Shalia's Diary Book 2

by Tracy St. John

  Dusa’s voice was sharp. “Shalia is a favorite of Commander Nang’s. She still has her bodyguards. She’ll be fine, as will Weln.”

  “Commander Nang,” I said, seeing a ray of hope. “I can ask him to delay the transfer.”

  Dusa gave me a smile. “You can try, but don’t be surprised if he cannot help. The commander in Atlanta outranks him. If he has called for additional resources, smaller sites like this one have no choice but to obey. The immediate areas around where the explosives went off get top priority.”

  Dusa tugged me over to the bed, where I could be near the entire clan. “Meanwhile, we’ve decided to hold the official clanning ceremony here. Perhaps you can help us plan that.”

  “I don’t know the first thing about your clanning rituals,” I protested. My mind was still whirling over the unexpected news of Dusa and Esak’s looming departure.

  “There is no specific ritual for the ceremony itself. It’s up to the clan to speak their hearts and intentions to one another. It’s presided over by one of our priests and attended by those we want to share in our happiness. Our families are back on Kalquor, so obviously they won’t be here.”

  Weln twisted his fingers in his lap. “They won’t even know for two weeks. That’s how long it takes a message to get from here to there. My mother is going to be beside herself. She didn’t even know I was serious about anyone.”

  “We’ll record the ceremony and send them the transmission,” Dusa said. He managed a grin for Esak. “I hope your family isn’t too worried when they see your head.”

  The Nobek shrugged. He was still busy being mad. “I’m alive. They’ll appreciate that. Besides, I’ve already sent them a vid showing them my marks of honor.”

  Dusa was trying hard to keep all our spirits up. “It will be a happy day. You are recovering, and Weln is our clanmate. All I need to make it perfect is this beautiful woman to witness our joining. Please say you’ll be a part of it, Shalia. It would mean a lot.”

  Of course I will. I’ll do a lot more, too. Like make Nang stop the transfer, at least until I’m on my way to Kalquor.

  I’ve sent the commander messages, asking for an interview as soon as possible. He still hasn’t gotten back to me, and I’m starting to get really peeved with him. Yes, I know the world does not revolve around Shalia Monroe. I’m well aware Nang is busy dealing with the defense of the Academy. But with Esak due to get the go ahead to transfer to Atlanta any day and the clanning ceremony set for two days from now, I need to get this taken care of. If I don’t hear back from Nang today, I am going to see him first thing tomorrow.

  October 27

  I am missing my anti-depressants. I don’t want to be a weak sister or a big baby, but I’m not sure how I’m supposed to get through this.

  Nang was quite tense when I showed up at his office this morning. There have been no attacks or signs of the Earthers since the attack that hurt Esak so badly, but I could see the strain the commander was under. The Academy could get hit again at any time. I can understand why he wasn’t as happy to see me as usual. I felt bad for bothering him, but damn it, this was important to me.

  “I won’t keep you,” I promised, trying to get as much on his good side as possible. “I’m sorry to bug you over something I know doesn’t rank as essential to you, but it’s important to me. I can’t begin to explain how important. Nang, I really, really need Dusa and Esak to stay. Please, isn’t there anything you can do? Don’t you have some other Dramok and Nobek you can send to Atlanta?”

  He smiled gently at me and came close to stroke my hair. For once, he was comforting and not sleazy. “I’m sorry, Shalia. I know how close you are to those two and how this must be hurting you. I would love to make you happy, but in all honesty, this transfer is a good thing for them both. It’s a rise in rank. Dusa and Esak are being recognized for their exemplary work.”

  I swallowed against the tightness in my throat. “You’re saying this is a promotion?”

  Nang nodded. “A big one. Dusa has coaxed in more survivors than anyone else at this site. Esak’s actions defending the Academy at a great cost to himself has earned great recognition. Going to the larger effort in Atlanta will give them both opportunities to further themselves even more.”

  Well, shit. I felt horribly selfish wanting to keep Dusa and Esak here with me. I mean, I’m leaving soon anyway. We’re going to be separated no matter what. Does two or three weeks more matter?

  My heart says yes. I want those few extra days with my boys, and I want them desperately. Yet this is also a big deal for them and their careers, apparently. I couldn’t stand in the way of that. I care about them too much.

  So I’m going to have to put on my big girl panties and be strong, cool Shalia for Dusa’s clan. I’ll have to let my two sweeties go. After all, I’ll still have Weln to keep me company. I have my Kalquorian dad. I have crazy chatterbox Candy, who is already becoming a strong shoulder to cry on after only a few days.

  Tomorrow is the official clanning ceremony that makes Weln the Imdiko for Clan Dusa. I’m going to be all smiles and well wishes. Weln is quite excited about it even if he is unhappy over the temporary separation they’ll suffer when Dusa and Esak leave for Atlanta.

  This afternoon I pulled him to the side and told him he didn’t have to stay behind on my behalf. “Go be with your clan,” I insisted.

  Weln actually got mad at me. “Don’t be ridiculous, Shalia. It’s as important to me as it is to Dusa and Esak that I stay by your side until you’re safely off to Kalquor. Don’t say another word about me leaving you. I won’t hear it.”

  “Well excuse me for caring about your happiness,” I retorted.

  “I appreciate it, but I’m happy to be where I’m needed most.” He went back to being a sweetheart. “You’re so nice to be concerned. And I’m excited that Matara Eve will be able to attend!”

  Mom got in a hover chair yesterday and today and did very well. She’s able to sit up on her own, though there will be an orderly with her at the ceremony tomorrow, ready to take her back to Medical at the first sign of fatigue. I don’t know how much she’ll understand about what’s going on, but it means a lot to the whole clan that she’s going to be there. It just drives home how good a bunch they are and how much I’m going to miss them.

  Yep, I would just love some anti-depressants right now.

  October 29

  Yesterday’s clanning ceremony was very nice. Let me see if I can remember all the details, because it really was kind of a blur. Earther attacks be damned. The booze at the celebration party afterward flowed quite heavily, thank you.

  First of all, it took place in a pretty park area with a small pond, right here at the Academy. The Canadian geese have begun their southward migration, so there were a few paddling in the most picturesque way around the pond … poor geese! It made me sad to know they’ll be dead in a couple of years what with the radiation that’s going to get into the air and water and soil.

  Oh, enough of the depressing thoughts. Anyway, the grass was green, and the pond twinkled under the sun, thanks to the ripples provided by the doomed birds. There was a Kalquorian priest wearing three layers of robes: cobalt blue on the bottom, then a silvery-gray robe. Topping them was a flowing white robe so blameless it looked like the essence of purity. A braided brown lash tied it at the priest’s waist. He was barefoot, which I thought had to be uncomfortable given it was kind of chilly. He seemed unaware of the nip in the air though. You’ve never seen such a serene expression as what this Imdiko wore on his slightly lined face.

  His hair was this incredibly glorious cascade of midnight black, reaching all the way to his ankles. The hair just in front of his ears was braided. There were a few strands of silver here and there that gave him an almost shimmery appearance. He didn’t look quite real to my eyes. After the ceremony, Dusa introduced me to him. His name was Eromi.

  Weln was gorgeous, as he always is, but a little more so. He wore knee-high brown boots with black fur tri
m. His black trousers were well fitted. He wore a tunic-like tan shirt with metallic embellishments around the neck and cuffs of his long sleeves. His long hair was braided down his back, pulled away from his very happy face. It was only then that I realized I’d never seen Weln in anything but his green orderly outfit of loose trousers and a tunic. Or naked. Wow, did he clean up nice.

  During the ceremony, he stood between Dusa and Esak. Esak wore his black armored formsuit uniform, with black dress boots polished to a high sheen. Even with his head shaved and scarred, he was still a fine sight. He stood tall and proud, his expression one of a man who was well pleased with life. His eyes never left Weln for the entirety of the ceremony.

  Dusa wore his formsuit and dress boots too. He also wore a cropped jacket of midnight blue with black braiding at its tall collar. He looked at his two clanmates for the most part, but his eyes found mine a few times. He smiled, but there was some gravity in his expression. I suppose it was because he is the clan Dramok, and taking on a new member is considered a great responsibility to the leader. He seemed happy but serious.

  I’d say about 40 Kalquorians attended, most of them about the ages of Dusa’s clan. Nang had been invited, but he sent his regrets. Dad showed up with his clan, so I finally got to see his Dramok and Nobek. Mature Kalquorians, they both had a dusting of gray in their long hair. Dramok Bitev is in charge of acquisitions for the site, and Nobek Rak’s current duties include heading up the guards who keep an eye on the incarcerated Earthers.

  “So this is the Earther daughter of my clanmate,” Bitev said with a smile. His lean features were too coarse to be handsome, but he radiated kindness. I liked him on sight. “I am glad to finally meet you, Shalia.”

  “You’ve been talking about me, huh?” I gave Dad a big, fake frown.

  “Only in the best possible way,” Rak reassured me. His looks were aristocratic with a long nose and sharp chin. He looked like a friendly shark, if such a thing is possible. But even the most civilized Nobeks look like something predatory and hungry. I’m getting to where I can identify the breed just by their faces.

  “You’ve had a great many adventures,” Bitev noted. “Nayun claims you’ll make him entirely gray-headed before he’s two hundred years old.”

  “Trust me, I’d rather not,” I said in my blandest tone possible. That cracked them all up.

  “Shalia has a gift when it comes to attracting trouble,” Dad sighed. “As much as I’ll miss you, my daughter, I can’t wait for you to go to Kalquor where you’ll have less opportunities to do so.”

  I couldn’t help but laugh. “Don’t jinx me, okay? The instant we think I’m safe, that’s when the worst kind of calamity will show up.”

  Mom was there too. Her right eyelid was only at half-mast, but she seemed fascinated by the goings-on. She wore a lopsided smile the whole time she was there, which was through the entire ceremony and the beginning of the Kalquorian equivalent of a wedding reception. I’d put her in a pretty yellow dress, and one of the Imdiko orderlies had fixed her hair in a complicated braided updo. I’d watched the big, muscled orderly named Gim arrange her hair with the most deft fingers you can imagine, feeling jealous that the best I could do was brush my growing mane and tuck it behind my ears. As soon as he was done with hers, he offered to do mine.

  “Really? You don’t mind?” I said, feeling little-girl excited at the prospect. I really wanted to have my hair done, a much-missed indulgence.

  “Not at all, Matara,” he answered. He smiled at my delighted squeal and set to work.

  So Mom and I had matching hairstyles. I wore a green dress cut just right to flatter my figure, something Dusa had managed to find for me a few weeks ago. I’d been saving it for the day I was leaving Earth, as it seemed such a momentous occasion deserved something special. I’m glad I got to wear it for a happier day instead.

  Candy attended the ceremony too as my friend and secret helper. Along with myself, she, Nayun, and a couple of the medical staff I’d gotten to know were all wearing discreet vid recorders on our collars. They were no bigger than my little toenail. The idea was I’d edit together all the recordings of the ceremony and after party and give the finished vid to the boys as a gift.

  Candy was as wide-eyed as a kid in a toy store. She managed to be quiet for a change, not wanting to miss a thing. I was envious she’d done her own hair, which was caught up off her face to cascade down the back of her neck in blond ringlets. Still, Gim’s styling outdid hers so I wasn’t too jealous. Her blue dress matched her eyes, and there were plenty of Kalquorians in attendance watching her. That woman is not going to have any problems attracting a clan. I sure wish I could do cute and bouncy. Still, Dusa’s clan never gave her a second look so I didn’t feel too overshadowed.

  Obviously the ceremony was in Kalquorian, but Dad’s clan translated a good bit of it for me. It started with the priest talking about the history of the clans, which started with a long-ago emperor, his two closest friends, and the woman they loved. He went on about how they put aside jealousy over the few women left for the good of the Empire. There was some other stuff about the joys of being a part of a clan, how one could look forward to years of reliable companionship, the strength of the bonds, so on and so forth. Then he went over the responsibilities of the clan members to each other. I didn’t miss how Dusa listened to this part closely, nodding from time to time. I though how lucky Esak and Weln were to have someone like him, a man who didn’t take being their Dramok lightly.

  Then Weln spoke. I guess he was making vows kind of like how we would in Earther marriages, except these weren’t Church proscribed one-size-fits-all promises. His seemed to come from the heart, in which he swore he would care for his clanmates, hold their comfort and happiness above all others, and treasure Esak’s protection and Dusa’s leadership.

  Then Esak did the same, though my strong and silent Nobek sweetheart didn’t talk for very long. He vowed to keep Weln safe, to protect him from all dangers, that kind of thing. Last came Dusa, who promised Weln his welfare would always be foremost on his mind, his voice would always be heard in clan matters, and a bunch more of the kinds of things a leader would say. It was sweet and heartfelt, and not at all what I’d ever imagine a bunch of muscle-bound Kalquorians would say to each other.

  Then the priest asked the rest of us to acknowledge the new Imdiko of Clan Dusa, which everyone did with a yelled, “Vofrek!” I thought that must be ‘yes’ in Kalquorian, but Dad said it actually translates as ‘always’. Since clanning is a permanent arrangement, it seemed like a logical response.

  Then we had a party. Nang had released a decent amount of the alcohol supplies for the – nuptials? – in honor of Clan Dusa. It seems this is the first clanning ceremony to take place on Earth, so it deserved a big to-do. We even had some beer and wine, courtesy of the Academy’s abandoned on-site bar.

  So there was drinking and food and, heaven help us all, lemanthev music. Candy was a hit, especially after she howled along with Weln for one song. I was hysterical as she yelled, in completely perfect rhythm with the pounders, “I don’t have a clue what I’m doing/I can’t speak Kalquorian/So plug your ears and scream with me/Pretend I’m good, everyone!”

  Dad’s clan laughed so hard at her howling debut that they had tears rolling down their faces. Even Nobek Rak clutched his ribs, doubling over. The priest was forced to lean against a nearby tree to stay on his feet. It was hilarious. We all cheered Candy’s efforts wildly. After that, she remained surrounded by admirers for the rest of the party. Apparently a girl who howls is prime Matara material, at least among Dusa’s age group.

  We ate. We drank toast after toast to Dusa’s clan. I’ve never been to such a party. After maybe an hour, I caught Dusa grinning at me.

  “What?” I asked, blinking. My lips were going a little numb.

  “You’re swaying, Shalia. I think you’re enjoying the celebration.” His arm went around my waist, perhaps to steady me.

  “I am. The question ish,
are you enjoying it?” I grimaced as I realized I had begun to slur my words.

  “Very much.” He leaned close. “We were thinking of leaving a little early to properly celebrate our new clanmate. Would you like to be a part of that?”

  I looked to see Esak and Weln standing close by. They were watching me and grinning too. Apparently, tipsy Shalia is very entertaining.

  I considered the three. “Let me think. Hmmm. Will you be taking advantage of my less-than-sober condition?” At least that’s what I tried to say. It came out, “Will you be takin avanchech of my lesh-an-sober connishun?”

  “Absolutely,” Esak chuckled.

  “Promise?”

  “You can count on us, my pretty one,” Dusa said.

  “Okay. But I’d better not be disappointed since you’re making me leave a really good party.”

  “We guarantee your happiness.”

  So we slipped off to Casa Clan Dusa. I had to concentrate really hard to not stumble around their quarters.