Chapter One
The butterflies in Sadie’s stomach turned to lead and slammed into her gut. Glitch, her data processing POD, descended from the ceiling and floated in front of her. Various glyphs appeared then disappeared on its silver surface, much like a mirrored bubble.
The space station caught it hacking into their computer system.
“Frik.” The POD stored the majority of her data and ran her more complex programs when she needed it to, like trying to break into the Cyngi database through the firewall.
“You never get snagged.” A wave of nausea crashed over her.
She shouldn't have skipped breakfast. If the Red Dawn was docked at any other space station, she'd just get a slap on the wrist for the intrusion. It didn’t hurt that she was protected by her status as a Liaison. She could get away with small injunctions most other places.
Working with government officials as a translator and a cultural expert had its perks. With so many different aliens involved in the Central Worlds government, the Liaison’s office was developed to smooth over any confusion between races and to avoid misunderstandings that could lead to conflict. Every dignitary received a Liaison, so when an ambassador for the Cyngi had requested an audience with the political Assembly at Center Station—the main hub of trade and politics—she jumped at the opportunity.
Since the Cyngi guarded their privacy with intense fervor, she didn’t know how they would react to her and Glitch’s transgression. The proof was in the file they sent to acquaint her on their own customs and behaviors. Minimal information. A few language files she could use to barely get by, a child’s version of their history, basic cultural faux pas.
She had to admit she got more from her own research through rare vid files provided by the Liaison office. The media streams showed her things, like the desire to touch. They leaned against one another or held hands, didn’t matter what sex or age. So she expected her new assignment, Xau, to need physical contact; but she’d need to have a little talk with her about restraining those urges around other races. That’s if she didn’t get fired for hacking their computer. It worried her a bit and butterflies fluttered around her insides.
A bang echoed from the cargo bay below her as the crew unloaded the ship of goods for the space station that orbited the Cyngi home world on the outer reaches of the galaxy. If they took legal action for her unauthorized information hunt, it would be a long time before the Liaison office rallied to her defense.
“Liaison, the ambassador is at the airlock requesting permission to board the ship.” The captain’s voice interrupted her dread. He and his family crewed the freighter. They were Denobola, a bipedal, panther-like race.
“Oh my cotton joy, she's early.” Sadie dropped the wet towel from her head into the laundry reciprocal.
“I can stall if you need more time, Liaison.”
“I'd appreciate that, but don't let her get upset. If she does, just let her in.” She yanked open the drawer under the cot and grabbed a clean red jumper.
Most of the freighter comprised of cargo and little living space so their room consisted of two fold-up bunks, a bathroom, and a wall-bench. No passenger liners came to this remote part of the galaxy so both she and the ambassador needed to make do with the sparse dull surroundings.
“The Cyngi do not upset easily. He'll wait.” The captain cut the connection.
She stopped dressing, only a leg in the one-piece suit. “He?”
More symbols flashed in rapid succession over Glitch’s surface. She didn't need to read them. It had a link to her internal processor and communicated directly with her brain. She suspected it did symbol gyrations to express its emotions, which she knew it contained. They shared this odd habit. She did a similar thing by talking out loud to get her message across.
“I refuse to review the file again Glitch. It’s flawed. According to the information provided, the ambassador is supposed to be female.” She pulled her jumper on, over the thin underwear and camisole she already wore, and zipped it up.
Not the most flattering outfit, but the Cyngi wore minimal clothes.
Why would he care about fashion? Why did they switch ambassadors? Why didn’t someone send her a message about them doing this?
She ran her fingers through her tight black curls to knock loose any beads of water and forced a deep, slow breath.
“By the Dark Void, I wish they’d sent me more info on their race. I’m working blind.” She slipped on her heavy boots.
The room's door disappeared into the wall when she activated it. Outside, the bare narrow hallway led to an elevator. Pipes and tubes ran along the ceiling; and she passed a steep metallic emergency stairwell, which she’d hate to have to climb.
Glitch floated above her head. “Let's go meet our new employer. Maybe he can keep us out of prison.” She made the statement as light and humorous as possible for Glitch's sake but wiped her sweaty palms on her jump suit. No point in both of them worrying.
A bell announced the lift’s arrival on her floor. Once the doors slid open, a set of pale green eyes met hers. She restrained the gut reaction to jump back. Thousands of years of instincts bred into human DNA cried out predator. Ten years as a Liaison taught her to repress those impulses.
Kaille, one of the captain's wives, stared at her eye-to-eye. “Are you ready, Liaison?”
Shaped like a human but with the features and nature of a panther, Kaille’s slim, lithe body moved with a beast-of-prey’s grace as she stepped out of the elevator. Large, soft lower paws glided over the floor without making a noise when she circled her. The golden fur of her pelt shone as if groomed for hours, and a small black nose glistened on the tip of her short, narrow muzzle. Vertically slit green eyes peered with intelligence while they assessed her from head to toe.
“Sadie has given you permission to address her by name.” Cine, another of the captain’s wives, followed Kaille out of the elevator.
Her fur shimmered too, but her coat was a paler shade of gold, which complimented her dark blue eyes.
“You shouldn’t meet the ambassador dressed like that.”
Both sister-wives wore purple and navy blue silk sarongs, which clung to their hips. She'd never seen them in anything but work attire.
No Denobola wore shirts; both sexes displayed their fine-furred muscular chest. Though the females were narrower of shoulder, they were beautiful.
“The Cyngi wear little clothes, so I doubt he'll care or notice what I'm wearing.”
“That's not so,” The tips of Kaille’s ears flattened a bit with anxiety. “They appreciate beauty and will be flattered at the effort. We mean no offense to your knowledge or your position, but we have dealt with the Cyngi for many decades. Please accept our advice.”
“No offense taken. They did not send me much data on their culture or customs. Any suggestions would be appreciated.”
“At least apply some of your war paint. It gives you more color and draws attention to your pretty copper eyes.” Cine almost skipped while she led them back into Sadie’s room.
Her 'war paint' was the make-up she’d packed and the most expensive items she owned since they came all the way from Earth. A little piece of home. The wives were intrigued when she'd worn some on her arrival to their ship.
Sadie applied some of her ‘war paint’ as the sister-wives observed from the wall-bench. They ignored Glitch, who hovered by them. Some green eye shadow and a heavy swipe of black mascara helped accentuate the almond shape of her eyes. She turned around for their inspection and smiled, careful not to expose her teeth. The time she’d made that mistake, she was a new recruit and it almost cost her life since they interpreted it as a threat.
Kaille crossed the small space and took the application brush from her hand. “You should add some gold on your face.” She made a few more strokes, then physically turned Sadie to look in the mirror. “See? It highlights your dark skin tones.”
For a female who could never wear the ‘war-paints’, the suggestion was sound. It did look better.
Finding the right color for dark brown skin could be a challenge. She wasn’t a pretty chocolate shade; she was a spent-your-life-on-the-Serengeti-plains deep brown, almost a black with blue highlight in the right illumination.
Kaille applied a few more swipes along her cheekbones, which helped to soften their sharp prominence.
“She's ready, Maol.” Sadie watched as Cine shut off the intercom then turn to her. “We'll go greet the ambassador now.” The delicate Denobola female activated the door and stepped into the corridor followed by the taller Kaille.
Sadie followed them through the dull gray hallways of the ship. The lack of color bothered her. Never one to need luxury, it surprised her how the monotony dragged at her soul. She gave herself a mental shake. When was the last time she’d seen the sky? “Do you know who this ambassador is?” The need to ask grated at her. “My files state it’s supposed to be Xau, a female Cyngi, but the captain said it’s a male waiting to board.”
“No, they all look the same to us.” Kaille flicked her ears and pressed the button to call the elevator.
The Denobola were the only race allowed into this system. The treaty they held granted them sole shipping rights for the Cyngi. Yet even they never went on the space station, let alone the planet.
They took the lift down to the airlock. She thought this meeting must be important for the crew, maybe as trade relations, for them to deem it necessary to inspect her.
In thinking, she recalled a similar freighter where she’d played among the cargo bins and fallen in love with space travel. Her father worked as a miner in the Sol System asteroid belt. One summer he convinced her mother to try and live on the space station Earth maintained in the area. They traveled there via a freighter. The maze of corridors and cargo bins were a perfect playground for an eleven-year-old girl with an active imagination. To bad her mother cracked under the isolation and limited living space. Within two months, they were back on a ship. She saw her father every two months for a few weeks afterward, and every time he visited she begged him to take her with him.
The opportunity to become a Liaison fulfilled her every dream. Nothing could make her happier. She got to travel the universe, learn new languages, and meet aliens of all sorts. The Cyngi topped her list since they were the most mysterious. They stayed aloof from aliens and never left their system.
Until now.
They had requested her to be their Liaison and accompany their ambassador to Central Station.
The lift stopped and she exited to find Captain Maol’s family, including the children, gathered around the ship's main entrance. At the front stood the captain, his two adult sons, and his dominant wife, Len, who still wore her pilot's jumpsuit.
Sadie made a small half bow in their direction, a sign of respect for the bridge crew. This wasn't always required except at official meetings. The captain activated the airlock cycle, so the ambassador could enter from the space station dock.
While they waited, Glitch sent her images of the security programs it had encountered while trying to get her more intel on the Cyngi. It wanted to show her the complexity of the system. The data streamed via her internal computer CHIP implanted in her brain.
This integration made her capable of being a Liaison. Languages and cultures could be downloaded to her within seconds. As an unaltered human, it would have been impossible for her to study them all.
Amazing software, and that's only the firewall. The urge to explore it, to meld with its artistry, almost overwhelmed her. She wiped her mouth and checked for drool.
This race was light years ahead of Central World programming. She’d never seen anything like it. You could have been fried. For a race living on a back world planet, they're pretty advanced. I don't think you escaped, I think they let you go. This probably means we may not be in as much trouble as I thought.
The thick metal door hissed as it opened with a loud clank before the Cyngi dignitary stepped in. He bowed to the Denobola in the same manner she had.
She bowed back with the ship family.
“Nual, it's a surprise to see you. We expected Xau.” Captain Maol spoke galactic patwa with a heavy accent. “Welcome aboard the Red Dawn.”
“Most happy to be welcomed. Today, Xau found out she is with child, and since we have no knowledge of how space travel would affect the baby’s development, she chose to remain home.” He turned his solemn blue eyes her way and stepped forward to offer his hand. “I am Nual.”
She stared at his hand. Nothing in her files on the Cyngi said they had a hand greeting. Should she grab his forearm like a Zair warrior, kiss it like a Kenish maid, or entwine her fingers in his like a Morian noble?
He withdrew a little. “Is it not customary among humans to shake hands when introducing themselves?”
She blinked and felt akin to a human ass. “Yes, it is. I apologize for the misunderstanding.” His hand engulfed hers as they shook. “I am Sadie Beckit, your Liaison.”
His skin was a brighter shade of blue than she'd expected, similar to Earth's sky on a clear summer day. A small hat of feathers of the same color sat on his bald head. Each overlapped the other in a tight configuration, so it looked as if a cap surrounded the top of his head.
Nual exchanged names with the ship family. He loomed over them, easily six feet tall.
Maol gestured to the beige canvas bag slung across Nual's bare chest. “Do you have any other luggage to store?
“Only the case that came through the bay doors earlier today. Is it secured?”
“The box has its own storage bin as requested.”
From this angle, Sadie could see Nual had small, dark blue freckles, which flowed both down the back of his neck from the feathered cap and around his well-defined abdomen. They trailed lower to disappear under the short, white linen cloth wrapped tight around his hips.
He glanced at her while she stared. Some races approved blatant admiration, others didn't. She didn’t know how to deal with her instant attraction. There could be so many possibilities but the files they sent her were on the females of his race, not the Adonis-shaped males.
Glitch floated over her head and approached Nual’s face. It never went to strangers. The self-preservation programs loaded into these precious machines erred on the side of caution since they were too valuable to be stolen or damaged. Symbols flashed across its reflective surface in slow succession. Her POD spelled its name using computer glyphs.
“Nice to meet you, Glitch.” The ambassador gave a slight bow as if to an equal.
With an audible click, her mouth snapped shut after hanging open at the exchange. No one ever treated her POD like a person. Most didn’t even acknowledge its presence in the room. Glitch was a high-tech computer to non-POD users but she suspected a deeper sentience to it. When she’d discussed her suspicions with a systems developer, he’d told her that she only saw a reflection of herself in the gadget.
Not many could read glyphs. His intelligence increased her interest. Her chip processed his abilities as she took in his handsome appearance. The combination of these things made something low in her abdomen tighten. She could get a pretty face at any station stop if she wanted, but a sharp mind was difficult to find and sexy as hell.
She pulled her scattered wits together and tried to remember the office she represented. “If you will follow me, Ambassador, I'll show you to our quarters.” The calm serene voice that flowed from her did not reflect the riptide of attraction she felt. It took years of practice to learn professional detachment while freaking out inside.
The captain escorted them to the lift and left Nual in her care after the door slid shut. They stood side-by-side while they waited for their level. She glanced his way and found him staring at her.
He gave a small smile. “You're much more exotic in person,” he whispered.
|
