by Cynthia Sax
His female’s head bowed slightly, her shoulders drooping. “A disheveled female brings shame to her mate.” Her voice was barely audible.
“You could never shame me.” He cupped her chin, raising her gaze to his. “When your hair is mussed, I’m reminded of how you look when we are breeding and I grow hard.” He pushed his hips forward, drawing her attention to his aroused state. “I want to breed with you again.”
“Hmmm…” She nibbled on her bottom lip.
He wanted to suck on that plump flesh. “You aren’t convinced your dishevelment arouses me.”
Silence stretched.
She didn’t respond. Had he emotionally damaged her with his actions? “My female—”
“If you like my hair mussed, why do you tidy it?” The words rushed out of her.
He stared at her. That wasn’t the reply he had expected.
“I did it wrong.” She groaned, pulling away from him. “My question has disrespected you.”
“Your question didn’t disrespect me.” He grabbed her hands, stopping her retreat. “It pleased me. And you asked it exactly right. I wasn’t expecting a question. That’s all. Your kind doesn’t ask them.”
“I’m trying to be more like your kind.” Her face turned a darker shade of gold. “I’ll practice when I’m alone with you.” She met his gaze. “I expect you to tell me if I offend you.”
There was a 5.8741 percent chance she would ever do that. He realized it was a new skill for his female.
“I will tell you if you offend me.” He dipped his head. “And to answer your very first question, I tidy your hair because I like touching it.” He twined a tendril around one of his fingers. “It’s soft.”
She gazed at him for a moment.
He played with her hair, stroking it back from her face, smoothing the strands, relishing the feel of them. As he engaged in that most enjoyable task, he allowed his happiness, his wonder, his pride to show.
The lines on his female’s forehead disappeared. A smile slowly stretched her lips. Her light brightened.
“I like being touched.” She placed his right hand on her left breast, the fabric of her garment serving as a thin barrier between them. “It makes my heart beat faster.”
She was perfect for him—playful and clever and curious.
Doc brushed his lips against hers, unable to resist tasting her smile. “We’ll test other ways to make your heart beat faster later.”
“We’ll be very busy later.” She released a happy sigh. “We have a lot to do.”
“We will be very busy the rest of our lifespans.” It would take that long to test all the ways to make her pulse speed up.
He quickly donned his body armor and boots.
She watched him, her perusal making it harder to fasten his garment. His rigid cock pressed against its confines. He barely managed to secure his body armor.
“I’ll walk with you to the perimeter of the settlement.” He followed her out of their secret domicile.
“No one can see you.” Her happiness and her light dimmed. “Contact with outsiders is forbidden.”
His female worried about what the other beings in the settlement might see and hear. He understood what that was like.
“Before my kind freed themselves, when we were enslaved by the Humanoid Alliance, we had to be very careful.” He clasped her hand as they trekked through the forest. “They watched us closely.”
“They wanted you to make mistakes.” Her gaze flicked towards him. “They were looking for reasons to judge you, to reprimand you.”
He nodded. “The reprimand was always death.” Their human masters sliced his brethren apart while they were alive, raiding their forms for functioning parts.
“I’m unmated.” His female clung to that status. “There’s no mate to consider when deciding my fate.”
He was her mate but he was also an outsider. To be bound to him might be worse than being solitary, in her kind’s processing.
“The reprimand for breaking the rules is banishment.” The tremor in her voice relayed her fear of that fate. “Banishment is death. No one can survive for very long on their own outside the protection of the settlement. There are too many dangers.”
Yet she had braved those dangers and that severe reprimand to contact an outsider, to speak with him. He looked at her with increased respect. “I would safeguard you, my female.”
“You’re leaving after you complete your mission.” She glanced at him again.
“I’m not leaving without you.” He squeezed her hand.
She squeezed back, didn’t say anything.
Would she move away from her planet, the only place she’d ever known, part ways from the beings she cared for?
His female loved her niece and her sister. He heard that in her voice.
Could he ask her to make that sacrifice for him?
The alternative was to stay on Khambalia 5, but then he would have to give up a role he loved. That would also leave Captain and the Reckless without a medic.
That solution wasn’t optimal for his female either. Her kind would uncover his presence, would banish her from the settlement.
They did have the secret domicile, somewhere to reside. He would protect it and her, ensuring nothing and no one damaged his female.
Her family could visit her there. That would bring her joy.
Her happiness was his top priority.
Once he spied the light from the settlement’s guards, Doc stopped and pulled his female to him. Her curves flattened against his body armor-clad chest. Her head tilted back.
Sadness reflected in her eyes. His female didn’t want to leave him either.
“We’ll see each other when the sun is highest in the sky.” He petted her hair, smoothing the long strands. “I’ll be waiting for you here.”
“I won’t be late.” She summoned a smile. “And I won’t fail you. You’ll have your information.”
His mission hadn’t been foremost in his processors. “Your well-being is more important than the information.” He leaned his forehead against hers.
“I’m safe within the settlement.” Certainty surrounded that statement.
She trusted her kind to protect her. He didn’t share her faith in them, would spend the rest cycle patrolling the perimeter, looking for threats.
“Don’t take any risks.” He swept his lips over hers, tasting her tartness.
“I won’t.” She stepped away from him, met his gaze.
He looked back at her. For a heartbeat, they didn’t move, didn’t speak.
Then she turned and ran. Her garment fluttered behind her, a long tail on his pale-gold comet of a female.
He watched her. The guards didn’t detect her entrance. That filled him with relief but also with concern. They were unlikely to detect any other dangers.
Moments passed. She didn’t reappear. He could no longer locate her with his lifeform scans or his senses.
That disturbed his beast. Greatly.
Seeking to soothe it, Doc circled the settlement.
He detected remnants of possible danger. Paha tracks were imprinted in the ground. The creatures had approached the settlement; the scent of prey might have attracted them. The light from the guards must have dissuaded them from attacking.
Allinen’s kind weren’t unintelligent. The trees close to the settlement were bare of branches. The marks on their trunks indicated humanoids had been responsible for that. No being could enter the protected terrain that way.
Doc crouched, touched the ground. The trees’ interwoven roots would make burrowing difficult. An enemy couldn’t build a tunnel under the circle of guards without their efforts being noticed.
He walked, listening, watching, scanning the terrain. The beings positioned at the edge of the settlement talked of mates and mating ceremonies—their own and their children’s. Every event, every activity, every announcement seemed to be centered around pairs.
His female would have been the exception…to ev
erything. Others would have looked at her the same way some of his brethren looked at him, a medic amongst warriors, a healer amongst killers.
Neither of them fit into their communities. They had both been alone.
Though not physically.
Are we laying siege to the settlement? Truth appeared by his side, matching his stride.
We’re guarding the settlement. Doc glanced into the depths of the forest.
Dissent carried the miljoonasuut, his new pet, under one of his arms. The creature’s exoskeleton rattled. Its many legs wriggled.
Gnaw is scared of your female’s kind. The J Model explained via a transmission. Their light frightens him.
There’s no need for you to be here. Doc told both of them. I’ll transmit if there’s danger.
We’ve completed our assigned tasks and have nothing more exciting to do. Truth shrugged. Have you uncovered a way to infiltrate your female’s kind?
Having completed one orbit of the settlement, Doc stopped, leaned against a tree trunk, gazed at the last spot he’d seen Allinen. My female is collecting the information on her kind. We should have it by the end of first shift.
There would then be no reason for him to stay on the planet…other than his female’s happiness. Captain might wait for him for a few more planet rotations, but there was a low probability the Reckless would remain above Khambalia 5 for longer than that.
Doc would have to make a decision soon about his and his female’s shared future. I might remain here.
Dissent stared at him, transmitted nothing.
Who wouldn’t want to remain here? It wasn’t Truth’s way to remain silent. There are deadly creatures, killer vegetation, lava pockets. The air and the water are toxic. I love this fraggin’ planet.
Doc, having a precious female to protect, wasn’t as enamored with the terrain. But it was Allinen’s home and her happiness was everything to him.
And your female is here. The D Model clouted him on the shoulder. Warriors would kill for the opportunity to find their females. You’ve done that.
Dissent nodded.
Neither of his brethren remembered his role. That was a complication. A huge one.
I’m the sole medic on board the Reckless. He reminded the warriors. If any of the crew, if Captain, Captain’s female, Chuckles’ female, were damaged, there would be no one to repair them.
Captain would give Surge your role. Truth didn’t hesitate before supplying that solution. Surge could repair them.
Surge was Doc’s former assistant, had been trained by him. He did have the ability to repair beings, was a solid medic with solid skills. Surge wouldn’t accept the role. He’s a medic on board a larger ship.
Surge has contacted Captain one hundred and fifty-two times about transferring back to the Reckless. Truth rolled his eyes. He’d accept the role.
Doc suspected Surge wanted to transfer back to the Reckless to work alongside him. But he didn’t communicate that as he didn’t truly know the male’s motivation and his former assistant would be an adequate replacement for him.
His relief was mixed with regret. He would never repair Captain’s damaged feet, would never repair Chuckles’ malfunctioning knee. That task would be given to another medic. He’d merely hear about it via the transmissions.
His female’s happiness was most important. He gazed at the settlement, battling the urge to go to her, to view her beautiful face, to reassure himself she was undamaged, was safe.
There’s an 80.5812 percent probability that sleeping guard falls over. Truth tilted his head toward one of the Khambalians.
The male leaned forward farther and farther. The light he emitted illuminated his surroundings, would serve as a deterrent for creatures like the miljoonasuut, but his eyes were closed, his visual system shut down.
That deficiency rendered him unsuitable to protect Doc’s female. All systems were required to keep her safe.
The male had earned a reprimand.
Doc picked up a twig from the ground and utilized his cyborg strength to flick it at the Khambalian. Hard.
“Huh.” The male snapped to attention. “Yes. I’m listening.” He rubbed the mark on his forehead. “Ow.”
That was entertaining. Truth laughed through the transmission lines.
The warrior thought it was funny because it wasn’t his female at risk. Doc’s lips twisted.
Truth searched the ground, chose a twig, turned it in his fingers, discarded it, chose another. That one passed inspection.
It’s my turn. The D Model grinned. Give me a target.
Doc pressed his lips together. It would be a long rest cycle.
For him and for the Khambalians.
Chapter Ten
Her cyborg was taking her with him. Excitement surged through Allinen as she entered the settlement. Once she’d retrieved the information he needed, they would leave.
The next part of her life would begin. She’d no longer be one of the unmated, pitied and ignored. A grand adventure beckoned.
She hurried along the pathways. As she passed beings, she casually touched them. They looked at her and frowned but didn’t stop her, didn’t say anything.
That steadied some of her nerves. Her mission, as Doc had called it, wouldn’t be as difficult to complete as she had originally feared.
Allinen approached her domicile. The door was slightly ajar. She frowned but thought nothing of it. No one would take any of her things. That would be noticed in the small settlement. And she had nothing to hide.
She pushed the door open.
Her niece sat upright on her sleeping support. A covering cloth was wrapped around her. Her eyes were bleary with sleep. “Auntie—”
“You shouldn’t be here.” Allinen didn’t want to hear apologies or explanations. “It’s nearing sunset. Your mother will be looking for you.”
Sisko wouldn’t be happy if she found her daughter in Allinen’s domicile.
“She’s angry with me right now.” Vauva shivered.
“She should be angry with you.” Allinen shook her head. Was that why the girl was hiding in her domicile—to avoid her mother’s disapproval? “You’re not making logical decisions.”
“You don’t love me anymore.” Her niece’s bottom lip curled.
Some of Allinen’s irritation deflated. It clearly bothered the girl that her unmated aunt might not care for her.
“I will always love you, Vauva.” She summoned the gentlest smile she could manage. “Even when you have a domicile and a family of your own and look at me with pity, not caring, I’ll continue to love you.”
As she continued to love Sisko, the girl’s mother.
“You want me to go away.” Her niece looked absolutely miserable.
Allinen was tempted to hug her. That might comfort the girl and it would also gather the information her cyborg sought.
But her niece, the child who once begged to be bounced on her knees, now considered herself too mature for hugs. Vauva had told her that multiple times.
Allinen would embrace her sister and her niece when she spoke with them for the last time, when she said her silent goodbyes.
Her heart ached at that thought.
“I asked you to go home, not go away.” She didn’t want Sisko to find her daughter in her domicile. That would cause trouble. “You don’t belong here with me. We’re destined to take different paths.” Especially as she would soon be leaving the planet. “You have a mate and I don’t.” That felt like a lie. Doc considered himself to be her mate and she was beginning to think of him like that. “You should spend more time with beings like you.”
If her niece hung around others and not her, she might not notice her absence as much. She didn’t want the girl to grieve for her when she was gone.
Embarking on an adventure, a happy occurrence for her, shouldn’t be a sad event for the beings she loved. That wasn’t what she wished for them.
“You hate me.” Vauva willfully misunderstood her. The girl drew the cov
ering cloth up to her chin.
“I could never hate you.” Allinen would always love her.
The girl sniffed and turned her head away.
According to her niece, the conversation was over. Allinen still had more to say.
“When you were born, it was one of the happiest planet rotations of my life.” She smiled as she remembered that moment. “Your mother allowed me to hold you for a couple of moments.” That had been surprisingly generous of Sisko. “You were tiny and perfect and you gazed up at me with the fiercest scowl on your beautiful face. I knew you wouldn’t be easy to love.” The girl was like her cyborg in that way. “You’d fight me and disrespect me and hurt me.” As Vauva had done during their previous encounter. “But I also knew I’d never regret loving you and I haven’t. Not once.”
Her niece stared at the wall and didn’t say anything.
She was having a good sulk.
Allinen shook her head. There was no talking to her when she was in one of those moods.
“I’m going out for a few moments.” She grabbed a container, hooking its handle over one of her arms. “Go back to your own domicile, Vauva. Talk with your mother. She loves you and she worries about you.”
It was doubtful her niece would do that but she had to try to fix the breach between mother and daughter. Repair the damage, as her male would say.
Allinen pushed away her concerns as she exited her domicile. After she departed the planet, her niece would continue to carve a place for herself in the community. She would experience a sense of belonging Allinen never had. She would prosper.
Her sister wouldn’t accept anything other than that fate for her only daughter.
Allinen could focus on her own future, her own happiness.
She touched more beings on the route to the market.
When she arrived at that open space, it was crowded with Khambalians. Her kind emitted light and didn’t rely on the sun. Chores were completed. That often designated the rest cycle as a time of celebration.
Under the guise of browsing the market’s offerings, she bumped into and brushed against others. She was gathering information on her male’s behalf yet there were intriguing side effects—she was concerned less and less about what beings thought of her and she felt more connected to everyone. She didn’t feel as separated from them.
