Oz was soon rewarded with a few woots from Haze over the com. “Oz, little brother, you earned your supper tonight.”
Fyn must have been excited enough too, for there was no reprimand this time.
3
Molly
“You’re the first to arrive. We can go straight through to the office here and get set up.”
“The only piece really that we need- your designee. Who should inherit the dowry?”
If she was matched to an alien, Molly would be allotted a sum of one million to compensate her for her trouble: losing her life on Earth and the possible actual loss of her life, should she die from the pregnancy.
“My fam—” She closed her eyes, knowing what she wanted to do, but not sure if her family would understand. “Can you give half to Max and split the rest with my family?”
“Certainly.” The nurse made notes on the paper.
“Max is going to open a restaurant.”
“How nice,” the nurse murmured absently.
“—it’s to help him get started.”
“That’s nice.”
“Will you tell him?”
“Sure dear. I’ll make a note.”
It was going to be a beautiful restaurant, her restaurant. She was going to be the chef. Her brother Max was going to handle the business side of things. They’d planned for years, holding their breaths through every Draft, planning their menus and their location, only waiting to come up with the funds to take the next step.
A few minutes more and the paperwork was completed.
The nurse set out a few items on the desk.
“How long does it take for the test results?”
“Depends. It can be anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes to determine if there is a viable match.”
Molly stretched out her arm to the nurse. “I suppose I should get this over with.”
“I was just getting to that part.” The nurse swiped Molly’s arm with an alcohol swab and drew some blood. The nurse inserted the vial into a bit of alien tech which murmured, clicked and blinked steadily.
Molly stared at the device, trying to breathe, but it just kept right on blinking without a care.
“Hmm.” The nurse glanced at her watch after ten minutes. “That’s certainly a much longer processing time than typical. I’m not sure whether that means— hmm. Perhaps you’re a borderline match, and they haven’t decided whether it meets our requirements.” She pushed back from her seat. “Don’t worry. We have strict rules to protect you. Wait here a moment. I’ll go check with the Director.”
Molly passed the next several minutes reading pamphlets on the wall and in the bins, her heart slowly filling with hope. Surely a match would be a quick process, although what could the hold-up possibly be about?
The nurse bustled in. “It’s terrible to keep you waiting like this. The whole affair is suspenseful enough for you girls. Let me just type in this code here, and we’ll get this moving along again.”
The device beeped three times then lit up green.
The nurse’s hand dropped to her side.
“Green means… go?” Molly asked.
“I’m afraid so.”
Molly got up shakily. “Where do I stand?”
“Right here, dear.” The nurse pointed to a small, white, plastic-looking square sunk into the floor.
The teleport. It was all happening so fast. Too fast. They did it on purpose. Get the girls on their way before the reality of it, and the panic, truly sunk in.
“Will you just tell my family that I’m sorry?”
“Yes, dear, I’ll make a note of it.”
The air shimmered and shook, and the room disappeared.
Molly felt a bit of inarticulate rage wash over her. “Make a note of it??” she thought and let the words spin out her anger. She hadn’t realized rationally that she’d tried to use the words as a stall tactic, even if only for a few minutes.
Wouldn’t the nurse ask: “Sorry for what, dear? You have nothing to be sorry for.” Then Molly could fill the minutes explaining all the things she was sorry for.
What? Had she hoped they’d run out of time to send her, like there was some limit to the match?
Now her family would be left wondering. Damn. Possibly they’d be left wondering forever.
It was done though.
Max would figure out something to say. He always did handle things so well with the family. Really the strange dowry allotment was easy enough to use.
Perhaps she’d only meant the sorry for Max. Now he’d have to move forward with their plan, even without her, and Max wasn’t the chef she was. She’d left ideas with him for replacements, because this had always been a possibility. It was just the reality of life on Earth now.
Now, it would truly be Max’s dream alone, with the extra burden of thinking he was doing it for her too.
She never should have put that on him.
4
Oz
While Molly had waited interminably for her fate, the men of the Xeo Tarlith were doing a bit of scrambling of their own.
“Surely you can do something?” Captain Vren asked the doctor.
Seban shook his head. “I’m afraid not. I’ve raised the typical objections, but the Council will hear none of it. The match is too close. If I push back any more, they’ll start to ask questions. They’ve already grown concerned.”
“Does Oz know?”
“Yes, he’s waiting in med-bay. He came as soon as his wrist started beeping. Thankfully, we still have the Hold command on the relay, or we’d all be in the soup.”
“Fyn,” the captain said, turning to his First Mate. “I thought we’d registered with the Council as a dangerous assignment. Certainly our collection duties leave no place for breeding.”
“Yes, Captain.” The First Mate hesitated. “I believe you can probably thank my father for our current situation.”
Captain Vren gave a curt nod. “Yes, I’m sure of that.” He sighed. “This is not the best timing. We’re right on the edge of plausibility here.”
“Seban,” he directed to the medic. “You’ll have to send the code to the Council. Make sure they relay it along to the humans on a secure channel. We’ll need five minutes to calculate and warp to a less significant location, just in case we’ve stirred the pot enough to draw attention.”
“I’ll think of something, but hurry. I can only get so creative with the delays,” the doctor muttered as he left the command center.
“You heard the man, Xain. Let’s get back to Quartec Five.”
The pilot smirked. “What’s the kid going to do with a woman?” He laughed as he typed in the sequence to the auto-guidance and engaged the drive.
“I’m sure he’ll think of something,” the captain said as he leaned back in his seat.
5
Molly
The compartment Molly portaled to was dimly lit and smelled uncomfortably of minerals, like a damp, stale cave.
“Ozien varlek der ven de far vusta. Sresta ley va noous,” said one voice.
“Granielesta via at manukra vey,” said another.
“Hello?” Molly managed, scrunching her eyes to see in the dim light.
“Varsta, varsta,” a soothing voice said. “Vella nous.” Then he commanded a little louder: “Gramma duous trey.”
The light level increased by enough that now she could see better around her. Two massive men stood a few feet away: warriors. Huge brutes. They held their hands up in placating gestures.
“Varsta, varsta,” the taller one repeated. He took a step forward. He held some tech in his hand which he held forward to show her. “Gabba, donous vey. Gabba.” He tapped his throat, and brought it up, past his mouth and repeated, “Gabba. Gabba.” He gestured to her and took a step forward.
She tried to nod, but the man was huge. She didn’t want him to get any closer.
The slightly shorter one remained at the door staring at her. Surely not to cut off her escape but yet— That�
��s when she noticed the tail. It was flicking back and forth. The taller one had a tail too.
Of all things: a tail.
“Gramma duvem hu,” the tall one said. The light brightened further.
Their bodies were green, two slightly different shades of green. They had tattoos on their hands and running up their necks to their faces.
The tall one took another step forward. He tapped his mouth. “Gabba,” he repeated. He held the device out to her.
She reached out slowly and took it from him. So this was what a sub-dermal translator looked like. The tech was expensive enough that only high-ranking members of Earth’s government had it implanted. …And apparently any women who were matched.
Of course they would at least do that for them. How barbaric would it be if she had to mate with one of these brutes warriors without even speaking their language?
She held the device back out to him and nodded, held her breath.
The tall man slowly reached forward and raised it to her cheek. “Varsta,” he soothed.
Perhaps it would hurt, and he was telling her to stay calm?
The shorter man shifted. “Shah la mah lo ma,” he said slowly as though in a daze, staring at her. “Lo ma.”
The tall man chuckled as he glanced back at the man. He pressed the device against her cheek. She heard a hiss and felt a sharp sting.
The whole time, Molly studied the one by the door as his tail flicked back and forth, and at his dark green skin. He stared back with an unreadable expression, but it didn’t seem particularly warm or friendly.
His earlier words stuck in her head: ‘Shah la mah lo ma,’ whatever that meant.
His broody silence and distance made her uneasy. He wasn’t like the tall one. She just hoped he wouldn’t be the one, but she felt a familiar, sinking feeling in her belly, like when she pulled out the numbers during a Draft Friday. She’d been certain it was only a matter of time ‘til her luck ran out.
Maybe when her luck was out, it was really out.
If only Max were here. He had a knack for drawing the tension out of any situation.
The taller one patted her arm. “Varsy, easy.” His words garbled and cleared in her head. “Far nava things are now for you.”
“Thank you,” Molly managed. Her voice squeaked as though she hadn’t used it in a while. She cleared her throat. “Thank you. Better.”
The one by the door took a step forward. “Seban?”
The tall one glanced back at him before explaining to her. “My name is Seban Duval. I’m the doctor here. The man behind me is Ozien Gace or Oz, our ship’s engineer. You’re on the Xeo Tarlith, one of the sleekest ships in our fleet.”
Molly looked around confused, then noticed a small, circular window with an endless starscape. “I’m on a ship? But I thought…”
“Yes, our ship has a teleport, so they were able to send you directly to us.”
“Is that why it took so long to get the response?”
“Took so long? …Yes, of course. Well, you’re here now.” He glanced over at the other one, then gestured by the wall at a desk with a chair. “Do you want to sit for a few minutes? Oz, you want to hand me some fluids out of my med kit? The trip can sometimes be disorienting especially when leaping over such distances. I assume you’ve never teleported before?”
Molly smiled at that, shaking her head as she walked shakily to the proffered seat. “I’ve never been out of Kansas before.”
“Kansas?” the man named Oz repeated as he handed a plastic pouch to the doctor. “Your dwelling is Kansas?”
“Yes, that’s my… state… well, you won’t know what that is.”
“State?” Oz paused a moment, probably listening as the device did its best to find a compatible word. “Like a verlok [’bonded family tree grouping’ by clan, her own device translated smoothly] but larger and more independent, I think. Earth is divided into much hierarchy. Now that you are my mate, I will need to study more of your world to understand the culture my son has inherited.”
Molly froze, stunned, even though she’d expected it. Crap. And so casual about it too.
The doctor handed her the pouch. “Here, this will restore you, and Oz can take you to your room to get settled in.”
“My room.” She repeated weakly as a nervous shiver went through her. She stared hard at the doctor, so she didn’t have to look at Oz. “Are there others here from Earth?”
“No, you are our first match for the crew.” The doctor glanced at Oz. “Previously we were not registered as we are so far from normal transport routes.”
Far? Molly could swear he’d mentioned something about the distance before. “How far am I from Earth?”
“Millions of quadrants away. Your journey took many minutes to traverse, even with our folding technology.”
“M-millions?” Molly whispered, her voice failing her for a minute.
Seban gestured to the pouch still clenched in her hand. “You should get some fluids in you. The journey can be hard on the body, especially for civilians or those unaccustomed to it.”
Molly stared at the pouch trying to comprehend what a million really meant in terms of space and the known universe. She took a small sip. The fluids were sweet and cold, refreshing, and the small tremors subsided. The headache she’d been too distracted to even recognize, receded.
She stared back toward the little window by the teleport stand. “Do you know which star is Earth’s?”
“Earth’s system is very new,” Oz broke in. “I’m not sure if the light of your sun has reached this part of the universe yet. I can confirm with the Tarlith however.”
“It’s okay,” Molly said, sneaking a glance at the warrior, still too nervous to look directly at him. “Maybe it would be better not to know that Earth is completely gone for me.”
Seban gestured to the door. “Oz, I think you’d best take her to her quarters now. Give her a chance to settle in before meeting the rest of the crew.” He took the empty pouch from her and set it on the desk. He reached out a hand to help her stand, held it for a moment. “We are glad to make the connection, Molly. I’ll see you at dinner.”
Molly nodded numbly and glanced at Oz and toward the door.
“Molly?” Seban said. “If you notice anything feels out of the ordinary, let Oz know. I can give you something to help you sleep, if you need it later. Oz, make sure to show her the com system in her room before you leave.”
Molly’s gaze darted between Oz and Seban, not sure she’d understood. “My room?” she managed.
Oz smiled, the first one she’d noticed from him. “It’s not a big ship, but we have a guest room which the captain has set aside for your use, while you’re here.”
Relief shot through her as she felt her first glimpse of hope in what seemed like forever.
There was a loud clicking in quick succession and a flash of light.
Oz turned to the panels, studying. “Your luggage has arrived.”
6
Oz
The tiny female was a light yellow, pinkish color and definitely afraid of them. Luckily, she had only packed a small amount of luggage which helped him navigate the awkward ladder to the crew deck. If it’d been more, he’d probably have needed to use the service elevator which was a tail-cricker for sure, and he’d rather avoid it.
Oz couldn’t believe he now had a mate to deal with, and a nervous one at that. Why hadn’t he alerted the captain immediately upon seeing the band blinking?
Damage done. It probably would’ve been too late anyway. He’d just need to make the best of it; get things over with as soon as possible so life could return to normal. Still, his damn tail wouldn’t stop twitching. He felt the back of his wrists warm as he listened to her steps behind him and her tiny gasp as they moved past some port windows in the corridor at the entrance to the crew decks.
He felt unseemly pride swell; Xeo was a good ship. He kept her at top shape, regardless where their missions took them or of the encounters they
faced.
Oz glanced back expecting to see awe, but instead he thought he caught discomfort. She had fallen further behind as he strode ahead. Oz paused to wait. He hadn’t accounted for her little legs and stride.
The human kept one hand pressed against the walls and doors as she walked.
Oz couldn’t help himself. He turned to face her fully, crossing his arms. “You are frightened on the Xeo Tarlith?” he asked, skeptical of his own observations.
The girl froze, glanced back to the window and back at him. “I didn’t know they’d make me come to a ship. I thought it’d be a station or planet or something safer and…” Her voice shook. “…bigger.”
“Tarlith is a good ship. You’ll be safe here. She’s very solid and well-maintained. I was top of my class and can assure you that all of our inspections and reports are at Merit Plus. Plus, this design is one of my best. It’s one of the reasons I agreed to join the crew.”
“Wait- Your design?”
“It was my final project. The academy put it forth to the council, and it was finished in only three years. I oversaw all phases of construction.”
“You really designed this?” She stepped away from the wall, turning to inspect with round eyes, her mouth falling open.
“Yes. I assure you this is the safest place in the universe while the Suhlik exist.” Oz pointed a couple doors up the hall. “Your room is just up ahead, at the front of the ship.”
He walked forward again, awkwardly turning back to check on her every couple of steps. Oz was pleased to see she didn’t grasp at the wall quite so much, but he could tell she was still unhappy. Although, as one benefit, the tiny female was distracted enough not to seem quite so shaky about walking near him.
“This is it,” Oz said as he approached the door.
The Xeo Tarlith had little need for actual guest quarters, but their crew complement was one less than spec’d for the ship, allowing for the free space. It had been used only once in the three years they’d been flying together, and that only briefly by Fyn’s dignitary father. Typically, it sat empty.
Oz (The Telorex Pact Book 1) Page 2
