Shini's writing blog

Fitting In

2012-02-23T12:11:00.002-08:00

“Hey.” Alex laid his hand on Neya’s shoulder and shook her gently, barely awake as he tried to get her attention. “Hey, wake up.”

Neya didn’t respond immediately, still whimpering and twitching violently in her sleep. Her body went stiff when she came to, a yell strangled in her throat. The pale Tslao panted quietly, limbs spasming with less and less force as she started to relax.

“Just a nightmare. Ketoen?” All right? Alex kept his voice soothing, using one of the few Tsla words he knew by heart before he slipped his arm over her chest and pulled her close. He leaned in between her thin antennae to kiss the back of her head and gave a little squeeze. It seemed like what Carbon would have done, if she had been there. Probably in the bathroom.

“Te. Meha shon.” Yes. Thank you. Her hands came up and gripped his forearm as she curled up around his arm, tremors passing as her breathing settled into it’s natural rhythm.

He pressed his translator into service despite the success he’d just had with his functional knowledge of Tsla. He knew he wasn’t anywhere near conversational. Alex set up a phrase and carefully picked through the phonetic translation so Neya could understand him. “I am glad. Do these often happen to you?”

A little shrug as she adjusted herself, setting her cheek down on his hand. She spoke slowly, matching his pace. “Every few days. Sometimes once a week. I think the... Nh, changes that have been going on lately have made them worse.”

“Changes?” Alex blurted out his reply before he even thought about translating it.

Neya shook her head. “I am not wearing my connection. Let me-”

“I’ve got it.” Alex reached up for the little case sitting on the ledge at the top of the bed, the metal beads that would connect her to her AI inside. He’d seen her put them on a few times now and closed them around her antennae easily, snugging them down at the fluffy purple tips. They glowed a dim blue as she established a connection. “Not sure what you meant by changes?”

“You were unexpected. Carbon did not hate humans when she left, but that she would return with one holding her heart...” She petered off, sounding particularly defeated when she continued. ”I am not as swift-footed as I should be in my adaptation.”

“By your own admission, you had no idea I would show up. How much precedence is there for this sort of thing, anyway?” He had an excellent idea what the answer to that would be.

“It has never happened before, as far as I am aware.” Neya worked her feet slowly, rubbing her inner toes together as she considered what he was getting at. “There is no way for me to have changed any faster.”

“Yes. Given the difference of our cultures, I’d say you’ve been far more quick to accept me than I have of you.”

She processed that with a silent laugh. “You are faster than you think. You did not send me away on errands last night and you do not seem to have clothed yourself afterwards.”

“Yeah, well...” He cleared his throat. “I said we’d both work on it.”

“So we are.” The smile in her voice was clear, just short of teasing and very much like Carbon when she kissed his hand. “I am again glad you have such dedication to her.”

“Me too. Speaking of, did she fall in or something?” He pushed himself up on an elbow and looked to the bathroom door. It was closed and the panel next to it dark, unoccupied. A hint of surprise crept into his words. “Where’s Carbon?”

A shrug, apparently unconcerned. “She is likely in Engineering. She enjoys going there to help out in the early mornings. Particularly after state functions, meetings with Eleya and sexual activites. I do not know how those correlate.”

“Really.” Alex sank back down to the bed, a little annoyed that this was the first he had heard of it. He back sat up, a shock of realization through his mind. “How do you know she likes to do that after sex? She said she’d never been with anyone before.”

A nod in agreement. “That is correct, she hasn’t.”

“Those two statements don’t jibe. They... preclude each other.” He didn’t mind if she had, it was only fair since he had other partners as well. He just didn’t like the idea of being lied to about it.

“No, they... Oh. You forgot that I am her.” As though it were the most obvious thing in the world.

“This is another zeshen thing, isn’t it? It’s not sex because she was doing it with herself?” It seemed like semantics to him, but they were aliens. There was no point in stressing himself out about it, it wouldn’t do any good.

“Yes, that is correct.” She sounded quite pleased with his deductive ability.

“Interesting.” Alex mulled it over, chewing on the inside of his cheek. If he hadn’t been shown their feelings for each other he would have had a lot more trouble digesting this information. In retrospect he wasn’t surprised, in private they were very warm with each other and love was a complex thing.

“It is?”

“For me, yes.” He shrugged mentally and dismissed the subject. Maybe he’d revisit it with Carbon later, but it was their relationship. He didn’t feel right interjecting himself into it, even if he was supposed to. “When does she usually come back?”

“When it is properly morning. She makes breakfast on those days, too.” Neya sounded excited about that prospect. “A full breakfast, not just a quick meal as we normally enjoy.”

Alex was unsure if he wanted to know what that included, or at least what the raw ingredients looked like. Still, it was breakfast, it couldn’t be that bad. He settled back down and hugged the fuzzy Tslao to his chest. There was one thing he wasn’t sure about, though. “She is a good cook, right?”

A laugh, genuinely happy. “One of the best I know.”

Duties

2012-02-10T01:59:00.000-08:00

Alex could have asked for directions when he left Eleya’s quarters. He should have. It would have been the smart thing to do, but pride kept him from that. He ought to know his way around the ship as well as anyone else who spent a large portion of their time there, but nothing in that section indicated where on the ship he was. All the doors were labeled, but none of the corridors were. At least he knew where to find the linens now.

It was somewhere around thirty minutes of wandering when the desire to be self-sufficient boiled away and he just didn’t want to look incapable. It felt unthinkable for him to flag someone down and ask where his home was. He wasn’t a child. He’d do it on his own. Besides, he hadn’t seen anyone since he got out of the elevator the first time and didn’t have any sort of communicator with him.

Eventually he found his way into, of all places, engineering. It was a hive of activity for being the middle of the night but repairs and maintenance on a ship this size were never truly done. There were more than a few questioning glances tossed his way but they didn’t linger, presumably he was well known around the Sword of the Morning Light already.

Alex found his corridor markers and made good time once he had oriented himself properly. Eleya’s quarters were somewhere near the back of the ship and his cabin was well towards the bow. By the time he leaned in to the retina scanner and tossed his jacket onto a hook in the antechamber, he was done for the night. The conversation with Eleya hadn’t settled well during his walk, leaving him feeling used, again.

The scene Alex returned to inside was unexpected. The lights had been turned down and air was lightly perfumed, a delicate scent that was floral with a hint of berries and - because he could come up with no other word that fit - pink. As his eyes adjusted, he was struck by how warm it was. The compartment normally felt like it was around fifteen, but it was easily ten degrees warmer than that now.

Carbon was laying on the bed reading a book, naked, as she was wont to do. Neya was straddling Carbon’s rump, tapping a fine iridescent powder from a tin onto her back. At least Neya was still partially clothed, black cloth wrapped about her hips.

“I do not know. It seems... needlessly complex.” Carbon looked up from the book as he closed the inner door, smiling with relief and giving him a little wave before returning to her conversation with Neya. “It requires equipment.”

“A chair is not equipment.” Neya shrugged from her perch, carefully picked one of the many grooming implements scattered around the bed and began to brush the powder into Carbon’s fur. “It is not as though you could fall very far, I just think it would be fun to try.”

“Try what?” Alex picked up one of the chairs from the dining table as he crossed the room, setting himself down next to the bed.

“This.” Carbon held the thin book out to him, fingers pressing the pages apart.

Alex raised an eyebrow at the sex act illustrated on the page, a rather acrobatic looking position that did require a chair. The translation of the text that accompanied it was riddled with words that weren’t in the database, but he got the gist of what was going on. “Tempest of the night, huh. They look like they’re enjoying it, but I get the feeling it’s a tragedy waiting to happen.”

“Thank you.” Carbon withdrew the book with a smile and a quiet laugh, flipping the page. “This looks much less dangerous.”

The sound of her laugh lifted his spirits and washed away the dirty feeling Eleya’s spy games had left on him. They were a small price to pay, even if he didn’t want to. Alex shook his head, a sly smile barely hidden. “Whoa, hey. I didn’t say I wouldn’t want to try it.”

That earned him a skeptical look that turned to annoyance as Neya wriggled with delight and tapped her fingers on Carbon’s back. “See?”

“Yes, I see...” Carbon huffed and closed the book, hiding it under crossed arms. She laid her head down, eyes closed and words pointed. “That I will have to keep you two separated so I do not find myself in the sickbay.”

“It’s not that bad.” Alex recognized the book when it was closed, one of the three Eleya had given him at the temple. A gift to help you in the task that has been set before you. That made a bit more sense now... What the hell is in the other two volumes? “I’ve had plenty of first aid training, I bet I could take care of anything that comes up.”

Carbon’s eyes opened just enough for her displeasure to register clearly.

“But if you don’t want to, I’m fine with that.” He said as he moved up onto the bed, leaning down to kiss her. She seemed to be completely covered in that iridescent powder and it was definitely the source of the fragrance, which carried over into a similar taste. “That stuff has a flavor, too? Interesting.”

“She believed that you might find it enjoyable.” Carbon tossed her head towards Neya, eyes again closed but voice softened. “Also that you may want to have a quiet evening after your meeting with Eleya, though I do not think that is the exact ending to all of the preparation she insisted upon.”

“If you wished to complain, you should have done so before you agreed that it was a good idea.” Neya had finished brushing her and was packing all of her tools and tins back into a small bag.

“Indeed.” Carbon grumbled quietly at that. “Since it has been mentioned, how did you fair with Eleya? You seemed well enough when you returned.”

“She just wanted me to ‘listen’ at the dinner. I don’t think I found out anything surprising.” He specifically neglected to mention their conversation about her. If Eleya came around and started to at least try to set things right, he’d tell her. If not, he wouldn’t be raising her expectations. “Did ask me about my use of mediboards, though. That was odd.”

“She is often inscrutable.”

“Yeah she is. What was the deal with the secret meeting there at dinner?” He reached up with one hand and massaged the base of her antennae.

“Colonel Lhenan is the official intermediary for the joint operation for exploration of the artifact. We are still in charge of it, but do not want the Humans to know of our station for now.” Carbon sighed with content, her body going slack. “A little harder, please.”

Alex had come to find the demarcation between him and Humans unsettling. He understood what she meant, but he was still Human. “When you say we, who do you mean?”

“You and I, Alex. Royals always lead, even if there is a deceit.” She shifted as Neya climbed off her and rolled onto her side, nestling down into Alex’s arms.

“Interesting. So I’m actually going to do something, huh?” He still didn’t know what the hell his function as a prince was. Dragons were still fictious and his princess certainly didn’t need any saving.

“That is what Eleya indicated.” She gave his neck a delicate nip and warm lips kissed the spot a moment later, a smile in her voice.

Alex shivered, partially from the pleasant sensation and the rest from the proximity of her sharp teeth to his carotid artery. “And what might that something be?”

A little shrug and another kiss as her hands worked on the cloth wrapped around his torso. “I am sure we can figure that out in due time.”

Debrief

2012-01-27T02:47:00.000-08:00

Alex stood in the back of the lift, Eleya just in front of him and her security detail posted on either side between them. She apparently had her very own elevator that ran down to most of the meeting areas, formal dining rooms, one of the smaller hangars. Not surprising, given her station.

He hitched his thumbs at the indistinct forms of the guards he was standing behind. “So, can these guys even understand what I’m saying?”

“Of course. Their armors have the latest version of the translator... Thank you for that.” Eleya’s reply did not sound nearly as pained as Alex had expected, she must have still been on her happy family setting. “Though they do not communicate aloud. It would defeat the purpose of the cloak.”

“Makes sense.” The elevator arrived with a soft chime, the doors opening directly into her bedroom. Alex followed her out, the guards a step behind. It was clear why he hadn’t seen the elevator when he had last been here, its doors looked just like another patch of wall with no obvious means to access it.

“Indeed.” She waved at a chair as she headed over to the short cabinet that held her spirits. “Would you care for a drink?”

He was surprised that she even asked, but didn’t think that he was up to imbibe any more tonight. “No, no thank you. Had plenty of wine with dinner.”

“Mmh...” She set about making some kind of mixed drink, again almost sounding happy. “I am to understand you do not metabolize alcohol as quickly as we do. Interesting, the little differences.”

“Yup. Found that out the hard way.” He said it before he thought that night on the Kshlavo might not be something Carbon would want shared with her aunt.

It piqued Eleya’s interest, her head turned just enough to see him over her shoulder as she shook a mixer. “Oh? How so?”

“Had a few bottles of wine with Carbon the other night...” That was true. True enough. “She sobered up much faster than I did.”

“Ah, yes. She never drinks as much as she appears to.” Eleya said it like it was a trait she particularly approved of, smiling as she poured two drinks.

“I think that’s true...” He took the glass she handed him, confused as to why she was doing so. “I don’t think I should-”

She shot him a look that stopped him in his tracks, initially cool but softening with a smile as she spoke. “You do not turn down a drink from the Empress, young Prince.”

“All right. Thank you, then. Cheers.” He held the glass up before trying the greenish concoction, a sharp blast of alcohol and some kind of fruity flavor that he couldn’t place.

“Captain.” She gestured to the door. “Please, give us our space.”

Alex couldn’t hear his reply, but the way Eleya’s face darkened indicated it was not to her liking.

“It was his wife that bruised your pride, Captain, who held your sword to my throat. If you think me incapable, you should remember when you last handed me my blade. It was not long ago.” The venom in her words was strong enough to eat through the deck plating, the wavering form of the Captain taking a step back before she finished speaking.

Three of them departed silently, the ventilation system clearing the room of the ozone smell a few moments after the door closed.

“So, he’s pretty... insolent.” Alex went for the fanciest word he could think of that fit the situation.

“He is concerned about you, I can respect that even if I know better. That does not give him leave to speak so callously.” She sat in the chair next to him, taking a moment to savor her drink. “Given their performance today, it may be time to consider bringing up new soldiers.”

“You do what you have to do.” He had no idea how any of that worked.

“I do.” Eleya nodded in agreement. “So tell me what you have heard, young Prince.”

He shrugged. “I didn’t hear anything very interesting.”

“I assure you, it is interesting.”

“Okay.” He was pretty sure nothing of note had been said, but if she wanted to hear it... “Most of what I could make out was surprise and relief. They didn’t know I could use chopsticks, behave in a civilized manner or even eat Tslao cuisine. Not a lot of research going on there, I guess. The majority were glad that I was wearing loose fitting pants, but my teeth and abundance of skin were bothersome.”

“You do have a lot of skin.”

Alex rolled his eyes. “Everyone has a lot of skin. One of the senators described me using a word I don’t have a translation for... Tschoval? I think it was that.”

Her eyebrow arched and she took another sip. “Ah, that is interesting. Which one?”

“Dark blue fur, seated two down from Sergeant Zenshen.”

“Yes, it would be him. Always looking for trouble.” She swirled her drink and contemplated one of the tapestries, jaw working slowly.

“What’s it mean?”

“It is a skin disease, makes ones fur fall out. Usually used as an epithet for Humans now.”

“Great.” It was no shock that they had their own derogatory nicknames, just that it had taken him this long to hear one.

“Unsurprising. He was posturing, seeing who would join in with him while your beloved was not around to hold a sword to his throat.”

Alex didn’t particularly care about the political angling, but he had some of his own questions he’d like answered. “Yeah, speaking of your niece's remarkable display of violence this afternoon, what the hell is going on between you two? I’ve gotten her side of the story, but I don’t understand what’s up with this Dr. Jekyll... Split personality crap you’ve got going on.”

“My niece.” She gave a clipped, derisive laugh. “Whenever she does something impetuous, she is my niece. Humorous.”

“Fine, my wife’s outburst earlier. Feel better?”

“Not appreciably.” She drained her glass and sighed, sinking into the chair. She actually seemed old for once, as the pride she normally carried herself with replaced with regret. “Suppose it will do me well. I did not want Carbon to get involved in politics, in the court. She was so bright and... So delicate. I did not want that taken from her.”

“Is my translator broken? Because I’m pretty sure you absolutely destroyed her.” He could see the bright part, but delicate? That wasn’t the Carbon he knew.

Eleya rolled her eyes over to him with an exasperated look that ran in the family. “Emotionally. Do not think I have damaged that, she is as sensitive as she ever was.”

“Well, yeah...” That did sound like Carbon. He had hurt her so easily on the Kshlavo, with just a laugh.

“I know what I did was appalling, but she had to be moved away from the center of the court. Did you know they started sending suitors to her when she was six? These... Sycophants tried to marry a child because she was close to me, because they saw a weakness in me. It was only a matter of time before they found a weakness in her and they would have exploited it without hesitation.”

“That’s... not at all what I was expecting.”

Eleya shrugged, silent as she stared at her hands resting in her lap. “There are other reasons, other causes, but that is the keystone to what I did. Pushing her away when I feel familial is... right.”

“No, that’s bullshit. Have you even ever tried telling her about all this? Apologizing, maybe? Because that’s how you treat family.”

“That is why I chose you, Alex.” She managed a faint smile despite the terrible sadness in her eyes. “You only care about her. Perhaps I will be able to speak with her about it, in time.”

“Not ‘in time.’ Soon. I don’t honestly know how far gone she is, but I know she’s really close to shutting you out for good.”

That jolted Eleya back to life, a flicker of panic in her voice before she brought it under control. “She would not just... Would she?”

“Yeah, she would.” No point in sugar coating it. “That’s why I say you need to do this sooner, rather than later. You might have bought yourself some time with me, but it’s only going to go so far if you keep acting like that.”

“I see.” She was distant again, a foot tapping restlessly against the thick carpet as the gears turned behind her eyes. “Thank you for letting me know.”

“I just want her to be whole. If that means helping you fill the hole you dug, I’m fine with that... But I’ll help her with it however she wants.” Alex set his glass aside, still full except for a sip. “So, anything else you want to talk about or are we good for tonight?”

“No. You may go.” She rested her head against the back of the chair and looked absolutely lost before she gained traction on a thought. “Wait. I do have a question.”

Alex was already up and adjusting his clothing. “Yeah, shoot.”

“The wounds you received on the Kshlavo... They were significant, were they not?”

“Yeah, you might say that.” He wouldn’t soon forget how thoroughly burned and broken he had been after the Ehom attack.

“Despite the severity of your injuries, you were repaired with a mediboard. Completely?”

Alex wiggled his toes in his shoes and nodded. “Fully armed and operational. Why?”

She shook her head, unwilling to give up any more secrets. “Have a good night, Alex. Thank you.”

Borrowed

2012-01-12T23:51:00.000-08:00

A trio of Senators were the first to depart the meeting, two males that Alex didn’t recognize blowing right past him and the Sergeant. They both looked unhappy, though the second appeared to be just short of enraged. Senator Kshana trailed them, stopping to talk and happy as she had been last time Alex had spoken to her.

She looked to sergeant Zenshen and spoke quietly. “Thank you for your service, it is very much appreciated. If you would let the young prince know that I am glad to see him well and that I would enjoy speaking with him again, I would be deeply grateful.”

“Of course, Senator.” She switched from Tsla to English, relaying the message to him verbatim.

Alex thought carefully about his reply, both of them watching as he made up something that sounded sufficiently formal, if not short. “I thank you, Senator. I would very much like that as well, I hope that our paths will cross again soon.”

The Sergeant translated his words and Kshana lit up, touching him on the arm before she bowed and took her leave. Zenshen waited until she was at the door before speaking again. “Looks like she fancies you.”

“Really?” It would explain why she was one of the few Tslao who actually seemed to enjoy his presence. "I thought she was just interested in humans."

“I’d say she is interested in a human, at least."

“Last time I talked to her, she had lots of questions about human culture and that kind of stuff." He had been in a state of shock when he had last spoken to her, as well... He could have missed something, but was sure he hadn't.

The sergeant hummed quietly, eyes watching the slowly thinning crowd. "It may be so. Were you Tslao, that touch would have been a breach of conduct for a senator... Except in a more private setting. Royals may get away with many things in private."

"I'm not really getting that feeling from her. She wouldn't have done that in a room full of witnesses if she meant it that way, anyway. Right?"

"Given how often anyone looks our way, this is almost a private setting."

That was true. After the initial rounds of greetings, they had been left alone and studiously ignored. That had suited him well enough, though now it left him feeling unprotected.

Colonel Lehnan cleared his throat behind them. "It is bad enough that you corrupt your own mind with those romance books. You do not need to do the same to his with their unreasonable fantasies."

She had straightened up as soon as she heard his voice, wine glass disappearing behind her back as she turned to face him. "Yes sir."

"Romance novels." Alex laughed quietly. So he had been correct about the senator not having some sort of intentions toward him. The relief he felt was unexpectedly intense until he noticed the Sergeant and Colonel Lehnan looking at him like he shouldn’t have been able to understand what the Colonel had said. Alex noticed Carbon standing behind the Colonel in the middle of a cringe. The amount of suspicion now in the conversation sent his comfort level crashing back to the ground. “I- I, uh... Have been learning Tsla. Slowly. It’s a process. I know more now than I used to.”

They didn’t seem to be buying that. Alex scrambled for something that would be more convincing to them and came up empty. That would be his story, he would stick to it. It did not stop him from looking to Carbon, silently pleading for her to do something.

“Neya also has an affinity for such stories... I have heard her speaking to Alex about them as she helps in his studies.” She stepped around Lehnan and took hold of his arm, eyes turning towards her old friend. “They have yet to interfere with her duties.”

The Colonel seemed skeptical but held his tongue, switching into English. “I will keep your experience in mind, Princess. May we take our leave?”

“Of course, Kaen. You do not need to ask me.”

Kaen glanced at Alex and then back to Carbon. “I know. I am not asking you.”

It took Alex a second to understand that the Colonel was talking about him. “Oh. Oh yeah, it’s totally fine. If she said something, I’m probably good with it too.”

“Thank you, sir. Have a good evening.” It almost seemed that just listening to Alex was taxing for the older Tslao. The two soldiers bowed and departed, Zenshen staying a step behind and depositing her glass on the dining table as they passed by it.

The smell of ozone announced Eleya before she said anything, a pair of cloaked guards stepping silently past them. “It is time to for me to depart, as well.”

No one bothered with the pretense of translating for him. Carbon gave Eleya a shallow bow, speaking in Tsla again. “Of course, dear aunt. Sleep well.”

“I do not intend to depart alone.” She gestured for the two of them to follow as she headed for the double doors across the room. Not much in the way of choices, Eleya and Carbon both making several stops to say good bye before they found themselves in the hallway.

“Do you have yet more plans to discuss?” Carbon said in English, clearly not enthused by this prospect.

“No. Nothing that has not been covered already, but I do wish to speak with the young prince. Privately.” She held out a hand and one of her guards deposited his yoke into it, in turn holding it out to him.

That was not what Carbon wanted to hear. “If there is anything that he can discuss, we can discuss it.”

“I’ll be fine.” Alex took the device from Eleya’s hand, smiling as he settled it on his shoulders. He didn’t particularly look forward to a private chat with Eleya, but he knew what she wanted to talk about this time. Probably.

“It is not that I doubt you.”

He laid his hand on her shoulder. “But you don’t trust her?”

She gave Eleya a sidelong glance and nodded. “Yes. That is it.”

Alex shrugged and looked at the vague silhouette of the guard standing over his shoulder. He reached out and gently punched him in what Alex hoped was his shoulder. “I got these guys to look after me. They’re pretty good, right?”

Given that Carbon had overpowered two of them with nothing more than a chair and a well placed foot, then held one of their own weapons at the Empress’ throat just a few hours ago, she was understandably unimpressed with them right now. “They are loyal to her.”

“It is clear that I have stretched my word to you painfully thin, but please understand that I have no ill plans for him. I just wish to talk in private. You know how the court operates.” The Eleya that cared was back. The one that felt like family, that you would actually want to spend time with.

“I do.” Carbon sighed and patted Alex’s arm. “Hurry home.”

Hiatus!

2012-01-09T11:53:00.000-08:00

As some people may have noticed, I have not been updating weekly like I used to. It's been quite silent over here for several weeks now. Life has gotten pretty busy, what with the baby about to be born and trying to move all at the same time. This has left me with a lot less time to write and with a newborn around, it will probably continue like that for some time.

I haven't given up on the story. I am still working on it, just at a much slower rate than before. I'm going to try to post about every other week, but I'm not making any guarantees about that just yet.

Left Out

2011-12-22T20:51:00.000-08:00

Dinner turned out well. The forest spider, despite being some kind of alien spider, actually tasted good. It was somewhat like crab in Alex’s estimation. The servers brought out several more small courses and his reaction to them was... varied. Nothing was bad, but some of it wasn't something he'd go out of his way to have again in the future.

Alex did not fuss about anything, as he had promised. He had been concerned that he wasn’t going to be comfortable being served in a formal setting but it didn’t faze him at all. That actually did make him worry a little bit, as though acceptance of a lavish treatment would make him a bad person. He was pretty sure that it didn’t, but the concern lingered in his mind.

Once dinner was over it was time to mill around having drinks and chatting. That was how it went, apparently. No dessert, just alcohol. That was kind of a let down. Alex had been hoping for some sort of interesting dessert. Even though it felt childish to him, he still considered it the best part of dinner.

So he stood, nearly a head taller than everyone in the room, nursed his wine and pretended that his translator had broken. This went more smoothly than he expected, though part of that was Carbon tightening up what he was saying when she translated for him.

Then Eleya came to ‘borrow’ Carbon. There were important discussions to be had involving her and the Colonel that Alex did not need to be part of. If he was not aware of Eleya’s interest in having him eavesdrop on everyone, he would have conjured any number of theories as to why his presence wasn’t needed. But he and Carbon knew what she wanted and didn’t protest.

It sort of reminded him of a dance he had gone to in middle school, where everyone split up by gender and congregated on opposite sides of the gym. Here it was just him tucked away between two tapestries, unable to miss the curious glances as the crowd shifted and moved. Alex was very good at saying translator broken and learning Tsla slowly on the rare occurrence when someone stopped to talk to him. While his immersion translator could feed him fully formed sentences in Tsla, he thought it unwise to pretend to have a conversational knowledge of of the language.

He was learning a lot, at least... but he wasn’t sure how much of it was going to be useful.

Sergeant Zenshen sidled up to him, a smirk on her face and a little bit tipsy. “You appear as uncomfortable as I feel. Where has your love gone?”

Alex hitched a thumb over his shoulder towards a side passage behind the tapestry he stood next to. “Some sort of meeting with Eleya. Didn’t need me to go along.”

She chuckled. “The Empress took Lhenan also. I believe I know what they are discussing while leaving us here in our discomfort.”

He perked up, curious as to what was actually going on. “Oh yeah? What’s that?”

She shuffled a step closer, almost shoulder to shoulder with him. “It is unusual to have an important action without a royal at the front. It shouldn’t be a problem, but there will be questions and complaints. It’s best to be ahead of them.”

“Huh.” If that was true, it did explain the looks being exchanged at the table. “That’s good to know.”

“It is.” The Sergeant sipped her wine, eyeing the room with caution. “They are all quite polite... but I think there is more going on behind their eyes.”

“This group? Really? There’s no way politicians would ever have ulterior motives.” Alex laid the sarcasm on heavily, assuming that politics were always politics no matter who was doing them.

Zenshen snickered. “Every intention as pure as the morning sun, I am sure.”

“Of course.”

They stood there for a solid thirty seconds, watching the conversations going on in the room. While he was sure he could ask her just about anything because of his station, he was still remarkably uncomfortable doing so.

Alex fortified himself with some more wine and managed to force out the question that was on his mind. “Did you wink at me earlier?”

“Yes.”

“How did you mean that?”

“I think I like you.” She swirled the wine in her glass, brow creased in contemplation before she continued. “I don’t like a lot of Humans... Perhaps ten of the hundreds I have now met. As Colonel Lehnan trusts Princess Sorenson’s judgement of you, I trust his judgement of her. I also think that you’re not an asshole, as far as I can tell. That is good. As your people say, I’ve got your back.”

“Thanks, I appreciate that. I would say I feel the same way. You seem trustworthy, I guess.” That wasn’t what he was expecting, but it made him happy. “I really wasn’t sure what to make of it, you know. A wink can mean a lot of things for Humans.”

“It is the same with the Tslao.” She finished off her wine, frowning into the empty glass.

“Noted. I don’t know how many people here are on my side... Other than Carbon and maybe Eleya, when I’m convenient. I know I’ve got a few enemies around as well. ”

“Yes, the stabbing. That sounded very unpleasant.”

“It was.” Alex finished his wine off as well. “It’s just been a hell of a year.”

Dinner Time

2011-12-15T18:02:00.000-08:00

“No, not really.” Alex deadpanned, shaking his head slowly. “I don’t particularly care what people are saying behind my back.”

Eleya gave him a narrow look, her ears and antennae pressing down against her head with an almost exasperated huff. “You may not have, but you are not who you were before, young prince. What others think is far more useful than you yet understand and it is important that you learn that.”

He thought he understood what Eleya was getting at. He wasn’t just some guy anymore, not here, anyway. Didn’t make him feel any different. “Fine, I’ll listen. Happy?”

“No. I do not yet know how well you will do.” She touched his arm, urging him towards the open hallway. “But your promise will suffice for now.”

“All right.” Alex shrugged and waited until he had turned away to roll his eyes. He got that it probably was important, but just couldn't get into that mindset.

“Sir.” Tashen looked as apprehensive as he ever had when Alex was around, sucking in a breath when he noticed the eye-roll. “Please, wait at the end of the hall, you will be announced-”

“Carbon explained it to me all ready, thank you.” Alex smiled and resisted the urge to pat him on the shoulder. He didn’t suppose that it would be appreciated. “It’s good to see you again, Tashen. Healing up well?”

He seemed taken aback by that. “Yes, sir. Thank you for enquiring.”

“Good.” Alex nodded and continued on his way. He wasn’t sure why he liked Tashen. The short Tslao had been standoffish when they’d previously met, but had still helped him - albeit by Eleya’s orders. Could just be that it was nice to have someone more uneasy around.

A soldier at the end of the hall nodded at him as he drew to a stop before a heavy green curtain. She leaned into the curtain and whispered through it, someone on the other side loudly announcing him a moment later: Lord Alex Sorenson, Crown Prince. The soldier then reached across the curtain and pulled it open for him.

Alex was unaware that Lord was actually part of his title. Still, he stepped through the portal and bowed as he had been instructed, his face serious despite his surprise. The table was a wide, low oval, the surface dark and glossy with place settings that seemed familiar at first glance. There were about thirty people already seated around the table, of which he was sure he recognized four, at most.

There were only two spaces open at the far end. The walk was just twenty seconds long, if it was even that, but being the focus of attention to the entire room made it seem like hours. There was a pillow to sit on, which he quickly found out left him too far off the ground to slide his legs under the table.

Carbon looked him over as he slid the pillow out from under him, stowed it beneath the table and scooted forward, his legs barely clearing the dark lacquered wood now. “Where is your translator?”

“Give you one guess.” His eyes darted back to the green curtain resting between a pair of intricate tapestries.

She sighed and shook her head, voice lowering. “Of course. We cannot just have a nice dinner, there must always be subterfuge.”

“Why so surprised?” He started to reach for the narrow glass of water out in front of his place setting but stopped himself when he noticed that no one else had touched theirs. Have to wait for that, too. “I barely know her and finding out she’s got a scheme feels like par for the course.”

Carbon got that look she has when he uses a phrase she doesn’t know. Before he can explain, their conversation was cut short by the guard announcing the Empress.

Eleya looked entirely comfortable with the room watching her. She moved with well practiced poise before settling down on Alex’s right, at the head of the table. When she spoke, it was with an easy grace that seemed rare in any personal interaction with her. “Thank you all for attending. I am pleased to have the the young prince here with us, now that he has had time to fully recover from his grave wound.”

She gave Alex a nod and without looking he felt the room watching him again. Much to his relief and before he could do anything stupid, she gestured to Colonel Lhenan and the Sergeant. “I am sure many of you have not yet met these two soldiers. Given his experience working with Humans, I have placed the Colonel in charge of handling the day to day operations for the ongoing exploration of the alien artifact discovered during the scouting mission.”

Alex caught a few glances being exchanged, but had no idea what part of Eleya’s statement caused that or if they were just wondering when she’d stop talking. He was hoping she’d stop talking, anyway, they hadn’t eaten much for lunch and he was hungry. That reaffirmed his assumption that he was going to be bad at espionage in a very thorough manner.

Mercifully, she did stop. A gesture brought a dozen servers out of the woodwork. They appeared from passages hidden behind several tapestries that decorated the walls. The first wave was just wine, the server filling a pair of short glasses and setting the crystal decanter between Alex and Carbon before disappearing.

A second wave brought a shallow corrugated plate with an odd bowl perched on top, steam wafting from fresh green soup within. It smelled like coriander, warm and savory. Still, he waited, trying to look casual while watching Eleya out of the corner of his eye. “So, what is this?”

“Soup.” Just a hint of humor in her voice.

He glanced over at Carbon, a sly smile on her face again. At least she was having a bit of fun. “I figured. What kind of soup?”

“Forest spider.”

Alex looked down at the unevenly shaped bowl in front of him and then over at Carbon’s. A faint brown-red pattern covering the side of the bowl resolved and then he noticed the tiny hairs on the raised part of the plate. “This is the entire spider... right?”

“No, not the head. The head is poisonous. The rest of it is quite delicious.”

Eleya crunched into something, presumably one of the glistening legs surrounding the camouflaged carapace and everyone else started in on theirs.

He could do this.

History Lesson

2011-12-09T23:32:00.001-08:00

There was about an hour to kill before the dinner. Alex and Carbon had made their way over to a waiting room and Carbon gave him the rundown on what would be expected of him. Nothing seemed particularly alien. He already knew how to use chopsticks and about how they handled toasts. Otherwise, all he had to do was wait for Eleya to start eating before he did and not make a fuss over anything.

Colonel Lhenan and the Sergeant arrived as Carbon was quizzing him about table manners. They had much more formal jackets on now, cut similarly to what Alex wore with a high collar. Carbon knew Colonel Lhenan from back when she was an acting Lan, their ships had been in a patrol group at some point and they apparently had catching up to do. Fortunately, Sergeant Zenshen was quite the chatterbox.

"It's humorous you should mention that. I have found that taking a casual demeanor with Humans, even those in your- their military, puts them at ease. Most curious indeed, as they all know that I'm military as well." She leaned back in her chair and gesticulated as she spoke, contractions slipping into her English after she learned that Alex wasn’t much for formalities.

“Really? That’s kind of surprising. I always get stink-eye when I act too casual.” Alex had shut his translator off, the delay annoying when he was talking to someone who spoke English well.

She took a drink of water and smiled, setting her glass down on the table between them. “From officers, yes?”

Alex drummed his fingers on the arm of the chair. “Yeah, actually. Enlisted personnel don’t seem to mind as much.”

“Is that not curious?” Zenshen glanced over at the Colonel and then back to Alex with a knowing look. “I’ve come to think there are many similarities between our people, more than most would acknowledge.”

“I’m inclined to agree.”

Stana rolled the base of her glass on the table, watching him intently. “That is good. There is dissent among the military about you... it is quiet, but it is there. Were you Tslao none would speak ill of you, but since you are not they feel it gives them an excuse to decide how the Empress should make decisions.”

Alex took his time digesting that. “And what do you think?”

“She did not become the Empress by accident.” She shrugged, taking another drink. “I also feel it deeply unwise to question someone once called Kshnevo, the butcher.”

“The butcher?” He was just a little incredulous. Certainly, Eleya was a bit cold...

“After the Emperor was assassinated, she killed the murderer herself. Stabbed him to death in the street with his own weapon, had the Keslon Shen all hunted down and executed. I am told the river outside the citadel was choked with blood after it rained.”

That certainly changed his view of Eleya. “Are you shitting me?”

“No, I would not.” She finished off her water. “Unless you ordered me to, then it would be my duty.”

“No... Just...” Alex shook his head. “I didn’t really see that kind of thing in her.”

“They were a blight on the western lands and her actions have always been just, before and since.” She considered her empty glass and shrugged again. “I believe her reaction was so violent because of grief. They were very close, much closer than many Royal couples before them.”

“Huh.” Alex felt like he should have more to say, but that was all he could really muster at the moment.

“Indeed. Do you want more water?” She indicated his glass, nearly untouched.

“No. No, thank you.”

Her head dipped in assent and she stood, wandering over to the bar nestled in the corner.

At least that explained why no one ever mentioned an Emperor, despite the marking that Eleya wore that indicated she was entwined. He had been curious about that, but had been preoccupied with his own life with Carbon. There had just been so much going on with them that he had forgotten to ask about it.

Alex’s introspection was cut short when Tashen opened the door and stepped inside. The attache looked them over and seemed relieved for a moment before he ushered Eleya in. Alex stood and flipped on his translator. Everyone was finally here, the event seemed to be ready to get underway.

“The other guests have arrived and are seated.” Tashen singled out the Colonel and sergeant Zenshen, directing them to the door that lead to the dining hall. “Honored military guests, please. You will be announced highest rank first.”

The two of them lined up as instructed, Tashen fussing over them for a moment before he sent them on their way. As they departed the waiting room the Sergeant giving Alex a nod and possibly a wink. If it was, he wasn’t sure how he should take it.

“Dearest niece," Eleya said. "Would you take a seat first? I think it would be wise to have the young prince be seen at our sides.” She was a smooth as she always was, any indication of the altercation between her and Carbon invisible.

“I would and I concur. It would be wise.” Carbon gave her a shallow bow and turned, a sly smile on her face as she glanced at Alex before disappearing down the hallway.

“Alex... Dear Alex.” Eleya closed on him, smoothing his jacket out and looking him over. “You wear this better than I had expected. I am pleased at that.”

Alex's mind wouldn't stop flipping between thinking about Eleya stabbing someone to death and her memory of gouging out someone's eyes. He laughed uneasily. “Yeah, it’s actually pretty comfortable. I was surprised.”

“This... This throws it off.” She shook her head and slipped his translator yoke off his shoulders, handing it off to one of her body guards before he could grab it back. The device disappeared as it was covered by the cloaking field. “That is much better.”

“But... I can’t, everyone is not supposed to know about-”

Eleya pressed a finger to his lips and smiled. “I told you that you would do things for me and this is one. Keep your secret, just listen. I am curious to know what others say when they do not know you can hear... Are you not?”

Planning

2011-12-01T14:17:00.001-08:00

Despite Eleya’s declaration that they should proceed with the meeting, there was an awkward silence that lingered for some time before Colonel Lhenan pushed his chair back from the table. He stood and crossed the room, standing at the control panel next to Eleya. He bent down and spoke with her briefly before producing a small data cartridge from his tunic and seating it into a recessed slot, hands sliding over the controls as he prepared his presentation.

Sergeant Zenshen moved up, taking the seat next to Alex. She elbowed his arm and leaned in, speaking barely loud enough to hear. "If I may ask, is that normal?"

Alex looked at her, surprised to see how uneasy she appeared now. He shifted in his seat and leaned over, lowering his voice as well. "Is what normal?"

"The Empress and the Princess'... Interaction."

"Oh, that. Yeah, that's pretty much how it goes." He sat up, then returned to their conference after reconsidering. "Usually without weapons. That was new this time."

She blanched and did not look any more at ease. "I had been warned they were not always on good terms, but I did not expect that.”

Colonel Lhenan cleared his throat and dimmed the lights, the holographic pad humming to life. “The information we are going to cover is classified. Please keep this in mind.”

In the darkness, Alex couldn’t see the Colonel but he was fairly sure that Lhenan was just talking to him when he said that. A panel showing an image of the enormous ring materialized in the air at the end of the conference table. It appeared to be facing him exactly, but if it was like Human hologram technology, everyone would see it that way.

“This is the ring located in local space. The Humans have not been able to determine if it is the same ring that was encountered in the cluster-globe or a different one.” He reached down and tapped the controls.

“They attempted to take a sample of the ring material but were unable to.” The slide changed to a video, the camera slowly approaching the faintly curved outer edge. It drew to a stop, the surface textured with the same curlicues as the walkway inside had been. A cutting disk at the end of a machine arm spun up, the camera jittering as it pressed the tool to the ring but there was no other reaction. It spun freely, not heating or producing any sign of work. “As you can see here, the material appears to be either frictionless or using some sort of shield technology that we cannot detect.”

“Their scans?” Eleya was quiet, remarkably respectful sounding. Alex found that almost as disconcerting as them talking about Humans like he wasn’t there... or like he wasn’t one.

“They also turned up nothing. Given the parity of our respective scanning technologies, I doubt that adding our own would change that.” Lhenan tapped through several items, complex charts that Alex barely understood.

“It appears that the ring will open a portal when an unarmed ship comes within seven three point two six two kilometers. As before, it requires that there be both Tslao and Humans on board.” Alex double-checked how he was translating measurements and switched it from precise to general. Another still image flipped up, the inside of the landing dome from the apex, a shadow from a ship cast onto the floor below. “The automatic landing mechanism that took hold of the Kshlavo activated at two kilometers before the test craft passed through the portal. It also released controls immediately upon landing.”

Alex spoke up this time. "Did the portal close behind them?"

"No sir. It remained open for the length of the initial test."

“Huh.” He leaned back into his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. “Lucky.”

“Indeed.” He clicked over to the next image, the archway surrounded by softly glowing symbols. It was frosted over, the hieroglyphs that seemed to indicate weapons were not allowed bright on both sides. “The team did approach the inner portal, carrying a variety of weapons. Whatever controls it seems to be able to discern intent. While it would not allow a combat knife, a kitchen knife appeared to be acceptable. Standard and exotic firearms also caused it to deny entrance.

“If you will notice these marks at the base of each side of the arch.” The image changed again, all of the glyphs dark and the portal clear, the hash marks faintly lit. It looked mostly the same on the other side, some of the trees in the distance were turning colors as though it were fall. “It appears that one mark was removed from each side when Prince and Princess Sorenson passed through it... There were 75 before, with 74 remaining on each side now. As of yet we do not know if that is counting down the number of passages remaining or the total number of people allowed through.”

“Given that we were tagged upon reaching the other side, I would assume that it limits the number that can pass through.” Carbon looked over at Alex, eyebrow arched.

Alex had forgotten who Prince and Princess Sorenson were and was staring into the screen working that over in his mind when Carbon nudged him. “Oh, yeah. Tracking tag. I don’t see why they’d bother with one if it was per trip.”

“That is the general consensus so far, but until another group goes through it, it is still speculation.”

Alex looked at the Colonel in the dim light of the projector. “Is that going to happen soon?”

“There is another joint reconnaissance mission planned in twelve days. We were expecting that at least one of you would be joining it.” He indicated between Alex and Carbon. “Or both of you.”

Alex managed to stop himself before he just volunteered. Things had changed in his life, whether he had intended for them to or not. He reclined and turned to Carbon. “You up for that?”

She considered that for about long enough to blink, smiling as she replied. “Yes, I am.”

Breaking Point

2011-11-17T19:42:00.000-08:00

Eleya raised an eyebrow at her niece, lips pressed tight and already annoyed. “I do not know what that is. You are aware that technology was never the focus of my studies.”

“This is the newest version of our translator. Yet it is not an evolutionary design or a revolutionary design... it is a Human design.” Carbon’s voice lowered, accusatory. “There have been modifications, but the core of it is decidedly Human in origin.”

Alex wasn’t quite figuring out where this hostility was coming from, other than the normally antagonistic relationship they had. Still, Carbon seemed to have a very specific source for her anger this time.

“That is curious.” Eleya seemed to cool off quickly, walking down the opposite side of the conference table slowly. She gave Alex - still sitting in his chair - a quick look with no small amount of scorn in it before returning her gaze to Carbon. “Though I admit, I do not see what that has to do with why we are here.”

“It has nothing to do with why we are here, but now is a good time to discuss it. Years ago, you said you wanted us to have better access to Human technology. Did you not?” Carbon leaned against the table, glaring across it at her aunt.

“Yes, I do seem to recall saying something like that. It was several years ago... Before we undertook the venture with the humans.”

“I believe you exact words were we will get back three times what we give, in one way or another.”

“You were not-” For a moment, Eleya’s composure broke. Her lip curled up in anger and her eyes shined with rage. A heartbeat later it had passed, her cool demeanor only betrayed by her shaking frame and clipped words. “I never said such a thing. Whoever told you that was fabricating it.”

She looked over her shoulder, hard eyes turned in the general direction of the cloaked soldier that was moving up behind them. “I have not been told, dearest aunt, I have been shown.”

She pursed her lips and glared at Carbon, hands balled into fists. “By who?”

Carbon smiled faintly, azure eyes cold in the overhead lights. “Many people. They thought I was part of your plan to steal Human technology... I think they were right, but not about the role I was to play.”

Eleya looked like she had bitten into a particularly bitter lemon. “While this has been a delightful talk, I still do not see your point. We both knew that handing over our waverider drives would advance Human waverider technology by decades. There is nothing wrong with wanting equitable trade.”

“The trade was letting us use their research and ships to find new planets!” Carbon burst out, slamming her hand down on the table. “New planets for our people. Not to sneak about, stabbing people in the back to get what you want.”

Her eyebrow went up again, looking between Carbon and Alex. A coy smile crossed her face, a hint of malice in her voice. “Ah, I see. This is about your toy, is it?”

Carbon snapped. She grabbed the chair next to her and slammed it into the cloaked guard behind her then leapt up onto the table. She crossed it in a step and snapped a foot out into the air, the guard next to Eleya flickering into existence as her boot caught him in the neck. She pushed off from the table as he started to buckle, riding him to the ground. Before anyone really knew what was happening, before Alex could even sit up, Carbon had retrieved the fallen guard’s sword and pinned Eleya up against the wall, the tip of the sword pressed into her throat. Her lips curled back, eyes burning with hate. “Perhaps you would like to rethink your words, dearest aunt.”

There was a certain amount of fear in Eleya’s eyes now, wide with surprise. She took a few moments, gazing into the response she had provoked and started to laugh. “You are your mothers daughter.”

This did not make Carbon ease up. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“Your father would never have had the fortitude to do that.” She waved her guards back. “And your mother did. Tashen and your father had to pull her off of me once...”

“I can only imagine what for.”

“I am sure you remember.” She sighed and lowered her voice. “I am sorry. I should not have been cruel.”

Carbon relaxed, removing the tip of the sword from Eleya’s neck and letting it drop... though it was still held ready at her abdomen. “I hope you will refrain from that in the future.”

Eleya looked her in the eye, decades of regret clear in her face. “I do not think you will trust it, but you have my word.”

“It lies with you to prove it good.” She released Eleya and stepped back, flourishing the sword and handing it back to the wavering form of the guard she had taken it from before returning to Alex’s side.

“So it will be... To ease your concerns, I had nothing to do with the attack on the young prince. If you do not believe me, consider that it was not nearly convenient enough.” She straightened her jacket and settled into a seat. “But when your house has spiders, dear niece, you ferment them.”

“I see.” Carbon sat down as well and Alex set his hand on hers with a concerned look. She gave him a faint smile as the Colonel and Sergeant took their seats after her. Carbon turned back to Eleya as she mulled it over, foot tapping nervously under the table. “It does not seem like something you would have ordered. There were not enough ways for you to turn the situation to your favor.”

“Very good. I knew you had been paying attention all these years.” Eleya smiled broadly, delighted. “Now, do you mind if we turn to the matter at hand?”

Gathering

2011-11-10T22:30:00.001-08:00

"I'm just saying, I look stupid." Alex slumped into a tiny chair as best he could and fiddled with his translator yoke. They had arrived at the conference room first, a long table ending in what looked like a 3D hologram projector plate taking up most of space. Tapestries hung from the walls, hiding the painted metal.

"You look fine. Quite handsome, actually." Carbon stood behind him, leaning on the back of his chair.

"You would say that. Fine, I feel stupid." Really, he felt naked. That was despite being wrapped in sixty meters of fabric, a loose pair of slacks and a blood red jacket that actually fit him. The wide open collar of the jacket was the culprit. It exposed much more skin on his shoulder and chest than he was used to.

“I cannot argue with your feelings.” She sounded amused by this as she started to rub his shoulders. “At least we were able to convince Neya that painting stripes on you would not be a good idea.”

“That would have made things worse...” At least he was able to get away with wearing his own shoes. They didn’t have anything for feet like his on board.

“But I am curious as to what that would look like now.” Fingers traced delicate lines across the back of his neck before pressing into the skin, kneading the muscle beneath.

Alex sighed and rolled his eyes. “Yeah, I don’t think that’s going to work out well.”

“We will see.” Carbon leaned down to kiss his ear, straightening up suddenly as the door opened. She noticed that Alex wasn’t doing anything, whispering to him. “Stand up when others enter.”

Alex pushed himself up out of the chair as two more Tslao who he didn’t think he recognized stepped into the room. They were both dressed in military tunics and shoulder mounted AI’s, antennae swept back into them. One was an older male, gray furred, graying and stern. The younger one was probably a female, an almost brown shade of red, alert but relaxed. They wore the same battalion insignia but different rank badges. Alex couldn’t read either of those, his Amp didn’t seem to be inclined to translate whatever symbols they used for that.

“Sir, ma’am.” The older one acknowledged them with a short bow, stepping up to Alex with his hand out.

It took Alex a second to realize what he was doing, so unused to having a Tslao offer up a handshake. He accepted a moment later, suddenly aware that he wasn’t sure how much pressure would be right. “Good to meet you...”

“Colonel Lhenan, sir. This is Sergeant Zenshen.”

He hadn’t met either of them before, that was a relief. “Colonel. Pleased to make your acquaintance.”

“Likewise.” The Colonel broke off the handshake and sidestepped him to speak with Carbon.

“Prince Sorenson, correct?” Sergeant Zenshen said in slightly accented English as she stepped up to him, an odd sort of smirk on her face, hand thrust out in front of her.

One of them doing that was odd, this was just damn weird. He still shook her hand, though. “Yes. Just recently... Still not used to the title.”

“Understandable, sir.” She leaned in and lowered her voice. “Do not mind the Colonel. While he is... unsure what to make of your appointment, he is committed.”

“I’m glad to hear that.” He looked over his shoulder, Carbon and the Colonel deep into a conversation already. “I’m trying not to rock the boat too much, but I think it’s unavoidable that I will cause some trouble.”

“You have already. Among the military, his reaction is common. They trust that between the Princess and the Empress you have been thoroughly vetted, despite how unorthodox this is.” She leaned against the table with her arms crossed over her chest, entirely self possessed.

“I guess that’s something.” He rubbed the back of his neck and sat down. “You seem to be fine with this.”

“The Colonel and myself have worked with humans several times before, though I have spent more time among them... I am more comfortable with the idea that your kind are not what the rumors say.”

“Well, that’s good.”

“It is.” She watched Carbon and the Colonel talk for a moment. “I have heard that you two were the first onto the artifact?”

“Yeah, we were.” Alex wasn’t sure how much he should be saying about that, but they were there to talk about the artifact... all of this would probably come up anyway. “Hell of a place.”

“It looks very impressive.”

The hologram plate warmed up behind them them and Carbon cursed under her breath. Alex excused himself and rolled the chair down to her side, eyebrow cocked. “What’s up?”

“They were issued an experimental translator module.” She gestured to the military personnel.

“So? Doesn’t work or what?”

“See for yourself.” Carbon gestured at the display, a maze of circuitry floating in the air.

None of that meant anything to Alex. “Looks like... a processor?”

“It is, but it is not of Tslao origin.” She tapped on the control panel and scrolled through a file. “The design first appeared in the system four days ago. This was stolen from your translator.”

“The one that got stabbed?”

“Yes.” She growled.

The door opened, the ozone smell of cloaked soldiers filling the room as Eleya entered. Zhensen and Lhenan straightened immediately. Alex leaned back in his chair and waved.

Carbon turned slowly, eyes narrow. “Dearest aunt... Would you care to explain this?”

Rock and a Hard Place, Part 4

2011-11-10T22:26:00.001-08:00

The final installment of Rock and a Hard Place. I had a lot of fun exploring the other goings on in the universe, I hope you all enjoyed reading about them!

Sergeant Major Williams watched the Osprey come down, rotating slowly so that it’s aft cargo door would open up over the edge of the ridge. There wasn’t enough room here to land the Osprey, but the pilots had no problem hovering over it if the winds weren’t too high.

It was delivering a pair of navy boys to her this time. They brought several cases of equipment with them, hauling it all off quickly as the Osprey hovered over the valley. It lifted off just as soon as they were clear of the jet wash. Williams took a quick look at the pile of gear, recognizing everything she had requested from the shape of the crates alone.

The two petty officers, Loman and Balyakov, were here to set up a sniper nest. They had plenty of personnel upstairs, no reason not to put some of them to work. The spot she had chosen overlooked the mouth of the valley. It would keep any bugs from wandering in unless they were massed, and even then they should be able inflict significant casualties.

They were kitted out with integrated comms and light duty packs, which she had requested and work uniforms that were the wrong color for the planet, which she had not. It was a combat zone, but up on the ridge they were well protected, no need for heavy armor. She greeted them with a nod, scanning their name tape to verify which was which. “Gentlemen.”

Loman nodded back. Balyakov bothered to answer, short as it was. “Ma’am.”

“You both read the manuals I sent? All the way through?” She looked to Loman first. His body language seemed... sloppy.

Considering that they would be manning a M129A3 “Longbow” Anti-materiel rifle and the requisite M188 "Delphi" linked spotting scope, sloppy was not something she particularly appreciated. It was a lot of specialized equipment that neither of them had been explicitly trained on, but both were marksman and the operation was ultimately simple.

Loman nodded again. “Yeah, got it down pat.”

“Uh huh.” Williams turned her gaze to Balyakov. “Did you read the manuals?”

“Yes ma'am, I don’t know the words to I’m a little teapot.”

She smiled, squinting in the morning sun. Didn’t matter if he knew the words or not, he had at least skimmed the operating manuals she had sent, including the extra instructions she had embedded in them. “You’re the trigger man, explain to Loman how the Delphi works while you two set up.”

“Yes ma’am.”

Loman looked pissed but kept his mouth shut. Everyone wanted to play with the big gun, they didn’t want to lay around in the dirt verifying targets. Balyakov demonstrated his ability to follow orders even if there wasn’t someone monitoring him, important when they would be firing over the top of friendly forces. She appreciated that, as she was going to be down there soon. “Do not let him touch the Longbow. You clear on that?”

“Yes ma’am.”

“Good. Get to work.” She lifted a small box off the stack of gear and turned, heading back to their base camp.

It was a short walk, not even half a kilometer. She picked up the pace, easy in the boosted armor, and attached to the Ingraham’s b-net and keyed the comm system. “Bravo five two, this is Bravo two four.”

It took a few seconds for Thames to respond. “Go ahead.”

“What’s the ETA on that K6, Lieutenant? I’m starting to get bored down here.”

“They got the Valkyrie out of the tube, should have it secured on the Osprey in five, on the ground in thirty.”

“All right, I’ll be at the LZ. Bravo two four out.”

Short as that conversation was, she had covered the distance to what passed for a camp on this operation. A charred stack of wood and dozens of cases of equipment, several of the larger ones pushed together to make a workbench for her.

The package she’d kept was an R7 bayonet. Just because you had been issued the most expensive rifle in the armory didn’t mean you wouldn’t use it as a spear some day. Opened about any damn thing you could imagine, too.

Williams spilled the contents out onto her improvised workbench, picked the parts she wouldn’t need out and tossed them back into the case. She slid the knife from it’s sheath. The matte, non-reflective blade was smooth and clean, the cutting edge carried a faint recurve. It almost looked graceful.

Modifying it was easy. She’d done it a dozen times before, just this year. Use the power grinder to take off the strap loops and smooth the scabbard, making sure to scuff the back thoroughly. Then grind the grip down to fit the user. She was eyeballing that and taking a lot of material off the handle. Should work.

That Tslao girl, Stana, had been left at the camp. Ostensibly to assist the Sergeant as needed, but there was nothing Williams actually needed help with that she would be qualified to do. She'd given her some busy work, but now had a real task in mind for her.

The loose dirt and gravel crunched underfoot as she walked over to the edge of the cliff. Private Zhensen sat there, legs dangling over the edge and watching the valley below. Smoke curled up from a few fires, a handful of work crews putting them out. Others were building new defenses, long trenches filled with unlit napalm - frenzied bugs would still avoid fire, even if it herded them into convenient kill zones. “How are you holding up?”

Her shoulders lifted. “I am fine.”

“I find that hard to believe.” The few times she had inquired before, Stana had been 'fine' despite how much time she spent looking out at the smoldering ruin of her home. Their psychology was supposed to be similar to humans, and while she was in the army, she was no soldier. Worse, she was a teenage girl. Williams flipped the knife around and held it out. “Give this a try. How does it feel in your hand?”

Zhensen took it, the twenty centimeter long blade didn't appear to be unwieldy, though it looked more like a short sword than a knife. “It feels fine.”

"You keep saying that word." She had been a civilian and a teenage girl at one point, too, but that felt like a lifetime ago. She could see how this situation would be difficult. "Does the grip feel like it's going to slip out of your hand? Is the balance too blade heavy?"

"No. It feels fine." A little bit of force behind it this time. "The blade is heavy, but I can find no other problems with it."

"Good. I need to put some finishing touches on it." She held out her hand and the Tslao girl gave it back.

Stana handed it to her before pushing herself back up and dusting her armor off. She turned to look over the valley again and heaved a sigh. "You are correct, I am not fine."

Williams nodded as she slotted the blade back into it's scabbard and began wrapping grip tape around the handle. That was hardly a surprise. "How are you really doing?"

Another shrug. "Angry, sad, confused... I do not know. At least this time there is more than a crater."

"Yeah, that's something. Going to rebuild?" She tore the grip tape and swapped the small roll for a tube of glue from the utility pouch attached to her leg.

"Yes. I think we will."

"Good. Arms up."

She looked confused but complied, holding her arms up over her head and watching quietly. Williams looked over the armor and laid a bead of glue down on the back of the scabbard and stuck it to a nice empty spot under her armpit. That was standard practice for attaching things to rigid armor. Glue it down where it was easy to get to.

"Reach for it with your right hand. Don't draw it yet. Is it comfortable?"

She complied, setting her hand on it without having to stretch. "Yes, it is fine- ah, I can reach it without issue."

"Thank you. That will set up in a few minutes. Try not to bump it too much." The Major stowed the glue and turned to the trail down the valley wall, gesturing for Zenshen to follow her.

"I will mind it." Her shields came on with a pop as she caught up with Williams, walking quickly to stay abreast of her on the narrow path. "Do you think more of them will come?"

"Affirmative, they'll have another batch of warriors up in about six hours. Estimate about four hundred this time, but they're going to have a nasty surprise when they get here." Tkt would seek out anything that didn't smell or look like them when frenzied... and they were very tenacious.

She looked out over the rubble again and spoke quietly. "I want to kill them. All of them."

"Don't take this the wrong way, but you can't." Williams glanced over at her to double check that, glad to see that she appeared more worried than determined. "You are not trained for combat, let alone fighting bugs, and you certainly aren't equipped for it. But if it's revenge you want, it is on it's way."

Stana chewed that over for a minute and finally nodded in agreement. "I think I am glad... but I do not know if it is right. They are alive too."

"They're not alive like you or me. All six of their hearts beat, sure. But warriors? If there's no overseer, there is nothing to their life but finding things sufficiently unlike them and destroying it."

"How can you be sure?"

"We've done research. Lots and lots of research. The warrior class of tkt has almost no higher brain function, their vocal system doesn't develop, their gastrointestinal tract doesn't develop. If nothing kills them first, they starve to death in about twenty days."

Her eyes widened, brow creased. "That is horrible."

"Oh no, there's more."

"I do not think I want to know."

The thought of stopping did cross Williams' mind, but she didn't. Stana would likely feel better knowing everything, ultimately. "The way the hive operates while a new overseer is gestating is very simple, they run defense at maximum. Everything else falls to the side."

She relaxed a little, relieved for the moment. "That is almost understandable."

"Almost. they pour all of their resources into hatching warriors to protect the overseer's egg. We popped a drone into their hive and they've got about three thousand warriors gestating right now. The size of the hive indicates they've only got resources for about two thousand, twenty five hundred of those. After that, they're out. No more food, the hive starves."

"How..." She furrowed her brow and her mouth turned down in a grimace. "How have they survived so long?"

"There used to be more castes above the overseer, we think. It is possible they had enough influence to prevent that from happening. They do not show aggression to other hives from similar lineage, either. If there were other hives here, they would be mollified by the presence of 'safe' others. The other hives would likely assist in it's defense as well... and a controlled warrior is a very dangerous thing."

"I did not know they had such complex interactions. They did not seem to care about our presence."

Williams shook her head. "They don't. We've tried to make contact and set up treaties without success. They will respond to aggressive actions, but that appears to be all they will respond to."

Stana blanched and worried her fingers together. "That does not seem to leave many options."

"No, it does not."

The M129A3 up on the ridge cracked, a clap of thunder on a clear day. Stana jumped and looked up at the sound, Williams turning to the entrance of the valley. There were a few tall silhouettes there, too far away to make out in any detail. The longbow fired two more times, one of the tkt seemed to disintegrate with each report. The full size M129 was much more powerful than the carbine version she carried.

They walked in silence the rest of the way, reaching the LZ moments after the Osprey touched down. The crewman drove a Jackal unmanned ground vehicle out with a remote, it’s rubbery treads biting into the dirt and pulling it off of the ramp. The equipment cradle had been removed, a few loose wires and a can of quick weld taped to the frame in it’s place.

The crewman handed her the remote and retreated into the Osprey for a moment, hauling a meter long dark grey cylinder out and setting it carefully next to the Jackal. He leaned in and shouted over the engines. “Need anything else while we’re here, Major?”

She looked over at Stana and considered that. “You got a bucket on board?”

He nodded. “Collapsible. That OK?”

“Yes.”

It was canvas and metal rings, extremely low tech but still functional. The Osprey was gone moments after the crewman handed it to her. She handed it off to Zenshen, scanning the local area for something. “There we are. Let’s get you started.”

She hustled along behind Williams, who was moving towards a pile of rubble. “What am I doing?”

“Harvesting scent glands.” She bent down and shoved a large piece of concrete out of the way, a tkt corpse riddled with bullets lodged beneath it. Williams rolled it over onto it’s front and pointed to leathery, pockmarked membrane on the back. “They have them in their lung sacs, up at the top of the cavern. Just cut the skin and reach in, it’s a hard ball, about the size of a... Let me show you.”

She dug her own knife into the skin, cutting a large chunk out of it before plunging an armored hand into the spongy tissue. It was right where she expected it to be, just a twist and it came right out. Stana recoiled when she held the glistening, greenish gland out to her.

“They look like this.”

“These are-” Zenshen held the bucket out as she gagged on her words. Her ears lowered further, lips pale. “These are absolutely necessary?”

“If we want to drive the warhead into their house, yes.” She dropped the rank chunk of flesh into the bucket and stood. “Need twenty of those.”

Williams left her there, staring at the carcass. It was a grisly task, one of those that separated the men from the boys, as it were. More importantly, it gave her an idea of who she was dealing with. She never cared for people who took delight in desecrating the dead, no matter who’s dead they were.

The Jackal was right were she left it, K6 warhead still laying in the sandy dirt. She checked it over and began the task of attaching the warhead to the Jackal.

Williams had done this before, too. It was going to be a one-way trip for the low slung drone, the variable yield warhead quickwelded to the top where the equipment cradle usually goes. The on-board weapons system attached to the K6 without issue, going through diagnostics while she built little cups out of quickweld on the frame to hold the scent glands.

Another Osprey landed behind her as she worked, the engines spinning down. Heavy footsteps approached, the Lieutenant's location marker appearing behind her. “Status, Major?”

“Putting the finishing touches on the Jackal, sir. My assistant is collecting masking agents as we speak. Probably.”

Thames didn’t laugh, but she could hear the humor in his voice. “I’m sure she’s having a good time with that.”

“Doubt it.” She looked up and checked where she had left the Tslao girl. At least she had moved... somewhere. “We will see, though.”

“Yeah. We’re going one kiloton yield on this?”

“If you can get it into the core of the hive.” She stood up, as finished as she could be for the time being. “If you can’t, dial it up to two kilotons, that should be enough to collapse the entry level. Keep ‘em locked up for...”

Stana had returned, standing next to Williams with the bucket held out to her. She looked overwhelmed and sick, covered in gore up to her elbows. “Here.”

Williams took it and sure enough, there were all the glands they needed. “Good job.”

She swallowed and looked at Thames, then back to Williams. “Thank you?”

“I’ll take it from here, Sergeant. Anything else I should know about?”

She handed him the bucket and the Jackal’s remote, going over a list of items in her head to make sure she wasn’t forgetting anything important. “Loman up at the sniper nest is not cleared to use the Longbow.”

“Noted. Get on out of here.”

“All right.” Williams nodded and headed for the Osprey. She looked over her shoulder. “One other thing, LT.”

“Yeah?”

“Don’t high-center the Jackal this time.”

“Yeah... Never going to let me forget that, huh?”

“Nope.” She laughed and climbed into the Osprey. When she turned around, Zhensen was just standing there next to the Jackal and looking lost. “Private!”

Her head snapped up. “Yes?”

Williams gestured her over to the Osprey. “When was the last time you ate?”

She stopped at the foot of the ramp, looking up more than she normally had to when talking to the Sergeant. “I had some tea-”

“You don’t eat tea.”

“It was sometime yesterday.”

“How about sleep?”

“Before that.”

“You need to start taking care of yourself.” She jerked her head into the hold of the Osprey. “Come on, we’ll get you some food and you can have some downtime.”

Dress Up

2011-11-03T15:17:00.001-07:00

The rest of the morning had been pleasant. Neya had eaten and left the cabin with a list of things to do that was about two pages long. That left Alex and Carbon with plenty of private time that they put to good use.

They were in the shower when Neya returned, departing the somewhat cramped bath to find her waiting patiently at the table, surrounded by a pile of neatly tied packages. She perked up immediately with a sort of knowing smile. “I trust you have had a productive morning?”

“We have.” Carbon had the same sort of smile as she rifled through the dresser.

Alex wrapped his towel around his waist and watched the two of them while waiting for Carbon to finish. They did seem alike, more so than he would normally expect anyone other than twins to be. He couldn’t put a finger on any one thing, but the way they smiled, moved... the way Neya’s body shifted when she rested her chin in her palm seemed to be just the way Carbon did it.

Or was the way Carbon did it how Neya had done it? Was this a two-way street, each party shifting slightly into the other? It wouldn’t be surprising, even if it was unintentional. That was something he was going to have to ask about when he wasn’t about to start shivering from exposure in his own home.

Curious, that. His home. That was unexpected, but it was where his heart was, as weird as it might be.

“Alex, you have proper clothing now. I picked it up just before I returned.” Neya emphasized proper so hard she shifted her body forward when she said it. She was up and untying one of the packages in a heartbeat, a stack of black-red silk tucked into the crook of her arm as she hurried over to help him.

He waved her off. “Oh, I’m fine. I’ve got plenty of my own clothes.”

Neya stopped short and looked at him like he was quite insane. “These are yours and they are appropriate for you. They should be very comfortable, it was the finest material on hand.”

Alex grimaced, struck by guilt. Their home planet was effectively destroyed, they shouldn’t be expending resources on him like that, no matter what his title was. “No, it’s fine. I have clothing that will serve perfectly well.”

“You know, I was the one who had them make that for you.” Carbon slid her drawer closed and retired to the bench nearby, laying out wide strips of cloth in careful order. She gave him a sidelong glance and a soft smirk. “It is not the finest, just the softest. I thought it best to try that first, as it is unlike your normal clothing. I do not want to find something chafes you after we had any large amounts made for you.”

“That’s good, but I’d still prefer to wear my own.” He started at the top drawer and worked his way down, unsure of where exactly they had put the contents of his bag.

“Ah, it may be best, today as we have been invited to a state dinner.” Neya took a step towards him, holding the stack of fabric up. “And Eleya wishes to discuss what is to be done with the artifact you had discovered before that. It would be most appropriate to be dressed for your station.”

Carbon snorted, the first strip partially wrapped low and tight around her hips. “She would. I had hoped for a quiet evening.”

“Fine. Traditional it is, I guess.” He sighed and slid the drawer closed, lifting the bundle from Neya’s hands and setting it on the dresser. He pulled the first one off the top and shook it out, the ends of the narrow rectangle whipping away and falling slowly to the ground. It must have been at least seven meters long. Neya cringed as he bunched it up while watching Carbon wrap her abdomen.

“That is... for the shoulders.” She took it from his hands and had it folded up neatly before setting it back on the dresser and pulling another piece from the bottom of the stack. She looked up at him with raised eyebrows. “You have not worn these before, yes?”

“That’s correct. Never put them on.”

“I will show you.” Neya reached out for his towel, the folded end still gripped tight in Alex’s hand and gave the dense cloth a futile tug.

“Whoa, hey! Boundaries.” He shuffled back a step, defensive as Carbon snickered behind him.

“It is nothing I have not seen before, as you know.”

“She is right, though not explaining herself clearly.” Carbon aimed that more at Neya than Alex. “The wrap is rather complex and will unspool if not done properly. I had been doing these for several years before I became proficient. I was also a child at the time, you should pick it up much more quickly.”

He wasn’t convinced. “Yeah... Is there like a guide I could use?”

“I...” Carbon looked up from her work and considered that, brow creased in concentration. “No, I do not think there is. Not that I have heard of, at least. It is just something that is taught to children by their parents. Also, she is right... It is nothing that she has not already seen.”

“Oh, fine.” He relented, tossing his towel onto the bed. “Get to it.”

Neya looked him over again, unfurling the first piece of the undergarment. She turned to Carbon as she looped it around his waist, pulling it tight. “Has he always been so modest?”

She laughed and shook her head. “Sometimes. Often not. I’ll show you what he wore on the Kshlavo later...”

Lots of Work

2011-10-28T01:12:00.000-07:00

That was one of the weirder things I’ve ever experienced. Alex thought more to himself than Neya as his presence wavered, unsettled by the fresh memory that she had shared with him. That wasn’t something he had ever expected to see... but it was nice to see he was still in good shape despite not having done any exercise in a few months.

At least the link with Neya was giving him a better idea of where she was coming from. Alex couldn’t understand any of her thoughts, but he could interpret her feelings well enough. Neya actually didn’t perceive much difference between herself and Carbon when it came to dealing with him now that they were married... aside from Carbon being much more comfortable around him. But she was willing to steel her will and do what she felt was appropriate, as though he was one of them, because Carbon would have.

She had simply expected him to consider her the same way. A perfectly acceptable surrogate when Carbon was otherwise indisposed, be it with business on another planet or taking a shower. His reaction to her had been profoundly disturbing, his change from apparent enjoyment to horror simply because he woke up was entirely incomprehensible.

Neya’s presence felt soft and earnest, if not uneasy. She crinkled a little, probably trying to read him as he ruminated over what he had seen. Sa esan?

He fluttered, frustrated for a moment before he reminded himself that she meant well. He knew the ‘you’ in that question, but wasn’t sure what esan meant and using his Amp to translate it would interfere with the link. He took a chance and hoped that it meant it was his turn.

Alex cued up his memory in his head and offered it to her, the sinking feeling letting him know she was paying attention and then let her see what he had seen.

He had been been rather enthused at that sort of wake up call, expecting that it was Neya in the shower and Carbon was taking up around where they had left off the night before while they had some privacy. In the dim light of the cabin, he grinned. “You know, this I could get used to...”

That was when he noticed that it didn’t feel like Carbon resting on his leg. The body was different, not as lean and athletic as it should have been. It felt softer and more... fluffy. He lifted the comforter and a pair of amethyst eyes flickered up at him, happy as could be.

Alex’s heart stopped and he was horrified. A dozen emotions flooded through him as he found himself betraying Carbon with her assistant. He panicked as confusion set in, digging his heel into the mattress and shoving himself away from her. He cut the memory short there. No need to relive raking himself across her teeth.

They parted ways, Neya shimmering with excitement before she broke the link. She inched forward on the bed and took hold of his hands, smiling widely. The excitement carried over into her body language and her eyes. “I think I understand now... Better than I did before.”

“That’s good.” Her energetic response to his intense feelings of infidelity sort of put him off, but at least it was a step in the right direction. Best to double check what she got out of that, though. “So you can see where I’m coming from?”

“Oh, yes. I had not even considered that your actions would have been driven by your cultures view of fidelity between the married! I am sorry that I have not had more time with Carbon to acclimate to our differences.”

That sort of made sense. Carbon could show her the various learning experiences they had on the Kshlavo and other times she’s dealt with humans. “I don’t think it would have helped in this case, considering how new I am to this... living situation.”

“Did Carbon not tell you about me?” She cocked her head to the side, eyebrow raised in curiosity.

“No.” He remembered that Carbon was making them breakfast this morning, just a few meters away in the little kitchen behind him. “But it was really busy on the Kshlavo. We didn’t spend a lot of time talking about home.”

Her antennae drooped and she frowned. “Oh. I had thought that... She would have. Because you are so important to her.”

Given everything that had gone on this morning... “You know, I’m kind of surprised she didn’t after that night we got drunk and she-”

Carbon cleared her throat and spoke in Tsla. “Perhaps one of you would like to use the shower before breakfast is ready?”

Neya looked between Carbon and Alex, curiosity on her face. “Would you like to use it first, Alex?”

“No, you can.” He leaned towards her and smiled, his voice dropping to his best stage whisper. “I’ll tell you the rest later.”

“As you wish.” She gave him a conspiratorial smile as she unwound her legs from under her body and leaned over to kiss him briefly before getting up and padding off to the bathroom.

It was unexpected but platonic... Whether that was just how they did stuff like that or she was already working on her boundaries with him, he wasn’t sure. Alex retrieved his pants from the floor and got up, planting himself at the kitchen table. “So why didn’t you tell me about her sooner?”

Carbon stirred the pot she was hovering over, silent until the water in the shower started flowing. “I did not like to think about her while I was away.”

“Because?”

She snapped at him. “Because I felt terrible leaving her behind. We have given each other strength, more so since the disaster, but I could not take her with me. Even if she were not needed to fulfill my duties while away, I would not have taken her on board a ship traveling unexplored space, and certainly not one with a human.”

“Oh really?” He knew better than to be defensive, but that didn’t stop him.

“Yes. I did not know you beyond a file at the time, I did not make it a point to trust humans.”

“Yeah, I remember that.”

Her voice was cold as she retrieved bowls from the cabinet. “I am sure.”

“I was just curious. It’s become clear she’s really important to you and you never mentioned her once.”

“She is...” She exhaled softly. “I was afraid something would have happened. She would have changed, I would have changed, she would reject you... I dealt with that by putting her out of my head. It was not the best way of coping with that fear, but it worked.”

He stood up and slipped his arms around her shoulders, resting his chin on her head. “You’re not going to do stuff like that any more.”

Carbon shrugged and scooped some of that mash she favored into the bowls.

“She loves you. Seriously, she’s willing to do things to me because you’d do them.” He rolled his eyes and laughed. “Me and her are square right now, it's going to be a learning experience but you don’t have anything to worry about.”

Her shoulders relaxed and she leaned back against him. "I am glad."

"Me too." He paused as a thought occurred to him. "You aren't hiding anyone else, are you?"

She chuckled silently and patted his hand. "No. Now, go sit down, breakfast is ready... I want you done sooner rather than later."

"Oh? We have a busy day planned?"

"Not exactly." She set a bowl down in front of him, taking the seat across from him with a knowing smile on her face. Her foot stroked his ankle under the table. "But Neya has a few errands to run that will take several hours."

Learning Curve

2011-10-20T23:27:00.000-07:00

“Okay. I did not think that through.” Alex managed to get that out through gritted teeth, tears standing in his eyes. He had curled up into a tight ball on the bed, hands cupped protectively over his groin.

Neya scooted away from him and pressed her back against the wall, eyes wide. “I had not meant- I did not intend...”

At least she looked as surprised as he had been. “No, I’m sure you didn’t.”

“I am sorry, I was just... curious.” She collected the blanket around herself in a protective barrier and stared down at her hands as she rubbed the tips of her index fingers together.

“That’s great.” Alex sighed and checked his hands, a wave of relief washing over him. No blood. He waited a few moments, listening to the shower run as he sorted himself out. “I can understand that, it’s an admirable trait.”

She didn’t look up, voice hurried as she tried to explain herself. “Carbon had said you were, nh... different. I wanted to see what sh-”

“You don’t-” He snapped at her but bit his words back, feeling guilty but still fairly violated. “You don’t see with your mouth.”

“I am aware. While I was just looking it was clear you were already...” She tapped her fingers together, lips pursed while she considered her choice of words. “Alert. I had thought you would enjoy it. You seemed to be very accommodating, for some time.”

That probably explained what happened to his boxers. “Yeah, I’m sure I was before I woke up.”

They sat in silence for some time and Neya’s voice was quiet and sad when she finally spoke. “Am I not adequate for you?”

He sighed again and pushed himself up, sitting cross-legged on the pillows with hardly a wince. “You slept through most of the conversation I had with Carbon about you last night, didn’t you?”

She nodded and looked up at him. “I believe I did, yes.”

“All right, look, you’re perfectly nice and well intentioned. But you have to understand that there’s nothing like you for Humans. Not that I know of, anyway. Zeshen are completely outside the scope of my experience until now.”

“Very well.” Neya evaluated him carefully and did not look like she saw what he was getting at.

“I’m used to the idea of having sex with just who I’m dating or in this case, married to. Finding you doing that makes me really uncomfortable. I mean, just having you in the bed made me uncomfortable.”

“But, but I- I am...” She started to tap her fingers together again, brow furrowed. “I...”

“I know. It’s an alien concept, right?” He managed a smile. The shower finally shut off and the dryer started up a moment later. At least if he needed Carbon to help him explain something she’d be available soon.

“It is not, but... I am Carbon’s zeshen. I am your zeshen. It is...” She pressed her lips together and for a moment it seemed as thought she might start to cry. It passed quickly, her mouth pulled tight. “It is alien.”

Alex checked the clock in his Amp. “Five hours ago, I thought you were a secretary. I don’t fully understand this zeshen-aeshen business yet and I don’t think we fully understand each other.”

“That has been made very clear.”

Alex laughed and nodded. “Yeah. I’m probably going to be a lot of work.”

That got a little smile out of her. “That is fine. Carbon loves you so much and even Eleya believes you to be honest. I should not have expected you to take to our ways so quickly.”

“Lesson learned, right?”

“Yes.” She went back to fiddling with her fingers. “Do you find me unattractive?”

“Uh.” Alex raised an eyebrow, not entirely sure where that had come from. “I don’t know. You look... Tslao.”

“When you woke up, you looked horrified. I may not be good with your expressions yet, but that one was clear. I understand why better now, but...”

“Oh. Hell, I don’t know what attractive for Tslao is. I didn’t get involved with Carbon because she’s beautiful. I really can’t tell one way or the other.”

The door to the bathroom slid open and Carbon gave him an inquisitive look, arms crossed over her chest. “I cannot wait to hear this.”

“Hush.” Alex shot her a sidelong glance before turning his eyes back to Neya. “As I was saying. I have heard she’s quite lovely, but I have no point of reference. I fell in love with the heart and mind, not the body. I have no complaints about her body, of course. Very enjoyable.”

Carbon smiled and chuckled quietly, setting herself down on the bed between them. She gave Alex a particularly smart grin and leaned over to him, voice low. “Nicely said.”

A better understanding slowly dawned in Neya’s eyes. “So it was a reaction based on your perceptions of our relationships? You as a married pair and I as only her subordinate?”

“Yes. I felt it was inappropriate and sort of violated. That wasn’t the relationship I understood us to have”

She tented her fingers and tapped them together, lost in thought. “I can see how that would cause you distress. I think it would do the same to me.”

“I’m glad you can see it from my perspective. So we’re clear, I don’t want to put the onus to conform to my expectations on you and I don’t I want you to take it upon yourself. We will work on this together. Is that acceptable?”

“Yes. I would like that.” She still looked to Carbon for approval.

“That is an excellent idea. I think I will get dressed and get breakfast for us.” She slid off the bed and glanced at Alex. “Perhaps you would do well to link so that a more thorough understanding can be had.”

“That’s a good idea.” Alex let out a breath. “I don’t want this to be a surprise... there is one thing, physically, that did bother me.”

Carbon turned from the drawers with a curious look as Neya went back to being worried. “What is that?”

“You’ve got these little, pointy teeth and I know what what they can do.” He tapped the bite mark Carbon had given him, the way her teeth had slid easily through his skin fresh in his mind. “I’m just saying, down there? Those are scary.”

Drift

2011-10-14T01:09:00.000-07:00

Sleep came easily to Carbon. After Alex had taken enough of his clothes off, she taught him the words to work the lights, nestled down next to him and was wheezing softly minutes later. He found himself envious of her ability to do that, tired but still working over the day in his mind.

Worse, even though it was the right place for him to be sleeping by Tslao standards, Alex couldn’t help but feel like he was intruding. Carbon and Neya had a decade long relationship and he ended up feeling like he was taking Neya’s place. He wasn’t, of course, he knew that. But the relationship he was supposed to have with Neya now and the idea that Neya belonged to them was... well, that was just alien.

At least the bed was large enough to accommodate them all without crowding. He turned the lights down to ten percent and relaxed back into a pile of pillows. No time like the present to get some work done. He called up the document editor in his Amp and started to work through his first report for ONI. Mostly he just wanted to get things in order, he would do all of the fit and finish at a terminal later.

The first report was just going to be light weight stuff. A better look at how society was arranged, formalities, methods of dress and what they meant... things that would make the primer more useful in a day-to-day capacity. It was all interesting to him and made for a pleasant distraction.

Neya shifted in her sleep and rolled over to face him again, draping an arm over his abdomen. Alex told himself it was normal, no big deal, part of being in this relationship with Carbon. He still felt awkward, shifting his hip away from her and carefully removing her arm. She’d understand. Worst case, he could show her how he was feeling.

Alex went back to work, interrupted a few moments later when she grabbed the waistband of his boxers with both hands. Carbon had teased him gently and repeatedly assured him he would be fine naked like they were, but Alex had felt most comfortable wearing something in bed.

He pulled the blanket back and looked her over. Her ears were relaxed and one was splayed out from the side of her head comically, chest rising and falling slowly. She looked like she was still asleep. An exploratory tug revealed that she had a death grip on the elastic material, not so easy to just move her this time. He set the blanket down and shrugged. It didn’t really matter, people do weird things in their sleep all the time, why should she be different?

He called up the file again and she started to twitch. It wasn’t bad at first but got progressively worse in short order. He sighed as her body jerked and she punched him in the side, a whimper emanating from under the blanket.

“Carbon.” He whispered and gave her a poke in the shoulder.

She rolled away from him, disappearing under the comforter.

“Carbon.” Alex said it a little more forcefully this time and pulled the blanket back.

“Yes?” She mumbled, eyes squinting in the dim light.

“I think something’s wrong with Neya.”

That got her attention. She sat up and watched the lump under the blanket shift and whine quietly before climbing over Alex and sliding in between them. Carbon cupped a hand to Neya’s cheek and whispered into her ear. She jerked awake, eyes searching and wide with fear.

They softened as she she recognized where she was, flooding with relief that didn’t quite wash away the terror they had held. Her body relaxed and she whispered back, soft words too quiet for Alex to hear.

Carbon smiled and leaned down to kiss her, hand stroking her forehead. She waited for Neya to return to sleep before rolling over and situating herself against Alex again. She stretched and set her arm across his chest, rubbing his leg with hers. “She has sleep terrors. You should have just woken her up.”

“I wasn’t exactly sure what was going on... I figured you’re the expert.”

She closed her eyes and smiled again. “Yes, I am.”

“So modest, too.”

“It is nice to have your virtues recognized.” She laid in silence for a moment, the smile fading. There was a certain worry in her voice when she spoke again. “If you do see her having a terror again... please wake her up as soon as possible.”

“Yeah, of course. Like I said, I wasn’t sure what she was doing... I’m still not sure how to act in all situations.”

Carbon nodded and stretched out to kiss his cheek. “She suffers from the disaster worse than most. I have tried to make these stop, I know she has been seeking every avenue of treatment...”

That sounded bad. “What happened?”

“Her home city and the college for zeshen were both in the caldera. Almost all she had ever known wiped away in seconds and she watched it happen”

“How could she have seen it?”

“She was in orbit at the time. Her grief was... indescribable.”

“That’s horrible.”

“Many lost something but few lost as much as her. Even less had a clear view of the destruction.” She pulled the blanket up over them. “At the end, I was all she had left.”

“That’s something.” He filed his report away and shut his Amp off for the night, sliding his arm around her shoulders. “You are pretty incredible.”

She snorted and shook her head. “She is still so hurt...”

“Of course she is. That’s some serious shit she has to work through. You can’t just clap your hands and make it go away.”

Carbon grumbled but otherwise stayed silent.

“Have you worked through all of your hurt from the disaster?” He knew the answer before he even asked the question.

She seemed particularly recalcitrant to part with the word. “No.”

“Everyone takes their own time to process grief. You two might be similar, but you’re both still different. ”

A short sigh and a squeeze. “You always make me feel better about bad things. I hope you can do that for her as well.”

“Yeah, well...” He spoke a few sibilant words and the lights went all the way out. “I hope I can too.”

Must Be Aliens

2011-10-06T23:02:00.000-07:00

“I had thought that she would go her room. It seemed pretty reasonable.” Alex plucked his shirt off the ground and slipped it back on, suddenly feeling uncomfortably naked despite - or because of - Neya and Carbon’s various levels of undress. He righted the chair he had knocked over and sat down carefully, barely fitting into the seat. “I mean, where did she go last night? You didn’t just kick her out to wander the ship?”

Carbon gave him a look and turned to Neya. “Where did you stay last night?”

She smiled pleasantly, eyes free of sleep and keen again. “With Eleya.”

“Well, that’s good. I think.” Alex had gotten his translator on just in time to catch that. He turned back to Carbon. ”And what do you mean that’s she’s our zeshen?”

“She was mine, but since we are entwined, she is now ours. We will have to use a more formal term for her now.”

The chair creaked as Alex leaned back with a laugh that bordered on uneasy. “You’re not thinking of me as an alien again.”

Carbon started to speak and then stopped, sitting down on the bed next to Neya. The pale Tslao slid an arm around her waist and gave her a hug. “Ah, yes. I have not.”

“Uh-huh. So, I am missing something here. Probably a whole lot of something.”

She considered that before continuing. “Zeshen are given to people of importance, who are liable to be busy in many aspects of their lives.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Given?”

“Yes. There are very few zeshen born, it is a rare honor to receive one. Eleya and my mother both helped in choosing Neya for me.”

“Receive? Like property?”

“No, not anymore.”

“Oh, well... That’s something.” He closed his eyes and rubbed his temples. “So you got her and she just... lives with you now? Sleeps in your bed?”

“There is more to it than that. It is natural for her to be here and she does assist me with many aspects of my life. As she will with yours.” Carbon reached over and gave Neya’s hand a squeeze, a little bit of worry easing from her face. “Since she is... ourselves, it is proper that she sleep in our bed.”

“Ourselves?” Alex blanched and tried to get everything Carbon was telling him ordered neatly in his brain through the wine when the best possible solution hit him. He stood up and shooed Neya back from the edge of the bed, clearing room for him to sit next to Carbon. “I don’t know why the hell I am asking you questions. Show me.”

Carbon seemed relieved that he took the initiative, flipping her antennae over and resting them on the crown of his head. They sank down into the shared space, her presence showing worried edges and cracks of insecurity. A moment... there is much to show and much that is excess.

He was sure his own discomfort was showing through but he tried to play it down, a smile spreading across his thoughts. Take your time, I don’t have any plans today.

She seemed to appreciate that, a busy sort of vibe spiraling from her as she worked up whatever it was she was going to show him. Here. I think this will do.

Alex sank down into a blur of knowledge and memories.

Zeshen are a genetic abnormality, a deeply recessive trait so rare that many would never see one in person except within the highest reaches of society. Their families would be made wealthy in exchange for having one - they had no choice in the matter, but it was handled with more sensitivity now. Family ties were kept, visits and updates were guaranteed.

They were given the best education possible, taught and trained and molded to be zeshen. The word itself described them in every way. It was their title, their description, their gender. They were exalted in Tslao culture, even held in regard and law above the empress in some situations.

In the modern age, much care was taken in selecting who each one would be given to. The system matched each zeshen with someone who they would fit well with, interviewing family and friends to ensure they would mesh. The relationship they had with their aeshen - first soul - was very close... almost indistinguishable in some ways, forever a part of each other even though they both retained a sense of self at all times.

The first memory Carbon gave him was older, the very first link Carbon had with Neya. The pride and dedication Neya felt was almost overwhelming, though it was tinged with caution and the desire to know her better. This was a surprise to Carbon, who simply did not expect that sort of response and had only warily entered the link because of Eleya’s involvement in her selection.

The second memory was fresh, from just a few weeks ago when Carbon returned to the Sword of the Morning Light. She had been so excited to have Carbon back, the pride of being her zeshen still strong but now mixed with admiration, curiosity and love. Carbon, for the most part, felt the same way. Relief that she was well, a warm affection and an interesting sense of becoming whole again.

They slid out of the link and the first thing he saw was Neya watching him intently, eyes wide and expectant for... something. Carbon flipped her antennae back into place and smiled softly. “Does it make sense now?”

He tipped his head back and forth and shrugged, lips pulled tight. “It makes more sense now. It’s still... alien to me and I am keeping that in mind while I process this.”

Neya leaned against Carbon and whispered something into her ear, amethyst eyes pensive and locked on him as she did.

Carbon sighed and patted Neya’s hip and seemed to begin to roll her eyes, stopping before they had gone very far. “Are you upset at her? She cannot read your more unique facial expressions well yet.”

“No, not at all.” He shook his head and looked at Neya. “I’m just surprised, more than anything. This is a sudden development for me, I thought... I thought you were more like a secretary or something.”

She smiled broadly and relaxed, scooting forward and snuggling up against him, narrow arms wrapped around his torso. “I am glad. I believe that I mistook what you meant when you said personal assistant, there may have been a problem with the translation. If I had known so, I would have clarified my role.”

Alex had raised his arms out of her way when she came at him and now held them aloft, not sure what to do with them. He cocked an eyebrow at Carbon, who didn’t seem to mind Neya getting comfortable on him. “I am sure you would have.”

“She is very curious about you, Alex.” Carbon gestured for him to put his arms down. “She does not know exactly what to make of... humans, let alone one who I have a relationship with.”

“So it seems.” He settled his arm on her shoulder, Neya nestling down under it and nodding in agreement. It left him feeling more uncomfortable than when he had just been holding them up. “This doesn’t bother you?”

“Why would it?”

He considered his reply carefully before speaking. “You don’t see the same thing I do, do you?”

Carbon’s words were measured, thoughtful. “No. I do not think I do.”

“I am a little weirded out.”

“You do have a certain... Let us say it is desirable look on you, on this occasion.” There was a particularly predatory tone to her voice as she crawled up the bed and sat next to him, taking hold of his arm and resting her head on his shoulder. “I take it that Humans do not have any similar system?”

He sighed quietly, now sandwiched between them. “Not that I was raised with, not that I even know about.”

“I can see there are still so many ways we are different.” She pulled the blanket up, setting it about Neya’s shoulders as she was already asleep again. She lowered her voice before continuing. “My mother said she had trouble getting acclimated to having a zeshen, even though she knew of them. She lost much sleep when my parents first became close.”

“Oh? That makes me feel a little bit better.” It was good to know that being uncomfortable with this wasn’t unusual, even among the Tslao. If they were just sleeping, that was... weird, but not too weird. Did sort of explain why the bed was so spacious.

“It should not be a problem for you, Neya does not kick in her sleep like Eraei did.”

That took a moment to sink in. “No, it’s not...”

She was laughing quietly, mischief in her cerulean eyes. “Will this be too uncomfortable for you? Here is her rightful place, but I - or you - can send her away.”

“Making her leave doesn’t feel right to me. Mind you, I think that response is for entirely Human reasons.”

Carbon smiled and idly stroked his arm. “She does wish for you to accept her. Even though she is a bit ‘weirded out’ by this situation, she hides it well and if my feelings for you were not held out by your actions... I do not think she would even consider making any attempts to interact with you.”

“Interesting. Like a relationship barometer.” That sort of made sense to him. Being able to get a second opinion from yourself but one step removed from a situation seemed like it would be damn handy.

Her smile widened, approval in her eyes. “Very much like that. Are you sure you have not been reading any of our history books?”

“Very sure.”

“Will you let her stay?”

He considered it again. Really, what’s the worst that could happen? Not like it was somehow more inappropriate than sleeping with one alien. “When in Rome.”

She shook her head. “That does not mean anything to me.”

“Old saying. When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Act like you belong where you are.”

Carbon beamed at that. “Good. In the morning you should link with her. It will help you both along.”

He felt a little like he was just humoring her, but she clearly thought it important. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

“As you should." She patted his arm. "Now, will you disrobe? You make me feel as though I am underdressed.”

Don't Forget

2011-09-30T02:15:00.000-07:00

It was somewhere between two and three in the morning ship-time when they arrived back on the Sword of the Morning Light. More so than normal, it appeared to be deserted as Alex and Carbon wandered the dimmed halls back to their apartment.

They had finished the bottle of wine on the shuttle. Between the two of them it wasn’t enough to get drunk on - Carbon was particularly careful about how much she drank - but Alex found himself creeping towards a faint buzz. Probably because he had consumed about two thirds of the bottle.

Carbon lead the way, easily navigating the carrier like she’d lived there all her life. Alex suspected she had spent a fair amount of time on it, at least. He was starting to get familiar with it, which he was pretty sure was good. He recognized the door to their apartment-quarters-house thing just as soon as he saw it, at least.

Alex helped her out of her jacket in the vestibule, once the outer door closed. It was something that she could easily do herself but they had been getting a little bit amorous and the gesture was met with approval.

He stopped tugging at the long strip of cloth she had wound around her torso, trying to find where it came undone and cursed quietly.

“What is wrong?” Her hands dropped to her waist and pulled the end free, slipping it into his hand.

Alex grinned and undid a loop from just above her waist. “I forgot the sandwiches.”

“They are in a stasis store.” She reached up and grabbed the lapel of his shirt, pulling him down to her level for a kiss. “They will be as fresh tomorrow as next year.”

“But what if someone eats them?” He unwound a few more loops, exposing more of her midriff. That was surprisingly fun.

She turned away from him with a smirk, pulling him along behind her into the darkness of the apartment proper. “No one is going to eat them... And if they do, we can get more.”

“Fine.” He thought he knew the layout of the small room well enough to not run in to anything, closing the door to the vestibule and leaving the it pitch dark. His hands found her hips and he leaned in to kiss her neck, warm body pressed against him with a happy rumble. “I guess that’ll be all right.”

“It had better be.” There was a playful seriousness to her voice as she untucked his shirt and slid her hands across his sides, holding him tight against her and grazing his skin with her claws.

“Oh, I don’t know. I might be worrying about this all night.” Alex smiled as he discarded his shirt and turned them around, backing towards what he hoped was the bed. The hard edge that pressed against his calf felt right and he took a chance, pleased to find himself sinking into the plush mattress. “I hope you can think of some way to distract me.”

That got a laugh out of her as she straddled his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck with a kiss. “I am sure that I can find a way.”

Something touched his back, well below where Carbon could reach. A gentle pressure half-way down his rib cage and to the left of his spine and he was transported momentarily to the access tunnel in the launch bays. The unexpected assault, the blade that slid through his torso so sharp and thin that it he barely felt it, even though it had been rammed through his translator implant.

Alex may have screamed like a little girl. He somehow managed not to dump Carbon onto the floor when he launched himself from the bed, adrenaline surging through his body. “Lights!”

The system didn’t understand English, of course. His SERE training had been on his mind lately, the Navy instructors drilling the locations of equipment he carried into him and the various ways it could be used. Left front upper cargo pocket was his emergency med kit. His thumb indexed into a groove on the back as he pulled it, sliding under a safety seal and priming it to deliver a shot of muscle relaxant.

Carbon spoke a heartbeat later and the lights came on. He had apparently knocked over a chair and Carbon managed to land on her feet. There was no assassin waiting for them. Just Neya sitting in their bed looking like she’d just been woken up by someone shrieking in terror. Naked.

He looked from Neya to Carbon, eyes wide and still holding his hit kit out in front of him like a weapon. “What is she doing here?”

Carbon was, for some reason, perturbed. “Where else would she be?”

“I don’t know, in her room?” That seemed like a perfectly reasonable place for her, not sleeping in their bed, in the nude. He started to relax, the kit returning to its inert state as his thumb slid off the panic switch and he slipped it back into his pocket.

“This is her room.” She said it like it was obvious.

That was weird. Why would they be staying in her room? Why did Carbon kick her out of her own room last night? “I thought this was our room?”

Carbon rested her hands on her hips. “It is.”

Alex’s eyes darted to Neya. She was just sitting there with the comforter draped over her legs and watching them talk, now more perplexed than anything. She retrieved a set of those little glowing beads from the side table and began threading them onto her antennae. “But... You, wait. This is her room and our room? At the same time? That is what you are telling me?”

“Yes.” She was starting to look at him like he was the crazy one.

Alex sighed and rubbed his forehead then spun a finger in the air, gesturing to all three of them. “Why are all of our quarters the same?”

“She is my... Our Zeshen, now. Where else would she go?”

Rock and a Hard Place, Part 3

2011-09-26T00:19:00.001-07:00

Part 3 of Rock and a Hard Place. A little bit of a different viewpoint than I'm used to writing from, so I'm sure I screwed up all over the place despite having re-read this several times a day. Still, I'll let you be the judge of that. Nothing particularly shocking to warn about this time.

Stana lifted the compact teapot and slid it into a padded carrier, setting a short stack of cups and a few food bars on top of it before departing from the makeshift kitchen. It was late in the night and there was just the one older female running it. She smiled and thanked her for her trouble.

She smiled back, which was a surprise. Not a lot of happiness to go around in the service tunnels since the tkt attacked the base. Even having the humans show up to bolster their defenses was met with mixed reactions. Certainly, it was good that they were there with fresh soldiers and weapons that still had ammunition.

Still, many people complained that they hadn’t sent enough, or that they should leave now that they had assisted in setting up a new perimeter defense. Stana had been warned against trying to argue any points one way or another, she was in the military now. Even if she had better information, civilians would not always listen to it and she wasn’t there to fight with them.

That was a bit strange, as she had been a civilian just three days before. Now she had to conduct herself differently, even if she was still just the Commander’s assistant. She did not feel different and that made it a bit difficult to adjust.

That wasn’t entirely true. The suit they had issued her was not what she was used to wearing. It was form fitting, had thin shields and light armor as well as climate control and a full communications interface. It did add a nice width to her legs, but the perpetual cool of the liner left her feeling naked while the bulk of the armor made her feel physically isolated. She thought it was rubbing a patch of her hip bald, as well.

It was confusing, to say the least. But, she pressed on because she had a job to do. Kaen... she corrected herself, Commander Lhenan had requested she pick up some items from stores and bring them up to the ridgeline. She had not been told to get him any food, but she was pretty sure he had not eaten anything in a day or longer. He seemed anxious and gaunt last time she had seen him.

Stana continued down the corridor towards the stairway to the upper level exit. The base had originally been cut out of the solid valley cliff, so the walls, stairs and ceilings were still in excellent condition but much of the equipment was decades old. With everything closed up tight, the life support system that had been installed before her grandparents were born was pushed to its limit to keep the survivors in breathable air.

Most of the civilians had gotten into the old base when asked to evacuate there the first time. The Commander had ordered the base up to alert over the tkt before, but he’d never ordered an evacuation. The rest of them only needed to be shown video from the southern outpost being overrun to be convinced.

The military personnel - now her fellows, though all of them were older and just... different - had not fared so well. The rifles were not really made for the tkt. They were reasonably effective on the workers, but when the warriors showed up it became clear that they would not work. Machine gun nests were overrun quickly and most of the walkers had been destroyed by the end of the second day. They had run out of ammunition a half day before the humans had arrived.

They had some of the more skilled civilians make them weapons out of building materials. Mostly rebar spears but a few swords made of armor plate from one of the walkers as well. Close in fighting was not a good idea against an enemy so large, but they would have breached the doors at some point were the tides not stemmed.

She trudged up the stairs and caught sight of a group of her peers - other kids her age, anyway - coming down from the upper levels. Stana recognized one of them, a handsome young male that she had spoke to on several occasions before. They had even taken classes together. She smiled at him and she caught the barest flicker of recognition in his eyes. He looked away and she noticed that he was holding someone else’s hand.

Her smile faded, quenched with disappointment as she trudged past the group. There wasn’t time for that right now, anyway. She had tasks she was supposed to be doing.

It was six more flights of stairs before she reached the upper airlock. She was out of breath by the time she arrived, stopping to rest at small landing in front of the airlock. Stana leaned on the wall, and regretted getting the tea as much as she regretted carrying the massive hunting revolver the Commander had given her. It didn’t help that the armor was far heavier than the clothes she was used to.

Stana trudged to the airlock, leaned in to the retina scanner and the inner doors opened for her. She stepped into the cramped room and it cycled around her, little strobes going off to let her know the outer door was going to open. That would have been important when the atmosphere had been unbreathable.

When they opened, she caught a blast of cold night air carrying the cloying stench of death and gagged on it. A flick of her mind and the armor’s shields came on and the on board recyclers filtered the air - but it was already stuck in her nose and mouth. She probably smelled like it now, too.

It didn’t take long to figure out where she was going. The turbines were silent and halfway down the top of the ridge there was a bonfire that the Commander had told her to look for. It was an easy walk, this whole edge of the valley had been cleared to the bedrock to make a solid base for the turbines.

The Commander was not there at the fire, but there were two humans. One stood looking out over valley and was having a heated conversation... hopefully over a comm. The other sat on a crate amidst piles of equipment. It spotted her and gestured, the motion seemed to be indicating that she should come towards it.

She did, though with less confidence than she would have liked. Even sitting, it was clear the human was substantially larger than she was. The vertical, smoke-dark faceplate was unsettling, making the human look like some sort of automaton.

It sort of slouched when she stopped well short of where it at and the faceplate retracted, the entire helmet folding up behind the human's head and pulling down into it’s armor. Stana was surprised to find that this human was female. If her armor was intended to demonstrate that, all of the magazines and gear covering it disguised it well.

The revelation that humans, too, came in different colors was almost a shock. This one was a dark shade of brown, the single previous human she had seen had been much more pale. Her head was very nearly bald, just a thin layer of fur. They called it something else, she remembered that much, but it was still made of the same material and grew similarly.

She gestured at Stana again, pointing at the ground directly in front of her. "Here." While her accent was thick, the lone word in tsla was perfectly understandable. The Commander had said to follow their instructions... He seemed to trust them and that was good enough for her.

Stana obliged and stepped up to the female as she ripped open a thick synthetic bag and slid a slim black box into her hand. She turned it over, inspecting it and unspooling the long cable running out of it.

She was just a little bit taller than the human was while sitting. She reached out and gave Stana’s shoulder a poke, thickly gloved finger sliding away before she made contact and shook her head. "No shield."

Stana rolled her eyes but took a deep breath and dropped the shield. The wind here blew a different direction and she chanced a smell while the human squeezed a circle of glue onto the box. The air was cold and more importantly, it was fresh. Something she hasn't had the chance to enjoy for several days.

“Turn” She was brought back to the matter at hand as the human jammed the box against the front of the armor plate over her left shoulder, shoving her back a step. She pulled Stana back into place easily and squeezed a bead of glue along up over the top of her shoulder, laying the thin wire down over it.

"Turn." She continued laying glue and wire as Stana rotated until she faced back the way she had come from. "Stop."

She heard one of the various access panels on the back of her suit open and the little warning buzzer shook her antennae just before the whole thing shut off. The human was back there, humming quietly and apparently wiring the box into her suit.

A moment later she shut the panel and the power came back on with a new translation module showing in her list of installed accessories. Her only installed accessory, actually.

She patted the back of Stana’s armor twice. "Run through comm."

She activated it and attached it’s function through her communications system. "Is this correct?"

"Can you understand me?"

There was significant lag, but the translation was very good so far. Stana nodded. "Yes, clearly."

"Then it is correct. I am Weapons Master Williams and that is Beneath-the-Stars Thames.” She tossed her head towards the other human, still talking to someone. “I presume you are the one Commander Lhenen sent for medical gear? First Order Zhensen?"

"Yes. He requested two items, a fresh supply of anesthetic for his armor and a canister of medical foam."

She glanced down at the teapot-shaped carrier Stana still held in her hand and gave her a curious look. "Did you get them?"

"Yes. The base is still well stocked for items like that."

"That is good to hear. I need the foam, I have never swapped one of these out before." She lifted a white case with a wide red cross that Stana recognized from some other human medical supplies. “Might have to send you to get another if it does not work.”

She set the carrier down and plucked the dark green canister out, warm from the teapot. Williams took it and unfolded a case of tools, setting to work stripping a similar canister from a strange, translucent... Machine? It looked to be almost gelatinous but still contained mechanical parts. Stana stood and watched her work, fitting hoses and adapters to make the Tslao cylinder attach to the device. “What is that?”

“Field automatic surgeon, truama.”

“What does it do?”

Williams gave her a sidelong glance and raised her eyebrows, but kept working. “It is used for treating injuries to armored personnel, in the field. Where it is too dangerous or impractical to remove their armor.”

She nodded like it was obvious. It did make sense. Most of the other soldiers had heavier, boosted armor that was almost impossible to remove without an assist frame, all of which had been destroyed. Stana stood and watched her work for several minutes, feeling continuously less and less capable.

"Would you like some tea?" She just sort of blurted it out, suddenly desperate to feel like she was doing something, even if it wasn’t very useful.

Williams picked through some wiring with a pair of tweezers and shrugged. "Eh, why not?"

That was an odd question. Stana approached it carefully, her answer cautious. "Because you do not think you would like it?"

She laughed and shook her head. "I will try some, please."

Stana stifled her surprise and found some unused space on the nearer the fire, the flames were taller than she was and barely gave off any heat in the wind. At least the tea was still hot. She poured out a single cup for the Weapons Master before tucking the pot back into it’s carrier. No sense letting it get tepid.

“Thank you.” Williams took a sip and set it down without any indication if she liked it or not as she continued working, soldering a small bit of electronics onto the canister’s valve controller. “Interesting piece you have there.”

Was that how they usually talked? Questions and riddles? “Piece of what?”

“Your firearm. Only one I have seen like it around here.”

Some kind of slang or one of their other languages, probably. They had several. “Oh yes. The Commander gave it to me, it is one of his personal firearms.”

“Really? That is interesting... He always takes a personal interest in your well being?”

“I do, yes.” Stana turned to see Lhenen crest the top of the trail that lead up from the valley floor, face pinched in pain and breathing heavily. His armor had shined last she had seen him, but now it was covered in dirt and blood, one of his antenna nearly gone. “Zhensen reminds me of my younger sister at her age...”

“Sir! What... What happened?”

He gave her questioning look as he made his way across the pool of light, Williams making room for him to sit down next to her. “I seem to have gotten into a fist fight with someone much larger than myself.”

She immediately felt stupid for asking. He had been out there for days, he was likely to have picked up some injuries. “Of course. I have the anesthetic you asked for.” She picked the slender container up and hustled over to him.

Lhenen already had the access hatch on the back of his armor open, the empty tube waiting to be removed. She pulled it and twisted the cap off the new unit, the inert gasses inside escaping with a crack. When seated, the unit retracted and the armor closed up around it, once again solid. He sighed and relaxed. “Thank you.”

"I need you to hold your arm over your head." Williams sprayed something astringent onto the side of the Commander's armor, coating all of the dried blood and dirt in a coppery foam. He winced as she wiped it clean, a fresh trickle of reddish-brown blood seeping from a rip in the base layer of his suit. The Weapons Master lifted the medical device from it's crate, rectangular with a concave bottom that she set against the injury. It seemed to latch itself onto him, pulling down and conforming to his armor.

"It works well, yes?" she wasn't sure about this device. It would probably be better to have a real doctor take a look at him...

Williams nodded her head towards Beneath-the-Stars Thames, who had finished with his conversation and joined them. "I patched that idiot up with one last year when a power cell he was next to exploded. Ruptured his spleen, liver and intestine. Seems fine now."

He was pale like the other human she had seen, gray eyed and his head wreathed in dark stubble. “Never going to let me live that down... I would have seen if the building had not been on fire.”

“Mm-hmm.” Williams seemed unconcerned as she grabbed a tablet and plugged it in to the device, the screen glowing to life. "You can put your arm down now. As a warning, this is not going to feel good."

Lhenen grunted and twitched as she thumbed the controls, face contorted in pain. He gritted his teeth and straightened up. "That is... Quite invasive."

"Yes, it is." Williams stared down into the tablet, thumbs sliding over the screen. "Hey, I can see your organs from here."

He smiled and laugh-wheezed. "Everything is in order?"

Her thumbs glided over the controls slowly and she nodded to herself. “I think so. As you may have determined since you are still alive, your organs are all intact. Four cracked ribs and the rip in the abdominal wall, though. Lucky.”

“It could be worse. How long will this take?”

“Give it an hour to clean the wound and get the base repairs done. After that, give it a day to heal fully.”

The Commander grimaced but dipped his head in assent. “Very well.”

Williams unplugged the tablet and started to pack some of her equipment up when Stana remembered that she had gotten more than she had been told to. “Sir! I know you did not request it, but I brought you some food and tea. If you would like it.”

His face softened significantly and he once again looked like the Commander she had worked for before the tkt attacked. “Very good, Zhensen, thank you. I would very much like whatever you have brought.”

Broken Fences

2011-09-22T21:02:00.000-07:00

There had been no further issues with the local police after that. The walk back to the shuttle had been quiet, Alex still knew his way around the Arcology well enough to avoid running into almost anyone else. It had let them both cool down before boarding the shuttle for the flight back to the Sword of the Morning Light.

This shuttle was different from the one that Carbon had taken down last time. Alex thought it was something that Eleya was more likely to use, the cabin well appointed with plush furniture, carpeting and a well stocked bar. Alex tossed the sandwiches into the small and already crowded stasis fridge and collapsed onto the couch.

Carbon returned from the flight deck as the engines were warming up and headed for the bar. She poured herself a fairly conservative glass of something dark red, from a bottle that looked similar to the one from the Kshlavo.

“That’s deep wine, right?”

“Yes. Would you like some?” She reached for a second glass before he could respond.

Alex still mulled it over for a few seconds. “I think that is in order.”

Carbon poured him a much larger portion than she had, hurrying over to the couch as the shuttle lifted off. The lane they were sort-of abusing was kept clear of non-diplomatic traffic, letting them depart the planet at will after clearing with the local tower that no one else was on approach. The late hour and their location basically guaranteed they had a clear launch window.

She settled into the couch with far more grace than he had, handing him his glass after she had situated herself. “A toast, I think, is appropriate? To family?”

Alex laughed as he clinked his glass to hers. “Sure, to family. Maybe would have been more appropriate at dinner, but it’s the thought that counts.”

“Ah. The details of toasting were not laid out as clearly as they could have been.” Still, she smiled and drank. “We have a similar custom, but it is only to be started by the host. Others may add things once that has been done.”

“Huh.” Alex took a long drink of the wine - sweet and fruity, definitely stronger than the wine he’d had in the past - and made note of that particular custom. It hadn’t been mentioned in the primer and would definitely go into one of the first reports he wrote. Which he should get around to doing soon. “I’m glad I haven’t been to any formal dinners, I would have screwed that up.”

“I am sure you would have been forgiven.”

“Probably. I imagine I would suffer some form of wrath from Eleya.” He swirled the wine as the window across the cabin went from the dull gray of the hanger to the darkness of the night sky. It wasn’t a real window, just a display showing an external view. No one put windows on space ships unless it was necessary.

Carbon sort of snorted and laughed at the same time. “She would have acted upset, I am sure, but according to Neya she does like you... In that your presence disrupts everyone else. An agent of a subtle sort of chaos, at her disposal.”

“Oh, great. This whole time I thought it was because I was a simpleton. Makes me feel nice and used.”

“That is how she makes everyone feel.” She finished what little was in her glass and leaned over to kiss him. “So that you do not feel too important or alone.”

“Yeah, I got that impression. Everyone else is there to do what she wants.”

“Effectively, yes. She is the Empress.” The sky faded from ink blue to truly dark black as they left the atmosphere. Carbon got up and retrieved the bottle, now safe from turbulence, and refilled her glass halfway before topping his off.

“Yup. Comes with the territory, I would imagine.”

“It does.” She sipped her wine and nestled against him. “On second consideration... She does seem to have a genuine affection for Neya, even if she is often an instrument for her.”

Alex mulled over that for a minute as he worked on his glass. “Makes sense.”

“How does it make sense?”

“Neya’s a contra. Takes your place, is you when she’s wearing the right clothes. Right?”

Carbon did not seem to get where he was going, her reply tentative. “Yes. It is more complex than just that and I do not think contra is the right term for her in English.”

“Translator always tells me contra. What is she supposed to be called?”

“Zeshen. Second soul. It is sort of a catch-all term for them.”

“Huh. Zeshen. Sounds nicer than contra. Well, anyway, like I was saying. Neya is like a surrogate you to her. Eleya seems to regret whatever she did to you that wrecked your relationship. I mean, she married us because she wants you to be happy. I don’t think she wanted me to tell you that, but whatever. I can’t believe she’d ransack my memories and come away thinking I wouldn’t tell you.”

She stared at the window for a long time before she drained her glass and refilled it, fully this time. “I... I do not know.”

“What?”

“I do not know what to do with this information.” Carbon blanched and emptied her glass again. “We were close for many years, she felt like a sister to me...”

“Tashen said she drove a wedge between you two. Had to do with, ah... Royal life or something. He wasn’t very specific.”

“She explained how it was going to be. How I was currency, or a weapon or a shield for her, depending on what she needed. If I was not to be a martyr somehow, I would be married off and I would keep whoever I was given to happy even if I was not. I was terrified and my parents were both away and...” She trailed off and set her glass on the side table, curled up next to him and sniffed. “It was so confusing. I was just ten and thought she intended to give me away to someone right there. I hid on the roof of the castle for two days before Tashen found me.”

He set his arm on her shoulder and gave her a squeeze. “That’s... Really fucked up.”

Carbon sniffed again was silent for a moment before she laughed weakly. “That word is too flexible.”

He smiled and stroked the top of her head. “Yeah, it is. I think Eleya knows she messed that up. I get the impression she’s been trying to make it up to you but... I can’t blame you for not wanting to let her back in after that.”

“Good. You seem to have given her an opportunity to repair what she has broken.” She sighed. “But I do not know.”

“Whatever you want to do, I’ve got your back. As much good as that will do when dealing with her, anyway.” Alex finished off his wine and set the glass down.

She reached up and directed his face to hers to kiss him softly, the hint of a smile on her lips. “Even if it does no good, it means everything to me.”