The Naked Truth

by Lilly Cain

  “I…I waited so they would believe and go for it—attack the meeting. I knew there would be at least three of our ships there, as well as yours. I couldn’t believe men like these could have enough resources to succeed in doing much damage to that kind of a meeting… But if they attacked the Starforce school…There are children there, and not much in the way of defense. I grew up there.”

  Asler saw the acceptance in her eyes. “You did what you had to, to save as many as you could.”

  “Yes.”

  Susan turned back to watch herself sobbing the coordinates of the meeting out to her torturer. Smoke curled up from the wound on her thigh. The injured woman barely looked up as another presence entered the room, but Asler caught Susan stiffen beside him, heard her soft gasp of surprise.

  A tall, lanky man, the newcomer wasn’t someone Asler recognized, but what he saw around his neck was as clear as crystal. If he could have ripped it from the grinning man’s neck he would have in a heartbeat.

  “Flight Lieutenant Cohen! I can’t believe he’s a part of this!”

  “I don’t believe he is, Susan. Take this moment, this memory, and with me, stop it. Hold it still, Susan.” Movement ceased around them, the image of the memory warping for a moment as Susan struggled to work with Asler’s mental commands.

  Asler walked closer to the newcomer terrorist. A glowing band of metal circled tight to his throat. He pointed it out to Susan. “This is a Gathan invention, a kind of portable disguise. It projects an image tightly to the body of the wearer, nearly undetectable except for the unit itself.”

  “You mean that’s not Cohen?”

  “I’d have to say no. Considering the height, I’d say that probably isn’t even a human. Likely a Gathan—a blue-skinned race that the Confederacy rejected not long ago. They don’t share their technology easily. The terrorists probably didn’t even know it, but they have been working with the Ravagers. And now we have proof.”

  The memory began to flow around them again, and together they watched as Susan was forced to repeat her information again and again. The Gathan watched everything carefully but never said a word. Finally Susan was dragged back to her cell. This time there was no beating, just a sharp push into a wall, and then she was left to collapse onto the floor and sob her grief out.

  “Susan, the door isn’t quite shut.” Asler pointed it out to her, but he could feel her flow of emotion. She had known it was open, even when she had been held captive.

  “I know. I saw it then. I might have escaped. But…”

  “Yes? What stopped you? Why didn’t you run?”

  “Does it really matter?”

  “You know it does.” He reached out to clasp her hand with his.

  “I thought that if I were here, I might be able to stop them, to do something from inside.” Susan paced inside the cell, so near the image of her memory self.

  “There is more.” Asler led her as his training dictated—to the truth.

  “No, I’d told them the truth and they would die from it, attacking a target they couldn’t hope to win against. I would sabotage them.”

  “More,” Asler insisted.

  “I was hurt…and I knew if I were caught they would hurt me more. I was…afraid.”

  “You couldn’t move for the fear, could you?”

  “No,” she choked out. “It was everywhere, and I was drowning in it.” Her thoughts were ragged, the sensation of them raw to Asler’s senses. He opened himself to her, wrapped her trembling psyche into his arms. Facing the truth about herself, this was the ultimate form of bravery. In that moment he held her, he faced his own truth. The emotion he had been avoiding in himself radiated over them both.

  He loved her.

  Sue opened her eyes to the bland color and curving shape of Asler’s office ceiling. She glanced around, but the room stood empty, save her and the simple low couches. Even his desk had disappeared into the wall. Asler’s discarded robe covered her, its gentle warmth scented with Asler’s unique aroma. She pressed her face to it, reveled in the moment. They had found what they needed to prove the Ravager involvement in the terrorist attacks. Success gave her back some of the pride she’d lost, and the truth freed her, at least from her personal guilt over not trying to escape.

  Sue sat up, shivering slightly as she left the warmth of the heated couch. The unpleasant sensation traveled to her stomach. They had proved the outside involvement, but had they proved her innocence?

  She stood and walked to the lavatory. It too stood empty. The lack of noise, something she hadn’t noticed before, seemed to reverberate in her ears. She opened the cupboard that had housed the clothing she had borrowed earlier, but could only find more pettan coverings. She pulled on a fresh set and, uncertain what to do with her old one, left it on the floor near the ultrasonic cleanser.

  She walked back through the office and to the bedroom, hesitating at the doorway. A tingle of desire swept through her, and her lips curved as thoughts of the satisfaction she had achieved here slipped through her mind. Her smile faded. She’d almost gone too far here, as well. Almost.

  She wandered back to the office and nearly sat down on the couch again, then stood uncertainly. Her stomach growled. At least that was something she could do. Years onboard ships had taught her to remember each step, and she was fairly certain she could find the dining room again. She’d almost reached the door when she hesitated again. Do I really want to go back there alone? She could feel the heat rising in her face. Do single people even go there?

  She pressed her lips together. This wasn’t like her. She was hungry, she would go and get something to eat. God knew she had no idea how to work Asler’s desk, and that was where he had ordered food in the room.

  She stepped up to the door and waited for the scanner to recognize her as it had when she had gone out with Asler. When nothing happened, she waved her hand in front of the scanner. The equipment stayed silent.

  Sue’s throat constricted. She was still considered a prisoner. With a sigh, she retuned to the couch and wrapped herself again in Asler’s robe, cuddling into it like a blanket for its warmth, and she admitted to herself, for the comfort his scent offered to her.

  “Asler,” she called out to him telepathically. She waited but there was no answer, not even the warm presence of his mind.

  She shook her head. Who was she kidding? The only contact she’d achieved with him was when she was right there in his gentle arms.

  Sue slumped down on the couch, held her head in her hands. She didn’t move when the door slid open, didn’t even look up until she heard the crack of her commander’s voice.

  “Captain Branscombe! Attention, officer on deck.”

  Sue leapt to attention, her head snapping forward as she peripherally took in the appearance of Base Commander Davies, Asler and his commander Jannii Finar at the door. Her heart beat a rapid tattoo as she realized belatedly that she had dropped the robe and now stood in only her pettan.

  Immediately she flushed from the roots of her hair to the tips of her breasts.

  “This! This is exactly what I was afraid of.” Her commander growled as he paced forward and picked up the robe to cover her exposed body.

  “Captain Branscombe has not been mistreated in any way,” Finar stated calmly.

  “Perhaps not in your understanding, but going around half-dressed in public goes against our moral codes,” Davies ranted. “Besides, you can’t tell me that there is nothing going on between Captain Branscombe and Kiis. It’s written all over them. That is not allowed in the Starforce Marines. Branscombe has been trained to obey all commands by her superiors—it’s the chain of command. If she’s been coerced by your Examiner acting as her superior, Starforce considers that a form of rape.”

  “Susan has not been coerced!” Asler crowded the base commander, the two men facing off in the confines of the office and nearly knocking Sue over. “She has been physically healed, and we have been investigating her memories for the truth, as well as heal
ing the damage done to her psyche.”

  “I think she’s had quite enough of your kind of healing.” Davies leaned in toward the enraged Inarrii, his fisted hands like loaded weapons ready at his sides.

  Sue’s stomach dropped. Nausea washed over her. The most important men in her life were going to kill each other, right in front of her. Not only would the Treaty come to a screeching halt, Sue thought her heart would, as well.

  “Sir,” she began, her voice shaky.

  “Not a word, Branscombe, until we get you to our own people. This interrogation is over.” Davies grabbed her arm, nearly dragging her from the room.

  Commander Finar stood aside and let them leave, staring pointedly at Asler’s fuming face. Sue hoped he was mentally commanding the man to stand down before things went too far.

  “It will be okay,” she sent to Asler as she stepped into the corridor.

  “What just happened?” Asler demanded. “Why are we letting him take her? After all I just told you?” He paced the office, wishing for once that it were bigger. His briefing with Finar had been interrupted by the arrival of the suspicious human base commander, but there had been enough time to describe the involvement of the Gathan and the likely involvement of the Ravagers in the recent terrorist attacks. “I thought the Confederacy was in complete control of the investigation.”

  Finar watched him pace, his features calm. “We have what we need in regard to the Ravager involvement. And I believe you have enough memories to present Captain Branscombe’s state of mind during her captivity and the reasoning behind her disclosure of information.”

  “She barely had time to admit her own fear. There is no way for her to heal like this. We must get her back.”

  “You care for her. I am sorry, but the negotiations are at a very delicate stage, really just the beginning of the most important agreements. We must let her return to her Starforce.”

  “They won’t understand.”

  Finar laid a hand on his shoulder. “A formal trial will be held later this week, and your findings will be presented in written format. We will be able to observe. Her people will surely take care of her, Asler.”

  Finar left the office. Asler resisted an uncharacteristic urge to rip the place apart as he continued to pace. Susan might be physically safe with her people, but she would not heal. She’d barely admitted her fear, and she had yet to truly deal with the torture she’d experienced. Now she faced the human’s questions and would no longer have a complete set of memories—those that they had observed would no longer be the same. How would she explain that? How could she answer without him beside her?

  A soft chime rang at the office door. Asler ignored it. The only person he longed to see would already be on her way to the Starforce Base on Earth.

  The chime rang again.

  With a snarl, Asler opened the door, only to face a concerned friend, Co-Examiner Salis. Asler turned his back on the concert, marching once again the length of his office.

  “You must calm down, Asler. We can hear you all over the ship.” Salis stepped inside the room and shut the door.

  Asler stopped midstep. He looked over his shoulder at Salis. He is telling the truth. I must stop. He sat slowly on the low couch and took a deep breath. “This is intolerable,” Asler complained aloud. “They have taken Susan back to Earth to answer questions about memories she may no longer even have.”

  “You initiated m’ittar densah?” Salis sat as well, facing him from the second couch. “Was it truly necessary?”

  “Her pain was too great, and we needed to see clearly any clue that the Ravagers might be involved in the attacks.”

  “I’m sorry I haven’t been here for you. I have been attending the Treaty talks.”

  Asler grimaced. “Better you than me.”

  “All this vocality is tiring. Has your human charge convinced you to live so orally? Or is that just a benefit of such a beautiful woman?” Salis leered at him, clearly trying to lighten Asler’s spirits with his version of humor.

  Asler sighed. It all came back to Susan. He couldn’t release the tension from his body. Broad bands of it held him tightly even in the company of an old friend. “You’ve been talking to Commander Finar.”

  Salis leaned forward, the smile disappearing from his face. “Yes, I have. You’ve become attached to this woman.”

  “She is incredible. Brave, beyond what I had expected, intelligent, loyal and highly sensual. She has talents in m’ittar that are completely unpredicted in humans.”

  “That is a concern, Asler. Both that you have become so attached and that she has wild m’ittar. Are you completely certain of her innocence?”

  Asler’s lips pressed tightly together as anger pulsed through his L’inar. “She is Ya’lenali.”

  Salis leaned back, his features once again relaxing. “So you have made your choice. I wish you well. If she is your intended, well, we’ll get her back. Have you performed M’itta lensahn?”

  Asler’s shoulders relaxed as his friend spoke about the ritual mating without any sense of judgment. Salis’s easy acceptance of his choice and his offer to help meant many things, not the least of which was likely acceptance of a human as mate by most of the Inarrii.

  “Not yet. It was amazing though. She doesn’t really understand, but she actually initiated the beginning herself. I had told her some of the meaning of the L’inar, and she understood what she was offering, at least on some level.” He ran a hand across his jaw. The L’inar along the sides of his face had risen slightly at the thought of Susan’s actions in bed, when she had thought he was asleep.

  Salis laughed. “You are looking a little heated, my friend.”

  “Someday, when you have made your choice, I will be there for you, my friend. I need her. And I am afraid. She has no one to protect her.”

  Chapter Ten

  Sue shivered as a chill passed through her. Despite the fact that she was now fully clothed in her uniform, she felt exposed and cold under the watchful eyes of the Starforce Inquiries Board and the guards they seemed to feel were necessary. Her chill matched the uneasy sensation of frustration that was quickly building inside her as they asked the same questions again and again.

  “Who is the leader of the terrorist group Terran Purity? Who held you captive?” The questions came again. They seemed to be getting as frustrated as she was. “What is your involvement with the group?”

  “I am not involved with any terrorist group. I am a loyal member of Starforce. I was held against my will and tortured.”

  “Describe the terrorist leader.” This was where the trouble began again. Asler had been right, some of the memories were damaged, some scrambled.

  “I’m not sure. He hurt me…”

  “We are aware of the extent of your injuries, Captain Branscombe. The question is when did you receive them, before or after you told them the location of the first Treaty talks?” demanded a young lawyer. He banged his fist against the table as he spoke, his impatience growing with the volume of his voice.

  She missed the quiet of the alien ship, the peace in Asler’s arms.

  “Your attention, Captain Branscombe! Describe again what it is that you can remember, please.”

  “I’m sorry. As I mentioned, when As…Examiner Kiis and I reviewed the memories using his process of m’ittar, it changed some, and even removed some. I can’t describe those things.”

  She tried to remain calm as she spoke. This was the third day of questioning, and everyone, herself included, were growing tired of the same responses. She couldn’t give them answers—those had been left behind with Asler.

  If I could just go back… Loneliness left a bitter taste on her tongue. Bereft without Asler, it was only the knowledge that what she had witnessed would be passed on and possibly save the Treaty that kept her going. No one believed her sudden loss of memory.

  “Let’s go back to your time with the Inarrii,” a newcomer commented.

  Sue looked up at his tone. Something w
as off with the way he twisted his lips. She had seen him attending the question session yesterday and the day before, but this was the first time he’d spoken. She didn’t recognize the insignia he wore.

  “I’ve had some recent information about this m’ittar.” Sue stiffened at the tone of his voice as he continued. “I’ve had detailed reports on the mind contact and how the Inarrii use physical contact to smooth the way, so to speak.”

  “I don’t know what you mean,” she said, her voice as cold as the chill racing again down her back.

  “I understand you were practically nude when we collected you from the Inarrii ship Horneu. That you were confined to quarters with Kiis the entire time you were onboard.”

  Rage chased away the chill Sue had been feeling. Only the base commander had known that. How could he have exposed her this way? Davies hadn’t attended any of the hearing so far. Perhaps this was why.

  Her heart pounded. “Aside from the two days I spent in the medical lab healing from torture, that is correct.”

  Murmurs raced through the Board. They were frustrated at the lack of progress in this investigation; would they now take this out on her in a different way? For the first time, Sue felt frightened. The Inarrii and their understanding of sex was different than that of the general populace of Earth. It seemed that no matter how far Earth advanced, the differences in the sexes and the importance of the male/female relationship were points of contention.

  The annoying man stood. “So, you were alone with an Inarrii male, attempting mind contact to review the very memories you claim to no longer be able to access. He claims you are innocent of any involvement with the terrorists, and has made a report to this council to that effect.” He paced closer to where Sue sat facing the Board. “Tell me, Captain, you were pretty good at giving the terrorists information, and evidently Kiis was…satisfied by you. What have you got for us? Nothing but claims of broken memories.”