by Viola Grace
The fabric cupped and lifted her breasts, supported her waist and shifted into thigh-high boots over the white of the tech-sector uniform.
She walked out and Mala applauded. “Well done. I knew you would be a fast adopter. Now, turn for me and think of your robes.”
Ainora thought of wearing robes over the white of the fabric, and the suit shifted and flowed around her into robes. “How is it doing that?”
Mala winked. “Honestly, it is drawing power from your body, as well as your mass. You have to eat more while wearing Masuo, but you will be protected.”
Without warning, Mala lifted her hand, and from her wrist, a glow of power flared, sending a bolt toward Ainora.
She yelped in shock and waited for the burn, but aside for a gentle tap, she felt nothing. “What just happened?”
“The Masuo defends you. It becomes a neutral substance and absorbs the power of the blast. In the case of blade or projectile weapons, it thickens to defend you faster than thought. It can’t be bought, only given away. The Udell Masuo are grown in a hostile environment, and I train them to become suits from their original pod forms.”
“Now, how do I get it off?”
“You don’t. When you want to bathe or see your skin again, it will form a band or cuff around one of your extremities. It does clean you, but there is nothing quite like a proper shower.” Mala smiled.
Ainora nodded and swayed violently. “I think I need to get back to the Citadel.”
It was the last thing she said before everything went black.
Chapter Eight
Lyon was at her side and stroking her forehead when she woke. “You need a keeper, Ainora.”
She wasn’t at the Citadel. “Where am I?”
“The Guard base. Dr. Nywyn took care of you. Exhaustion hits you hard and no one was watching for it. Yinfa has been removed as your guide, and I have been put in her place.”
A man that she recognized as a Wyoran came in and smiled at her. “Well, if you are awake, you are free to go. I have instructed Mala to create a level monitor for you until you get used to the power release that your talent causes.”
“Thank you, Doctor.”
A woman came through the door behind him. “Don’t thank him. He will get a swelled head. Hello, Ainora. If you are feeling up to it, I have a call for you.”
The framework of metal around the woman’s features gave her a regal air, but Ainora recognized the voice. “Hello, Relay. I feel fine.”
“Good. Let Agent Tacks help you and come to my offices. This way.” Relay turned and left with no further fanfare.
The doctor shook his head. “Ignore her manner. Relay has a lot on her mind and the data stream takes priority. If we didn’t share a room, I don’t think I would ever see her.”
So, this elegant male was Relay’s husband. He seemed to take her power as base commander in stride. There was no reproach in his voice, just amusement.
If he could love a woman with her mind in the data stream, there might just be hope for Ainora to find a guy who could put up with her flights of analysis.
She slipped off the medical bed and her knees buckled. Lyon put his arm around her and slow walked her down the hall to Relay’s offices. “How do you know where we are going?”
“This is one of the most secure facilities in the known worlds. Meeting Relay is part of the greeting into the inner circle.”
She laughed, “It felt magical.”
He snorted, and together, they giggled their way down the hall into the office of Relay, Sector Guard Base Commander.
The moment they were inside, Relay pressed a button to latch the door, the lights dimmed and a holographic display came online.
Seeing the woman in the image, Ainora had no doubt as to who she was. She walked up to the display and smiled as she was face to face with her great grandmother.
“Greetings, Urikara Lenz, from you great grandchild.” Ainora curtsied; her Masuo formed a skirt around the hips of the bodysuit for the effort.
“Greetings, beloved child. Ainora, you have done me proud.”
The mouth didn’t move, but the face that was a reflection of Ainora’s own smiled slightly. Urikara floated with tubes and plugs spotting around her body. She managed to maintain a look of grace even run through by technology.
“Thank you for getting me away from Resicor.”
“Thank you for surviving your time linked to the government. Your parents were frantic, and I did what I could to answer their call. I have never met my grandson, but he seems to be a good man.”
“My father is a very good man. He loves music beyond anything except my mother. She comes first and that is how it should be. She keeps his mind from getting lost in the music.”
Urikara spoke again. “You are going out into the worlds, and I just wanted you to know that I am proud of you and will be watching your progress. If you need anything, just call. Relay has my pass codes.”
“Can I visit you?”
“No. I am in a secure portion of the archive, and it must remain secure. I continue the jump map project and that is my destiny, for now. If it changes in the future, I will let you know.”
“How did you escape the purge?”
There was amusement in the voice that didn’t come from her mouth. “I didn’t. I escaped what happened after, but that is a story for another time.”
Relay jerked with eyes that were seeing something not visible to the rest of them. “She’s right. I have an urgent request for your skills.”
In one moment, Ainora went from an unexpected family reunion to going back to work. Life was indeed hectic with the Citadel, but she was coming to appreciate it.
“Are you assigned to me on a permanent basis?” She yawned as she took the navigator’s seat.
“It has been considered. I don’t need much sleep and you seem to need quite a bit at this stage.” Lyon smiled.
She chuckled. “I wish I could argue, but I can’t. So, where are we headed?”
“Luxan. They are in the path of a stellar storm and their global shielding has failed. They need you to fix it.”
“How long until we arrive?”
“We are in their system, but it will take three hours until we get to the first shielding station.”
She blinked. “How long until the storm hits?”
“Thirty-six hours.”
“Excellent. Can I get you some tea?”
“Please.”
Ainora got to her feet and headed to the galley, admiring the different configuration of the warship to the first shuttle that Lyon had flown. They had guns and that alone made her a little wary of what they were truly heading out for.
The food-coding system was still the same, and so, she fixed herself a purple meal, got Lyon a magenta one and set up two cups of tea. She brought the tray back to the command deck and set it on a ledge built for the purpose. She offered him the tea with both hands, and he accepted with a smile.
“Thank you. Is that for me?” He sniffed with appreciation.
“I thought you might be hungry. The galley said it had been six hours since your last meal.”
“It is chatty.”
“I like it. Much better appointed than the previous shuttle.”
“That is true. The other shuttle was designed to baffle detection. This one is designed to get noticed.”
Ainora blinked and thought about things for a while. She didn’t want to analyze it too deeply, but Lyon was connected to her in some way. “Why did you become my bodyguard?”
Lyon gave her a surprised look. “I told you, we are a good team. There was no reason not to agree.”
Disappointed, she stared out at the stars. “Oh.”
He sipped at his tea. “And I could not bear the thought of you travelling with anyone else. I don’t trust your safety to anyone but me.”
That was better. She smiled into her teacup and then began to work on her meal. She had no idea if it was breakfast or lunch, but she was enjoying
it.
They ate in silence, and he left her to return their cutlery and trays to the galley. He returned with more tea, and as he offered her the tea with both hands, he said, “Do you know where you want to start?”
“At the central orbital station. Do they have atmosphere?”
“Some might, some might not. The file is on the data pad in front of you.”
She lifted the pad up and started to flick rapidly through the information. It seemed fairly simple, but there were fifty orbital stations and the flaw could be in any of them. She was going to have to make up her mind where the problem was and quickly.
She brought up a display of the stations and checked each for visual signs of damage. She marked three down for work.
“Do the Luxan have any idea what is going on?”
“No. They are a growing species, a protected species. The less you know about them, the better, but they need to be kept safe.”
She chuckled. “I am beginning to guess that when people tell me I don’t want to know or that I shouldn’t know, they don’t want me analyzing the situation.”
He shrugged. “You are very intelligent. No one wants to be picked apart and understood. It takes us from creative and elegant beings into a connection of logic and propulsion.”
“Wow. You have given some thought to this.”
“I have. You are not the first intelligence asset I have guarded, but you are the only one I chose.”
“Should I be flattered?”
“Just know that I am honoured to be here and I will keep you safe.” He gave her a small smile.
Ainora shrugged, and she looked toward the web of satellites designed to protect Luxan.
“Third satellite from central is where I will start. The signal won’t pass it, so I will find out what the problem is and we will move on.” She stretched and mentally chuckled as his head and eyes immediately moved to track her. “I will have to sleep in between satellites, but I am sure that you will take care of me.”
He shuddered slightly. “This is going to be a rough assignment, and it hasn’t even started.”
“I am sure that you will come through with flying colours.”
Lyon gave her a narrow-eyed look. “You are teasing me.”
“I am. Congratulations. You have completed your analysis. I can hardly wait until you get a little more in-depth.”
His cheekbones became more prominent, his eyes narrowed and his nostrils flared.
She realized how her words could be construed, and she blushed but kept her gaze locked with his as they lined up with the maintenance hatch on the first satellite. “Excuse me. I have to go to work.”
Chapter Nine
The fourth satellite was the key to the whole grid. Ainora groaned as she slid through the maintenance hatch after repairing the linkage.
She pushed her tools ahead of her into the shuttle and sealed the doors behind her. She flopped onto the floor of the hold and looked up at Lyon. “Disengage and test the signal.”
He nodded and pulled the release. They floated free of the satellite and into open space. She shivered as he brought up the control pad, and she waited.
“All linkages are firing. Security grid is back online. Well done, Ainora.”
She closed her eyes and felt the surge of fatigue in her body. “Thank you, Lyon. I am going to crawl to my bunk now.”
He laughed and lifted her, carrying her to her quarters and settling her into bed.
The moment she was covered by the blankets, the Masuo shrank into the band on her elbow that she had come to accept as normal. After several naps, she had become used to the sensation.
“You are sure that the signal is firing?”
“The systems are online and small meteors are beginning to break up as they hit the shell. It is all we can do for Luxan and we are now heading home.”
She nodded and let sleep overtake her.
Lyon was still at the helm when she woke up. “Your naps are getting shorter. You will be caught up to your talent in no time.”
She sighed and settled in the navigator’s chair. “I am just worried that we did not do enough for the planet.”
“We could not do more. Sometimes, you have to let something go to determine its own fate. You have done what you could; now destiny will step in.”
Ainora pouted. “Destiny sucks.”
Lyon laughed. “Don’t say that. It has begun a link between us that I never would have pursued if it hadn’t been for the first assignment.”
That perked her up. “Have you been pursuing it?”
“In my own way. The offer of tea is one of the first steps of courtship. Extending it with both hands is an offer of devotion.”
She wrinkled her nose at him. “Of course it is. I noted something very formal about it that first time.”
“And yet you took it anyway.”
Ainora laughed. “I was thirsty.”
Lyon laughed and reached out for her hand. He brought it to his lips and looked at her through his lashes. “This was the second step.”
She cleared her throat. Her skin burned. “What is the third?”
He got up and tugged her to her feet, kissing her gently until she went up on her toes to deepen the connection.
He still smelled like conifer, and she enjoyed the feel of him against her.
When he backed away, he smiled.
“How many stages are there?” Ainora pressed her hand on his chest, and the steady thudding picked up the pace.
“Thirty-seven. I hope you have patience and self-control.” He grinned.
“I do, I also spend a lot of time in bed, so we can speed things up a little as necessary.”
He paused, “Do you think you want to check out the other males at the Citadel first? Check your options?”
She smiled. “No. I have worked with many men over my time on Resicor, and I know the qualities I am looking for when I see them. I see them here.” She stroked his cheek.
“Are you using your talent on me?” He took her chin between forefinger and thumb.
“No. I am using instinct and intellect. Combined, they are very powerful forces.”
He kissed her again and put his arms around her completely. “I agree. I just didn’t want you wanting me for my parts.”
She chuckled. “That has to be at least stage nineteen.”
He laughed and hugged her tight. “Twenty-two but good guess.”
“Why such a slow courtship?”
“To slow it down reminds the male that he must woo and win the female every day, and she becomes used to the attention and then demands it as her due. It becomes part of their lives.”
“My parents do not need such reminding. They know that their happiness resides in the other at all times.” She smiled and kept her hands flat to his chest.
“We are both bound by the traditions of our people. I will learn yours if you learn mine.”
“Deal.”
She had to reach behind her to shake his hand, but his laugh was well worth the effort.
“What was it like growing up with that kind of fear in the air?” They were sitting and watching the stars go by.
“It was hard, but my family tried to make it easier for me. My skills were apparent when I was five. My father taught me to control it, to subdue it by humming classical music when it manifested. It still works, but I haven’t been doing it when I need to open my talent wide to everything around me. I believe that is what has been taxing my system. I haven’t been focusing.”
“What was the society like?” He seemed determined to keep asking.
“It was a strange atmosphere. Everyone was afraid, and if you were a talent, only your family could hide you. No one else would make the effort. There was fear in the air. So much fear.” It was strange that she was finally free to say it.
Once she started, she couldn’t stop. “Every family had a story about a friend or relative taken by the government, forced to work, some encased in the dome, others j
ust disappeared.”
“This was accepted?”
“It was one percent of the population. Ninety-nine people out of one hundred lived normal lives, untouched by the panic, the fear. But with every child, with every adolescence, they feel that fear. The talents would gladly leave, but we have nowhere to go.”
He nodded, “And Resicor will not let you leave.”
“No. They have a plan at work; that much I was able to see, but I don’t know why they hold us so tight when we would gladly leave.” She rubbed her forehead. “If only I could see the whole pattern, I would understand.”
“Do you think anyone does?”
“I am beginning to think Urikara does. There has to be a reason for her to have arranged the escape when she did.”
“Probably, but she is known to have sight beyond sight. It is how she can pinpoint the jump sites at any given time. She can see the big picture and that is why she is guarded so heavily.”
“Sight beyond sight. I wonder what colour her robes would be if she wore them?” Ainora mused and watched their approach to Morganti.
“That is a good question. Put your mind to it and work it out.” Lyon chuckled. “I will bring us home.”
* * * *
Deep under the surface of Morganti, Urikara greeted her visitor. “Hello, Kale-Gant.”
“Greetings, Seer. How are you this fine day?”
“Concerned. How long do you think it will take Lyon to consummate his union with my great granddaughter?”
Kale-Gant cocked his head. “I don’t know. Are you talking the physical act or the courtship itself?”
“The courtship. She won’t be safe until they are together as a unit. They need to be bonded physically as well as emotionally. It is important.”
“Important to the plan?”
Urikara sent an exasperated snort through the speakers. “No, it is important to her happiness. She needs a life and she needs to put Resicor behind her. I would not object to a great-great grandchild, but that can wait.”
