The Naked Truth (6 page)

With a jerk, their m’ittar broke apart. Gasping, their breaths racing, they held on to each other in the suddenly harsh light of Asler’s office. Her jaw dropped open in shock as the realization that they were both still clothed, her hands fisted into the soft material of his robes, hit her. She stared into the depths of his startled eyes. Neither could look away, and when she pressed herself back into his arms he welcomed her, wrapping his arms around her.

For the first time in her life, she clung to a man.

A sudden, odd noise interrupted their embrace with a quick start. She flushed with embarrassment and cursed her fair skin once again as she realized the source of the noise came from her own belly. Great. It’s embarrassing to be so obviously embarrassed, and now my stomach is protesting like I haven’t fed it in weeks. So much for a little real-life sex. I could use some more of that…comfort.

He grinned. “We have growling bellies too, the same as humans.” He let her go and walked to the desk. With no small amount of satisfaction she noted that he swayed slightly as he stepped away. After tapping a few keys, he turned back and took her hand. “You’ve just gone through a major healing. Your body needs to be cared for.” He stroked the pad of his thumb over the back of her hand. “Come with me.”

Asler watched the human woman take in the scene before them. Perhaps it wasn’t the best idea, exposing her to their cultural differences so quickly. A meal in his room might have been better.

Her eyes were open wide as she glanced around. Couples lay on low couches in various degrees of undress, enjoying their meals and each other in equal and obvious delight. Her tongue flicked out, and she wet her lips.

No, she wasn’t shocked and dismayed. She was shocked and aroused, he realized with a grin.

This was more than he’d hoped for. Her desire opened channels between them that allowed him greater access to her thoughts, her emotions and her memories. His smile faded. Discovering the truth about what happened was becoming more important all the time—a second attack meant greater risk to the Treaty, and to the human world, whether they knew it or not. Susan believed she had done the right thing but still felt guilty, and he would soon have to discover why.

“What the hell is this, a lunch orgy?” she asked, never taking her eyes off the scene before her.

“This is how we enjoy our meals. This is a sterali. The couch will mould to whatever shape you require and has attached tables that revolve around the seat, lowering or raising as you request. It’s quite comfortable.” He led her to the nearest empty couch, held her hand while she sat down.

“I think they’re enjoying a hell of a lot more than their meal.” Susan’s attention still focused on a nearby couple. A woman lay naked on her back on the soft sterali, which had reacted by levering her hips up, opening her to her partner’s caress. Their meal lay half-devoured as the Inarrii male licked at the sticky sweet syrup he’d spread on her thighs.

Susan’s breath came quickly as the man worked ever closer to his goal.

“Perhaps you would enjoy some of the same?” Asler teased her.

“What?” She glanced at him, alarm in her eyes. “In front of everyone?”

“I meant the noodle dish.”

“Yeah, right. Sure you did.” Susan glanced around the room again. “No one cares that it’s so public? Do you eat every meal like this?”

Asler took a seat beside her. He waved a hand over the low table which rose and hovered near his elbow. “Yessin for two, rothan and saiithan.” He spoke to the air.

“What’s that?” Susan eyed him, and he found her suspicious glance oddly endearing, and arousing. Introducing her to Inarrii custom and cuisine was going to be a lot of fun.

“We don’t eat every meal like this, no. This is a casual way of reaffirming ties, exhibiting bonds to others to ensure no mistake is made over who is involved in a permanent relationship and who is out of bounds, you might say.” He lifted his hand to her shoulder, stroked that incredibly smooth skin. Her exotic lack of L’inar encouraged him to touch, to taste. “No one cares that it is public—that is the purpose. I’ve just ordered lunch, some food I think you will enjoy.”

She looked around again. He admired the blush of color that spread across her cheeks as she watched the couple nearby shift into an apparently universally appealing sixty-nine position. The male’s L’inar were fully raised, and the female sucked and licked at them with abandon as his face lay buried in the crevasse between her legs. Another couple wandered over, caressing each other as they candidly watched the mating couple.

Asler observed Susan’s nipples harden at the sight. She needed to trust him the same way. Opening to him now, in a way that she would consider “in public” would go a long way toward establishing that trust. And, he admitted to himself, he wanted to have her now, like this.

He frowned. The urgency of his desire was becoming worrisome. He should not have such a strong reaction. He dismissed it after a moment. It had been some time since he relieved his needs, surely that was all.

A young woman approached, bearing a tray with two plates of steaming noodles and utensils, a decanter of rothan, two glasses and a small plate of long cylindrical cookies. She placed it on the table and moved on to the next couch.

Asler took up a fork and swirled the noodles up into a bite. She watched carefully and seemed about to copy him when the couch beneath them shuddered. Plates rattled on the suspended tables.

“What—” Susan began, but her question stopped as the floor beneath them bucked, and the lights flickered.

Alarm tones sounded. Asler jumped to his feet.

“We have to get back…” His voice was lost in the sudden roar of explosive force that ripped through the room.

One side of the dining room outer wall crushed forward in the deafening boom. Thick acrid smoke began to fill the air. Asler’s heart constricted as he sensed as much as heard the pained screams nearby.

Alarm bells continued to sound. He grabbed for Susan’s arm, intent on getting her out of the unstable area of the ship. He had to find out what had happened, if there had been a third attack. But most of all he needed to be certain she was safe.

That fear tore at him with greater force when he realized she was no longer beside him.

Through the smoke he searched the room for her, his mind open and searching for her now familiar pattern, despite the pain he felt mounting around him. He staggered forward toward the worst of the rubble, brushed past the injured but still mobile Inarrii who were retreating from the disaster. He joined those who were attempting to help the more seriously injured.

Asler rushed to help a young officer pull a fallen light fixture from the crushed leg of a trapped Inarrii, only realizing after he’d gripped the debris that the victim was one of the Inarrii couple Susan had been observing earlier. “Have you seen the human?” he asked the officer as they yanked on the twisted metal.

“She’s over there, near the fire crew.” The reply was harsh and abrupt, mind to mind as Asler realized that it was this Inarrii’s lover they were rescuing.

Fire.

Horror surged through Asler. Fire onboard was the worst thing that could happen on a spaceship. He strained, pushed aside the last of the ruined fixture and pressed a quick hand to the moaning man beneath, dropping him deep into unconsciousness until medical help arrived. He absently waved away the young officer’s thanks and stepped over the heavier rubble to tug at the crushed couch pressing down on the unconscious man’s side.

Where are the Medtechs? Asler worked to stop the flow of blood. His eyes scanned the room.

There. Susan was pressing a flat piece of sterali cushion against the last of the flames, beating the oxygen-stealing monster to death.

Covered in filth, she had moved first to address the thing that endangered them the most, the uncontained fire. The fire crew arrived quickly to the scene, but Asler wondered why the automated system hadn’t kicked in first. The ship had to be badly damaged. He grimaced as he pulled off his outer robe, then used it to press against the injured man’s wound.

“Examiner Kiis, thank you. We’ll take care of him now.” The soft mental command alerted Asler to the Medtech now standing beside him. He stood back, let the man closer.

“Has the ship been hit?” Asler asked, although he doubted the Medtech would have much information at this point.

“An attack alarm was sounded, but that’s all I know.” The Medtech turned his attention to the care of the ashen-faced man below them.

Asler glanced back toward the fire only to find Susan quickly approaching him.

“What the hell happened?” Susan’s chest heaved as she fought to get the question out and catch her breath.

“Come with me. We’ll find out. An attack here…it shouldn’t be possible.” Asler hated the fact that his voice sounded so uncertain, even to his own ears. An attack really shouldn’t be possible. The ship was one of the most heavily defended in the Confederacy contingent that waited upon the signing of the Treaty.

His mind retraced recent events: first the ridiculously simple attack on the Inarrii warship at the Earth Starforce Base, then the surprisingly powerful attack on the secret Confederacy Jupiter Moon Base, and now this…what was driving the attacks?

Asler grabbed Susan’s arm and led her toward the exit. Most of the other diners, injured and shaken, had been taken to safety, and only the damage crews remained.

“Thank you for your help!” a heavily protected fire-crew member called out to Susan as she passed.

She nodded, moving with Asler, keeping pace with him.

Her actions had been heroic, Asler reflected as he stepped over another ruined couch. She’d moved instinctively into danger to help, despite the fact that she was on an alien vessel, facing charges. His gut feeling, as humans so quaintly phrased it, was that she was innocent, and her unselfish reaction to the enemy attack only supported his feeling. She hadn’t tried to escape or even to simply remove herself from danger. Instead, she’d acted to protect an alien ship and its crew.

Some might say she acted only to protect herself. But Asler could almost taste her innocence, her guileless need to do the right thing, even at the risk of her safety. Now he had to prove it and make sure that he had every piece of information available. And that meant accessing her memories of the terrorists.

“Damage has been confined to level five, and the attacking force has retreated,” the ship’s captain explained to Asler over the communication panel. “The ships involved were unmarked, but definitely not of human origin.”

Asler glanced over at Susan, who listened from her perch on the low couch. She took another mouthful of her dinner, clearly enjoying the yessin noodles she’d missed tasting at the dining room before the explosion. He’d ordered them brought to her here in his office instead. The scent of the savory dish tickled hi s nose, reminding him how unsatisfactory the nutro bar he’d eaten earlier had been—devoured in seconds during the captain’s report.

Susan’s pettan and skin still bore the sooty marks from the fire in the dining room. A shiver ran along his L’inar as he thought again of how she risked being badly injured when she attempted to put out the flames.

“Injuries?” Asler asked the captain.

“Three Inarrii have been seriously injured. No deaths, but it was a very close call.”

“Where did the attackers come from? Who are they?”

“That’s what we’d all like to know, Examiner.” The captain’s face sagged under the weight of his concern. “We’re not even certain that the same ones were involved in the other two attacks, or if they are related to the initial terrorist attack.”

Asler rubbed a hand over the back of his neck. More questions. They needed the answers, soon. “Understood. Has any of this information been passed on to the Earth Consulate? Are they aware of the attacks or how little we know? Is the Treaty in jeopardy?”

“At this point, the command decision stands. We keep knowledge of the new attacks to ourselves. The Earth Consulate still believe the first attack belongs entirely to the terrorist group Terran Purity. We’ve passed on nothing to the contrary, and the Treaty discussions are continuing. Examiner Salis Fiiten is attending. As usual the lawyers are pulling everything apart and rewriting the Treaty.” A hint of the captain’s strong character seeped back into his voice, tinting his tone with mild sarcastic humor.

“Good. We will continue to investigate, and leave the defense to you. I expect, and I believe you do too, that these attacks will continue—the timing, the locations, are all tied to the Treaty talks.”

“Except for this last attack, I would have to agree. Why attack us here? The Treaty discussions and even the dignitaries and lawyers involved are housed either at the Earth Starforce Base or at the Confederacy Jupiter Moon Base. Nothing is going on here.”

“Nothing except Captain Branscombe.”

The two men stared grimly at each other. “Right. Tel sahiir denay.” The captain signed off, wishing him good hunting.

Now both his commander and his captain were personally relying on him to find some sort of answer through Susan’s memories. The Treaty would depend on it. Asler glanced over at Susan again, only to find her dark blue eyes avoiding his gaze. Her meal sat unfinished in her lap, a bite balanced on her utensil. She needed to be ready for this, but he couldn’t put it off much longer.

Sue slowly took one last bite of the noodles, delaying the time when she would have to look up at Asler and tell him she was ready to explore her memories. She could feel his eyes upon her after he’d said his goodbyes to the captain of the ship. It had to be done, but fear took away even the spicy taste of the foreign dish. She didn’t want to remember. As it was, she’d almost run when the smell of smoke had hit her in the dining room. The burning scent was too close to the way her flesh had reeked as it burned under her torturer’s hand.

Had it only been a week ago that she’d experienced that indescribable pain? And now, if she understood what Asler wanted from her, she would feel it again.

In the face of danger, she’d kept her calm, helped put out the flames in the dining room, despite the wave of fear-drenched memory. But could she do this? Re-experience every moment of torture, so that they might find some questionable piece of evidence she didn’t even know she possessed? She was innocent of collaboration; that was easy to prove. But he wanted to search every memory for something that might be there. Or might not.

“Susan…” His voice caught at her. She knew it was time, knew he wanted her to work with him now, to move through the past. She didn’t want to disappoint him, she realized. She didn’t want him to know she was a coward, that the thought of doing this terrified her. When had she come to care what this man thought?

“Susan, I know you are afraid.” Asler stepped closer to her, lifted her chin to look into her eyes. “I’ll tell you again—there will be no pain.”

“No pain, but the memory of it.”

“I’ll be with you.”

She pulled away from him. “I can’t do it!”

He took a seat near her, careful not to touch her. “Your people don’t know everything. Your race is innocent of the danger that is out there. That is coming for you.”

He had her attention now. She stared into his bright green eyes, a new fear gnawing at the edge of her consciousness.

“What danger?” Her voice rang sharply in the stillness of his rooms.

“I am not supposed to release this information, but I feel you should understand the real risks here. If we cannot resolve these attacks, determine their source, the Treaty is in danger. And if there is no Treaty, your planet and your people are in grave danger.”

She sucked in a breath, clenched her fists as she stared at him. “What exactly do you mean?”

“There are forces outside the Confederacy that are waiting on an opportunity to step in and drain your planet of its resources. The Confederacy calls them the Ravagers. You might call them pirates. There is some evidence that points to the involvement of non-humans in at least two of the recent attacks. The Ravagers may already be in the area. They approach an unprotected planet—”

“We aren’t unprotected,” she interjected, Starforce pride stiffening her spine.

“Susan. These people are killers like you have never seen. They will destroy entire cities as examples, after forcing your people to surrender everything. And then they will kill or enslave everyone who is left. They will strip your metals and your water and leave what is left to slowly die. Earth will be a dry, lifeless husk. The Starforce is too new, too underpowered to form any kind of effective defense. Your fighters will die in space before they are aware they are under attack.” He paused. “Unless the Confederacy is here to make a stand and protect your Earth, your people are lost.”

The blood drained from her face as she listened to Asler’s strained voice describing the death of all she knew and cared about.

“I…I need a minute,” she stammered.

“Susan…” He reached for her but she evaded his touch and stepped away from the low couch.

“Let me get cleaned up, please. And then we will do this. We’ll go through it all.” She smiled grimly, feeling numb, as though all humor had leached from her soul. “I want to help. I have to.”

Pride, compassion and more than a little lust for the human woman before him warred within Asler, creating an emotion he had no name for and no control over. He took Susan’s hand and led her to his private lavatory. It was a luxury onboard that his rank called for, even if he rarely made use of it. This was the first time he had ever shared it with anyone, and he was secretly glad that he had the ability to offer Susan a touch of comfort and solace before she endured what she feared most.

Once again she exhibited a level of bravery that reminded Asler why he had chosen to stand for the human side of the Treaty as an Examiner Advocate. These people could only add to the Confederacy.

“There are extra robes in the closet here.” He pointed out the narrow enclosure, then gestured to the transparent cleansing unit. “We use ultrasonic wave purifiers. I think you will find the added massage frequencies relaxing. I’ve set the timer—all you need to do is step inside the stall.” Asler explained the other features of the cleanser to Susan.

Then, because he wanted to, and perhaps because she looked so small and lost, he wrapped her in his arms. He rocked her for a moment; her small frame clutched him in return. “We can do it, Susan.”

“I know.” She sighed and pulled away from him. She shed her dirty pettan, its light color smudged from her battle with the fire.

Asler swallowed hard when she bent to drop it on the floor, the ripe curves of her buttocks causing his mouth to suddenly water. He stepped hastily back, giving her privacy and time to collect her thoughts. He must accomplish his mission. What feelings he had on a personal level must come second, if that, to protecting the Treaty.

He stepped into the main room and stared at the blank outer wall. His room was near the inner bulwark of the ship, giving the wall a slight curve. If he planned to live here for any amount of time, he would coat the surface with a scene from home. Perhaps the very beach he had taken Susan to in his mind. I must take her to the real place.

Asler shook his head. His mind had wandered again into an area it should not go. The future would not likely hold much opportunity for Susan and himself to remain together. Instead, they would determine the cause of the attacks, and then each would return to their regular courses of duty. She to her Starforce Marines, and he to his role of Examiner, but for much more standard inquiries.

As Examiner he had to face the harsh realities, bring forward facts in situations where people might rather not face the truth. Now he knew he must also face the fact that he had begun to care for Susan…perhaps it had begun even before he set eyes upon her. Now his feelings had grown into more than care. It was more than her ability to handle the difficult situation or his need to protect, more than her physical beauty, her obvious strength. It was also her courage, and her passion. All these qualities made her important to him.

Now he understood that he didn’t want to lose her, either to the truth if she had disclosed too much, or to her duty if she were found innocent and was required to return to service. He wanted more.

“I’m ready.” Sue touched Asler’s shoulder. The man seemed preoccupied with something, sitting staring at the blank wall as she slipped into the room.

She did feel ready. The ultrasonic cleanser had been more refreshing than an old-fashioned water shower or the ionic air blowers onboard her ship. She’d relaxed under the waves of the massage and felt more ready than she had since she’d awoken from her healing. That and a more concealing robe she’d found in the closet gave her a mild confidence boost. It was as soft as silk, but thick like wool. Though the fabric was short on her, at least it covered everything.

It was hard to believe that she’d been healed so completely or that she’d been onboard the alien ship for only a few days. So much had happened so quickly, especially her rapid bonding with Asler Kiis. He was an alien, for God’s sake. Yet she found she had no doubt that Asler would help her through the memories, that he would make it bearable.

As he turned to face her she was struck yet again by the immediate attraction she felt for him. His L’inar lines stood out—literally—in the most satisfying way. It was good to be able to see just how he reacted to her with as much attraction as she felt for him.

“Susan.” He hesitated, his face serious despite the height of his ridges. “I’ve been thinking about the m’ittar. I would like to offer you an option. There is a way to take you out of the memory, for us to be able to examine what is happening without you experiencing the actual pain or sensations of remembering.”

Sue’s heart beat faster. Thank God. “That sounds pretty good to me. But would we lose any details? That is what you are looking for, right? Details I can’t remember but that might be there?”

“Yes, you and I would see everything held in your memory as though we were watching a show. We might, depending on the level of contact we can achieve, be able to discuss what we see as we are observing it happen.”

“Let’s do it.”

“Wait.” He reached out and stroked the edge of her robe along one sleeve. One corner of his mouth twitched up in a small smile. “This is the top half of my pet-horin for sleeping in the cold. It looks much better on you.” He shook his head and continued before she could speak. “There are risks to reviewing the memories this way.”

“Pajamas,” she murmured, watching the soft rounding of his lips. “What kind of risks do you mean?”

“By taking you from the memory you may not be able to experience it again.”

She turned from him as a shudder rippled down her back. “That sounds pretty good to me. I don’t want those memories ever again. They’re like a nightmare you know will haunt you forever. Frankly, if I could lose them I would be glad.”

“Look at me, Susan.”

She turned back to him. His green eyes nearly glowed. Her mouth watered. His lips pursed as he prepared to tell her something important, but all she could think of was how she would like to kiss them, kiss him.

“By altering your memories and, in effect, removing them, we might get more detail as they will be unclouded by your pain, and we can discuss what we see. But this will mean that these memories will be unavailable as proof in your investigation and possible trial. It could hurt your chances of being found innocent of treason.”

“Can’t you testify on my behalf?”

“I am an Examiner, and Advocate for your people, and I have been one for my own as well. If I open my memories for review, those I have of previous cases might also be revealed, risking other people’s careers and lives. Anyone examining my memories would be able to review them unchecked. I would have to resign my position. I can give my word about what I have reviewed within your mind, but not present the actual memory.”

Sue thought it through, biting on her lip in anxiety. “We need the truth to try and stop the attacks, or at least to keep the Treaty progressing. If we can’t use the memories as testimony and I am found guilty, I’ll be locked up, but at least I would know I had saved my world from being sucked dry.”

“You’re very brave, Susan.” Asler’s warm hands encompassed her own, chasing the chill creeping across her away. “Come with me. We’ll relax and initiate m’ittar at a different level.” Sue hesitated, so he continued. “It won’t hurt. I will never hurt you.”