Keen

by Viola Grace

  Kee blinked. “We were speaking Common.”

  “We were, still are actually.” He grinned at her as they bypassed the normal turn off and headed for the launch site.

  This was it. She was leaving the Earth and she was doing it that very evening. Her hands shook and she clutched the strap of her bag, exhaling slowly.

  “I am overdue for change. Change will be good.” She kept it going around in her head as they arrived near the enormous bulk of the shuttle.

  The moon base was still under construction as far as anyone on Earth knew, but that is where she would get her final training and the implants in her skull. The languages she needed to know were ancient and dead. The implant would allow her to access the information she needed with the flick of her eyes. She was going in for a heads-up display that would print the information onto her retina. It wasn’t strictly necessary, but the information whore in her wanted it the moment she found out it was available.

  It would involve a procedure in something called a tank, but when she was healed, she would be sent on her way to Jhenno. She didn’t care where she was as long as she had something to do. Being bored was not going to be an option.

  Brax opened the door for her, and she stepped out, looking at the huge ship with a sudden attack of nerves.

  “Come this way, Archivist. Recruiter Hembri is waiting for his farewell.”

  She smiled and ran a shaking hand through her hair.

  Brax offered her his arm. “It will be all right. Change is good.”

  Kee grinned. “You keep saying that.”

  “It’s true.”

  “If I do well during my first year, I will send you a present with the message, You told me so.”

  He laughed. “I look forward to it.”

  She was still smiling when she faced off against Recruiter Hembri. “Well, we have made it this far.”

  “We have indeed. There is a surprise for you waiting on the ship.”

  Kee turned to look at the large craft as if she could see through the hull.

  He smiled, “Not that ship. The ship you will be taking is on the other side of it.”

  She heard a footfall behind her and turned.

  “Sorry, Hembri, I couldn’t wait.” Pandora grinned. “So, Kyna, would you like a ride?”

  Hembri tapped his foot. “I was making my fancy speech about welcoming her to the Alliance.”

  Kyna hugged Pandora and smiled. “I thought you said you were worlds away.”

  “I was, but I am here now. While the moon base can do a good job on your implant, the Alliance medical centre on Azon Prime can do it without any issues. They are some of the best, if not the best, doctors in the universe.”

  “What will I be doing on the voyage?” Kyna asked her.

  “Babysitting. I am teaching Peter to fly the ship and Ikil has to do some negotiations with his family.”

  “Ikil?”

  “Ikil Huek, my husband. He doesn’t bite strangers, I swear.” Pandora grinned.

  “So, we are taking a ride in the family car?”

  Hembri sighed. “Fine, Madam Huek, take her. She is cleared for departure. Check in when you get to the med facility.”

  Pandora linked her arm with Kyna’s and hauled her out of the reception centre and to the opposite side of the field from the waiting shuttle.

  A sleek, silvery ship the length of four city busses and twice the height was waiting. “We are going all that way in that ship?”

  Pandora straightened her shoulders. “Let me begin your education. This is a small shuttle. It will deliver us to the much larger ship in orbit. From there, we will be on our way.”

  “So, will I be doing this a lot?” She tried not to drag her feet as they approached the ship.

  “Not as much as I do. Since the first round of Volunteers were locked away from humanity, they miss certain objects from home. Chocolate and lingerie are popular requests and, of course, books and music.”

  Kyna looked around to make sure that they weren’t overheard. “I have heard of that one.”

  Pandora laughed. “I have had to source another person who can provide me with the crystals. It was more difficult than it had to be, but I am sure that your brother will do just fine.”

  “Terry?” She laughed. “That explains why he wasn’t shocked by my announcement.”

  “I told him that until you announced it, he had to keep his mouth shut. I had the equipment delivered to him and he has promised to keep it hidden from your family. There are bio locks and monitors on it in case anyone tries to tamper.”

  Kyna tried not to flinch as a set of stairs descended from the ship. From inside the ship, a joyous squeal rang out and a small body ran down the steps directly for Pandora.

  He thudded into her, and she made a fake, “Oof.”

  She let go of Kyna and lifted her son. “Kyna Wenderson, meet my son, Peter Ikil Huek. It took some doing to get him here, but he is alive and bright.”

  Peter had his mother’s blood-red hair, but someone else had bestowed darker skin and amethyst-coloured eyes. “Hello.”

  He stuck his little hand out, and Kyna had to respond.

  She shook his hand. “Hello.”

  He grinned and hid his face against his mother’s shoulder. Soft giggles came from his lips and his shoulders shook.

  “How old is he?”

  “He’s three.” Pandora climbed up the steps into the shuttle with her child in her arms. She set him down the moment they were inside and his little feet pounded him up the aisle.

  Kyna came inside and the stairs folded in behind her, the door sealed and power began to flow through the ship.

  “Come on, you should be sitting for your first takeoff. Preferably where you can see the world fall away beneath you.”

  “That does not really sound attractive.”

  Pandora pulled her by the hand through the halls to a segment with seats. She put Kyna’s bag into a locker and settled her in a window seat.

  “I will be right back but don’t worry. Peter doesn’t get to do takeoffs. He is strictly a straight line kind of boy.”

  “His father is up there?”

  “Yes, Ikil is behind the controls. I will just tell him you are settled in and I will be right back.”

  A deep voice came through speakers on the walls. “Never mind, darling. We are on our way.”

  The ship shook and Pandora smoothly moved into another seat, buckling in.

  Kyna did the same, checking the tension on her restraints.

  She watched the ground speed by, and seconds later, they were smoothly climbing through the sky of Earth, and for the first time, it clued in that Kyna was leaving everything behind.

  She kept her gaze fixed on the spinning orb until the larger ship swallowed up the shuttle. Time for phase B of the plan.

  Chapter Three

  Ikil Huek was definitely impressive. Dark hair, amethyst eyes and seriously wide shoulders. He and Pandora had a connection to each other that went more than skin deep. They touched, held and caressed each other absently, as if they didn’t know they were doing it.

  Peter was all energy, and once he realized that she was perfectly safe to be around, he spent much of his time hauling her around the larger ship, showing her where he hid his toys.

  The ship overwhelmed Kyna but having a little boy with smiling eyes showing her where he hid his favourite fluffy toys gave a surreal aspect to the experience of being in space.

  With the suddenness of the young, Peter decided that it was time to sleep. He tapped her on the leg until she picked him up, and then, he fell asleep with his head on her shoulder.

  Finding her way back to the command centre was a bit awkward, but eventually, Kyna walked onto the deck, looking for Pandora. Ikil was at the controls, and he did a double take as he took in her burden.

  Quietly, she said, “Apparently, it was naptime.”

  “I can take him if you like.” Ikil smiled.

  “Don’t you have to drive
or whatever?”

  “No. I am merely catching up on personal correspondence. Pandora is preparing dinner.”

  Kyna looked around. “Is that difficult?”

  “Not usually, your species specifics are in the computer. She chooses to argue with the machine and that takes a few minutes extra.”

  He was looking her over with more than casual interest and she got nervous.

  “Should I go help her?”

  “No. Are all your people different colours? You and Pandora grew up in the same neighbourhood from what she has told me, and your skin has a golden cast along with your dark hair while hers is pale and creamy.”

  She smiled, a little bit relieved. His interest had freaked her out. She was away from home and there was no one for her to call on this ship. “Our world is in the middle of a genetic jumble. My ancestors came from a different continent than Pan’s. It has only been two generations, so there is no time for amalgamation yet.”

  He nodded. “Are you nervous about being out here?” He gestured with his hand and the motion took in the view screens and the stars.

  “Terrified, but moving forward and falling on your face is still progressive motion.” She sighed and stroked Peter’s hair. He snuffled and stuck his fist in his mouth, sucking noisily.

  “That is a very positive attitude.”

  She shrugged. “Currently, it is the only one I have. If I think about this too much, I might just lock up. Better to keep moving forward.”

  Pandora came in, and she took one look at Peter and grinned. “Dinner is served. You can drop him off with the bots if you don’t want to wear him.”

  Ikil extended his arms and Kyna handed the sleeping toddler over.

  Pandora linked arms with her and hauled her to the dining area while Ikil followed behind them.

  It was not a family dinner like Kyna had ever had before, but she got used to it in the following few days.

  Pandora delivered her to the one person who knew exactly what Kyna was facing. “Kyna, this is Kyra Dannick vi Rannith, our first Champion and an archivist. She is going to take care of you from here on out.”

  Kyra grinned. “Welcome to Azon Prime. We will have time to talk afterward, but for now, you are due in medical.”

  Kyna blinked and smiled. “Call me Kee.”

  Kyra was wearing a gown that was elegant and made of layers, some of which were cinched around her belly. “Kee, come along. I know it is all new, but once you have the implants, you will be able to access information as you need it. I wished we had more time to prepare you, but Jhenno is impatient. Apparently, they have a contract at stake and need to provide an archivist ASAP.”

  Kyna understood deadlines. “Right. Put me in the tank and we will talk when I come out.”

  Kyra kept walking, her skirts fanning out behind her in graceful style.

  “Your clothing is very…elegant.”

  Kyra laughed. “It is, and a pain to get into without help, but when Tiergar is home, he has no trouble helping me. The little ones are still too short.”

  “How many children do you have?”

  “Three. Terrans and Azon get along very well. Other species require alteration on our part, like Pandora. She had to have her system tweaked to allow her to carry her child to term.”

  They were inside the medical building, sweeping through the halls until they came upon a collection of serious-faced medics who fixated on Kyna.

  Kyra smiled and gave her a quick hug. “I will be nearby at all times. Don’t worry. You are in the best hands possible for this procedure.”

  Kyna tried not to stare at the feline-looking Azon as they coaxed her into a medical gown and from there onto an exam table. She heard a hiss, felt cold pressure and grey filled her vision. That was unexpected.

  * * * *

  Kyra watched as they performed the rather simple procedure of installing the data retrieval system.

  When they began the second portion of the scheduled surgery, Kyra winced. Should she have told Kyna what she had really been chosen for? Her ability as an archivist was only half the equation. A Terran with Kyna’s genetic pattern had been requested by the Jhenno high council, and to everyone’s shock, they had found one.

  Deep under Jhenno, there was a sleeping Drai and Kyna was his match. Kyra just couldn’t make herself tell the young woman what was in store for her. Some things were better discovered on your own. If anyone had told Kyra what was waiting for her, she would have run the other way as fast as her feet could carry her. Now that she had settled in with Tiergar, she embraced the new life that she had started. It was a decision she had had to make on her own.

  Kyna would have to make the same choices and then pretend that she actually had a choice to start with.

  Kyra sighed. After two hours of surgery, Kee was placed in the tank for the next seven days. It was going to take a while to verify the alterations to her genome. One thing would be certain, Kee’s humanity was going to be gone in a matter of hours.

  * * * *

  Kee felt the liquid around her and she drifted with her eyes closed. A shadow flitted in her mind.

  Hello?

  The shadow didn’t speak, but she heard a song in her thoughts. Tension melted from her body and she floated with the music in her mind, an alien song that appealed to her senses in every way.

  Kee opened her eyes and thought about the Azon. Information began to stream in her mind, and it was edifying.

  She thought of Kyra and learned that not only had she been an archivist, but she had also been kidnapped and held in an arena where she met Tiergar. He was currently the primary Azon ambassador while Kyra was a Terran representative, capable of acting in a supervisory capacity over the Terrans in her sector.

  The thought of sectors led to information on the Sector Guard, and from there, Kee got information on the Citadels.

  It was an entertaining week when her every thought brought her more information until she finally had a grip on where she was and what she was going to be doing. Even the singing in her mind made sense now. A Drai was courting her, and the song in her mind was proving that they were compatible.

  The idea of being romanced by a person she hadn’t even seen was creepy until she had looked up the records of Drai sleepers and their partners. Terrans were an easy fit with only a little alteration.

  That alteration had just been done without her consent based on the reports that the doctors had been reading within her field of vision. She wished she could be upset about it, but the lonely part of her was delighted that someone, somewhere out there wanted her, sight unseen.

  It was pathetic, but the constant song in her mind kept her calm when she should have been panicking.

  Her tank was loaded onto a ship. Kyra was at her side and speaking into the com unit. “We are not going to get that conversation, Kee. You are healing more slowly than anticipated, so you are being shipped directly to Jhenno for decanting.”

  Kee nodded her head and pressed her palm to the interior of the tank.

  Kyra placed her hand over it. “I am going to contact you the moment you are settled in, Kee. You are not alone out here.”

  Kee smiled and tapped her head.

  Kyra paled. “I was going to tell you about that.”

  Kee mimed O-k.

  “You are more understanding than I would be.”

  Kee pressed a hand to her chest and bowed.

  Kyra smiled with relief. “Yes, you are a superior person. Call me if you have any questions that the link can’t answer.”

  Kee nodded and inclined her head before she waved farewell. She was breathing oxygenated fluid and could not talk, but her time in the tank had given her insight into her own talent for miming what she needed.

  The ship’s crew locked her tank down and she gave them a thumbs-up. Next stop was Jhenno.

  Chapter Four

  “Where are you concentrating today, Archivist?” Her assistant, Leno, smiled brightly at her with his teeth carefully hidden. />
  “The Daclon files. I will be in there if any messages come through.”

  Two weeks on Jhenno and she had already gotten into a routine. Each morning she had breakfast and caught up on correspondence. From there, she headed into the sealed files, wearing a suit that provided her with oxygen in the vacuumed space. The archive was completely oxygen free.

  Pandora had sent her a planet-warming present, as had Kyra. She now had a formal wardrobe of Azon clothing and a collection of Terran books and chocolate for two years as well as a dozen archivist uniforms. She was all set.

  The singing in her mind had gotten stronger and the dark silhouette in her mind had not firmed up its shape. That little tidbit gave her pause, but the songs kept her calm no matter what she was doing.

  “I will send for you in a few hours for your meal.” Leno smiled again. His slate grey skin and yellow eyes had made Kee wary at first, but his people loved bright colours and they loved to party, so their appearance was environmental.

  “Thank you, Leno. I am making progress.” She smiled brightly and went to work in the sealed archive.

  Putting on the pressurized suit was becoming easier. Her bodysuit was formfitting, so the baggy pressure suit slipped on without any trouble. She flexed her fingers and put on the helmet before charging the suit for a hole check. The gauge held at steady pressure, so she was safe to unplug from the test unit and slip on her breathing kit. It contained enough air to keep her running for twelve hours and a full alarm system when she ran low.

  With her tank full, her suit whole and her curiosity high, she went through the three locks that protected the sealed archive.