Aster's eyes lit up as she turned to Rom and he winked at her. "We would both enjoy that, Kertus, if you're sure we won't be in the way."
"There's plenty of room on this trip. Follow me and I'll give you a brief tour on the way." The captain escorted them, pointing out rooms and areas as they passed. "This section houses the crew's quarters and the dining room. I'll be staying with the crew for this trip. I think you'll find my cabin satisfactory."
Aster objected immediately. "Captain, we can't possibly allow you to give up your own comfort for us."
"It's already done." He went on to explain the layout of the ship. "The business end of this craft is all housed on the deck below this one, with the exception of the bridge, which is above. Over here are the recreation facilities. There's a complete exercise room with sauna and whirlpool, games, movies and a fair library. You'll be staying here." Kertus placed his hand over the door frame and it disappeared into the wall with a whoosh. Before entering, they reprogrammed it to open to Rom's or Aster's hand.
"It's very handsome, Captain. Thank you." The cabin was larger than the stateroom she had had on the yacht and as nicely appointed, in a decidedly masculine way.
"You have your own supply station in the cabin but you're welcome to eat in the dining room whenever you like. Now, if you're ready, it's time to take off."
Captain Kertus led them to the bridge and directed them to the two seats in the observation area to the side. Rom was relieved to see Aster enjoying herself. Not even a trace of fear lingered in her midnight-blue eyes.
"Don't we need to be belted in or wear special spacesuits or helmets?" Aster inquired.
Rom smiled at her naive question. "Unnecessary. Air pressure, oxygen levels and gravity are all regulated within the ship. There will be a slight pull as we leave the Earth but if you sit still you'll barely notice it."
"Aren't there any windows? I was hoping I'd be able to see out." She was genuinely disappointed.
"The entire bridge is surrounded by protective shields. After we leave Earth's atmosphere, Kertus will transform their molecular structure and they will become transparent. Until then, you can watch that viewer if you want to see what we're passing."
Aster glanced at the screen and was shocked to discover they were leaving the hangar. She had not even realized they were moving. She automatically gripped the arm of her chair and Rom quickly took her hand in his.
The ship smoothly entered the tunnel that would lead them to the planet's surface. Aster intently observed the captain and his crew as they performed their customary routines. Anticipation bubbled up inside her until her fingertips tingled.
Aster detected a subtle change within the craft. The viewer showed only a blur of blacks and grays as the ship shot upward out of the inner core of the Earth. She only felt a sensation of being lifted in a fast elevator, similar to the lift at her apartment.
Some time passed before they broke out of the tunnel and began tearing through the ocean. Aster remembered the wall of water she had witnessed from the deck of The Baronette. Hopefully, there was no Earth ship or plane hovering there today.
Their carrier burst through the frothy surface and Aster felt the slight gravitational pull Rom had spoken of. Suddenly she could see the green of the Sargasso Sea surrounded by the bluer Atlantic Ocean. "Rom, look! There's the Florida coast and the Bahamas." As quickly as she pointed it out, the image encompassed more and more of the Eastern seaboard, large parts of which were hidden by cloud cover.
"How long before they change the shields?" Aster asked, making no attempt to mask her childish delight.
"Soon now. The slowest part of the trip is coming through the tunnel and breaking away from Earth's gravity. By tomorrow you should be able to see Saturn."
"My heavens!"
"I'm sure the captain will be happy to point out anything along our course once he gets us on our way. The asteroid belt is one of the most interesting things you're going to see. Compared to the openness of deep space, it's fairly cluttered. The captain actually earns his credits then."
"I heard that, Romulus," Kertus grumbled. "You're welcome to take over the bridge at any time if you need to impress the lady."
"No, thank you. I'm strictly a passenger this trip."
Aster turned to Rom in surprise and he answered her unspoken question. "Kertus has let me play at being captain on previous trips. He was teasing, believe me."
When the captain transformed the shields, Rom took Aster to a window. Gradually shrinking before her eyes was the planet Aster knew as home. In spite of the cloudy atmosphere, she had no trouble making out the United States and South America and the bodies of water on their borders. She had seen pictures taken by American astronauts but those had not prepared her for this breathtaking view.
"This is unbelievable! Never in my wildest dreams would I have come up with this fantasy. Thank you, Rom." She kissed him despite their audience.
"Aster, do you want to stay here awhile longer or start your lessons and come back later?" Rom asked when the Earth was far behind them.
"My lessons? What lessons?" she asked hesitantly.
Rom's words held a combination of mystery and sensuality. "Come with me and find out."
Her curiosity was aroused enough to follow him anywhere. As soon as they were in their cabin, she asked, "Well? What does my teacher have for me today?" Her arms snaked around his neck to bring his face closer to hers.
Instead of returning her passionate embrace, he kissed her nose, unwrapped her arms and directed her to sit down in a chair. She watched him rummage through the small bag they had carried aboard. When he handed her a thin, leather-bound book, she tilted her head at him.
Rom dragged another chair to a spot directly in front of her and sat down. "It's time for you to start preparing for our joining. This book will explain how you must prepare yourself, what will occur during the ceremony and how it will affect your life afterward. Not only must you read it, you must understand and accept all of what it says before we can be joined. It's necessary for you to memorize the words and actions of the ritual in the proper sequence. We can't practice it ahead of time. There's really not much to learn, but it must be done perfectly. You won't have any trouble. We have a week of solitude ahead of us."
Aster's heart thumped as her fingers opened the cover. Rom placed his hand over hers and reclosed the book. "Before you begin, there's something else we're going to work on together. I came up with an idea to practice your mental control. Hopefully, by the time we're joined, you'll have the basics mastered and sharing my thoughts won't be so confusing."
Setting the book aside, Aster perched on the edge of her chair. "I'm all yours, teach." She wasn't sure if she was anxious to hear his idea or glad for a temporary reprieve from discovering the secrets of the book.
Rom removed two Innerworld rings from his pocket, slid one on her finger and the other on his.
"I thought you didn't have yours."
"This is another one. I've already programmed yours for my signal and mine for yours. This is why I didn't want the homing devices removed yet."
"Oh, dear. I told you what happened when the emissary tried to talk to me. He said my brain was muddled!"
Rom laughed at the funny face she made. "Well, I know it's not. You only need some guidance." Can you hear me?
"Of course I can. Oh! You didn't say that out loud, did you?"
"No, and don't answer me aloud, either. Don't try to give me any lengthy answers. Try for a word or two first." What's your name?
Aster thought she had answered him very easily, but the way his eyebrows bunched together told her she had not accomplished even that simple task.
"What did I do wrong?" she asked, upset with her failure.
"It wasn't completely wrong. I definitely heard you think your name somewhere in there. The problem was all the other thoughts and images thrown in. This room seems very quiet but you picked up a sound and wondered what it was. Your eyes moved to that picture
on the wall and it reminded you of one you'd seen before. Besides that, you're hungry. I'd like to try one thing then we'll get you some food."
"I didn't realize I was thinking all those things at the same time."
Rom ordered something from the supply station and carried it to a table behind her. "Close your eyes," he said as he tied a blindfold on her. "Perhaps if I shut out two of your senses, you'll find it easier to concentrate. After I put these plugs in your ears, I'm going to think a word. All I want you to do is picture the item and try as hard as you can to hold that image, without letting anything else break in. Remember, no talking, okay?"
When Aster nodded, he placed the plugs in her ears.
House.
Aster focused on the outside of their home then bits and pieces of the yard and the interior.
One image, Aster. Pick one and hold it.
She bit her lower lip, determined to send him a single isolated thought. She conjured up the front of the house.
Good. I can see it. You're still wandering, though. Let's try a couple more.
Aster succeeded in sending him a blurred picture of a tree and part of her wristwatch, but after that cheeseburgers and french fries kept interrupting her thoughts. She tore the blindfold off in frustration and threw it down.
I'm never going to be able to do this! I'm hopeless.
Aster! I heard you! It wasn't perfect but I could make it out.
Aster looked as shocked as Rom and tried to tell him something else. Her concentration was lost again however, and Rom decided it was time for a break. He removed her earplugs and deactivated their rings.
"Why don't you have that cheeseburger then I'll leave you alone for a while to start your studies. We'll work some more on that muddled brain of yours later. Maybe we can figure out what you did to block everything else out."
Aster frowned at him then laughed. "Just make sure my stomach's full when we start!"
The second day of their journey passed much like the first. They spent some time on the bridge with Captain Kertus, a few hours working on mental telepathy and a time apart while Aster read and memorized parts of the book for the joining ritual. Their nights were peaceful times for loving and resting.
By the third day Aster had witnessed the dangers in the asteroid belt, spied the rings of Saturn and the oblivion of a black hole.
During their practice that day, she was finally able to remove the blindfold and earplugs and still think clear pictures of Rom's words. Her study of the ritual of joining progressed, although every sentence raised another question since she wasn't familiar with a lot of the terminology. When their trip began, she thought a week was a very long time. Now she worried that it was not long enough.
Aster sat staring at the pages without seeing the words. She knew Rom left her alone to study so he would not distract her but she missed his presence.
He had been gone longer than usual when she decided to try calling him back. She had been getting better at concentrating and had learned how to activate the ring and home in on his signal. She arranged her thoughts and closed her eyes.
Romulus sat in the recreation room, chatting with two of the crew members. In mid-sentence, he was surprised at the vivid image that broke into his thoughts. It was the lagoon, complete with colorful birds and tropical flowers. He opened his mouth to finish his sentence when a second picture popped into his head. He saw himself standing in front of Aster on the ledge where they had had their picnic lunch.
"Romulus? Hello? What happened to the Black Knight?"
"What? Oh, I'm sorry. I suddenly remembered something. I'll finish the story another time." Romulus ignored their puzzled expressions as he hurried from the room.
As Romulus headed toward the cabin, the love scene continued to unfold in his mind, step by passionate step, exactly as it had first occurred the day he introduced Aster to the joys of love. He took his time, knowing where the thoughts were coming from and, rather than shut them out, he chose to see how far she could go with them.
He watched himself kneel at her feet and taste her flesh. His body was on fire but he waited outside their room until he saw the moment in their encounter when he was poised above her, asking permission to enter heaven for the first time.
The whoosh of the door broke her concentration. Aster sat cross-legged in the middle of the bed with a sly grin.
"I received your invitation," he rumbled as he removed their rings and then his clothes. "Why are you so overdressed?"
"I wasn't sure you'd know what I wanted," she murmured innocently. She openly admired him as he dropped his pants to display the proof that he knew precisely what she wanted.
Two days later Aster closed the book and set it aside for the last time. Parts of the joining tradition were simple to follow and she could easily understand the symbolism. Other sections were purposely vague and bordered on the occult. He had only explained that those parts would be clear when the time came.
As if he sensed the completion of her task, Rom returned to the cabin. "I sent a message to my parents. They'll be meeting us. We'll be expected to spend the first day with them and then I'm to appear before the Tribunal the next day."
"Have you thought of how you're going to get me in there with you?"
"We're going to be defending ourselves, not just presenting a request for a waiver of the law. You have every right to be present. I'll insist on it."
"Can you prepare me for that?"
"Unfortunately, I'm not sure what they're going to throw at us. You just keep in mind how I feel. We will be joined the following night regardless."
"I've already accepted that, Rom. All right, tell me about your parents. I want to make a good impression."
Rom turned her around and pulled her down onto his lap in a chair. "You can't help but do that. Just be yourself. Their names are Marcus and Yulan. They are uncomplicated, friendly people, who love each other and their only son without question. And they're going to love you too, you'll see."
"I only pray I can get through this next week without having a nervous breakdown."
"After what you've been through recently, this'll be child's play. Now, what do you say we work a little more today? You were so close this morning. Let's work on words without images this time. If you have to, try concentrating on seeing the word spelled out." What's your name?
A-S-T-E-R, she thought, slowly picturing each letter.
Very good. I especially like the red heart at the end. What's your favorite color?
B-L-U-E.
Where did you live before you came to Innerworld?
S-A-N... San Francisco... California.
What do you want to do when this lesson is over?
Make love to you. Aster's eyes opened wide. The way to send a whole thought at once suddenly came to her. It was so easy she didn't understand why she hadn't figured it out before. She finally knew the difference between regular thinking and directing a specific thought outward. Her attempt had been shaky but she had conquered the concept.
Rom gave her knee a squeeze. "You felt it this time, didn't you?"
Aster hugged him so hard he choked. "I did! I—"
Rom placed his finger on her lips. You're not finished with your lesson yet. Don't get cocky just because you managed to think one sentence. Although I definitely approve of the thought. Rom brought her face close to his and kissed the corners of her mouth. As his tongue traced the outline of her lips and snuck between her teeth, he prodded her to continue her practice. Well? Tell me something else.
When he kissed her like that, Aster could barely think at all, let alone sharpen her new-found skill. The only thing in her head was how he made her feel. It was easier to stick to the subject at hand. I love the way you kiss.
Thank you. Go on. Rom found her tongue and sucked it into his mouth. His hand crept under her shirt to fondle her breast, causing Aster to shift uncomfortably on his lap.
You're not playing fair. I don't want to do this anymore.
&nb
sp; No? What do you want to do? he asked, deepening his kiss.
Rather than answer his foolish question, Aster sent him an explicit depiction that spoke louder than words. Rom deactivated their rings and wasted no time before switching from mental to physical pursuits.
Chapter 23
"Aster, wake up! I want you to see something. Hurry up!"
"Good grief, Rom. How do you manage to wake up so damn chipper? What is it?" She stretched and struggled to wake up for him.
"I was just on the bridge. I could see Norona!" Rom sounded like a little boy on Christmas morning. "I want you to see it before Kertus transforms the shields."
"Are we that close? I need time to make myself presentable before I face your parents."
"We've still got about an hour but I want you to see this first, then you can come back here and fuss all you want."
She donned yesterday's clothes and he hustled her to the bridge. At the window, he pulled her into the circle of his arms with her back snug against his wildly beating heart. Resting his chin on her head, Rom sighed quietly.
"There it is, love. That's Norona."
The planet did not look so different from Earth, except for a complete lack of cloud cover. The greens and browns of the land and blues of the water sparkled in the early-morning sunshine. There seemed to be much more land mass than Earth possessed.
Soon the captain had to reactivate the shields in preparation of their entry into Norona's atmosphere. Rom remained on deck while Aster returned to the cabin. An hour later, Rom showed up to hurry her along. His pacing in the close quarters did not help her building case of nerves.
The landing was no less interesting than their takeoff had been, but Aster was too worried about how Rom's parents would receive her to pay close attention. As they exited the craft, Rom kissed Aster's icy fingers and whispered, "They'll love you." Aster straightened her shoulders and gathered her courage as they approached the man and woman waiting at the bottom of the ramp.
"Rom!" his mother exclaimed and walked into his open arms.
ROMULUS (The Innerworld Affairs Series, Book 1) Page 27
