by Viola Grace
“No. Lots of friends, several enemies, but mostly just people who like to talk and then go home to their own loved ones.” She smiled. “I envy them.”
He shifted her more toward his chest, and the wind blowing across her face ceased, so she stopped fighting for air. He didn’t say another word for the rest of the trip.
Chapter Four
The base was on an island just over two kilometers away from the mainland. The trip over water made Dekora weak in the knees.
When Khed landed the flier, he chuckled. “You don’t like water, huh?”
“I have never seen the attraction in being a few inches away from drowning at any given time.” She blinked. “You can put me down now. My senses were just a little overwhelmed.”
He huffed. “Fine.”
She was set on her feet, and he removed the cloak he had put over her. She was back to being dressed in tissue. She straightened her spine and walked with Khed toward the large building that seemed to be mainly made of windows. She couldn’t see inside, so that was something.
“Come with me. I prepared a room after the first attempt on you.”
She nodded and walked with him. The moment they entered the base, they were surrounded.
Four men gathered around them. She recognised Levell from the news vids, but there was a younger man and two that showed the wear and tear of a life as heroes.
The younger man looked at her and grinned. “Look, it’s a girl! A lovely one at that. Can I play with her?”
He reached for her breast, and she acted on instinct. She made a fist and gave him a hard right hook. The young man hit the floor, and the others stared at her in amazement.
The guy on the ground chuckled. “I suppose I deserved that, but I thought she would hit like a girl. Newsflash. She doesn’t.”
He sat up and then he stood. “You didn’t telegraph that or anything. Well done.”
She wrinkled her nose. “Thank you. Just a hint, don’t grab ladies by the breasts. The ones you want to get to know won’t like it. The others might charge by the grope.”
The older two chuckled.
“This is Levell, this is Horro, Aber, and Yeleki. Gentlemen, this is the carrier of my legacy contract.”
She blinked and introduced herself. “Dekora Mills.”
She folded her hands over her belly and bowed then she made a face.
Khed asked, “What is wrong?”
She looked into his dark eyes honestly. “Some women were not designed to maintain protocols. This stuff doesn’t come naturally.”
He nodded then looked at Levell. “Do you remember the firebreak crew that you put in danger?”
Levell nodded warily. “Yes.”
“She was the driver.”
Levell’s eyes went wide, and he knelt at her feet. “I am so sorry about that. I didn’t check the clearances before I redirected the flame.”
She nodded. “You broke my arm and burned the entire right side of my body. Please remember that most folks can’t just fly above it.”
Khed chided her. “But if we hadn’t been there...”
“In this instance, we had spent weeks getting the firebreak in place. It was done on schedule. It was ready. I appreciate the rescue after the fact, but our team was moving and coordinating, and we were exhausted, filthy, and running on adrenaline, but we still got the job done.”
Khed waved it off. “Medical treatment is free.”
“For citizens. Medical treatment is free for citizens. I had to sell tissue samples to pay for my medical treatment and a quick repair to my broken arm. All the truly dangerous or cruddy jobs are done by contract workers. The ones with no protections.”
Horro frowned. “Couldn’t you come in on a colonist visa? They get the survival care.”
“I could have, but it would have been a lie. My intent has never been to remain on Gryphal.”
Khed’s expression turned into a dark frown. “Right. Introductions have been made. Come with me.”
She blinked at the change in attitude but followed him through the building, past a kitchen, up a set of stairs, and then down a long hallway.
He showed her her new quarters, the lav, the terminal, and the place where her wardrobe would soon be. “We have a manufacture unit on site, so you just need to get scanned.”
She nodded. “Right. Um, when do I eat?”
He paused and looked at her. “When you are hungry. The team does communal meals, but you are not here for community, you are here for safety. You can cook?”
She nodded. “I can.”
“Good. The kitchen is fully stocked. Eat what you like.”
Dekora nodded. “Thank you. I appreciate what you have done.”
He paused. “You really want to leave Gryphal?”
She looked at his serious expression. “I applied for a colonist visa. They wouldn’t give me one because of Sephal. So, I will have to make my way to another world when the baby is delivered or Sephal is able to travel. I abide by the laws of the worlds I am standing on, and those laws have no place for me at this time.”
She smiled brightly. “Perhaps one day there will be a place to call home again, but right now, I am a woman between worlds.”
He went to leave and turned his head. “Stay on this one until my child is born.”
She pasted a bright smile on her face and nodded as he closed the door. She walked to her bed and covered her face for a few minutes while she fought to understand what had just happened. She was just getting used to the hospital and its weird rules, and now, she had to live in a house with men who didn’t look like they were willing to give back rubs if she overworked herself.
She was so screwed.
A quick shower was just the thing. She wrapped a towel around her and waited in the bedroom for her clothing to come out of the cleaning cycle. A little digging had let her find a brush and a hair tie. She brushed her hair and then braided it just as the chime for the cleaning cycle went off.
Once she was dressed again, she listened to her stomach. It was time to head down and see what she could make for a meal.
She opened the door carefully and stepped out. The door across from her was closed, but they were both at the end of the hall.
She had to walk past all the other closed doors before getting to the stairs. She couldn’t hear any conversation, so she headed down the steps and found the kitchen.
Khed had been right. There was a ton of food available, so she took stock of the raw ingredients, and then, she set to work.
She took meat and sliced it thin, put a pot on the stove, and began assembling a stock from concentrates and handfuls of fresh vegetables. A second pot held the boiling noodles, and she scooped them out and set them in a bowl. She quickly washed the noodle pot, and then, she placed the thin meat on top and covered it with the stock. The bowl she used to serve herself was huge, but it was a lot of stock. She quickly washed the pots and all implements before turning to her meal. She squeaked when she saw five interested faces staring into the bowl.
Khed murmured, “It smells good. What is it?”
“It is a soup I used to make at a restaurant on Knothean.”
Horro looked at her with an impish smile. “Can you make more?”
“After I eat. I have to maintain a schedule or I will catch hell. I am already two hours late with my lunch.”
She picked up her bowl and looked at the men around her. “I can make more, but I have to eat first.”
Khed grimaced. “How long will that take?”
“Five minutes. Get two pots started with boiling water. I will be there when they are ready.”
She looked around and found a counter with seats at it. She set the huge bowl of soup there and started to eat. She ate efficiently. The vegetables, the meat, and the noodles all took their turn before she slurped down the broth. When she was done with her dish, she washed it before turning to the simmering water.
Horro laughed. “She’s my hero. I can barely eat that fast
. I have never seen a girl do it.”
She dumped out half of the water in the stock pot and went to adding the ingredients in rapid succession. It was really simple. Soup could be made out of anything.
She got the noodles ready and set out five bowls.
“If you have favourite sauces, you can pick them out now. A little of the meat shaved thin and we will be just about done.”
She shaved the meat while the noodles cooked, and when each bowl had a large amount of each, she poured the broth on top. She smiled. “Done. Take your bowl and go eat wherever you eat. I will wash up.”
Dekora washed the dishes, and when she finished them, she looked around to find the dining area around the corner, the men all muttering about how good the food was, and she nodded. “If you have enough, I will head back up and try and figure out how to visit Sephal.”
She returned to her room and opened up the terminal, using the data base to link her file, and from there, she got into Sephal’s. Well, if the data was correct Sephal would be getting her first organs transplanted in three weeks. It was exciting and terrifying at the same time.
She began looking for contracts that she could enact in her current location and condition. There wasn’t a lot, but suddenly, something appeared that made her laugh. She got up from her seat and walked out of her room, she didn’t make it to the stairs. They were all lounging there.
She gave them a serious look. “I will cook on my schedule. I will clear the morning and lunch dishes, but I am demanding that you wash the dinner dishes.”
Khed smiled. “Acceptable terms. When you get back to your room, please accept the contract.”
“Just as you acknowledge that as I get deeper into my pregnancy, my taste buds might go askew. I would probably need a taster with me at that point. Got it?”
Horro nodded. “I volunteer my body in any capacity you would care to use it.”
Khed reached out to smack him, but Horro suddenly wasn’t there.
She glanced back, and he was behind her, grinning and saying, “Hide me.”
Dekora laughed. “Dude, you are on your own. Fine. I will assume cooking duties at dawn, all meals will be made for six people, and any special requests need to be filed the day before so that I can do any prep in the morning.”
They all saluted, and she bowed formally with her palms over her belly. The others chuckled and left, but Khed stayed behind. He walked up the steps and loomed over her.
She could smell him. It was the clean scent of the fiber of the shirt he was wearing wrapped around him, and the scent of a healthy Knothean male. A little citrus and a lot of musk, but she was pretty sure that she was the only one to sense it. She was wired to take it in.
He looked down at her and frowned. “How is it that you are so short?”
“I am average height for a Knothean woman. It looks normal to me.”
He blinked. “So, will you have an overly large child if I am so tall?”
She snickered. “No. You are the same height as the guys back home. If we have been procreating at that level for aeons, I should be fine.”
“So, the Gryphal are not too large?” He took a step forward, and she had to crane her neck back to look at him.
She snorted and shook her head. “If anything, the Gryphal have leaner builds than the males at home. Why, is it a concern?”
“I am worried about the child’s emergence. You seem so petite.”
She reached out and patted his chest. “First off, that is nine months away. The first one is down, and I have only completed ten percent of the necessary development for the little one. You don’t need to worry yet. Also, my family history of childbirth is pretty good. My mom has seven children, all born at standard weight and near or just over term.”
He looked down at her hand and came to some kind of decision. The kiss came out of the blue, and he pinned her hand to his chest with his palm.
She slowly closed her eyes at the press of his lips. It had been so long since she experienced contact for the sake of contact. He was trying to create a bond with his child through her, and she was fine with that.
When he raised his head, he smiled slightly. “You taste like cookies.”
She blushed. “I can explain that.”
“Don’t. It will be much more entertaining to find out over time. Take care of my child. Good night.” He said it in a rush, and then, he turned and headed down to the commons space.
She nodded and returned to her room and her terminal. She accepted the nine-month contract as cook for the base with the stipulations she had added. She started getting calorie requirements in her files moments later. This was going to be a lot of work.
Chapter Five
Breakfast had been demolished with a ferocity that left her a little nervous, so she put together some snacking cakes and hand pies. When she was done for the morning, she went in search of the clothing generator.
She saw the team working out in the gym on some very high-class equipment. Her body was itching to get back to some decent workouts.
She found the textile generator and activated it.
Stand on the assessment space and disrobe for scan.
She dropped her robe and removed the thin shift, kicking off her slippers. She stood on the scanner. The second that her weight settled, it scanned her from head to toe and back again.
It chirped and stated. Assessment complete. Ten minutes to appropriate suit.
She blinked. That sounded odd. It also hadn’t asked her for any style selections. She thought she used the wrong machine.
She got dressed quickly and went looking around, finding the actual textile machine in a corner. She selected two bodysuits in the mandatory translucency level and smiled. She had a plan.
She also ordered some of the outer robes. If she appropriately altered one of the suits, she should be able to get away with it.
Dekora collected her items, including the suit that had been folded up and was waiting at the other machine. On the odd chance that she wasn’t supposed to touch the unit, she fell back on her first skill and removed all of her data from it.
She had to go back into the materials store and add a correction in the volume at the last inventory, but she covered every bit of her trail.
She carried her loot back up to her bedroom, found a utility kit, and went to work on the outer layer of the first suit. She put the accidental suit on and looked at herself in the mirror. It wasn’t the milk white of the other suits, it was purple and green, bright splashes of colour that made her smile. The belly also had panels that would expand. They matched the tiny accordion pleats at the bustline. This suit was a super suit made for someone who was pregnant.
Why the hell would it generate a super suit for a pregnant woman?
Comfortable at last, she chopped up the vegetables, and then, she finished with the meat before tossing in the vegetables and finally she added the sauce. The sides were ready. The starches of fried rice and noodles were done.
Dekora dumped everything onto platters, and when she came around the corner with the main dish, the team rushed the kitchen and brought everything else out. Horro grabbed her and gently sat her down. “This is amazing. We normally just have enormous sandwiches.”
Khed chuckled and then nodded to her. “What are you wearing?”
“Having read the contract over several times, this meets the criteria for a carrier in a public setting. My abdomen and breasts are concealed by the first layer; I am kept warm by the second layer with strategic fabric removal. And the robe over top makes it decent.”
She reached for the noodles and put some in the wide bowls that the team seemed to favour. She scooped some of the stir fry on top of it, and then, she turned to the different fresh pickles that she had prepared during her breakfast prep.
Levell stuffed his face, groaned, and asked, “Where did you learn to cook?”
“A restaurant while I was putting myself through university.”
Khed frowned. �
�Couldn’t your parents afford to put you through school?”
“Sure. They wouldn’t though. They didn’t approve of my major and my refusal to have an arranged marriage, so they cut me off. That is how I met Sephal. We were roommates at uni. She was a child development major, and I was in computer sciences. I kept us fed with experiments from work, and she got a job at the university and helped me with my books and got me a discount terminal.”
She made sure to have what she wanted to eat in her bowl. They were going after it like starving carnivores.
She smiled, and when she had finished her meal, she went to the kitchen and brought out dessert. A gelatine made of crushed fruit that wobbled slightly was put out with a set of plates, spoons, and condensed cream.
None of the guys moved. She snorted and scooped out the gelatine, poured on the cream, and sat in her chair, eating happily.
Khed braced himself, and he tried it. His eyes went wide. “It’s sweet!”
Dekora wrinkled her nose. “Sorry. I haven’t had time to look over Gryphal foods yet. This was one my grandmother used to make.”
“This is Knothean?” Levell asked. Apparently, he and Khed had been discussing her.
“It is.” She shrugged. “We are slightly higher in density, so when I got the calorie requests, it was pretty familiar.”
Horro carved out a huge chunk and looked pleased with himself. “This is great. So, why didn’t you want an arranged marriage?”
She sighed. “I had known him since I was a toddler. He was a bully then, and he never got better. I don’t like bullies. My mother just thought he was assertive, but I know a bully when I see them.”
Khed asked, “What would have been the result if you had married him?”
“I would have been at a women’s shelter with three children while my mother told me that it was something that I had done to set him off, but once the babies were safe, I would have destroyed him.” She looked at the men who were all looking at her with calm eyes. “Take that however you like.”
