Aevar: Trekkers (A SciFi Alien Human Military Romance) (3 page)

“
I
'm
happy to see you moving around the ship on your own. Though, I have to admit that it would be nice to accompany you.”

Ivy smiled at him; she looked better than she had in days. Those first few days when she was in a coma, Aevar could hardly sleep or eat. For some reason, this woman had taken such a strong hold on him. But now that she was up and about, he realized he still felt the need to protect her even though she was on the mend.

“Well, I could use a guide. I'm starving. Where is the mess hall? Maggie was supposed to come show me but she hasn't been down all morning.”

He laughed. “That's because she's been teaching all of the pilots how to play cards. Your sister has a knack for taking people’s money.”

Ivy smiled and it reached her eyes. It was the first time he had seen her truly happy since they met. There was a brightness to her face that he hadn't seen. “She's known for that. She might look all sweet and innocent, but she's cutthroat when it comes to cards. She used to play with my father and his friends.” Suddenly she stopped speaking and Aevar knew why. She was still without answers about her family. He felt sorry for her.

While the doctor had done an autopsy on the beast, he hadn't learned much. The only thing was that this monster had originally been a human. Somehow, the plague reshaped his genetic structure. It had made him into this new species, but that was all they knew. The only other clue was that the man had a tattoo on his left shoulder. It was like he had been branded. Aevar and the commander weren’t sure what that meant. They had reached out to all their intelligence sources to give them information about what someone might know about the emblem, but no one had any information. They were out of people to ask. But Aevar hadn’t told Ivy that yet; he wanted her to be fully healed before he gave her the bad news.

“The mess hall is closed, but I can make something for you,” he offered.

“You can cook?”

“A little bit. Do you like real cheese sandwiches?”

“Grilled cheese, you mean?” She laughed and it lifted the worry on his mind. “I thought only humans ate grilled cheese.”

“That might be true. But I know how to make it, at least.”

She nodded to him. “Well, that's something, I guess. I'll follow you.”

He walked her through a maze of hallways, occasionally saluting another lieutenant as they passed, but he constantly kept looking over his shoulder at her. Was this too long for her to walk? Could she keep up or was she overly exhausted? He nearly wanted to carry her, but he knew that she wouldn't go for it. She was too strong for that. Finally, they reached the small galley kitchen that connected some of the Lieutenants’ quarters. He pulled out a chair and she sat down at the small two-person table.

“That was a long way.”

Immediately, he felt panicked. “Can I get you something to drink? Some water, maybe? I should have thought about how far it was.”

“No, I'm fine! I just didn't realize how huge the ship was. I've only seen the medical bay. And that's not very big compared to the rest of the ship. This place is huge!”

He relaxed. “I guess you're right. For such a large ship, we don't have a very large medical facility. It's mostly used for research. If anyone is seriously injured, they usually take them back to base. There's a very large hospital there.”

“You guys also just don't get hurt very often, do you? I know all about the Titan. You're the very best the Alliance has.”

He began grabbing ingredients. “Yes, we are. It's our job to be the best.”

“Well I'm glad that you heard our distress call. I don't know what would have happened if someone else found us.”

“I don't know either,” he admitted.

He looked over his shoulder at her and she sat at the table, suddenly interested in her fingernails. He knew she was upset, but he didn't know how to reach her. How to make her feel any better.

“Why don't you tell me about your family?”

She sucked in a breath. Clearly he had chosen a sore subject. Way to go, Aevar.

“It was always just Mama, Daddy, Maggie, and me. And then they were gone.”

“Because the monsters took them?” he asked her.

“I assume so. Or they're dead back on Jubar. I guess I can't really be sure.” She paused for a moment as he grabbed some bread. “Do you have any more information about the monsters? Anything new since the autopsy?”

He knew she would ask sooner rather than later, but he was hardly ready to break the news to her. “Not much,” he said as he put the cheese on the bread and threw it in the pan. “We know that once, he was human. And he had an emblem branded onto a shoulder.”

She sat up straighter. “An emblem? What emblem?”

“Nothing we've ever seen before. We've asked all of our contacts, all over the Galaxy, but no one knows what it is. I'm afraid that we’ve hit a dead end.” He turned and looked into her dark green eyes. What would she say?

“You can't just give up! They took hundreds of people! Who knows where they took them? Or what they're doing to them! We have to find them, Aevar. You have to promise me that you won't give up.”

She was so strong in her convictions,
swuya
, she was sexy when she talked like that. No other woman had ever challenged him like Ivy did; it was just another delicious quality of hers.

“And how do you expect us to do that? I told you, we've spoken to all of our contacts. No one knows anything.” She folded her arms across her chest and stared at him defiantly. She looked so sexy like that, that he ached to move closer to her. To touch her…

“That's not true. No one is talking, perhaps, but someone know something. I've worked in the world of traders my entire life. Someone always know something.”

She was a determined little thing. “So where do you suggest that we go to get information?

She rolled her eyes at him. “Goya.”

His mouth dropped open. “That place is full of Pirates and crooks. No one goes there from the Alliance. It would be putting a target directly on our backs.”

“I didn't say the Alliance had to go there, but I'm going to get information about where my people have been taken. Whether you choose to accompany me or not is your choice. I'm not going to force you into anything, Aevar, but I'm not letting this die. So come with me, or don't. It’s up to you.”

But it wasn't up to him. His heart was practically beating out of his chest knowing that she wanted to go to Goya by herself. There was no way he was letting her do that.

“So what do you suggest? I defy orders to keep you on the ship and take you Goya?”

She sighed. “I don't want you to have to disobey your commander. I want him on our side. You can trust me, Aevar, I've worked with people on that planet a million times before. I’ve traded there with my father, and I have friends there. People who will tell us the truth about this emblem. And trust me, if they're stealing people from my colony, you know they're taking people from others. No one wants these guys to survive. People will give up the information willingly, I'm sure of it. We just have to get there and get a face to face with them. At least ask your commander, we have to try,” she pleaded with him.

As the sandwich finished cooking, he decided she was right. Visiting Goya was risky, but just letting this go might be a risk that he wasn't willing to take.

“
Y
ou stay here
with the rest of the Alliance and take care of yourself.”

“But I want to go with you,” she whined, sounding more childish than she had in years.

“I'm sorry, Maggie, but you can't come with me.”

“You’re always treating me like a child! You know I’m an adult now.” She stood a little taller. It was sweet, really, but not convincing.

“Like it or not, yes I do. But that doesn't change the fact that you're my little sister and I want you to be safe. I know they'll take care of you here on the Titan. Besides, we're taking a very small pod. We're lucky that the commander is sending us do this voyage at all. I promise anything that I find I'll come back and share with you,” Ivy said, looking into her sister’s matching green eyes. “This could help us find Mama and Daddy.”

Maggie wrapped arms around Ivy's waist. “Fine, but promise me that you'll be careful?”

“I'll have Aevar with me. He shown that he's worthy of a good fight. I'm sure I'll be fine.”

Ivy had waited four more days before they would allow her and Aevar to take a private pod to Goya. They wanted her to be fully healed prior to letting her off of the Titan. She was also given explicit instructions on how to behave and to make sure that they didn't mention the Alliance at all. Another day was spent preparing the pod, removing the emblem from the side of it and enhancing its security features. Finally, they were ready to take off. But she had waited to tell Maggie about leaving until the very last second; she was afraid that she would try to stop her. It turned out she was right.

“You stay close to Raelor. Do you understand me? He’ll make sure that you're well fed and taken care of.”

“I can take care of myself.”

“I know that, but just stay close to him. And stop playing cards! You're going to have more galactic coin at the end of this trip than all of these men put together. Teach some of them how to play.”

Maggie smiled at her. “But then it's no fun!”

“Do as I say.” Ivy kissed her on the top of the head and turned around to walk to the transport bay.

“You're not going to say goodbye?”

She looked over her shoulder at her younger sister. “No. Because this isn't goodbye. I'll be back soon.”

In the hallway, she only heard the sound of her heels clicking on the metal floor. She knew the task in front of them was dangerous. They could be mugged or worse on Goya. It was why her father hadn’t taken her in a few years, but this was the only way to get the information they needed. She’d have to be strong, for her family, for Maggie. She walked toward the pod and got into the seat next to Aevar. He was already suited up and ready to go with his communication device in his ear and face and some fancy goggles over his eyes.

“What do those do?”

“They link me with the pod. That way I don't have to use my hands to control the navigational systems. Instead I can just focus on using them for weapons if we should need them.”

“You're really worried about going to Goya, aren't you?”

“I can’t say it gives me warm fuzzies, no. The commander feels as though my concerns are warranted. I understand that you don't, though.”

“I've been working with these traders for years. Sure, they’re rough around the edges, but people might say that about you, too. But I know what you're like on the inside now. You can't hide behind that rough and tumble façade anymore.” She was trying to convince him as much as she was herself.

“But I'm an Alliance fighter. These are Pirates, the people I'm constantly trying to keep the Galaxy safe from.”

“You’re also a Trekker. I’ve been paying attention, Aevar. Your team are the badasses of the Alliance, and you have more in common with the bad guys than you think. Also. there might be some Pirates there, but most of the people on Goya are just simple traders. They don't mean any harm, and like I said before, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. People will give us the information we’re looking for, I promise you.”

He nodded at her, and she felt the pod come to life. A whirl accompanied them as they floated off the bottom of the Titan. She immediately put on her seatbelt.

“It’s been a while since I’ve flown one of these things.”

She talked into her com. “Oh great, I'm so glad you told me that.”

“No confidence at all?”

“Maybe just a little bit, but only because I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt.” She smiled at him and the pod sped off into the dark space. She looked out the window in front of her and admired the stars as they passed them by.

“They look so small. No larger than from Jubar’s surface.”

“You thought that they would be bigger?”

“Yeah, I guess. I mean we're so much closer now.”

“How long has it been since you were in a pod?”

“I guess not long. But last time, I was kind of unconscious, if you remember correctly.”

He laughed. “You know that's not what I meant. When was the last time you were on a pod before you were knocked unconscious by a blaster and clinging on for dear life?”

She gave him a half smile. “It’s been a few human years at least. I used to go on trading missions with my father fairly often but once I joined the medical team, that kind of fell apart. But I guess you’re out here all the time, so this probably doesn't seem so amazing to you anymore.”

“It’s where I live. I'm sure that your planet didn't seem so spectacular to you either, but when you talked about the water, I could still hear some amazement in your voice. A level of respect. That's what I have for space. I respect that at any moment it could take away the very air that we breathe inside this pod and we could be floating to nothing.”

She looked at the chiseled features on his face and saw some of his etchings peeking out over the tip of his jacket. He wasn't in typical Alliance uniform; he was undercover just like she was. They had been told their story at least ten times since they had convinced the commander to complete the mission. They were a pair of traders, employed by the same company. They were looking for information, since one of their ships had been attacked and their goods stolen. They would describe the monsters that they had seen and hope that some of the other traders had a similar encounter. Of course, that was completely untrue, but they bet that if the monsters were taking people, they were also taking goods in order to supply themselves. Unless they had some sort of operation on one of the outer planets, but the Alliance had reached out to all of their intel and no one gave them an indication that that was the case.

However, there was a problem with their story. Nobody on Goya would admit to being stolen from. A bad deal? Maybe. But outright loss, no way. She had another plan in motion, but she couldn’t tell Aevar yet. She was already putting him in danger, and she needed to keep him in the dark a little longer.

“Make sure you wear your scarf around your face at all times. The smog on Goya will make the back of your throat burn something serious,” she said as she pulled her own bandana up around her lips. The Titan had moved into position just off the planet’s outer ozone layer, so their flight was short. But as they began to descend onto Goya’s surface, the pod started to rock uncontrollably. “Slow us down!”

“I can't! We must be heading into a dust storm. Hit that green button to the right of you, the blinking one. It'll close the vent so that way we just circulate the air that's inside of the pod.”

The pod continued to shake and if Ivy hadn't been secured by the seatbelt, she would have been tossed from her seat. “What are you doing? Land us!”

“I'm no pilot, sweetheart. I'm a fighter. And doing the best I can! Get ready, we're going to hit the ground hard.” She slammed her palm against the green button and then held onto the belt that crossed over her chest. She clutched it so hard that she had nail marks on her skin.

The pod slammed into the surface of the planet, skipping off the ground until finally making a complete stop. She heard what sounded like air being released from the back of the pod.

“The hatch won't open automatically, will it?”

Aevar disengaged his seatbelt and raced to the back. “No! If it’s making that sound, it's because something is broken. Sounds like a fuel line,
swuya
!” He used his goggles to look through the back of the hatch. “We're not going out there anytime soon to check, though. This is a huge storm, and it goes for miles.”

“And your maps didn’t tell you that? I thought those fancy goggles of yours could do anything.”

“Well, they can't see into the future. We can only tell the weather as far as the upper clouds. The storms are created completely on the surface. So for now, we're stuck.”

Ivy removed her own seatbelt and walked around the cabin of the pod. “How are we going to finish this mission if we're stuck here?”

Aevar sat down on the bench and removed his goggles and communication device.

“We're just going to have to wait it out, Ivy. There's no other option.”

“Great. So we're stuck here, in this tiny little pod together, with hardly any food and very little supplies. You know sometimes these the storms last days! It’d almost be better to just head back to the Titan and try a different day.”

Aevar raised an eyebrow at her. “I'm not flying through that mess again. We're here until the storm passes, and then we complete the mission. That's our only option.”

“Well, what are we going to do in the meantime?” Ivy had never been an enclosed area like this before with no way to get out. Her skin felt like it was crawling as she felt the anxiety creeping in. Clearly, she wasn't good in small spaces.

“I can think of something,” Aevar said with a devilish look in his eye.

Ivy cocked her head at him. “Oh, and what’s that?”

Aevar pulled out a pack of cards from his back pocket and put them down on the bench next to him. “Your sister taught me how to play. I bet I can beat you.”

“You bet, do you? You don't have anything to bet. That's the whole point of playing: winning.” She was competitive. She’d been told before.

“Fine. For every hand I win, you take off a piece of clothing.”

Ivy was shocked. Sure, there had been some tension between her and Aevar, an undeniable chemistry. But they were on an Alliance pod. This wasn't really the time to get involved. Besides, she had bigger fish to fry. But as he patted the bench next to him, she realized that she didn't want to say no.

“And if I win?”

“The same rule applies. I remove a piece of clothing.”

Suddenly, Ivy was a lot more interested. She was dying to see what was underneath that dark black jacket and light grey pants that set low on his hips. Maybe she would finally get a closer look at his etchings after all.

“Well, I hope you don't get cold easily.”

“Is that a challenge?”

“Let's put it this way, I taught Maggie how to play.”

Aevar looked a little worried, and he should have.