Transcend

by Sandra R Neeley

  “What is wrong with Kol? Did they take him prisoner on Earth?” Rokai asked.

  “Not exactly,” Bart answered.

  Rokai gave the holovid his attention as Bart spoke to him. “I don’t understand,” Rokai said.

  “He’s been assigned as an ambassador to Earth Base 28 for the next three years. He is in a precarious position, and we’ve decided to send him temporary assistance.”

  “I am not living on Earth for three years!” Rokai insisted with a snarl.

  “And we wouldn’t ask it of you. He will not need assistance for the entire three years. Just for a short time until we can remove the current Consul from governing Base 28 and the sectors in that region.”

  “And why do I care about that?” Rokai ahl asked.

  “Because,” Quin answered. “We’re sending Ba Re’ and Kron. Kron was leading the Elite Forces Team in Kol’s absence, but as he’ll be joining Kol, you’ll now be leading the team.”

  “Oh, no. No, no, no, no, no. I will not be leading a damn thing. I’m newly mated and taking my Ehlealah on an extended tour of all the worlds I’ve traveled. I will not be trapped on Command Warship 1. That is your chosen life, brother, not mine,” Rokai ahl snapped, shaking his head so vigorously his braids flew haphazardly about his face.

  “There is no other that can take the place of Kron,” Ba Re’ said matter-of-factly.

  “Not a single other male in all of Cruestace?” Rokai ahl asked sarcastically.

  “There’s not. We all agree that there is no other male of your skill set, no other male of your loyalty to our people who will temporarily assume responsibility and be willing to step down when Kron and/or Kol returns to resume their positions,” Quin explained.

  At the recognition of his battle and fighting skills, Rokai puffed his chest out a little. “I have honed my talents in a rather unique arena,” he conceded.

  “Exactly. And you don’t want the position permanently, so you’ll have no problem handing off the responsibility and moving on your way when Kron and Kol return,” Ba Re’ answered.

  “I don’t know,” Rokai ahl said. “This is not the adventure I promised my Ehlealah.”

  “Are you afraid you cannot hold your own against our Elite Forces?” Kron asked.

  “You know damned well I held my own against all I trained with, and then some!” Rokai answered.

  “I need your assistance, Rokai. It’s as simple as that. Will you not help us?” Quin asked.

  Rokai grumbled and stomped around the conference room, from time to time meeting the eyes of his brother, Ba Re’, and Kron.

  “Fine,” he finally agreed. “I’ll do it. But only until one of them is able to return, then I want my life back!”

  “Thank you, Rokai,” Quin got to his feet to move around the table and hug his brother.

  “And I want another favor from Bart!” Rokai said, shoving his finger in the air above his head.

  “What kind of favor? When?” Bart asked, his irritation evident in his voice.

  “I don’t know yet! But there will come a time that I’ll need one,” Rokai said, his arms folded across his chest.

  “Bart?” Quin asked.

  Bart rolled his eyes. “Oh, very well! You’d call me to get me to help his irritating hide anyway! Done! Granted! Are you going to do what we ask now?” Bart demanded.

  “Yes! I will be Elite Commander Rokai ahl Tel Mo’ Kok, feared the multi-verse over!” Rokai ahl said, striking a dramatic pose with his hands on his hips and his chin lifted in the air as he gazed out across the room.

  “Gods help us,” Ba Re’ mumbled.

  Chapter 10

  Kol smiled when he realized that Ada Jane was suspicious of anyone living in close proximity to him. She may not realize it yet, but she already thought of him as hers.

  “Elisher is my attache’. As an added bonus to my new position, I am given a suite of rooms, and the option to use my attache’ at will. I can even move my attache’ into my rooms to give me easier access to them. I believe the assignment of an attache’ is meant to reduce my stress levels so that I may concentrate on my work itself.”

  Ada Jane had stopped walking beside Kol.

  Kol looked down to the spot she should be standing in and realizing she wasn’t there, turned back to see where she’d stopped and why.

  Ada Jane stood exactly where she’d stopped in her tracks, her eyebrows raised as she looked quizzically at him. “How good is your English? What exactly do you think attache’ means, and what exactly are you using her for?”

  “My English is very good. I even know some of the slang words thanks to Vivi.”

  “The rest of my question…” Ada Jane prompted.

  “Attache’ is, I believe, an assistant of sorts. One who assists you in any way you indicate you need assistance,” Kol answered, still not understanding her line of questioning.

  “That’s what it’s supposed to mean. How are you using your assistant, and why is she living with you?”

  Kol understood then. His Ehlealah was still under the impression that he was living with another female. Kol smiled, showing her all his very pointed teeth. “Elisher is small and could come under attack from those in power at Base 28 because I am auditing all their functions and histories since the last elected official came into power. They are not happy with me at the moment. When I am away from the base, I need to know that Elisher is safe from attack and free to continue the research I’ve assigned. Without Elisher’s assistance, I would truly be overwhelmed. I could do the research myself, but it wouldn’t leave me the opportunity to court you properly and win your heart.”

  “You’re trying to win my heart?” Ada Jane asked, a soft smile curving her lips.

  “I am. The only reason I came to Earth was to find you, win your heart and beg you to accept me.”

  “But, I thought you have a new position here…”

  “I do. Bart made me an Ambassador. I thought it was only to give me permission to be on your planet, but it appears Bart has ulterior motives. He wishes me to perform tasks that others have not been able to perform. They could be dangerous. But, I am not afraid. I fear nothing.” Kol smiled sweetly at Ada Jane, then let the smile fall to show her his heart in his eyes and adoring expression. “Except not receiving your acceptance,” he admitted. “I can survive all else,” he said sincerely.

  Ada Jane hurried to Kol, and lifted her hands to his shoulders. “I have not refused you. And I’m ridiculously happy to see you. But I’m not much further than I was on your ship. I need time to find my place, Kol. I need time to adjust and try to figure out what it is that will make me happy.”

  Kol slipped his hands around her waist, linking them at the small of her back. “I understand. And I am here to help you find your place. I will always stand beside you, my Ada Jane.”

  Kol leaned in and Ada thought he was going to kiss her. But instead, he rubbed his nose along hers and pressed his cheek to her forehead.

  Ada Jane stood secure in his embrace and his sweet ways of letting her know how much she meant to him. She smiled to herself when she remembered asking herself what would make her smile as she lay in bed the night before, and it was Kol’s face that popped into her mind. “Just give me some time and we’ll be just fine, Kol.”

  “Whatever you need you shall have, be it time or anything else,” Kol responded.

  They stood for a moment longer, then, Kol slid his hand down to take her hand. “Come, Ehlealah, allow me to take you to your parents’ burial site.”

  Ada Jane allowed Kol to lead her toward the far edge of the enclosed parking lot. There were several airships docked there. Two were obviously medical based with a huge red cross painted on their bellies so they’d be easily recognized while flying. Several others were not identified as any particular service. There was one at the end that caught her attention. It glistened as the breeze blew past it, making it seem at times almost iridescent. Ada Jane squinted her eyes and tried to focus on it more clearly. B
ut as soon as she did, another part of the ship shimmered. “That one almost has pieces of it that seem to disappear,” she said, waving toward the ship on the end.

  “That one is ours,” Kol answered.

  “Ours?” she asked, looking up at Kol, then back at the ship that had caught her attention.

  “I will tell you a secret… it is my Battle Cruiser, but I’ve reprogrammed it so that it could be approved as a standard transport. I wanted it near me at all times because it links me to Command Warship 1, to Chairman Bartholomew, and also gives me limitless support to Missy and all the information she can provide.”

  “Wow,” is all she could say as they approached the ship. “It’s beautiful.”

  Kol paused and looked at it. He’d never considered it before. “I suppose it is beautiful. In this atmosphere it certainly displays more colors than it usually does. It is a camouflage built into the cruiser itself that allows it to blend in with its environment. Earth has many colors and textures, so even without the cloaking programs activated, it does to some point camouflage itself.”

  “Did you say that you had to reprogram it? Does that mean that you’ve had to remove your defense systems? What happens if you have to leave Earth and make it back to Command Warship 1? What if you come under attack?” Ada asked concerned.

  Kol smiled down at her. “I am not leaving Earth without you. So it will not be a concern for quite some time. If for some reason I do need to activate the defense mechanisms and weaponry, I need only ask Missy and it is done.”

  “Good,” Ada Jane said, relief clear in her expression.

  “Are you ready?” Kol asked.

  “I am,” she answered, looking for a ramp of some sort that would give her access to the ship that was too high for her to reach from the ground.

  “Missy, please deploy the ramp for myself and Ada Jane.”

  “At once, Ambassador Kol,” Missy answered, making it seem as though the ship was speaking to Kol.

  A slight hydraulic whine could be heard as part of the iridescent skin of the ship separated from the rest and began to extend toward them. Gradually it lowered until it was on an angle, clearly reshaping itself into a ramp for their convenience. Just as the ramp lowered to Kol’s knee level, a door appeared on the side of the ship just above the ramp.

  Kol lifted Ada Jane and placed her on the ramp, then stepped up on it himself and followed her up and onto the ship. “Please retract the ramp and close the entranceway, Missy.”

  “I have already begun to do so, Ambassador Kol,” Missy answered.

  “Do you remember Missy from Command Warship 1? Did you have the opportunity to interact with her?” Kol asked.

  “I do remember Vivi speaking with her, but I didn’t have the opportunity to myself.”

  “Missy, this female is my Ehlealah, Ada Jane. Please add her to all my protocols. Should she ask anything of you, please comply, most especially in the ways of safety.”

  “Welcome aboard, Ada Jane Ra’ Don Tol.”

  Ada grinned and looked at Kol.

  “She believes that one’s Ehlealah will automatically join with them,” Kol said as though confiding a secret.

  “I see,” she said, answering Kol. Then she turned her attention to the computer she knew was named Missy. “Thank you, Missy. I am very excited to be here.”

  “I am equally pleased to make your acquaintance,” Missy replied.

  “Ambassador Kol, I’ve already initiated flight sequences. I began them when you exited the building. All is in order. Please proceed at will,” Missy advised.

  “Thank you, Missy,” Kol answered, strapping Ada Jane into the copilot’s seat, and then taking his own seat.

  Ada Jane watched as he strapped himself in, then activated the ship by simply waving his hands over certain controls. She was completely fascinated.

  “Missy?” Kol asked.

  “Yes, Ambassador Kol?” Missy answered.

  “Please check on Elisher for me and make sure all is in order,” Kol requested.

  Ada Jane glanced at Kol through her peripheral vision. It was natural to want to know that your coworkers were safe and secure, but, he’d mentioned this one several times now and she was wondering at his speedy attachment to her. Not to mention, his assistant was sharing his living quarters. She didn’t like that one single bit. But she said nothing. She’d laid down her own rules and he was respecting them, so she needed to trust him just as he was her.

  Kol sensed Ada Jane stiffen beside him. He looked her way, but she was still looking straight ahead. He smiled, knowing he was teasing her intentionally. Not that he didn’t want to be sure Elisher was secure and unscathed, he did. But, he could have told Ada Jane that Elisher was male to ease her mind. Kol smiled to himself.

  “My Ada Jane?” he said.

  Ada Jane kept looking straight ahead. “Yes?” she asked.

  “There is no reason for concern or jealousy where Elisher is concerned.”

  “I’m not concerned or jealous.”

  Kol just kept watching Ada Jane.

  Finally, she turned to look at him. “I’m not.”

  “Do you speak the truth?” he asked, a teasing tone in his deep voice.

  Ada paused while she searched for just the right answer. “I do. Pretty much. I’m not that concerned, only a little.” Then she turned her head to look through the front shield again. It looked much like a windshield but had white translucent printouts running across the edge of it where Kol sat. She couldn’t read them so supposed it was in his language, and it was information about the ship itself or their surroundings, or maybe even both.

  “Elisher is a male, Ada Jane. He is not a very masculine male, but still, he is male. There is no reason for concern,” Kol said, smiling at her.

  Ada turned to face Kol. “He is?” she asked, the relief clear in her voice and in her smile.

  “He is. And there would be no concern even if Elisher was a female,” Kol added.

  “Why not?” she asked.

  “Because she wouldn’t be you. I belong to you.”

  Ada Jane felt her walls falling a bit. She couldn't even bring herself to be angry that he was already tearing down the walls she’d spent so much time of late building around herself. She smiled at him, a genuine smile. The kind of smile that smiled often enough would leave laugh lines around her mouth.

  Kol smiled back, then moved his hand across a sensor to his right and the ship lifted into the sky so quickly it seemed like it was instantaneous.

  “Whoa! That was fast!” she exclaimed.

  “It is after all a battle cruiser. It is very swift and agile.”

  Ada Jane looked around the cockpit, then swiveled in her seat a bit and glanced toward the back of the ship. Her mouth dropped open at what she saw.

  “Kol? There are flowers back there,” she said, as she turned a bit more to get a better look.

  “Yes. And there are small white wooden pieces that I’m told are called lattices. And there are artificial wreaths as well as the live flowers.”

  “Why?” she asked, already knowing the answer.

  “I’m told that it is customary to leave flower offerings at the burial site of loved ones. Also to maintain it regularly. I know that it most likely has not been maintained… you have been away.” Kol looked into her eyes and saw them filling with tears.

  “Thank you,” Ada Jane whispered.

  Kol smiled at her. “I also brought tools and cleaning implements as Elisher suggested that I might need in the event any repairs are needed.”

  Ada Jane reached out her hand for his.

  Kol lifted his arm toward her, allowing her to take his hand.

  Since she was strapped in, she couldn’t get up and go to him, so instead, Ada just pressed his palm to her cheek, then turned and placed a kiss in the center of his palm.

  Kol smiled at Ada Jane then brushed her cheek with his thumb before taking control of the cruiser and maneuvering them away from the medical clinic.

&nb
sp; “We should be in Nebraska shortly,” he told her. “Once we achieve the preferred transport altitude, you may move into the back to look at the flowers I’ve brought if you wish to.”

  “I’ll just stay here with you. I’ll see them when we get there.”

  <<<<<<>>>>>

  Dr. Jason Cavanaugh stood at the plate glass windows in his office, looking out over the docking pads of the medical facility he ran. He watched as Ada Jane, along with the alien that had claimed to be her male, boarded a transport and quickly left his field of vision. “Ms. Kensington!” he shouted, still looking out of the window with his eyes glued to the last spot he saw the craft that took Ada Jane away from him.

  “Yes, Dr. Cavanaugh?” his secretary answered, hurrying to his office door at the sound of irritation in his voice.

  “Get me all the information you can find on Elite Force Commander Kol Ra’ Don Tol. He is Cruestaci if my guess is right. Find out all you can about him and let me know at once.”

  “Yes, sir. I’ll get right on that,” Ms. Kensington answered as she was already moving from his doorway.

  Jason stood there still, an angry expression on his face as he clamped his jaws, his nostrils flaring as he thought about the alien that had taken the woman he planned to make his from right under his nose. And there’d been nothing he could do about it. Ada Jane had gone with the alien as though it was as natural as breathing. Aliens were corrupt. They were little better than animals, and Ada Jane had just jumped on board with no thought to her safety at all.

  The Purists of the World, of which he was a founding member, understood full well how the integration of aliens into their bloodline would be the downfall of their civilization. His position as chief of staff at the repatriation center gave him access to the women who’d been abused by aliens, stolen away from their homes and family, and were as a result more than ready to join their cause. But this woman, Ada Jane, he wanted for himself. She was unique, and she should be at his side. As soon as Ada came back to the clinic, he would have to step up his efforts to win her over, then make sure she understood the only acceptable place was far away from any alien.