Seventeen
Trina
“No, I am not leading the battle.” Dylos’s voice never rose, but I recognized the tension behind the words. I also knew how hard
this decision had been for him. One he would never have made without the advent of little Dylolo who currently grew beneath my heart. I pressed my palm to my still-flat abdomen, humming his favorite tune.
Commander Joran, whose mission to lead the other arm of the fleet had been paused during the admiral’s illness, protested loudest. “But Dylos—that is, Admiral, sir, we need you. No other can take on such an important task.”
Dylos had expected this response, had shared his plans with me in the privacy of our quarters while I regained my strength after the virus nearly stole not only my life but our child’s. I had mostly listened, amazed that this man who held his people’s future in the palm of his broad, capable hands would entrust me with his thoughts. My master, for I still called him that, was firm and unyielding, but also warm and loving. My eyes filled with tears—something that happened often now—at the thought of our child on his lap while he sang that silly Terran song they both seemed to love.
The young commander was fierce in his loyalty to his people and his admiral. Also, for an Arythian officer, humble. Ready to defer to Dylos, but also to stand behind his decisions. Although Rahal had technically been in charge during the admiral’s illness, his role had been more to bolster Joran’s confidence, and test his readiness to take on the day-to-day command of the fleet.
While the father of my babe sat in his command chair, speaking to his captains and other officers, most of whom were still present only in hol form, I stared at my screen, finding it hard to concentrate on the quartermaster duties I’d only recently been allowed to resume. While I had been under the weather, others had once again stepped in, but I still had some catching up to do.
Under the weather. Try, at death’s door. Whatever made me think I was immune to the virus that nearly took the admiral’s life? While he was ill, I didn’t consider my safety—a sure sign of being in love. But afterward, I made the mistake of assuming and only fate and the kindness of some Arythian god kept me from passing it to the crew. Moju believed enough time had passed to feel fairly confident no one else would be coming down with it, although he couldn’t be 100 percent sure, so a slight edge of nerves remained.
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