Sarazen's Claim, Book One (7 page)

He followed along behind her, and assured her that in no way did he find her frustrating, or anything akin to a chore to be done. “I guess too, I’m sad that as far as anyone else, the other ships, if they’re even still intact, they won’t ever know what happened to us.”

“Would it bring you comfort, to know without doubt that there are more of your people left?”

“Yes.”

“Would you wish to return to them, if they are?”

“I don’t know. I was born on a starship, I’ve traveled space my whole life. I don’t know anything else, not really. I like the idea of going home, because it is, was, familiar. But at the same time I’m terrified, knowing how quickly, how easily one of our ships can be destroyed. That makes me a coward, doesn’t it?”

“Of course not. It is rational. Logical even. In comparison to many species, yours is still quite primitive in technological standing. Evident by how quickly the Na’ah were able to breech your defenses.”

“You are being kind, again.”

“I am not. If I had the choice between an inferior ship filled with delicate creatures, or a warship full to bursting with the most feared warriors in the galaxy, and the most advanced weaponry this side of the galaxy, my choice would be quite simple. Would it please you, if I could locate your other ships?”

“Could you do that?”

“It is not difficult to identify the frequency of your people’s communication’s array. And your ships are made of a unique material. I would not be able to venture beyond the borders of our territory without council approval, but it is possible that eventually they could be located.” 

The look she gave him was soft, shy, uncertain, but her appreciation was seen. She nodded, and for a time they walked together in the temple garden, and instead of tears on her cheeks there was a soft smile on her lips.

Eight

She had spent an uncomfortable night in the barracks with the other women, apparently having gotten used to sleeping in Tarek's massive bed, now she felt cramped and uncomfortable even though the bunks were three times the size of what she had slept on her entire life. When he had brought her back after having taken her to the temple, she had asked to stay with the women. Needing some space, needing to be with her own, though she didn't know any of them any better than she did the warriors that roamed the ship. They were mostly medical and engineering crew, and a lot of what they talked about made no sense to her. Made her nervous. And as she lay there staring up at the underside of the bunk above her, she admitted to herself that she'd needed time away from Tarek's penetrating stare. Time to think about everything that was happening. 

But all she'd done was think about Tarek.

He hadn't been happy to leave her with her crew, he had in fact growled when she asked. But after a tense moment, he had inclined his head and pulled a thin, clear bracelet like thing from his arm and slipped it over her wrist. It had been warm from his skin, almost uncomfortably warm, but like her dress, as soon as it had touched her skin, it shrank to more comfortably fit her and Tarek had explained that it was a communicator. She'd been startled when he had lifted his massive hand and cupped her jaw, his thumb sweeping over her cheekbone while he looked intensely down at her, "You may remain here for one rev," A revolution, she had learned, was the rising and setting of their sun. "Tomorrow, we will speak of how you have called my beast. If you have need of me, I will come." He had tilted her chin up, and for a breathless moment she thought he was going to kiss her, but he hadn't. He had made that soft, rumbling purring noise and rubbed his nose alongside hers.

All night long, she'd wondered why he hadn't kissed her, and had fitfully slept, hearing that rumbling purr still. 

She got up because the simulated daylight on the ship was starting to slowly come online, like the sun rising, and she had no sooner set her feet down on the cool deck floor, when the doors whooshed open and Gwen came running in with a wildly gleeful look on her face. "Ga'rae's equipment measure up, Gwen?" She teased, and the little medic turned almost purple with embarrassment. "As a matter of fact, it did. They're shifters!" She squealed, her embarrassment forgotten as she rushed over and started chattering at her about all the things she'd learned while with Ga'rae, all night. "You'll never believe what they're capable of! Aside from the rapid healing-"

"Black claws that retract into their nail beds, fangs, vertical pupil dilation?"

"Well, yes, how did you-"

"Tarek grabbed Ethan and lifted him five feet in the air, with one hand. I was watching him very closely."

"Oh. Well, they can do more than that!" And off she went about all she'd learned about Sarazen biology. 

Gwen's excitement had just started to gather the other women as they woke, when the door slid open and Tarek walked in. He had eyes only for her, despite how some of the other girls squealed and dove for their bunks to cover their half-dressed state, but she just stared back at him in total fascination. Even when Gwen darted in front of him to get out of the way, his gaze never wavered, "It is time to break your fast, little one." He told her firmly, and her stomach erupted with ripples and zings of attraction. No denying it, he was one sexy alien. "Come," He didn't wait for her to greet him, or to answer, he just commanded her in that deep voice to obey, "What about the others?"

"They will be cared for."

He looked different, and it took her a moment to realize he looked...tired. His hair wasn't as sleek as it had been yesterday, and in fact it appeared he'd just pulled it back into a low tail and not bothered to brush it. He wore the same tunic and pants from yesterday, and she wondered if he'd had as fitful a night as she had. She nodded and turned back to give Gwen a look, then Cassie, "I'll be back for lunch." Cassie was next on the tier of command, and she seemed to be coping well enough to handle anything that went awry. "We'll be fine," She took a deep breath and approached the massive alien waiting for her, shivering at the heat of his palm settling on her waist to guide her out.

She waited until they were alone in the corridor to ask him if everything was alright, and he glanced down at her with a slight frown. "Everything?" He queried, and she supposed that was a rather large question, "You. Are you, alright?" His frown eased and his lips actually twitched as though he wanted to smile at her in amusement, "You worry I am not?" She swallowed, not sure why she was suddenly so nervous, or why he sounded so pleased about the prospect that she might be worried for him. "I'm um, not the most observant, or socially stable person, but I notice you look tired. Like you had a difficult night or something."

He made a sound, deep in his chest. A thoughtful hum, maybe, and she shivered at the way his fingers spread on her back to take up as much space, touch as much he could with that one hand on her. "As you were not with me, I had opportunity to complete reports to my council and attend to other duties that might later limit our time together." he pulled her closer to his side when they stepped into the lift, that was occupied by several other warriors, shifting so that his massive body was between her and the others, glaring at them when they stared at her curiously. It made her duck her head and smile, because she'd never been so blatantly ogled before. "Does it please you, to be so admired?" Tarek asked, and though his tone was casual, there was a tightness to it that made her blush. "I wouldn't say it pleases me. I've just never been...admired." 

She peeked out from under her lashes and saw that a few of the big warriors were grinning, and the rest seemed baffled. "It makes you smile," The warriors who were grinning, quit suddenly, and stepped slightly away as though making her smile, was going to get them punished. "I'm smiling because for once in my life, I feel short." Tarek glanced down at her, his expression confused, as though he was trying to figure her out. "That, pleases you? Feeling smaller of stature?" She shrugged, twisting her fingers around in the material of her skirt as age old self-consciousness washed over her. "I've always been the tallest, biggest woman among the crew I socialized with, and even as a child I was taller than most of the men. It made me an oddity,"

"You were called, odd?" Tarek asked it like he was affronted, baffled by the idea that someone would call her odd. 

"Among other things, yes." Often the butt of jokes, ridiculed, teased because she'd been gangly and had such frizzy red hair. In fact, whatever was in the enzyme wash had her crazy hair for the first time in her life, feeling soft, smooth and silky. It wasn't all over the place like normal, didn't feel so heavy because she'd opted this morning not to braid it back out of her face.

He looked down at her sideways, his nostrils flaring for a moment before he grunted and swept his thumb up and down against her spine. "Your kind are strange, my one. But I see how they would have cause to be jealous of your beauty." He didn't say it as though he was complimenting her, he said it as though it was a factual observance, and a few of the warriors in the lift grunted in agreement. The doors slid open and Tarek gently urged her forward, sweeping her down the corridor that looked all the same and directed her to wave her hand across the small round port beside the door. "Your communicator has been programmed to access all levels," He told her, but it didn't really matter much, since she didn't know how to navigate the warship.

She had thought he would take her back to his quarters, but the room they were in now appeared to be some kind of observation deck, or a common room with comfortable lounges and low tables all facing a massive open bay window that showed the streaming color of the stars as the ship cut through space. She hadn't seen anything like it before, not having quarters high enough on the Aria to have gotten a porthole to look out, and her lab was in the heart of the ship, so her view of the universe had been steel grey walls. The only colors she saw, the only marvels, had been through her microscope and the rare times she had been allowed to join a surface crew to gather samples from alien planets. Or the rare times when she was allowed access to the library database.

She walked forward with her mouth probably hanging open, and turned her hands over to see how the lights flashed over her body, the blue and silver streaks of light beautifully making the room seem like it was underwater. "It's beautiful," She heard herself murmur, and suddenly her curiosity was overwhelming. "How big is your ship, Tarek?"  She turned to find him watching her, his arms moving from where he'd crossed them over his chest, to move his fingers over the cuff like tablet on his forearm. Their technology baffled her, delighted her, and she gawked when a hologram appeared between them of a massive looking vessel shaped like an arrowhead. "In comparison, my vessel is five times greater in mass than your 
Aria
. There are twenty thousand warriors on board."

"Holy shit. Are you invading a solar system or something?"

His amusement was plain, and he spread his hands to widen the hologram so she could see the different levels and get a better idea of how massive the ship really was. "No, my one. Our territory is vast, and fifteen of our vessels all of the same size routinely patrol a specified quadrant. I don't know how to accurately describe units of measurement to convey their space, would you like to see a map?" She nodded, and the particles of light shifted to show her a solar system, and she listened attentively, trying to understand just how massive it was. She understood that each of the fifteen planets that orbited a red dwarf star, six times the size of Earth's sun, were all part of Sarazen territory, and if it took ten warships carrying twenty thousand warriors to patrol that territory, it had to be a shit ton of space. One warship per planet, basically, and smaller ships for supply, trading, transport and things ran between them all. "Were we close to any of these planets?" She asked, and Tarek shook his head, moving the scan to show her one of the three barren moons that would have been closest to them, and then a red dot to show her where the Aria had been lost. "We downloaded all the information from your ship's computer, and there would have been no way for your deep space sensors to pick up even this moon. They had not the strength to reach this distance. You would have passed this system by in two of your earth weeks."

That mildly depressed her and made her wonder how many viable planets they had passed because their ships sensors weren't strong enough to detect them. Made her wonder if the Aria, and the other ships carrying what was left of the human race, were just doomed to float around in space, indefinitely. "I have gained permission from the Sarazen ruling council, to share the frequencies and information of your people's vessels, among the armada and have commanded three of our smaller deep space vessels to attempt to locate the remaining ships of your kind. I can give no assurances that anything will come of it, but we will try."

"That's very generous, Tarek. Thank you." She murmured, not quite knowing what to say, or how she felt. A bit overwhelmed, she focused on staring at the planets revolving around in front of her. "Which one is Saraz?"

He waved his hand, flicked his fingers really, and all the planets save for one, disappeared, leaving the giant pinkish green planet with two moons circling it, hanging in the space between them. She bit into her lip and tried to mimic his movements to enlarge the image, delighted when the hologram responded and turned this way and that in response to the touches of her fingertip. "You are my one, Clary." he finally said, breaking the tense silence, and she could suddenly hear the blood pounding in her veins, how every hair on her body responded and stood on end at the low rumble of his voice. "It is my privilege now to ensure your health and your happiness. I should allow you to think my armada searches for your people, because I wish to please you. And though my desire to please you is great, it is not only at your pleasure that we will look for your people."