by Elin Wyn
I didn’t feel nervous as I left the main lab and walked down to Dr. Hines’s office. I was prepared to knock on the door, but her door was wide open.
“Hello, Tella,” she smiled warmly. “Are you settling in?”
“Yes. I actually came to talk to you about the procedure for requesting funds,” I said. Dr. Hines looked confused. “For fieldwork,” I added.
“Oh!” Her brows shot up in surprise. “I don’t mean to cause offense, but I usually reserve those funds for employees who’ve shown me that they can provide results. I don’t know you yet.”
“You know I have the experience,” I tried to convince her without being pushy. “I don’t think you would’ve hired me otherwise.”
“I understand where you’re coming from,” she said. “However, I cannot authorize a field expedition on your first day. It wouldn’t look good to the other scientists with pending expedition applications.”
Ah, so it was a game of politics.
Give me lethal walking trees any day.
“Thank you for your time,” I said with a smile I hoped didn’t look too forced. As I made my way back to my lab station, I contemplated leaving this job. I could get by on little gigs like the one offered by Gilles. I didn’t have to lock myself away in a lab.
When I returned to the main lab room, I saw that my comm unit was beeping.
That was odd. Very few people knew how to contact my comm unit.
“Hello?” I asked.
“Dr. Tella Briar?” My chest tightened as I recognized General Rouhr’s voice.
“Yes. Sir. General.” Oh hell. “Is everything well?” I asked, floundering.
“I have news you may find interesting. I know you were just here, but would you mind returning to my office?”
I covered the comm unit so he wouldn’t hear me squeal with excitement.
“Are you there?” he asked. I quickly removed my hand.
“Yes! Yes, I’ll come right over. Thank you!” I exclaimed. General Rouhr laughed.
“I’m glad to know you’re so enthusiastic,” he chuckled. “I’ll see you soon. Security will be made aware that you’re coming in. You shouldn’t have any trouble accessing the building.”
“Thanks again!” I said before the line disconnected.
“Sounds like good news,” Annie called from across the lab.
“General Rouhr called me back in,” I replied with a grin so huge it hurt my cheeks. I gathered my things, checked in with Dr. Hines, and left the dismal lab. I was overflowing with excitement, but not just for the potential work to come.
New information meant clues, meant getting out of this confining box.
And maybe out into the field.
And just maybe, possibly, seeing a certain Skotan again.
All those things were pretty exciting. But I was pretty sure only one had sparked the butterflies in my stomach.
Rokul
As soon as General Rouhr disconnected from Tella’s comm unit, his face changed from pleasant to cold fury.
And as usual lately, that anger was directed at one target.
Me.
The moment he called me into his office, I made a point of telling him about the strange behavior of the sorvuc.
Naturally, his first thought was to call Tella. I’d be lying if I said that wasn’t exactly what I wanted to happen. I was all too aware of what would happen after he called Tella in, but knowing she was on her way would make what was coming sting a little less.
“I don’t think I have to tell you that you went against protocol,” General Rouhr said in a low voice. “What I cannot comprehend is that you, knowing full well how devastating recent attacks have been, and knowing that we’re dealing with an unpredictable enemy we know nothing about, can make the decision to ignore the orders of your team leader and your superior.”
“I did not break from protocol until I knew that we were dealing with something other than that creature out in the desert,” I argued.
“What does that matter?” General Rouhr snapped.
“That protocol was put in place to dictate our plan of attack in the event that a human settlement was specifically attacked by the creature. It was not the creature that attacked, therefore the protocol no longer applied,” I reasoned.
I knew my argument fell into what humans referred to as a gray area. Technically, I was right. But only technically.
“I should demote you to a ground team,” General Rouhr growled. “They’re working night and day building homes for displaced humans. They’re being useful and making a difference, which is more than I can say for you.”
“The sorvuc were stopped and no humans died,” I replied in the least-argumentative tone I could manage, even though I wanted to shout. I heard Takar’s voice in my mind telling me that being aggressive and argumentative would get me nowhere.
“You wouldn’t be here talking to me if a human had died,” General Rouhr snapped. “You would’ve been shipped off to the farthest ground team camp before you returned to this building.”
I appreciate what the ground teams were doing for the humans. General Rouhr was right when he said they made a difference. They gave terrified families roofs to sleep under and food to eat, then guarded said families while they enjoyed their food and sleep. I had nothing but respect for the ground teams and I felt eager to help the humans.
However, the best way I could do that was being part of my strike team. General Rouhr could stick me on a ground team and I would do just fine, but Takar and I had spent five years training for our positions. It would be difficult to put a ground team member in my place and expect the same results.
Difficult, but maybe not impossible.
If a human had died or if we hadn’t stopped the sorvuc, I would’ve understood General Rouhr’s anger better.
“I know our operations only work if communication is adequate, but-”
“Not adequate!” General Rouhr threw his datapad down on his desk hard enough that I was surprised that it didn’t crack. “Exemplary. If you do not communicate with your team, your team will fail.”
“Of course, sir,” I nodded. “But if I didn’t land when I did, I wouldn’t have been able to figure out the best plan of attack for my team when they arrived on the scene. The moment they arrived they knew to shoot at the legs of the sorvuc to immobilize them.”
I wasn’t going to back down. I hadn’t followed protocol, but I’d done the right thing. If I was sent away to work on a ground team, I wouldn’t be able to take care of real threats and stop those threats from killing more people.
The thing out in the desert could reach cities and human settlements. It was a real threat. I needed to be here fighting against it. I needed to be here fighting against raging herds of sorvuc, too, for that matter.
“I got here as soon as I could!” Tella burst into General Rouhr’s office. Her cheeks were pink, flushed from exertion. She was out of breath like she’d been running. My eyes were drawn to the rise and fall of her chest and, despite the situation, the sight was magnificent, the swell of her chest matching a sudden swell in my trousers. Visions of her underneath me, with that same flushed exertion, threatened to remove my entire ability to focus.
I tightened my fist, then unclenched it as I pulled my eyes away from the perfect curve of her breasts, the delicious color of her skin. Memories of her taste, the feel of her, flooded through my consciousness and I ached to do nothing but pull her into my arms now.
“I called you at your lab station’s comm unit,” General Rouhr said slowly, looking as surprised as I felt. “You ran here that quickly?”
“It was no trouble. I’ve spent most of my career outrunning things that were trying to kill me.” Tella’s chuckle came out more like a wheeze. I laughed under my breath. Tella’s eyes flickered in my direction. Her expression shifted when she realized I was in the room.
She straightened up and made an attempt to brush away the errant hairs that had escaped from her braid, though it didn’t make a differen
ce. I think the fastening that held her braid in place had fallen out of her hair when she ran here. The braid itself still held its shape, though one more good shake of her head would loosen it completely. I had a sudden urge to run my fingers through her dark locks. I swallowed hard and forced the urge away.
Now wasn’t the time.
There might never be a time.
“Please, have a seat.” General Rouhr gestured to the chair I currently sat in. I knew he meant to knock me down a notch or two by forcing me to give up my seat. He blinked once in surprise when I eagerly leaped out of the chair and offered it to Tella.
“Thanks,” she said to both General Rouhr and me.
“Glad you’re back,” I said quickly, my eyes watching her lips as she smiled at me.
“You will wait outside while I talk to Dr. Briar,” General Rouhr ordered.
“Yes, sir,” I nodded. Before I left the office, I reached out and gave Tella’s shoulder a quick squeeze.
I closed the door to give General Rouhr the privacy he so clearly desired, but I didn’t leave. Inside, Tella and the general began to talk but I couldn’t make out any distinct words.
General Rouhr should’ve let me give Tella the details about the sorvuc. I was there, after all. I wanted to see Tella’s expression when I described their behavior. I also wanted to hear her thoughts. I knew I’d hear the main points from her later or, more likely, General Rouhr. It irked me that I wasn’t there to hear her opinion on the matter, first hand.
“No matter how hard you scowl at the paint, it’s not going to answer you.” My brother leaned against the wall next to me.
“How come you’re never in trouble with me, yet you’re always there when I’m getting into trouble?” I grumbled.
“Because I have no desire to be part of trouble. You’re just exceptionally talented at dragging me into it,” Takar replied. “Was that the botanist I saw sprinting through the building like a creature gone mad?”
“Yes,” I smiled.
“What’s so important that she couldn’t simply walk?” Takar asked.
“She was over at the same lab where Annie works. I haven’t seen the place myself, but Karzin tells me it’s nothing like the lab we have here or the lab on the Aurora,” I replied.
“Nothing compares to the Aurora,” Takar said fondly, “but what does that have to do with the botanist?”
“Tella isn’t fond of working indoors,” I explained. “Even the Aurora would take second place if she had the option to work in the field.”
“Tella?” Takar looked at me with a raised brow.
“That’s her name. It’s not unusual that I should use it. I spent several hours with her in Rigkon,” I said defensively. I hated it when Takar gave me that look.
“I still don’t fully understand why you were required to spend the night there.” Takar gave me a knowing look.
“I told you. Tella needed to collect payment for the completion of the job she was hired to do.” I must’ve told him that three times already.
“I thought you would’ve wanted to get back here and off probation as soon as possible,” Takar said.
“Of course,” I shrugged. “But would it have been right of me to deny a hardworking woman her honest wages?”
“I suppose not.” Takar dropped the matter, but I didn’t like the note of suspicion in his voice.
“We’re just friends,” I said firmly. “Not even that. We had a few drinks, talked, and didn’t hate each other. End of story.”
“If you say so.”
I didn’t believe me either. My words were punctuated with the searing memories of Tella’s body pressed against mine, her lips parting for mine. Claiming her, capturing her, having her in a moment where time stood still.
Not that I’d say that aloud to my brother.
General Rouhr’s door opened and Takar and I immediately stood to attention.
“Don’t you have work to do, Takar?” the general asked.
“Yes, sir.” Takar nodded and walked down the corridor.
“Rokul, your presence has been requested.” General Rouhr’s voice carried as much surprise as I felt. I stepped into the office. Tella sat in the chair, smiling as I walked in.
“Doctor Briar doesn’t find the information about the sorvuc to be sufficient. She can’t make any conclusions concerning whether or not their behavior was odd based on the incident reports,” General Rouhr explained.
I turned to Tella.
“I can give you a firsthand account of the sorvuc’s behavior if you’d find that useful,” I offered. General Rouhr looked at me with the same suspicion in his expression that I heard in Takar’s voice.
Was it really so hard for others to believe I could be nice?
“Dr. Briar has already decided that she needs to examine the sorvuc bodies herself,” General Rouhr answered for her. “And, for some reason, she refuses to go unless you guard her.”
I looked at Tella from the corner of my eye. She looked pleased with herself.
“If that’s what our botanist needs, I’ll happily oblige,” I grinned.
“Good. Leave tomorrow. Both of you have been doing enough running around today,” General Rouhr ordered. “Dismissed.”
Tella
By the time General Rouhr arranged everything so that I could go to the location of the sorvuc attack, it was well after sundown. I spent the night in a rented room above a tavern called the Blooming Bud, which I found pleasantly ironic.
If I’d never set foot inside the Crooked Swiggen, I would’ve called the Blooming Bud run down. My sister Gracie would’ve called it charmingly rustic.
Shame she’d never get to see it.
Thinking of my sister ensured that I needed to order at least one drink. I stopped at two. I couldn’t show up hungover to my first official day of work for General Rouhr.
When I woke up the next morning, I felt as close to refreshed as someone like me could. Nowadays, the only way for me to get a good night’s sleep was to drink myself into a stupor. Sleep wasn’t worth the damage drinking did to my body, so I made a rule to only drink when I thought of my family.
Or if I was stuck in a crappy half-town with a handsome alien companion.
Speaking of handsome alien companions, Rokul was already waiting for me in the main lobby when I walked into General Rouhr’s building.
“I expected you to be late,” Rokul grinned.
“Why would you think that?” I asked.
“If I hadn’t woken you up the other morning, you would’ve slept all day,” he reasoned.
“Maybe so,” I admitted. “However, when I’m not stumbling over myself, I’m a pretty light sleeper.”
“Let me guess. It’s because you’ve spent many nights sleeping in the forest vulnerable to all sorts of nasty creatures,” Rokul said.
“That’s right,” I laughed. “It seems that I’m becoming predictable.”
“Never,” Rokul grinned. “The general’s assigned us an aerial unit for the day. I’m ready to go when you are.”
I double checked to make sure I had everything I needed in my supply pack. Years ago, I’d developed the habit of keeping a pack ready to go so I didn’t have to scramble in the morning to get everything ready.
When I was satisfied, I nodded to Rokul.
We walked through the building to the launch bay. I noticed that Rokul and I received a lot of odd looks as we walked.
“Why are the others staring at us?” I leaned closer to him and whispered.
“They don’t believe we could’ve spent a night together, but in separate beds, after a night of heavy drinking,” he whispered back.
“How do they know about that?” I asked.
“There’s no such thing as a secret in a tight-knit group like this. My strike team knew I spent the night in Rigkon, my brother knew I’d been drinking the moment he saw me, and the moment everyone here laid eyes on you, they began to piece things together,” Rokul explained.
“I’m not
sure if I should be flattered or not,” I said dryly.
“Oh, you should,” Rokul assured me. “I’ve been doing my best to stamp out any rumors, but my denial only seems to make me appear guiltier.”
“That sounds about right,” I nodded. “Did you tell me you had a brother?”
“I don’t believe I did,” Rokul replied. “You’ll likely meet him eventually. He’s nothing like me, so if you find me insufferable, you’ll get along with him.”
“I don’t find you insufferable.”
I should’ve found him insufferable. On paper, he was the exact sort of person I used to avoid. How we were able to get on so well was beyond me, but I certainly wasn’t going to question it too much. It was high time that I made some friends, or whatever it was that Rokul was becoming.
“Is that why you told General Rouhr that you wouldn’t go look at the sorvuc remains without me?” He flashed an arrogant grin that I would’ve found insufferable if he weren’t so damn charismatic.
“I refused to go without you because I already know I can rely on you should things go awry,” I explained. It was the truth, but not the whole truth. I also wanted to spend time with him but I didn’t want to inflate his ego by admitting that. “I know I won’t have to carry you.”
“I’d happily carry you if you needed me to,” he joked. “But I know you can handle yourself.” His words sparked an odd, warm feeling inside me.
The aerial unit General Rouhr allocated for us to use seemed pretty beat up compared to the others. Its engine made a loud rattling noise that made me uneasy.
Rokul just laughed. “It’s noisy, but beats freezing in a rift!” he shouted. “Fen can keep working on that as long as she wants, as far as I care.”
That… didn’t make any sense. Or make me feel better.
On the way over to the outpost the sorvuc had attacked, we attempted to make conversation, but the rattle of the engine drowned out half our words. We ended up sitting in comfortable not-quite-silence, tapping each other and pointing when we saw something interesting through the unit’s windows.
When we landed, I started to let Rokul help me out of the unit, though I could’ve climbed out myself. When his hand touched the bare skin of my forearm, my heart did a weird jump. He surprised me by slipping his arm under the crook of my knees and wrapping his other arm around my back. He picked me up as if I weighed nothing and carried me a few paces before setting me down.
