by Imogene Nix
When Gillian was sure she could last no longer, the door opened with a bang. She quickly looked up, anticipation sizzling along every nerve ending.
There in the doorway was Tomi, wet and shivering, but very much alive. In his arms was a woman, bedraggled and dirty, but he held her so tenderly that any hopes or dreams Gillian harbored melted away. There was never any hope for her and the feelings that burned in her chest.
Without a word, Gillian turned away and fought the sting of tears in her eyes. She noted the sounds of joyous reunion between brother and sister, but she kept her gaze averted, to give them privacy, she piously told herself. When the pilot ordered them strapped in, she breathed a silent sigh of relief. She knew that this torture, him being so close but now forever so far away, would come to an end sooner rather than later.
Just as she was sure she’d be spared, Tomi spoke. “Gillian, thank you for coming to find me.”
The clog of tears filled her throat, but she managed to croak, “It was nothing.”
“It means a lot to me.” He reached out and touched her hand, and she bit back the gasp that rose.
Nerves in her hand jumped and thrummed, but she ignored them. “Honestly, I’m just pleased I could help.” She glanced in his direction, taken aback by the directness in his gaze before the woman beside him shuddered. He scooped her closer and Gillian turned away.
* * * *
Tomi gripped the edge of the vanity unit and stared at the expression in the mirror, his arms locked. He wanted to go out there and grab Gillian, to shake some emotion into her. She’d all but ignored him on the trip to base, and now, back at Kumi’s, she’d physically retreated to another room. His clothes had dried and they were waiting for a couple of Carmichael’s men to retrieve a change when he’d excused himself from the slave girl’s clinging arms. By the time he’d freed himself, Gillian had disappeared. It felt as if an icy wall existed between them. He’d never experienced that with her before and it was far more than an irritation.
Tap. Tap. The sound of knocking at the door drew his attention. “Who is it?”
“Senator, I have replacement clothes for you. Also, Madam Kumi requests that when you finish, you meet her in her office.” The young man on the other side coughed and Tomi raised an eyebrow as he opened the door. Clean clothes were extended and Tomi accepted them with a bow. The earnest face of the officer gave him pause.
“Was there something else, Lieutenant?”
The young officer blushed a deep red. “Madam Kumi was quite adamant. She wishes to see you alone.”
Now why would Kumi be adamant about something like that? “Fine. If you’ll let her know I’ll be through soon. You may wish to keep—”
“Madam Kumi has already given instructions for the care of the young lady.”
Once more, Tomi bowed and shut the door. He shucked his ruined gym clothes and pulled on one of his familiar suits. Being dressed in fresh clothing helped to restore some of his balance, but it wouldn’t take much to rattle him again.
Even as he opened the door, a wail came from above as the young officer frowned at him. “Sir, she’s not very happy about the request to bathe. Miss Edgemont was requested to assist.”
Tomi frowned, not sure he was entirely happy with Gillian being put upon like that, but it was Kumi’s home and her call. So he left the tiny bathroom and headed in the direction of her study. The door was open and she sat at the desk, her face wreathed with smiles.
“Oh, Tomi, I’m so glad you’re home and safe.” She rose and crossed the room, her arms outstretched.
Tomi tugged the door shut behind them and let her hug him tight. “Well, I have to be honest, I’m inordinately glad to be here too. But what was so important that you needed to send me a message?”
Her face settled into a frown. “You aren’t going to be too happy. It’s about Gillian.” She indicated he take a seat. He almost wished he could refuse, but the entreaty in her face told him she was worried, so he sat on the chair nearest. “Oh dear, I’m not even totally sure where to start.”
“At the beginning seems wisest.”
For a moment Kumi smiled, but it melted away. “You know the situation with her brother? Well, it seems the effects are far more wide reaching than any of us expected. She’s got problems of a kind that are only going to get bigger. Carmichael heard that her home was searched last night.”
Tomi half rose out of his seat. “What?”
“Carmichael is doing everything he can to shield her, but… I don’t believe she had anything to do with her brother’s plan to assassinate me, but as a sister to a convicted conspirator… She’s in an unenviable position right now, Tomi. Things are only going to get worse until we find the perpetrator. And she’s alone. No one is standing in her corner. I mean, she has a family but… I can’t do that publicly, you know that, but you can. You have to.”
Hearing Kumi say the words was like a physical blow. Kumi was right. He knew Gillian was innocent—he’d bet his life on that truth. But it left her open to suspicion. It was why she’d been dismissed. But that she is alone? He’d seen images of her and her frail mother attending the hearing. He knew her father suffered from ill health, which kept him away. His heart ached for Gillian as confusion and frustration warred within him.
“So what do you propose?” He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.
Kumi smiled and just as he was sure she was about to speak, the door burst open and the girl—hell, he still didn’t even know her name—came stalking in. “You let her…” She thrust out a hand, indicating an angry, wet, and bloody Gillian who stood in the doorway. “You let her wet me!” There was outrage and fear in the voice. Much as he wanted to go to Gillian, right now the shivering waif before him needed to be settled.
He held out a hand and she dropped to the floor, crawling over, and the humiliating way she effaced herself turned his heart. She settled herself against his leg and looked up. When he glanced up to his sister, Kumi wasn’t watching him or the girl. Her face was grave and staring at the doorway. When he glanced that way, it was empty. “Who? Gillian?”
“She’s gone, Tomi.”
He closed his eyes and exhaled heavily. “I’m never going to get this right.” Even as he muttered the words, he accepted the truth, and his heart weighed heavily in his chest.
“Oh, I wouldn’t give up quite so soon, brother. She loves you. I’m sure of that.”
He attempted to sit up straight in his chair. “What do you mean?”
“She was pretty quick to get here after I told her what had happened to you. And I know she was beside herself with worry, not that she wanted anyone to know. But you have to tell her, show her. Otherwise you’ll never know, will you?”
“But it was you her brother was convicted of attempting to assassinate. It’s not something…” Even as he watched, Kumi rolled her eyes at him.
“Oh, don’t be so stuffy, Tomi! Even with that, she cares about you. I’ll tell you something though, you’re going to have to be quick if you want a future with her. She’s been pretty much written off here on Reunion. She’ll have to leave to get any kind of a future, and you know it. The longer you take getting around to whatever you plan to do, the more chances you’re going to be too damned late.” Kumi stood up with a jerk and turned in the direction of the big window. “I love you, Tomi, but right now you’re so damned…male!” With the parting shot, she strode from the room.
* * * *
Gillian clambered into her vehicle, refusing to look back. “That’s my past.” But it didn’t help that her voice wobbled or her stomach roiled. The fact that it felt like her heart was being ripped out added to her overall misery.
The car climbed into the sky and she guided it toward home, in need of something to focus on. When her house loomed, she landed softly and hurried from within to her front door. “Hey, Ma? I’m back!” The empty residence echoed and she moved from room to room. Finally, in the bedroom her mother had been using, she found a
note.
Gone home to Father. Call me when you’re ready.
Alone. Again. If anyone had asked her, she knew she wouldn’t be able to explain why this hit her so hard. After all, even with the mess her brother had left for her to deal with, she’d never felt so low.
Her hands gripped the paper, her fingers scrunching it tightly as she sank to the floor, dry-eyed. A cold knot formed in her chest, squeezing the air from her lungs. She refused to cry though. That would be weak, and never in her life had anyone called her that.
Time passed and she breathed through the anguish. Gillian let it swell for a while then shoved it firmly away. Giving in wouldn’t help now. “Time to find where I belong now.” She uncurled her fingers, wincing at the slight tug of pain.
Pushing up from the floor was an effort as her bones felt stiff and frozen. A glance out the window told her hours had elapsed while she’d huddled in a heap by the bed. Deep in her mind came the reminder that she should eat, but even that held no interest.
“You can’t sit on your backside feeling sorry for yourself. That has never fixed anything. Time to act, Gillian. You can do it.” She did, moving to the small tablet device, quickly clicking through to the positions vacant. She would no longer be eligible for Star Corps or Naval Fleet, a fact which limited her employment prospects. “What else can I do?” She only knew her role and computer sciences. Surely there was someone who needed her skill set?
Gillian bit her lip as she scanned the options. The pickings were certainly slim, but one caught her eye. Assistant to Chief Communication Officer, Vega II.
It wasn’t startling and it was at the end of the Federation’s reach, but it was more than she currently had. Even more importantly, it put her a vast distance from Tomi. Reading through their requirements didn’t take long at all, and she was pleasantly surprised with the remuneration package too.
Gillian snapped up a tiny mirror from the drawer, gave a quick brush of her fingers through her hair, and tidied away the worst of the mess. Then she gave a silent sigh of relief. “At least my eyes aren’t red from crying!” One breath then another supplied the oxygen to calm her. Her face felt flushed, but she hoped they would think it was purely nerves from applying. Then she gave a decisive nod. “I’m ready to do this.” She slid the mirror back into its place.
Her hand wobbled as she quickly keyed in the advertised connection and waited. The planetary distances had, thankfully, been breached over a century ago, and not for the first time she wondered how the settlers of Reunion had coped with the long periods of no contact.
The screen lit up and a face appeared. A woman, maybe in her fifth decade, smiled into the communicator camera. “Chief Communications Office, Vega II.”
“Hi, my name is Gillian Edgemont and I’d like to apply for the assistant’s position. I have experience in both office procedures and computational sciences. I’m happy to give you my identification number so you can verify.” The words gushed out like a river and the woman at the other end laughed.
“Hang on, kiddo. The position is open immediately, but we are a long way from anywhere. You do realize that, don’t you?” The woman seemed to be scrutinizing her, but Gillian nodded.
“I do, and I’m available now. Let me key in my details and you can read my background. There is one small thing though—” Gillian tapped in the details as the woman cut her off.
“Honey, if you can do half the things this report says, the details of your dismissal won’t be worth concerning ourselves with. But look, let me check this over and get back to you in an hour or two.”
The screen blurred and turned black, and Gillian dropped into the seat beside the desk. “What have I done?” She dragged an unsteady hand through her hair as her stomach jumbled wildly. But she couldn’t—wouldn’t—change her mind. She’d made a commitment to create a new life, and if that meant on Vega II, then so be it.
On that thought, she stood and turned away from the device. She planned to pack, whichever way this went.
Chapter 3
“What do you mean, she’s left? Where the hell has she gone?” Tomi stalked over to the window and looked out. Kumi’s words echoed in his mind. The longer you take getting around to whatever you plan to do, the more chances you’re going to be too damned late. Of course, Kumi had been right. Hearing that Gillian had left Reunion shocked him. He’d honestly thought there had been time. How wrong he’d been.
He gazed sightless out over the city before him. It had all been there a mere fingertip away, but he’d vacillated and she’d left. The only woman he’d ever love. It wasn’t right. In fact…
He whirled around, facing the woman who waited anxiously. “Tell me what you know, Iyana.”
“Sir, she left on a shuttle. I believe she is bound for Vega II. Apparently, there was a position…” His new assistant, Iyana, was capable enough, but she didn’t anticipate his needs the way Gillian had. She didn’t smile at him each morning when she brought him his coffee and files. There wasn’t a spark that lit in his chest every time she was near. Unfair of him, though it was, to measure Iyana against Gillian, he couldn’t help the comparison. And Iyana failed.
“Find out exactly where and when. Then get me on the next damned shuttle.” He clenched his fists, controlling the burning anger that ate at him.
Iyana’s eyes opened wide, the whites startlingly stark against her dark, chocolate skin tone. Her fingers coiled in the long ropes of Illurian pearls that twisted around her throat.
“Sir? I don’t…” Iyana sounded confused, but for the first time, he didn’t give a damn about being a senator or the important work he was doing. He needed to find Gillian—tell her how he loved her. To bring her home.
“Do it, Iyana. Then clear my calendar.”
“But, sir! The senate is due to meet—”
Tomi bristled. “Right now, I don’t care. Get me a seat on that damned shuttle. Then get the team together to sort out a workable solution.” He was being unreasonable, but urgency clawed at him. Gillian was alone. If anyone knew who she was, who her brother was…
“Uh, your sister called too. The girl is asking after you, and Madam Kumi says she has news.” Iyana stood in the doorway, a frown on her face as she clutched a sheaf of papers to her chest.
Those words stopped him in his tracks. Yet another responsibility. The girl had become like a creeping vine, twining herself around him. But right now, he just wanted clear air to go to Gillian. Fate was obviously conspiring against him though.
“Fine, I’ll call her now.” Frustration built like a bubble, and the sensation of drowning echoed through his consciousness. Tapping the console, he frowned. What the hell am I supposed to do with the girl now? “Kumi? You were looking for me?”
“I was… Well, actually, Carmichael was. We have news, good and bad.”
He waited and Carmichael’s visage filled the screen. “Fine, get on with it then.”
Carmichael quirked an eyebrow at him and Tomi dragged his fingers through his hair.
“Sorry. It’s just…”
“She’s left. Yes, we are aware of that. I’ve had a man tailing her for some time. After her assistance with finding the perpetrator of the attacks on Kumi, I have expected someone would try for her.”
Tomi’s stomach bottomed out. “What do you mean?” He leaned closer to the console. “Why would someone?”
“Because of her brother? Maybe they think there is a perceived connection to you? Honestly, Tomi, at this point we don’t know why. It’s just…” Carmichael stopped, sighed heavily, and rubbed a hand across his stubbled chin. “With the way her home has been targeted for searches, someone is tipping off the local authorities.”
Tomi went still. Her home had been targeted for searches? No one had mentioned this before. He knew her home had been searched once. “Why the hell didn’t you tell me, Carmichael? Kumi knows…” His heart pounded in his chest.
“How you feel? Yes, she does, but my hands are tied, Tomi. Of all people, you s
hould appreciate that there are times when I’m bound by my oath to the naval authorities. Now, with that in mind, I’ve ensured she is protected as much as I can. But I feel—and it’s purely a gut reaction—that something is about to give. In the case of your kidnapping, we are also sure it’s tied to the ongoing incursions against the Federation. Reunion is the jewel in the crown of the Federation, so it makes sense for them to continue to focus on this planet. But whoever took you clearly has a vested interest in damaging Reunion from the top down.”
Tomi calmed himself and focused on his breathing. He was going to Vega II to bring Gillian home. “I’m going after her, Carmichael. I have my staff making the necessary plans.”
A knock sounded on Tomi’s office door and he glanced quickly toward it. There was Iyana waiting for him. He nodded once, acknowledging her presence, before turning back to the screen.
“Damn it all, Tomi. You stay right where you are, ” Carmichael demanded.
Tomi just smiled. “I’ll talk to you later.” Then he turned the communicator off.
* * * *
Arrival on Vega II was surreal, Gillian decided. She had learned that the tiny planet was obscured by several moons, meaning that the days were short and interspersed only with brief patches of daylight hours. “What have I done?”
Her bags were shoved onto an air trolley as she clambered down the cold steps of the shuttle. The cramped conditions she’d endured aboard the shuttle for the last three weeks were only marginally improved here, she noted with a grimace. The spacious atmosphere dome featured bright red struts and intermittent alcoves painted neon yellow. They were signed as emergency life capsules. She didn’t know what she’d expected, but it certainly wasn’t this. The journey had been spent in introspection and tutelage in the ways of atmosphere dome security and living. Nothing prepared her for the barrenness that stretched out before her, the utilitarian surroundings and the lack of green grass. Even the air was devoid of anything homely, tasting stale on her tongue.
