Regaining Command

by Jennifer Leeland

  "Elise—” He started as confusion washed over him.

  Her vid phone rang again. He cursed. She shrugged and answered it.

  Donny leaned against the wall and crossed his arms as Jonah's face showed on the vid screen. “I called to say ‘goodnight'.” He grinned and Donny wanted to smash the monitor.

  "No, you didn't.” Elise shook her head. “You called to make sure I'd be there tomorrow night."

  "That too."

  Her gaze met Donny's. “I'll be there. Same time?"

  "Same time. Will you have company again?” Jonah's voice was filled with amusement, and Donny gritted his teeth.

  "Yes. But you don't mind, do you.” It wasn't a question, but a statement.

  "Are you kidding? I had more fun tonight than I usually do. See you tomorrow.” Jonah signed off.

  Elise's steady gaze held his. “Do you have a problem with that, Pasquel?"

  He stiffened at the tone she used. He sighed. What right did he have to protest? What right did he have to make any demands? “No. I don't have a problem with it."

  "I have to get some work done before I meet the ambassador tomorrow so I'd like to get some sleep."

  "Fine.” Donny pushed away from the wall and turned to the small cot in the corner. “I promise I won't bother you."

  He lay in the dark and cursed himself for the violent nature beneath his skin.

  [Back to Table of Contents]

  Chapter Three

  The next day began well as Donny and Elise kept their interactions professional, even friendly. Elise rose and showered after only five hours of sleep. Donny had even less. She began to tabulate the data she had acquired at the Temple site. Lucky for him, Donny got to hear every detail as she used her voice activated program to write her report for Earth Central.

  "The new items found at the Temple are made of a substance not native to Asberek currently. It seems to be a polymer which would indicate something synthetic, not natural, but it's too early to make any assumptions.” Elise tabulated more of her notes on her computer. “Please see the attached digital photographs of the vessels we found just under the layer of debris. We've dated this item as four-hundred-years-old, which means it was already very old when the Asberekian culture vanished a hundred years ago. My theory is that these vessels were used in some religious ceremony, and it's centered on the Dormrelian fascination with the genetic code."

  Donny peered at the photographs on her screen. Tall urn-like containers, majestic and a bronze color with two concentric circles joined filled the monitor. He'd seen them before but he couldn't remember where. When the scientists had found them, he'd been profoundly disturbed. A memory, like a drop in a calm pool, sent rings out of other memories—memories best forgotten.

  "Inside these vessels were unusual stones also not found on Asberek. It is my contention that these stones are of some significance to the Dormrela.” A picture of the stones replaced the urns, and Donny's fist clenched. Smooth as glass and swirled with color, the blue, green and red stones glistened and glowed. In the dark, they were like beacons. Even Elise wasn't sure what their composition was, and she gave a sample to the geologists here at the Causeway.

  "The stones are luminous, aesthetically beautiful and made of a very hard substance I cannot identify. Dr. Valare has them now and I hope to have his report by the end of this week.” The next picture opened on the screen of the inscriptions they'd found on the wall in one of the corridors before the explosion that killed two of the archeologists. “These inscriptions seem to depict an ancient ritual. Dr. Mosely speculated that the ritual may have involved blood sacrifice, but with his demise, I cannot access his notes on the subject.” Elise rubbed her forehead with her hand. Donny ached to comfort her, hold her and tell her it would be fine.

  Which were the very feelings that meant he should stay the hell away from Dr. Elise Fleming.

  "In conclusion, we have at least another year on site just to scratch the surface. I believe the human colony has an investment in the discoveries at the Temple since it may give clues as to how the human population lived here.” Elise flicked off the program and flung the earpiece away.

  "You made a good argument.” Donny kept his tone light.

  "It's not enough.” She shoved her chair away from her work station. “Why do you think the Dormrela have sent this Ambassador Slavern? Because the Dormrela want us to stop digging. They hold that site sacred, and we're desecrating it."

  "You've shown nothing but respect."

  Her grey eyes warmed as she smiled. “I'm glad you think so. The problem is, this isn't about the work. This is about politics."

  "What do you want to keep from the Dormrela?"

  She stared at him. “What do you mean?"

  He sighed. She needed to show a little more trust in him. “I'm not stupid. You lied to the senator. You don't want to meet this ambassador. What do you want to hide?"

  She hesitated. Then, “I don't want him to know we discovered the key to the book."

  "Ah.” He nodded. That discovery had made her whole face light up. A tablet made of a thin sheet of shiny material that contained basic text to translate the book they'd found six months earlier. “You don't want him to know about the writings on the wall. The ones you were able to translate."

  "That's right.” She paced her lab, and Donny watched her with pleasure. Every step was sharp and quick, just like the rest of her. The energy she exuded was addicting to him.

  "Then don't tell him."

  "Easy for you to say.” She stopped pacing and ran an impatient hand through her hair. “You don't have to come up with bullshit to fool him with."

  "You've discovered many things. Divert him."

  She snorted. “Again, easy for you to say."

  Donny checked his watch. “The ambassador is landing in fifteen minutes."

  "I know. I know.” She clicked on her computer and transferred files to her handheld.

  "What did those writings say? You haven't even told Earth Central."

  She shot a quick glance at his face. “It's a formula."

  "For what?” Dread clamped over his stomach.

  "It's a recipe to turn human DNA into Dormrelian DNA."

  He closed his eyes. A deadly recipe. He ought to know.

  * * * *

  Her foot tapped on the tile floor as she waited for the shuttle to power down. Behind her, Donny stood silent and distant.

  She cursed herself again for panicking the night before. Her opportunity had come to have Donny Pasquel just the way she wanted him—hard and fast—but when he'd landed on top of her and she couldn't breathe, she reacted.

  Now, she wanted him even more, but the chances of the man wanting her after she'd nailed him in the balls with her knee were slim and none.

  Focus, Elise.

  Ambassador Slavern was going to poke and prod, so she needed to be on her toes. She'd met a Dormrelian representative when negotiations took place six months earlier, so the sight of the ambassador didn't shock her.

  Tall, solid and graceful, this Dormrelian was an entirely different specimen from the one she'd met months ago. His scales were a golden color and his four arms were huge. His face, though hard from the solid surface, still had human-like features. Four eyes stared at her as he sauntered into the Causeway.

  She bowed at the waist and took the hand he proffered. “Welcome to Asberek, Ambassador."

  "I have looked forward to meeting you.” The ambassador didn't use a Mechanical Interpreter, which meant he knew how to speak her language. His voice, undistorted, was low and beautiful.

  "And I you. Would you like a tour of the facility first or would you like to see your quarters?"

  The ambassador's gaze had swerved to Donny who stood like a shadow behind her. “I am ... honored to meet you. Donny Pasquel.” One of his right hands reached out and Donny didn't hesitate as he met the huge paw. “I wish to ... apologize—is that the word?” he asked Elise and she nodded. “Yes, I wish to apologize f
or the Dormrela."

  "Your government has already done so.” Donny bowed at the waist. “I am petache."

  He used the Dormrelian word for deeply honored and appreciative. Elise was grateful that Donny showed so much respect. After his experiences with Kliro, he didn't have any reason to.

  "Tenoke a’ vanneti." The ambassador bowed to Donny. Elise didn't know what that meant at all, but Donny seemed startled.

  "Tenoke eh’ petache." Donny seemed moved by whatever Ambassador Slavern had said, and she met Donny's gaze in a silent question, but he only moved aside so that she and the ambassador could start down the hallway.

  As they strode down the corridor, she studied the ambassador. His eyes were a dark brown, almost black, with no iris. The four orbs were like lasers that flicked to every detail of Slavern's surroundings. His four arms were at his side as he walked. His chest was massive, and he wore a short blue tunic and pants of a soft black material that seemed to shimmer. Around his neck was a pendent with the now familiar two circles. His status as an ambassador was indicated by the pierced ear on his left and the dangled earring with two round stones that shimmered in the light. She wondered if he was like the Dormrela who once occupied the Temple.

  It was as if she'd been studying human culture in the nineteenth century and then met a human being from the twentieth.

  His gaze met hers. All four of his eyes zeroed in on her face. “You are wondering about me."

  "How do you know how to speak our language?"

  "It is taught to all ambassadors. From the time the Ang brought humans here to Asberek, the language has been studied and spoken.” He smiled, and his face changed. It lightened, seemed younger, more human. “I am the most fluent. It is the reason I received this assignment."

  "You certainly speak it very well."

  Without breaking stride or turning his gaze, the ambassador asked Donny, “Are you fluent in Dormrekian?"

  "Kliro taught me much.” Donny's answer was short and staccato. Elise heard pain and anguish there, even though his face revealed nothing.

  "I hope he did not teach you to hate us.” The ambassador still kept his gaze ahead of them.

  "On the contrary.” Donny's tone was mild. “He taught me to respect and admire Dormrelian culture.” Elise caught an underlying bitterness, regret, beneath the words.

  "It is my understanding that there has been a permanent ... change.” Slavern stumbled over the last word.

  "My genetic code will never be the same,” Donny revealed, and Elise turned her head to stare at him. “I do not suffer in any way from it."

  The ambassador stopped and turned all four of his eyes on Donny's face. “You would have been a welcome addition to our race."

  Something in Donny's expression broke Elise's heart. There was a desperation, a need there that twisted his features and seemed so sad. It was gone in a flash, and he smiled. She knew that smile. It covered, hid, what he really thought or felt. She'd seen it before. His tone was light when he said, “I appreciate that."

  Deep inside him, Elise realized Donny wanted to be part of that culture, had taken dangerous injections to be Dormrela. He'd not only been denied that ultimate prize, but would forever be changed because of his attempt.

  She laid a hand on his arm. “I'm glad you're still one of us.” She said it even though it probably wasn't diplomatic in front of the ambassador. He needed to know she was glad he was still human.

  When he gazed at her face, she couldn't read his expression, but he didn't remove her hand either. Instead, he grasped it and held it as they continued to walk down the corridor.

  The ambassador talked as if nothing had just occurred. “I am hoping to see some of the artifacts from the Temple."

  "I am eager to show you,” she lied.

  Somehow she had to keep the formula she'd found under wraps. Luckily, she'd been the one to find and document the drawings, so her fellow archeologists wouldn't be able to spill the beans.

  They reached her work room and the doors opened to the sterile controlled environment of the storage facility. Here, she kept the urns, the containers, the writings and all of the photographs from the Temple. Surprisingly, no one else was there. Usually some of her team were there compiling the information in preparation for their lengthy reports for Earth Central.

  Apparently, they all took today off.

  She yanked out a large drawer and showed the ambassador a glass case filled with small artifacts, mostly jewelry, they'd uncovered. “I'm fascinated by the prevalence of the concentric circles.” She pointed to a beautiful, polished pendant that contained gold inlet circles on its smooth surface. “We speculate that, like your pendant,” she indicated the necklace around his neck, “they wore this symbol as a religious indicator.” She gazed at Slavern. “Would that be a correct assumption? Or are we wrong?"

  Something reverent in the ambassador's face caught her attention as he stared at the pendant in the case. “No. You are not wrong."

  "It's a symbol we've seen on every wall and every item we've recovered. Dr. Carstairs discovered it represents Dormrelian DNA, but is there a different significance in your culture?"

  His gaze didn't swerve from the case, and one of his thick fingers stroked the glass. “It is ... there is no word in English for it.” He glanced at her. “It is about our DNA structure, but it is also about our history, our world view."

  "I'm curious to know how your history applies to this symbol.” Elise stared at the scaled features of the ambassador. “It may help me understand the artifacts I'm finding."

  Slavern raised his head, and his gaze locked on hers. For an instant, she thought she read resentment and anger in his expression, but his tone was mild and formal. “The circles represent the connection between all living things. The history of our people is based on a lie.” There was no anger in his demeanor now, but Elise frowned as he continued. “We believed for centuries that the Ang used our DNA for experiments, for their own survival, at the expense of our freedom.” The ambassador straightened, but the fingers of one hand absently stroked the glass of the case. “Our beliefs state that all living things have worth in the universe, from the largest predator to the smallest prey."

  The way the man said the word “prey” made Elise shiver. “So, these are religious symbols?"

  His face shuttered and shut her out. “Not as you consider them."

  Her eyebrows rose. “Then, they are political symbols?"

  "No.” The word was short, clipped.

  She sighed with frustration. “I see. Are they taboo then?"

  "Taboo?” He tried the word and frowned. Clearly, he was puzzled by the word.

  "Off limits. Forbidden."

  "Forbidden.” His expression was thoughtful, and his glance touched Donny's face. “No, it is not a forbidden symbol."

  "I don't understand.” She shook her head. “It is a very important symbol to your culture, yet you don't seem to want to talk about it."

  Two of his hands near his lower body clenched into fists, and the other two arms lifted as he shrugged. “As I said, there is no word in English for it."

  "What is the word in Dormrekian?” Donny's voice made her start.

  Slavern stared at Donny and hesitated. Donny's gaze seemed to challenge him, dare him, to speak. Finally, the ambassador spoke, his voice heavy and dark. “Rachlania"

  Donny had been leaning against the wall, and now he bolted forward and glared at the ambassador. “You're lying."

  The Dormrela shook his head. “No. It is truth."

  "What is 'Rachlania',” she demanded, her eyes swerved from Donny's red, angry face to the tightened, scaled features of the ambassador.

  Neither man spoke at first. Finally, Donny answered her without breaking eye contact with the Dormrela. “It's a planet, a myth."

  "What myth?” She was fascinated. She'd never come across the word in any of the writings she'd studied.

  Donny still glared at the ambassador. “The Dormrela believe there i
s a planet, a place, where all life began. Their creation myth is that the Dormrela are descendents of a powerful race and they were exiled, enslaved by the Ang.” His tone was so bitter that Elise stared at him. His gaze wrenched away from Slavern, and glared at her. “It was a bedtime story Kliro used to tell me."

  "Does the myth say where the planet is located?” she asked both men.

  Again, Donny and Slavern's gazes clashed and the ambassador answered her in a slow, careful tone. “Rachlania ach’ yostnadle"

  Donny sneered as he translated for Elise. “Rachlania is in the wormhole."

  "Wormhole?” Elise frowned. “How did your ancestors know about wormholes?"

  Slavern oozed reluctance as he spoke. “They were ancient space travelers even before the Ang found them. The Ang took them through the wormhole."

  "It's a legend.” Donny vibrated with anger. Why did this myth make him so enraged?

  Slavern's four hands clenched into fists and then relaxed as he shrugged. “It's our history and the origin of this symbol.” He flashed a smile at Elise. “Which is what Dr. Fleming asked of me."

  As quickly as color had flushed Donny's face and he'd jumped into the conversation, he retreated against the wall again. His expression was blank, and he blended into the background.

  The rest of the tour was a series of banalities as the ambassador pretended to be interested in pottery shards, and Elise avoided direct questions about any symbols found at the location. Donny remained a silent ghost behind them and said nothing more.

  After four hours, Elise's face hurt from smiling, and she just wanted to have a drink and a good fuck with Jonah.

  The ambassador seemed willing to part company as well. “I am dining with Dr. Carstairs and Dr. Meiner,” he told her. “I hope to spend more time with you while I am here."

  "Of course. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask."

  "You are too kind.” His tone held a little irony.

  As she met his challenging stare, it was clear he knew she hadn't told him all she'd discovered. She raised her chin. Let him try and find out. She wasn't giving up this site without a fight.