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“He’s not my boyfriend, Mom,” Jenny replies in a whisper. “He’s an overbearing ass. Did you know his name is Brute? Sounds about right. I wish he’d leave me alone. He’s rude beyond belief.”
“Why do you suppose he follows you around all the time?” I watch through the doorway as Margo crosses her arms and leans against a desk.
Jenny runs a hand through her silken dark hair and huffs. She appears as though she’s debating whether to answer her mother’s question. Finally, she says, “He thinks it’s inappropriate for a female my age to walk in the corridors alone. He scolded me for it the other day and has proceeded to stalk me ever since. But please don’t worry about it, Mom. He’ll probably return to theHaxxalsoon. Besides, if he tries anything with me, he’ll be breaking the alliance.”
Margo taps the bottom of her chin with one finger a few times, a gesture I’m coming to realize means a human is deep in thought. “Well, maybe you ought to talk to him a little bit. Ask him about Ellie. See if he knows who she’s mated to. If we learn the identity of her mate, it might be helpful.”
“How would that be helpful?”
“We could try to find out more about the male. Maybe he’s poor or something. We could offer him galactic credits for your sister’s return.”
Jenny sighs. “Even if Ellie’s mate was willing to sell her back to us, just how do you propose we acquire the galactic credits needed?”
“We could borrow it.”
“From whom?”
Margo shrugs one shoulder. “From the descendants of wealthy Founders. Or even Founders themselves. There are a few still alive, you know, and not all of them have blown their fortunes at alien outposts over the years.”
“We’re the descendants of wealthy Founders who funded the construction of the worldship, and we didn’t blow money carelessly. What was left of the family fortune ran out after we used an abundance of medical resources trying to save Dad’s life when he caught that horrible alien virus. Plus, Grandpa and Grandma sank a higher percentage of their capital into the construction of theJansonnacompared to most of the other Founders, so our family had less to begin with than most others. Maybe… maybe if we remind the surviving Founders that Grandpa and Grandma used most of their fortune for the survival of humankind, we might sway a few of them to give us the money outright rather than a loan.”
Margo’s face splits in a huge, happy grin, and I debate whether I should interrupt their conversation and inform them that no Darrvason male would ever part with his female. Not even if he were offered all the galactic credits in the universe.
“Here’s the thing though,” Jenny says, reaching for her mother’s hand. “I doubt a Darrvason male would give Ellie back to us before she has at least one child. That’s the whole point of this alliance—they don’t have any females of their own left, or at least I don’t think they do—and they need human women for procreation. For the continuation of their race.”
“Maybe she’s pregnant right now,” Margo says. “We could have her returned to us within a year. That means I have some time to work my magic with the Founders.”
“There’s something else we should think about. While I love the idea of Ellie returning to us, I don’t want you to get your hopes up, and we need to consider the entire situation.” Jenny squeezes her mother’s hand. “Ellie might notwantto come back to us. If she has a baby, she’ll likely want to stay with the child and raise it. She wanted kids, Mom. I’m not sure if you knew this, but her and Nathan were already getting their application ready to request approval for an artificial insemination procedure.”
Margo wrenches her hand from Jenny’s grasp and curses under her breath. “Dammit. I feel like an idiot. You’re right. Even if the male she’s mated to is a beast who treats her poorly, she wouldn’t want to leave her child behind,” she says in an anguished tone. “I-I was so focused on getting her back, so focused on seeing her again, that I never considered her love for the child.” She bursts into tears, and I step back into an alcove, completely out of sight, feeling like an intruder.
They remain in the classroom for a while as Jenny comforts her mother and they reminisce about their favorite experiences with Ellie. When they finally step into the corridor, their expressions are calm, no hint of sadness on their faces. Jenny hurls an angry glare my way, then grabs her mother’s arm and they head toward their quarters.
I resolve that if Jenny asks about her sister, I’ll remain silent. I won’t answer any of her questions. I don’t want to give her hope for an eventuality that will never occur.
* * *
After I finish escortingJenny and Margo to their quarters, I check on Captain Warren and several members of the command team. I also consult with the engineers to see how repairs are going. Just as I return to my quarters, my wrist comm buzzes. I answer immediately.
“Tornn. It’s been a while since I’ve heard from you. I was starting to get worried when you didn’t respond to my hails, though when I contacted Emperor Radakk, I was assured that you were fine, simply busy.”
“There is a good reason for my silence,” Tornn replies cryptically. “I am surprised you haven’t heard the news yet. I expected word would’ve traveled to theHaxxalby now, though I suppose the emperor didn’t wish to reveal the reason for my silence until the heartbond had finished forming. Until our mating fever abated and the ancestral markings finished appearing on Ellie’s arms.”
“What?” For a moment, I feel as though I’m plummeting to a planet from the stars, I’m that shocked by Tornn’s words. “Did you say a heartbond? I-I thought our scientists already determined that it wasn’t possible for a heartbond to form between a Darrvason male and a human female.” Still reeling from the news, I think of Jenny and my possessiveness for her heightens.
“It’s true,” Tornn says. “That is why you haven’t heard from me for a few days. I was… in the throes of a mating fever. It came on suddenly. I thought Ellie was having an allergic reaction to something because her upper arms became inflamed and itchy, and she couldn’t stop scratching them. Not long after, the first symbol appeared, and the mating fever became… intense. It took five days until the last marking appeared on her arm and my fever cooled.”
“That is incredible.” I’m stunned. But I’m also hopeful. Because what this means… it means our relationships with the human women we claim will be truly intimate. It means we’ll be able to share thoughts and emotions. It’s a powerful way of ensuring trust between a mated pair—if secrets are impossible.
“It is incredible,” Tornn agrees, “however, we hope our engineers on theJansonnadon’t find out just yet. I fear it’s inevitable that they’ll learn this knowledge before we’d like—our doctors now believe it’s only a matter of time before another mated pair develop a heartbond—and it’ll soon become common knowledge among our people.”
“And you worry our engineers might be so eager to claim a human female and experience a heartbond that they might take matters into their own hands and snatch a random woman from the corridors of the worldship?” My worry for Jenny deepens, and I resolve that I’ll be extra diligent about her safety.
“Precisely. However, this isn’t the main reason I am contacting you now,” he says in a brusque voice. “My mate has just confessed that she’s recently been in contact with a male aboard theJansonna, a security officer named Nathan Gonlaz, who happens to be her former fiancé. He contacted her via a reading tablet she brought aboard using an encrypted but fluctuating comm number. He is apparently involved in a plot against the Darrvason-human alliance, though Ellie doesn’t know any details, only that he’s promised he’ll see her again. This suggests he’s a member of a rebel group that’s plotting to attack our fleet. It’s possible he’s involved with Sheila’s attack on Officer Paddax, though again, Ellie doesn’t know any details. I’d like you to investigate Nathan Gonlaz as quietly as you can and try to determine whether he had a hand in what happened to Officer Paddax.”
“I understand, Admiral Tornn.” Shock reverberates through me that a human male on theJansonnawas able to penetrate theHaxxal’sshields. “I will contact you as soon as I acquire the information you seek.”
“Thank you, Officer Brute. I doubt the humans are planning an imminent attack, though I have an emergency meeting scheduled with Emperor Radakk and his royal advisors in the morning to discuss the plot and ways we might improve our fleet’s security. I will inform you of the outcome of that meeting. Farewell, cousin, and good luck.”
